Chapter 268: ......Preparations (3)
Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!
The Imperial Highway was nearly complete. It was a vast river of concrete cutting across the Empire from east to west, with wide lanes running in both directions and not a single intersection, allowing vehicles to travel nonstop from one border to the other.
As civilian transportation along the main arteries became increasingly active, the trucking industry spread like wildfire, and the supply of vehicles surged.
No one paid much attention to who had come to control almost the entirety of the Empire’s transportation and automobile industries, nor to the fact that the width of the roads and the load capacity of their bridges had been designed precisely to accommodate a single tank battalion.
The railways likewise continued to spread. First, they were connected to Zerpha’s royal capital, and construction began in several key cities.
With Zerpha in the west and Genen serving as the bridgehead in the east, two lines of iron stretched toward opposite ends of the continent.
Ports were constructed along the western coast under the name of the「Sea Plan」, and naval vessels were built in dock after dock.
A method for utilizing the 「Room-Temperature Liquid Mana Stone」 mined from 「Jeronika」 was finalized: dilute it with water, then spread it over the land to increase soil fertility.
As a result, production in the eastern and southern breadbaskets increased, and the additional grain traveled across the country by rail and road, lowering bread prices throughout the Empire.
Every specification in the Empire was brought into conformity with the ‘Imperial Standard’.
It was a standard championed by Maximilian, developed by Lorenzo Academy, and finalized at Aternum, the Empire’s largest military-industrial zone.
With it, the entire Empire changed.
There had originally been hundreds of different locomotive models running on the railways, but they were reduced to just five, and the same was done with trucks and other vehicles. The goal was for any given part to fit no matter which warehouse on the continent it came from.
The standardization extended even to architecture, housing, screws, bolts, communications, equipment, ammunition, mana stones, blood types, industrial standards, food ration specifications, and more.
Maximilian was obsessed with standardization and uniform specifications to the point of madness, and many companies protested because of the cost…….
But that was as far as their resistance went.
To survive, they followed the directives from above.
Factories that failed to meet the standards lost their contracts, and factories that lost their contracts were sold for next to nothing to competitors that had complied with them.
The Imperial Regular Army had already undergone sweeping changes. Thanks to the conscription system revived several years earlier, it had grown into a force large enough to stand alongside the Imperial Guard, while voluntary enlistment continued to increase by the day.
The Empire quietly but steadily supported Finnomia and several other small eastern nations─those that did not cooperate with Robrus─helping to turn their armies into elite forces, while the Empire also trained its own troops in Finnomia to withstand winter and extreme cold.
Several years had passed since the directives issued from above first began spreading throughout the Empire.
And now, they were taking root.
“……Is this your will?”
“Yes. It is.”
Maximilian and Imperial Princess Justine were alone in their private hideout.
Justine had been handed a certain「Written Oath」by Maximilian.
“…….”
The Imperial Princess silently read through the document.
Each sentence had been carefully penned, letter by letter.
It was too formal and respectful to be called a mere contract, and the handwriting was beautiful. Loyalty seeped from every clause, while the contents left him no loophole through which to escape.
It was almost as though he had slipped a noose around his own neck and handed her the other end…….
“Why?”
The Imperial Princess asked.
Maximilian gave a faint smile.
“It is necessary to put into writing whom all that I have done was done for.”
It was to reassure those who owned this Empire, if it could be said to have owners.
“And I also need to internalize that promise and oath within myself……”
Justine looked back and forth between the「Written Oath」and Maximilian.
The paper, then his face.
The paper would not change, and the emotion showing on his face was no lie. Her eyes were at least capable of discerning that much.
Even so, the part of her that doubted everything, the heart that trusted no one, remained shrouded in darkness.
Maximilian, what part of yourself are you trying to reveal?
“That is the mindset I intend to hold.”
The Imperial Princess’s fingers tightened around the「Written Oath」.
