Chapter 38: Logic of the Strong | Semi-Coercive Imperialist
"Listmann" was a noble family of the Empire. Over centuries, they had pursued magic, building deep ties with magic towers and academic institutions, and in recent years, they had laid the foundation worthy of being called a prestigious house.
The study of researching, analyzing, and applying mana in real life, Magitech.
The current head of the family, Valerius Listmann, was a renowned magitech scholar. He was also the inventor who brought forth the revolutionary invention of the mana coil.
However, that glory was built upon the blood and tears of the one who had once been his teacher. The family's power was cemented through betrayal, and false claims shook the world.
The splendor that was once thought to be eternal had recently begun to falter, and poor performance was now holding him back. As time passed, the mana coil had become an ordinary technology. Listmann failed to create a new technology that would bring in profits beyond that. Countless ideas remained mere ideas. This was true not only for Valerius but also for the researchers under him.
Valerius eventually had no choice but to admit it. That he needed an even more "special mind".
This was the reason he had persistently tracked down his former teacher for years.
"You were in such a shabby place, Master."
At last, Valerius discovered his old teacher's mana shop.
Lorenzo glared at Listmann, breathing heavily.
"...Why the hell did you come looking for me?"
"'Hell'? Such harsh words, Master."
Valerius brushed his blond hair back and smiled.
"It's simple. I'm extending a proposal... a business partnership, hoping your talent hasn't rusted away yet."
"Ha. So the company's in trouble, huh?"
"...No-"
"Of course. You never had consistency. You couldn't endure. Magitech is a discipline. There's no shortcut in scholarship. The one who wins is the one who plants himself down and walks the righteous path. There's no scholar who became great just to shine at a party."
"...."
A vein popped on Valerius's temple.
"Seems you still don't understand, Master. You are now a wanted criminal recognized by the Empire. A shameless thief who dared to steal my original theory and run."
Lorenzo let out a hollow laugh. This twisted disciple, who came all the way here just to say such things, was astonishing.
Valerius tore a check and tossed it onto the table.
"This is my offer."
The amount was an ambiguous 23,000 dollars. Was he trying to save the 2,000 and cut 10%?
"I'll grant you a pardon for your crimes, and pay this amount monthly. It's an annual salary that even most researchers would struggle to receive. The deadline for your answer is...."
He glanced at his wristwatch and raised an eyebrow.
"By 8 PM next week."
"How ridiculous."
"Don't even think about running. My employees will monitor you 24/7."
Snap.
Listmann snapped his fingers. At that moment, thugs stormed into the shop from inside and out.
Whack! Bang! Crash!
They swung iron pipes. The mana tools and display shelves Lorenzo had carefully maintained were smashed to pieces. Watching his inventions being destroyed, Lorenzo's face trembled violently.
Bang! Crashhh! Smash-!
Amid the flying debris, the old man stood alone. His disciple, who had taken everything from him.
Now again, he silently glared at the man who coveted his knowledge. Beast-like breaths seeped through his teeth.
"What are you staring at like that? Things need to be broken in order to leave anyway. I merely spared you the trouble."
Valerius met his gaze and smiled sweetly.
"Then, I look forward to your wise decision."
Leaving behind the chaotic wreckage, Valerius departed. The thugs also receded like the ebbing tide.
Tap, tap.
Arman came up from the basement.
"Um... boss."
The close-cropped boy looked at him with worried eyes.
"Go back inside."
"Ah... okay."
Lorenzo could say nothing else. That was all he could manage.
An old man, faded and feeble, unable to resist even slightly...
***
I returned to the Knight Order. While I had been away, a mountain of tasks had piled up. However, most of them were related to active mana residue, so they were not difficult to handle.
My virus visually shows the flow of mana. Therefore, when I analyze active residue, I occasionally feel a sensation like my eyes opening. It's as if the flow of mana is being interpreted on its own.
─Knock knock.
At that moment, the administrative officer knocked.
