Semi-Coercive Imperialist - Chapter 105: What Literature Is (2)
The Durkon Legion, stationed on the Alcantara Route in Zerpha, protected the Empire’s supply convoy.
At first glance, it was a boring task. It could have been dissatisfying for them, renowned as elite troops.
Instead, in the process, a gratuity from Maximilian was distributed.
High-class refreshments and snacks, as well as packages with daily necessities, were provided to Durkon’s soldiers; envelopes of gratuity were given to the officers.
Schweitzer was a man with no greed for material things, but his subordinates were not the same.
“Stay alert! Shoot anyone who hesitates on the password!”
The effect was clear. Even in the Empire, Durkon, known for its especially strict discipline, maintained a defensive posture as solid as an iron wall.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han received the Empire’s supply convoy inside the Capital.
Bang─! Paang─!
The supply unit entered the Capital with flair, even firing ceremonial shots into the air. It was the opinion of Maximilian─ more precisely, of Johann.
“We will handle the distribution.”
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han informed the Royalist generals. The generals didn’t raise any objections. Still, they could not afford to lower their guard.
They would surely think of a way to siphon things off through the backdoor somehow.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince. This is the food to be distributed to the civilians.”
After that, he directly showed the list of supplies to Crown Prince Alonso.
“……Is it really going to be distributed like this?”
Crown Prince Alonso asked again, his dry lips moving slightly.
“Yes. It will be distributed to the civilians just like this.”
“Haa… Haha.”
Alonso let out a relaxed laugh, placing a hand on his forehead.
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han whispered softly.
“Sir Maximilian went to great lengths to prepare this for Your Highness.”
“I know. I know it well. As expected, knight Maximilian is……”
The Crown Prince called the knight’s name with honorifics, and furthermore, with respect.
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han did not bother to correct the title.
“……The people will like it very much. They might eat so much they get indigestion.”
Wartime rationing was divided by level.
Level 1 was for core workers who performed arduous labor, combatants, repairmen, etc.: a protein-based diet including bread, meat, soup, and pepper.
Level 2 was for light laborers and office workers: bread, soup, and grains such as potatoes.
Level 3 was for ordinary citizens, clerks, and shopkeepers: bread and soup.
Level 4 was for non-workers, the elderly, and vagrants: one loaf of bread.
Compared to the previous supply in Zerpha, the menu was so rich that the Crown Prince couldn’t help but be impressed.
“To distribute the rations, I wish to access Zerpha’s administrative registry and place it under our control. Will you permit this?”
“Ah, of course.”
Ration tickets would be issued according to the registry recorded in Zerpha’s administration, and the supply would be distributed accordingly.
However, a problem still remained. The enemies within─ the corrupt Royalist generals.
As for the plan to “deal with” them…
Maximilian himself might personally step in again later.
“Truly, this is a beautiful thing.”
At any rate, the Crown Prince was moved.
Once the distribution began, the troops in Zerpha, and surely the people as well, would share the same sentiment.
“By the way, Your Highness, you speak Imperial language at the level of an Aran native?”
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han asked with a faint smile.
The Crown Prince nodded gently.
“I visited the Empire when I was young. As royalty, the Imperial language is a basic skill.”
“In that case…”
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han took out a book from his coat and handed it over.
It was a book with a black cover, its title embossed in gold leaf.
“Would you like to read it? It’s a book that came with the supplies from the Empire’s central region.”
The supply packages from the Empire had several books included, but this particular title was especially well received among the soldiers.
“Valtaras……?”
The Crown Prince gently caressed the luxurious cover and opened the first page.
***
……A trend is spreading through the Empire’s central region.
It was a single book called “Valtaras.”
“Ha… This is driving me crazy.”
A tranquil afternoon.
‘Eshton’, formerly of the Sentinel, now working as a private knight after leaving the order, was also reading the book, savoring each line and feeling the emotions within.
“How did such a book come out of the central region…….”
It seemed like an ordinary love story, but it was nothing of the sort. On the contrary, it was more heartfelt and realistic than any love story.
As expected, geniuses pay no heed to censorship.
No, honestly, it was surprising that a book like this even made it through censorship at all.
“Hey! Egilon!”
At that moment, someone called out to him. Eshton sighed and closed the book.
He slowly stood up and looked in the direction of the voice.
“Egilon! How’s the farm?!”
This was the Empire’s southeastern border region. A massive farm operated by the Parmano Cartel, cultivating black poppies, the main ingredient for the drug ‘Arcia’.
