Chapter 195: Emotion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Emotion
Chiron had ascended to the rank of Vice-Commander of the Sentinel Knights, but he had no intention of abandoning his fieldwork. He cast his intelligence network wider than ever, pouring his assets into it without a second thought.
"The price of land in Southern Hermes..."
Consequently, outside of his official duties, Chiron's greatest obsession was managing his finances.
"It's gone up this much. Khaha."
He let out a dry laugh as he gazed at his terminal's screen. He had purchased two commercial buildings and a mansion. In just over a year, their value had skyrocketed by more than four times.
On top of that, his various investments in stocks and bonds had all struck gold.
"Khahat… Hoo."
But the real game was only just beginning.
The Zerpa Civil War and the Valkania-Mekerel War were merely the prelude. A full-scale war that would swallow the entire continent was bound to arrive, and soon.
That was exactly why Chiron, as Vice-Commander, needed more money. He needed enough assets so he wouldn't have to go begging to the Imperial Guard or those bastards in the Imperial Palace.
His chosen investment? Mana stones.
He had already bought up mana stone bonds with the last of his cash. Soon, he would liquidate his real estate in Hermes and his other assets to systematically funnel everything into mana stones.
"War..."
If war did break out, he would naturally be on the front lines.
He had already steeled himself for that day—and a part of him was even looking forward to it.
"..."
Chiron's gaze fell upon a jet-black helmet resting on the corner of his desk. It was the latest piece of tactical gear, a new invention from Maximilian's company.
With a curious expression, he slipped it on.
Whirr—
As he channeled mana into it, the visor slid down over his eyes with a soft mechanical hum.
"Hoh."
His vision instantly expanded into a wide angle, the entire scene before him converting into thermal imaging data. Complex shapes and unnecessary visual clutter were filtered out, leaving a streamlined, combat-ready view where only red and blue heat sources were clearly identified.
There was no need to press a button or even touch it.
When he slightly cut the flow of his mana...
Click.
The visor neatly folded upward.
When he infused it with mana again...
Whirr—
It came down.
Click.
It went up.
"Is this that micro-mana, whatchamacallit... cutting-edge sensor?"
Whirr— Click.
Whirr— Click.
"...Oh."
There's a strange addictiveness to this.
Whirr— Click.
Whirr— Click.
"Oh, wow."
Whirr— Click.
Whirr— Click.
Just as Chiron was mindlessly raising and lowering the visor...
Whirr—
—Knock, knock.
"—Gah!"
Startled by the sudden sound, he scrambled to rip the helmet off his head.
"Uh, ahem! Ahem. Y-yes, come in."
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and cleared his throat.
Wait a minute, who the hell has the nerve to knock without an appointment? I'm the Vice-Commander now.
"Who is it!"
Chiron glared at the door, ready to give the intruder a piece of his mind, but the moment it opened, all his irritation vanished. A bright smile broke out on his face instead.
Chiron shot to his feet, calling out the man's name.
"Julian!"
Having finished his long undercover mission, Julian had finally returned to the Sentinel.
*
Julian had stabilized Berkina, the drug state of the East. The cartel that had once ruled the underworld had been decisively reorganized under a single 'head' and transformed into a structured business enterprise.
Now, the smuggling of low-quality drugs into the Empire would decrease significantly.
If any subordinate organizations tried to distribute unsanctioned drugs within Berkina, they would be immediately designated as enemies of the cartel and annihilated.
"Welcome back, Sir Knight."
In the lobby of the Knights Order headquarters, Tiana approached with a bright face to greet him.
"You've gotten quite a tan while you were away."
Julian responded with a faint smile. Tiana glanced around and lowered her voice.
"...Leon also just got back from a mission."
Leon Askar.
Julian's younger brother.
However, there was a considerable age gap between them. When Leon was growing up, Julian was living in the dorms at Empire Point. By the time Julian was knighted and finally had some free time, Leon had, in turn, enrolled at Empire Point.
Because of this, despite sharing the same blood, a strange awkwardness lingered between the two brothers.
"No. It's fine. I have a new mission." Julian shook his head.
"What? You just returned three days ago, and you're already taking another?"
"It was posted on the system."
"Wow... Please, pace yourself."
Julian didn't delay.
He immediately dove into his next mission.
[ Knight Support Request ]
[ Accepted: Julian Askar ]
The location was the outskirts of Imperial District 31. It was a ghost town that had once formed a bustling community around a mana stone mine, only to be abandoned by everyone after the mine closed.
The Revolutionary Group was hiding here.
Julian entered silently. A fierce battle was already in full swing between the advance team of knights and soldiers and the Revolutionary Group.
KRA-KOOOOM—!
Mana clashed violently between the ruined buildings. Chunks of stone rained down, kicking up thick clouds of dust. Julian took a long stride forward and crouched beside a knight taking cover behind a crumbling wall.
"Who... who are you?"
The knight flinched and readjusted his grip on his sword.
"It's Julian. Are you new?"
"Ah... yes, sir. I am. My name is Hermann."
The new knight, 'Hermann.' His blond hair was neatly swept back, and his uniform was crisp and perfectly tailored.
