The Half-Forced Imperialist

To Kill, or to Let Live
2025.09.16 Views 3,058 Likes 227

The Ebenholz armory was like a small museum. On the walls, the ornate armor and swords used by the successive heads of the family were displayed in chronological order, along with numerous other magical artifacts worthy of being called treasures. Among these countless armaments, not a single one was mine. I still lacked the skill and the right.

"Hmm..."

I wandered around slowly, looking about. Enje wasn't with me. Only those of the direct Ebenholz bloodline were permitted entry here.

"...Hey. Do you happen to know anything?"

I spoke to the Virus.

Squirm.

It actually responded. A faint, yet distinct pulse.

"You understand me well."

Should I give it a name?

Following an unseen pull, I walked deeper into the armory.

Thump!

My heart suddenly lurched. The Virus's reaction was intensely strong.

"Where. What is it?"

In the corner of a dusty weapon rack, a shabby longsword lay strewn on the floor. It looked like some kind of antique.

"This?"

The blade was tightly wrapped in frayed bandages, but from its length of 1.6 meters, it was clearly an Ebenholz longsword. However, the blade was slightly thinner than a typical longsword, closer in form to a single-edged (刀).

I picked up the sword. The sensation in my hand felt strangely familiar.

"I don't know what it is, but..."

I fastened the longsword to my waist. It clung to the small of my back like a magnet. Normally, just carrying a sword like this would be a hassle, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about that.

"......"

As I was about to leave, I noticed a collection of elixirs piled up behind a glass case in a corner. These were priceless elixirs, left to mature. The very things I used to drink like water as a child.

This kind of elixir is especially effective during one's growth period. Regardless of the user's talent, the high-purity mana is permanently stored within a youth's immature body. For an adult, however, the effect is negligible. A fully developed body has lower compatibility with mana, so the purer the mana, the less the body can retain, causing it to leak out.

The Ebenholz mana breathing technique was designed to digest the 'purity' already accumulated in the body. These elixirs were an investment for my future son or daughter, for the descendants to come.

A son. A daughter.

Can I even have a future like that? I can't even imagine it anymore.

Thump!

Suddenly, the Virus squirmed. A thought sparked in my mind at its reaction.

"...No way."

Typically, the elixir shows explosive effects only on those under the age of eleven. But what if its effects weren't limited to 'humans'? What if it could also work on the Virus inside me?

"Are you still in your growth phase?"

The Virus didn't answer, but I opened the glass case. I grabbed the spout of an elixir and twisted off the cap.

Thump.

Feeling the Virus's pulse, I poured the contents into my mouth.

Thump.

After swallowing it all, I looked down at my collarbone. The Virus had consumed the elixir. The exact spot where the creature resided began to glow with a faint blue light.

I let out a dry laugh.

"...Alright. Let's try to live together."

And mark my words.

If I die, you die with me.


The new house I moved into was perfectly arranged. The exterior, which Rodriguez had smashed up, had been completely repaired, and the interior was decorated with a minimalism that suited my taste. The furniture was kept to a minimum, and the walls and floor were all a single-colored marble texture. A state-of-the-art security system was installed outside. The outdoor training ground in the backyard, in particular, was on the level of a fortress, riddled with all sorts of magic circles.

I stood in the center of the training ground and prepared to practice ten thousand swings.

"So, do I just start commuting here from now on?"

Priya appeared out of nowhere. I flinched in surprise. How did she get in?

"Didn't you say you weren't coming to work until you finished your ten thousand swings?"

"Still, as an instructor, it's my job to stop a student from doing something foolish."

Is she here to shake me down again?

I gripped the bandaged longsword in one hand.

"Oh. New weapon. I'm jealous. Let's see it."

"Yes."

Swoosh!

I swung my arm. It was a simple horizontal slash.

I extended the sword, once.

Then drew a diagonal line, twice.

Three times, four times, five times...

I swung the sword dozens of times.

Sweat poured down like rain. My chest felt like it would burst, but I didn't stop. I repeated the slashes amidst the pain of my creaking joints. I counted up to 573.

"Stop now."

Wordlessly, I let the sword hang. I didn't let it go. I know myself too well. The moment I let go, I'm the type of guy who'll never want to pick it up again. That's how lazy I am.

"Now, link your slashes together."

"...Link them?"

What is she talking about now?

I pushed my sweat-drenched hair back, frowning.

"Yes. Like flowing water. The end of the first slash becomes the beginning of the second, and the second becomes the beginning of the third. Like a single, long breath."

Priya picked up a tree branch and demonstrated.

Swoosh- Swish- Swoosh!

It was a single, fluid brushstroke of three movements, as if painting a picture.

"This is called the Ebenholz Link (聯)."

Link (聯). I mulled over her words and corrected my stance.

Swoooosh!

I initiated a horizontal slash. The moment the sword's center of gravity reached its peak, instead of letting up, I used its centrifugal force to transition into a second slash.

