Chapter 49: Papers Late at night. I sat in my study, writing.
─[Strategic Utilization of Knights via Aerial Assault]─
Ⅰ. Concept and Utility of Knight Aerial Assault
Knight Aerial Assault is an operational concept utilizing high-altitude transport aircraft to move knights above a target area, deploying them directly into the heart of enemy territory or against key personnel via freefall. This provides the following strategic advantages:
Overcoming Constraints of Time and Space: Independent of the advance speed of ground forces, a knight can appear on any battlefield within the Empire's territory within hours. This forces an unpredictable threat upon the enemy command and... * * *
I used a fountain pen to draft what could serve as a textbook for Empire Points.
* * *
Ⅱ. Methods of Knight Assault
...Knight Aerial Assault must be applied flexibly. Forcing every knight to descend in a standardized manner is as inefficient as swinging a masterwork sword like a common hammer. Depending on the individual knight's disposition, talent, the unique nature of their mana, and the mission's objective, the method of descent must be subdivided and specialized.
* * *
The methods are diverse. One could cut down enemies in a single-moment strike, as I do, or maneuver to disrupt the enemy's rear after a silent infiltration.
* * *
...To identify the optimal strategy suited to each knight's characteristics and to execute it perfectly in actual combat, a systematic training program spanning several years must be prioritized. It is not enough to simply teach them how to jump; they must master mana and physical control in high-altitude environments, as well as specialized tactics for each type.
[Reference Case: Decapitation of Red-Wanted Criminal Dune Khan]
* * *
I set down my pen for a moment and stretched. On one side of the desk, applications for the seminar were piled high. Most of the younger knights with fewer years of service had submitted theirs.
Clearly, the recent incident had created a significant stir.
"You look tired, Sir Knight."
Lorenzo appeared from between the tall bookshelves of the study. He also looked quite fatigued as he held out a thick stack of papers.
More papers.
Papers, papers, papers. Lately, my life had been nothing but a burial under mountains of paperwork.
"The theoretical treatise on the 'Aura Sphere' is complete."
I picked up Lorenzo's manuscript.
"There are... an incredible number of mana formulas."
It was fascinating. Lorenzo had perfectly organized the flow of mana in the Aura Sphere—originally formed by the virus—into sophisticated mana formulas.
"You've worked hard."
"It was no trouble at all. I merely translated the concept you conceived into the proper language."
Lorenzo gave a faint smile.
"To construct a single formula, hundreds or thousands of mana equations are required. They are the methodologies for drawing circuits. However, there are many knights who move mana by instinct without such logic. Like you, Sir Maximilian."
I listened quietly to his words.
"We scholars call that 'intuition.' I have simply broken down your intuition into something others can understand."
Lorenzo adjusted his glasses and spoke.
"Now then, Sir Maximilian. Why don't you go outside and test it?"
"...Let's do that."
I stepped outside.
In the dead of night, I stood in the training grounds, clutching a mana stone and infusing it with mana.
──.
At that moment, the mana stone radiated Aura, creating a transparent sphere around my body.
"According to the calculations, the sphere is determined not by the surface area of the human body, but by the purity of the mana stone and the knight's own mana capacity."
This meant that the taller and larger the knight, the larger and more expensive the mana stone required.
I nodded with satisfaction.
"Where should I submit this paper now?"
"If it is a formula for knights to use, it goes to the Imperial Central Mana Graduate School. The magi-engineers there will analyze the thesis."
The Imperial Central Mana Graduate School. Wizards and magi-engineers might seem similar at a glance, but they are fundamentally different.
Magic is the art of 'interpreting' and 'converting' fundamental mana through a human's internal mana circuits to cause a phenomenon. A wizard uses their willpower and imagination as a catalyst to restructure the mana within their body according to specific formulas and magic circles.
In other words, magic is the 'fusion of mana and the human spirit,' a deeply personal and internal realm. That is why the Magic Towers deal exclusively with magic.
On the other hand, magi-engineering is a field that delves into the mechanics of mana itself. It explores only the 'principles of mana.'
