༺ The Red-blooded Dreamer (3) ༻
The 2nd Manager of the Prosecutor’s Office was Lafayette Varon during the day and Charles Steiner, a history assistant teacher, at night.
He realized that something was off the day he managed to escape the history lab thanks to his superior. Normally, one would operate undercover during the day and conduct their investigations at night.
‘I have to do the opposite.’
Surprisingly, he now found himself rolling through the day and operating under his disguise at night—a peculiar turn of events. Was this correct? He had never encountered anything like this while working in the 2nd Division.
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t add up. He had never conducted daytime investigations even in the red-light districts, where nocturnal activities and disguised operations were common.
“You can come back after dinner; there’s no need to return too early.”
“…Pardon?”
These were the words Christina told him a while ago.
It took him longer than expected to understand her words. Come ‘back after’ dinner? Not ‘leave before’ dinner?
He wondered if it was a sophisticated joke meant for the junior staff—but despite her smiling face, her eyes and expression were serious and didn’t hold any mischief in them. It wasn’t a joke.
‘What on earth does an assistant teacher get?’
Thinking back, it still made his head spin. Normally, people went to work when others did, and they would do overtime while others left.
Of course, civil servants often lived like this, but it was accompanied by wealth and honor despite not having any time to enjoy those rewards. But at least they were compensated.
But what perks did an assistant teacher get?
‘I made the wrong choice.’
He hadn’t been in this role for long, but he was certain: an assistant teacher was a poor choice for a cover identity.
He was free during the day, thanks to the debt the history teacher owed to the Executive Manager. But without that connection, he would have been stuck in the lab even during the day. He realized there were such dreadful jobs in the world.
…But, could this even be called a job?
‘The academy’s darkness runs deep.’
He wondered how many assistant teachers had to perish for one teacher to emerge.
“Mr. Charles.”
While he was pondering whether to ban the usage of assistant teachers as disguises in the official guidelines of the 2nd Division, he heard a soft voice from behind.
“Ah, Mr. Eriko.”
He turned around, putting on a professional smile. Eriko Trian was a neatly dressed man and was one of the academy’s faculty with whom he had maintained regular contact since their first meeting a few days ago. Although they weren’t close due to the short acquaintance, they were familiar enough to engage in conversation.
“What a coincidence to see you here again.”
“Haha, you’re right.”
Thus, they were acquaintances who could engage in conversation when they met by chance.
‘Idiot.’
The 2nd Manager maintained his smile while inwardly cursing. He would never associate with this man if it weren’t for work. He’d rather seize him and eliminate him on sight.
Why should he meet regularly with this dreary man? Coincidence? There were no coincidences; it was all something he deliberately arranged.
Regrettably, the man before him was someone he had to meet while disguising it as a coincidence for this mission.
‘Rebel bastard.’
He was a minion of the Red Wave.
The 2nd Manager suppressed the instinctive revulsion he felt. Showing even the slightest negative emotion could make this rebel disappear.
He still couldn’t fathom why a man of stature, even one of the academy’s faculty, harbored such abhorrent beliefs. Had he taken a blow to the head?
‘Well, who cares?’
Of course, there was no need to know. There was no point in delving into the life story of someone who was about to die. Every traitor had their own story, but most of the empire’s citizens cared little for the pointless stories of traitors.
“You’re just in time for lunch. Would you care to join me for a meal?”
“Sure.”
He nodded calmly and smiled at the rebel.
***
What are blue blood and red blood?
Was there anyone with blue blood from the beginning when the first emperor established the Muno Empire? No. The Muno Empire was a great country formed by those called red-blooded who subdued the blue-blooded of their time.
Were all of the five great contributors to the founding of the Kefellofen Empire of blue blood? No. Among the ancestors of those who ruled as dukes today, there were those of red blood as well.
In the past, did the red-blooded people do nothing to contribute to the achievements of the blue-blooded rulers? That was impossible. Their victories and their prosperity all stemmed from the sacrifices of the red-blooded people.
‘In the end, everyone should be of red blood.’
During turbulent times, it was not the stagnant blue blood but the red blood from which heroes emerged. The rule of the blue-blooded was founded on the dedication of the red-blooded.
Going back to its origins, blue-blooded too, came from red-blooded people.
Yet why is it that the blue-blood still reigns, while the red-blooded merely bowed their heads?
‘It shouldn’t be like this.’
Innate superiority of the blue-blooded over the red-blooded didn’t exist. If that were the case, the blue-blooded families would always remain blue-blooded and the red-blooded would always remain red-blooded throughout the history of the continent.
When those with red blood rose to the top, the continent faced upheaval.
