WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Reluctant Imperialist

Chapter 64

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Enemy of the Empire (4)

At a restaurant in the Kanillan Independent State.

"...Thanks to that crazy bastard, I've been making a lot of money lately, that's what I'm saying."

Ren, commander of the Akarius mercenary corps, tilted his head as he listened to his old friend Russell.

"I have no idea what nonsense you're talking about. You sell insurance, and you're buying insurance too?"

"You don't need to understand. It's a way to lose money."

Russell's smug attitude was irritating as hell.

"...Whatever. Recommend me something too."

"Hey. When I told you to do it before, you shut your eyes and ignored me. Why are you like this now?"

"Everyone but me is making money. They say it's like printing cash. I'm the only one who ended up suddenly broke."

Russell chuckled. Recently, Kanillan's stock market had shot up like mad, and while asset prices exploded, Ren had held only cash and effectively lost money by doing nothing.

"Want it straight? You and your company didn't invest for three years, so your asset value might as well have been cut in half."

"Haa. You making fun of me, asshole...?"

Ren roughly swept back his hair.

"Making fun of you, customer? Here, take this."

Russell stopped cutting his steak and dropped a file onto the table.

"It's corporate asset-backed securities, CDO. The money-printing machine these days. The greatest invention in human history."

Ren snatched the file.

"So I just buy this?"

"You sign a contract. A contract, idiot."

"The fuck? You've been acting smug this whole time."

"Huh? Ah. Then forget it-"

"Joking."

Ren grabbed Russell's wrist as he tried to pull the contract back.

"So I can sign right now?"

"No. First you decide how much you're investing. How much do you have?"

"Right now... I can use about three million."

"That's it? Just that much? From the Akarius commander?"

Ren frowned.

His face was annoying enough already, and then came the smugness and sarcasm. What a shitty bastard.

"I get paid from company funds too."

"Then pull in company funds too."

"...Are you insane?"

"Jesus."

Russell shook his head in disbelief. Chewing a thick chunk of steak, he said,

"You still don't understand risk and return?"

"Using company money is the risk."

"Hey, hey. How many times do I have to tell you a corporation can invest too? You'll make 30% in a year. With that extra profit, you can put up buildings and all that. One-year contract, and you get a safe 30% gain. Safer than leaving it in a bank deposit."

"...30%?"

Thirty percent.

Ren looked tempted.

"Yeah. But the scale has to be decent. Money's pouring in from Kanillan, the West, the East, even the Empire."

"30%..."

"So how much can you invest?"

Ren swallowed and answered.

"...Thirty million."

"Thirty million? Nice!"

Russell clapped.

"That makes thirty-three million total, right? I have a contract that's perfect for that size. Come with me. I wasn't planning to give this to just anyone."

Russell stood up and casually picked up the bill.

Ren quickly reached out.

"Hey, hey. I'll pay. I asked you out."

"No, no. How much can a mercenary commander make anyway? Customer, I'll pay."

"...Huh."

Ren bit his lip.

A mercenary corps ranked among the best on the continent, beyond Kanillan itself, and now some securities firm's vice president treated him like a bum. That was how much the world had changed.

"You're really investing, right?"

Russell asked, waving the bill.

For a moment, Ren wanted to smash that suit-wearing bastard's head in, but he steadied himself.

"Yeah. I'll do it. I will. I should make some money too."

"That's it. How long are you gonna keep trailing behind Sebestian? They say his son struck it rich with a mana stone mine..."

Sebestian's son Maximilian striking it big with a mana stone mine.

That was why Mercenary Commander Ren had started paying attention to investing.

* * *

The black market on Floor 9 of the underground city looked nothing like what people usually imagined when they heard "black market." If anything, it looked like a proper fortress-like venue.

The ceiling was carved into Gothic arches, purple carpet covered the floor, and masked guards stood at the entrance.

I approached them and showed my ID card.

"Go on in."

The first-floor hall was packed with stalls. Everything illegal was there, from rare magic items to banned drugs.

Thump-

The virus inside me pulsed again. It was Izenheim. I saw a Revolutionary Faction group walking somewhere deeper inside, not far away.

They seemed to be VVIPs, though, and disappeared into a separate corridor under heavy guard.

"Tch."

Too bad, but nothing I could do. I had a separate mission for now.

I took a compass from my pocket. It was the contact device Kairon had given me. The needle spun, then pointed in one direction.

I walked that way.

Before long, the needle landed on one unusually short man.

Tap. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned.

I asked, "Black fur?"

"...Yes. Follow me."

The resident agent led me to a secluded corner of the black market.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ashton."

