Idle Talk – A Man of the Empire

“Mom, where’s Kyles?”

A boy of about twelve or thirteen asked his mother in the kitchen about his older brother.

Normally, his brother, who was five years older, would have returned from school first, but he wasn’t there.

The sun had already set, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.

Inside the house, there was an unusual silence, with only the sound of the mother cutting vegetables echoing through the house.

Pausing the knife, the mother didn’t turn around but muttered. 

“Forget about that child Kyles.”

“Forget? What do you mean?”

She started cutting vegetables again with the knife.

“I said forget about him.”

“But still—”

When the boy asked his mother again, there was a loud clang as the knife was slammed onto the cutting board.

“That child has fallen into disgrace! So, it’s the same as him not being here!”

“Huh…”

“Fallen into disgrace” refers to measures taken against those who performed significantly poorly in the educational curriculum or those who committed crimes.

Those who fell into disgrace had to contribute to the country in a non-human form.

They were demoted from citizens to the serving class.

“I didn’t expect him to suddenly—”

His brother wasn’t an outstanding individual.

He loved music more than studying or combat training.

He played the flute whenever he had time.

And the boy liked that sound.

When he was feeling down or sad, his brother would play the flute for him, tirelessly, for hours.

“I said forget about it!”

The mother’s stern tone silenced the boy.

In this country—the Schuval Empire—those who fell into disgrace were considered social outcasts who should be despised, even if they were family.

If anything, precisely because they were family, the disdain was even stronger.

It was considered a duty of an imperial citizen not to produce individuals who fell into disgrace from within the family.

The mother was also a member of that society.

A house without the brother was quiet.

Yet, an indescribable sense of restlessness grew.

—Kyles

Unable to stay still, the boy dashed out of the house.

Outside, there were numerous tall buildings lined up.

The buildings overlapped vertically, forming a city with layers.

It was called the flourishing imperial capital.

Originally built in a basin, the ground was no longer visible.

The entire basin had been covered, creating a vast city that incorporated the surrounding mountains.

Paved streets and brightly lit alleys despite the night, crowded with imperial citizens.

Amidst all this, the boy ran.

He had a destination in mind.

—The “Service Factory”

Those marked with the insignia of disgrace were taken to the lowest level of the imperial capital.

It was a place avoided by citizens and despised by everyone.

Though the boy was a citizen, he lived in the impoverished lower district.

The “Service Factory” wasn’t far from his home.

If he ran until he was out of breath, even a child’s legs could reach it.

“Haa, Haa, Haa…”

So, the boy ran.

Down the streets, down the stairs.

Despite being scolded by people and carriages on the road.

By the time he reached the lowest level, he was covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

“I made it…”

The scenery had changed drastically from the glamorous upper levels.

Trash thrown from above littered the ground, and a foul smell hung in the air, making him want to cover his nose.

There were hardly any people, and those who were there wore tattered clothes, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Deep within that place stood only one large building.

“So this is… the Service Factory…”

It was his first time seeing it.

In fact, it was his first time coming down to the lowest level.

Before his eyes, a beast-drawn carriage, resembling a cow, appeared.

The carriage was transporting a huge black box.

It was an oddly shaped box made of steel, without any windows.

As the carriage approached the entrance of the Service Factory, it slowed down.

Immediately, two soldiers emerged from the factory.

“Stop right there.”

When the carriage stopped at the entrance of the walled factory, the black box made a clanking sound as it opened.

Chained humans descended from the box.

“Service class…”

The descending people moved mechanically and silently, entering the Service Factory on their own.

He had heard that those who fell into disgrace would have their thoughts taken away by magic devices.

People with hollow eyes descended one after another.

The boy just watched their figures.

At that moment…

“Kyles.”

Among the descending people, he found someone familiar.

Someone who used to smile often.

But now, his eyes were lifeless, like a doll’s.

Instinctively, the boy approached unsteadily.