Therefore, the virus inside me is closer to magi-engineering. It reacts only to mana itself and transmits to me an 'intuition' regarding the essence of mana as pure energy.
"...There are many scholars there who are almost obsessed, having devoted their entire lives to theory. They are magi-engineers in the truest sense. Once the value is validated by them, it can be officially published as a 'theoretical treatise.'"
"I see. Then."
I handed Lorenzo a check.
"It's a bonus."
"It's quite alright. What use do I have for more money now? However... please allow me to establish a small school in the city you are building. For other children who have talent but no opportunity."
Lorenzo seemed sincere about nurturing the next generation.
"Yes. I will see to it."
"Thank you."
Lorenzo stood straight, leaning on his cane. I stood beside him, looking up at the night sky.
We gazed at the scenery in silence for a while.
"...Mr. Lorenzo. The Empire is preparing for war."
Suddenly, I felt the urge to say these things.
"I will not avoid that war either. Rather... I intend to cleanse an entire race."
Lorenzo looked at me with startled eyes. I gave a bitter smile.
"As an intellectual, you might find it utterly unacceptable."
Lorenzo was silent for a moment before asking.
"...Sir Maximilian, do you believe that is the right thing to do?"
The right thing.
No value holds meaning in the face of survival.
A person who chooses death to uphold morality or humanity is respectable, but the stakes that have been raised without our knowledge are not merely an individual's death.
It is the extinction of humanity.
"Yes. It is right. It will be right forever."
Lorenzo stared at my conviction. The eyes of the aged, genius scholar still held the stars.
"Even so, if... if one day the scholar named Lorenzo can no longer justify the actions of the knight named Maximilian and finds it unbearable, please tell me honestly then. I will tell you every single reason for my 'rightness.' In exchange."
I faced him and continued softly.
"At that time, you must believe everything I say."
* * *
I had a special schedule today.
A charity event hosted by the nobles of the Empire—though 'charity' was a mere facade. It was actually a party where the leaders of society, including nobles, knights, wizards, politicians, and soldiers, gathered to socialize.
I had received an invitation and decided to attend, but my purpose wasn't such trivial socializing.
Izenheim.
I was going to root out the bastards hiding here.
"We have arrived, Sir Knight."
I stepped out of the car in my formal knight's uniform. The guards at the entrance didn't even bother to check my identification. They took one look at my face and uniform, then bowed politely and opened the way.
The vast garden in the manor's courtyard was set up with various charity corners. It seemed they had made an effort to make it look like an actual charity event. Booths with names like 'Disabled Veterans Support Foundation' and 'Child Rights Protection Group' were lined up.
I glanced over them as I headed inside.
"Max!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Ezel. She came running over, holding a cocktail in one hand.
"...You need to take care of your skin. Those dark circles—"
"Quiet, and come here. I have something to tell you."
Ezel pulled my arm toward a secluded corner of the garden.
"I've secured a reasonable hypothesis. About the Head-Eaters."
"You should have contacted me sooner."
"...It wasn't that easy. I've been in the Magic Tower the whole time, and I even ran experiments, okay? I might have been caught."
"What are you talking about?"
Ezel whispered, glancing around.
"I'm saying I might be under surveillance."
I paused for a moment. I sharpened my senses and scanned the party grounds.
There weren't many people yet. It wasn't peak time—evening—just yet.
"First. Just listen as if we're having a normal conversation."
I nodded as I took the cocktail from Ezel.
* * *
Meanwhile, on the 10th floor of the Imperial Central Mana Graduate School—a floor used entirely as the [Theoretical Thesis Review Room]—a certain scholar had finished analyzing a paper.
Tap, tap. He squared the edges of the hundred-page manuscript and stood up in front of the sorting bins.
│Highest│High│Upper-Mid│Mid│Lower-Mid│Low│Lowest│
Without hesitation, he dropped it into 'Lowest.'
It meant 'not even worth re-examining.'
Just as he was about to dust off his hands and turn away.
"A newly submitted thesis."
A new paper was delivered at the perfect time. It was a rare hardcover edition wrapped in high-quality cloth.