She wanted to believe him, yet a premonition warned that she should not. Her instincts had been honed over the countless years she had lived.
“My signature is already there.”
A crescent-like smile rested on Maximilian’s lips. That face of his was more flawless than any clause written in the「Written Oath」, and therefore revealed nothing at all.
“……I can see that too. I do have eyes.”
The Imperial Princess was rather bewildered. It was the first time she had ever found herself considering whether someone might truly be ‘trustworthy’.
“Your Highness.”
Maximilian, on the other hand, was confident.
Because he had a reason they could trust him, one that would make them trust him without fail.
“My name is Maximilian Ebenholtz.”
……The fact that he was Sebestian’s son.
***
“……Do you not think Maximilian has become too powerful?”
One day, Reutern II heard something absurd from one of his close aides.
“What’re you talking about? Max?”
Reutern II’s brows furrowed of their own accord.
“Yes.”
Recently, voices calling for Maximilian to be kept in check had become increasingly common within the Imperial Palace.
That was because Maximilian had extended his reach into one field after another, treating nothing as off-limits, while leaving no room for corruption or influence peddling to creep in.
No, he tolerated a reasonable amount of graft and favors. So long as they did not cross a certain line.
But there were still plenty of scum in the Imperial Palace who resented him for cutting down the bastards who crossed that line into outright ‘crime’.
“There have been complaints that, despite being a Knight, he shows far too little respect for the nobles of the Imperial Palace-”
“Hey. You think Max is just some ordinary Knight? And another thing. You know what?”
“What do you mean……?”
“What I mean is…… ah. Forget it.”
Truthfully, Reutern himself did not know either. Nor did he particularly want to. Lately, he had been busy making the rounds giving lectures on various academic and military subjects with his professor friend.
He was busy promoting the greatness of the Empire and spreading his own knowledge far and wide. That crushing workload alone left nowhere near enough hours in the day~
“Don’t come bothering me with stupid crap like this. I’ve already…….”
Reutern I had recently been admitted to the Imperial Hospital. Just thinking about his critically ill dad already had Reutern’s heart aching like hell.
“I’ll handle Max myself, so don’t worry about him.”
“……Yes. My apologies.”
“Go.”
Reutern put on a strong front as he dismissed them, and word of what he had said……
Eventually reached Chief of Staff Grossman.
“……Why? Why is he doing nothing?”
Grossman could not help but feel wary. The amount of corporate power Maximilian now held in his grasp was staggering. He had swallowed up even the share that should have gone to the Imperial Guard, and now even the Regular Army and the Knight Order were all but loyal to him.
The assessment that he was ‘the most dangerous man in the Empire’ surely could not apply only to those outside the Empire.
──That was when it happened.
“Lord Grossman.”
It was the Imperial Princess’s secretary. The newly appointed ‘Liesel’ approached Grossman and quietly told him something.
Grossman’s eyes widened.
“……Is that true?”
“Yes. I am told His Majesty the Emperor has also read the Written Oath. For the moment, however, it remains top secret.”
Grossman’s mouth fell open before he even realized it. His expression went blank.
“……Hah.”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
If that was true, then there was a reason Reutern had made no preparations at all. From the beginning, anyone who tried to prepare against Maximilian or keep him in check would be the one placing themselves in danger.
“Sebestian’s son…….”
Was it some kind of hereditary condition?
Father and son alike. Could loyal subjects like this truly exist in the world?
“Did that bastard Reutern know in advance?”
From now on, every blade aimed at Maximilian would also be a blade aimed at the Imperial Princess. Anyone attempting to restrain him would be placing themselves in the position of a traitor.
He had pretended not to know anything while happily picking up whatever benefits fell from Maximilian’s table. What a sly, fox-like bastard he was…… and yet.
Did Maximilian’s true intentions really match what was written in that「Written Oath」?
Chief of Staff Grossman harbored within himself a suspicion even he could not quite define.
