Chapter 32: If You Ask About the Empire's Future (3) The night was deep. I was working out of an empty office I'd borrowed at Empire Point.
There was a considerable amount of paperwork requiring my approval. While I had given Dieter full authority over the company's affairs, my official duties as a Knight still required my personal review.
[Grand Jury Notice]
[Appeal Against Non-Indictment Decision]
[Investigation Report Records...]
All sorts of cases found their way to a Knight. Many were matters where the trial had already concluded or the police had closed the investigation. This was because every Knight of the Empire acted as an independent entity, serving as a check and balance against prosecutors, judges, and the police alike.
"...Sigh."
Having finished most of it, I ran a hand through my hair and stood up.
Right on cue, visitors arrived.
"Max~ are you planning on sleeping here tonight, too?"
It was Leon.
"No. I'm leaving soon."
Tiana appeared from behind him.
"At this hour? Just stay the night. Here, take this."
She held out a bag containing some food.
"How about it? It's been a while. It's just the right time for a late-night snack."
Inside the bag were instant frozen soup and noodles. It was a delicacy from our cadet days—the kind where you just added hot water and mixed. I took it from her.
The two of them sat on the sofa.
"Wow. Look at all those documents."
Leon looked at my desk in awe. Tiana let out a short laugh.
"Sir Max has caused quite a stir, after all. Usually, when you handle one incident, dozens of pages of paperwork follow."
She was absolutely right. I began eating the hot noodles with wooden chopsticks.
It was delicious.
A nostalgic taste.
"This brings back memories. Just a year ago, this place felt like home," Leon remarked.
Tiana smirked at his words.
"Back then, I was always the top student."
I used to dislike Tiana when she acted boastful like that. It was because of a petty sense of inferiority.
But now, I could acknowledge it.
Tiana truly possessed innate talent. In my life before the regression, she never had the chance to fully blossom, but she was likely on par with Edmond, if not superior.
"And now?" Leon asked teasingly.
"Sigh. Tell me about it... Now that I'm actually a Knight, I've let my guard down. Maybe it's because there's a limit no matter how hard I try."
Tiana looked at me as she said that. I simply shrugged.
"There are no limits if you have enough ability."
"...I suppose that's true for you."
I simply laughed off her sincere sarcasm. Tiana was fine. Leon was the same.
They might dislike me or find me unpleasant, but I was glad to see them. Thanks to the people who still called me 'Max,' I could immerse myself in old memories for a brief moment.
This much luxury was—
"Oh? Here come the Elite Department kids."
Leon pointed out the window. I stood beside him. Tiana chuckled at the sight of the cadets covered in filth.
"Ah~ looks like they were rolling in Mana Mud. That stuff is brutal."
Mana-infused mud. While it forms naturally in certain regions, the military had developed a version for use in traps. Mud designed with intent was far more lethal than most bombs or booby traps. The moment you took a wrong step, your entire body would be sucked in, and you'd suffocate.
"..."
Among the returning elite cadets, I spotted one person. Hannah Usar. Her small lips were twitching. She was muttering "Agh— agh—" as she gripped and tore at the mud stuck in her blonde hair, looking as if she were doing laundry by hand.
"...Oh, right. Max, I've been hearing your name a lot lately regarding Active Residual Traces."
I tilted my head at Tiana's sudden comment.
"You've been hearing about me?"
"Yeah. The police were impressed by your analytical accuracy. Are you studying something on the side?"
"No. My eyes have just been opened lately."
"...Ah. So you've had them closed all this time."
I gave a small laugh.
Ring, ring—
Just then, my terminal rang.
—Sir Maximilian, this is Detective Izent. I was in charge of the Jeremy Keshun murder case.
"Go ahead."
—Yes. Well... just as you said, an Imperial Guard vehicle moved through the scene during the incident. The driver is a member of the Guard named Lorenz Tillman. How should we proceed?
"Tell him to come to my office tomorrow morning."
A mage from the Imperial Guard had killed an unaffiliated mage, and the victim just happened to be an Izenheim.
I was very curious about the circumstances.
—Ah, but the thing is... the Imperial Guard folks are quite, well, stiff, shall we say? You know how they are.
"Yes. You may use my name."
—Yes, sir~ Thank you. Loyalty.
Click. I hung up.
I spoke to my two classmates, who were looking at me with sparkling eyes.
"I'm leaving now. Good work, you two."
"He's really going."
It was nice to see them for a moment, but I didn't have much time to enjoy it.
