Jun Kandel used the media. He didn’t frame the matter as a person-to-person issue but tied it to the pride of the Magic Tower as an institution. Thanks to that, the incident grew quite large, becoming a common topic of chatter even among ordinary citizens at pubs. I didn’t stay still either. I delivered my official position in writing through the Jemion Daily. [...This decision was an essential procedure to root out a heinous criminal who threatens the peace of the Empire. If my judgment was wrong, I will take full responsibility with my honor as a knight on the line...] Even though I expressed my position like that, high-ranking knights from the top of the Knight Order, including Adria, came to pressure me. “If I am wrong, I will resign from the Knight Order.” With that one sentence, stating I’d stake my neck on it, I pushed them all back. I returned to focus on my work. I cleared up the backlog of active mana residue tasks and nearly completed the Empire Point’s manual explaining the Aerial Knight Assault. Knock knock- Amid that, the knock of the administrative officer. “Sir Knight. You have a visitor.” I nodded. The person he brought in was Ezell. “Have a seat.” She sat down and looked around the room. "The sofa will probably appear starting next year." “Oh, really? I thought all knights worked out of fancy offices.” I let out a brief laugh and put down my pen. “Anyway, you came at just the right time. I had something I wanted to ask. You’re sure suicide isn’t possible, right?” The Ezenheim race is a people who willingly abandon individuals for the sake of their species. If Pexi were to somehow commit suicide inside the prison... “Yeah. In theory, the moment she attempts self-harm, the brain's energy defense mechanism would activate and trigger forced transformation. Pexi’s brain is already practically a chimera. Even if she wants to die, she can’t die freely. The problem is poisoning.” “Poisoning?” “There’s a poison that coagulates blood and mana simultaneously. The side effect of 「Chimera Brain」 occurs when the internal mana thrashes about uncontrollably, but if this poison is used, the mana itself stagnates... and she might just die quietly. Be prepared. Just in case.” “Okay. I’ll keep it in mind, just in case.” Ezell looked at me silently for a moment and asked, “Max, are you okay? There’s a ton of stuff about you in the papers.” “...Honestly, I want to ask if you’re okay.” She was currently in the position of being an informant from the magic tower. The most important witness who reported a fellow wizard, and the sole basis of all my judgments. “It actually worked out well. Thanks to this, I might become a star wizard right away.” “Does getting your name in the media make you a star?” “Uncovering the truth behind forbidden chaos magic, analyzing the grimoire, identifying the suspect, and playing a key role in exposing a hidden threat inside the Magic Tower? That’s way better than a few boring papers. I might even be promoted straight to 6th-tier~” I looked at Ezell. Her hair, tinged with a light gray, shimmered. It vaguely resembled ash, looking so fragile it seemed like it would crumble if touched. “What are you trying to do by raising your status like that?” “...I have ambitions of my own. There’s a lot I want to do.” Runsellot is a great family. A lineage of noble magic family. However, the path Ezell wants to take ultimately leads to revolution. She always thinks about that. “Max, what about you?” Ezell asked me. To me, it felt like a question about the Empire. The Empire was too rotten to sustain its system, but I had to become its sharpest sword. I had decided to do so to prevent its collapse. You and I were inevitably going to walk different paths. “I have ambition too.” Revolution desires to go against Heaven. But even that is only possible if the world exists. “Probably much bigger than yours, Ezell.” Therefore, I wish for continuation. Ezell looked at me quietly, then stood up. As she turned, she tossed out a remark. “Cool. You’ve changed a lot from before...” It was quite a pleasant thing to hear. *** Chiron’s secret office set up in the Capital. Chiron is conducting training and analysis with young knights under his command. By discussing various current issues in society, he intends to instill political awareness in the young ones. “Next topic. This is the most important incident these days.” Chiron, seated at the head seat, set down the newspaper articles and spoke. “Question: why did Maximilian detain a wizard from Sentio using a knight’s authority?” A knight had detained a 5th-tier wizard. Considering the delicate relationship between the Magic Tower and the Knight Order, it was an act with excessive risk. “Everyone, speak freely. Even nonsense is fine. Say it out loud.” “Hmm... he probably knew she was Jun Kandel’s lover. Or... maybe he really didn’t know?” Subordinate knight Rawyn uttered an obvious piece of bullshit. Chiron’s brow furrowed. “That’s too shallow. Think a bit more deeply.” “...To keep Jun Kandel in check?” “One step no, two steps further.” At present, Maximilian had no reason to check Jun. Their families were rivals, so bad relations were natural, but they each operated in different fields and areas. “Then what if he already had solid evidence, a smoking gun, that the wizard was a Brain-Eater?” “In that case, it would be easier to simply