When he was just a few steps away from reaching his brother, something snapped in front of him.

—What was that?

It was one of the nearby soldiers.

The magic device in his hand, resembling a baton, was sparking with electricity.

“Stop! Don’t you know that contact between citizens and the service class is prohibited by law?”

He knew.

Yet, for some reason, his feet had led him here.

“Kyles… my brother is here.”

The soldier’s gaze towards the boy turned cold.

It was a look of disdain reserved for those who had produced individuals from the serving class within their own family.

From today on, he would have to live under such a gaze.

“And what of it?”

“No…”

Strangely, he didn’t know what he wanted to do.

He didn’t even understand why he had run here.

He just moved on instinct.

“What’s your purpose?”

Two soldiers approached.

The boy’s gaze fell on his brother, who didn’t even spare a glance at them, heading towards the Service Factory.

Instinctively, he reached out.

Though the distance was impossible to bridge.

“Restrain him.”

Two soldiers simultaneously grabbed him, and an electric shock surged through his organs. The boy’s body convulsed irregularly and then became still.

– What was I trying to do…

The existence of the servant class is indispensable to the country. Superior individuals build and enrich the nation.

The presence of superior individuals implies the existence of the opposite. Those individuals not only fail to enrich the country but also lead to its decline.

Therefore, becoming a part of the magic tools and supporting the power of superior individuals is crucial.

That is how the Empire became the richest nation in the world.

I believed what I learned in school.

But now, I cannot answer whether it is truly correct.

—

20 years later.

In his mid-thirties, he was clad in armor stained with blood.

“You’re the Fury of the Empire?”

“Yes.”

The bull-like monster in front of him thrusts with its spear.

In response, he easily deflects it with his greatsword.

The bull-like creature is a human.

The people of the neighboring country, Avalontis Kingdom in the west, make contracts with monsters and wield their power.

They possess completely different technology and live under different principles.

“I’ll take you down!”

The bull-man thrusts his spear again, only to be easily dodged.

“I don’t understand. With your skills, you can’t defeat me. Why fight?”

“For the people! Someone needs to fight against you imperial invaders!”

He didn’t want to become a soldier.

From that day onwards, his family members became members of the service class and he received a lot of scorn and contempt.

To deflect social criticism, he excelled in every field, always ranking first.

Joining the military was just a continuation of that path to gain recognition.

Even after joining the military, he continued to fight on the front lines to prove his worth.

Before he knew it, people stopped mentioning his family’s connection to the service class.

Instead, he was given the dishonorable nickname “Bloody General.”

“Weak humans, fighting just because they were born as nobles. You truly are rotten.”

“What can you understand!”

Fury grabs the shaft of the bull man’s spear and pulls him in, then impales him with his greatsword.

Blood spurts out onto his body.

“You understand nothing.”

The man dies, reverting from a beastly bull creature to a human form.

– Still so young.

Not even 20 years old yet.

Just as he was reaching adulthood.

Fury looks at the man’s body lying on the ground and turns away. 

—

“General Fury? Aren’t you going to take that corpse with you? He’s not been dead long. You might be able to extract the essence.” 

A young soldier from the adjacent unit calls out from a distance.

The cries of the beastly soldiers are barely audible.

It seems the surrounding battles have ended.

Originally, this was a battle that should not have been lost.

Fury looks back at the man’s body lying on the ground.

“If you want him, take him. I have the ceremony of appointment today.”

The young soldier’s face lit up.

The collected essence would directly contribute to his evaluation.

“Thank you. This time’s evaluation was on the edge because of the shortage of specimens.”

“Indeed.”

Swallowing his words, he started to head back to the frontline base.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Are you Fury?”

The young man in front of me is still youthful.

Though younger, his composed demeanor gives the impression of an elder.

This is a particularly sturdy room within the frontline base.

There are no windows, and soldiers line the walls.

“Hah! Today, I have been assigned to His Majesty’s Royal Guard!”

