The Coerced Imperialist

Me and My House (3)
2025.09.11 | Views 219 | Recommended 22

I looked up the information on the 'Head-Eater' on the computer.

[Head-Eater]
[Incident Log]

  1. March 9, 1037
  2. July 3, 1037
  3. August 5, 1037...

To date, the bastard had killed a total of eight Imperials, the most recent being three days ago.

"Three days ago."

That was the day I killed the young Izenheim.
Quite an interesting coincidence.

"Time to move."

I stood up and left the office.


In the first-floor lobby, I ran into Yulian, who looked like he had just completed a mission. His armor was spattered with still-wet green blood, and Tiana was by his side.
Yulian was a senior knight. He could take any knight he wanted on any mission he chose.

He had been my supervising knight, but he hadn't chosen me this time.

"Where are you headed, Max?" Yulian asked nonchalantly.

"I've taken a separate mission."

He tilted his head.

"May I ask what mission it is?"
"'The Head-Eater'."

At my reply, Yulian's eyebrow twitched minutely.
He, too, was likely well aware of the Head-Eater.

"Really? There's a reason why that's a cold case."

Knights have a record of their mission acceptances and failures. Most are unwilling to tarnish their record with a failure, as it reflects on their career.

"Meaning, it's too difficult for a rookie to handle."
"I'll be fine."
"...If you need any support, let me know anytime."
"I will."

After our brief conversation, Yulian got on the elevator. Tiana, on the other hand, seemed to have something to say to me.

"Hey. Do you even know what the Head-Eater is?"
"I do."

It had claimed eight victims in three years. In the next year, it was destined to devour four more.
Before my return, the Head-Eater had been active in the Empire for a while before suddenly vanishing, leaving the case permanently unsolved.

"In three years—"
"I know."

I know Tiana. She is the child of a minor noble house.
Before my return, her family was wiped out after being caught up in a political struggle, and Tiana herself became a fugitive.
I owed her a small debt. Because the family that destroyed hers was the Ebenholz.

"...Right. Well, do whatever you want."

Tiana walked past me.
I left the Knights' headquarters, got in a car, and drove to the scene.


The 'Head-Eater's' last crime scene was a remote back alley in the capital. Garbage was scattered through the narrow alleyway, and the walls of the old buildings were chaotically covered in unknown graffiti.

"Sir Knight, you've arrived."
"Yes."
"This is the current state of the scene..."

In the deepest part of the alley, beyond the perimeter line set up by the Imperial Police, there was a bloodstain that had yet to be cleaned up.

Twitch!

The moment I neared the scene, the black fragment inside my body reacted. It had caught the scent of its own kind.

"...As I thought."

Suspicion turned into certainty.
This bastard was an Izenheim, too.
I tapped the black thing near my collarbone and spoke.

"Remember this. We have to track this trail, ugh!"

Suddenly, the Virus moved. It yanked me forward, and my body slammed onto the ground.
Thud!
My face hit the asphalt. Filthy waste and dirt stuck to me.
However, the Virus was moving. The creature was slowly absorbing the faint energy waves from the blood. Strange sensations seeped into my mind.

"S-Sir Knight? Are you alright?" a detective asked, flustered.

"...It's nothing."

I quickly got to my feet.
Thump-thump—
I could feel the Virus's pulse.
This thing wanted to tell me something.

"Alright. Where is it? Show me."

I was more than willing to listen.
After all, we were now partners in fate.


I moved, using the faint energy waves emitted by the Virus as a compass. The location was in front of a classic mansion in one of the capital's traditional noble residential areas.

"...Here?"

I asked, looking up at the wide, six-story mansion. The Virus twitched.
According to it, the 'Head-Eater' was inside.
But this place was—

"Only nobles can live here."

An Izenheim is an Imperial noble.
Is that possible?
It's not impossible. Status and lineage are, in the end, nothing more than paper and ink; they can be forged at any time.

"......."

Still, I couldn't move rashly. The Head-Eater had devoured eight people without leaving a single piece of evidence.
It was a meticulous bastard.
More importantly, could I even win against it?
Jacob was young and inexperienced. The child in the park had willingly accepted death; it was practically a suicide.
If this Head-Eater was the 'Lexy' that Jacob had mentioned, I needed to be as cautious as possible.

"Confirmed."

The location was already identified, so there was no need to rush.
What I needed now was the skill to kill the Izenheims for good. To cultivate that power, I needed 'that person'.

Priya.
She was a far better instructor than I had ever imagined.
Perhaps she could even become my master.

...No, I hoped she would become my master.


"Haaa..."

I close my eyes.
I even out my breathing.
With each inhale and exhale, the mana in my body pulses.
It's the unique mana breathing method passed down through the Ebenholz family for generations.
This method of breathing was something I had mastered since I was three.
Now, I don't even have to think about how to do it. Just as breathing is a natural act, I simply breathe as I was taught.

"Hoo..."

This is fundamentally different from the various modern 'Mana Breathing Methodologies' that draw in and circulate external mana.
The Ebenholz don't care about the outside. They focus only on purifying, refining, and increasing the density of their internal mana.
This is extremely advantageous from an environmental perspective.
A magnate who grew up drinking elixirs like water and buried in machines called either mana training rooms or mana respirators has no need to pull mana from the outside. It's a very aristocratic method, based on the idea that one simply needs to use what has been accumulated inside the body.

