Semi-Coercive Imperialist - Chapter 117: The Meaning of Politics (3)
──October 30th, 14:00
A secret chamber in the Imperial Palace.
Kentz Bertem, the second son of the Bertem Family, arranged a secret meeting.
“Chief of Staff. Thank you for taking the time out of your valuable schedule.”
Kentz bowed politely to Grossman.
The Bertem Family, alongside Goebel, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, formed one axis of the Guard, while Grossman was the Emperor’s closest confidant who oversaw them all.
“There’s no need for that. The Bertem family and I go way back. We’re well past formalities.”
Grossman leisurely lifted his teacup.
“So, what brings you here?”
“……I wished to seek your insight regarding the current situation, Chief of Staff.”
The cartel scandal was in full uproar, but Grossman had no ties to the cartel. None whatsoever. That level of caution was essential for someone in the position of Chief of Staff.
“My insight……”
Still, watching idiotic nobles get dragged through the mud was a headache for him as well. Because it upset the balance of power.
If Goebel and Kentz fell right now, the weight of the Imperial Guard would tip to one side. That was hardly a welcome prospect for Grossman either.
“Did you take money as well?”
“I…….”
Kentz bit his lip slightly.
“Be honest with me.”
“Not in cash directly. But in the form of bond dividends─”
“They’ll catch you, then. But shouldn’t there be one more person here?”
Originally, this was to be a three-way meeting. Commander Goebel, Kentz Bertem, and Grossman.
Kentz let out a sigh.
“Goebel’s request to postpone the summons was denied, so he’s appearing before the Knight Order as we speak. This is how the Commander of the Imperial Guard is being treated. Are you just going to stand by and watch?”
Grossman rested his chin on his hand and sank into thought. After pondering deeply, he finally spoke.
“……Maximilian is at an age when his blood runs hot. It’s the kind of time when pointless idealism and misguided chivalry tend to erupt. If you prod him the wrong way, he might explode.”
Grossman’s eyes turned cold and sharp.
“Rash interference could invite disaster. But we can’t afford to make an enemy of him either. He is Sebestian’s son, after all.”
“There are rumors that Reutern is quite close with Maximilian.”
At Kentz’s words, Grossman let out a dry chuckle.
“You really must be desperate. That bigmouth?”
“I’m not that desperate. It’s just…….”
“Chiron.”
Grossman cut Kentz off and spoke that name.
“Senior Knight Chiron. Let me try reaching out to him.”
…….
──October 30th, 15:00
The main gate of the Sentinel Knight Order.
First-year Tiana stood there. Not far away, there was a procession receiving absurdly excessive escort despite merely being summoned.
Commander of the Imperial Guard, Goebel.
He stepped out of the car and walked forward slowly, dressed in the Guard’s uniform. He was unbearably arrogant, as if he were some triumphant general.
“…….”
He glanced at her briefly, then walked right past and ascended to the upper floors of the Knight Order.
“……Fucking bastard.”
Tiana was disgusted by Goebel. It was a deeply personal grudge.
She headed straight to the park inside the Sentinel Knight Order. Standing idly, she looked up at the interrogation room window.
Goebel’s face was reflected there.
Smiling leisurely, he sat with his legs crossed. The window turned opaque just as the scene of a senior knight taking a seat across from him came into view.
“He’ll get off without a scratch.”
Tiana muttered quietly.
“Most likely. Just as he always has.”
A reply came.
Tiana turned around. It was Senior Knight Adria and Knight Jerome.
“But this time, something even more important is at stake.”
Adria spoke as she approached her.
“It’s Deputy Commander Anton.”
They weren’t fools. They weren’t morons either.
Chiron. If he struck some kind of deal with the palace in exchange for releasing Goebel, the sacrificial lamb would inevitably be Anton.
“Do you truly believe Max will let Goebel walk?”
“I cannot know what Maximilian is thinking, but.”
To Tiana’s question, Adria shook her head.
“Chiron will definitely try to release him.”
Chiron’s ambition was dangerous. He had the temperament to do anything to climb to ‘that position’.
“Tiana. What do you think?”
Adria asked. Tiana was silent for a moment, holding her breath.
Goebel. That man had a deep grudge with her family. The reason her father, her entire family, had nearly been ruined… was essentially because of him.
“It’s not right. He must not be allowed to walk free like this.”
Tiana took out a ledger from inside her coat.
“If Sir Chiron truly intends to release Goebel no matter what…”
It was evidence she had obtained herself during Operation “Path of Dreams”.
“Then we must bring this to the Knight Court.”
Her mentor, Jerome, let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes tightly. His face looked as though he had been moved.
“If there’s anything else you need, just say the word.”
Even if they asked her to leak internal secrets, she could do it.
This wasn’t an act of betrayal against Maximilian or the Sentinels, this was in pursuit of what was right.
“But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not doing this to align myself with your faction. It’s nothing more than a personal grudge.”
“……I see.”
Adria gave a bitter smile as she took the ledger from Tiana.
