A laboratory at Prozen National University.
Professor Jean Pierre had received a certain piece of information from Akenzi, the Departnt Chief of the Prozen Central Intelligence Bureau.
"...There's a radical student group called the「Crystal Society」."
He lit a cigar, brow furrowed.
"Apparently it started as a small club that pledged itself in the basent of this v??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????ery university."
Crystal Society. Crystal Society. Jean Pierre repeated the unfamiliar na several tis under his breath.
"Ah. Vaguely, I do rember now."
Those students who, every ti he gave a lecture, would sit in the very back row and hurl hostile questions at the Ruling Social Party, and who staged fierce protests whenever the party announced new policies.
"Those students..."
Whoooosh. The blizzard outside seeped in through the cracks in the window. Jean Pierre stood up briefly and shut the window.
"Lately, the「Crystal Society」's scale has swelled at an abnormal rate. It's no longer at the level of a club; it's begun to take on the form of an organization. They outright purchased a building."
"A club grew that powerful?"
Akenzi nodded.
"One of our agents assud a false identity and made contact with their lower ranks, engaging them in conversation."
The agents had slowly infiltrated their base and observed their movents.
"They kept their mouths absolutely shut regarding the recent bombing of Minister Louis Marceau... but that man, 'Felix Renoir', they clearly seed to know about."
The agent then investigated their funding.
Every month, a courier delivered a certain box to the「Crystal Society」. It was delivered only to their leader, Clara Magal.
"I barely managed to obtain this single slip."
Akenzi pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper and set it down on the table.
[ This is Felix. I hope you put this to good use. If there is anything you lack, please do not hesitate to let
know. ]
The mont he read through those short lines.
"...Wait!"
Jean Pierre clapped a hand to his forehead as if struck by lightning. Akenzi flinched in surprise and stubbed out his cigarette.
"Wha??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t, what is it?"
"Here! This!"
Jean Pierre opened a drawer and pulled out that very 'naless answer sheet'.
The writing of soone who had perfectly predicted the political situation in Zerpha, naly the Empire's coexistence and Crown Prince Alonso's success.
"Take a look."
Jean Pierre and Akenzi placed the answer sheet and the note side by side, comparing the handwriting.
The note contained only a few lines, but it was enough to confirm the distinctive, elegant penmanship.
"The handwriting is identical."
A detective's intuition flickered through his mind.
Felix was the「Crystal Society」's financier. Perhaps even more than that.
No, that was certainly the case.
"Akenzi. What do you think?"
Felix Renoir.
The genius who had left behind the naless answer sheet, and in Jean Pierre's estimation, the pri suspect in the assassination.
"Can you keep watching the「Crystal Society」?"
At his request, Akenzi quietly nodded.
* * *
The heart of the Empire, battered by freezing blizzards.
The Zestfall intellectual coalition had been effectively dismantled. The Special Imperial Guard Unit had investigated their backgrounds down to the last detail and thrown everyone who was not of pure Aran blood into prison.
Captain Hans had played a significant role in that process.
Maximilian had provided Hans with the intelligence capabilities of the Genen Branch Office, and Hans had ferreted out every last dissident like a rabid dog. For those rits, his promotion to Major had been confird.
Naturally, this put him at odds with his direct superior, Lieutenant Colonel Lorenz, as they now competed over results.
Maximilian had engineered division and checks within the Guard Unit, and planted one man inside.
That one man would soon swell to dozens, then hundreds.
Maximilian had also borrowed Johann's pen to propose a new policy to the Emperor.
「Special asures Act for Levying Surcharges on Violators of the Imperial Citizenship Law and Providing Relief to Poor Aran」
This legislation shall impose punitive surcharges on officials, doctors, lawyers, mages, researchers, and others of mixed bloodline who have been dismissed from their posts or stripped of their qualifications under the Imperial Citizenship Law, and shall allocate those funds to transparently support lower-class citizens of pure Aran descent.
A bill to collect fines from those dismissed under the「Imperial Citizenship Law」and use them to support the Empire's Aran underclass.
This was a law that would have been enacted even without Maximilian, but in the life before his regression, the Special Imperial Guard Unit and those noble bastards had devoured every last coin of that money. This ti, he would monitor it rigorously and distribute it with as little leakage as possible.
"──Next! Next, hurry up! Present your identification!"
Rustle, rustle.
The lower districts of the capital's slums, where heavy snow fell without end. And not only there; stoves and food supplies were delivered to the barren lower-class residential areas throughout the west, east, and north.
"H-here you go..."
"Sara Fischer. Confird. Take it ho and just press this red button; the fire cos on imdiately. It's loaded with more than enough fuel to last you the entire winter, so don't skimp on it, and absolutely do not damage it!"
A mass-production stove developed at Lorenzo Academy. Their design philosophy was built on the assumption that people could not be trusted.
In other words, if anyone tried to forcibly disassemble or tear the stove apart to sell its components, the internal Mana Circuit would tangle and break, and the fuel tank was integrated as a single unit, making it structurally impossible to extract the Mana Stone fuel separately and fence it on the black market.
"This Aran al voucher can only be used at distribution centers when presented with your personal identification, so don't lose it."
"Y-yes, yes. Thank you so much..."
"These are given exclusively to Aran subjects, so keep a close watch on your surroundings! Make sure no suspicious people get close to your children!"
"Y-yes, yes..."
The lower-class residents cradled the curious-looking stoves and al vouchers against their chests, each heading ho with smiles blooming on their faces.
Whoooooosh!
Even amid the raging blizzard, the stoves glowed wi??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????th a blue warmth, and the number of those who froze to death during the Empire's winter dropped dramatically.
Now, as a new year dawned, the Empire was slowly but surely stepping ever deeper.
.......
Secret invitations on the finest parchnt were dispatched to several generals of the regular Imperial army.
「Imperial Regint Banquet Invitation」
It was a New Year's dinner hosted by Maximilian.
The sa key figures from last year had been invited, but this ti, there was a special stipulation.
[ Those of you who have received this invitation are permanent guests of honor. At this banquet, you may bring along one fellow officer who shares your convictions. ]
"Hmm..."
Thanks to this, Major General Maut found himself in deep deliberation.
This was the final crucial event of the year. "Guest of honor" was a title as pleasant to see as it was to hear, but the fact that he could bring only one companion weighed on him.
"Just one fellow officer to bring along..."
Major General Maut had already ford an informal faction called the "Genen Society
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