Semi-Coercive Imperialist - Chapter 102: Your Belief (5)
Johann Georg Goetze.
Having returned to the Imperial Central University and currently pursuing a doctorate in humanities, he has been unable to put down his pen every night lately.
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of the pen nib pressing against paper.
Maximilian had departed for Western Zerpha. However, he was to return before May ended to propose several bills at the National Assembly.
Until then, Johann had to fulfill his own role. He had to weave the discourse of ‘the duty of nobility’ into this novel.
──A sufficiently well-written piece can, in and of itself, serve as a foundation for ideology.
That’s what Maximilian had said. Johann now understood. It was thanks to the countless classics and novels that had piled up in his room before he knew it.
Just as a work written by a great literary figure 300 years ago had deeply influenced specific laws and ethics of today’s Empire, literature holds the power to transcend eras.
Whether he himself possessed such talent was questionable, however…….
Scratch─ scratch─
In the room permeated with the smell of ink, Johann scribbled down the novel 「Valtaras」.
[ Nobles naturally bear responsibilities. In ancient Aran, this is called Noblesse Oblige. Once, my father recited that long-forgotten phrase and gave me this advice.
“When the appearance of others becomes too hideous to bear, stand before a mirror. Look at your own reflection, and ask yourself whether you have the right to judge…….” ]
The narrator of the novel was ‘Paul’. He was the son of a bourgeois, an observer and bystander who had stumbled into the Empire’s high society by chance.
The ‘Valtaras’ that Paul described was both the protagonist and the embodiment of a perfect noble.
……Yes, it was Maximilian.
Anyone well-acquainted with noble society would instantly recognize Valtaras as Maximilian.
[ ……At the heart of the Empire. Atop the hill in District 9 stood a grand mansion, none other than Valtaras’ estate. Every night, lavish banquets were held there, as if all the light in the nation converged at that place. ]
What Maximilian had called the ‘fun of writing’.
To find the meaning of that, Johann delved into not only the Empire’s novels but also those published overseas. The most popular theme, of course, was love—romance. The poignant love between a prince and a princess, or a noble and a commoner.
But Johann didn’t want to write something ordinary. No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t overlook the ugly aspects of the Empire’s nobles and bourgeois.
Thus, he decided to intertwine the two values—love and critique.
[ One day, Valtaras came to me and asked. He wanted to know if I was acquainted with a young lady named Chloe. ]
Valtaras was a noble knight, but he loved a woman purely.
A girl he had met briefly in childhood, escaping for a short time from the pressures of his family and the gaze of the world. A woman from dreamlike memories.
[ ……I told Valtaras the meeting place and time. At that moment, the face of the man who had seemed to hold all the power of the Empire crumbled. Having become a boy again, Valtaras repeatedly thanked me over and over.]
After that, he wrote out the scene where Chloe and Valtaras reunite.
Two people meeting again after many years. He sketched with his pen a moment where they built happiness, even if just briefly.
[ But even while being with Valtaras, Chloe could not ignore the shackles of reality that bound her ankles. ]
Chloe was tied to another man—‘Dyck’, to whom she was bound through a political marriage between families.
He was the epitome of a corrupt and greedy noble. The type who rampaged around, relying solely on the power of his bloated family, the kind that Maximilian utterly despised, and the very mainstream of this Empire.
Johann depicted the confrontation between the two.
[ “Dyck. Let me ask you. Between the poor and the rich, which should pay more taxes?”
“Haha. Valtaras, you always say the strangest things.”
“To you, it may sound strange.” ]
Even as he wrote the dialogue, Johann could vividly hear Maximilian’s voice in his ears.
His ideology, his perfect qualifications and dignity flowed out through Valtaras’s lips like lyrics to a song.
[ “Those who have more should give more, and the shoulders of those in higher places should bear more weight. Even without it being said, that’s just the natural order of things.”
Valtaras spoke. His steadfast eyes pierced through Dyck.