The scholar asked.
"Is it a thesis from a prestigious family?"
Usually, the scions of noble families favored such flamboyant packaging. In their youthful hearts, they wanted everything to look grand. Innovative talents who focused solely on theory rarely bothered with the exterior.
"Yes. It is a prestigious family. Look at the name."
The scholar checked the name. Maximilian von Ebenholtz.
「Maximilian Ebenholtz's Proposal for a Knight's Formula: Aura Sphere」
Knights were usually experts at handling mana. This meant they were the ones who utilized the theories and formulas created by scholars. Of course, among them, there were those with a temperament closer to that of a scholar. They were not to be underestimated.
"Hmm."
As a reviewer, he felt a spark of curiosity.
It was because of the weight carried by the name 'Ebenholtz.'
The scholar flipped the page. He didn't even bother returning to his desk. He read it standing right there. He thought it would be over quickly.
Tick— tick— tick—
The scholar turned the pages one by one.
Contrary to his expectations, his reading speed was not fast; instead, he realized this was a thesis that required time and care.
Tick— tick— tick—
Numerous scholars and graduate students passed by him, but he remained rooted in one spot. He looked only at the thesis.
"..."
Suddenly, he moved toward the copy room. He placed the thesis in the copier and infused it with mana. The single manuscript quickly multiplied into dozens of copies.
The scholar was about to turn back immediately, but then he stopped and counted the number of copies.
"Ten, twenty, thirty..."
He was predicting the demand.
There were hundreds of graduate students living at the university, but there were also scholars from various other countries and sometimes wizards who had been granted entry...
"Hmm."
He went back into the copy room. He made exactly 100 more copies of the thesis.
The scholar returned to his desk with them. At various desks in the open space, other scholars were absorbed in their own work.
He stacked the papers like a mountain in front, behind, and beside his desk.
"Ahem."
Then, he picked up a megaphone.
"I am distributing a theoretical treatise on a knight's formula called 'Aura Sphere,' submitted by Maximilian, a zero-year knight of the Ebenholtz family."
Most of the scholars seemed uninterested.
"It is a theoretical treatise on a formula based on the concept of implanting a knight's Aura into a mana stone to radiate it in a transparent spherical form."
He didn't feel like giving a long explanation either. He didn't want to waste time.
He immediately sat in his chair and began analyzing the thesis.
"..."
The scholar's immersion. Focusing only on the circuits that composed the formula, and the mana equations that made up the circuits—
"One copy. Please."
Suddenly, another scholar approached. He couldn't remember the name, but the face was familiar. He looked quite bored.
Had he come out of boredom because there were no papers worth analyzing?
"Take one."
After that, he returned to his focus on the Ebenholtz formula.
Scribbling with his pen on paper, continuing all sorts of calculations in his head—
"Is a copy available?"
A third scholar came and asked.
"Yes. Take one."
Having handed over the paper, he tried to immerse himself in the formula again, but before long, yet again.
"May I take one?"
A fourth scholar broke his concentration.
Frowning, the scholar finally picked up the megaphone.
"Announcing again. Maximilian's 'Aura Sphere.' Don't ask, just take one."
"Understood."
Only then did the interruptions from other scholars cease.
He poured all his concentration into the 'Aura Sphere.' It was well worth it.
Tick— tick— tick—
How many tens of minutes had passed?
Or perhaps hours?
"..."
He stood up from his seat. No matter how much of a scholar he was, he was still human, and he could not hold back his physiological needs.
He ran to the restroom to take care of business.
He returned quickly without even washing his hands, but a problem had occurred.
His desk was empty.
"Hmm."
Someone had stolen the thesis he had been in the middle of analyzing.
The scholar felt dismay rather than anger.
"Ahem."
He picked up the megaphone again.
"Would the person who took the thesis from Desk 108 without permission please return it. I repeat. I will make as many copies of the thesis as you want, so would the person who took the thesis from Desk 108 without permission please return it immediately. If you do not return it, I will follow the university's disciplinary procedures for mana theft..."
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