Responding with a loud shout that sounds like a roar, he salutes.

He is no longer clad in the blood-stained armor he wore earlier; instead, he is dressed in a fresh military uniform.

The young man continues to speak without changing his expression.

“I hear you. Your brother seems to be in dire straits.”

It’s something that has been said many times.

Truly, countless times.

The Imperial Guards are directly under the Emperor’s command.

Naturally, they undergo background checks and reports to the Emperor himself.

“Yes. That is correct.”

Emperor Benedict smiles faintly.

He is a remarkable individual who, for the first time in the long history of the empire, was unanimously recommended by the Senate to become Emperor.

The boy brought by the Senate leader from somewhere has achieved remarkable results in just a few years.

At first, he was underestimated as nothing more than a young man with the Senate leader’s support.

But he overcame all of that with his results alone.

He left behind many achievements, such as the revival of the magic weapons of the Crimson Era and the invention of outstanding combat doctrines.

Above all, there is the conquest of enemy nations.

The remnants of the great nation that had long been in conflict.

He brought about the collapse of the neighboring country, the Duchy of Kvutzat, in just two years.

His constant presence on the frontline seemed to shine enough to be considered a hero by the people.

With his innate charisma and mastery of public opinion, it took only four years for Benedict to sit on the imperial throne, as desired by public opinion.

He was given the title of War Emperor.

He is now an absolute monarch who cannot be opposed.

“…Do you think it’s suitable for the Imperial Guard?”

Fury asks straightforwardly, looking straight ahead.

“Why do you think that?”

“Everyone dislikes having relatives of the service class.”

“That’s true. Then, Fury, what do you think of your brother?”

Fury’s honest words are packed with meaning.

After a brief pause, the words he finally blurts out are surprising even to himself.

“…I don’t understand the meaning of your question.”

Anger appears on the faces of the other Imperial Guards present.

It’s not something you can say to the Emperor.

To respond with “I don’t understand” to a question that everyone can understand.

Depending on the situation, it could result in a charge of disrespect and cost you your head.

On the other hand, Benedict’s eyes light up slightly.

“Fury. Tell me your honest thoughts, without lies.”

Of course, he understands the meaning of the question.

It’s intentional that he doesn’t understand.

But he has been ordered by the Emperor to speak his true feelings.

In that case, there is only one action a soldier should take.

“…As a brother of the same blood, I possess perfectly ordinary feelings.”

A veteran soldier standing just behind the Emperor steps forward.

He is the Captain of the Imperial Guards.

His expression clearly shows anger and hostility.

“You! You dare to trample upon His Majesty’s kindness, who took you in despite your lowly and disgraceful bloodline!”

He simply answered faithfully as a soldier.

He had no choice but to remain silent without understanding the words to reply with.

“Isn’t it fine to have someone like that? I don’t dislike him.”

Laughing, Benedict soothes the heated Imperial Guards.

The Captain of the Imperial Guards responds with a “Hmph” and quickly returns to his original position.

“By the way, the Imperial Guards are given customized magic tools. What kind of spell would you like, Fury?”

Not standard issue, but custom-made.

The military development department pours their hearts into making a magic tool just for you.

For the soldiers, it’s a kind of aspiration.

It’s a topic as solid as alcohol to discuss what kind of custom-made magic tool you’ll receive when you achieve military success.

Fury turns his attention to the large sword he carries on his back.

It’s an outdated standard-issue item that enhances cutting power with magic.

According to other soldiers, it’s considered worthless as a magic tool.

In fact, many soldiers prefer weapons with various spells such as lightning, fire, ice, invisibility, and teleportation.

“The current one is sufficient.”

“Interesting, Fury.”

His expression remains cheerful, but his true intentions are entirely unclear.

As he ponders, Emperor Benedict stands up.

“Accompany me as my adjutant for tomorrow’s battle, Fury.”

Fury bows deeply.

—So this is Emperor Benedict.

