<Brain Eater>
I sat in the study of my mansion, quietly composing a hit list.
- Johann: Vice President of Golden Gate Trading.
- Forn Sommer: Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Guard.
- Geruo Patten: President of the West Jeffston Bank.
- Mario Halmer—
These were the Izenheims I had identified at the charity event.
I would rather they were revolutionaries. Then they would have left a trail of some kind, and purging them would be simple.
Knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Enter."
It was Shatz. She approached with a graceful bearing and a much healthier complexion than before.
It seemed her occupational training at the main estate had been quite intense.
"The target list."
I handed her the hit list.
"These five. Keep them under constant surveillance."
"Yes, sir."
"How is the occupational training at the estate?"
"It has been of great help to us."
Their head instructor is Enji. There is no one else in this world I trust as much as him.
"Then go and have some fun today."
"I am fine, sir."
"This isn't for you. It's for your team."
I wrote out a check and handed it to her.
"You're the master of a team now. You must also learn how to take care of your subordinates."
"…Yes. Thank you, sir."
A faint smile touched Shatz's lips.
"How is Gennen's branch office coming along?"
"It is nearly complete. We plan to begin official operations next week."
A 'branch office' would now be operational in Gennen.
It was a space established by separating a knight's authority—to put it simply, an outpost.
"Shatz. In a few years, your nemesis will come to that place."
Shatz stared at me intently. A strange light flickered in her transparent eyes. Her thirst for revenge was frozen quite cold.
"Yes. I will wait for that day."
"Good. You may go."
Shatz departed. I turned my attention back to the table.
The next task was to go through the numerous investment proposals from the independent nation of Kanilan. Their appeals were attempts to look good to a major investor—essentially, efforts to fleece me of my money.
'Kanilan.'
Kanilan was a nation worth making use of. Even before my regression, they had maintained strict neutrality. Their highest value was not ideology or honor, but solely 'money'.
However, it was for that very reason that Kanilan would soon face a massive crisis.
"What was it, again?"
Compared to the Empire, Kanilan's financial industry had developed abnormally. But its endlessly greedy capital gave rise to a very vulgar limitation.
An economic depression brought on by human desire.
I searched through my memories with the help of the virus.
---[Kanilan Economic Review]---
The Tower of Greed Has Fallen - Questioning the Roots of Kanilan's Financial Collapse
Kanilan's growth has ended. The island nation that once dreamed of becoming the continent's primary financial hub now finds itself facing the nightmare of a sudden fall…
(Omitted)
…Kanilan's banks lent enormous sums of money to tech ventures and real estate developers alike. The collateral was nothing more than intangible future tech patents or undeveloped plots of land where the first shovel had just broken ground. These were, in effect, high-risk, non-performing loans bordering on pure speculation.
Instead of holding onto these risky loan bonds, the banks chopped them up and mixed them together. Then, they cleverly repackaged them with safe bonds issued by blue-chip companies, creating a plausible-sounding derivative product called 'Corporate Asset-Backed Securities'.
Investors poured money into them without suspicion. A cycle of endless phantom trading and astronomical bonuses for financial executives began. Under the guise of market autonomy, Kanilan stood by and watched this entire frenzy unfold…
Then, in an instant, it all came crashing down. A chain reaction of defaults occurred, and the bombshell of derivative products, now worth less than scrap paper, engulfed the Kanilan economy.
Right now, Kanilan is full of bubbles, and it's bound to pop soon. This was also the biggest reason why Kanilan insisted on neutrality during the war.
They had to make money selling weapons to the Empire.
I planned to sell my Kanilan stocks at their peak and then bet on their fall.
Ping—
A message arrived on my terminal.
[Tomorrow night, 10 PM, the garden outside the Magic Tower.]
[Come get your head back.]
It was Ezel.
The Brain Eater. It was almost time to dispose of the Empire's enemy.
The lounge on the middle floor of the Magic Tower.
Ezel Luncelot sat drinking coffee, waiting for someone.
"Oh, Mage Faxi! Over here!"
Faxi approached from across the room.
The method Ezel had used to keep her close until now was simple.
"I've discovered some new magic."
By conducting research together in the same lab, she had slowly leaked details of the investigation related to the Brain Eater.
If Faxi were the culprit, she would surely take an interest in any talk of suspicion regarding the Brain Eater. And indeed, she had consistently lingered by Ezel's side.
"New magic?"
"Yes. Come this way."
She naturally stood and, while heading to the elevator, handed Faxi a paper with the magic recorded on it.
