Chapter 16: Kill or Save (1) | Semi-Coercive Imperialist
The arsenal of Ebenholtz was like a small museum. The walls were lined with luxurious armors and swords used by previous heads of the family, arranged in chronological order, and there were many magical artifacts that could be called treasures.
Among this countless array of arms, none belonged to me. I still lacked the skill and qualifications.
"Hmm...."
I strolled slowly, looking around. Enzi was not by my side. Only direct bloodlines of Ebenholtz were allowed to enter this place.
"...Hey. Do you happen to know anything?"
I spoke to the virus.
Wriggle.
There was an actual response. A subtle but distinct pulse.
"You understand well."
Should I give it a name?
Feeling the pull of the fragment, I walked deeper into the arsenal.
Thump!
My heart suddenly jolted. The reaction from the virus was intensely strong.
"Where. What is it."
In a dusty corner of a weapons rack. A worn-out longsword lay scattered on the floor.
It looked like some kind of antique.
"This?"
The blade was tightly wrapped in worn bandages, but judging by its 1.6-meter length, it was indeed an Ebenholtz long sword. However, the blade was slightly thinner than a typical long sword, and it was closer to the form of a single-edged blade.
I picked up the sword. The sensation in my hand felt oddly familiar.
"Don't know what it is, but."
I fastened the long sword to my waist. It clung to my back like a magnet. Normally, carrying around this kind of longsword would be a hassle, but at least that didn't seem to be a concern.
"...."
I was about to leave just like that when I suddenly spotted a stack of elixirs beyond a glass case in one corner.
Elixirs so rare that calling them precious would be an understatement were aging there. These were the things I used to drink like water as a child.
Such elixirs have a particularly strong effect during growth periods. Whether the user has great talent or not, highly purified mana accumulates permanently in the immature bodies of infants.
However, their effect is very minimal on adults. A fully developed body has lower compatibility with mana, so the purer the mana, the harder it is to retain, and thus it leaks out of the body.
The Ebenholtz Breathing Method was already designed to digest the 'purity' accumulated in the body, and these elixirs were likely preparations for my son or daughter, descendants in the future.
A son. A daughter.
Could I ever have such a future? Now, I can't even imagine it.
Thump!
Suddenly, the virus twitched. That reaction sparked a thought.
"...No way."
Normally, elixirs show explosive effects only during the growth period before the age of eleven.
But what if that limitation didn't apply only to 'humans,' and could also be applied to the virus inside me?
"Are you still in your growth period?"
The virus gave no answer, but I opened the glass case. Grasping the mouth of an elixir, I popped the lid.
Thump.
Feeling the virus's pulse, I poured it into my mouth.
Thump.
After swallowing it all in one big gulp, I looked at my collarbone. The virus absorbed the elixir. The exact spot where it lurked flushed blue.
I let out a hollow laugh.
"...Alright. Let's try to live together."
Remember this.
If I die, you die too.
***
The newly moved-in house was perfectly organized. The exterior, which Rodriguez had smashed, was fully repaired, and the interior was decorated in minimalist style to suit my tastes.
Furniture was kept to a minimum, and the walls and floors were all in monotone marble texture.
Outside, a state-of-the-art security system had been installed. Especially the backyard outdoor training ground was fortified to the level of a fortress with all kinds of magic circles.
I stood at the center of the training ground, preparing to swing ten thousand times.
"So now I just show up to work here?"
Before I noticed, Freya had appeared. I flinched. How did she get in?
"Didn't you say you wouldn't report until I finished all ten thousand swings?"
"Still, as an instructor, I should stop a student from doing something stupid."
Don't tell me she's here to extort me again.
I gripped the long sword wrapped in bandages with one hand.
"Oh. A new weapon. I'm jealous. Go ahead."
"Yes."
Whoosh!
I swung my arm. A simple horizontal slash.
As I extended the sword, once.
Then drew a diagonal line, twice.
Three times, four times, five times...
I kept swinging dozens of times like that.
Sweat poured down like rain. My chest felt like it was going to burst, but I didn't stop. I repeated the slashes through the pain of creaking joints. I only counted up to 573.
"Now, stop."
"...."
I let the sword droop wordlessly. But I didn't let go.
I know myself well. The moment I let go, I won't want to pick it up again. I'm that lazy of a bastard.
"Now try connecting the slashes."
"...Connecting them?"
What the hell is she talking about now?
I brushed back my sweat-soaked hair and furrowed my brow.
"Yes. Like water flowing. The end of the first slash becomes the beginning of the second, and the second becomes the start of the third. Like one long breath."
Freya picked up a twig and demonstrated.
Whoosh─ Whip─ Whoooosh─!
Three strokes drawn as if painting a picture, flowing in one breath.
"This is called the Flow of Ebenholtz."
Flow. I chewed on her words and resumed my stance.
