The Semi-Forced Imperialist

To Kill, or To Save (2)
2025.09.17 | Views 7,754 | Recommended 450

Dominions exist even within the Empire. Among them, 'Genen' is so famous as a resort destination that any self-respecting Imperial noble is said to own a villa there. However, this also means it's a place that suffers most directly from the ills of the Empire.

“……”

I arrived at Genen’s Saint Bridge. It was the only bridge that crossed the deep river, connecting the dominion to the Empire proper.

“What a mess.”

I watched the scene from my car, parked a good distance away.

— Repeal the oppressive laws against the dominion!
— Repeal the evil laws!

Clamorous shouts. The bridge was packed with protestors on both sides.
Protests were frequent in Genen around this time of year. This was because before its annexation by the Empire, Genen had originally been a democracy—a nation without social strata.

— Independence advocates who disrupt our society must step down!

The clash between the Independence Faction, which advocated for Genen's active autonomy, and the Imperial Faction, which desired complete integration into the Empire.
If this conflict were to reach its peak, it would lead to the historical event known as the 'Genen Spring.'
It would be their desperate struggle, one they could never win against the Empire. Too many people would die, and too much of value would be destroyed.

“Empire-sucking imperialist bastards!”
“You brain-dead morons! You’ll snap out of it once your heads get bashed in while you’re protesting!”

I watched them quietly. I had no reason to intervene.
In a major event like this, I was nothing more than a baby whale caught between orcas. For now, I would simply observe—observe the Izenheim agents hiding here, instigating the chaos.
They had to be hiding here.

“Find them and kill them. Understood?”

I relayed my hostility to the virus inside my body.
You are no longer one of them. You are one with me.
Just then.

— KWHAAAAAAA!

What the—
A sudden explosion. A violent gale erupted with the screams of people. Debris and embers scattered across the entire bridge.
Only then did I get out of the car. I walked onto the bridge, now a scene of utter chaos.

Kyaaaaaa! Uwaaaaaa!

I moved against the current of people, who were screaming and running for their lives.

Aaaaaargh! Aaargh! Uwaaaargh!

Just in case, I shifted my hand to the sword at my waist.

“Kh, khhheuk…”

Suddenly, I spotted a young man at the far right end of the bridge with a twisted ankle. He was slumped against the railing, and directly below him was the river.

Th-th-thump…

The heavily damaged bridge was on the verge of collapsing.
However, the man’s attention was fixed elsewhere, not on his own safety.

“N-No…”

His gaze was fixed on three children. They were about four or five years old, crying, dangling precariously from the edge of the half-destroyed bridge, looking as if they could fall at any moment.

“NO—!”

The man reached out for the children. I thought it was a useless gesture, but then I saw a strange magical energy shimmering around him.
Particles, yellowish-white, like crackling sparks.
My eyes widened.
I was reminded of something the old man, Edmon, had said before my regression.

‘…We fought back well enough in the beginning, thanks to the Yaken clan. They had the power to resist the Planar Devourers…!’

The Yaken. Some of them are born with a special power. A paranormal ability called Ineung (異能).

— KWAAAAAAAAAAH!

In that instant, a second explosion occurred. A massive steel pillar from the bridge buckled and came crashing down toward the man.
I released my sword. Srrk. The bandages unraveled like flower petals, and the longsword emerged.

Shwaaaaaaaa—.

Yeon (聯).
Dozens of curved lines embroidered the air. It was an arc so elegant it even surprised me. The pillar caught in its flow was neatly sliced into small pieces.


— 30 minutes earlier.

“Repeal the law that disrupts our autonomy!”

Yan Novak, who had joined the scheduled protest today, was a member of Genen's lower class.
His family had been farmers, shoe-shiners, and dish-makers for generations, since the time Genen was an independent nation.

“Repeal it—!”

The eldest of five children, Yan had grown up in the slums on the outskirts of Genen. But he never felt unhappy about his poverty, thanks to his warm and loving family.