"I'm Maximilian."

"Sir Knight Kairon briefed me in advance. First, this is the item we need to acquire."

The photo he showed me had a cylindrical bomb.

"It's a mana chemical bomb. A lunatic named Ekentoi made it, and rumors say the performance is incredible."

Thump.

Even as he spoke, my heart kept pulsing steadily. I'd expected this to some degree, but down here, out of sight, there were quite a lot of Izenheim.

"But that place."

I pointed at the VVIP corridor the Revolutionary Faction had entered.

"Can't we get in?"

"Ah, no. VVIP is referral-only. You need connections."

That was unfortunate.

"How much is this bomb?"

"They're pricing it around one million dollars. Ekentoi has his own corner. This way."

I followed him.

We went up the stairs and reached a third-floor corner with a sign reading [The Life and Death of Ekentoi].

"That guy is Ekentoi. A terrorist group called Skidmark is trying to buy bombs from him right now."

Where the agent pointed, a mad-scientist-looking man stood beside a forearm-sized cylindrical bomb displayed in the best spot.

I walked up and asked, "How much for this bomb?"

"Ah, hahaha. Looks like you've heard the rumors and come running. But this one is already reserved-"

I opened my bag in front of him. Dollars spilled out.

"Two million dollars. Is it reserved?"

"Uh..."

I opened the bag wider. More imperial dollars spilled out.

"Two point five million dollars. Is it reserved?"

"Just take it."

He giggled and scooped up the dollars. The mission ended more easily than expected.

"Mr. Ashton. Since we're here, let's do some shopping."

"...Ah. Yes."

The stunned resident agent nodded late. While waiting for the Revolutionary Faction to come back down, I looked around the black market.

The best way to choose good items was to leave it to the virus.

The virus, deeply versed in mana, could easily distinguish finely crafted mana.

I bought everything it reacted to. Fountain pens, cloaks, prosthetic legs, glasses, jewels, everything.

"...Is it really okay for you to buy this much?"

The resident agent sounded amazed at how freely I was spending.

"Pick one for yourself too, Mr. Ashton."

"Uh, no, it's fine-"

"Refusing goodwill is bad manners too."

"...Yes."

Just as the resident agent was about to pick a small magic tool as a sign of thanks.

Kwooooom-!

A massive explosion shook the space above the black market.

"Looks like a fight broke out."

The resident agent gave a bitter smile.

"At the black market, that's daily life."

It really looked like nobody cared much.

The resident agent reached for another magic tool at the stall-

Kwaaaam! Kwooooom!

Explosions echoed one after another.

"...Daily life?"

"Ah... yes. Daily life. Daily life."

The resident agent stubbornly tried to grab a crystal-orb-looking magic tool-

Krrrreeeak-!

The ceiling tilted, and fragments and debris poured down from above.

It looked like a bomb attack.

The black market turned into chaos in an instant. People started evacuating in the confusion.

"It's still daily life."

"Mr. Agent. Take these and head up to the surface."

"No. It's daily life. Daily life!"

"I'll give you one of the things I bought."

"...Yes."

I handed the items to the resident agent.

Using the chaos from the explosions as cover, that bastard came out through the VVIP corridor.

A core-level Revolutionary Faction officer, and a wanted Izenheim.

Thump-

I pushed through the scattering crowd and chased him.

He rushed out of the black market and threw himself down into a dark passage below.

Thump-

I jumped down after him.

I tracked him with the heartbeat as my GPS.

Thump-

At last, the place the virus pointed to was in front of a sewer.

Unknown sludge ran sticky along the edges, and sewer rats wriggled around my feet, squeaking.

"..."

I pressed my gas mask down and went in. There wasn't a single speck of light, but I moved through the darkness guided only by my heartbeat.

Thump-

A thought crossed my mind.

This was an outer zone where the Empire's gaze and force barely reached.

Could I really defeat the enemy here, completely on my own?

Thump-

...No. Even that fear is a luxury.

Don't waver, Maximilian.

You're the one who cut down Dune Kan.

You don't have nightmares anymore.

You must not fear battle. You have to move forward and embrace it.

If you trust yourself, you'll win.

Thump-

I took a deep breath and felt inside my coat. I still had insurance, the "super stim pack."

Thump-!

Following the sharpening pulse, I turned a corner and saw his silhouette in the distance.

Step.

The moment I took one step forward.

"...Are you with someone?"

At his question, I gripped my longsword.

"Yes. I'm with someone."

Then suddenly, a third voice came from behind me.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I flinched and turned.