"Thanks. I'll enjoy this on the way."
Clutching the bag of noodles, I headed straight out.
* * *
Many factions lurked within the Imperial Guard. Currently, the largest was the line following the high noble Jun Kandel and the Head of the Guard, Goebel, but various smaller forces were scattered about. In particular, because the Imperial Guard had a high ratio of commoners and career soldiers, conflicts with nobles or those from Empire Point were frequent.
"...A summons has come from Knight Maximilian."
In the midst of this, there had been a small stir recently. It was the matter of Major Rodriguez, who had been considered quite promising, having his throat slit.
The cause was Rodriguez accusing Maximilian of Ebenholtz.
It was a foolish move. It was something a commoner would never dare imagine, but sometimes provincial nobles lacked a sense of reality to an extraordinary degree.
"Comply for now."
Major Kai Han of the Imperial Guard. He was of commoner origin. He had failed to make it into Empire Point but entered the Imperial Guard instead, forming a small faction by gathering members who similarly lacked connections and background.
It wasn't a grand ambition to seize a high position in the Guard. It was simply to stand together so they wouldn't suffer a miserable, unfair death.
"Yes. I'm sorry, Major."
Lorenz Tillman bowed his head. Once a mage belonging to the Magic Tower, he had been expelled after taking the fall for his professor's crime. He was the culprit behind this mage murder case.
"No. I understand. It was unavoidable for you."
"...Thank you. Then, I will be on my way."
Lorenz gave a salute as usual and got into the car.
Major Han sighed as he watched him drive away.
The current Maximilian was not an opponent they could handle. Since the Rodriguez incident, the members of the Imperial Guard either feared or avoided Maximilian.
It would be a relief if Lorenz could at least keep his life, but...
Most nobles like Maximilian despised the Imperial Guard. It might even be close to loathing.
"Jensen. Prepare the car."
"Sir? Major, why so suddenly—"
"He's a man who followed me and trusted me. I should at least make an effort."
Major Han decided not to let his subordinate go so fruitlessly.
* * *
Tick— tock—
The Knight's interrogation room at Sentinel.
Tick— tock—
The sound of the clock was irritating. It felt exceptionally loud in the quiet space.
Tick— tock—
Was there really a need for a clock in an interrogation room?
I stood up on my chair, about to take the clock down.
Knock, knock.
"Ah."
I hurried down and sat back in my seat. The door opened, and a young member of the Imperial Guard entered.
"Loyalty. I am Lieutenant Lorenz Tillman."
I gestured to the seat opposite me.
"Sit down."
"...Yes, sir."
Name: Lorenz. Surname: Tillman. Commoner. Height: 181cm. Foot size: 290mm. Former Magic Tower mage. He was a man who matched every characteristic of the suspect I had seen through the traces.
"Sir Knight. May I ask why you have summoned me...?"
He asked for the reason for the summons, but his tense face already gave him away.
"You already know, don't you?"
I pushed the Jeremy Keshun murder case file toward him. Lorenz's expression wavered.
"..."
He remained silent. He seemed to be thinking hard.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to wait for his excuses.
"Let me tell you in advance. I hate lies."
I know everything, so let's not waste each other's time.
Understanding my meaning, Lorenz grit his teeth. His jaw muscles twitched. Finally, as if having made a decision, he let out a word that sounded like a sigh.
"...Yes. I killed him."
"The reason?"
"I borrowed money."
My brow furrowed.
Killing someone because you don't want to pay back a debt. It was a tired, messy, and common repertoire for those in the Imperial Guard.
"Why did you borrow the money?"
"It was for my mother's hospital bills."
"Did you kill him because you didn't want to pay him back?"
"..."
Lorenz paused again. I leaned in, my gaze steady.
"I'm warning you. Don't hesitate. Speak while I'm still being lenient."
The conversation was dragging on in annoying intervals.
"...I'm sorry. Jeremy Keshun was my senior when I was at the Novus Magic Tower. I borrowed the hospital fees then—"
"How much was it?"
"It was 300,000 dollars."
That was quite a lot.
"Anyway, I borrowed the money from the Magic Tower and paid it back steadily, but the interest rate was too high. Even my salary from the Imperial Guard wasn't enough. When I pleaded with him, he demanded internal information from the Guard instead."
I watched Lorenz closely as he spoke.
"At first, he told me to hand over the roster of low-ranking Guard members, but at some point, he started asking for more sensitive information..."
Was this man lying? It didn't seem like it.
Above all, it was a demand very characteristic of an Izenheim.