Whooosh!
I unleashed a horizontal slash. At the moment when the sword's center of gravity reached its peak, I didn't release power. Instead, I used the centrifugal force to connect it into a second slash.
Slaaash──!
The blade crossed and tore through the air. At the end, I struck upward. Three slashes were drawn into space, and then my wrist naturally twisted into the fourth strike.
"...?"
The sword flowed into the next stroke. The strength and stamina I used was less than 30 percent of before.
I blinked blankly.
"That's it."
My master looked at me and chuckled.
"It's not strength. It's not speed either. What's important is 'flow'. The flow of strength, mana, and body. Connecting all of them as one."
I nodded. Each slash was not an independent motion. They were part of a great wave, an unending current.
Ebenholtz was a noble's sword that carried the flow forward.
"Try again."
"Yes."
The moment I understood, the sword became shockingly light. There was no longer a need to swing the sword with strength. The rotation of the waist, the movement of the feet, even breathing, everything became a basic form for the Flow. The sword moved like my own limbs, an extension of my will.
Freya smiled, seemingly satisfied.
"Do you know what the real advantage of Ebenholtz swordsmanship is? You don't need to move much. The sword is very long."
She was right. A long sword that reaches 1.6 meters has an overwhelming reach on its own.
"The moment some clumsy fool tries to rush into your range, their head will already be flying. All you have to do is elegantly swing your sword from your position. Just approaching you will be impossible."
Freya stepped one pace closer to me and asked,
"In that sense... Maximilian. What is a noble?"
I let out a faint laugh between heavy breaths.
"We do not permit the lowly to approach."
"Right. Ebenholtz was the first to build their fence. There are many secret techniques made to be passed down only to the bloodline. They're as haughty as they are elegant and discreet."
She picked up the twig again and spun it lightly up and down as she continued.
"For quite a long time, the lineage of the Iron Men continued within Ebenholtz. I thought your father, Sebestian, was the finished product."
Freya looked at me with a curious gaze.
"...Anyway. Now do you understand why I called Ebenholtz a noble's sword?"
"Yes. I do understand, but it seems I still have much to learn."
She nodded.
"Good. Become the 'real thing', Maximilian."
At that moment, I unleashed a series of flowing strikes at Freya. She darted between the gaps of my sword strikes and slipped in instantly.
"Kh!"
Her hand blade struck my solar plexus. My breath was knocked out.
"Get up."
It was a strength of a different level, but I smiled as I got to my feet.
Back in the day, this kind of training was damn boring. The reason was simple. Because I "couldn't do it".
"Again."
The better you are, the more fun it becomes. The worse you are, the less fun it is.
"Yes. Come at me."
Now, I was enjoying it enough.
***
...Last night, I fell asleep amidst muscle pain that felt like my whole body was being torn apart.
When I opened my eyes this morning, I felt completely refreshed.
This too must be thanks to the mana core.
As soon as I got up, I grabbed my car keys and left the house. While driving myself to the Knight Order headquarters, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"Should I hire a chauffeur?"
Just then, a call came in from Dieter on my personal device. It had only been a few days since I bought him a computer and a device, but it seemed he had already learned how to use them.
─Sir Knight. This is Dieter Schmidt.
"Yeah."
-I'm calling to report on the land acquisition in the southern district of Hermes.
"Go ahea-"
─We've divided the area into five sectors and have started purchasing under different shell company names. To avoid raising suspicion from the mayor, we've intentionally varied the timing and price of the purchases. We've completed contracts for sectors 1 and 3, and we plan to proceed sequentially with the remaining areas so that our group, 「Veritas」, ultimately secures full ownership. The total estimated acquisition cost is approximately 2.2 million dollars.
I listened quietly as I drove. Some of Dieter's sentences skipped in my mind. I didn't fully understand them.
Thump!
Suddenly, the virus pulsed and rewound Dieter's voice.
'...We've started purchasing under different shell company names. To avoid suspicion from the mayor, we intentionally varied the timing and prices of the acquisitions. Currently, we've completed contracts for sectors 1 and 3...'
There's no need to go over things like that again.
In any case, the virus clearly restores my memory. I can no longer forget anything I've seen or heard once.
"Proceed."
─Yes. Understood.
It was at that moment. A loud alert suddenly blared from the device.
It was an emergency alarm from the Sentinel Knight Order.
[Eastern Genen Autonomous Region ─ Large-scale protest outbreak]
[Local security forces may have difficulty controlling the situation, so any knights without assigned missions are to move to the site immediately and report the situation]
The first official dispatch order had been issued.
I searched my memory. The Genen Autonomous Region was the powder keg of the Empire. Around this time of year, protests and disturbances like this always occurred.
"This is Knight Maximilian. I will deploy to Genen."
I responded through the terminal and turned the steering wheel.