“Repeal the law that disrupts our autonomy!”

When he was young, everyone was struggling, so they could get by with smiles. Being together was enough to share a laugh.
But as he got older, he began to understand the reality of his situation.

‘Hey, you damn beggar. Don’t get cocky.’
‘What are you gonna do? Huh? You even got 100 dollars?’
‘Ugh, this stinking bastard…’

From the day he entered the Imperial school, Yan was met with a hatred he couldn't comprehend. He didn't understand why being from a dirt-poor background, why his origins, should be a target for contempt. He had to endure it without understanding why.

‘Shouldn’t they not let kids like that in here?’
‘I don’t know. My mom keeps complaining about it…’

Despite all the bullying and humiliation, Yan didn't give up. He didn't lose his drive. He worked three jobs a day while focusing on his studies.
However.

‘Hey, that beggar stole it! That smelly bastard!’

An expulsion, for a crime he didn’t commit.
That was the event that pushed Yan into social activism. He could endure all this injustice himself, but if things didn't change, he knew his younger siblings and countless other children would one day suffer the same fate.

The problems in Genen weren't just a matter of today. It wasn't just his problem. It was a problem that had been festering for far too long.

The wealthy had colluded with the Empire as the bourgeoisie, corrupting the legal system and exploiting the common people by manipulating the dominion's institutions. They built walls of class and wealth, and then wished to be called nobles themselves.

“Abolish the laws that exploit the workers—!”

Now, at just sixteen, Yan had become an activist. Society had made him this way.
Even so, Yan held onto his hopes and dreams. He cherished discarded books as if they were treasure and studied by scraping together magic academic papers he found on the ground.
His dream was to become a mage.

“Where did this little brat come from—”
“Guarantee our autonomy!”

The more the adults responded with anger, the louder Yan shouted. At that moment—

— KWHAAAAA!

A sudden explosion erupted. The screams and cries of many people echoed through the air.

“Keok!”

Caught in the shockwave, Yan was thrown through the air. When he opened his eyes, feeling the pain, he found his body slammed against the bridge’s railing.

“...Cough!”

His chest throbbed with severe pain when he tried to move. It felt like his ribs were broken, and even breathing was difficult.

Cough.”

He coughed up blood, trying to force himself up.

“W-waaaaaah—”

A child’s cry came from somewhere. Yan quickly looked in that direction. Three children he didn't know were dangling from a railing that looked like it would break at any moment.
Yan’s eyes widened.

Kkigigigik—.

The railing gives way. The three children will fall. They will fall into the river and drown.

“N-no…”

The faces of the children, caught in the ashen wind, overlapped with those of his own siblings.
Yan reached out his hand.
This can’t happen. This must not happen. The children, at least the children, shouldn't be sacrificed in a world like this.

“NO—!”

Yan mustered his magic. He had never once succeeded with the magic he'd learned over others' shoulders, but this time, just this once, he had to make it work.
He stretched his hand toward the children—

KWAAA!

At that moment, a second explosion occurred. A much larger roar shook the entire area. One of the bridge's pillars broke off and came hurtling toward Yan.

“Ah…”

The steel pillar rushed toward him. Time seemed to slow, and his life flashed before his eyes. Yan held his breath in despair. His eyes closed on their own.

…However.

No matter how long he waited, his body wasn't crushed. His breathing didn't stop.
Yan dazedly opened his eyes.

“Who…?”

There stood a knight with a longsword. Blonde hair and golden eyes. The uniform of a Sentinel. The Empire's finest knight order, and the one the Independence Faction feared the most—

“Is this any time to be standing around?”

The knight asked, looking down at him. His voice was so cold it could freeze the eardrums.

“Ah!”

Yan belatedly looked toward the children.
Whoooosh— A thick gust of wind brushed past the railing.
Krrrrrk! The railing the children were clinging to broke completely.
There were no screams. They had already fainted.

“NO!”

