Holy Britannian Empire, Area 11
Tokyo Settlement
August 2017 A.T.B.
Panic was the best word that best described the current state of the Viceroy of Area 11, Prince Clovis la Britannia.
Although when he took over as governor of old Japan, he often found himself panicking or worrying about trivial matters, but over time he learned to ignore it. However, this situation was so sensitive that panic was, in a sense, inevitable.
The Viceroy's right hand moved on the desk while lying on the surface. In front of his eyes, however, was a laptop displaying a report straight from Captain Amon Dirlewanger himself.
"That something like this could also happen?" Clovis growled quietly under his breath in irritation. "First the attack on the convoy, and now it turns out that Lucius knows about Code R. At least Captain Dirlewanger can keep a low profile and knows when not to ask for certain information."
Clovis found some comfort in at least this one piece of news. However, this did not change the entire context, which was not very pleasant for him, in the slightest. If information about the project, his personal and top secret project, were leaked to the public, he would face serious consequences. Losing his reputation and ruining his authority would then be the least of his many problems.
His thoughts then turned to his younger brother. A man who had lost enough loved ones in his life to consider it too much. After all, there was a good chance that if Clovis told him the truth, directly, and presented the ultimate goal of this project, Lucius would support him in this initiative.
"After all, my brother has already lost his mother, his siblings and one of his friends." The viceroy muttered darkly, so quietly that it seemed like a tiny spark in the overwhelming darkness. "Lucius will understand that this project is primarily intended to create immortal soldiers who are able to fight constantly and not give the enemy even the slightest chance to rest. Only then is it a project to eliminate death as a phenomenon from this world..."
Further considerations, overshadowed by Clovis' joy and dreaminess, were interrupted by the opening of the door leading to the corridor. The viceroy almost immediately made sure he looked calm and presentable.
Meanwhile, an obese and clearly concerned General entered the office.
"Bartley." Clovis greeted him coldly, and although he had his emotions under control, underneath he was wavering between panic and joy, for understandable reasons. "What do you have to report to me about this farce?"
General Asprius saluted somewhat nervously, then stood at attention before answering. "Your Highness, after a short but, in my opinion, entirely sufficient investigation…"
"Spare me these formalities!" Clovis raised his voice and slammed his hand on the table, replacing panic with anger. "I want to know who was negligent, as a result of which Elevens obtained this confidential information about the convoy that transported some of the test objects?"
Bartley flinched at the Prince's words, but quickly regained his composure and replied. "It was Captain Warwick and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Arnold. The captain neglected security and the proper handling of confidential information. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant has been trading in confidential data for many years, selling it to terrorists."
"And it took this long to eradicate the same complacent and treacherous plagues that plagued those involved in this project?" Clovis asked with a distinct, loud growl as his temper and mood only became more and more nasty.
"With all due respect, Your Highness…" The general withdrew his right hand behind his back, then placed it behind his back and clenched it into a fist. "To date, these men have been some of the best and most exemplary junior officers in Area 11. That said, I have had no reason to believe, nor have their checks revealed anything that would cause me to doubt their loyalty and competence."
"This proves your mistakes, General." Clovis replied, coldly now, after remembering one quite specific fact on the subject. "In fact, both officers were your appointees and promoted to these ranks by you."
Bartley shifted nervously. "Is this an accusation of corruption, cronyism, or perhaps complicity in the crime of treason?"
"This is not an accusation, just an order, General." Clovis replied, dissatisfied that his indirect message to his right hand had not been guessed. "Either you solve the problem for which you are indirectly responsible, or you yourself suffer the consequences of their crimes."
"Yes, Your Highness." Bartley bowed low. "If this is acceptable, I will immediately convene a quick summary military court for both of them and sentence them both to death. Meanwhile, a prisoner captured by the Scarlet Crusaders, as we speak, is currently being tortured to death by Captain Dirlewanger."
Clovis was glad that his trusted man had clearly already thought about all the problems and their solutions. "This is a very good turn of events, although you seem a bit disgusted by it. In fact, I'd like to know the reason, General."
