WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Reluctant Imperialist
Chapter 50
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Papers (2)
A classical ensemble played in the garden while fountains glittered and sprang upward.
“Max. I kept thinking about what you said back then.”
Ezel said. Roses were blooming behind her like a backdrop.
“Could there really be magic that can only be sustained by eating people, especially their ‘heads’? I tore through the entire magic tower library. I even went down to the underground city. Max, have you ever heard of a spell called 「Brain Chimera」?”
“No.”
“It’s Chaos magic that eats a brain and recreates that person’s body.”
My brow furrowed on its own.
“The success rate is extremely low, the casting method itself is horrific, and even if it succeeds, the side effects are severe... but look at this.”
Ezel pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. It was packed with complex formulas.
“I’m not a mage.”
“Then the simple version. You know this, right? Because of the blood-brain barrier, the mana composition in the brain is a little different from the rest of the body.”
Mana circulated through the body, but the brain always accumulated a fixed amount of unique, “unexplainable” mana. Modern magical studies still had not explained it, and some scholars called it part of the soul.
“This 「Brain Chimera」 feeds on that energy. First, you consume the target’s brain while standing on a magic circle after stripping off all your outer skin.”
“...You peel off your own skin?”
“Yeah. Even the skin on your face has to come off. Then that brain energy transfers into your body and reshapes it. But violent side effects occur in the process, and the only way to stop them is to consume fresh brains regularly and replenish that brain energy.”
Ezel pointed to part of the paper.
“This formula, η ∝ ΣM × L, means the rate of rejection suppression is proportional to the total mana contained in the consumed brain. So if the initial rejection value is too high, the spell cannot even take hold in the first place.”
“So Pexy originally had a low initial rejection value, and that’s why she was made the sacrifice?”
“Exactly.”
If someone had copied Pexy’s entire body, it finally made sense how they had passed as a noble so perfectly all this time.
“Is there any way to catch her?”
“There is. According to my calculations, Pexy must ‘consume’ within 50 days starting today. Margin of error is 10%. So between day 45 and day 55.”
I looked at Ezel.
Meeting my eyes, she asked:
“Are you ready to fight House Kandel?”
“...The problem isn’t Kandel. It’s Jun.”
Jun Kandel was Pexy’s backer. A very solid one, utterly committed to her.
I asked Ezel:
“Any hard evidence on Pexy?”
“Sadly, right now it’s very faint. Just that magic residue in the tire-track pattern I mentioned last time.”
“Should we tail her for all 50 days? We can catch her at the scene.”
“What if she commits the crime inside the magic tower? The tower is far bigger and more secluded than it looks. Access control is strict too. Can you keep a tail on her in there?”
“...Then?”
“We have a more lawful procedure than that.”
Ezel pointed at my Sentinel uniform.
“A knight’s detention authority. You’re a knight, so you know it well, right?”
For someone suspected of threatening the Empire, a knight had the authority to detain them without a warrant for up to 35 days.
“Only 35 days. What about the rest?”
“I’ll buy that time.”
“Can you? You said you’re under surveillance.”
“That’s exactly why I can buy time.”
Ezel had no fear. In some ways, she was insane.
Maybe she read my expression, because she gave me a bright smile.
“Max, are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Then I’ll be just as sure as you are.”
Ezel sipped her cocktail and stepped backward in quick little steps.
“Now go enjoy the party. Donate something too.”
By then, evening had fallen, and the charity event had filled up.
“I was planning to donate anyway.”
“Oh, really? Then hurry up.”
Ezel waved at me.
“Be careful, Ezel.”
“You be careful, Sir Knight.”
I snorted and left her.
First, I focused on the virus’s senses and entered the mansion.
I walked through the packed party hall.
Thump.
My heart jolted. I looked over. There was a lieutenant colonel from the Imperial Guard.
Forn Sommer.
I memorized his face and name.
Thump.
A businessman I had never seen before. Flashy blond hair, golden eyes, perfect Imperial features, yet he was Izenheim.
I approached him as he chatted with people.
“Ah, good to see you, Knight Maximilian.”