He reached his hands toward the falling children. The veins on his arms bulged. Magic surged, clear and strong.
Pajijik—!
A strange spark ignited in the air next to the children.
A yellowish color, or perhaps white, or maybe it was completely colorless [無色].
Strange particles of magic enveloped the children, and in the very next moment,
Yan discovered the three children, now held securely in his arms.

“…Huh?”

Yan blinked blankly. The feeling of the three children in his arms was vivid.
A moment later, a sharp pain shot through him, as if his skull was cracking.

“Keo-heuk—!”

“A spatial talent, I see.”

The knight suddenly murmured. His accent was that of a flawless aristocrat.

“So you are a Yaken.”

Yaken. Yan’s heart sank. His ancestry, passed down from his forefathers, was indeed Yaken, but that very fact had been another reason for discrimination.

“But you must hide it. Until you are strong enough.”

“……?”

The knight’s words were strange. Yan couldn’t comprehend them at all and just stared at him blankly.

“Your name?”

He couldn’t answer. His lips wouldn't move. His entire body was seized by the knight's overwhelming presence.

“I won’t ask a second time.”

Yan barely managed to utter a single syllable. This was the one time his short name was a blessing.

“…Yan.”

The knight gave a small nod and turned away. He started walking somewhere. Yan stared blankly at his retreating back.

Weeee-woooo—!

The wail of sirens snapped him back to his senses. Shhhh! Smoke grenades went off as police officers swarmed the area.

“Yan! Are you okay?!”

A comrade rushed over to him. Yan handed him the unconscious children first.

“Please, take these kids!”
“What? Where did they come from? Who are they?”
“I don’t know either. Just take them away!”

“Dammit, you?!”
“I’ll find a way out somehow! Hurry!”

Besides, his leg was broken, so he couldn't run away anyway.

“Agh. Make sure you come back!”
“Just go!”

His comrade disappeared with the children, and Yan let out a sigh of relief. A faint smile even touched his lips.
It was only for a moment.
The police rushed toward him.


This was somewhere in Genen.
I stood in a place thick with smoke, making it hard to see. I brushed the dust from my knight's uniform and walked in silence.

Thump.

At some point, my heart began to pound.
It meant that an Izenheim was nearby.

Thump.

I left the bridge and headed into the chaotic streets of Genen.

Thump.

Police indiscriminately beating people, and civilians screaming.

Thump.

Passing through that pandemonium, I stared into the gap of an alleyway where nothing was visible.

Thump!

I stepped into it. I stood at the entrance and peered inside.

“Phew. Glad everyone’s safe.”
“Reinforcements will be here if we wait…”

At the end of the blind alley were five men. Their voices died down. They all looked at me at once. Their expressions hardened as they recognized the Sentinel uniform.
I should wear civilian clothes next time. It draws unnecessary attention.

“Stay back!”

They raised their swords. One of them even drew a revolver.
But I don't need to kill them all. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man at the very back. His appearance is similar to that of an Imperial, but my radar is reacting to him.

“We’ll hold him off! Seiji! You go first!”

Seiji. The name sounded vaguely familiar. A commander in the Genen Independence Faction, a member of the revolutionary group.
So you were one of them too.

Whoooosh!

A group on hoverboards appeared from above the alley wall. They were masked members of the revolutionary group. Seiji was about to hop onto one of their hoverboards to escape.
He won't get away if he flies.
So, before he takes flight.
I gripped my sword.

Paekkak.

The resonance of the soul.
Time seemed to slow for a moment. I dashed between the frozen humans and swung my sword. The arcing longsword sliced through the hoverboards first.
The boards, and the Izenheim agent 'Seiji,' fell apart like shattered fragments.
I stopped right in front of the falling man.

“……”

Wordlessly, I looked into his eyes. I whispered softly to his trembling pupils.

“There you are.”

The man bit down, trying to draw upon his magic. There was a suicide belt around his waist.
But my sword was faster than his activation.

Edit

Pub: 18 Sep 2025 23:34 UTC

Views: 7