He was a textbook Aranian, one who even seemed to resemble Maximilian in a way.
"The situation?"
"We believe it's the Revolutionary Group, but their firepower is much stronger than expected."
—KRAAANG!
A mana cannon blast from the rooftop of the opposite building blew away the top of the wall they were hiding behind.
"I'll open a path. Follow my trajectory."
Fshhh—!
Julian's legs kicked off the ground. His body cut through the air like the wind. Leaping across the collapsed debris as if they were mere stepping stones, he instantly broke into the building where the Revolutionary Group had dug in.
*
The engagement ended before nightfall. Most of those who tried to flee were swiftly apprehended. Such was the overwhelming power of a high-ranking knight like Julian.
"Take pictures first. The scene and everything..."
Soldiers and police officers moved about busily.
Most of the revolutionaries had been killed on the spot; only five or six were forced to their knees on the ground, covered in blood.
"You're all subject to summary execution, right~? You're all dead meat, right~?"
Hermann extended his blade. The tip of his sword was aimed directly at the neck of one of the prisoners, a woman.
"..."
The woman simply closed her eyes. There was no sign of agitation, as if she had already given up on life.
Julian watched her for a moment before—
Chk.
He placed a hand on Hermann's blade, quietly pressing it down.
"...Huh?" Hermann looked at him with a bewildered expression.
"This is a larger group than we thought. They must have received orders from above," Julian said, looking down at the kneeling revolutionaries. "Keep them alive. They might have meaningful information. We're sending them to interrogation."
It was a direct order not to kill them recklessly.
"Uh..."
Hermann mulled it over. Julian watched him.
For some reason, an incident from years ago came to mind.
If it had been Maximilian, he would have completely ignored my words. He would have swung his sword first.
But...
"...Yeah. Well. Let's do that."
Hermann clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword. Julian gave a small nod.
This one wasn't Maximilian.
The only person like Maximilian... was Maximilian himself.
*
I received the report in my office that the revolutionaries had been transported to the Knights Order headquarters.
I checked the list of knights who had participated in the operation and scanned the personal details of the arrested revolutionaries.
"..."
A face in one of the photos caught my eye. I rose from my seat without a word and headed for the upper-floor interrogation rooms.
Creeak.
As I opened the door and entered, the knights and officials inside quickly saluted and greeted me.
I gave a slight nod and looked through the one-way mirror into the interrogation room.
Julian was sitting at the interrogation table. Across from him was a woman in handcuffs, her lips sealed shut.
I knew her.
"Name is Revolutionary Group," a young knight muttered as he flipped through a document. "Affiliation is 'Laura'."
"Her name is Revolutionary Group?"
"Ah, my apologies. Her affiliation is the Revolutionary Group, her name is 'Laura.' She was once a promising elite mage from the Imperial Sentio Magic Tower, but she was corrupted by subversive ideas and deserted."
He added with a glance into the interrogation room, "We were actually going to execute her on the spot, but Sir Julian insisted we spare her. He said she might have meaningful information..."
I nodded.
"Ah, right. I'm Hermann, a new recruit, year zero. It's a true honor to meet you in person, Sir Maximilian. Hahaha."
Hermann.
I mulled over the name. It was a name I knew very well, and a face that was all too familiar.
"How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-one. I'm the oldest among my peers."
"You look old for your age."
"...Huh? Ah, yes, sir. Haha. I hear that a lot. People say I look at least five years older. Maybe it's because of how I part my hair."
In my past life, he was the one who shot up the ranks, becoming a key figure in the Sentinel.
I had watched with my own two eyes as a junior, who joined two years after me, found immense success.
Yes, it was jealousy.
"But well, it doesn't look like she has any particularly valuable information," Hermann scoffed, looking at Laura.
Just then, Julian rose from his seat and stepped out of the interrogation room.
"Max."
"It's been a while. How's the interrogation?"
It had been a long time, but neither of us had much to say.
We just talked about the day's events as if we'd seen each other only yesterday.
"She won't talk. It seems like she knows something, though."
"Sir! In that case, can I go in and have a crack at her?!" Hermann asked, his eyes sparkling.
Julian nodded wearily.
"Thank you!"
Hermann excitedly entered the interrogation room, and Julian's gaze settled on me.
"Max. Let's talk for a moment."
"Yes."
I followed him up to the roof of the Knights Order headquarters.
The rooftop—a clean zone, completely beyond the reach of the Imperial Palace's eavesdropping.
"You know her," I said, getting straight to the point as I leaned against the railing.
"Right," Julian admitted, seemingly with no intention of hiding it.
"Do you remember? Operation 'Dream Road.' Berkina. And... Ashton."
Ashton. Julian's old friend, the man he had killed in Berkina.
An Izenheim knight.
"Yes. I remember."
He fumbled in his coat, pulled out a crumpled cigarette, and lit it.
"That woman was Ashton's lover."
"..."
I remained silent for a moment.
An elite mage and an Imperial Knight. And an Imperial Knight who was never supposed to be one in the first place.
It was the kind of tragic romance that would sell quite well in a novel.