It wasn't that I trusted the Imperial Guard member; it was that I distrusted the Izenheim.
"When I said I would pay the interest in cash, the blackmail began. He said he would report that very information to the Imperial Guard. He even forced me to always wear my Guard uniform when I came to see him."
"To flaunt that he had you under his thumb and to ensure he had leverage over you."
"...Yes. And that night, Jeremy Keshun finally threatened me, saying I must bring out classified documents from the Guard. He brought up my mother. I couldn't contain my rage."
And so, he had killed the Izenheim.
"Very well, Mr. Lorenz. I've received your confession. Now, put it in writing. I won't put you in handcuffs."
I pushed a statement form toward him.
"...Understood."
Scratch. Scratch.
As I watched him write down his confession with his own hand, I asked, "Mr. Lorenz. Which line do you hold within the Imperial Guard?"
"A line... I have nothing that could be called that. I am just an ordinary member."
Even as an Ebenholtz, I had no way of knowing the deep power dynamics and friction between factions within the Imperial Guard. If Ebenholtz had a weakness, that was it.
Zebestian was a noble to his core, so he looked down on the Imperial Guard itself and cared even less about the low-level politics or factions within it.
"..."
I looked at Lorenz.
I needed people. This wasn't just limited to the Knights.
I needed my own people within the Imperial Guard, that problematic organization.
Knock, knock.
Just then, an administrative officer knocked. He came inside and whispered softly.
—Someone claiming to be Mr. Lorenz's superior has arrived. It's Major Kai Han.
Kai Han. I pondered the name for a moment and then nodded. Lorenz looked at me with an anxious expression.
"Your superior has arrived. Major Kai Han."
It was a name I knew.
In fact, it was more than just knowing it.
Before my regression, I had once roamed the battlefields with him. He was a good soldier. He fulfilled his duties and never showed interest in unnecessary massacres or looting. He was one of the rare members of the Imperial Guard who focused purely on his duty as a soldier rather than personal gain.
"No! This is my personal crime and has nothing to do with Major Han!"
His reaction was far more intense than before. It seemed Major Han was as trusted as his character suggested.
Snap.
I snapped my fingers. Following the signal, the officer brought over the autopsy report.
"First of all. What kind of punishment do you expect for this murder?"
Lorenz would likely face a formal trial. Since he had no connections, his guilt would be certain unless someone intervened.
"I will offer my life. Instead, please just know that Major Han truly had nothing to do with this."
"...Your life?"
My brow furrowed. I leaned back in my chair and let out a hollow laugh.
"Is my image within the Imperial Guard really that grim? Well, I suppose that's because of Rodriguez."
Tap, tap. I tapped the desk in front of the bowing Lorenz.
"Look up."
He raised his face. I looked deep into his eyes.
"Listen carefully. Major Rodriguez was a sewer rat from the countryside. He was a noble who didn't even act like one, threatening the subjects of the Empire and fabricating crimes to steal their property. You must know this well, Lorenz. You've likely experienced similar injustices."
It was a common hardship for commoners. Unless they did their absolute best to flatter and fawn—and even then, if they were unlucky—it was something that could happen at any time.
I pushed the autopsy report toward him.
"To get to the point, the deceased was an Izenheim."
The deceased, not the victim.
I specifically identified the phrase 'presumed to be a sub-species' in the report as an Izenheim.
"They are the worst of the sub-species. I plan to write a book about them later."
I was serious. One day, I would definitely distinguish them clearly from all other races.
"Mr. Lorenz, you were blackmailed and had information extorted from you by the deceased for a long time. Of course, if that fact comes to light, it will be disadvantageous for you as well. After all, it's the same as selling out internal secrets of the Guard."
Beyond just being torn apart, he might actually have to give up his life. Because the Imperial Guard was that kind of organization.
"However."
This was the important part.
"I can bury all of it. So that no disadvantage comes to you, or your superior."
Lorenz's expression wavered. A trembling breath escaped through his teeth.
From the moment he entered the interrogation room, he had been led by me, but now he asked an active question for the first time.
"...What do you want?"
Exactly the words I wanted to hear.
I almost let out a smile.
"It's simple. I need information and influence within the Imperial Guard. However, it's not to sell it off for personal gain like that sub-species."
Press.
I pressed down on the photo of the dead Izenheim's face as I continued.
"Only for the well-being of the Empire..."
My goals always converged on that point.
At the very least, it had to appear that way, and it would.
"Will you... become my people?"
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