Chapter 25: The Utility of Law The Revolutionary Group. I pondered how to handle them. But before that, I needed to consider their origins.
The Imperial family had long tolerated the Revolutionary Group. A balloon that expands indefinitely will eventually burst. Similarly, a society without any dissatisfied elements cannot exist; the system remains stable only when those elements are properly managed.
Yes.
They had to be kept at a manageable level.
The state had to be capable of controlling them.
However, when the Empire's corruption passed the breaking point, it lost the ability to control the Revolutionary Group. Izenheim exploited that gap, causing the group to swell to a massive size.
If the Empire had remained sharp, reigning as an eternal watcher, the revolution would never have come to pass.
Therefore, my enemy was Izenheim, but it was also the rot within the Empire itself.
...While lost in thought, I arrived at my destination.
District 17 of the Empire: the industrial city of Denstein. The heart of Imperial magi-engineering.
I recalled the name of a certain revolutionary from my memories and ordered Schatz to track him down.
"You've arrived."
As I stepped out of the car, Schatz appeared like a shadow.
"The administrators will arrive soon. I'll head inside first. When I give the signal, follow me."
"Yes, sir."
[Alpren Paper Mill]
The location was an ordinary paper mill. At least, it appeared so on the surface.
"..."
I concealed my face as much as possible, pulling a flat cap low and wearing a wool coat. The factory interior was thick with heat and the roar of machinery. The workers were in the midst of their labor, moving without rest.
I walked among them, and most paid me no mind.
"Excuse me... who might you be?"
As I neared the manager's office, a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties blocked my path.
He had an ordinary look. A kind face. But in that moment, a memory from the past surfaced vividly.
'These maggots should have their heads cut off and hung in the square!'
Before I am a regressor, I am a human.
Inevitably, I find myself thinking first of those for whom I harbor personal malice.
'Why are we keeping this vermin alive?!'
Among the Revolutionary Group, he was a man who held particularly violent and radical ideologies. The day he spat hatred while slapping my cheek as I sat trapped behind iron bars was still vivid in my mind.
'Tui! You're lower than a dog.'
This man was a member of the Revolutionary Group. A fanatic who had already committed dozens of terrorist acts, large and small, and murdered civilians.
But he was not Izenheim.
There was no need to be disappointed, though.
Thump.
The virus within me reacted.
—Thump.
Izenheim was somewhere in this place.
"You are Mr. Daniel, correct?"
"Yes."
"Can we speak for a moment?"
I showed him my Sentinel identification. His eyes wavered.
"Don't make it obvious. There might be a commotion, so let's clear the workers first."
I gestured toward the workshop.
Daniel rang a bell, announcing the end of the shift to the workers.
"...Everyone! That's it for today! You're dismissed!"
Daniel Mateo.
Having inherited his father's paper mill, he was a member of the well-educated middle class, a long-time fanatic of the Revolutionary Group, and a pure-blooded Imperial.
However, Izenheim was by his side.
* * *
In the manager's office, Daniel faced the uninvited guest sitting across the desk.
"What brings a Knight to such a humble place...?"
The Knight removed his hat, revealing blond hair. As a contact for the Revolutionary Group, Daniel recognized him instantly: Maximilian von Ebenholtz.
During his time at Empire Point, he was evaluated as weak, but after joining the Sentinels, he had become a noble known for his excessively radical actions, driven by inferiority and a victim complex.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
Trickle. Daniel poured coffee into a cup, trying to hide his nerves. The Knight didn't even glance at it. He simply stared intently at Daniel.
"..."
A suffocating silence. His body became drenched in sweat. Even as he tried to maintain his composure, his fingertips and toes moved of their own accord.
Was it because he was an Ebenholtz, no matter how young or incompetent? The pressure he exerted as a noble was unavoidable.
"You've been running this factory for quite a long time."
He finally spoke.
"Yes. That is correct."
He turned his gaze to one wall of the office. Daniel instinctively followed his eyes.
"I received intelligence."
"Pardon?"
"Intelligence that... subversive activities were taking place here. What do you think, Mr. Daniel?"
The Knight asked, looking back at him. His tone was ordinary, his movements quiet.
"That's not true. I've been making paper here for generations, since my father's time—"
Daniel's words stopped. He suddenly caught the Knight's eyes. The direction of his gaze was strange.
He wasn't looking at Daniel.
His eyes were fixed on the 'wall.'
Ssh.
Maximilian quietly stood up. Then, he slowly approached the spot.
Tap. Tap.
He tapped the wall with his finger. A dull, solid sound echoed. They had certainly prepared well.
"Um, Sir Knight...?"
"Well made."
He drew the longsword from his waist.
Slaaaash—!
The long blade cleaved through the wall. The concrete tore like a sheet of paper, revealing the space beyond. It was a long corridor. Daniel's heart sank.
"..."
Maximilian slowly stepped inside. Before long, he reached a completely different place. A room like a small classroom, filled with desks and chairs.
"Hmm..."
The Knight let out a light sigh as he surveyed the interior. Daniel couldn't say a word. He could only watch the man's back in a daze.