turn her over to trial. This authority to detain, most knights may use it once every ten years, or never at all in their entire careers.” Chiron himself had only used it once in thirteen years. That alone showed the immense political burden it carried. “Hmm...” “Hm...” “Hmmmmm...” The knights fell silent, and Chiron swallowed a sigh. These were the elites of the Empire. Weapons beyond human, the sword of the Empire, and yet in matters like these, they were still hopeless. “Think deeper. From Maximilian’s perspective.” It was inevitable. These chicks in their early twenties had grown up coddled. On the battlefield, they would fulfill their roles just fine, and even now they showed above-average competence in routine duties. But politics required a completely different kind of talent. “Did Maximilian really think that far...?” Some of them, just because he was a few years older, doubtfully questioned Maximilian. Chiron found it absurd. “Don’t underestimate your opponent. Respect them and keep thinking.” But this incident had confirmed it for Chiron. Maximilian was a deeply political man. “Politics isn’t anything grand. It’s about seeing through your opponent’s true intentions while hiding your own and gaining what you can. I’m telling you to look at this incident on a larger scale.” Still, there was no response, and Chiron eventually offered a hint. “Take a good look.” He placed a photo of Deputy Commander Anton on the desk. With the term of the current Knight Commander nearing its end, Anton was the most likely candidate for succession. The young knights returned to contemplation. You could practically hear their brains turning. Then finally, one of them raised a hand. “It’s because of Deputy Commander Anton.” Raynel McQueen. Maximilian’s senior by a year at Empire Point. “Exactly for what?” “To... deliver political damage to Deputy Commander Anton?” Chiron grinned. He nodded with satisfaction and clapped once. Clap! “Exactly. You only get it after a hint.” This was the conclusion Chiron had reached with his strategists after much deliberation, Maximilian’s true intent. “I’ll explain in more detail. Listen closely...” Maximilian had detained a wizard of the Magic Tower. The reason didn’t matter. Even if the rumors were true and she really was a ‘Brain-Eater’, the Magic Tower’s pride had already taken a massive blow. However, that anger would not focus solely on Maximilian as an individual. The Magic Tower wasn’t that kind of institution. They couldn’t take out their frustration on only the Ebenholtz family. Therefore, the spark would inevitably spread to a central figure in the Knight Order. The selection of the Knight Commander wasn’t decided solely within the Knight Order. It was entirely the authority of the royal family, meaning the Magic Tower could voice their opinions to the Imperial House. For that reason, the Magic Tower would definitely attempt to check Anton. "Hah......." “Indeed. If a knight causes such an incident, they’ll blame the higher-ups who failed to stop it!” “Did he really have such an intention behind it?” The young knights now wore expressions of genuine admiration. One corner of Chiron’s mouth twisted. “Do you know how many times Anton’s faction tried to visit Maximilian just last night?” Anton’s lot must be in agony by now. Thanks to Maximilian, their relationship with the Magic Tower was on the verge of collapse. “But no one can override Maximilian’s exercise of authority this time. Because he is an Ebenholtz.” This was politics possible only because he was an Ebenholtz. Maximilian was exercising the ‘power’ of his family with great efficiency. “What if the relationship with the Kandel family falls apart?” This idiotic question came from Zionne, Maximilian’s senior by one year. “It’s just one woman anyway. Do you think the heirs of great houses are as emotional as you lot? How many times must I tell you to show some respect to your opponents.” “Ah... yes.” “Every action Maximilian takes has basis and deep implication. It’s the Ebenholtz way of education. This is why I always talk about one’s birth. Politics is an innate talent.” Chiron, at least in his own assessment, was the one who understood Max’s true intention the quickest, and he had already arranged a meeting with the Tower Master. “Now, next. The list of candidates for the next Knight Commander.” He pointed to the meeting room’s blackboard. There was a list of next-generation candidates in case Anton fell out. Adria, Chiron, Yusuf. “Shouldn’t we consider Knight Julian as well?” Raynel asked a foolish question, but it was understandable. Julian had recently received great praise from the Imperial House for the operation that beheaded Dun Caan. “Julian is fine.” But Chiron had long ceased to worry about Julian. Julian had even squandered the enormous reward granted by the Imperial House this time. He had spent it all on orphanages in the lower districts. However, the Imperial House tracks how their rewards are spent, and they don’t like knights who embrace the lowest of society too much. At the very least, they don’t want to promote them to key positions. “Julian is the only friend a man with any ambition in this field can truly have.” Someone reliable and worthy of respect. Too knightly to ever rise to the top. That was why Chiron liked Julian. *** Tick-tock── Time passed. The crazed media frenzy