…….
──October 30th, 16:00
Chiron was invited to a secret chamber in the Imperial Palace.
His hosts were Kentz Bertem and Grossman, two titans who shared control of the central power of the palace.
“Come, come. Have a seat.”
They welcomed Chiron’s visit to the palace warmly. As soon as he sat down, they exchanged words with him, offered drinks, and tried to create a pleasant atmosphere.
“……By the way, I ask just in case, Sir Chiron.”
As the meeting reached a comfortable point, Kentz Bertem casually asked,
“Am I listed among those summoned by the Sentinels?”
Chiron deliberately stiffened his expression.
“……I can’t say for certain. The ledgers are still being analyzed.”
Kentz bit down on his lip as if tense, then gulped down more liquor.
“But you see, Maximilian has been overusing the Knight Court─”
“Here is what I think.”
Grossman cut off Kentz’s careless words.
“Sir Chiron, you and I are walking the same path.”
“…….”
Chiron didn’t answer.
Because, clearly, they were not.
“Maximilian is probably the same. We are all, in the end, people who serve the Empire.”
Chiron looked back and forth between Grossman, who spoke of Maximilian, and Kentz Bertem, who was gripping his glass so tightly.
Two men connected to the very heart of the Empire.
If it were the past, would he have trembled standing before them? Or would his heart have been gripped with dread?
“Moreover, when it comes to performing public duties…….”
Grossman was a dangerous man. Even with Chiron’s intelligence-gathering abilities, he was impossible to read in depth.
“……In that sense, the most dangerous person in the Sentinels is…”
And yet, oddly enough, he wasn’t afraid.
Not even a little.
“Ironically, I believe it’s a fellow knight.”
Grossman lowered his voice.
“Shouldn’t the next Knight Commander be someone who can keep such a knight in check? Rather than letting things go unchecked as they are now.”
At that moment, Chiron realized something.
These men didn’t know. They weren’t even aware of it themselves, how much they feared Maximilian.
A young knight, bearing the bloodline of Ebenholtz, equipped with outstanding ability, and moving forward with boldness and courage.
Maximilian, who had broken free of his shell, no longer feared anything.
And that fearless stride was stirring fear in those who had much to lose.
“If you, Chiron, are the man who can control this fury.”
Politics, in the end, was the act of getting what one wanted.
“Then eventually, the name ‘Chiron’ will inevitably be mentioned for the position of ‘Knight Commander’.”
Therefore, this very gathering, every word exchanged here, was politics.
“……Yes.”
Chiron nodded, putting on a serious expression.
“I’ll do what I can.”
At that moment, the mood in the chamber brightened visibly. It almost felt as though the lights themselves were glowing.
Grossman leaned back in his chair with an elegant smile, Bertem swirled his glass in relief,
And Chiron, once again, became certain of his choice.
…….
──October 30th, 16:00
Commander of the Imperial Guard, Goebel, willingly sat in the interrogation room, waiting. With his legs crossed, he lounged as if it were his own office. He even lit a cigar.
Creak─
Right then, the door opened, and a knight entered. It was a somewhat familiar face to Goebel, and a smile spread across his lips immediately.
“Good to see you, Commander Goebel.”
“Mm. Good to see you too.”
The knight sat across from him.
“Sir Fried Zen.”
Fried, a sixth-year knight. He was the eldest son of the Zen Family.
“I’ve met your uncle before. He was an excellent man.”
“Ah… is that so?”
“Your father must be very proud. To know his son is participating in such a glorious operation.”
Goebel smoothly offered compliments. Fried scratched his head without much of a response.
“Well… first, there are a few facts we need to verify.”
“Ask whatever you like.”
Fried opened a set of financial transaction records.
“There are indications that cartel funds were funneled into the Imperial Guard’s account, according to the ledger we obtained.”
“Ah~ is that so?”
He didn’t deny it outright. He maintained a stance of ‘it could be possible’.
“But I know nothing of it. I don’t personally manage the Guard’s accounts.”
“Is that so? Then perhaps about this section…”
They went back and forth a few more times like this.
“……It’s the same for all of them. That’s all I have to say. Do I look like I have the leisure to sit around fiddling with an abacus at a bank?”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting, but.”
This level of information could all be dodged by cutting loose the lower ranks.
“Yes. Understood.”
Fried nodded and closed the file.
There was clear evidence, but since they couldn’t confirm Goebel himself as the root, pressing further was difficult.
“Then, the next knight will be in shortly.”
“Very well.”
Fried left, followed by Manuel, another sixth-year knight.
After Manuel, came fifth-year knight Phillips.
The line of knights that followed weren’t much different in their approach.
“…It seems I’ve done a poor job managing my subordinates.”
Goebel tried to maintain a warm atmosphere as much as possible, while in his mind, he was selecting which faces would die in his place.
An Imperial Guard Major? Lieutenant Colonel? In any case, a dozen or so should suffice.
“Yes. Thank you for your cooperation. The next one will probably be the last.”
