Chapter 6: From the Very First Day The Sentinel Knights are considered the pinnacle of employment in the Empire. It is a position coveted by every youth in the nation, an organization where merely joining brings eternal glory to one's family. They are the Emperor's sword and the Empire's shield—an institution that symbolizes the ideals and purity of the realm.
...And today was the induction ceremony for those very same honorable Sentinels.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The Sentinel Knight uniform was deep navy, embroidered with gold thread. It was a garment I had once craved with a desperate madness. I had deluded myself into thinking that simply wearing this would make me noble, that it would finally earn me my father's recognition.
It's nothing more than a second skin.
No, it's not even a skin. It's just a scrap of cloth.
Rather than focusing on the Sentinels, I thought about the supernatural ability that had manifested when I killed Jacob.
"Tick-tock."
I flicked my tongue, mimicking the sound of a second hand.
But nothing changed. Time didn't stop, nor did it slow down.
Twitch.
Instead, a familiar sensation radiated from just below my left collarbone, near my heart. It was the Black Fragment that had taken root in my body.
I felt a faint but distinct pulse of mana.
It wasn't just now. Whether I was sleeping, exercising, or eating, this thing throbbed like a second heart.
Naturally, a certain thought occurred to me—
Perhaps I could use this thing as a pseudo-mana core.
In the past, the mana core was one of many methodologies for wielding mana, but in the modern era, it had been almost entirely phased out. As related fields like mana-science, anatomy, and life sciences advanced, the inefficient "core" was replaced by far more sophisticated circuit systems as the standard.
The essence of modern mana manipulation is clear:
To circulate and amplify mana through "Mana Circuits" formed within the human body through innate or acquired awakening.
Of course, knights and mages are distinguished by how they train their circuits and manage their mana—and even within those groups, they are split into countless schools and factions—but the foundation always lies in the mana circuits.
However, this black virus inside me was a "plus-alpha."
Strictly speaking, it was a source of mana obtained without effort—unearned income.
"...Hey."
I placed a hand over my chest and spoke in a low voice.
"Become my mana core."
There was no response. Well, it's not like we could communicate with words.
"Make it happen, even if you can't. If I die, you're finished too."
If this thing could perform functions similar to a mana core—generating, storing, and releasing mana on its own—then there was no reason we couldn't be friends.
Knock, knock.
Engie's voice drifted in along with the rapping on the door.
—Young Master. It is time to depart.
"Yeah. I know. I'll be right out."
I applied wax to my disheveled hair. Back in my early twenties, I was terrible at grooming myself, but I now possessed the experience of a long social life.
"Not bad."
With a few touches, my hair was neatly swept up.
* * *
The induction ceremony was held with its customary grandeur.
The capital's central square was packed so tightly there was no room to move, and the windows of the surrounding buildings were filled with the faces of citizens. High-ranking imperial officials and prestigious nobles sat upon the dais, while the recruits—now officially members of the Sentinel Knights—stood tall in the center where flower petals would soon rain down.
Even there, I stood in the most prominent position. The halo of the Ebenholtz name and my quintessentially Imperial features pushed me into the center of attention.
"We shall now commence the induction ceremony of the Sentinels."
The Knight Commander, Grand Duke Alberich von Stein, began his speech to announce the knighting. His voice echoed throughout the square, amplified by mana devices. The glory of the Empire, the honor of a knight, loyalty to the Emperor... it was a repertoire I had heard so often I was sick of it.
I slowly scanned the faces of my peers standing on the dais with me.
Forty Sentinel Knights were selected for this cohort.
I already remembered their faces and names. Each of them would leave their mark on the Empire's history in their own way.
At least thirty percent of them would eventually harbor intentions contrary to the Empire, or turn their backs on it entirely.
You might ask if thirty percent isn't too high?
It couldn't be helped.
These were the twilight years of the Empire, after all.
"—As the shield of the Empire, as the sword of His Majesty, do you swear to devote your souls to the glory of the Empire!"
Grand Duke Stein's shout shook the square.
"—The Empire shall remember your loyalty and reward your devotion with glory! For the Emperor!"
Following the Knight Commander's lead, we swore our oaths of fealty.