had slowly faded, and I stood looking at the one locked in the underground prison of the Sentinel. “.......” Pexi, bound in mana armor restraints, sat on the cold stone floor, gazing at me. She looked gaunt, yet in a way, still graceful. The very appearance that explained why Jun Kandel had fallen for her. In other words, once the outer shell is peeled off, Jun will abandon her too. “Why... are you doing this to me?” Pexi asked in a frail voice. “Because you are not a citizen of the Empire.” “...Do you see me as a subspecies?” I turned a page in my book and replied indifferently. “If you weren’t a subspecies, you wouldn’t even have dared to use that kind of magic.” Pexi gave a powerless smile. “I didn’t use such chaos magic.” “Then, just wait in peace.” I checked the date on my terminal. “Only 23 days remain.” “...I have a chronic illness. At this rate, I will die here.” Pexi coughed. Blood dripped between her teeth with a splatter. “That’s precisely why I imprisoned you.” “Why?” “Because you are an enemy of the Empire.” Pexi leaned against the iron bars and looked at me. “Your conviction is strange. Is it that so-called intuition knights are raised with?” “.......” The intent behind her question was vague. This woman was trying to extract some kind of information from me. So I had to conceal my ability too. “Poor person...” Pexi looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes and gave a faint smile. In the end, this is what the Ezenheim race must rely on, appeals to pity. Their greatest weapon is not some dimensional devourer they summoned before the regression. It’s the fact that they appear in the exact same ‘form’ as us. “You must think you’re part of a special ruling class in this Empire. Because you're an Ebenholtz heir. A special being with free will...” Pexi stubbornly continued her bullshit. “But you’re not. Even you are nothing more than a slave of the Emperor within this massive Empire. Replaceable at any time, disposable at any moment... just a single, insignificant part.” I closed my book. “Yes. I volunteer to be such a part. For a knight is, by nature, the sword of the Empire.” I leaned in and looked at Pexi through the iron bars. In my eyes, wide open and fully exposed, I held the image of the Ezenheim I wanted to tear apart and kill. "So, listen carefully. I will find and kill subspecies like you. Not just you but all your kin, I will find them and exterminate them from this continent by any means necessary." Pexi’s expression faltered. “...For what purpose?” Her eyes glistened with moisture. It was such utter, fucking pathetic emotional manipulation. The problem was that this kind of performance often worked on the Revolutionary forces. “For what... exactly...” Pexi repeated in breathless gasps. I smiled faintly. I was always prepared for questions like that. “For the Empire. And nothing else.” *** ...A knight is the sword of the Empire. It is an authority rightfully bestowed by the Emperor. Therefore, a knight observes the Empire. But they, too, are subject to unseen supervision, surveillance, and checks by the Imperial Family, and much of the conversation and decision-making within the Knight Order is recorded. In fact, even the term “recording” is rather laughable. This entire Empire, by nature, belongs to the Emperor. “Your Majesty. A record from the underground prison.” In the dark of night. The Sanctum where the Emperor resided. Beyond the veil, only a noble silhouette shimmered faintly, and there, a shadow-like servant presented a transcript to the Emperor. The Emperor opened it. The sentences and voices from the conversation played simultaneously. [Maximilian: That is why I imprisoned you.] [Pexi: Why?] [Maximilian: Because you are an enemy of the Empire.] Maximilian declaring her an enemy of the Empire. The Emperor traced the sentences with his finger. [Pexi: You probably think you’re part of the Empire’s special ruling class. Because you’re the heir of Ebenholtz. A special being with free will... But within this massive Empire, even you are nothing more than a slave to the Emperor.] Words that were, at once, obvious yet blasphemous and insolent. [Pexi: Replaceable at any time, interchangeable at any moment, just a single part.] [Maximilian: Yes. I volunteer to be such a part. For a knight is, by nature, the sword of the Empire.] The Emperor’s time was precious. And yet he was spending that valuable time on this meager transcript. [Maximilian: So, listen carefully. I will find and kill subspecies like you. Not just you but all your kin, I will find them and exterminate them from this continent by any means necessary.] [Pexi: ...For what purpose?] For what purpose. To that question, asking the very root of a knight’s being, Maximilian answered like this. [Maximilian: For the Empire. And nothing else.] The silhouette of the Emperor nodded quietly. As if to say it was more than worth it. ─...Truly, he is the son of Sebestian. The Emperor had been with Sebestian since his youth. During the blood-soaked war of succession, Sebestian had cut down countless foes as the Emperor’s sword, and after ascending to the throne, had become his most loyal shield. ─You have grown into an excellent Imperial citizen. Just like his father, he had grown to be exceptional. The Emperor set the transcript down with satisfaction, and the servant withdrew, bowing low.