Chapter 98: Your Belief (1) The mansion's front yard.
Under the warm spring sun, two dogs were frolicking. To be precise, one was disciplining the other.
"..."
Schatz watched the two of them with a peculiar expression, her gaze shifting back and forth.
"..."
After staring in silence for a long time, she finally asked, "...Sir Knight. What on earth have you been feeding him?"
"Is that all you're curious about?"
"The difference in their physical size is just too vast."
Though they were similar in age, Leo was much taller. He was also far more dignified. His fur glistened with a healthy sheen, and his eyes held a depth like that of a scholar.
"Woof."
Leo barked as he lightly pinned down the rowdy Shaun by the scruff of the neck.
It was the solemnity of a teacher instilling etiquette.
"It's innate."
From the beginning, Leo possessed extraordinary talent. He had grown up drinking elixirs like water and had eventually succeeded in fully absorbing them.
While Shaun could certainly be called a genius dog, Leo was on a level comparable to a 'talented human.'
"I see. Since things have turned out this way, I hope Shaun learns a lot before we leave."
Schatz crouched on the grass and watched the two of them for a long while.
"...Schatz?"
I held out a document envelope I had prepared. Schatz blinked and tilted her head in confusion.
"I've put a lot of thought into this. From the day we first met until now."
She opened the envelope. Inside were drafts of policies I intended to propose to the Empire.
"You are still under the status of a Limited Amnesty recipient. A prisoner whose execution was stayed, brought out under a Knight's authority."
The contents of the draft were as follows:
A total ban on the overseas transfer of profits for all corporations within the Empire. Capital must circulate only within the Empire. Corporate dividends shall be restricted within a specific percentage. Surplus profits exceeding a certain scale must be dedicated to purchasing Imperial government bonds. Core industries where major economic crimes such as embezzlement, breach of trust, or tax evasion are discovered, or where the production entity is not an Imperial Aran, shall immediately undergo 'Aranization.' In addition, there was a single document containing someone's personal information.
"..."
Schatz's expression froze.
「Mason Industries」
It was the background of the corporate chairman who was her sworn enemy.
I whispered softly, "He isn't a pure Aran. He's a Merin half-blood."
Of course, these policies were essentially forms of exploitation that would have been implemented eventually anyway.
However, as Johann said, propaganda is ultimately about meaning. It is about imbuing every action with significance and packaging it in a way that benefits me.
I had turned a portion of the policies prepared for the war into a gift for Schatz.
"The time will come soon."
Schatz's hands trembled.
Fortunately, this time, it seemed she truly felt it was a proper gift.
"...Yes."
I must not take my people for granted. Dieter, Johann, and Schatz are all others who could betray me at any time.
The only person I can trust entirely at every moment is, unfortunately, still only Engie.
"Thank you."
She bowed her head. Just then, the private chef for the dogs brought out their meal. Leo wrapped a napkin around the neck of the drooling Shaun.
"Then, shall we spar?"
I picked up a wooden sword with a small smile.
"It's a skill check."
"Yes. I would be honored."
Schatz confidently drew up her mana. Blue sparks crackled across her entire body.
Flutter.
Leo abruptly stopped eating. He focused both eyes on us.
The attitude of wanting to learn what must be learned. He truly was a dog with a desire for self-improvement.
"Are you ready?"
"Whenever you are."
I closed my eyes. I settled my breathing and refined my mana.
The mana of Ebenholtz is tranquil. Like flowing water, like reflected moonlight. A pure wavelength—flawless, colorless, and odorless—that even Yukia could not detect. It bloomed within my body.
In contrast, Schatz burned with intensity. Her mana was like a spark. A wave possessing electromagnetic properties… The moment it erupted, her form vanished.
Crackle—!
It wasn't that my field of vision narrowed; it felt as if space itself had been deleted.
She charged, tearing through the atmosphere. Reaction came before perception. I instinctively thrust my sword forward.
The Yeon of Ebenholtz.
As if embracing a rough wave with a soft brushstroke, I attempted to parry her ferocious trajectory.
However, the medium was the problem.
Crunch—!
Before my mana could reach and neutralize it, the high-voltage current she wore incinerated the wooden sword.