Sshhhhaaaack!

The blades crossed, slicing through the air. At the end of the motion, I swung the sword upward. Three slashes were drawn in the space, and then my wrist twisted naturally, leading into a fourth.

"......?"

The sword strikes continued. The amount of strength and stamina I used wasn't even 30% of what it was before. I blinked my eyes in a daze.

"That's it."

My master smiled faintly as she watched me.

"It's not about strength. Nor is it speed. What's important is the 'flow.' The flow of strength, mana, and body. Connecting them all as one."

I nodded. Each slash wasn't an independent motion. They were part of a great wave, a ceaseless river. The Ebenholz way was the sword of flowing continuity.

"Do it again."

"Yes."

The moment I understood, the sword became astonishingly light. I no longer needed to swing it with brute force. The turn of my waist, the movement of my feet, even my breathing—every part of it was a preparatory movement for the Link. The sword moved like one of my own limbs, an extension of my will.

Priya smiled with satisfaction.

"Do you know the true advantage of the Ebenholz swordsmanship? It's that you don't need to make large movements. The sword is very long, you see."

She was right. A 1.6-meter-long sword commands an overwhelming area of control by itself.

"The moment some clumsy fool tries to close in on you, their head will already be gone. All you have to do is swing your sword elegantly from where you stand. The act of approaching you becomes impossible."

Priya took a step toward me and asked.

"In that sense... Maximilian, what is a noble?"

I caught my breath and chuckled.

"We do not permit the lowly to approach."

"Correct. Ebenholz was the first noble family to build a fence around themselves. They have many secret techniques passed down only through the bloodline. As arrogant as they are lofty and secretive."

She picked up the branch again. Whirrr. She twirled it lightly up and down as she continued.

"The line of the Iron Man (鐵人) has continued in Ebenholz for quite some time. I thought your father, Zephestian, was its culmination."

Priya looked at me with a peculiar gaze.

"...Anyway. Do you now understand why I call the Ebenholz style the sword of the nobility?"

"Yes, I understand, but it seems I still have much to learn."

She nodded.

"Good. Become the 'real deal,' Maximilian."

Just then, I unleashed a series of linked attacks at Priya. She moved between my sword strikes and instantly closed the distance.

"Ugh!"

The edge of her hand struck my solar plexus. The air was knocked out of me.

"Get up."

Though the difference in our strength was worlds apart, I pushed myself up with a smile. In the old days, this kind of training was boring as hell. The reason was simple. It was because I was 'bad at it'.

"Again."

The better you are, the more fun it is, and the worse you are, the less fun it is.

"Yes, please."

Right now, it was plenty of fun.


...Last night, I fell asleep amidst the muscle pain that felt like my whole body was being torn apart.

When I opened my eyes this morning, I felt as refreshed as if I'd been washed clean.

This, too, must be thanks to the mana core.

As soon as I woke up, I grabbed my car keys and left the house. On the way to the Knight Orders, driving myself, a thought occurred to me.

"Do I need to hire a driver?"

Just then, a call came from Dieter on my personal terminal. It had only been a few days since I bought him a computer and a terminal, but it seemed he had already mastered how to use them.

— Sir. This is Dieter Schmidt.

"Go on."

— I'm reporting on the matter of the land purchase in the southern district of Bermuth.

"Speak."

— We have divided the area into five zones and have begun purchasing land under different shell corporations. To avoid suspicion from the market, we have intentionally staggered the purchase times and prices. Contracts for Zone 1 and Zone 3 have been completed, and the remaining zones will be processed sequentially, with our company, "Veritas," ultimately securing all ownership rights. The total estimated acquisition cost is approximately 2.2 million dollars.

I listened quietly as I drove. A few of Dieter's sentences were skipped in my head. I didn't quite understand them.

Thump!

Suddenly, the Virus pulsed, rewinding Dieter's voice.

'—...begun purchasing land under different shell corporations. To avoid suspicion from the market, we have intentionally staggered the purchase times and prices, and the contracts for Zone 1 and Zone 3...'

I didn't need it to replay all that.

In any case, the Virus was clearly reviving my memories. I was now able to remember anything I had seen or heard once.

"Proceed."

— Yes. Understood.

It was then. A loud alarm suddenly blared from my terminal. It was an emergency alert from the Sentinel Knight Orders.

[Eastern Gennen Autonomous Region - Large-scale Protest Erupts]
[Local law enforcement is unable to control the situation. All knights without other duties are to move to the location immediately and report on the situation.]

The first official dispatch order had been given. I searched my memory. The Gennen Autonomous Region was the empire's powder keg. Around this time of year, protests and riots like this were always breaking out.

"This is Knight Maximilian. I am dispatching to Gennen."

I replied through the terminal and turned the wheel.

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Pub: 18 Sep 2025 23:31 UTC

Views: 8