“But in today’s Empire, many refuse to do so. There are far too many who grew up within the warm shelter of the Empire, nourishing themselves on the Empire’s resources, yet greedily suck only the fruits while abandoning their responsibilities and duties.” ]
Johann’s pen nib scratched against the paper.
[ Dyck’s lips, as he looked at him, twisted unnaturally. A grotesque face, distorted like a snake. ]
The fake detests the genuine.
Perhaps it is because such nobility reflects their own ugliness.
──Scratch. Scratch.
From that moment on, Johann was drawn into his novel, into a ‘world’ that went beyond the novel.
Valtaras was Maximilian. A noble who understood the responsibility and duty of the nobility.
In contrast, Dyck was the vulgarity of Imperial society itself.
──Scratch. Scratch.
Johann himself became Paul, the one observing them, and the pen nib moved of its own accord.
Before his eyes, Valtaras and Dyck appeared as if they were real people.
──Scratch. Scratch.
From the sentences etched onto the manuscript, blue particles formed.
Mana that rose up drop by drop, moistening his pupils.
It was an immersion infused with mana.
***
Reception room of the Zerpha royal palace.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you… Sir Maximilian of the Empire.”
The young Crown Prince greeted me. Just as I’d heard, he had handsome features with blond hair and blue eyes, but there was no strength in his gaze.
I handed over the letter from the Berton garrison and spoke of the main matter first.
“The offensive begins in three weeks. First, the Imperial army will strike the front line at Valdes Plain from outside. At that time, I ask that the Royalist army respond from within and break through.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince remained silent, so I asked again.
“Is there a problem?”
“…I know the Empire has no real interest in Zerpha.”
He added in a self-mocking voice,
“Just as the generals serving this monarchy don’t care whether the country falls or the monarchy collapses. They’re only busy maintaining their own power and gathering wealth.”
It was an accurate assessment. The military clinging to the Royalist faction was a cesspool.
Parasites propping up the Crown Prince like a puppet while lining their own pockets behind the scenes.
I took out paper and a pen from my pocket.
“…Is that so.”
Without a sound, I wrote a sentence.
“Truthfully, I also feel that the Empire has no intention to provide proper support to the──”
[ We are being eavesdropped on. The offensive is in two weeks, and the front line we will strike is the Alcantara Route. ]
“── Royalist faction.”
The mana of Ebenholtz quietly swept through the space and easily identified the presence of eavesdropping. It was likely an internal traitor colluding with the Republican faction. Compared to Yukia, it was a rather crude technique.
Thank you, Yukia. Thanks to you, I seem to have developed this kind of mana sense.
“It’s regrettable, but His Majesty the King of Zerpha is on the brink of death.”
[ The Empire supports the monarchy. That justification lies solely with you, Crown Prince. ]
I wrote sentences that contradicted my spoken words.
“Our purpose is your asylum, Crown Prince.”
[ Among the generals of the royalist military, there are people the Empire has been watching. ]
Even in a place like this, there were individuals competent enough to be useful. At the very least, not everyone could be rotten.
To me, the distinction between traitors and loyalists is simple.
Before my regression, the Zerpha Civil War had attracted considerable attention within the Empire, and I had known the backgrounds of the generals executed when the monarchy fell.
In other words, the general who gave his life had been a loyal servant of the king.
[ Brigadier General Esp, Major General Cellier. Both are nobles devoted to the monarchy and are alumni who studied abroad in the Empire. ]
“If the Crown Prince refuses asylum, there is nothing we can do.”
[ The Empire is your only lifeline, Crown Prince. ]
The Crown Prince’s eyes wavered.
He was incompetent. The authority of the royal family had fallen, and he had no power to control the military. He was a man who had been weak from birth.
That was precisely why he was useful.
Because a powerless figure on the throne is easier for the Empire to manipulate.
[ The Imperial Army will move soon. We will break the encirclement with a swift decisive battle and give you everything you desire, Crown Prince. ]
Soon, the Crown Prince raised his gaze and looked at me. I did not show him any disrespect or insolence. I maintained an attitude of respect.