"「Chimera Brain」?"
"Yes. Remember what I told you before? There must be a reason why the Brain Eater has to consume brains on a specific cycle. This magic fits that description perfectly."
Ding.
The elevator arrived on the first floor. Ezel repeated the words she had once spoken to Max as they walked side by side.
"…so to maintain the body, it has to consume brain energy. By my calculations, the Brain Eater's next murder should occur within the next month at the latest."
Outside the Magic Tower, Ezel showed Faxi her back.
Even for her, a situation like this was tense. It was possible her own brain could be eaten.
"I see. That's persuasive."
But Faxi didn't attack her. Instead, she stepped forward and offered a gentle smile.
"Have you told the police?"
"No. It's just a guess for now."
At a glance, she didn't seem like the culprit at all, but Ezel was already half-convinced.
In truth, one character in the title on the document Ezel had handed Faxi was written ambiguously.
「Camera Brain」
Faint as it was, it could be read as either 'Ki' or 'Ka'.
Camera and Chimera. Which would be more familiar? No matter how much of a mage one was, 'camera' would surely be the more familiar term.
When she'd tested ten other people with the same document, every single one had read it as the Imperial word for 'Camera'.
All except for one person: Faxi.
"I can help with the calculations, just in case the margin of error could be different."
Faxi gladly offered her help, but Ezel smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"…No. There's no need for that."
Another figure emerged from the darkness, illuminated by the glow of a streetlamp.
A Knight of the Sentinel, Maximilian.
Faxi's eyes widened.
"Sir Knight?"
Maximilian appeared without delay, facing Faxi and presenting a document stamped with the Sentinel's official seal. At the same time, he clasped a cuff around her wrist. It was a magic-sealing cuff that disrupted the flow of mana.
"Faxi von Argen."
Maximilian spoke her name.
"Starting today, you are detained for a period of 35 days."
There was no need to state any principles or provide further justification. This was a unique authority within the Empire, one possessed only by its knights.
I, a 5th-rank mage of the Sentio Magic Tower, 'Faxi von Argen', had been detained in the underground prison of the Knight Order. This was an unprecedented event, and the Magic Tower immediately sent a letter of concern.
Her backer, Jun Kandel, was reportedly furious.
But he hadn't made a move yet. Was it because his younger sister was holding him back? Or was it a matter of his own pride?
First, I had a meeting scheduled with Vice-Commander Anton.
Anton, seated across from me, regarded me with a grave expression.
"Knight Maximilian. Detaining a mage from the Sentio Magic Tower is a first. And for no reason at all."
"There is a reason."
"But you have no evidence."
I nodded.
"I understand. However, the Brain Eater has killed eight Imperial citizens to date. Two of them were nobles, and one was a child. I had no choice but to take this measure to prevent further sacrifices."
"Because you have no evidence?"
"Correct. Because I have no evidence, I have chosen to use a knight's authority to obtain it."
"You can get evidence by detaining her? Are you suggesting you'll fabricate it?"
Anton's face, a rare sight, was flushed with anger.
"That is not it."
I handed Anton the magic circle and formula for 「Chimera Brain」.
"Faxi von Argen is not Faxi von Argen. She will mutate into a completely different person within the next 35 days."
"…Mutate?"
"Yes. She is a criminal who has devoured the brain of the original Faxi von Argen using this forbidden magic."
Anton stared at me intently.
"Am I to take it that you do not intend to fabricate evidence?"
"As a noble of the Empire, I have never even considered such a despicable act."
Of course, I had considered it.
A faint sigh escaped Anton.
"The Magic Tower is a powerful institution. Even we cannot treat them carelessly. Nor should we. And your opponent is a 5th-rank mage on the verge of being promoted to the 6th-rank."
"It's fine."
"The reason?"
"Because I am an Ebenholz."
Anton's eyes widened as if in disbelief. He studied my face for a long moment before asking.
"Is this also for the sake of the Empire?"
I met his gaze and smiled.
"…Vice-Commander."
If the Brain Eater is not killed now, it will become an Izenheim that rises to the highest echelons of the Empire.
"My beliefs and principles operate solely for the Empire."
Therefore, she must be killed the moment the opportunity arises.
Crash—!
A piece of porcelain shattered. It was a rare white vase that Jun Kandel had won at auction for a hefty sum. He roared, smashing the furniture around him. The enraged mage's body shimmered with mana.
"Don't be so angry."
At the calm voice, Jun froze. His eyes snapped toward his younger sibling.
