Here is the translation of the web novel chapter.
The Coerced Imperialist
One Step
2025.09.12 Views 4,270 Likes 303
The final years of the Empire. A dark, decadent, sealed room.
Ssssssss…
The smoke of expensive incense and unidentifiable drugs mingled, hanging thick in the air. Wine flowed between a tangle of naked bodies. Cackling faces gasped for air as they threw lewd jokes at one another. In every corner of the crimson velvet-covered space, forbidden pleasures burned hot.
Through that sticky, repulsive air, Rodriguez walked out.
The host of the secret room at the time, he had offered up an amethyst-studded goblet with a servile smile. The cup held a drug of a bizarre color.
‘Great Young Master of Ebenholz. One sip of this, and all the worries of the world will disappear.’
Young Master. That word echoed as clearly as it had last night.
This was my past.
One of countless days I wasted away meaninglessly before I returned.
My pathetic self.
“…”
I opened my eyes and shot up.
I had a foul dream.
Rodriguez was there. No, it wasn't just Rodriguez. Countless bastards from the Imperial Guard who called themselves the Emperor's dogs were in that place with him.
The corruption of the ruling class. One of the many reasons the Empire fell to ruin.
I swept my hair back.
“How refreshing.”
The dream was unpleasant, but my body felt incredibly refreshed. A mere thirty-minute nap had completely restored my vitality.
Was this also thanks to the mana core?
I rose from my seat and grabbed my plain clothes, throwing on whatever came to hand.
It was time to find a new place to live.
Imperial Sector 3, the wealthy Klein-Schmidt street, at a certain mansion.
There were many people there. Two of Rodriguez’s subordinates from the Imperial Guard were sitting with their legs crossed on the living room sofa. The homeowner, a man named Armand, was practically squeezed between them, and behind them stood six or seven of their underlings.
“…Mr. Armand. Why don’t you smile a little?”
One of the underlings said while crossing his legs. A forced, twitching smile crept onto Armand’s lips.
“Let’s just get this over with a few words. You see this, right?”
They tapped the Imperial Guard insignia on their chests.
In the capital these days, belonging to the Emperor’s Imperial Guard was a greater source of power than mere status or birthright. At least, that’s what they believed.
“But—”
“But what, asshole? Do you really want your head to fly?”
“In order to pay the proposed amount…”
“Shut your mouth.”
The ‘nominal tax’ the Imperial Guard had levied on Armand—the amount he had to cough up—was more than he could afford even if he sold all his remaining assets at full price. And yet, Rodriguez was preventing him from even selling this mansion.
“You still don’t get it? Do you think we’re here to close some real estate deal? Just think of it as the price for your life.”
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock echoed. Armand flinched. An Imperial Guard member smirked.
“Do a good job. Open the door.”
“Yes.”
The youngest of the group went to open the door. Beyond it stood a young man. He was in a neat, formal uniform, but his overgrown hair and the baby fat still on his cheeks betrayed his youth.
Tap, tap.
The man walked straight in and sat down in the drawing-room.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
He greeted only the homeowner, not even glancing at the Imperial Guard members beside him. He didn’t bother asking for their names.
“…Yes. A pleasure.”
“As I mentioned before, I am quite taken with this house. Its condition is a bit rundown here and there, but that just means I can renovate it to my own taste.”
One of the Imperial Guardsmen chuckled at the young pup who was chattering on as he pleased. The homeowner’s face darkened.
The homeowner glanced nervously at them and began to speak.
“Actually… I apologize for telling you this now, but I already have a commitment with someone.”
“Yes, I heard. I’ll offer you double what you would have gotten from them.”
An Imperial Guardsman cut in.
“Hey, he said he has a prior commitment.”
The young man stared intently at the guardsman. Then he turned back to Armand and asked.
“Who are these people?”
“Ah, that is…”
“It doesn’t matter. In that case, I will also pay compensation to the person with the prior commitment.”
“No. Can’t this kid understand a damn word?”
Thump. One of them, his face twisting into a scowl, stomped his military boot on the floor.
“You need to learn to take a hint.”
“It’s not a hint. I’ve heard the news. Isn’t this property going to auction if I don’t buy it? That’s why I’m saying I’ll buy it for double the price. We can’t have some unwanted punk settling in such a prime location.”
“Unwanted punk? Is this bastard trying to be funny?”
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn ugly, the rehearsed play began.
“Stop.”
The front door opened and Rodriguez made his tardy entrance. At that moment, his subordinates all rose, lined up, and saluted. It was a sequence designed to intimidate the other party.
Rodriguez sat down next to the homeowner and spoke.
“My apologies. It seems my men have been rude to you, young sir.”
“Yes. They were quite rude.”
Rodriguez chuckled softly.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Major Rodriguez of the Imperial Guard.”
The young man just stared at him blankly. He must be taken aback by my rank, Rodriguez thought.
Satisfied, Rodriguez continued.
“As a Major of the Imperial Guard, I have already negotiated with the owner of this mansion, Mr. Armand. There are various complicated issues involved, so I came here myself to ask for your understanding.”
“…Is that true, Mr. Armand?”
The young man asked Armand. Rodriguez’s eyes briefly glanced at the homeowner.
“…Yes.”
Armand answered in a barely audible voice.
“It is true.”
Rodriguez bowed his head to hide his smile. He then took a cigar from his breast pocket and lit it.
