Chapter 73: What is Needed Most The Imperial Court was in the midst of intense internal deliberations. The palace nobles demanded compensation for the "losses" incurred by the destruction of the Gigantes, but by imperial decree, every single request was flatly rejected.
—Even if a complete restoration is impossible.
In the deepest sanctum of the Imperial Palace, beyond layers of heavy crimson curtains, the silhouette of the Emperor seated upon his throne spoke.
—I will not permit a single inch of retreat from the Millennial Grand Plan that is soon to arrive.
His voice was devoid of emotion and remained low, yet it carried a weight far beyond its volume.
—Ensure that adjustments are made to accommodate it, by any means necessary.
The ministers recoiled, retreating from the sharp edge of the imperial command. Only one man remained standing in his place: the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military, Zebestian.
—Zebestian.
The Emperor called his name. Only then did Zebestian incline his head slightly.
—It seems I shall benefit from your son's efforts.
The Emperor seemed to be recalling the figures Maximilian had presented. The conditions offered to partially fill the void left by the Gigantes were marvelously rational.
They did not drain the imperial treasury in the slightest. They even included a pledge to return a portion of the profits to society through imperial relief efforts to soothe public sentiment.
Zebestian replied calmly.
"He is an unreliable son, but he is an Ebenholtz nonetheless. That is likely why."
At those words, the Emperor's silhouette wavered slightly. A faint smile leaked out from behind the curtains.
It was a rare, precious fragment of laughter.
—Even amidst the schemes of traitors seeking to defile the Empire's long history, I find myself able to smile at last, thanks to a loyal subject like you. You may withdraw.
Zebestian exited the palace with dignified grace.
A cold wind brushed against his uniform. Engie approached him before he realized it.
"Was the mana stone deposit in the mine the boy purchased truly that vast?"
At Zebestian's question, Engie tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
"I wonder. I am not familiar with the details myself."
He was playing coy despite knowing everything.
Zebestian glared at him for a moment, looking displeased. Engie met his gaze with a gentle smile.
"Should we not protect the young master's secrets?"
"..."
To Zebestian, Engie was more than a confidant; to Maximilian, he was more than a butler.
Zebestian walked toward his office without another word.
To Engie's eyes, that retreating back looked somehow lighter than usual.
* * *
Kanilan Independent State. Acarius Mercenary Group Headquarters.
"Whoa."
News of the Gigantes reached this island nation as well. It occupied a significant portion of the morning papers, but people's attention was focused elsewhere entirely.
[ + 8.19% ]
Money was literally printing itself. An era where money birthed money, and that money birthed even more.
The madness of taking out maximum bank loans to pour into stocks, with the profits flowing back into luxury champagne, designer goods, and the theater and film industries, stained the entire city a bullish red.
"Ah… I should have started a bit sooner."
Ren licked her lips.
It was a shame.
If she had jumped in two years—no, just one year earlier—her assets would have doubled by now.
Just then, the Vice-Captain entered the office.
"Oh, you're here."
The Vice-Captain had a beaming face.
"Captain. Thanks to the Gigantes being trashed, the Empire and neighboring countries are on edge. The demand for mercenaries has exploded, and the commission fees are insane right now."
He handed over the request forms. The amounts were significantly higher than they had been just a month ago.
Ren nodded, feeling a sense of pure ecstasy.
"Ha… I made the right choice immigrating here."
They say good things come in waves.
She stood up from her chair and looked out the window. The brilliant scenery of downtown Kanilan filled her vision.
Indeed, the wealth and glory of this independent state would last forever.
If capital continued to accumulate and military power kept increasing like this, she would be able to take one step closer to the dream she so desperately craved.
She had a dream more urgent than money.
To one day forge herself into a sharper blade, never neglecting her self-discipline and training—
And to drive a knife into Zebestian's heart.
...
[ +54.3 % ]
Chiron checked his account's return rate on his terminal. The returns in Kanilan were much higher than even last week.
The temptation to put in more flashed through his mind, but he shook his head.
[Place Order: Sell All]
He had earned enough to buy buildings and land in prime locations of the capital. Now was the time to take profits and secure physical assets.
After placing the sell order, he looked around at the knights gathered in the garden.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir."
Chiron's faction within the Sentinels. What had started with barely three members had now grown to over twenty.
"I've called you here today for a specific reason."
To knights, time is money. If you call them out for useless lectures, they are bound to curse you under their breath.
Chiron was a knight with at least that much discernment.
"Starting today, for one month, the knight who shows the greatest achievement will receive this as a prize. It is a Premium Mana Stone Reservation Ticket."
He held up a luxuriously packaged ticket.
Premium mana stones. The knights' eyes wavered slightly.
"That's right. It's this."
Chiron pulled his cube from his breast pocket.
Vrrrrm.
As mana seeped into the cube, the air vibrated, and a translucent sphere formed around his body.
