Chapter 138: Your World (6) I watch the ground from high above. The noise of the helicopter—the rotors, the engine—is surprisingly quiet.
It is my own unique way of utilizing mana.
Every person, every knight, has a different way of using mana. This is likely because the attributes and properties of their mana differ, as does the "path" they desire and pursue.
* * *
In my case, I handle mana in its purest form. It is a primitive utilization of the virus within my body.
I simply radiate Ebenholtz's mana outward and transfer its properties. By applying a thin coating of mana over the entire helicopter, the noise is absorbed and our presence is dampened.
This is why the helicopter I am aboard can fly through the night sky like a ghost.
"······."
I looked down at the distant ground through the open door of the helicopter. A single silhouette was captured, nimbly leaping across the rooftops.
One might easily evade eyes on the ground, but from the air, they are seen all too clearly.
Whoooooosh—
Braving the rushing wind, I prepared to descend.
Compared to jumping from a transport ship at an altitude of several thousand meters, a helicopter drop while hovering just a few hundred meters up allows for much more precise control.
Whish—!
I threw myself into the void.
The fierce wind flowed over the surface of my wingsuit. I scattered mana to control the air resistance, adjusting the angle of my glide.
The target: the assassin on the ground.
Just one.
Tick—
Suddenly, the world's time slows down, turning viscous.
Moisture beads like droplets. The wind wavers. And the trajectory of the assassin's stride.
A split second where everything seems frozen like a photograph.
Tap—
I step upon a layer of mana added to the empty air,
And accelerate once more, soaring forward in a straight line.
───.
A precision strike targeting only one person.
A definitive sword strike unleashed at a calculated angle, without a hair's breadth of error.
Slice—!
A silver flash rent the darkness. Before the assassin's dagger could reach Alonso, my longsword quietly severed the man's neck.
Thud, roll.
The assassin's torso collapsed forward from momentum, and the severed head rolled across the alley floor.
It was a decapitation that didn't spill a single drop of blood.
Thump.
The beating of my heart testified to the man's origin.
Izenheim.
I turned back to the frozen Crown Prince Alonso.
"Crown Prince Alonso. Are you alright?"
Alonso gasped, exhaling the breath he had been holding.
"Ma-Maximilian! My aides, those loyal subjects are still in the palace—"
"Yes. I am aware. Lieutenant Colonel Han?"
Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han and the Chief of Security supported the Crown Prince by his arms.
"Please go ahead, Your Highness. You are more important than anyone else in Zerpa. You must preserve your person. I will handle the rest."
At my polite request, Alonso nodded repeatedly, his eyes brimming with tears. The guards disappeared with him.
I looked toward the palace, the opposite direction of where the Crown Prince had gone.
Boom! Crash!
Explosions erupted from various locations.
The rebel tanks were blown up in succession by pre-planted mines, and soldiers in civilian clothes struck the rebels' weak points, collapsing their chain of command.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
In the middle of an intersection where urban warfare was in full swing.
—Lay down your weapons and surrender!
Brigadier General Espe, a general serving Alonso and the Royalist Faction, took up a megaphone.
—This is a fight for which you have no justification!
The success or failure of a coup is decided within the first twenty-four hours. Therefore, this was already a failed rebellion. However, the regular soldiers who joined the revolt were no different from being dragged along by their superiors' orders without knowing why. They were merely young men being sacrificed for the greed of those at the top, trying not to die.
—Do not be mistaken, young souls! You are not traitors! The traitors are those rotten generals who drove you into this death trap!
As the night passed and dawn began to break.
Amidst the dawn light illuminating the city streets, Brigadier General Espe's desperate, appealing speech filled the capital of Zerpa.
—Young men! Realize who the muzzles of the rifles you hold should truly be pointed at! For your country and your families, do not shed meaningless blood!
A resonance filled with sincerity.
One by one, the young soldiers of Zerpa lowered their rifles to the ground. They raised their hands, tears streaming down their faces.
—Young souls! You are not traitors!
It was a magnificent sight—hundreds, thousands of soldiers surrendering in a chain reaction.
This was the importance of justification, and the power of agitation and propaganda.
—The traitors are those rotten generals who drove you into this death trap!
This speech was also a script written by Johann Goetze.
I marveled anew at his talent as I watched the morning sun slowly rising in the distance.
······.
The urban warfare that broke out in the capital of Zerpa was concluded within a single day.
The combatants were the rebel forces versus the Royalist regular army and the Imperial Military.
"······We have captured and are transporting half of the generals who plotted the rebellion," reported Brigadier General Espe, the Royalist general.
"It appears that several leaders, including Lieutenant General Pavel, have fled, and the life or death or location of a few others has not yet been confirmed."
Step.