He’s a race I’ve never encountered before.

He looks at me with a gaze of pure curiosity, neither competing nor looking down on me, nor fearing me.

The next day.

The two of them, accompanied by a small number of guards, stood on the frontline.

Riding on creatures modified as warhorses, they went to the frontline.

But Fury was at a loss for words.

—To think it would come to this…

The War Emperor charges forward alone, sweeping aside everything.

It’s a supreme skill. It may sound cliché, but there’s no better way to describe it.

It’s understandable why the tough military top brass had no choice but to submit silently before his reign.

The guards receive only the order to “wait.”

It’s not clear who is being protected in this situation.

Terrifyingly, the other soldiers seem accustomed to it, showing no signs of questioning.

It felt like being forced to watch a child crush a mud ball made of sand in his hands.

When War Emperor Benedict returns to the unit, a voice out of place echoes.

“You covered in blood! Come out!”

What emerges is a youth who doesn’t belong on the battlefield.

He’s about 12 or 13 years old, still bearing the visage of a boy.

He’s holding a small knife.

Perhaps he just formed a contract, as he has a tail resembling that of a fish, but he’s not a complete beastman.

Because he doesn’t resemble a soldier too much, it seems War Emperor also overlooked him.

Or rather, he wasn’t within sight.

“I’ll take care of the young monkey. Your Majesty’s country needs young essences right now.”

The guards all reach for their weapons simultaneously.

Fury raises his hand, restraining the guards.

Then, he raises his voice, imbued with intimidation.

“Kid, what do you want from me?”

“Are you Fury?! Where’s my brother?!”

Ah, now that he mentions it.

He resembles the knight I defeated yesterday.

But he’s still a child.

“Do you seek vengeance? Become a knight and come back.”

The guards are astonished by those words.

He’s an enemy of the nation.

It’s natural to capture them all and dedicate them to the nation once found.

War Emperor Benedict remains expressionless, merely observing the situation.

The boy remains motionless, still holding the knife.

His gaze is fixed on Fury.

“Do you want to die?”

Fury grips his large sword.

“Uwaaaah!”

The boy, as if determined, brandishes his knife and charges straight ahead.

It would be easy to simply cut him down.

But Fury strikes the boy with the side of his large sword.

A dull sound echoes, and the boy rolls on the ground like a ball.

“Next… I’ll kill you. Even if you’re a child.”

Fury’s intimidating presence makes even the guards, who are supposed to be his allies, tremble.

But the boy, undaunted, gets up.

“Give my brother back!!”

“…It’s pointless.”

“Uwaaaah!!”

The boy stood up again, readying his knife and coming at him once more.

—Should I chop off one of his arms?

With a swooshing sound, Fury swung down his large sword.

Immediately, it sank into the boy’s left arm, causing his face to contort in pain.

The match was over.

That’s what he thought, as he tried to pull back his sword— but…

The boy didn’t stop.

Even after having his arm cut off, he continued to charge forward.

Closing in rapidly.

It was no longer within the range of the large sword.

The small knife grasped by the boy stabbed into Fury’s side.

Stabbing his large sword into the ground, Fury tried to push the boy away by grabbing his head.

But he wouldn’t budge.

On the contrary, he struggled even harder to drive the knife deeper.

The gazes of the boy and Fury met.

Intense determination.

He was accustomed to battles of life and death.

But he had never experienced a battle where someone would sacrifice their life just to strike back at their opponent.

“Ugh…”

Unconsciously, he took a step back.

He was intimidated by the child.

The fact that a child could intimidate him left Fury himself feeling profoundly bewildered.

“General Fury!”

Immediately after, a guard who was nearby kicked the boy away.

Crawling on the ground, the boy was soon captured by the guards.

He was supposed to be an opponent he couldn’t lose to.

He should have chopped off his arm.

Yet still, the boy was trying to attack Fury.

His morale was too strong to be called mere determination.