The shelves were filled with books without covers. He pulled one out and slowly read the contents.
"Democracy... Republic..."
Maximilian chuckled softly. They were clearly forbidden books.
"...Eugenics does not exist?"
The Knight tossed the book aside carelessly. Then he reached out and stroked the bookshelf. More accurately, he seemed to be sensing something beyond the shelf.
Daniel breathed heavily, his hand moving toward his back pocket.
Thump. Thump.
In the moment his heart felt like it would burst—
Slaaaash—!
The Knight's sword swung. The bookshelf was sliced away, revealing a hidden doorknob.
At that moment, Daniel pulled out a pistol and fired a surprise shot.
Bang!
The bullet grazed Maximilian's cheek, but— ping —it bounced off as if hitting steel.
It was a film of mana. A magical technique known as an Aura Shield.
A Knight is like a tank. When their mana is prepared, ordinary bullets cannot pierce the film coating their skin.
Crank.
Maximilian threw the door wide open.
"...So you were here."
The corners of his mouth twisted. Inside the room, decorated like a bedroom, two women were huddled together, holding their breath.
—Thump.
His heart raced. It meant Izenheim was here.
Maximilian adjusted his grip on his sword.
I have to kill them.
They are the ones who must die.
"..."
The thought crossed his mind, but he stopped.
He had to endure.
Not only were they not 'clear' targets for summary judgment, but public opinion and the press were also issues.
The Ebenholtz family was not invincible. If the heir were a murderous lunatic, it would bring shame to the family and give his political enemies an opening. Furthermore, it would give the Imperial family a pretext to keep him in check.
As of now, I am the only one who knows that Izenheim is a monster.
Let's be satisfied with the results for today.
Maximilian sheathed his sword. Instead, he signaled Schatz and the administrators waiting outside.
They entered immediately, subdued Daniel, and began searching for evidence.
"Found it! It's a codebook!"
"There are explosives here too!"
As expected of administrators who were former prison guards, their ability to ransack an interior was remarkable.
* * *
Maximilian had raided a small nursery of the Revolutionary Group. All subversive books were seized as evidence, and three subversives were brought to the Knights' headquarters.
Julian peered through the glass at the two people in the interrogation room.
The interrogator was Knight Adria; the subject was the revolutionary, Daniel.
"Oh, Julian. You were here."
Just then, Chiron walked in.
"What on earth happened? A rookie catching revolutionaries already."
He chuckled and placed a hand on Julian's shoulder.
"Since you're his senior, it seems Maximilian is growing fast. At this rate, he'll be wearing a 2nd Class Medal soon."
Chiron was Julian's contemporary. They had been so since their Empire Point days. Julian wasn't obsessed with results, while Chiron had a fanatical ambition, so they surprisingly got along well.
"What's the situation?"
"Daniel. That man confessed to being a contact for the Revolutionary Group. But he says the other two aren't."
"Then?"
"Illegal immigrants from abroad."
"Pfft."
Chiron sneered.
"If he's a contact... he might live if he opens his mouth."
The Empire didn't cut off heads simply for being part of the Revolutionary Group. At least, the Knights didn't, even if the Imperial Guard might.
Of course, since treason was the greatest crime in the Empire, the Revolutionary Group went through a special court. It was a trial where a Knight directly performed the role of the prosecutor.
"It's quite funny. Even among those revolutionary bastards, noble-style hierarchy applies."
Julian let Chiron's words go in one ear and out the other.
"They won't kill the executives even if they beg for death. They say there's too much information to dig out. They even go out of their way to save those who try to commit suicide."
Unless they were major figures, it was rare for Revolutionary Group executives to be executed. The verdict would be death, but intense behind-the-scenes deals and persuasion would take place.
Julian nodded.
"If he's a contact, a deal will be made."
"The Knight in charge will be Maximilian, right?"
"Since Max caught them."
"...Ahem."
Chiron suddenly looked at Julian sternly.
"Julian. No matter how much he's your junior, you shouldn't call people by their nicknames in a public place."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Creak.
Just then, the door opened and Maximilian walked in. Chiron's face brightened.
"Knight Maximilian. Congratulations."
Max gave a light nod.
"Thank you."
"I suppose you had some intelligence spread out?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Good. It's good, but... be careful."
Chiron gestured toward Adria inside the interrogation room.
"Don't let her steal your credit. She's a terrifying woman."
Maximilian stared intently at Adria inside the interrogation room. Chiron swallowed a laugh.
"So. I heard that guy is a contact. Have you set a trial strategy?"
"I haven't."
"You haven't? Ah~ well, I suppose. This is your first time. It'll be very different from the mock trials at Empire Point. You'll probably need help—"
"No. It's not that."
Maximilian shook his head with a thin smile.
"What I want is..."
Julian scratched his eyebrow, already guessing the words.
"The death penalty for all of them."
His voice dropped. The weight behind the words pulled the air taut.
Chiron asked back in a low voice.
"...The death penalty for all of them?"
"Yes."
He answered as casually as if he were greeting a neighbor.
"All three of them. I'm going to kill them."
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