What the Crown Prince desired was treatment befitting royalty.
The weaker a person’s heart, the more they seek to rely on strong individuals who treat them as valuable.
[ The Empire only needs your belief. ]
“…I need a moment to think.”
The Crown Prince said this while nodding his head. Determination settled in his eyes.
It meant he didn’t need time to think at all.
***
──The 7th Guard Battalion of Berton had completed coordination with the Durkon Legion and finished preparations for deployment in an instant.
Under Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han’s strict command, the battalion’s movements had become as precise as clockwork. Their relationship with the local villagers was also surprisingly smooth.
“Gairshie! Gairshie!”
The children weren’t afraid of the soldiers. On the contrary, they waved their hands in thanks. The chocolate Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han had gone out of his way to bring had done the trick.
There was no propaganda more effective than winning the favor of children, and no weapon better suited to winning their favor than chocolate.
“Lieutenant Colonel. An urgent report from the reconnaissance unit.”
The adjutant rushed over and reported.
“General Richter has withdrawn his forces. They’re retreating to the main force.”
Richter. The famed general of the Republican faction had withdrawn.
“He must have received intel that the Durkon Legion is advancing.”
War is a battle of intelligence. The outcome is determined by how quickly and accurately one grasps the enemy’s intentions. Richter had sensed the Imperial army’s movements and attempted to preserve his troops before the encirclement collapsed.
However, the speed was much faster than expected. As expected of a battle-hardened general.
“We will also deploy.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers advanced in silence.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The rhythmic sound of boots striking the ground echoed evenly. Their weapons were the latest model rifles produced by the Aternum factory, their supplies and ammunition fully stocked, and they had undergone countless live-combat training exercises even before being deployed here.
Most importantly, as much as they were risking their lives, there existed guaranteed rewards in return.
Their eyes overflowed with confidence and morale. No one in Berton had any intention of dying on the battlefield.
They only intended to kill.
……..
BOOOOOOM──!
The Durkon Legion arrived like a tempest at their target, the ‘Alcantara Route’. As soon as they reached the key strategic point leading to the capital of Zerpha, the legion unleashed overwhelming firepower.
“Wipe them all out.”
At Major General Schweitzer’s command, the earth was overturned. New model magic cannons roared, and the tower’s wizards cast wide-area spells.
From the opposite side, Berton’s troops advanced. With organized movements, they struck the encirclement. Meanwhile, within the capital, the king’s forces poured out.
“Advance──!”
A blitzkrieg that struck the enemy simultaneously from inside and outside.
──In the midst of this chaos, the knights began their maneuver.
I did not make the knights wear Sentinel uniforms.
One of the dumbest ways the Empire had ever used knights was their obsession with uniforms. That damned pride of not discarding uniforms in war had turned knights into easily visible targets.
However, I provided Leon and the Year 0 knights with artifact armor enhanced with light-weighting and camouflage magic.
We moved covertly, sweeping through the enemy’s elite forces. Commanders, swordsmen, mages, and beyond that, tanks, batteries, and more…… The Republican forces, who had trusted their internal surveillance, rapidly crumbled.
Even so, General Richter’s reinforcements arrived without delay, and a fierce resistance unfolded. However, after a full-scale battle, the Imperial army and the monarchy succeeded in completely seizing the ‘Alcantara Route’.
It was the Royalist faction’s first victory.
However, the front line dividing North and South Zerpha remained. The significance of seizing the Alcantara Route was that it broke the encirclement and reconnected the Empire’s supply line.
At the very least, as in the time before Regression, there would no longer be cases of civilians starving to death. I had the resources to flood Zerpha with supplies.
──Tap. Tap.
On ground thick with smoke and ash. Flames flickered here and there, and moans of the wounded mixed in a land of death.
I stood there and quietly surveyed the battlefield.
The feeling is…… always fucking terrible.
But I have to get used to it. From now on, the Empire will endlessly repeat wars this fragmented and grueling.