“Well then. I apologize for making you come all this way for nothing. Would you care for a smoke?”
“…”
The young man stared at the homeowner. His gaze then shifted back to Rodriguez, as if meticulously picking apart his face. Not just his face, but his shoes, his clothes, his accessories.
“…A man who looks like he couldn’t even afford the gift tax if I offered it to him for free.”
For a moment, Rodriguez’s brow twitched.
“You should watch what you say.”
The young man let out a short, dismissive laugh. It was blatant mockery.
“Has this bastard lost his mind?”
The subordinates behind Rodriguez reacted first. Rodriguez raised a hand to stop them as the young man took out a checkbook. He scribbled a signature and handed it to the homeowner.
“I don’t care what kind of promise you made. I am buying this house.”
“Hah…”
A vein pulsed on Rodriguez’s temple. A dry laugh escaped his lips. He forced down his anger as the homeowner, Armand, looked at the young man’s check.
“What is your reason? Surely you know it’s not wise to pick a fight with the Imperial Guard.”
The moment Rodriguez asked in a threatening tone, the homeowner Armand’s eyes slowly widened.
He had read the ‘name’ written on the check.
“Because I like it.”
In truth, I hadn’t even looked at the interior properly.
It was just fucking infuriating. What these bastards were doing was just so goddamn pathetic.
“I don’t give a shit what promises you made with the homeowner. I couldn’t care less.”
Bastards like Rodriguez were rampant in the final years of the Empire. A country like that deserved to fall.
Edmon had blamed himself for the world’s destruction, but what destroyed the world was the Empire itself. The true culprits were these trash-like bastards who had been eating away at the Empire from within.
“Well, well.”
Rodriguez set down his cigar, still feigning composure.
“Such a pitiful young man—”
“…Maximillian Albrecht von Ebenholz?”
A voice cut through the space. It was the homeowner. He stared at the check with trembling eyes, and the color drained from Rodriguez’s face.
The man, Maximillian, met his gaze again.
“I am buying this house. Therefore.”
Tap, tap.
He tapped his fingers on the desk twice, as if shooing away a dog.
“Know your place and get lost.”
Rodriguez’s face flushed with rage and humiliation. He bit his trembling lip hard. But that was all he could do. He couldn’t utter another word.
Because he had already heard the name Ebenholz.
The sword-wielding men all left, leaving an empty mansion.
I looked at the homeowner.
“You’ve kept the house in good condition.”
Armand’s shoulders flinched. It was understandable. The person he had to deal with had just switched from Rodriguez to Ebenholz. This was, at the very least, not a better situation.
“Yes. It’s a house my father has lived in for quite a long time…”
“It’s far too good a place for filth to settle in.”
“Ah…”
I leaned forward, meeting his eyes.
“Take this money and leave the capital tonight.”
Thud. I placed my finger on the check on the desk.
“You won’t see anything good if you stay here any longer. The south, with its pleasant climate, would be nice. A place like Marang should be fine.”
The south was a region that had suffered relatively less, both from the stirrings of revolution and the Empire’s tyranny.
“That is…”
“Right now.”
I urged the homeowner. Swallowing hard, he stood up, bowed deeply, and went to pack his things.
“…”
I watched him go before quietly picking up my terminal. I dialed a familiar number. The call connected before the dial tone could even ring a few times.
—Yes, Sir.
“Ah, Enji.”
Enji is the best butler.
And the best adjutant I know.
“I have a favor to ask.”
—What kind of favor, sir?
Enji’s tone became serious.
“You know that guy, Rodriguez?”
—Yes. He’s an Imperial Guardsman who came up from the east last quarter.
Enji was always well-versed in this kind of information.
“I clashed with him. He had his eyes on a house I was trying to buy.”
—Oh my. Did you acquire it safely?
“Yes. I bought it. I offered the original owner double the market price.”
—Yes. The master will be pleased.
A faint hint of laughter laced Enji’s voice.
Jefestian doesn't consider this a waste. On the contrary, he’ll see it as a whim of mine and be satisfied.
‘If you want it, take it. Don’t mind who the other person is. You don’t yet know the weight your name carries. In this Empire, no one is more qualified than you.’
If I want something, I take it. If I want to break something, I break it.
That is the other side of Ebenholz.
“By the way, it’s pretty obvious what those guys will do next.”
—Yes, I imagine so.
“The homeowner isn’t a pure imperial citizen, but still, for someone who made a deal with me to come to harm… it would hurt my pride, wouldn’t it?”
—Of course.
Rodriguez. Before my regression, he was a man who became an officer in the Imperial Guard. A pathetic bastard who was executed by the Revolutionary Army after being caught selling drugs and alcohol.
“Enji, you know it too, right?”
He is stupid, weak, evil, dull, and above all else.
“The Imperial Guard has been getting way over their heads lately.”
They are crossing the line.
“And I can’t stand that.”
What’s good is good.
Before my regression, I lived under that delusion. There were even times I hung out with the Imperial Guard because the knights of my order ignored me.
…I should have crushed them.
“Just help me this once.”
I won’t ask for this kind of favor again. In the end, Enji is my father’s man.
In any case, since I’ve decided to live a new life, I needed my own people, too.
—Yes. Understood.
“Good.”
I ended the call.
Enji is Jefestian’s right-hand man and the first commoner to reach the heart of the Ebenholz family. He is also a monster who carries out orders without regard for method or means.
All I have to do is wait.