The sound of footsteps came from behind. There was Crown Prince Alonso, walking unsteadily while supported by Lieutenant Colonel Kai Han.
"Your Highness. I am glad you are safe."
When I greeted him, he looked up at me with hollow eyes.
"······Lord Maximilian."
"Yes."
I approached him. The Crown Prince's lips trembled.
"The palace... what happened to the palace? My people······."
The "people" he was desperately asking about were likely the "aides" who had remained in the palace until the end.
"The Deputy Minister of Justice, the Chief Secretary, and three other officials have passed away."
At my words, Alonso's face turned deathly pale.
"It appears they fought the rebels to the end and died gallantly in battle."
Of course, they weren't actually dead.
I had intended to have several agents make an early exit at this point; in other words, it was merely the expiration of their contracts.
No matter how great one's acting skills are, one cannot live the life of a spy forever. Forcing it only leads to trouble.
For those who didn't find it suited their aptitude and wanted to return home, I had simply crafted an exit scenario called "Honorable Death," along with a generous bonus.
"······Haa."
The Crown Prince staggered as if the strength had left his legs.
Just then, medics appeared. They were moving a body covered with a cloth on a stretcher. At that moment, the limp arm of the corpse slid out from under the cloth, and the Crown Prince's empty gaze happened to land upon it.
"······Chief Resito?"
A blood-stained dress uniform and a familiar bracelet on the wrist. It seemed he recognized him from those clues alone.
"Chief Resito!"
Alonso gasped and ran toward the stretcher.
"Resito······."
He pulled back the cloth covering the stretcher. A pale face, devoid of any blood, was revealed.
"······."
I quietly twitched an eyebrow.
This, too, was a prop for the completion of the scenario. He was in a deep sleep due to a special anesthetic that extremely slowed the heart rate, so to an ordinary person's eyes, he would look like a corpse.
"Ah······."
The Crown Prince staggered as if he might faint, then—thud—he fell to his knees. He placed both arms on the body.
I firmly gripped his shoulder to steady him.
"Your Highness. You must not break down here. If only for the sake of the sacrifice of your loyal subjects."
However, it seemed no sound reached the Crown Prince's ears.
"All cause and justification now rest entirely with the monarchy, with Your Highness."
Even so, Alonso panted like a beast, unable to accept this situation—
"Resito──!"
He cried out desperately, looking up at the sky. The image of a monarch grieving the loss of a subject. It wasn't a bad scene, and the palace survivors and soldiers who didn't know the truth bowed their heads in sorrow.
"Resito, why, why on earth──!"
"······Lieutenant Colonel Han."
Watching the wailing Crown Prince, I whispered quietly to Kai Han, who stood beside me.
"Who was Resito?"
"······."
Lieutenant Colonel Han cleared his throat and whispered back.
"······He was his golf caddy."
Hmm.
The Caddy Chief.
"I'm told he essentially played the role of the Crown Prince's counselor. They supposedly shared the most emotional rapport."
I looked down silently at the top of Crown Prince Alonso's head as he wailed at the top of his lungs.
"······I see."
He is certainly incompetent. I have no choice but to make that assessment. Even before my regression, he was a man too ordinary and weak to be called a Crown Prince, someone whose reputation was never re-evaluated.
For me, that is a fortunate thing.
"Resitoooooo───!"
Watching him like that, I am certain.
Living in his own world, there will come a day when he will want to lay down the responsibilities given to him.
At that time, he will come looking for me.
I know him well.
Because even I, sometimes, want to lay all of this down······.
* * *
Around the time the Royalist rebellion in the capital was being suppressed.
"Fire."
Whirring—!
Tearing through the air, countless rockets flew first.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rockets from the new multiple-launch magic cannon, 'Kerben,' slammed mercilessly into the center of the defensive line.
Into the place where the earth was being overturned and shockwaves were multiplying, the first rank of the Durkon Legion, led by Major General Schweitzer, charged like beasts.
"Advance."
There were two vulnerabilities in the Zeronica Mine's defensive line. One was the narrow canyon entrance connected to the supply route, and the other was the northern slope that had been leveled for mining operations.
Major General Schweitzer employed deceptive tactics to exploit these two points.
He split the main force in two, pretending to strike both sides simultaneously to disperse the enemy's defensive troops, while in reality, he concentrated the first rank on a single point on the northern slope, breaking through like a wedge.
"I see it. That's the mine, right?"
Schweitzer, having quickly established a fire position on the ridge overlooking the mine, wore a satisfied smile.
"Yes, Major General. However, the enemy seems prepared for a fight to the death, having retreated into the mine. They appear ready to hold out using the tunnels and facilities as shields."
"Ah. Really? That's fine. Mobilize all the Kerbens and blast them all to pieces."
