Translator: KJ

Eastern Border Region. The mountains, where wind thick with mud and gunpowder blew through.

"..."

Lieutenant Adel was staring blankly at the corpse hanging by its neck from a thick branch on the back mountain, already gone cold.

W⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌hoooosh──

The bloodless face swayed in the wind. Wordlessly, he met the gaze that stared into empty air, eyes wide open.

"Hey. What're you doing. Get him down, now."

Beside him, Lieutenant Bern gestured as though bothered, and soldiers rushed in to cut the rope.

The dead man's name was Manuel. Rank: Sergeant. He had been an NCO assigned to Adel's own 4th Platoon, and Adel only stared at him in a daze.

'Platoon Leader.'

The man, now reduced to a corpse, still seemed to be calling out to him.

It had been only four days ago.

'Platoon Leader. Are you really going to leave it like this?'

That day, Lieutenant Adel had decoded the suspicious Mana Waves they had intercepted, together with Sergeant Manuel.

'Look at this!'

The contents were specific coordinates, times, quantities, and certain 'code words' pointing to something.

His guess was that these were smuggling records of unit supplies and Mana Stones being funneled to an enemy state.

'They're selling supplies to a hostile nation!'

The goods that crossed the border slipped perfectly past the Empire's surveillance networks and accounting audits, leaving no trace and no paper trail behind. They only had to be reported as damaged, lost, or expended, and that was the end of it.

'We have to report this to command right now!'

'...No.'

At the time, Adel had shaken his head with a hardened face.

'Not yet. We need to gather more evidence. Until we know for certain how high up this goes, we can't move carelessly.'

'Platoon Leader, the very fact that there's communication with an enemy state is evidence in itself.'

Manuel had been furious.

It was, most likely, because he was a true soldier.

'...'

Adel had felt sorry for him, in one corner of his heart.

A subordinate who, willing or not, had ended up grabbing a rotten lifeline by being assigned under a commoner officer like himself.

Perhaps Manuel, too, had hoped to expose this corruption and grab onto a better line, to climb higher.

'...Not yet.'

Adel had not been able to give him any advice.

'We need more solid proof.'

Physical evidence more important than recorded transmissions.

Perhaps it was because of his words that Sergeant Manuel had moved to obtain it,

And as a result.

Today, he was found here, as a corpse.

──Lieutenant Adel!

A shout from the present, dragging his consciousness back.

Adel's head snapped up.

"What do you think you're doing right now?"

What entered his vision was the uniform of a Major. The nameplate read Joakim.

Adel snapped to a sharp salute.

"L⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌oyalty."

"A so-called Platoon Leader who can't even manage one subordinate, letting a disgraceful incident like this happen? This unit's a complete mess."

Major Joakim spat coldly. Adel bit his lip hard and lowered his head.

"...My apologies."

"There's no need to apologize. The referral to the Disciplinary Committee is already decided. More importantly."

Major Joakim leaned in close to Adel's face and whispered furtively.

"Before that bastard died, was there anything 'else' he said to you?"

A cold, clinging probe, as if trying to dig something out.

"...What do you mean?"

"No. You're the Platoon Leader, aren't you. Before he killed himself... it seems he said something to you?"

"─Major Joakim."

Suddenly, someone laid a hand on Joakim's shoulder, stopping him.

It was Lieutenant Colonel Eaton.

"Major. What did you mean just now?"

"Ah... it's just procedure, sir. Procedure."

Met with Eaton's gaze, Major Joakim quietly shook his head. He placed a hand on the back of his neck and added what sounded like an excuse.

"I was asking about Sergeant Manuel's circumstances before he killed himself. Given the situation, he was the last person to see him."

"There's no need to investigate it right now."

"True, but..."

"Then withdraw."

Eaton's gaze sank heavily. Joakim's eyebrows twitched.

"Yes. Well... Loyalty."

Joakim withdrew sullenly, and Eaton silently asked Adel with his eyes.

It was a look that asked whether he was all right.

"...Thank you."

Though his maternal line was Zerphan, Lieutenant Colonel Eaton was of the upper class.

So he would not know much about a mere commoner like himself, but Adel knew how fine a man he was.

A righteous commander who never bent to external pressure, who valued his subordinates.

To a man like that, Adel forced himself to answer flatly.

"...It is my failure."

He clenched his fists tight and bowed his head.

"As Platoon Leader, I should have been the first to understand what hardships my subordinate was carrying..."

The rest he could not bring himself to say.

Lieutenant Colonel Eaton watched him for a long time after that.

* * *

Before war, the most important thing was the establishment of military discipline. With lax discipline, we could not simultaneously bear the East's rugged terrain and the West's full strength of arms. For the Empire, no, for humanity, a Two-Front War was not a choice but a necessity.

Fortunately, thanks to the various new policies the Empire had pushed forward and the massive injection of capital, the Regular Army's treatment and standing had escaped the pitiful level of the past, but the Imperial Guard's prestige remained a threat all the same.

