https://m.munpia.com/novel/detail/503857
Chapter 1: https://rentry.co/3ioosho3
Chapter 2: https://rentry.co/wqfxnhhw
Chapter 3: https://rentry.co/4g94srva
Chapter 4: https://rentry.co/m9i9h4ub

Chapter 5
Did I have a Dream?

As a man in his 20s from a prominent imperial family, it was natural that I would have a fiancée. There were even quite active marriage discussions between our families. However, she was a woman who didn't suit me in many ways. In fact, she didn't have the personality to get along with any man.

"How was it? Your first kill."

Her name was Ejel. Her features were distinct, resembling a cat, and her hair had the ash-gray color characteristic of her family. She was the eldest daughter of the House of Runselot, a family that rivaled the Ebenholz.

"I don't know. I'm not sure."

There was a time I liked her. She, too, 'could have liked' me.
I can believe it since Ejel herself said so.
But we were on different paths.

"But Max, do you really want to marry me?"

Ejel asked as if she were fed up. I gave a small laugh.
It was the same back then. In the past, I was always anxious, hanging on her every word, but not anymore.

"You don't want to?"

"Of course not. You're not even like a man. Your personality is too soft, and what's with that hair? It's too long. You should cut it shorter."

Ejel was an imperial citizen, but the weights in her heart were already leaning toward the revolution.
It meant she was a good person.
I asked her back.

"How was my kill?"

"...Well. I don't know."

At the time, I thought Ejel was a woman I couldn't figure out. I thought it was a common game of push-and-pull.
My experience was that shallow.

"I wonder if you really needed to kill him... but then again, he was a demi-human, so I guess it was justified?"

Now, the trembling of her lips and the quaver in her voice revealed her true feelings.

"Ejel. The truth is."

I leaned in toward her. I relayed the truth as if whispering.

"That bastard turned into a monster first and tried to kill me. The Izenheims are all monsters, you see."

"...Huh?"

Ejel's face went blank.
Probably everyone else in the world would make the same face. It would be hard to agree unless you're some crazed racist.
I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm kidding."

"Wow… Hey, you should see a doctor."

"I said I'm kidding. I just killed him because I was angry that he deceived me."

"That also warrants a doctor's visit. It's an anger management issue."

"..."

The words 'anger management issue' pricked my heart. For a moment, my pulse raced violently.
I picked up my knife.

"It's not anger management."

Anger surged from the bottom of my chest. The days of the distant future flashed by like a panorama.
The Empire had already fallen, my father had been decapitated and his head hung in the capital's central square for months, you became a core figure of the revolutionary army and formed a council, and all the while I continued my mad escape, only to be caught and imprisoned for decades which felt like only a few years, I watched Edmund grow old in real time, and in the end, I witnessed the world perish...

"...It just is."

Even if I told you all of this, you wouldn't believe me.
Honestly, if it weren't for the virus inside my body, I wouldn't have believed it either.
So no one knows my heart. I shouldn't even hope for anyone to understand.

"Just eat your food."

I pointed at her plate with my knife. Ejel gave a sly smile.

"Ah~ so obvious. Just because I said I like the macho style, you're acting like this right away?"

"Before I punch you in the jaw."

Ejel smiled faintly and focused on her food.
The truth is, if we were to fight, I would lose a hundred times out of a hundred. And yet, she never once acted superior or let it show. It must have been because she knew about my inferiority complex.
Ejel was always a good friend who would let me win.
It was Ejel who let me escape when the Empire fell. It was probably Ejel who kept me alive in the dungeon.
If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even had the chance to regress.
So.

"I'll pay for dinner today."

"...Are you really that transparent?"

"You can pay for it then."

"I'll eat well~"

As she cut her steak with a knife, I added nonchalantly.
This was the main point for today.

"Let's not get married. I'll tell our families as well."

Ejel's hand trembled slightly, but she soon looked at me with serious eyes.