What was the true nature of that feeling?

—What is it?

Pushing aside the guard who was trying to attend to him, Fury approached the boy who was being restrained by the guards.

“What were you trying to accomplish?”

“Give my brother back!! Do you think I can accept that my brother was killed by you Imperial soldiers?!”

It was impossible.

A single child rushing onto the battlefield wouldn’t solve anything.

There was no lie in the boy’s eyes.

—Is he serious…?

Even though they were on the battlefield now, surrounded by plains, for some reason, the scene from the “Service Factory” came to mind.

It was him, running to his brother’s side when he was brought to the “Service Factory.”

Until now, he hadn’t been able to put into words what he had wanted to do back then.

Deep in his heart, the past him and the boy in front of him strangely overlapped.

And then, he suddenly understood.

—I… wanted to… save Kyles.

“Be quiet!”

A guard’s spear pierced the chest of the captured boy.

A fatal blow.

Yet still, the boy continued to glare at Fury.

“Someone… will… defeat… you… Imperial… soldiers… The… time… will… come…”

The boy’s voice faded away.

Knowing it was meaningless, Fury raised his large sword.

But he felt it was his duty to do so.

He swung down his large sword.

“I understand. I’ll be waiting for that time.”

He didn’t say it to anyone.

It was a message to himself.

Left behind was the lifeless body of the boy.

In the silence, the Emperor’s clear voice echoed.

“It seems you’re the type who takes everything upon yourself, after all. Fury, you’re carrying a heavy burden. Even the death of your brother. Your reason for continuing to strive isn’t for your own recognition, but to reclaim your brother’s dignity, isn’t it?”

It couldn’t be denied.

In fact, he felt like his deeply buried emotions had been accurately pinpointed.

“Yes… that’s… true. It’s unforgivable, but…”

“It’s not a big deal. Fury, have you ever wondered why Imperial citizens avoid the service class and call people from the kingdom ‘monkeys’?”

“No.”

Normally, it’s because they think they’re crude people who conduct vicious and ruthless rituals even on infants and make contracts with monsters.

“By convincing themselves that those who are not like them are not human, they can turn away from the pain.”

Using people as fuel to maintain civilization.

It’s the backlash of the desire to separate those who are being used as fuel from themselves, even if they are human.

“Yes.”

“Whether they’re human or not doesn’t change the fact. In this world, where monsters rampage and resources are scarce, strength is necessary. That’s all there is to it.”

Benedict smiled faintly.

He seemed to be merely stating facts.

Come to think of it, Fury had never heard the Emperor disdain the enemy as “monkeys.”

Even if they’re human, if necessary, they’ll be used as firewood.

Perhaps it’s a manifestation of the consciousness that they want to separate those who are being used as fuel from themselves.

“What are you aiming for, Your Majesty?”

“I want to make humans the rulers of the world. And I want the citizens to come with me to the new world. That’s why I’ll go ahead of anyone else.”

Is the world the Emperor aims for, truly paradise or hell?

“To make humans the rulers of the world…”

“Right now, monsters are the rulers of the world. Humans cower, hide, and only offer prayers. But humans should stand at the pinnacle of the world. I’m willing to sacrifice anything for that.”

Fury looks at Benedict.

I don’t believe in anything in this world, but I don’t doubt either. That’s the look.

We continue to sacrifice others for the sake of being human.

Even though it may seem contradictory, by sacrificing what can be offered, he is trying to achieve it. Just like the boy earlier.

He’s trying to accomplish this on a global scale.

—Terrifying.

But even for someone as foolish as himself, he said it was okay.

Even emotions that weren’t understood by anyone, not even himself.

I’ll follow this man.

That’s what he thought.

Then, what would he offer as he followed?

—His life and resolve, perhaps?

Deciding on something, Fury picked up the dull object that had fallen to the ground.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve decided on the magic tool I want. I’ll choose this one.”