The blade screamed as it shattered. Carbonized sawdust and fragments flew like sparks. I stood still, holding only the broken hilt, while Schatz had already passed far beyond me.
"..."
Silence.
The presence behind me stopped. Schatz slowly turned to look at me.
A thin line of blood was drawn across her neck.
It was a wound grazed by my sword energy the moment the sword broke.
"If it had been a real sword, my head would likely have been severed."
It wasn't mere lip service. Her face held a look of genuine admiration. I gave a bitter smile.
How does this woman get so strong on her own?
But there was no need to be too jealous. Talent is inherently unfair.
"...Let's go eat."
"Yes."
"Do you have any allergies?"
"None."
Schatz followed me, swallowing hard.
"Slurp. I'm looking forward to it."
I chuckled softly.
The dining at my mansion had already become quite famous.
*
The next day.
I went to work at the Knights' headquarters. While I was processing Active Residual Traces as usual, Chiron walked in humming a tune.
"One employee is missing, I see?"
That was his greeting.
"And it happens to be the Yaken."
With that, he sat down across from me.
I replied briefly, "I sent him on vacation."
"A long vacation. Good timing."
Chiron interpreted my words however he pleased.
"Sir Chiron."
"Hmm?"
I took a document envelope out of my drawer and handed it to him.
"It wasn't the original."
Chiron raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"There's a high possibility it's a forged document. It has the seal of the Veil, but the mana wavelength is slightly different."
It was a highly sophisticated forgery made by commissioning Lorenzo of the Lorenzo Academy. Even an appraiser would be impressed, but it was a document that would ultimately be judged as fake.
"Take it and have it professionally appraised."
"..."
Chiron's face fell for a moment.
"It's not the fault of your informant. I thought it was real at first too… but it's very subtle."
I added with a feigned look of gravity, "Thanks to this, I've learned that those bastards are targeting my administrative officers. Their goal is likely to sow discord."
Chiron clicked his tongue and picked up the document.
"I'll have it appraised for now. Just in case."
"Yes."
"Good work."
After Chiron left, and a short while passed.
At the appointed moment, Schatz entered.
Her lines were already set.
"Sir Knight."
I looked at her.
"The relocation of Eric Tarik has been completed."
She said what needed to be said.
"...That's a relief."
Yukia's method of eavesdropping was quite clever.
She had installed two types of bugs. One was hidden very skillfully, but it wasn't an object that was impossible to find. It was a decoy. That one had already been found and discarded.
However, the remaining one was the real deal.
A mass of mana with no physical form, hidden like a circuit on the walls of the Knights' headquarters. That was what my virus had detected.
In other words, she was still listening to the sounds here.
"Was the recovery handled well?"
"Yes. The remains were intact. We buried him on the Hill of Winds in the western part of the Empire."
The Hill of Winds, which offered a clear view of the western border. For a Yaken who had spent his whole life wandering the roads, there could be no better resting place.
"Good work."
"Yes."
It was then.
Ding!
A new news alert popped up on the Knights' computer.
Beyond the western border—the Zerpa Kingdom had requested assistance from the Empire.
Finally, the time had come to utilize Kai Han, whom I had planted in Bertun.
*
A civil war had broken out in the Zerpa Kingdom. A clash between the Royalist Faction, seeking to protect the throne, and the Republican Faction, seeking to overthrow the old regime.
In truth, battles had likely been raging beneath the surface for a long time.
The Royalists, driven into a corner, belatedly requested aid from the Empire, and the Empire accepted.
However, the Royal family specifically requested Knight forces—and 'Sentinels' at that. The Imperial Military Command expressed reluctance.
Sentinels are strategic assets of the Empire. They aren't pieces to be recklessly consumed in someone else's civil war.
Because of this, in the previous life, the Shadow Lotus was eventually dispatched instead of the Sentinels, but I personally visited the Vice Commander's office.
"I will deploy."
"..."
Vice Commander Anton looked as if he had already expected this. Among the Sentinel high-ranking officials, my image might have been fixed as a warmonger.
"I cannot send you alone. Even for a Knight, this situation requires group action. I will let you know the result after the meeting."
"Yes. Understood."
──The result of the meeting was approval.