The last one. Goebel nodded, feigning nonchalance.
After third-year knight Raynel left, it wasn’t long before.
──Creak.
The door opened, and a man walked in. Goebel’s eyes followed him.
Blonde hair and golden eyes. A finely chiseled face and body. Not a speck of dust on his uniform.
With a remarkably composed motion, the man sat down and looked at Goebel in silence.
“…….”
A dry gaze swept over him.
He wasn’t looking at Goebel’s face, but at his crossed legs.
“Show some courtesy.”
A quiet but chilling voice. Goebel’s lips twitched. But he didn’t uncross his legs.
He assessed his opponent.
As Commander of the Guard, he couldn’t show weakness so easily.
“Commander Goebel.”
Suddenly, Maximilian raised his head.
He looked Goebel straight in the eyes and spoke through clenched teeth.
“Do I look like I’m joking to you right now?”
In that instant, a chill ran down Goebel’s spine. He tried to hold out nonetheless…
“Ahem.”
But soon cleared his throat and uncrossed his legs. Though he didn’t yield on folding his arms, and Maximilian tolerated that much.
“Please read this.”
Maximilian handed over a document. Goebel casually skimmed through it.
The data wasn’t much different from what the previous knights had shown, but Maximilian asked the questions a little differently.
“Commander Goebel, are you certain that you are unaware of the source of these funds?”
“I was certainly unaware.”
“You have no knowledge of where these funds went or what became of them. You were never involved. Is that the truth?”
Maximilian’s golden eyes.
His irises, like rippling desert sands, were oppressive to face head-on.
“…I already explained all this to the previous knights.”
“Yes. I’ve been told everything as well, but I wanted to hear it from you directly.”
Maximilian nodded as he retrieved the document.
“Then allow me to explain something as well.”
His body leaned forward. Those golden pupils drew closer.
“If even a single word spoken by Commander Goebel in this room…”
There was a frost-like chill in his voice.
“…turns out to be false,”
Goebel narrowed his eyes, staring back at Maximilian.
“You will have to answer to me.”
Maximilian was no monster.
There was no need to assign some grand ‘narrative’ to this young knight and fear him. They had no evidence, just endure for a little while longer, and it would pass.
And yet…
“Do you understand?”
Just as Goebel found himself unable to respond.
Knock knock─
A knock sounded and the door opened.
It was Chiron.
“Max. I need a word. It’s a message from the Imperial Palace.”
A message from the palace.
Maximilian remained silent, his expression carefully controlled, and a look of relief surfaced on Goebel’s face.
***
──October 31st, 00:00
A day had passed, and midnight’s darkness had settled over the rooftop of the Sentinel.
I stood by the railing, facing the chilly breeze. It seemed autumn was approaching once more.
“……Max. Let’s just kill some time up here for now. Make it look like I’m desperately trying to persuade you.”
Chiron loosened his tie and let out a sigh.
“The talk with them went well enough, but politics really is difficult.”
I gave a small nod.
“I think of it as the act of swallowing back the urge to vomit.”
“The urge to vomit.”
Chiron gave a bitter smile.
“Yes. But it’s only holding it in. Eventually, it all has to come pouring out.”
For me─no, for us, that’s how it is.
Until the right time comes. Until my longsword gains more strength.
I had to swallow the disgust and wait.
“By the way… did you really have evidence to bring Goebel before the Knight Court?”
The decisive evidence that could sever Goebel’s neck.
The so-called smoking gun.
“Yes. I already have the evidence.”
Chiron looked surprised at my certainty.
“Can you at least give me a hint?”
“Commander Goebel has a bit of a vanity problem.”
“Vanity?”
“Yes. Something he’s looked at so often, every time he eats and goes to the restroom, when he washes, walks, or changes clothes, that he himself doesn’t even realize it’s evidence.”
The many artworks, paintings, sculptures, and other pieces, displayed throughout Goebel’s mansion.
Among them, under the pretense of being ‘gifts’, one painting had a deadly trap hidden by the cartel boss, Fellier.
A fact that had been discovered during the war crimes trial after the Empire’s collapse.
“……Hmm. Anyway. I suppose I’ll be flooded with requests from now on. I’m already getting invitations for lunch, dinner, and even brunch.”
The lower ranks of the palace would certainly be purged. But we could only go that far for now. If the power of the Imperial Guard shifted too quickly, it would put me in a difficult position as well.
Power was truly like a living organism;
when one side died off, the other grew disproportionately large.
“Yes. You’re working hard.”
“Hardly. Any man with ambition should consider not working hard a sin.”
Swoooosh──
On the rooftop, where the night wind blew, Chiron placed a hand on my shoulder.
“……Max. I’ll bear all the filthy burdens and climb my way up.”
Tap. Tap.
“Keep everything clean for yourself, and look toward somewhere farther……”
He patted my shoulder a few times, then turned and descended the stairs with a contented look on his face.
It seemed he had drunk quite a lot.