Someone signaled me. I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them. I took a step forward and raised the sword at my waist high. My peers followed suit. Forty blades shone brilliantly as they caught the sunlight. The cheers of the Imperial citizens surged forward like a tidal wave.
...A very long time ago.
That is, in my life before the regression, I had felt an indescribable ecstasy at this very moment.
It felt as if the whole world existed for me, and I fell into the illusion that the future of the Empire rested upon my shoulders.
Now, it was merely dry and hollow.
The Knight Commander before me, who once seemed like a mountain; the nobles clapping with greasy smiles; my peers standing beside me; and every single person in this square—they were all going to die.
I had seen that future.
"Now, descend. Show your proud forms to the subjects."
At the Knight Commander's instruction, we stepped down from the dais. A swarm of nobles and officials rushed toward us to offer words of congratulation and flattery.
I tried to slip away while giving them polite, non-committal responses.
"So, it's you."
Just then, a voice both familiar and strange called out to me. A man stood with his arms crossed, scrutinizing me.
The man who had been my mentor in the distant past.
"The fellow who supposedly cut down a cadet."
His name was Julian Askar. He had thick blond hair and a sharp jawline, and his golden eyes seemed particularly adept at piercing right through me.
It was a familiar face.
Looking at him, someone so intimately known to me, I felt a strange intuition.
"Yes. I am Maximilian."
In the not-so-distant future, I would end up killing him.
* * *
Before the commotion of the induction ceremony could even fade, we were immediately moved to the Sentinel Knights' headquarters. The interior of the building, which resembled a fortress, was laid out like a complex maze, filled with busy knights and administrators.
"This is your space."
My mentor, Julian, opened the door to an office at the end of the hallway. The office itself wasn't large. Just three or four desks and cabinets for storing documents. In my life before the regression, I had been quite disappointed by this.
I had been arrogant back then.
But now I knew. I was someone who had stolen this very spot from someone else. From someone who possessed greater talent than I did, but failed to get this opportunity simply because their social status and rank were lower.
"Yes, sir."
I placed my luggage on the desk.
"You are free to hire personal staff with a budget of up to 500,000 dollars. You'll likely need administrative support or intelligence-gathering assistants, so if you're unsure, ask the personnel department for a list of recommendations."
Julian tossed a folder onto the desk.
"And you know what that is, right?"
He gestured with his chin toward a box-shaped mechanical device. It looked similar to a television but performed much more high-level functions.
It was a state-of-the-art desktop connected to the Empire's communication network, capable of accessing various information, writing reports, accepting missions, internal messaging, and video conferencing.
"Yes, I know. A computer."
I replied as I sat in the chair.
"Right. You certainly are young."
Whir. A vibration came from Julian's wrist. It was a watch. Likely a cutting-edge terminal equipped with an artifact.
"...Unpack your things and come down to the first floor. Your first mission has been assigned. A noble murder case, apparently."
A murder case.
Before the regression, I probably would have asked, 'Already?' I had a lot of luggage to organize back then.
In fact, I was the only rookie deployed to such a mission on the very first day.
"I'll give you ten minutes."
"Yes, sir."
Julian stepped out first.
Now, what exactly is a knight's job?
Is it just looking cool?
Of course not.
Roughly speaking, it involves maintaining the Empire's public order, suppressing special criminals or rebel forces that ordinary troops can't handle, dealing with monsters, and protecting the nobility.
Consequently, knights could earn a lot of money through extra allowances on top of their base salary.
Rare materials obtained from hunting monster carcasses and bounties on criminals were quite lucrative. It was a thorough meritocracy where the more skilled a knight was, the more wealth they could seize.
That was why the old me, who lacked ability, had been pushed to the sidelines so quickly.
I left the office. Two of my peers were standing side-by-side in the hallway.
One was Tiana. The other was Leon.
The two of them merely gave me a curt nod.
Such is the fate of a nepotism hire.
In the past, I hated those looks so much that I would throw fits and overcompensate like a madman.
Now, there was no need for that.
I...
"I don't fucking know."
I didn't even know myself anymore.
I didn't have the slightest clue how to navigate this world where a god-awful future was already set in stone.
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