Step─
Suddenly, someone was walking toward me from the other side.
“Knight Maximilian.”
It was Schweitzer, the commander of the Durkon Legion.
With a grim expression, he approached me. I faced him and gave a nod.
“Good work.”
“…….”
However, he did not bother to hide his displeasure. Having been dragged all the way here by my letter, his pride must’ve been hurt.
“The Durkon Legion is just as I heard.”
As Leon had once said, Durkon was one of the ‘toughest legions in the Empire’. After all, massacring civilians isn’t something the average mind can stomach.
“The speed of your advance was impressive.”
Their commander, Major General Schweitzer, was a master of blitz warfare. One of the youngest among the generals, he had exceptional combat instincts, but also showed no hesitation in acts so cruel that one might suspect an emotional void.
Civilian massacres, executions of prisoners, looting.
Schweitzer was a first-class war criminal, just like Johann.
After the Empire fell, he was one of the so-called ‘first to be executed’—the first people to be hanged by the war crimes tribunal.
“…There was an order from the Imperial Palace.”
Schweitzer said that to me, flaring his nostrils slightly.
In that moment, the image of his trial before the regression overlapped in my mind.
[ I only did what I was best at. Right up to the end, I was the best. And the fact that none of you could defeate me in the end, that’s the proof. ]
Far from showing remorse, he had mocked the generals of the Allied Forces one by one, pointing fingers.
[ I! Never lost! To any of you—NOT ONCE! ]
That had been his final statement.
“It was a special mission from the Imperial Palace. But I came all the way here, even at the risk of falling out of the Palace’s favor.”
“Is that so.”
“Could you, perhaps, offer some compensation? I heard you handed out quite a lot back in Genen.”
The way to handle people differs depending on the person.
I can’t say I know the hearts of all people—but even so, my greatest weapon remains information.
“…….”
I recalled a book I had read before the regression,「Faces of the Imperial Era」. It had devoted a considerable number of pages to Schweitzer, the first-class war criminal.
“Major General Schweitzer.”
I took a step closer to him. I looked directly into his eyes from up close.
“As you must know, Major General.”
You must not try to negotiate with Schweitzer.
Because he’s not the kind of man negotiations work on.
“The generals of the Empire do not receive orders from the Imperial Palace.”
You must not offer Schweitzer material incentives either.
Because he’s not particularly fond of wealth.
“They obey only the will of the Imperial Command.”
For someone with a receding hairline, Schweitzer had a tall, imposing presence. He stood eye to eye with me, and even while facing me, his gaze did not waver.
It meant he was not an easy soldier to deal with.
“Was the order you received from His Majesty himself?”
That’s exactly why he must be confronted head-on, even crushed if necessary.
Because he was a soldier with very dangerous ability and temperament, I must be prepared to kill him first.
“Or was it from some nameless noble residing within the palace?”
Now─ depending on how he answered, Schweitzer’s treatment would be decided.
If he falsely claims the order came from the Emperor when it did not, it’s treason, punishable by execution.
If it was the order of some nameless noble residing in the Imperial Palace, that too would become a problem of shadow influence—overstepping authority.
Because of that, he remained silent.
“Major General. As a knight of the Empire, I hold the authority to oversee military discipline.”
I lowered my voice.
“If you moved the army at the behest of a mere court official with no ties to the military, if that’s why you refused to advance and planned to hole up there.”
Schweitzer.
This war criminal is the textbook example of someone who can only be controlled with the leash held tight.
“Then I now have the authority, under military law and the laws of Imperial knights.”
Let me repeat again, my greatest weapon is the knowledge of the future.
I knew not only the human nature of Schweitzer, but also thoroughly understood all the ‘life trajectories’ of the first-class war criminals.
Their weaknesses, their strengths, and what they liked were all vivid in my mind.
“To sever your head right here and now.”
Srrrkk──!
I drew my long sword, wrapped in bandages. Amidst the drifting moonlight and the haze of gunpowder, the white bandages fluttered between us like a ribbon unraveling in bloom.