It possessed a level of versatility and stability that was on a different dimension from conventional Aura.
A knight's new shield, capable of responding not only to bullets but also to tank shell fragments and even destruction magic—the 「Aura Sphere」.
"This is a reservation ticket for one of these. Through normal channels, you likely wouldn't even get a turn after a year has passed. Now that even the old fogies in the palace have realized the true value of this item, it's become impossible to obtain."
Those palace bastards were the type to go crazy for anything expensive and rare.
"Um, what kind of achievement specifically are you talking about?"
At the hasty question from the young knight, Reynel, Chiron gave a benevolent smile.
"The Aura Sphere, of course. At the very least, you should be able to manifest this sphere even during a Knight Descent."
Based on Chiron's brief market assessment, this premium ticket was something that couldn't be bought even with money.
"I want you, my people, to become stronger. Only then will it be of greater help to me, to you, and to all of us."
Despite that, his words implied that all he desired was their growth and their bond.
"Understood?"
—Yes, sir!
The young knights replied, their faces burning with zeal.
* * *
Southern Hermes Province.
Following the collapse of the Gigantes, workers from there came flooding in. I selected those with families whenever possible. They were harder to turn into traitors.
To me, the Revolutionary Group is just as dangerous as the Izenheim. To those armed with ideology, I would be nothing more than a pawn of the Empire to be overthrown, so I must not lower my guard.
"Everyone, line up and enter!"
The workers looked terrified.
They might be expecting working conditions similar to the Gigantes, or even worse. Worries that they would be worked even harder to fill the void left by the Gigantes.
In fact, many workers had already fled.
"Line up and enter!"
Just as they expected, I was going to work them.
I would extract a ruthlessly high level of efficiency.
"Groups of thirty! Line up!"
The barrier of the 'quarantine station' rose, and the workers filed in with tense expressions.
I had them stand in a wide formation.
"Jason Miller."
"Ye-yes."
"Kyle Hunt."
"Here."
"Roman Pierce."
"Yes. That's me."
Sniff, sniff.
I heard the sound of someone sniffing behind my back. It was my executive secretary, Yukia.
Thump.
At the same time, my heart reacted.
I took another step forward and identified the Izenheim hiding within the ranks.
"Makian Jace."
"Yes."
Check.
However, I didn't kill them immediately. While the virus inside me could clearly distinguish the Izenheim, I had to thoroughly hide the fact that I could identify them.
I would dispose of them secretly, using appropriate situations, excuses, and justifications that left no room for doubt.
"One son under your care."
"Yes, that's correct."
Surprisingly, even the Izenheim bastards had children. On paper, they were perfect families.
Is reproduction possible between Izenheim?
Or do they summon them from somewhere, or create them through cloning?
It was something I didn't know yet.
"Send them all in. Next."
The quarantine barrier opened again, and the staff brought in a new line.
I cross-referenced each of their faces and names.
"Thomas Ben."
"Yes!"
"Ricky Meon."
"Here."
"Hans Von."
"Yes."
Thump.
The virus reacted to the man named 'Hans Von.'
The moment I checked the ledger, pretending to be indifferent.
Sniff, sniff.
The sound overlapped again. It was Yukia. She was sniffing particularly loudly.
I ignored it and checked the ledger.
A total of thirteen, including Hans Von.
Considering I had accepted 3,000 workers so far, it wasn't a high ratio, but these thirteen cancerous growths could ruin the entire group.
...But.
Sniff, sniff.
I turned to look at Yukia, who had been sniffing for a while now. Her brow was slightly furrowed.
"..."
Thinking back.
Just now, and earlier as well, without a doubt.
Every time an Izenheim entered, Yukia sniffed. My heartbeat and her sniffing had always overlapped.
Was it a coincidence?
"Send them all inside and have them wait."
"Yes. Move along!"
Once all the workers had entered, I paused my pen.
I turned to Yukia with a very serious gaze.
"Yukia. Why do you keep sniffing?"
"..."
She blinked without a word.
"I'm asking you. Why are you sniffing?"
At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
The words the old Edmond had said before my regression came back to me once more.
'With the help of the Yaken race, we held our own for a while in the beginning. They had the power to oppose the dimension eaters...'
What kind of power was it that allowed them to oppose dimension eaters?
The most important ability in war is identifying the enemy's location and presence—in other words, friend-or-foe identification.
If so, could it be a talent for distinguishing those monsters who wore human skin and were indistinguishable from humans?
"Did you smell something from the people?"
Yukia remained silent.
I suddenly felt incredibly frustrated with this dog-like woman who was supposedly poor at the Imperial language.
"I'm asking you, answer me—!"
A loud voice escaped me involuntarily. I pressed my hand onto Yukia's shoulder as if pushing her, urging her on.
"Just now. What did you smell?"