"Sir Knight. A message has arrived. From Mr. Lorenzo Carione, saying the items you ordered are ready-"
"I'll go right away."
"Yes. I'll prepare the vehicle."
The administrative officer went ahead first. After changing into civilian clothes, I came down, and he was already in the driver's seat.
"Departing now!"
The administrative officer is passionate about everything. I suppose this is what happens when you pay someone well.
[Lorenzo Carione]
I arrived once again at the mana shop in Zestfall. However, the shop was completely different from my previous visit. It was in a dreadful state. The glass windows were shattered here and there, and all the mana tools had been completely destroyed.
"...."
As I stood silently in front of the counter, Lorenzo approached, leaning on his cane. He handed me a box containing the items.
"These are the items you ordered."
Books on theories of famous scholars on mana, specialized texts on ancient mana symbols, 'runes', and a few other rare materials.
They must have been difficult to acquire.
"Have you considered my proposal?"
To my question, Lorenzo gave a bitter smile.
"You're telling me to borrow the power of a noble to strike down another noble."
"That's the kind of world we live in."
"I cannot trust nobles."
"Then will you just run away like this?"
I gestured with my eyes toward Arman, who was peeking his head out from the basement. The boy's eyes were full of fear.
Lorenzo glanced at Arman, then turned back to me.
"...Please take Arman with you."
"It's meaningless. A disciple without a master cannot grow alone."
Lorenzo let out a deep sigh.
"However, I am currently a wanted man. I'll only bring harm to Arman and to you, Sir Knight."
In fact, Giorgio Chirico had disappeared after ignoring the court's compensation ruling. It would be more accurate to say he couldn't pay because he didn't have the money.
"It's fine. Knights oversee everything within the Empire. Therefore, even requesting a retrial on a case that has already been ruled on is within a knight's authority."
If one pulls out an old case file and stamps it for re-examination, all investigations begin again from the start.
Not all knights can do this.
However, for an 'Ebenholtz Knight', reclaiming the truth is something that simple.
"...."
Even so, Lorenzo hesitated. From the outside, it looked like a rather foolish hesitation.
"You're an old man who has difficulty moving. Not just your body, but your heart too."
I handed him a blank sheet of paper and a pen.
"Write down the names of people who can prove your innocence."
"...They all betrayed me long ago. They stood with Listmann and branded me a thief. There's no way they'll reverse their testimonies now."
Lorenzo is a good person. He believes that good people should only persuade others through good means.
I am not.
"It's fine. I have my own methods."
Then Lorenzo, as if understanding what I meant, gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying this:
"My revenge will only spark another revenge. I want to stop that chain of hatred now."
"Mr. Lorenzo. This is not some petty revenge. It is simply correcting what has been wronged."
The head of the Listmann family had swept all the awards this year, Businessman of the Year, Inventor of the Year, Scholar of the Year.
All of it was glory that should have belonged to Lorenzo.
"This is about reclaiming everything that was stolen from you."
Listmann wields great power in the magitech world.
But power is relative. Strength and wealth limited to a mere "industry" cannot reach Ebenholtz.
"Of course, this is not without cost. In return, Mr. Lorenzo, you must become my strength."
Lorenzo looked at me. His eyes were trembling.
"You must know it too. Goodness is nothing more than an illusion created by the weak to protect themselves. Evil is the same. But power knows no distinction between good and evil. The strong simply reign, and the weak choose between good and evil in order to survive."
For the Empire to become evil is the same as saying the Empire has grown weak. A strong Empire must blur the line between good and evil. That ambiguity creates the gap through which the world can be saved.
"I will become strong for the Empire. And for me no, for the Empire someone like 'Giorgio Chirico' is far more necessary than a thief like Listmann."
Lorenzo's fingertips trembled. His jaw clenched tightly.
A long silence followed, as if countless thoughts and emotions were crossing within him.
"...Now, make your decision."
Finally, Lorenzo picked up the pen.
He wrote down the names of the colleagues who had betrayed him on the blank sheet of paper.