It was Sonnet Kandel, and I hadn't sensed her at all.

She looked at me and nodded without expression.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Knight."

"...Your footsteps are quiet."

My focus had been on him, but Sonnet's movement had been perfect concealment.

"Was it."

Sonnet walked up to him as if nothing was unusual. I was briefly confused.

Was Sonnet part of the Revolutionary Faction?

No, impossible. She had definitely died by hanging.

"Let me introduce him."

Sonnet pointed to him as she spoke.

"This is Mr. Arshtel, an internal intelligence operative of the Revolutionary Faction."

At Sonnet's introduction, I tilted my head. My body moved on its own.

This Izenheim was Sonnet's internal intelligence operative?

I stared blankly at the man called Arshtel again.

"Come sit."

Sonnet gestured in the air. Mana bloomed, forming an elegant table and three chairs that did not belong in a foul sewer.

I walked over and sat down.

"Did you orchestrate this meeting from the beginning?"

"No. It was a coincidence. If anyone is to blame, it's Sir Knight Maximilian's intuition."

Sonnet took out a thermos and teacups and continued.

"We passed that information to Sir Knight Kairon's resident agent, and Sir Knight Kairon assigned the mission to Sir Knight Maximilian. Originally, the mission should have ended with recovering the bomb."

Sonnet's gaze swept over me.

"But Sir Maximilian's eye for detail was remarkable. Do you remember every wanted criminal?"

"Yes. I remember most of them."

All the wanted composite sketches distributed by the Order were in my head. The virus made sure of that.

"How did you predict I'd track him?"

"You lifted his robe with the wind."

A dry laugh escaped me. Sonnet was Sonnet, as always.

The true core of House Kandel, beyond comparison with someone like Jun.

She continued.

"So instead of letting an unnecessary fight break out, I thought it was better to introduce you."

I stared at her and asked, "What exactly are you?"

"I'm the eldest daughter of House Kandel. I hold a law license and a medical license, I've published three essay collections, and I run businesses in the underground city."

Back then and now, she was a major player in the underground city. I still didn't know in what way.

"Is this black market one of those businesses?"

"Yes. But the shares are divided. My claim comes fairly late in the order."

"And that attack just now, on purpose too?"

"It was the perfect excuse to make contact."

Her expression never changed as she said all that.

She glanced toward the seat beside her.

"This Mr. Arshtel is also part of my business."

I turned to Izenheim.

"...Pleasure. I'm Arshtel. Codename Gideon. I'm in love with Lady Kandel."

Sonnet let out a short sigh, and I felt disgusted.

An Izenheim pretending to be human. You fucking bastard.

I wanted to cut him down on the spot, but first I needed to understand this situation.

"Ahem. A joke. First, I'd like to say that I was the one who passed along the information that a terror group was trying to buy this bomb."

I glared at him and asked, "Why cooperate with the Empire at all?"

"I'm tired of this life. Worn out. Dedicating my life to a world that hasn't changed for over ten years... it feels meaningless."

Arshtel sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I want to retire. A new face. A new identity. I'd like to live as a billionaire."

This bastard was good at acting. Every expression changed like it had been stitched by hand.

If he weren't Izenheim, would even I have been fooled?

"So?"

"Since this meeting was arranged, I'd like to ask a favor."

Pour. Sonnet filled a teacup.

"From me?"

"I'm only a daughter of House Kandel. I don't have much inheritance to receive. Even if I run a few businesses, I can't provide Mr. Arshtel with a proper identity and make him a billionaire."

Right. Sonnet called this a business. She meant she was a broker.

I looked at Arshtel.

"And in return, what can you give me?"

"One of the Revolutionary Faction leadership. Exact personal information on codename Redflower."

Arshtel smiled and raised one finger.

"And one more thing."

I glared at his smug face and listened to his uselessly poetic, flowery voice.

"Did you know the flame of revolution has infiltrated even the Sentinel Order?"

As a regressor, I already knew all of it.

Redflower's personal details, and the existence of a Sentinel knight carrying revolution. All of it.

Which meant his information had no value, and if it had no value.

Was there any reason to keep a confirmed double agent alive?

Even if he was Izenheim, I would keep and use him if possible. But did I really need to pay the opportunity cost of being manipulated by him and Sonnet?

The thought settled in an instant.

I gripped the sword at my back.

-click

Time slowed. A silent draw.

Ironically, House Ebenholtz's most aristocratic sword was most effective when ambushing an opponent.

-slice.

A silver arc lit the sewer, and the blade quietly passed through someone's neck.

Blood splattered across Sonnet's face.

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