"Right. I think that's what's right for us."

That seems right for us.
The hidden meaning in your words from the past, I think I finally understand it now.


Returning home, I clumsily threw off my clothes. I tossed the cumbersome suit aside and stood in the bathroom, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
The essence of it is strength.
Thanks to Ejel, I've become more certain today.
I must become stronger. Body and mind.

Edmund had said, 'If it were the Empire, humanity would have lasted longer.'
It was because the Empire did not seek to be understood. The Empire was, simply, iron-blooded.
Though it was rotting from the inside, the Empire's joints and glue were stronger than any external force on this continent. They became a weapon to crush the outside by crushing the inside. The Empire was a chimerical golem created for that very purpose from the beginning. I was born near the apex of the pyramid that constituted such an empire. Ebenholz stood at such a height.
It was a position from which it was entirely possible to annihilate a single race, as an imperial citizen.
The justification was more than enough.

'To prevent the destruction of the world.'

A conclusion that only I know. A perfect objective that might appear in a hero's tale.
To achieve that, I must become stronger.
But am I ready?
In the final years of the Empire, I was weak-willed; as the Empire fell, I was afraid; and after its fall, I was always running away.

Are you ready?

"I'm asking you, Maximilian."

I asked the me in the mirror.

"Are you ready?"

If you are ready.
It's time to change.


From the next morning, I started running. I ran until I could taste blood, persuading the virus inside my body, convincing it to help me.
It's beneficial for you too. If I die, you die too.
Had I run about twenty laps?

"...Enji?"

Enji was standing at the starting point. He smiled brightly and offered me a towel.

"What is it?"

"The Lord has a gift for you. For the knight acting like a proper imperial citizen for once."

Lord Jephestien. My father, but a man it feels awkward to call father.
He praised me for killing a 15-year-old cadet.

"What's the gift?"

"He says he will tell you in person. He will grant you what you desire."

"...I suppose."

That rigid middle-aged man loves to evaluate. He judges everything I do as he sees fit and crushes me with his impossibly high standards.
This time, the gift I want is clear.

"A swordsmanship instructor."

"Swordsmanship... but is not the House of Ebenholz a master of the sword?"

"It doesn't suit me."

The Ebenholz style was based on the longsword. I didn't use a longsword.
On the contrary, a style using a light sword in one hand felt right for me.
In many ways, Ebenholz was a family that didn't suit me.

"Father isn't by-the-book either, is he? And please follow up on the other three friends."

The three cadets left after Jacob's death. I only remember Hanna's name, but I hope their futures aren't ruined.
The Empire fell because it was too harsh.

"I'd prefer it if there were no disadvantages for them."

"And the reason?"

Enji's tone sharpened. I had already thought of an answer. Enji, too, was a loyal imperial citizen.

"Loopholes appear when you're comfortable. If you bind them too tightly, they won't reveal themselves, even if they are traitors or demi-humans."

My words must have been reasonably rational, as Enji gave a bright smile.

"Yes. I will do so. Please, rest well."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Enji bowed and left. The butler's movements were precise, even down to his gait.

"Whew."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"...I was lucky."

Jacob Mac. It was a great fortune that the opponent was a sloppy one. If he had been even a little bit stronger, I would have been the one defeated.
Don't forget.
The Izenheims are strong.
And right now, I am weak.
Therefore, I must not reveal the fact that I know them, that I can interpret their language.
The enemy of humanity is the Izenheim. I just need to know that.
The worst and the lesser evil.
The worst would be the destruction of the world, and the lesser evil would be the continuation of the Empire.

'The Empire was right. The Empire defined them as a variant of demons and thoroughly quarantined them. We... we saw them as subjects to be liberated and protected.'

Edmund of the distant future regretted not choosing the lesser evil.
I decided to believe in his regret.
I, too, now have a great ambition.

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Pub: 04 Sep 2025 08:13 UTC

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