Flinching under my pressure, she finally opened her mouth slightly.
"...Rotten fishy water."
"From the man named Hans Von?"
"..."
She nodded silently.
In that moment, an indescribable thrill ran through me. It was a bizarre pleasure, as if my hair were standing on end. It was a pure sense of kinship, a joy rising from the bottom of my chest.
"Ha."
I didn't know yet if this ability was common to all Yaken or if it was Yukia's unique talent.
But at the very least, there was someone else in this world besides me who could sense them.
Even if they couldn't 'explain' them like I could, there was someone who could instinctively distinguish the enemies of humanity.
That was the truth.
"...I see."
I curled the corners of my mouth and brushed Yukia's shoulder. After tidying her clothes, I spoke to the staff.
"Bring in the workers again."
It was a shame such a person was a member of the Revolutionary Group.
One way or another, I had to make her one of my people.
* * *
"Nice to meet you all. I am Chief Supervisor Eisen. Welcome to 'Aternum,' the factory that will become the new heart of Hermes."
Three thousand workers, their faces tense and gaunt, gathered in the factory lobby.
"Sir Maximilian will personally explain the future work regulations and treatment."
With the introduction, Maximilian stepped onto the second-floor balcony.
The 3,000 workers who had drifted here from the Gigantes—and the Revolutionaries and Izenheim mixed among them—all raised their heads to stare at him.
"The core of the work is as follows."
Maximilian's voice echoed throughout the factory.
"The standard is a five-day work week. Daily working hours are eleven hours, which includes a one-hour lunch break and separate rest periods."
Five days a week. Eleven hours a day.
The workers' eyes wavered. Some even folded their gnarled fingers, trying to count the numbers they had just heard.
"Additionally, you are entitled to a total of twelve days of paid annual leave per year."
At the words that followed, everyone blinked as if they had lost their minds.
To those who had worked like slaves six to seven days a week, from before sunrise until after sunset, these were words bordering on an alien language.
"If you are ill, focus on your recovery using sick leave."
These were company rules based on the theory of 「The Correlation Between Labor, Recovery, and Efficiency」, which Maximilian had read before his regression and which was said to have greatly increased national productivity.
Humans are not machines. They have emotions and physical limits. In fact, the lack of rest causes efficiency to drop, and a worker broken in that way does not return.
The important point was that skilled workers could work healthily for a long time. It reduced the waste of hiring and training new recruits.
Therefore, appropriate rest and rewards actually dramatically increased productivity compared to the same period without them.
"During working hours, you must focus only on your job. On your days off, you must focus only on the health of yourself and your family, and on your mental and physical recovery. No nonsense will be tolerated."
Immediately after, Maximilian's expression suddenly turned cold and rigid.
"However, as you know, the Gigantes was destroyed by an unidentified rebel organization."
His golden eyes swept chillingly over the crowd.
"Therefore, if anyone is caught cooperating with rebel organizations or if any subversive atmosphere is detected here at Aternum... they will be subject to the maximum penalty of summary judgment under Imperial Special Law, and a reward will be given to those who report them."
The air inside the factory froze instantly.
"Rest during work is certainly necessary. But I will not tolerate any intent to break the order and discipline of the factory. Even to protect your own rights, you must reject impure elements yourselves."
This was to weed out the Izenheim who might be hiding among the workers.
The Izenheim Maximilian had pre-checked on the ledger would be gradually disposed of through 'summary judgment.'
"That is all. Begin the job training now."
As Maximilian withdrew, the supervisors and instructors in charge of technical training descended to the floor.
"First, we will begin with equipment operation training. These are the latest facilities brought in from Kanilan, so they will be very different from the old methods."
The training began. The instructors demonstrated first, and then it was the workers' turn.
Vrrrrm!
Amidst the taut tension, one worker made a mistake. The machine emitted a warning sound due to poor operation.
Flinch.
The worker hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut. If this had been the Gigantes, it was the timing for a club or a whip to come flying.
"...It's alright."
But there was no beating. Instead, the supervisor pulled the worker's arm toward him.
"This machine is sensitive, so you shouldn't handle it with force. Like this, you have to guide it gently along the flow of mana. Then it just slices right through."
He explained the operation method again. It was a training manual received in advance from Maximilian.
No one becomes better because they are beaten. At the same time, there was no need to be overly kind. It was enough to provide training solely for the job.
"You are all selected skilled workers. You'll have to pass this on to the new workers who come in later, so please master it as quickly as possible."
"Ah... yes."
The worker stared blankly back and forth between the supervisor's face and the cutting-edge equipment. Other workers had similar expressions.
They realized belatedly.
This was not the Gigantes.
It was a space far more...
Humane.
"Announcement. There will be a ten-minute break in thirty minutes."
—Yes!
A faint vitality finally began to settle on the once-bleak faces of the workers.
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