WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Reluctant Imperialist

Chapter 30

──────

If You Ask About the Empire's Future

Bzzzzzz- Bzzzzzz-

Deep inside the Rommilton Mountains, a mana drill roared as it bored into the range.

"..."

Dieter wiped the sweat running under his hard hat and watched the drilling site. In his hand was the ledger for Veritas Trade.

This month was the deadline.

The initial capital Maximilian had put in was almost gone.

Land purchases, equipment rentals, and labor costs had ballooned far beyond the "allowance" he had scraped together.

If they failed to produce visible results this week, the company would go bankrupt.

Dieter swallowed dryly. Right beside him, the mayor of Hermes kept glancing around nervously too. Then, from near the shaft, the site supervisor suddenly shouted in panic.

"M... mana fluid!"

"Mana fluid has been found!"

Mana fluid, a liquid packed with highly concentrated mana that rose from deep underground. It was the clearest proof that a mana stone vein existed.

Dieter ran over. The site was already in chaos. Workers crowded in, cheering, and at the center, mana fluid shot up like a fountain.

"Everyone, step back."

"Back off! Everyone back!"

Mayor Jackson repeated Dieter's order through a loudspeaker.

"..."

"..."

The two men stared in a daze. Through a crack in the drilling hole, the mana fluid surged up and hardened.

It was mana stone.

"Mana stone, it's mana stone, Officer! Officer---!!!"

Jackson cheered and hugged Dieter.

"...Ha."

Dieter let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. The land spat out mana stone as if it were breathing. A strange ecstasy wrapped around his body. His legs nearly gave out.

So this was why people dug into the earth.

With trembling hands, he picked up his terminal.

* * *

"I checked. That's a relief."

We had secured a money source. The Rommilton zone would be a cornucopia for quite a while, and the first investment destination for this massive mana stone mine had been set as Hermes Province.

"Dieter. Southern Hermes will become one of my footholds."

I used to wonder about this sometimes.

Why were high nobles and tycoons so greedy? Why were they always stingy even with people on their own side? Why did they treat them badly enough to make betrayal inevitable?

There was only one answer.

Most of them were idiots.

They were soaked in that rotten belief that being born to a noble house meant everyone else had to serve them... ah, I have no excuse to make for myself.

I was one of those nobles too.

Anyway.

They pinched pennies on others to build wealth, but I did not need to do that. I would spend as fast as I earned.

When the world ended, it all turned into scrap paper anyway.

"I'll also leave related investments to you, so we can both profit."

"Yes. I will report the details."

"Right. And if anything goes too far beyond your scope, tell me anytime."

"Understood."

As long as he stayed satisfied and focused on his role.

Jackson could probably stay mayor of Hermes until the day he died.

I ended the call.

"...Hm."

I was in the back seat now. We were on the way to analyze the murder scene from last night, and thanks to my driver, my administrative aide, it was comfortable.

"Congratulations."

The administrative aide seemed pleased too.

He was still lacking a bit of polish. Normally, he should not have shown he had been listening.

"Training starts this weekend?"

"Ah, yes. That's right."

The employees, including Schatz, would now go to the Ebenholtz main estate every weekend.

For vocational training.

I had decided to leave that part to Engi.

Tick-

I looked at the wristwatch on the hand gripping the steering wheel.

Tick-

Time was moving fast.

That obvious fact weighed on me.

"Yes. Understood."

By then we had reached the scene. I got out of the car.

Yellow police tape surrounded the area. Officers stood in a line.

"Hello, Sir Maximilian! It's an honor to meet you like this."

"Where is the scene?"

I returned the greeting with a glance and asked straight to the point.

"This way."

The police led me in. The crime scene was a mage's workshop.

In the center, thick with the smell of reagents, lay a corpse with its entire body blown apart.

"It has been less than a day since the incident. The victim is Jeremy Keshun. Unaffiliated, a fourth-rank mage."

"..."

I slowly swept my eyes around the scene. Mana residue was vivid. A mage could have smelled it directly.

A clear murder by magic.

"Do you think... you can analyze this? The residue is pretty scattered."