The minutes of the meeting were quite heated, but surprisingly, Chiron strongly urged for it, even putting his own name down as the overall supervisor of this operation.
As expected, he is a man with an excellent eye for reading the political situation.
Thus, the personnel were selected from within the Knights.
Team leader Maximilian, Leon, Hannah, Lois, and Dare Tan. They were all 1st-year and 0th-year Knights. The Imperial Command also wished not to commit forces of 3rd-year or higher, and they trusted my experience in commanding the Genen suppression.
We gathered that same day and boarded the latest Kanilan-made military transport plane.
The 0th-years looked nervous, while Leon's eyes sparkled.
"Wow. This plane is really nice, isn't it, Max?"
He marveled as he looked around the interior of the transport.
"It's my private one."
"Whoa~ I'm jealous. Can you lend it to me later? For descent practice."
"...Fine."
"Sweet!"
His face was not that of someone heading to a battlefield. While the 0th-years were pale with fear, Leon was as excited as a child going on a picnic.
It was understandable.
Because he's a lunatic.
Though the three 0th-years didn't know it, Leon was definitely a reliable force.
Rumble—.
The transport plane crossed the western sky and landed at the border zone, Bertun.
"Salute."
Major Kai Han—no, Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han—was out on the runway to greet me. He had already become the commander of this rugged, frontier guard unit.
"Are you prepared?"
"Absolutely."
I scanned the lined-up soldiers. Even in the biting, freezing wind, their eyes were sharp.
Originally, this was a place of exile where only those who had lost their connections within the Imperial Guard were sent, but now, no sense of defeat could be found in them.
It was the result of Kai Han's ability and the piles of cash I had provided.
"You've certainly taken control."
"...Thank you. It is all thanks to your support, Sir Knight."
"It's a bonus."
I handed him the bag I had prepared.
"Salute."
A man like Kai Han would not spend this money wastefully. To someone who wouldn't waste it, I could give even millions.
"Lead the way."
"Yes. This way."
We moved straight to the command and control center. A map of the Bertun area was spread out on the table.
"Do you have an operation in mind?"
I asked, as if testing Kai Han's capabilities.
"Yes. The biggest obstacle is the entry into Zerpa territory itself. The Republican Faction must have obtained intelligence regarding the Empire's participation, so they will have raised their border security to the highest level."
The Royalists were holed up in the center, and the surrounding area was the territory of the Republicans.
"However, instructions have come down from above that an overly aggressive operation is impossible."
"And?"
We were going to support the Royalists, not to invade. A mad dash with tanks like during the Genen incident was impossible. It could lead to an escalation of the war.
The Empire was not yet fully prepared.
It needed time to build up the 'weight class' to wage a full-scale war.
"We intend to bypass through these mountains to enter."
Kai Han pointed to the rugged mountain terrain.
"The march will take some time, but it is optimal for infiltrating covertly while avoiding the enemy's surveillance network."
It was a good path. Safe and certain.
...Or so it 'appeared.'
However, the enemy would be waiting at the end of it. An inevitable confrontation between camps would occur, and it would drag on for a very long time.
We had to enter Zerpa much faster.
I reflected on my past self.
Back then, I was a fugitive. A bystander. Due to the trauma from Dune Khan, I avoided the battlefield at all costs, instead hiding in the safe rear and reading history books and battle reports.
It was a rather pathetic hobby.
Here's a question: What happens to a person when such a shut-in lifestyle continues?
At the very least, on the battlefield, they become the worst kind of person.
A so-called armchair general. A backroom strategist.
I know because I read it in a book; according to military manuals, oh, they shouldn't do that; there was a similar situation before; looking at past battle examples…
A pathetic loser who knows nothing of actual combat but talks a big game.
I once despised people like Reutern, but in truth, I was no different from them in the past.
Yet ironically, the history of wars, case studies, and profiles of enemy commanders that I read so voraciously back then became an enormous asset after my regression.
"...I will leave the operation entirely to you, Lieutenant Colonel Han, but."
I gestured to Lieutenant Colonel Han.
It was a signal to dismiss the others for a moment.
"Everyone, you must be tired from the flight. Please go and rest. I have prepared the quarters as best as possible with private rooms."
"Nice~"
Leon smiled brightly, while Hannah and the 0th-years left awkwardly, still looking tense.