"How can I not be angry? That bastard Maximilian!"
"There's no reason to be angry. At least, not for us."
"What? Are you now—"
"Did you perhaps intend to marry that woman?"
Jun Kandel clenched his teeth. His sibling tilted their head.
"Did you really? You harbored feelings for a mere provincial noble mage and intended to marry her?"
"…"
Jun's mouth clamped shut. His sibling asked again in a low voice.
"And are you certain? They seem to be."
"Certain of what?"
"Certain of her innocence. While you were by her side, did you never notice anything suspicious about her?"
Scenes flashed through Jun's mind.
Her sometimes coughing up blood, pressing her temples because of a headache, secretly running off to vomit… that ever-so-frail figure.
"She said it was a chronic illness. Because of that illness, she can't be confined. Faxi is not a matter of marriage; she is an asset to the Magic Tower, no, to our Kandel family—"
"Compose yourself."
His younger sibling stopped Jun as he tried to find any reason to rush to her side.
"If it's an illness that would kill her in just 35 days, she wasn't much of an asset to begin with."
"Are you even making sense right now?"
"This is a perfectly rational judgment."
Jun was still seething, his breathing ragged. If he was restrained any longer, it felt like he would explode.
"What is Father doing? This is practically a declaration of war from Ebenholz!"
"Before that, can you tell Father that you intended to marry a trivial woman named Faxi?"
"You—!"
Jun let out a roar.
His sibling sighed internally.
"If you truly wish to proceed, don't go yourself."
They continued in a low voice.
"Use the media, brother."
"…The media?"
"Yes. From the Magic Tower's perspective, this is an unprecedented event. You can certainly borrow the Tower's power and use the press as a weapon."
The Sentio Magic Tower is an institution with immense pride. They would never stand by and watch their honor be tarnished. Especially if their opponent was the Sentinel Knight Order.
"Yes! That's it! That's it!"
Jun Kandel ran out as if he'd had an epiphany.
Sonnet Kandel watched him go with a bitter smile.
Using the media was an entirely appropriate and effective response from their side. The problem was how the opponent would react afterward.
If the opponent cowered in the face of the media onslaught, fell silent, or simply retreated to wait, he was a low-level player.
But if he wasn't—
"He won't avoid it."
Instead, he would escalate the situation, broadcasting his conviction for the entire world to see.
Maximilian Ebenholz.
Just what kind of man was he?
Sonnet sat quietly on the sofa and closed her eyes, trying to form an image of this man she had never met, lost in thought.
Why had he suddenly detained Faxi? What did he see in her? From where did he derive a conviction strong enough to stake his life as a knight on it?
[Sentinel Knights' Abuse of Power?]
[Knight Order Declares War on Magic Tower!]
[Shocking! Ebenholz Heir Forcibly Detains Mage]
As a flood of sensational articles from the Sentinel Knight, Maximilian, filled the imperial press, the Jemion Daily alone remained silent.
They too had received a generous offer of sponsorship from the Kandel family, but the editor-in-chief, Celine, had not been swayed so easily.
"What in the world is going on?"
"It's been a while since we had a good show~"
"Enjoy it, enjoy it."
Inside the newsroom, the reporters were buzzing, completely swept up in the exciting situation. The Magic Tower and the Knight Order, Ebenholz and Kandel. Two colossal powers seemed poised to clash over a single mage.
"By the way, is it true she's Jun Kandel's lover?"
"The rumors are flying. There's even a ridiculous one going around that Maximilian made a move on her, got rejected, and did this out of spite."
"Haha, that's a funny one."
Editor-in-chief Celine glanced at Alphonse at a corner desk. Even amidst the commotion, he was alone, quietly and diligently writing something.
"What are you up to?"
"Writing an article, ma'am."
"I thought we agreed not to participate in this."
"I was never interested in the first place. Let the nobles fight and bicker amongst themselves for all I care. Let them throw their tantrums."
"…"
Celine glanced at Alphonse's article. It was, yet again, one of those stories—a factory worker injured in an accident, with the company refusing to pay compensation.
"Alright. You keep doing that. Keep at it."
His consistency was, in a way, refreshing.
It was at that moment.
Bang!
The newsroom door flew open violently, and a reporter rushed in, panting.
"Chief Editor! We've received a message from Knight Maximilian's side!"
The content of the message— he would release his full, unvarnished statement regarding the detention of 'Faxi von Argen' through the Jemion Daily.
It was, in other words, a life-or-death declaration (生死決) from the knight Maximilian.