The knife Fury picked up was one whose owner had breathed their last and was now on the verge of returning to magic.

“Oh?”

Emperor Benedict raised an eyebrow.

“I will carry the spells of all the people I have killed! Until the day someone comes to defeat me!”

Having many weapons and spells doesn’t make one stronger, Fury, a warrior, understood this well.

But there was something close to conviction.

This was his own spell.

“Your Majesty charges forward like an arrow. Then I shall walk right behind you. With thousands of blades.”

Benedict wore a broad smile.

“Truly amusing, Fury. Very well. You should see the world I’m going to create right by my side. If you can stand until that time.”

“…As you wish.”

From that day on, Fury began to call people outside the Empire “monkeys”.

He also insulted his brother.

To walk behind the War Emperor, to walk together.

◆　◆　◆

And about ten years passed.

Fury continued to strive to conquer all nations.

Right behind the Emperor.

Before he knew it, Fury’s nickname had changed.

“Thousand Bloody Blades” Conqueror Fury.

It meant that the number of blades increased as he took them.

For the Emperor’s long-cherished wish, he dyed himself in blood on every battlefield.

Even this surprise attack, he was confident it would proceed according to Benedict’s scenario.

However, an unexpected event occurred.

That War Emperor was defeated.

The War Emperor, who he believed to be flawless.

Now, before Fury’s eyes, there stood the one who had defeated that Emperor.

Wearing black armor, riding a dragon with three heads.

It stared at him with its four eyes.

With one arm missing and his greatsword broken.

Covered in wounds large and small, thoroughly battered.

The words of that boy from before flashed through Fury’s mind.

And he muttered.

“Are you the one who will defeat me…”

The airship he glanced at began to turn.

It would retreat to the Empire, carrying the Emperor.

—Your Majesty. It seems this is as far as I go.

In the end, he couldn’t stand behind until the end.

“But that’s not bad.”

The Emperor had been let go.

That was enough.

—Now, let me fight for myself.

Fury discarded his cracked and broken greatsword.

And in his remaining hand, he conjured a spell blade.

A small knife.

“…Have you given up on fighting? Then I hope you’ll withdraw soon.”

The boy in black armor readied his sword.

His name was Lucius, if he remembered correctly.

“I’ve decided to end it with this sword! Don’t you want to take back this essence!?”

Fury poked the tube hanging from his waist with the tip of the knife in his hand.

It seemed to be someone Lucius knew.

“…I see.”

As he murmured, two black grotesques lunged at him.

The black breath of the evil dragon.

The sword illuminated with Lucius’s light.

It was beyond his control now.

— I knew.

The match ended in an instant.

The black breath of the evil dragon blew away his lower body, and Lucius tore him apart with his sword.

Fury rolled on the ground and lay on his back.

“I’ll accept your life.”

Lucius threw those words at him.

Involuntarily, Fury’s lips curled up.

—Ah, so he’s the type to shoulder burdens too.

There was some regret.

He had wanted to see where Emperor Benedict would end up.

At the same time, he became interested in this person called Lucius.

“…Ah, take it.”

Two great individuals with completely different personalities.

One who was more ambitious than anyone else, willing to lead everything, even if it meant carrying the lives of enemies.

And the other, who was willing to bear not only allies but also the lives of enemies from other nations.

There was no choice but to clash.

Until one of them breathed their last.

More than wanting Emperor Benedict to win, he felt a pure curiosity about who would win.

“Let me ask you one more time before the end. Do you have any words of apology?”

Lucius asked again.

There was no regret for what he couldn’t do or what he took. Therefore, there was no intention to apologize.

He had decided to bear the truth.

Until the end.

That’s all.

“No.”

“I see… I won’t forget about you.”

From somewhere, he felt like he could hear the sound of a flute.

A terribly nostalgic tone.

—Ah, it’s Kyles’ flute.

Shouldering burdens didn’t seem too bad after all.

A smile overflowed on his face in the end.

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