Power of the Modern Empire (I)

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===

"It seems I won't put your mind at ease unless I clarify things a bit, Kiritsugu..." Artorius spoke with ease. "I need the Holy Grail to achieve a certain goal for the Empire."

As he said that, a chilling light flickered in Artorius's eyes like frost.

"As for what it specifically entails, you'll naturally be informed once your confidentiality clearance reaches the level of a governor. Is this enough to put your mind at ease, Kiritsugu?"

"!" As Artorius spoke, Kiritsugu's heart rate suddenly accelerated by two beats. He felt like he had just stumbled upon a deadly secret. He even felt a twinge of regret.

'The Empire's goal...'

'Is he talking about the goal from his era, or is he referring to the current Empire...?'

'Could it be that I'm involved in some plot on the Empire's level?'

'Is this Emperor connected to the present Empire as well?'

'That's not easy to deny, considering the Einzbern's loyalty and fanaticism towards this Emperor. It doesn't seem difficult for him to appear and make the entire world submit to him.'

'If that's the case, will I become a threat and need to be silenced?'

Though he was an ally of justice, a mercenary akin to a demon of slaughter, and a famous Mage Killer, Kiritsugu knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the might of the government, especially when dealing with colossal entities like the 'Earth Federation' or the so-called 'World Empire.'

He possessed an RPG, but they had F55 Sky Fighters.

And as someone who worked on the Mystery side and was involved in various matters, he knew much more.

To the outside world, the F55 Sky Fighters, the 2 million-ton floating island fortress, and the 300-ton-class land destroyers constituted the pinnacle of the Empire's armaments.

But, as the famous Mage Killer, Kiritsugu knew the might that the Empire concealed beneath the surface far surpassed these surface armaments, which were constantly berated by the opposition as 'wasting taxpayers' money' like frogs croaking.

The crucial difference lay in one side's use of Mystery, while the other did not.

The combination of science and magecraft produced unparalleled results.

Kiritsugu understood this all too well.

Compared to the Empire's terror, violence, military might, and armaments, his own abilities seemed minuscule, like insects or trash, entirely insignificant.

In his previous encounters with the empire during missions, the results were far from ideal.

The most memorable one was a battle on the snowy plains of Canada.

The Empire's internal security forces, known as the 'Final Brigade', launched an attack on the remnants of the Dead Apostles. Kiritsugu got involved unwittingly.

Their actions were not directed at him specifically; they were just collateral damage. But it left him with a sense of despair, a feeling of being utterly powerless.

Fighter jets in the sky, swarms of unmanned drones, and orbital strike devices.

On the ground, Imperial soldiers donning the fourth-generation 'Frostsilver' exoskeletons, the sixth-generation 'Knights of the Round Table' anti-gravity infantry vehicles, and the seventh-generation 'Radiant' anti-gravity main battle tanks.

Supporting all of those were the 'Dragon Emperor' control systems, the 'Eternal Guardian' monitoring systems, and the pervasive electronic and spiritron networks covering the battlefield. It was an all-encompassing, three-dimensional system perfectly blending science and magecraft.

Under the combined attacks of this entire system, even the Dead Apostles, some of whom were as powerful as the 'Ancestors' were massacred, crushed, and overwhelmed like innocent lambs.

Their arrogant pride, believing themselves superior to humans, was crushed into dust by cold metal and searing spiritron.

All the terrifying abilities they thought could dominate everything, their undying power, their dreadfully powerful magecraft, magic swords, or beasts, everything vanished under the might of the Empire's military system.

In the end, only a handful of mentally broken Dead Apostles were captured. Waiting for them were lives as experimental subjects in Empire laboratories, a life without seeing daylight, and an end after being squeezed of all value.

At that time, Kiritsugu had lost all hope.

It wasn't something humans could fight against. Not even one Mage Killer, let alone a million Mage Killers, would be of any use.

Yet, against all odds, he managed to survive.

What kept him alive wasn't his abilities, strength, intelligence, or Origin Bullet's power. It was the Empire's control system's ability to recognize friends from foes.

The soldiers, knights, and fighter jets of the Empire simply ignored him.

The Empire's firepower was intense, yet not a single bullet hit him. All the weapons, armies, and tanks passed through him as if he were a rock, a wisp of air, or simply nothing.

The Mage Killer had his life spared. After that incident, he avoided any tasks related to the Empire, until today, when Artorius's words reminded him of the humiliation of being dominated by the nation's machinery and the fear of being subjugated by unparalleled violence.

"..."

"So, let's get along well, Master."

After saying these words, Artorius smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and then turned and left.

'Deep breath...'

After Artorius left, Kiritsugu took a deep breath. His mind was spinning, his body felt weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

"Kiritsugu?!"

Noticing that her husband was not well, Iri hurriedly stepped forward and reached out to support him.

"Are you alright?"

"..."

"No, it's nothing." Kiritsugu forced a very faint smile. "I'm just a little tired."

===

At the same time, Artorius pushed open Illya's bedroom door.

Though as a young lady of the Einzbern family, Illya's room was guarded by maids, with various security measures in place, none of these security measures would be used on Artorius, no matter what.

The maid on duty blushed slightly upon seeing Artorius and then bowed, making way for him.

"I remember you." Artorius did stop and said, "Sella?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

The maid stuttered, being acknowledged by Artorius with her name seemed like quite an honor. Though it didn't compare to being held by him.

Nonetheless, after hesitating for a moment, she continued, "Your Majesty... that... Miss Illya has already gone to bed, so, umm... Ah, of course, I'm not trying to stop you, but I just wanted to inquire so that I could better serve you..."

"Haha..." Seeing the somewhat flustered explanation from the maid, Artorius chuckled merrily and reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to Illya. After all, she's like my own child."

As he spoke, Artorius walked into the bedroom, approaching Illya's small bed and gazing at the adorable sleeping girl.

Long eyelashes, even breathing, and a bit of baby fat on her face, none of these things were of great importance. Even the highest-level magic circuits in Artorius's eyes hardly hold up any significance compared to the magical energy she possessed.

'Einzbern, the pinnacle of homunculus technology.'

Artorius let out a sigh and said to himself as he gazed at the sleeping Illya.

'Technology has progressed to this level.'