Bartley controlled his facial expressions and feelings before answering. "While I am not disgusted by the methods themselves, as they can be an absolute necessity to obtain valuable information at critical moments, Captain Dirlewanger's techniques, the cruelty and brutality involved, make me shiver."
"I understand that perfectly." At that moment, Clovis felt chills and felt the taste of acid on the palate, reminiscent of the taste of acid before vomiting. "I saw this man's excesses several times and vomited several times until I decided that watching this was not for me. Still, I cannot deny the effectiveness of this man in his work."
General Asprius raised an eyebrow at this point. "Even though he raped countless female Elevens and fathered at least a dozen children, how long did those women survive his assault?"
"Do not remind me." Clovis's mouth twisted in an expression of pure disgust and disgust. "The less I think about it, the better for my well-being."
Clovis had heard of the exploits of the Captain and the men of his company. If, as a civilized man, he were to describe it in any words, it would be epithets such as brutality, animalism, sadism, sometimes even something bordering on sadomaso and unnecessary cruelty.
"Of course, Your Highness." Bartley nodded in understanding before moving on to the next topic. "There still remains the matter of Prince Lucius."
"We don't have to worry about that, I guess." Clovis wasn't going to talk for too long about a topic that, in his opinion, simply didn't exist. "If Captain Dirlewanger's report is to be believed, and the man has never given me greater reason to doubt his loyalty and discretion. Meanwhile, both Lucius and the terrorists must still be convinced that my secret project is a gas, a poisonous gas. Specifically, an improved version of Zyklon B, Zyklon D/2, with a much broader application than just the elimination of rodents or parasites."
While this was a rational way of thinking, it could equally be considered wishful, if not naive. It was true that Lucius was an extremely logical man, even if he made unexpected, seemingly illogical decisions that, when combined together, created a logical, bigger picture that led to one ultimate goal.
Clovis had long since given up trying to understand or guess the intentions of his much more intelligent and talented sibling. Nevertheless, he discovered one important element in Lucius's case that most less keen observers might have missed. The fact that the Purple Prince never muddied the metaphorical waters unless he was confident in allowing himself to do so. He also did not try to give direction, especially against all odds. That said, in Clovis's opinion, his younger brother was more like a calculated populist who knew which way the wind was blowing before making a move.
It was for this reason that he, Clovis la Britannia, had not the slightest doubt that his younger brother would not touch on a side topic as long as it did not appear to be a direct threat to him, or a very good opportunity. In this case, however, with limited information and the knowledge that it was only a nerve gas, and without a solid lead, Lucius would certainly not get involved in this project.
"Well, after all, I have already given the order to carry out the relocation and tie up loose ends, just in case, Your Highness." Bartley bowed respectfully. "I also took care to separate and disperse individual research teams and their projects or test facilities. If they come across one of them, Prince Lucius' men, they will not know what it is a part of and whether it is all."
"Once again, you thought of everything a few steps ahead of me in avoiding the exposure of my secret operation to unauthorized persons, thank you, Bartley." Clovis stood up with a smile and looked at the skyline of the Tokyo Settlement, practically from the top of the Viceroy Palace. "I understand that the Knightmare Frames pilot mental training program and the facility recovered from Kamine Island have also been relocated and separated?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Apart from the immortality project, the training program was given the highest priority. Taking into account the progress in this field and the basically ready procedure - for lack of a better word - of the pilots production, losing it would be very painful."
"Undoubtedly." Clovis just continued to look at the skyline of the Tokyo Settlement before deciding to end the meeting and move on to the next topic, which was to start mass producing pilots for Knightmare Frames."
Holy Britannian Empire, Area 11
Puretress
August 2017 A.T.B.
"Was that so?" Lucius asked, sitting in front of his desk in the conference room where he had been working for a long time. "Did he actually give such an order?"
The question was not addressed to the active laptop in front of him. Instead, it was addressed directly to the person on the other end, Captain Amon Dirlewanger. The man, as he almost always was in Lucius's presence, was calm and polite. He remained like this even despite the fact that the topic of conversation was not pleasant, to say the least.