Therefore, the distinction between blue and red must be eradicated. Equality must be established. It was necessary to do it even if the approach was radical.
“Opportunities should be broader. It’s a loss for the empire and for humanity if the common people who constitute the majority just stay in one place.”
And there were those who secretly agreed with this sentiment.
Was his name Charles Steiner? He was a fine young man, indeed. Yes, it was a loss for the continent and for humanity if the majority, the red-blooded people, remained confined to their place due to innate branding.
It seems they were still being deceived by the hypocrisy of those called the blue-bloods.
‘Simply broadening is not enough.’
Opportunities must spread everywhere. We should not rely on the crumbs thrown by those who trampled on the red-blooded and ruled over them. We must fight for and share these opportunities ourselves.
Yet, it’s encouraging for him to have reached the conclusion that opportunities must be expanded. Isn’t it about questioning the current reality and advocating for change?
Such a young man could make huge progress if guided by the right comrades.
“I agree with your thoughts, Mr. Charles. But to overcome the stagnant society and the majority’s poverty, we cannot be bound by the limits of the capital.”
That comrade should rightfully be me.
“Those in the academy are individuals who have developed their talents. Guiding even one person onto the right path is Mr. Eriko’s mission.”
I recalled the words of the comrade who led me to the Red Wave.
Yes, my mission. To open the eyes that were closed from birth was the mission I must fulfill with my blood.
“The limits of the capital?”
I nodded at Charles’s question.
“Yes. The capital created the current situation, so we must break free from it to move forward.”
We have to escape the capital’s system of social status to enter a new era.
***
The rebel finally left after delivering a tirade so intense it was almost sickening. Who knew he would fill the entire lunch hour?
“Your words were impressive, Mr. Eriko.”
“Our conversation was very enlightening.”
I looked down at the hand he had just shaken and casually wiped it with a handkerchief.
‘What a moron.’
I already knew it, but the conversation just made it clearer. That guy was definitely a moron.
Every word he spoke reeked of the Red Wave. He even got excited and babbled on just because he was given some agreement.
‘As always.’
Since ancient times, locating the Red Wave has been difficult. But once its whereabouts were known, identifying its members was easy.
Their distinctive ideology showed in their speech and actions, and all you needed to do was to prod them a bit just like now, and they would spill everything. It was so easy to find them that what the previous Executive Manager did, who leveled villages just to hunt them, made no sense at all.
‘It sounds good, though.’
Eriko’s words made quite some sense once filtered through. After all, wasn’t it a waste to neglect the commoners just because they were commoners?
The Empire knew this, so it integrated capable commoners into the noble class. Conversely, nobles deemed too incompetent and corrupt without value were eradicated, family and all.
But was even that not enough? Should we eliminate the distinction between blue-blooded and red-blooded altogether?
“What nonsense.”
I muttered in disbelief. Equality in position, opportunity, and rights should be given based on the premise of having the necessary ability. But what good would society be if rights were blindly given to uneducated commoners?
Well, if they actually had capable brains, then they wouldn’t be contaminated with these ideas.
***
I laughed when I heard the 2nd Manager’s report.
“They never progress, do they?”
— Indeed.
They kept ranting about escaping the old system and entering a new era, but those who were making the most noise were the least changed. Their arguments were almost the same, decade after decade.
In fact, the Empire was more proactive in change than the Red Wave. Kefellofen, which brought down Apels who treated commoners like dogs, showed the need for a different approach.
Thus, free cities were created, markets were established, assemblies were formed, and commoners could rise to nobility… anyway, that was the situation.
— We are still searching for other spies, but for now, it seems like Eriko Trian is the only one.
“That’s a relief. At least there are fewer lunatics in the empire.”
— Agreed.
I chuckled as the 2nd Manager shuddered in genuine relief.
Given his many clashes with the Red Wave, it was no surprise that he harbored an extreme dislike for them.
‘So there’s just one, then.’
I stopped laughing and stroked my chin. If the 2nd Manager says that there’s only one, then it must be true.
It was really fortunate. It proved that the empire overwhelmingly consisted of sane people.
‘Is it obvious?’
The Red Wave, with its radical ideas, had a long history of failures. There was a time when they established a republic in the outskirts, but the blue-blooded merely turned into so-called revolutionaries, with no real change for the commoners.
It’s funny how they still talked about republicanism.
“Good work. Contact me immediately if something comes up.”
— Understood.
Putting aside my musings of the dynamic history of the Red Wave, I spoke.
What was the point of realizing again that they were morons? They were all going to end up in prison anyway.
‘This will be over soon.’
At least I could now relax. The troublesome task of rooting out the mole was successful, after all.
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