…….
An art gallery somewhere in Prozen.
“What do you think?”
Halbert Goering was there discussing a business venture built around the Concentration Camps.
“Sounds good. Though this doesn’t exactly seem like the sort of thing we should be discussing in a place like this.”
That was Nils of the Direct Agency, whom Halbert had recruited as a business partner.
“This is exactly the kind of place where you talk about it. Nobody can hear us. This is Prozen.”
Concentration Camps had been springing up throughout the Empire lately. The idea was to use the labor inside them to run factories at absurdly low cost, then sell the goods at high prices for profit.
A factory with labor costs eliminated entirely. A miraculous proposition that would make any businessman salivate.
“But are we actually getting approval? Have you talked to the big boss?”
He was referring to his uncle, ‘Augus Goering’, who held a key post in the Imperial Guard.
“Approval should come through. But lately he’s been making a goddamn fuss about needing money. All he gives a shit about is his own fucking son. Seriously. All that bullshit about making him a Knight! Doesn’t even look like the kid’s got what it takes to become one.”
“Well, people do naturally look after their own kids first.”
“…….”
Halbert glared at Nils. Nils awkwardly turned his gaze toward the paintings.
“The problem now is which bastards from the camps we’re going to take. I hear they’re in the middle of sorting everyone by race.”
“Hmm…… how about the Merin?”
“……The Merin?”
“Yes. You know. That guy from the Titan.”
At Nils’s words, Halbert stroked his chin.
“Well. Not bad. I’d been thinking of the Dromon, but the Merin would do just as well…….”
His voice trailed off as he pulled out his pocket watch. It had survived even the Titan, and was Halbert’s most treasured possession.
“Nils. What time is it?”
“3:59. By Prozen time.”
Nils said it was 3:59, but the pocket watch showed 4:33.
“Ah, fuck…… this cheap-ass watch never keeps the right time.”
Ever since it had gotten waterlogged, it had taken to running slow whenever it pleased.
“It’s fake anyway. Why don’t you replace it?”
“…….”
Halbert put the watch away without answering.
“Anyway…….”
He had been about to continue when he stopped before a painting.
His lips went still for a moment.
“Wow…….”
“Whoa…… this is that……”
「Where the Light Points」, by Pablo, one of the continent’s great master painters.
Honestly, for all its fame, 「Zernica」 had seemed like something of a bizarre work, but this portrait was extraordinarily beautiful. There was something subtle in the composition of the figure, something that seemed to evoke a sense of sanctity.
“…….”
“…….”
The two men who had just been discussing buying and selling people fell silent at the same time.
The two men simply stared at the work of art depicting a certain person.
***
……I was thinking.
No, I was doing more than thinking. I was ‘planning’.
My thoughts were on the military operations that would soon unfold, and the various policies surrounding them.
“First, we will require full registration of all property belonging to the Ezenheim and Merin. Assets above a certain value must be declared, and registered companies and real estate will be assigned a ‘Trust Administrator’ before being gradually sold off to Imperial citizens…….”
The new commander of the Imperial Guard and several other high-ranking officials were fixated on the wealth belonging to those groups.
“Kensi, Elina, Edlem, Dromon. They too will be assigned places of residence and required to register, and their acquisition of real estate outside designated areas will be restricted.”
Racial discrimination had reached its extreme, designed to strip the capable of their power and the wealthy of their property.
I wanted to direct all that hatred solely toward the Ezenheim—but the Imperial Princess was sitting in on the meeting.
She had permitted an exception for the Yaken, but toward every other Subspecies, she remained as merciless as a demon.
“I shall convey His Majesty’s will.”
Imperial Princess Justine had silently listened to everything they said.
At last, she spoke.
“With regard to Volska, continue making demands they cannot accept.”
Volska was a nation to the east.
Before the Empire could strike west, it was the greatest threat in the east.