"Unfortunately, the Viceroy gave me the order to kill Naoto through torture." Amon replied, but there was a slight smirk at the corners of his mouth, the joy of inflicting pain through the methods of most living sadists. "I decided the best thing I could do was to obey the order and notify you, Your Highness. Even though I know where the flag started blowing, I cannot endanger my people and myself too much. Especially when it comes to something like political games where I don't support either side."
"I'm glad you're honest with me, Captain." Lucius muttered loudly enough to reach his interlocutor's ears. "Still, did you manage to get any other information."
"Only the same as yesterday, Your Highness. The reason for the action and the payload that the terrorists expected, plus the people on our side who enabled Elevens to obtain this information and carry out this attack." Amon answered honestly and with no attempt or intention to hide anything, from someone far more powerful than himself. "From my information, it is clear that they are to have a quick and provisional field trial, after which they will be sentenced to death."
"I see." Lucius nodded, as he was well aware that such practices were not uncommon when there was a desire to cover up a top secret matter of this nature. "Apart from that, have any arrangements been made regarding the location of this group of terrorists?"
It was inappropriate for him to seek information on this subject at this point. Lucius was well aware that it would also be pointless at this point, because he did not plan to deal with terrorists operating around the Tokyo Settlement in the near future. That would come later, when the time was right for it.
"Unfortunately, Your Majesty, I had to obey your orders and was unable to obtain more information." Amon lowered his eyes, as if in polite humility. "As for the terrorist's body, my people abandoned it in one of the ghettos tonight."
Lucius hesitated for a moment before lifting his lips in a cold smile, the kind he used to show to his friends and subordinates when discussing some particularly perfidious and insidious plan of action. "Now I understand, you wanted the corpse of this hybrid to be recovered by his friends so that they would conclude that we had obtained no relevant information and that is why he was tortured to death."
"Indeed." Amon snorted, now somewhat disdainfully. "Let me put it simply, I am happy to use my reputation as a psychopath, a mass psychopath, a butcher and a rapist, to mislead the enemies of the empire. These fools think I'm a wild beast, when in fact I'm playing them and leaving them in a false sense of security."
"The smart way to do things." Lucius commented briefly before leaning back in his seat and leaning back. "If that's all, have a good day and good luck with your job, Captain, whatever it is today."
"Thank you, Your Highness, and it's nothing out of the ordinary." Amon also said goodbye before ending the call. "Just interrogating several young Elevens girls, suspected of drug trafficking in order to raise funds for one of the terrorist organizations. I believe it was the so-called Yamato Alliance. Regardless, I will take care of the young women, paying special attention to every detail and taking advantage of all their strengths before the actual interrogation."
To tell the truth, Lucius didn't know whether Amon was joking or whether he really intended to deal with the interrogated Elevens in this way. It didn't even matter to the Purple Prince, because it wasn't his competence, so he didn't bother with it anymore.
Taking advantage of this short moment of pause, Lucius allowed himself to let his thoughts flow freely and without any major obstacles to any topics. Starting with reports on the completion of the rearmament of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Knights of the Purple Rose Corps, through memories of loved ones who have passed away, and ending with his wild dream, with his lover in one of the main roles.
At the memory of the dream, the Purple Prince's cheeks turned extremely red. The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt about it all, and that's hardly surprising. With that said, he pushed aside thoughts on the subject and focused on something that was no less preoccupying him at the moment. It was his deceased family.
Even though Lucius had the best relationship with his mother, untainted by antagonism, he forgot about her from year to year. Even though this extremely beautiful woman had great affection for him and his siblings and was always there for them, all memories of her were becoming more and more hazy with each passing year. The only exception was the memory of her machine-gun bullet-riddled body lying on the steps at Aries Villa on THAT particular night, crushing and protecting the twins' younger sister vi Britannia. The last act of sacrifice.
Something that constantly triggered feelings within Lucius himself, and grew stronger as he stayed in Area 11, were memories of his siblings. The main reason why he tried to act more and more cold and distant, because without this barrier of safety, Lucius felt that he might not be able to stand it and would start to rage wildly. Not like the calculating political-military player that Lucius undoubtedly was on a daily basis and had been for a long time, but instead like a wild and untamed beast.