In addition, I had restored the authority of the Knight Order.

Even so, I could not entirely suppress the Imperial Guard.

The Knight Order had grown far more formidable than before my Regression, but the Imperial Guard, in their own fashion, had also gained new positions of power.

It was only natural, perhaps. The Imperial Guard was an organization into which the 'Emperor' had transplanted and cultivated his own direct authority.

Behind them stood, in the end, the Emperor himself.

"──Maximilian. You acquired Mason Industry's research complex, I hear. The deficit and debts are worse than expected, aren't they?"

In a shabby hideout. Princess Justine wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke indifferently.

"It was something that had to be done."

"And you intend to repay the debts?"

"Yes. Most of them will be transferred to the Imperial House."

In front of her sat a top-tier full-course meal I had personally brought from「Lilac Vita」. Thanks to Industry's new invention─the 'Mana Stone Warming Box'─the dishes maintained a flawless temperature, as if they had just been brought out from the kitchen.

"Honestly, I'll forgive fifty percent."

The Princess gave a small laugh. In her own way, she was a generous woman.

"Is the research underway?"

"For now, we're focusing on analyzing Ezenheim's heart."

The body of Ezenheim, and the heart at the center of its grotesque Mana Circuit.

We had begun the research methodically, starting with the hearts we had been keeping in storage.

"By the way."

The Princess toyed with her knife as she looked at me.

"Among all the Subspecies, you react peculiarly to Ezenheim alone. Is there a particular reason?"

"Wouldn't any Aran on the continent feel the same?"

At my calm reply, the Princess's eyebrows ticked up slightly.

"True enough. Not wrong. They do bear their Original Sin."

She lifted her wineglass and murmured quietly.

"As you know, we are preparing for war."

The blood-soaked future soon to come.

The righteous cause we all knew, and knew to be necessary.

"However, the discipline of the Imperial Regular Army still does not satisfy me. The stupid and corrupt ones are still absorbed only in their turf wars, or busy fattening their own bellies."

"...What about the Imperial Guard?"

At my question, the Princess gave a crimson smile.

"The Imperial Guard belongs entirely to His Majesty."

She cut her meat small, placed it in her mouth, and added:

"They are loyal dogs. Dogs that don't think too deeply. Whatever His Majesty desires, they'll see it done by any means and methods necessary."

That much, I could not deny.

The Imperial Guard knew no restraint. They were a pack of lunatics who'd thrown morality and basic humanity to the dogs. Fanatics who would fling even their own lives into the fire as kindling, on the Emperor's command.

"And yet, you've been lending a hand to fattening the bellies of the Regular Army's generals, I hear."

"...It was necessary."

That blind madness of the Imperial Guard did not sit well with me.

"In that case, what about Your Highness?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

We needed 'control'. A more precise system. A conviction in what we wished to accomplish.

The Empire had fallen because it had failed to control the wildfire of madness.

"Between myself and the Imperial Guard, which do you believe better suits Your Highness's grand undertaking?"

"..."

The Princess gazed at me steadily, then set her fork and knife down with a sharp clatter.

Her gaze sank cold.

"A foolish question. I do not believe in process. I judge only by results."

What the Princess wanted from me was a figure unbound by means or methods.

A posture devoted purely to herself, something close to faith.

"...Yes."

In that case, would I someday be able to earn her trust?

But if a day came when I had secured her conviction.

"I understand."

By then, would I have any reason left to keep her alive?

* * *

Eastern Regular Army Lieutenant 'Adel Pesto' was referred to the Disciplinary Commi⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌ttee and confined to the Brig. For the moment, the charge was negligence in the management of his platoon members.

─Drip. Drip.

A damp solitary cell where raindrops fell.

Where he sat alone,

─Step.

Suddenly, a quiet footstep rang out.

Someone approached from beyond the bars.

"Hey. Adel."

It was his peer, Bernhardt. The smug manner he usually wore was nowhere to be seen; instead, he was glaring with eyes drawn taut.

"You know something, don't you?"

Bern slammed the bars with a heavy clang.

"You know, you bastard. If you don't talk, you're dead. For real."

It was probably not just bluster. Sergeant Manuel's death was proof enough.

The only difference was that, whether he talked or kept silent, he was going to be thrown out of the army either way.

No, would he even be allowed to keep his life?

"Hey, hey. Look at this. Look."

Bern shoved a thick stack of papers through the gap in the bars.

"These are all statements from your platoon."

Rustle. Adel silently picked up the papers that spilled into the cell.

[ Affidavit ]

. Witnessed Lieutenant Adel embezzling supplies for personal use.

. Sergeant Manuel had complained of severe stress due to Lieutenant Adel's coercive orders.

. Embezzled company funds to pay off gambling debts.

. Habitually subjected platoon members to verbal abuse and cruel treatment...

"Says here you've been pretty fucking thorough about skimming off every which thing, huh?"

At Bern's sneer, Adel crumpled the affidavits in his grip.

"Pfft. Geez, mad now? Yeah, that's the point, you bastard."