It really was. To be honest, this was not residue a rookie knight could interpret.

That meant the difficulty was very high.

"Let's see."

I first placed a hand near my collarbone. I pushed mana mixed with my intent into the virus.

'Analyze the case based on the residue left at this scene.'

Right after, my vision turned blue. The traces of mana scattered through the space lit up like fluorescent light.

Ssssss...!

The particles floated into the air. It happened without my will. I almost stepped back, but I calmed myself with a deep breath.

Soon, the mana residue streamed across my eyelids like rain.

It rippled like water spray, then formed a specific shape and reconstructed the scene.

--An afterimage of the event, replayed through activated residue.

I turned my gaze quietly. In that blue world stood the outlines of the victim and the killer. Sadly, I could not see their faces, but the silhouettes were clear.

When a caster used magic, mana flooded out explosively.

And at that moment, it inevitably stuck to surrounding objects.

Which meant the killer's shadow was visible.

"The suspect's height is 178 to 184 centimeters. Footprint size is 280 to 300 millimeters."

I passed on the information I had read from the residue.

"A mage capable of explosive magic. And..."

I left the rest out for the moment.

"Huh? How did you do that?"

The officer asked blankly.

"I just told you. 178 to 184 centimeters, footprint 280 to 300 millimeters. I captured mana residue with my eyes and traced the information inside it."

"...Is something like that even possible?"

This was data my virus had extracted. Its accuracy was reliable.

"Does it sound like nonsense?"

"Ah, no! No, no. I was impressed. Wow. I didn't know that was possible."

I took one step forward. Then I bent my knees and looked closely at the corpse.

...Thump.

A faint pulse. Slightly dim, but unmistakable.

The victim, Jeremy Keshun, was an Izenheim.

"Let's autopsy the body first. Tell them to examine the heart carefully."

"Yes, sir."

"And."

I had just seen a very decisive detail in the residue.

"From last night to the day of the incident, investigate whether any Imperial Guard members passed through this area."

Magic released mana, and mana stuck to objects, leaving residue from a few minutes to as long as two days.

Uniforms for people like us, knight uniforms, were extremely expensive. They did not hold mana.

Imperial Guard uniforms were different.

Especially the silver eagle badge they wore on their chest, mana clung to it easily.

"Imperial Guard members... you mean?"

"If you find any, don't contact anyone else. Contact me first."

I had things to say. I was curious who was bold enough to commit murder in uniform too. Not that I could call it admirable, but it was like stumbling backward and somehow catching a robber, murderer, and rapist.

"Here is my card."

I handed the officer my card.

"Yes, sir! Understood. I will remember that."

"Then I'm leaving."

"Loyalty!"

I left the scene. Then I got back into the car.

"Now... we will head to Empire Point. Just a simple visit today."

"Yeah. I should encourage the cadets too."

I leaned into the backrest.

A knight's life was brutal. After stopping by Empire Point, I would probably have to go back to the office and work late again.

"Yes. We'll depart."

"...Right."

This administrative aide had switched careers from a guard at the western prison to my driver.

I did not know how he felt right now, but on payday he was probably very satisfied.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"--Sir. We've arrived."

Looks like I had dozed off.

He drove well.

Anyway, outside the window was Empire Point. The greatest knight academy. A cradle of knights where only Imperial Aran could enroll.

"Max!"

Leon, who had arrived first, waved as soon as I got out. Tiana was standing beside him.

I gave them a light nod.

"...Whew."

I let out a deep breath and grabbed a handful of the red dirt covering Empire Point's parade ground.

"It's been a while."

"What are you talking about? We were all rolling around here barely two years ago."

Tiana cut in, but for me it had been over a decade.

"Max. I thought you'd find this annoying and skip it."

Leon asked.

Today was nothing special. Seniors who had joined Sentinel gave advice to junior cadets and helped with training.

Like the saying, lift your head and look at Empire Point. For someone like me, who had to light the future, this was reason enough to come.

"You never know."

"Know what?"

"Maybe another subspecies is hiding here too."

The two of them let out awkward chuckles.

I looked up at the central building.

Empire Point's curriculum was broadly divided into stages one, two, and three.