He recognized me first. I gave him a faint smile.
“May I have your name?”
“I’m Johann, vice president of Golden Gate Trade.”
Johann of Golden Gate Trade.
Memorized.
“Hope you enjoy the evening.”
As I moved through the room, I added names to my kill list.
Exactly five were recorded.
“Then, we will now begin the donated items auction.”
In the meantime, the charity event’s regular centerpiece had begun.
“The first donated item is the Tears of Dawn Necklace from Countess von Hausen. The full winning bid will be delivered to an orphan support foundation.”
The countess came up on stage and explained the item, while the so-called social elite sat at their tables, smiling elegantly as they joined the auction.
I picked up a paddle too.
“Now then, bidder 58, 300,000 dollars. Ah, bidder 83 immediately at 350,000 dollars!”
Like that, the necklace sold for 500,000 dollars.
“Next is an ancient relic horn donated by Mage Lendri! The winning amount will be donated to the Novus Magic Tower scholarship fund...”
The horn donated by the magic professor sold for 400,000 dollars.
“Now, next up! The headmaster of Empire Point, Lieutenant General Litruman!”
I had already heard he would be participating in this charity auction. As headmaster of Empire Point, he was one reason I had come all the way here.
“The donated item is the command sword that the lieutenant general personally used in the Western War. The full winning bid will go to support wounded veterans. Lieutenant General, please come up and introduce it.”
Litruman climbed the stage with a stiff face, like he was not used to this kind of event.
“Yes. This command sword was with me in the Battle of Rostalon Heights on the western front...”
The headmaster told stories tied to his sword. Most people looked uninterested, and hardly anyone actually bid.
A few soldiers raised paddles to help him save face.
“Now, 10,000 dollars. Anyone higher? Lieutenant General Litruman’s command sword! Ah, 15,000 dollars!”
Imperial nobles, successful businessmen, bourgeois, mages, even knights, many of them looked down on the military in subtle ways. Quite a lot openly disliked it.
One of the biggest reasons central tax rates kept rising was defense spending, and the Imperial Guard, one core branch of the military, had never had a good public image, then or now.
“15,000 dollars. Any higher?!”
That was the military’s position.
This quiet contempt and neglect might have been one reason the Imperial Army exploded so violently later.
“Lieutenant General Litruman’s command sword. Any bid above 15,000 dollars? If not-”
As Litruman’s face slowly turned red, I quietly raised my hand.
“Ah, a knight of the Sentinel!”
The host pointed at me.
I named the amount without hesitation.
“2 million dollars.”
Every eye in the room snapped toward me. Litruman’s eyes on stage went round.
“T-two, two million Imperial dollars. Is that correct?”
The host asked again, stunned.
I nodded calmly.
“2 million.”
“Yes, yes! Correct! 2 million dollars, 2 million dollars! If there are no higher bids, we will close!”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The auctioneer immediately struck the gavel, and I raised my champagne glass toward Lieutenant General Litruman on stage.
“For the wounded veterans who devoted themselves to the Empire.”
Litruman’s lips twitched for a moment, then he answered with his brightest smile.
“For them!”
With his shout, applause burst out. All of it was for me.
That was how it worked. If you had money, you were treated well. If you had honor, you were respected.
If you had both, you could be the star in any room.
“Please come up and receive your item.”
I went on stage and took the command sword directly from Lieutenant General Litruman.
“A sword that carries the hardship of the Western War. I will preserve it with respect.”
I put respect into every word. That level of social maneuvering had become easy now, and Litruman replied with obvious delight.
“Thank you. Sir Maximilian’s fund will heal the bodies and hearts of wounded veterans.”
I did not buy it. Litruman was not a clean soldier. He would probably pocket half, scatter the rest as favors to his subordinates, and send only spare change to actual wounded veterans.
It did not matter.
I had come to him because I needed something too.
* * *
I quietly looked at a single sheet of paper on my desk.
--[Emergency Detention Order]--
Subject: Pexy von Arzen (5th-rank mage affiliated with Sentio Magic Tower)
Content: Under a knight’s special authority, the above individual is hereby ordered detained for up to 35 days, effective today.