***
A bright and sunny afternoon. I headed to the Sentio Magic Tower area. It was because Ezell had summoned me. Since morning, she had been frantically contacting me, saying today was the only possible day.
"Do you have any idea how hard I had to persuade her?"
She was in a typical wizard's robe, with dark circles drooping all the way down to her chin.
"Looking at your face, I'd say it must've been hard."
Anyway, thanks to Ezell, the meeting with Pexi was arranged.
"...It's paper review season, so I haven't slept in a week. Which means today is the only time I have. And yet you talk like that, I really want to smack you."
"That's why I made the reservation somewhere nice."
One of the top luxury restaurants in the Capital, 'Delmon Arcadia'. Outside the window, the Arcadia River rippled like a painting, and a soft string quartet played inside.
A single meal for two easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. I had heard same-day reservations were nearly impossible, but it was accepted as soon as I gave my name. It was even in a private room.
Knock knock.
With a knock, the waiter opened the door to the room.
"This way."
"...Yes."
It was Pexi von Arzen. Unlike Ezell in her sloppy robe, she had clearly put effort into her appearance.
I stood up from my seat and extended my hand.
"Nice to meet you, 5th-tier Wizard Pexi."
She hesitated for a moment, then took my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Maximilian."
Ezell smiled in satisfaction, looking back and forth between us.
As soon as Pexi sat down, Ezell got to the point.
"The reason I set up this meeting is because Max, you're handling the 'Brain-Eater' case, right?"
"Not just the Brain-Eater. Recently, crimes involving magic have been increasing. And trying to track cases alone as a knight has its limits. Especially in analyzing magical traces, the help of a wizard is essential."
Pexi gave a bitter smile.
"My specialty isn't analysis or tracking. Of course, I can assist, but I'm not sure I'm the right person for the job."
Thump.
The virus stirred. This woman was almost certainly an Ezenheim- The Brain-Eater.
The problem was, there was no physical evidence.
Of course, I could kill her even without proof. I could abduct her and cut her throat, problem solved.
But she had Jun Kandel backing her, was a friend of Ezell, and held the rank of 5th-tier wizard at Sentio Magic Tower.
She wasn't someone who could be randomly killed and silenced like a common foot soldier during wartime.
"Here is your appetizer."
Right on time, the appetizer soup was served. The chef came personally to explain something, but it didn't really register.
"Hmm? It's good. There's no shrimp in it, but it tastes like shrimp."
Ezell took a spoonful and started guessing the ingredients.
"Did they grind top-grade crystal shrimp...?"
"Really?"
I took a spoonful too.
"Hmm~ maybe. I can taste white wine as well."
Pexi also took a bite. Her eyes widened.
"It's delicious. Unlike you two, I'm from a small family in the east, so I'm not good at describing taste."
"Come on~ But you always come in first place in magic theory."
"Ah, first place?"
I deliberately showed interest. Ezell nodded.
"There was a seriously tough magic analysis this time, you know? Ten wizards worked on it, and she was the one in charge. Anyone else would've been annoyed, but she never showed it even once..."
Ezell led the conversation. The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
Pexi genuinely seemed like a person. Suddenly, I understood how the Revolutionary forces and the New Cabinet had been deceived by them.
A shell that looked too human, actions that were too human.
But they are our enemies.
A race from another world that must be killed, without exception.
"The food's especially good today. Wizard Pexi, aren't you glad you came?"
"...Yes. I am."
From the appetizer to the main dish, the dinner course was nearly finished.
I wiped my lips with a napkin and got to the point.
"Wizard Pexi. I still haven't heard your answer to my proposal."
"Ah... I'd really like to make a decision right now too, but for any outside activities, I need my advisor's permission."
"Your advisor is?"
"It's Professor Jun Kandel."
Jun Kandel. A damnably familiar name.
"Tomorrow... no, I'll ask him later today and get back to you."
Pexi held out her terminal. Ezell quickly turned her head to the side, stifling a laugh, and I pretended my hand was shaking as I took her terminal.
We exchanged numbers.