"I tolerated Ashton exchanging letters with her. He told Laura his truth. He confessed that he had falsified his identity."
And yet, they had loved each other.
No, only one of them did.
Izenheim had used Laura, dragging an innocent elite down the treacherous path of revolution.
"Ashton turned Laura into a revolutionary."
"...Perhaps. Laura might have leaned that way on her own."
"Either way, joining the Revolutionary Group is a capital offense under Imperial law."
"Max. But isn't there one more clause after that?" Julian asked with a bitter smile, exhaling a thin stream of smoke.
"If they are a simple accomplice, or if they cooperate actively with the investigation—"
"They can have their sentence reduced, if they name names."
I crossed my arms.
"You want her to live."
"I can't say I bear no responsibility for her going astray."
Julian stared at me for a moment, then abruptly asked a different question.
"That rookie, Hermann. Do you know him?"
"...Yes. I know of him."
"He must be one to watch, if you know of him."
I looked down at the Knights Order courtyard below the rooftop and smiled faintly.
"Yes. I'm keeping a close eye on him."
He was going to be famous. Not just him, but his entire class of knights.
I had turned the admission standards and training intensity at Empire Point into a living hell, yet there were still monsters who had survived even that brutal control and surveillance.
"...Why? Does he resemble me, by any chance?"
At my question, Julian gave a bitter laugh, as if to say, not a chance.
"Max. There is no knight in this world who resembles you."
Was that a compliment or a criticism?
Either way, it was a remark made without deep thought.
*
The Sentinel Knights Order headquarters. The second-floor lounge had recently become exclusive to year-zero and year-one rookies, thanks to the Knights Order's exploding budget and subsequent space reallocation.
"Hermann! Congratulations!"
"Congrats!"
Upon entering the lounge, Hermann was immediately showered with gifts from his peers. It was their way of congratulating him for safely completing his first real combat mission.
"Thanks, thanks."
"Hey, how was your first real mission? Was it rough?"
Several of his peers, who had been through thick and thin with him since their Empire Point days—including the noble-born knight 'Claude' and the commoner-born 'Miles'—crowded around him.
"Spill it, quick."
"Did you kill anyone?"
It was no joke; the year-zero apprentice knights were in a state of emergency these days.
This was because a new clause had recently been added to the Sentinel Knights Order's internal regulations.
[ During the year-zero apprenticeship period, knighthood may be revoked if a knight falls significantly short of combat standards. ]
"Nah, it was tough, but I was fine. And yeah, of course I killed people. Slit their throats."
Hermann fiddled with the sword at his hip and smirked.
"The interrogation for the revolutionaries we captured isn't over yet, though."
His relaxed answer was met with a mixture of relief and envy from the others.
"What was Sir Julian like? I hear he's a master."
"...He's incredibly fast, but his blade felt... dull. He looked tired. Hey, but more importantly, I saw Maximilian in the interrogation room today."
Maximilian. The rookies reacted strongly to that name.
Maximilian, who was only in his second year, was the most imposing and feared figure in the entire Knights Order.
The number of people he had killed, directly or indirectly, was in the thousands! Literally, thousands.
There was a reason they called him a monster.
"For real? What was he like?"
"Hmm..."
Hermann recalled facing him in the interrogation room just a short while ago.
The oppressive aura that weighed down the air just by him standing there. A presence that felt like it was crushing his own shoulders.
"His presence was insane. It was suffocating. He's just... different. Truly different."
He shook his head in admiration.
"Ah, Sir Maximilian should have been on site. He would've just cut them all down, no interrogation, no bullshit."
"...I guess so. He's more than capable of it."
"That's why I'm honestly a little pissed."
Hermann leaned back on the sofa and smiled crookedly.
"Fuck, those goddamn revolutionary bastards. We should have just chopped all their heads off instead of dragging them to the Knights Order, but some condescending old-timer had to stop me..."
He gritted his teeth and shot to his feet.
"...Well, anyway. You guys better work hard so you don't get cut from the apprenticeship. I'm getting a head start~"
He casually strolled out of the lounge.
*
Late at night, in the Sentinel Knights' interrogation room.
Laura sat with her hands bound.
How many hours had she been like this, just staring blankly at the gray-white wall?
Creeak.
At some point, the door opened, and an official held out a tray.
"You're to eat this."
A warm soup, bread, and meat, with steam rising from them.
An unexpected meal.
Laura glared at it with wary eyes, but her starving stomach won out over her reason.
She picked up the spoon.
One bite, two bites, three.
Next, she picked up the knife.
One piece, two pieces, three.
The warm food relaxed her tense body, and just as she greedily emptied the entire bowl—
Clank. Creeeaak—.
The interrogation room door opened once more.
"!"
In that instant, Laura's eyes flew wide open. The handcuffs on her wrists clinked, and her lips trembled.
"A pleasure to meet you."
Gentle, low-swept blond hair. Golden eyes that caught the pale light of the room.
The top assassination target designated by the Revolutionary Group's leadership, an extremely dangerous, Class-1 threat—
"My name is Maximilian."
He smiled, standing right in front of her, and asked,
"Did you enjoy your meal?"