His first thoughts went to Nunnally, his younger and innocent sister, with whom he had the most positive memories. Lucius became emotional remembering all those carefree moments from the past when they had run around the gardens in the large and elegant villa. A few tears left the Purple Prince's eyes as his thoughts filled with the painful reminder of her fate at the hands of a merciless fate. Killed, perhaps even raped before her death, by savage barbarians who only grew less and less in Lucius's opinion as they fought against them.
After that, his thoughts turned to a much more complicated and indeed complex topic, his older brother, Lelouch, by a few minutes. This time, the emotions accompanying the memories of their moments together were a mixture of joy, sentiment, anger, disappointment and regret. A mixture resulting from still clear memories that humanity will never find a way to describe.
Finally, after memories full of regret and sadness, Lucius decided to activate his personal touch phone, where he had copies of all the photos he had taken with his loved ones, including those with his sister and brother. Full-blood siblings, not just half-siblings. From this perspective, it all seemed to him like tattered, worn and yellowed photographs, decaying relics of the past.
"Lelocuh." Lucius whispered, as if the mere mention of the name could bring back to him a person once close to him, with whom, back before he had any real consciousness, he had shared the womb of the same woman. "Even though I can't turn back time... Did I have to choose that rational and clear decision that day?"
His words were filled with regret, sincere regret, for saving himself at the expense of his own siblings, who from that perspective, due to his brother's recklessness, seemed to be already lost, doomed to destruction.
However, he didn't have much time to further confront his thoughts on this matter. Soon, his personal communicator buzzed several times and made a loud noise, and Lucius almost instinctively answered the incoming call.
"Did something happen?" He asked in a cold, haughty voice, already devoid of the warmth and regret present a few moments ago.
"Luc, it's me." Sir Ciaran spoke from the other end of the line. "Chief Quartermaster Lawrence De Lugo and Commander-in-Chief of Area 11 Garrisons Adrian Barclay have arrived at your call."
Lucius remembered that an hour before his conversation with Captain Dirlewanger, he had invited the two of them for a private conversation, and now he had no intention of backing out just because his thoughts were elsewhere.
"Very well, let them come in and direct them to the conference room where I currently work, which can basically be considered my personal office." These last words were said somewhat jokingly and drew a brief chuckle from the other party before the confirmation and conversation came. came to an end.
Not even 10 minutes had passed before the automatic, moving door to the room opened and both high-ranking officers and some of the most important people in Area 11 entered. First, the General responsible for the garrisons in the colony, then the Colonel, who basically decided which from the formation will be the first to receive the necessary supplements for further functioning.
"Gentlemen, please take a seat." Lucius greeted them, telling them to be on the other side of the round table.
Both high-ranking officers - although in the scale of the imperial hierarchy, they could be classified as above average - quickly took their assigned seats, placing their hands either on the table or on their knees.
Lucius watched the two for a few short moments, assessing them and forming opinions about them. Adrian was clearly calm, almost relaxed, while Lawrence seemed a bit tense in his presence.
"You are probably aware of the reasons I called you here."
His short statement caused an almost immediate reaction from Adrian.
"Yes, Your Highness." He nodded while his golden eyes seemed to sparkle a bit. "Ultimately, I am the direct commander of almost all local forces in Area 11. Meanwhile, Colonel De Lugo, is responsible for supplying and equipping the troops. If you intend to continue this campaign and at the same time increase the combat potential of your own troops that are not part of the Knights of the Purple Rose, you have no choice but to cooperate with us, Your Highness."
Lucius raised his eyebrows, but otherwise gave no indication of himself. In fact, as soon as he saw this man, he was almost immediately on the verge of classifying him as a not-so-intelligent sycophant. Now, however, his opinion of him and his companion began to change. Especially since he had no doubts about their nature.
What influenced his final conclusions about them was the question of their attitude towards the civil administration of the colony. All this created an image in the Purple Prince's mind that was quite close to the actual state of affairs.
"Just as you have no choice in giving me what I want at any given time, if your true desire is to get rid of the corrupt among the civilian administration of the colony." Lucius replied solemnly and calmly, as if stating the most obvious fact.
In just one moment, the tension practically seemed to evaporate from the Colonel. Both military officers smiled in response.