Enforcement Officer: Maximilian von Ebenholtz of the Sentinel Order
--------------
Of all the authority I held as a knight, this was the paper with the highest risk.
If I executed this, how would Jun Kandel react?
He was deeply emotional and impossible to predict, so it was better not to predict him at all.
The real problem was Jun’s younger sibling.
The true owner of House Kandel. Not now, but the one who would become that in the future.
“Not easy.”
Right now, there was no hard evidence on Pexy. But if I used this one sheet to stop her from consuming heads, then evidence would appear. Her very existence after the spell unraveled would function as proof.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
I was heading down to the underground training room to work out when
“Max!”
Someone called my name. Leon and Tiana. In their hands were a large helmet and some kind of suit.
“When are you launching the transport again?”
The Aerial Assault Club had made its first flight last week, and those two had already bought gear with their own money.
Looks like they were hooked already.
“Tomorrow night. Night run. Be at Point by 23:00.”
“Confirmed. 23:00.”
“By 23:00 tomorrow...”
Tiana and Leon punched the schedule into their terminals, then went back to their offices.
* * *
Boom! Booooom!
Empire Point was under heavy construction with reopening close at hand.
Today, Cadet Commandant Dane received a thick bundle from Maximilian’s aide. Because of concerns about leaks, the aide had come in person. It was the first draft of a new textbook.
“...”
Dane let out a deep sigh.
Empire Point’s 300-year tradition was not something you changed easily. Military doctrine least of all. Those principles had been built through countless wars and sacrifices. For one person’s opinions to be reflected in them was almost impossible.
“What kind of nonsense is knight aerial assault...”
Knights doing aerial assault operations. Commoner-born cadets might accept it.
But those proud nobles, the ones obsessed with tradition, honor, and bearing, could they even be taught aerial assault? Would they even try to learn it?
That was Dane’s worry.
Boooom-!
Right now, Empire Point was replacing old facilities with Maximilian’s donations.
Even so, this was not an institution any one person could control.
Maximilian had politely asked him to stay in his post until retirement, but if that had only been to use him, the whole premise was wrong from the start.
Dudududududu!
Right then, a huge roar rolled in from outside the window.
“What!”
Dane rushed outside. A large transport aircraft was landing in the middle of the parade ground.
“What the hell is this...”
School staff came running in panic. Dane put a hand on the sword at his waist.
From the safely landed transport, Headmaster Litruman stepped out.
“Brigadier General Dane.”
“Loyalty. Headmaster, what is this about?”
“Take this.”
Litruman held out a sheet with a solemn face. It was an official document.
--[Imperial Army Command Official Approval]--
Subject: Formal adoption of the new textbook, 「Strategic Methods for Using Knights Through Aerial Descent」, and introduction of its training program.
The above textbook authored by Knight Maximilian is hereby formally adopted as next-generation tactical doctrine of the Imperial Army, and a related training program is to be organized in the Empire Point elite track as soon as possible.
---
“...”
It was an order carrying consensus from Litruman and military leadership to adopt and teach the new tactic.
Dane felt a strange mix of confusion and hollowness.
The old traditions of Empire Point, which he had believed impossible to change and had given up on changing, were now being overturned this easily by that young knight of Ebenholtz.
“You all will manage this transport well. From now on, it is an official Empire Point asset.”
Dane stared at Litruman in silence. Litruman gave a broad laugh, as if he understood the shock.
“Ha ha. It means you received a donated transport. They are also covering maintenance costs for ten years.”
Litruman proudly patted the giant block of metal. Dane blankly looked back and forth between the transport and Litruman.
“Knight Maximilian is providing this for the future of the Empire. I hear he is founding a wounded veterans foundation too, so you should show your gratitude sometime...”
Thanks to that, Dane finally understood the cause behind all of this.
The same words carry different weight depending on who speaks them.
The same money carries different force depending on how it is used.
Before anyone noticed, Maximilian had become someone who understood that principle better than anyone.
The source has one narration line saying five days for detention authority, while the dialogue and written order both establish thirty-five days. This translation follows the surrounding continuity.
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