Of course, the rivals of the Ebenholz criticize it as old-fashioned, but...

"It's classic."

The person who became my instructor calls it 'classic'.

"The Ebenholz breathing has a subtle detail to it. That's why it can only be perfectly mastered in childhood; miss that window and you can't learn it. It costs a lot of dollars, too. The amount of medicine poured into your body alone must be at least 50 million."

The cost-effectiveness is abysmal, but the cost isn't an issue. When others get 100 efficiency for 100 cost, the Ebenholz aim for 130 efficiency for 5000 cost. This is because they know all too well the value of that extra 30.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and opened my eyes.

"But why do you know so much about the Ebenholz?"
"A teacher is supposed to know many things."

She shrugged dismissively.

"Now, pick up your sword."

The mana breathing was just a warm-up.
My master held out a longsword. The blade's width was similar to a standard sword, but its total length was 1.6 meters. It was the longsword of the Ebenholz House.

"The Ebenholz sword is fundamentally the sword of an aristocrat. It pursues a fluid elegance rather than simple power. That's why it loves to cut."

I gripped the sword. I assumed the standard stance from the Ebenholz textbook.

"Just like the textbook. But your body is stiff. Don't stand so straight. Hold the sword as comfortably as possible. What do you think a noble is?"
"Why are we talking about nobles now?"
"Because the Ebenholz style is the most aristocratic of swordsmanship. You know nothing, you brat. Pay me more."
"......"

I relaxed my body. My master frowned.

"No, that's just sloppy."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Think about it. Does a noble always stand ramrod straight? Like an angry cat? No. But do they slouch like a beggar? No."

I suddenly thought of my father, Sebastian.
Formal, but not rigid. Resolute, but not stubborn. Relaxed, but not lazy. Dignified, but not arrogant. He is a man in whom contradictory elements achieve a perfect balance. If a soul has weight, his would have been tempered to be immeasurably heavy.
A man of high caliber.

A 'true' noble.

Could I become that kind of person?

...I am his son.

For better or worse, I am the seed of Ebenholz, the son of Sebastian.
Blood is thicker than water, and genetics cannot be denied.
The Ebenholz that I once struggled to escape has come back to me.

"Haa..."

Quietly, I relaxed my grip on the sword.
I maintained just enough pressure not to drop it.
My shoulders and elbows were gently relaxed, yet I was fully conscious of the weight at the sword's tip.

"...Right. That's it. You've got the looks for it, so the form comes out nicely. Also, just because it's a longsword doesn't mean you need two hands. Not if you can control it perfectly, that is."

I let go with my left hand. I held the longsword with only my right. The heavy weight was transmitted through my entire arm.

"Now swing. Don't think about anything else. Just think of one, single, perfect cut."

I swung the sword with all my might.

Screeeech—!

The longsword cut through the air with a sharp sound. The force of my entire body was behind that single cut.
Priya said.

"Idiot."
"What now?"
"I told you to swing, to think of a perfect cut, and you're putting way too much effort into it."
"Doesn't being perfect naturally require effort?"
"Tsk. You just don't get it."

She shook her head.

"There's no helping it. You just have to repeat it. Do at least ten thousand swings a day. That is the first movement of the Ebenholz style."
"How am I supposed to do ten thousand in a day? My arm will fall off."
"It would if you put that much force into it. Always keep your mind clear. Like a true noble, not a fake one. Make one perfect cut through tens of thousands of attempts."
"......"
"What are you staring at, you punk! Just do it!"

Whoooosh!

I swung the sword.

Whoooosh!

I thrust the longsword through the air. Every time the sword moved forward, it felt like I was being pulled along with it.
From the beginning, this Ebenholz longsword was just damn, uselessly long.

Whoooosh!

I quickly became out of breath.

"Hah, hah, hah."

My heart ached. The muscles all over my body screamed as if they were about to snap.
After about the 300th swing, I collapsed.

"Get up."

My master grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

"......Hm."

She touched me here and there, then muttered with a chuckle.

"You certainly recover quickly."

I frowned, but it was true that the fatigue and pain disappeared soon after. My body felt light again.
It was probably the effect of the 'mana core'.
I'm grateful for it.

"It's homework. There's no next lesson until you can do ten thousand swings."
"...Yes. Understood."

This woman is strange. It seems like she's taking it easy, but she doesn't seem like a fraud.

Trill-lill-lill-ling—

The alarm signaling the end of the lesson rang. Priya asked.

"Do you have other plans today?"
"Yes. I have a real estate appointment. I was thinking of resting for a bit before I go."
"Hmm~ right? You've got a lot of money, I'm jealous."
"Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going."

I was about to leave, but she blocked the training hall door.

"What is it now?"
"Don't kids these days give their teachers a little something extra?"
"...What?"

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Hey. Show some sincere respect for your master."
"Aren't you getting paid by my father?"
"What are you, a daddy's boy? You should have your own standards, shouldn't you!"
"......."

I took my wallet out of my coat's inner pocket. I handed her a few bills. Her face crumpled. I took out three more bills. It smoothed out a little, but there was still a crease. I just took out all the bills and shoved them into her hand.

"Great. Well done~ Go get some rest~"

Her smile was radiant.
Crazy bitch.

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Pub: 21 Sep 2025 22:41 UTC

Views: 7