“Within one or two years at the latest, the Empire shall reclaim its glory.”
“……I beg Your Highness’s pardon, but if we move too hastily against Volska, there is a risk of conflict with Prozen and Highland.”
It was ‘Behrens’, the Army Chief of Staff. Before the Imperial Princess had to say anything, I shot him a warning glare.
He fell silent under my gaze.
“Your Highness, may I speak.”
I raised my hand. The Imperial Princess’s gaze settled on me.
“With regard to Volska, I propose that we first demand the cession of ‘Genson’.”
It was a region of Volska bordering the Empire’s northeast. It was also a port city on the coast.
“Nearly ninety percent of the population there are Arans who emigrated from the Empire.”
It had begun long ago, when criminals who fled the Empire and remnants of traitors crossed the border and settled there.
Thus, the Imperial Language was their mother tongue, and every one of them was fully Aran.
“However, there are reports that the Volska government is persecuting the Arans living there.”
Of course, it was a lie. A lie that, starting next week, Johann’s propaganda would turn into truth.
“Therefore, I believe it would be best to first demand the return of Genson, and discuss the next stage afterward.”
“What if Robrus objects…….”
The Chief of Staff kept throwing up objections.
He was a man who did not care for war.
It was because of men like him that people said the Regular Army was hopeless at politics.
“That is precisely what the nonaggression pact is for. If Volska is occupied, we will offer Robrus half its territory.”
This matched my memories from before the Regression.
The Imperial Princess, however, knit her brows slightly, and Grossman, having read the room, asked in response.
“Half its territory? Is that not excessive? As I understand it, Robrus’s military command structure itself has been shaken by the purges.”
“That is precisely why. If we carve off half of Volska and hand it to them, their border will become longer…….”
Managing that expanded border would throw their command structure into even greater confusion. Connecting railways to the newly occupied territory and relocating their fortress lines would consume the time they should have been using to rebuild their military.
It had in fact been the Empire’s strategy before the Regression as well.
“……A sound proposal. Proceed accordingly.”
The Imperial Princess gave a small nod, apparently persuaded.
Was it the effect of the Written Oath? Or had she herself judged it to be ‘practical’?
I could not tell yet, but every one of them listened closely to what I said.
And the Empire slowly took a single step forward.
***
After the top-secret meeting ended.
Imperial Princess Justine trudged back to her private chamber. Dealing with subordinates who either disagreed with her or were simply idiots was quite exhausting, but there had been results.
On that point, at least, she was satisfied.
And indeed── the proposal Maximilian had put forward today had matched her own intentions perfectly.
Astonishingly, exactly the same.
“…….”
She sat down on the sofa and looked at Maximilian’s 「Written Oath」.
The paper over which her father had personally rejoiced, saying, ‘So you too have found a loyal subject of your own.’
The contents of the Written Oath were…… complicated.
Put as briefly as possible, they came down to this.
──Everything Maximilian himself had built would be nationalized ten years later.
Of course, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper.
Nothing more than mere ink written across a scrap of paper.
But what mattered was ‘whose’ hands that paper was in.
On that pristine white page were Maximilian Ebenholtz’s signature and his family’s seal.
Therefore, the document itself became justification. If he refused to honor it, he could only be branded a traitor…….
The ten-year time limit was likely meant to coincide with the imperial succession.
Her father intended to hand real power over to her someday, and judging from the timing, it would be around then.
“Ten years…….”
Justine quietly sank into thought. Moonlight from the night sky slanted down across her shoulder.
Suddenly, its caress felt like a revelation.
“……You can become my loyal subject.”
She suppressed the suspicion that still smoldered like residual heat at the bottom of her heart and repeated the words to herself. She pictured the man called Maximilian.
“…….”
A deep smile spread across Justine’s face.
Now, I will become the master of the Empire.
I will reign as the new Emperor over a perfectly clean continent, purged of all its vermin…….
~~~
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