Middle division for 3 to 4 years, high division for 2 to 3 years, then elite division for 2 years.

Not many cadets endured that brutal 7 to 9 year course, including repeats.

Only the top 30 percent of final academy rankings qualified for formal knighthood. The top 10 percent could enter knight orders based in the capital, and Sentinel was top 3 percent.

Those who failed to make the 30 percent usually enlisted in the Imperial Guard or as military officers, or kept retaking the knight track endlessly.

"Knights, this way."

An Empire Point staff member guided us.

"The elite division cadets are currently out in field training."

"Wow, rough. Field training in this weather?"

Tiana smirked.

"Haha, yes. The high division training just ended, so why don't you take a look?"

We went down to the opposite parade ground. Hundreds of high division cadets, soaked in sweat, had lined up facing us. They looked pretty tense, probably because they had been informed in advance.

I had looked just like that once. Back then, I thought Sentinel knights were incredible people.

"..."

I scanned them. The virus gave no response.

Then again, this was the core. If you were not Aran, even setting foot here was extremely hard. Infiltration would require flawless background fabrication.

From Izenheim's perspective, Jacob had truly been a precious resource.

Thankfully, he had not been as smart as he was precious.

"Mm, nice to meet you. I'm Tiana from Sentinel. Most of you are in the final stretch of high division now, and you know it only gets tougher from here, right? That's natural, so whatever you do, don't give up."

"I'm Leon. What I want to say is... sorry. It's just, work hard. But I'll be staying here all day today. If you're curious about anything, come ask me anytime."

Tiana and Leon gave various words of encouragement.

Leon pulled me forward. The cadets looked at me.

To them, the name Ebenholtz was probably far more familiar than Maximilian.

"Put effort into your conduct and your mindset. You are the future, and many people are watching you."

I did not have much to say.

As soon as I finished and turned, the instructor shouted to the cadets.

"Everyone, a round of thanks!"

One male cadet caught my eye. It was a face I had seen in a photo.

I walked toward him slowly.

"...Wait."

I stopped one person. The cadets around him all froze.

"...Yes?"

He met my eyes and looked at me with a startled face.

"So it's you. Lucas."

The boy's shoulders twitched.

"Lucas Limperk."

"Ah, y-yes. Yes, th-that's right!"

Every eye at the training ground turned at once. Tiana and Leon, of course, and the high division instructors too. Even senior Empire Point officials who had appeared at some point were watching.

"Wh-why did you call for me...?"

Lucas Limperk, son of Judge Klaus Limperk.

He faced me stiffly, clearly afraid.

"I know your father well."

The records I had checked in advance showed Lucas had excellent grades. Nearly all As. His performance was competitive even among elites, and because of that, he was exactly the kind of cadet who could get targeted.

Even among nobles, if your house lacked influence, you could not enter Sentinel.

"He is a man worthy of respect."

"Ah, ah, ah... th-thank you!"

I had received help from Judge Klaus, so I planned to return what I had received.

"Keep pushing forward like you are now."

Thud. I raised a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Lucas's eyes nearly popped out, and the other cadets looked equally shocked.

The heir of Ebenholtz had called him out directly and acted familiar. It was an openly intentional political move.

"If you keep up that effort, we may meet in a better place two years from now."

"Yes, yes! I'll work with everything I have!"

I needed a faction of my own now, and Lucas was not a bad option.

Still.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.

"Stop going to those weird reading clubs that upset your father."

Your career got wings thanks to your father's sacrifice.

"..."

Lucas's expression froze in an instant. When I pulled back from his ear, I smiled again and said,

"I mean, work even harder."

"Sir Maximilian."

At that moment, Empire Point's cadet commandant approached.

Rank, brigadier general. Name, Dane Rascal. A typical northern-born middle-aged man with a thick black beard.

"Can we speak for a moment."

He requested a private talk in a serious tone.

"Yes. Of course."

"Good. This way."

His voice and bearing were as heavy as ever, then and now, a true soldier. I followed behind him. I could feel the eyes of countless cadets on my back.

Whether Judge Klaus had wanted it or not, his son Lucas now had me behind him.

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