“Hey, Egilon! Nothing unusual?!”
A cartel executive shouted from atop a jeep.
Knight Eshton, that is, the cartel’s undercover agent ‘Egilon’, jerked his chin toward the farm.
“Can’t you see? It’s quiet.”
“Alright. Let’s change shifts then!”
The southeastern border region was an area where the language of the eastern nation ‘Verkina’ was used interchangeably. They exchanged rough jokes in their coarse dialect as they disembarked from the jeep.
They were armed guards of the cartel.
They weren’t ordinary people. In this cartel, there were also mercenaries who handled not only guns but swords, with skills surpassing active knights.
“Good work.”
“Yeah. Good job, you fucking bastard, Egilon.”
“Fuck off.”
Eshton raised his middle finger as he walked away from the farm.
The cartel’s executives and security guards armed themselves with swords and guns.
As the sun set, the farm slowly sank into pitch-black darkness.
That quiet and peaceful air…
─Bang!
Was torn apart at some moment.
Along with the gunshot, flames spread.
Clang─! Claaang──! Ratatatata!
The sharp ringing of sword against sword.
You fucking son of a bitch──! Kill him──! You son of a─ Aaaaargh──!
Blood splattered, and screams erupted.
Srrrk. Srrrrk───.
Blades parted flesh. Body parts separated from bodies rolled away.
Squelch──.
As the chaos gradually died down and calm began to return to the area…
───Whooosh.
A wildfire began to blaze.
Hundreds of thousands of square meters of farmland, the raw ingredients of the drug, were engulfed in red flames and reduced to ash…….
Step.
A knight’s combat boots stepped onto the ground. A man with blond hair and golden eyes stood before the flickering blaze. The moonlight shone on his sharp jawline.
He stroked the stubble that had grown rough over time and looked up at the night sky.
“Ah~ Sir Julian!”
The Department Chief of the Narcotics Enforcement Bureau in the Empire’s southeast rushed over urgently.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Julian nodded quietly.
It was a drug farm eradication operation. A mission to wipe out black poppies, the raw ingredient of the highly pure drug ‘Arcia’.
“Wow. How much do you think all this is worth? Must be tens of millions of dollars, right?”
The chief muttered trivial things, but Julian remained silent, lost in thought.
Drugs make people forget about life.
Do people seek drugs because life is hard?
If so, is the problem with the people who seek drugs, or the people who make drugs, or the groups that make people’s lives miserable?
Whichever it is, there’s no clear answer.
“By the way… Sir Knight. Have you read this book?”
The chief pulled out a book from his coat.
“Valtaras.”
“It’s the big craze lately, a huge hit. My daughter kept nagging me to read it, so I finally gave in, and it’s really good. But that Dyck, that piece of sh─… Oh, maybe I shouldn’t. Just in case you haven’t read it─”
Julian pulled out the same book from inside his coat.
“Oh, of course.”
“Reading is a hobby of mine. And yeah, Dyck is an asshole.”
“Ahaha~ I knew it. I knew it, Sir Knight. There’s no way someone like you wouldn’t have read such a masterpiece.”
“I think I even know who Valtaras is based on.”
“Eh? A model? Ah~ it’s you, isn’t it?”
The chief suddenly started spouting nonsense. Julian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Ah, wasn’t it you? To be honest, when I read it, I kept thinking of you, Sir Julian.”
“Valtaras isn’t worn down like me.”
There was exactly one person who fit the description of Valtaras.
“Just handle the cleanup properly.”
“Ah, yes. Leave it to me. There’s nothing much to handle anyway. We burned everything down.”
As Julian turned away, he opened the book. On the 17th page, a coded message left by Eshton was hidden.
This operation had been a joint effort between Eshton and Julian.
The two of them, as long-time comrades, had been conducting investigations together for many years.
To make the Empire more just, to eliminate the drug cartels that brought harm to the Empire…
Julian looked at the burning farm and gripped “Valtaras” tightly.
“…….”
But then, which side truly represents ‘justice’?
He still hadn’t found the answer.
***
Two weeks since the release of Valtaras.
The novel “Valtaras” caused a sensation in the Empire. The young noble ladies fell for the tragic protagonist Valtaras, while other corrupt nobles pretended to fall into deep reflection.
Surprisingly, not a single one of them seemed to believe they were the villain of the story, ‘Dyck’.
However, Valtaras carried not only entertainment, but also a propagandistic purpose.