Looking down at him steadily, he pushed a pen and a document through.

It was an Incident Report form.

"Write it. You think kissing Lieutenant Colonel Eaton's ass is gonna get you anywhere?"

He spat coldly.

Bang, bang!

He banged on the bars and forced Adel's gaze up to him.

"Just write it! Write down every single thing you saw. I don't know what you saw, but."

"..."

Adel quietly looked down at the document. A deep sigh slipped through his teeth.

"Ugh, what a frustrating bastard. Write it all down. I'll come back later. If you don't write it, you might actually end up in front of a firing squad."

Bern left.

Left alone, Adel stared blankly at the moisture-dampened pen and the stack of papers.

'...If I'm going to die anyway.'

His mind made up, he picked up the pen. He scrawled something across a blank sheet. To be precise, he wrote it on two separate sheets.

One was an affidavit stating that he knew nothing.

The other was... an Anonymous Petition, denouncing the sins of this Eastern Army one by one.

It was then.

──Step

The door of the Brig corridor opened, and the heavy footsteps of someone reverberated.

─Step.

A man, appearing as though he had seized hold of the darkness itself, approached him.

"..."

Adel met his eyes through the bars and opened his mouth with a tight, steadied voice.

"Lieutenant Colonel Eaton. There is something I must tell you."

......

"Change the frequencies starting tomorrow."

The office of the 7th Armored Grenadier Brigade's commander, where more than a dozen Field-Grade Officers stood in a line with their heads bowed down.

Brigadier General Jouken's voice was sharp with irritation.

"Goddamn idiots. What in the hell were you doing with your management, letting our own communications get intercepted from the inside?!"

Here at the Empire's frontline, the top brass had been holding a secret feast all this time. They had siphoned off military supplies and smuggled them out to the Eastern Alliance, splitting the profits among themselves and fattening their bellies.

The malpractice had gone on so long it had become custom, and by now they no longer felt any guilt about corruption at all. They simply treated it as a 'bonus' they were due.

Bam!

Then the office door burst open and one man strode in.

"Brigadier General, sir."

It was Major Joakim. He approached Brigadier General Jouken and held out an envelope.

"Lieutenant Adel's Anonymous Petition, sir."

The envelope that Lieutenant Adel had written in the Brig and tried to slip out in secret, only to be caught at inspection.

"Would you like to verify the contents?"

"There's nothing to verify."

Brigadier General Jouken waved a hand without sparing the envelope a glance.

"Burn it. Right now. And open a Court-Martial for that bastard and execute him on the spot."

Even for a border region, there had been too many suicides in the unit lately. If they kept processing them back-to-back as suicides, command above was bound to grow suspicious. Better to tie him to the embezzlement and the cruel treatment as ringleader, and execute him legally.

"Yes, sir. Understood. Loyalty!"

Major Joakim bowed an⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌d stepped out of the office.

Step. Step.

Clutching his pounding heart, feigning composure as he left headquarters, a smile slowly spread at the corners of his mouth.

"Haa..."

An anticipation and excitement he could not hold back surged up from his toes.

Step. Step...

Pretending to go burn the Anonymous Petition, he turned his steps instead toward the abandoned barracks at the rear, where few people went.

Muffling his footsteps as far as he could, he secretly met with a certain 'agent' who was waiting for him there.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting. To avoid drawing suspicion, there was no other way..."

Major Joakim offered an apology with a courtesy far more refined than the manner he had shown Brigadier General Jouken moments before.

The title of the man receiving such words from the Major was merely 'Operations Officer'.

And yet Major Joakim knew.

That the line he was now reaching to grasp was a far more powerful, and a far more precious, person than the likes of Brigadier General Jouken of the East.

"The item first."

"Ah, yes. Here."

Joakim handed over a thin paper envelope.

Hand brushed against hand, and the envelope passed into the other agent's inner pocket.

"I'll take my leave, then."

"Yes. Travel safely. Loyalty!"

Major Joakim saluted.

And so the Anonymous Petition that was supposed to burn slipped through the Eastern military zone under cover of darkness,

racing down the roads to somewhere farther,

passed deeper, into the very center...

"──Sir Knight."

The office of the Sentinel Knight Order.

Together with the Operations Officer's deeply reverent voice, that Anonymous Petit⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌‌ion was set neatly upon a certain person's desk.

To put him into words, if one had to try, he was a precious man.

No, to call him merely 'precious' would itself be a discourtesy. A noble among nobles.

He slowly reached out a hand and picked up the envelope.

──Rustle.

The envelope opened, and the papers brushed softly against each other as they unfolded.

The densely written sentences settled softly, like falling snow, into his flawless, perfect golden eyes.

"..."

A faint curve gradually formed itself at the corner of his mouth as he read the document through.

Setting the Anonymous Petition down, he murmured quietly.

"Let us depart."

Maximilian Ebenholtz.

He nodded with deep satisfaction.

~~~

Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/cdZPxPVrXW