Once the other aides had also cleared the briefing room.
"Lieutenant Colonel Han."
"Yes."
Now, I intended to propose another method to him.
Based on my experience before the regression, it was an operation that could only be right.
"I recommend this route."
The place I pointed to was a narrow, deep 'canyon' cutting through the mountains.
"It's the shortest distance to Zerpa. We must enter the royal capital quickly and join the Royalists."
"Sir Knight. This terrain is far too ideal for an enemy ambush."
Kai Han boldly rejected my suggestion.
"In fact, we have received intelligence that an enemy ambush team is stationed in that canyon."
"I'm sure they are."
He was right.
Even if it weren't Kai Han, almost any commander would avoid using this canyon.
Though someone like Reutern might have charged in brainlessly.
"However, the story changes if you respect your opponent. The enemy commander is a general named Richter."
I tapped the red dot on the map, the Republican camp.
"A strategist who graduated top of his class from the Western Military Academy and hasn't lost a single border conflict in the last 20 years. A very brilliant man. He has always utilized the opponent's psychology on the battlefield."
Knowing the future is truly a massive asset.
It goes beyond simply knowing the outcome of events; it means being able to see through the enemy commander's personality, habits, and tactical preferences.
"He would have even calculated the fact that we would obtain intelligence about the ambush. In other words, he expects the Imperial Guard to believe the intel and bypass through the mountains, and has moved his main force back to that path... That is what I believe."
Therefore, if we painstakingly bypassed through the rugged mountains, we would only encounter another front.
It was essentially a predetermined future.
"In that case, I will re-verify the authenticity of the intelligence."
"No. Then we'll miss the timing. They'll change their plan if our movements seem suspicious."
I looked at Kai Han with eyes full of conviction.
"We will break through the canyon, defying their expectations, while only knowing that 'there is an ambush in the canyon.'"
"..."
Kai Han met my gaze steadily.
I said with a faint smile, "I know. Ultimately, you are the commander."
For my part, I wanted Lieutenant Colonel Han to gain merit. He had to gain merit to grow as a pillar of the Imperial Guard.
Furthermore, I hoped he had the ability suited for that position.
"The decision is also yours to make."
"..."
Kai Han looked at the map and agonized intensely. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head.
"...May I have a little more time?"
"Of course."
He wouldn't be able to make the decision easily. That was much better. If he had blindly followed my 'precognition' without his own judgment, I would have been more disappointed.
I left Kai Han in the briefing room and stepped out.
Afterward, following an aide's guidance, I stayed in the best room available.
I had been sitting there reading a book for a few hours.
Knock, knock.
Just before dawn turned into morning, there was a knock.
I opened the door.
It was Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han.
As he entered, he said, "Sir Knight. We will perform a feint by moving a portion of our forces toward the mountains to tie down the enemy's main force, while the main body performs a rapid march through the canyon."
He was saying he would follow my intent.
A short laugh escaped me.
"So suddenly?"
"Seven years ago."
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han held out a document.
"Seven years ago, General Richter used a similar strategy during a border dispute with the Kingdom of Kallio."
"..."
I took it and read.
It was exactly as Lieutenant Colonel Han said.
He had gone and found the evidence for this operation himself.
"If he used it seven years ago, he could use it again now."
I nodded.
In truth, even before the regression, the Empire had supported this civil war but ultimately lost. The Royalists were incredibly incompetent, but it was also because the Republicans had many outstanding heroes.
Brilliant strategists, brave generals, and revolutionaries who led the people.
They were talents ahead of their time, seeking to overthrow a corrupt monarchy.
"I will not inform the soldiers of this intent."
However, it couldn't be helped.
"But due to the geographical nature of the canyon, even a small force can significantly delay our advance. There is a high probability that General Richter has placed quite troublesome long-range marksmen in the canyon as insurance."
They were excellent and worthy of respect, but in the wars to come, they would become too great an enemy for the Empire.
"Therefore, you Knights must traverse both slopes of the canyon and remove the obstacles."
I would try to win them over, but if that proved impossible.
For the sake of a better future.
For the survival of humanity.
"Leave it to me."
I will personally carry out the decapitation operation with my own hands.
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