Apart from the Aran supremacism underlying the novel, while Valtaras was betrayed by Empire nobles, the force that actually killed him was the barbarians on the eastern front.
Literature. Art. Propaganda. Johann’s first work held all three.
So then, what kind of influence could this thing called literature have on the spirit of the times?
It couldn’t be predicted yet.
Nor should I expect too much.
I only hope it will help with the laws I intend to propose later.
“Hm.”
One afternoon.
Having arrived at the knight order a bit late, I picked up the newspaper as usual.
[“Valtaras” sweeps across the Empire.]
[ A noble who wanders the Empire…… ]
As I skimmed the headlines with satisfaction─
Knock knock─ Creak!
The door opened right alongside the sound of knocking.
Julian.
A very unusual, uncharacteristic surprise visit from him.
“Sir Julian. What brings you here?”
Instead of answering, Julian sat down in the chair across from me.
“……Max.”
“Yes.”
“As a knight, I would like to formally request your support.”
Julian was asking for my assistance.
It was quite a surprise.
“Hmm…….”
In my head, I tried to estimate the timing.
What sort of crisis could be happening to Julian around this time? The cases he had been personally pursuing…
──Parmano Cartel.
The southeastern region of the Empire. The Empire’s worst and largest drug organization, running rampant in the lawless borderlands where law and order did not reach.
“……I assume you’ve heard of Parmano.”
“The cartel, yes.”
“A colleague who had infiltrated them has gone missing during a highly dangerous mission.”
Julian continued speaking calmly.
“His last known location has been roughly identified, but……”
As always, he maintained his composure.
This was just like Julian, remaining calm even in the face of death, in prison, even with execution looming right before him.
“I can’t handle this alone. I need reliable personnel and funds for the operation.”
Julian was incorruptible. He spent all his rewards and salary on orphanages and poverty relief, so he probably had little to spare for his own missions.
“Yes.”
I answered without hesitation.
“I’ll volunteer.”
Drugs are a poison that corrupts the Empire. And behind the spreading of that poison, undoubtedly─
Ezenheim must be involved.
“Go ahead. I’ll make preparations and follow.”
Therefore, this was, in fact, the ‘incident’ I had been waiting for.
Julian may have lost to the cartel in the past,
But I would not let it end that way.
…….
Chiron leaned against the office window and closed his eyes.
The dim moonlight streamed through the crack in the window, casting its glow across his face. A droplet gathered at the corner of his eye and rolled down.
Valtaras.
All his words and sentences had resonance. Even his tragic end had noble meaning.
“……Haa. Khuhk.”
The attitude, the bearing─ everything that all nobles ought to emulate.
The dignity of endlessly and purely loving one woman.
Perhaps it had been a long time since he had been immersed in such pure emotion.
“Khuhk… Kuhhep.”
He composed himself from the surging emotions. After calming his heart, he left the office.
“Phew…….”
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the elevator button.
Ding.
Inside the opening elevator stood a knight who had gotten on first. It was the high-ranking knight, Adria.
She too held a black-covered book in her hand.
“Did you read the book too?”
“Yes. I see you cried, Sir Chiron.”
“Me? No way.”
“There are traces on your face.”
“……That kind of book doesn’t really suit someone like you.”
Chiron glanced sideways at Adria with a hollow chuckle. Adria gave a small nod.
“That’s true. I understood the noble’s duty that Valtaras speaks of. However, the overall theme of the book making one side the enemy was narrow-minded.”
“You’re insane. Shut your mouth. How dare you.”
“……Even if it’s just the two of us, isn’t that a bit harsh? I mean, I thought the storyline itself was really good. That kind of romance is hard to come by in the Empire.”
Ding.
Just then, the elevator arrived. They quickly descended to the parking lot.
Chiron didn’t want to associate with this woman. She probably felt the same way.
“──Are you heading out now?”
At that moment, when they turned toward the sudden voice.
The moment they looked at the man who had appeared from somewhere.
“…….”
Chiron’s eyes widened. Adria’s did as well.
In their ears, the description of Valtaras replayed itself.
[He had golden eyes that did not lose their light, even in the darkness. His clean blond hair always shone brilliantly. His uniform was always immaculate without a speck of dust, and his demeanor and posture were flawless…….]
“Take care.”
Without any particularly special words, he got into the car and drove off. Even his most ordinary gestures were immaculate.
Adria and Chiron stood there, blankly watching him.
“……Ha.”
They were speechless.
A knight like Valtaras, a knight who was at least outwardly perfectly similar—
Had been working at the same place as them all along.