"······Pardon?"
The adjutant asked back, flustered.
The Zeronica Mine is an asset of Zerpa. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's one of their most important assets. Therefore, if the mine is destroyed, there is no point in retaking Zeronica. It was a matter that could unnecessarily escalate into a diplomatic issue.
"Will it be alright?"
However, the object of their fear was not the Zerpa government. The famous madman of Durkon was not afraid of a mere country like that. He was only concerned about the single knight monitoring this place.
"The soldiers must be tired from marching, so tell them to take one of those newly issued Steampacks. We're pushing in without delay and ending this today."
"Uh, Major General. If we destroy the mine facilities, later on—"
"I told you it's fine. This is a matter already discussed with Knight Maximilian."
They had discussed it. At those words, the adjutant's expression relaxed.
Schweitzer chuckled.
"He said the equipment installed there is all damn outdated and useless anyway."
If they smashed another country's core industrial facility and then washed their hands of it, it would be a diplomatic problem, but Maximilian intended to rebuild it from scratch with the most modern equipment.
He certainly has a lot of money.
"So fire."
"Yes! All batteries, prepare to fire!"
With the adjutant's acknowledgment, dozens of Kerbens lined up on the ridge raised their muzzles in unison.
"We're going to wreck it as if we're causing a landslide. Don't leave a single rat alive; sweep them all away. Fire!"
Screeeech—!
The Kerben's magic rockets let out sharp shrieks, painting the sky red.
The new technology developed to destroy front lines poured down like rain upon the Republican legion.
KABOOM—!
* * *
"Good work, Major General Schweitzer."
"Well, it wasn't much of a struggle."
Schweitzer had captured the mine in an instant. There was already a difference in the weight class of military power, including the new technology, and the capability of the commander handling it was also overwhelming.
"Do you know something?"
Schweitzer looked at me, his eyebrows twitching slyly. It was a rather disgusting attempt at charm.
"It's easiest to deal with those who have something to protect."
The side that had to protect the mine, and the side that didn't care if it was destroyed.
The outcome was decided from that moment.
"By the way, what should we do with these prisoners?"
"······I wonder."
I walked slowly, scanning the hundreds of Republican prisoners sitting on their knees, disarmed.
Thump—
My heart beat.
Among them, too, were Izenheim.
In fact, there were quite a few.
There were thousands of prisoners. About a dozen were Izenheim.
Thump—
The yield wasn't very high.
If I killed thousands of prisoners just to weed out the Izenheim, it would be a massacre. It was not "yet" the time for that.
—Imperial pig bastards······
A whispering voice in the Zerpa language caught my ear. I turned my gaze. I walked slowly and stood before him.
Thump—
Fortunately for me, the man was Izenheim.
"Pigs, you say······."
I pulled Yukia's pistol from its holster.
I pulled the trigger immediately.
Bang—
A suppressed gunshot. The discharged mana pierced his brow. The man collapsed, blood pouring from the hole in his head, and Schweitzer flinched, stepping back.
"W-we are prisoners!"
Somewhere from the side, someone screamed desperately. It was one of the Republican commanders.
"We have already surrendered!"
"······."
I silently aimed the pistol.
Unfortunately, he was not Izenheim.
Thump—
However, the adjutant beside him was Izenheim. I wore a faint smile.
Thank you for giving me an excuse.
"There are prisoners, and then there are prisoners. How I treat them is up to me."
I tilted the muzzle and shot the adjutant dead.
Thud!
The skull burst, and brain matter and blood splattered all over the commander's face. The commander gasped loudly, as if his breath had momentarily stopped.
"The Empire is a pig?"
I murmured in fluent Zerpa, coldly observing the faces of the prisoners, who were now consumed by terror.
"It seems you are held on a leash by those pigs."
Faces trembling in bated breath.
"Let me explain. You are not prisoners, but traitors. Bastards worse than dogs who dared to rebel against the rightful master of Zerpa and tried to bite him."
Click. I loaded mana into the pistol.
"Do you think I came here to slaughter you on the orders of the Empire?"
It seemed like an atmosphere where killing one Izenheim wouldn't be considered strange.
"No. Before you are prisoners, you are traitors, and therefore this is──"
Bang.
I actually shot him dead.
Another man's head burst as he collapsed.
"The wish of Crown Prince Alonso."
Now, no sound could be heard.
No one, absolutely no one, dared to speak.
It wasn't just the enemies. The allies watching me were the same.
"······Major General Schweitzer."
"Yes."
Schweitzer stood before me with an expression that suggested he was seeing me in a new light.
"Transfer the rest to the internment camp."
"Understood. Everyone, move!"
As he did so, the way he gave a crisp salute felt somehow quite different from before.
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