"So you are well aware of the reason why the two of us supported and continue to support you during the Colonial Council meetings." General Barclay stated before looking at the Colonel and giving him a nod.
Lawrence then looked straight into the Purple Prince's eyes. "Our absolute condition of support for you, the formation under your direct command, Your Highness, is a ruthless fight against the civilian administration. Its members are, in the vast majority of cases, thoroughly corrupt and sell information, often extremely important, to local terrorists hostile to the empire. Their greed cost the lives of hundreds of brave and dedicated men and women to the empire. Often also people with whom the General and I were personal friends. We, the servants of the Holy Britannian Empire and the Emperor, will be satisfied with nothing less than cutting out the cancer of high treason!"
Ending the statement in such a harsh way, before the majesty of one of the princes of the empire, and one of the most powerful at that, that Lucius raised his eyebrows in surprise and did not know how to properly respond to it.
Only after a short moment of awkward silence did the Grand Master manage to gather his thoughts and respond in any sensible way. "I will be honest with you, because you are with me and there is no reason for me to lie to you. I will be happy to exterminate and purge the civil administration as soon as I receive sufficiently strong evidence against them. For now, however, both of you will have to settle for harsh rhetoric towards them. Especially since I have the support of the Viceroy himself in this matter."
The General and the Colonel looked at each other, exchanging a look of confusion and shock. Lawrence finally spoke, after another moment of silence. "His Highness favors the fight against members of the civil administration?"
"Yes, but I am telling you this in the deepest confidence, counting on your discretion." Lucius leaned over the round table, looking somewhat like a predator scrutinizing his potential prey, though neither of his pair of interlocutors felt uncomfortable. "Suffice it to say that Prince Clovis is fed up with people who were only supposed to hold their positions temporarily and who have consolidated their power and influence so much that they are, in a sense, irremovable. However, this situation could change significantly if their power base weakens."
"How?" This time the question was asked by General Barclay, looking at the Purple Prince with obvious expectation, but without any pushiness or uncomfortable curiosity, at least for the object of his attention.
"The exact methods, as well as the details of all actions against our political enemies, will be revealed in time, gentlemen." Lucius answered them both emphatically. "For my part, I will only add that I have already personally involved some of my best people in this matter. "I have no doubt, gentlemen, that you have heard from the so-called Group of Maria."
General Barclay and Colonel De Lugo exchanged anxious glances. All because of very disturbing rumors that have reached the ears of many military and civilian officials for several weeks. Not only in Area 11, but also in a large part of the empire. Especially, however, in the Homeland, from where these rumors could reach other corners of the Holy Britannian Empire.
All these rumors were connected by one piece of information, consistent across all reports, which was a group of spies, assassins and infiltrators, called the Group of Maria after the name of the commander of this informal intelligence group, or perhaps at this point an intelligence agency.
These people, under the direct orders of Lucius, had a grim reputation as efficient, cruel, brutal people from whom no one could hide and who were everywhere. All this, under the command of a teenager who lost her father at a young age and seemed to close her heart to everyone, even those considered her friends.
Lucius, although he fully enjoyed the fame of one of his greatest assets, was perfectly aware that the group of people under the command of Mariemai Khushrenad did not give him as many opportunities or advantages as he would like. Still, it was a huge asset that was constantly expanding in size and gave Lucius access to a wealth of information and options for action.
"Since you are completely aware of this, I think there is no need to expand the topic of conversation further. Suffice it to say that one of my best servants will be fully committed to finding information about the secrets of our corrupt friends." His words, spoken with a heavy tone of obvious mockery, weren't entirely a lie, although that didn't mean he was telling them the whole truth. "Do you have anything to add?"
Colonel De Lugo spoke first. "If it won't be an obstacle or cause too many complications, we would like to send her a list of our own people who work in the colony's civil administration and might prove to be useful sources of information."
"Have you started building your own spy network?" Lucius asked, surprised by such an unexpected fact. "All in the hopes of getting rid of all these parasites?"
"Parasites?" Lawrence snorted mockingly, as if forgetting who he was talking to at the moment. "There are no words in the dictionary of cultured people that are offensive enough to call them strong enough. These creatures must die and no matter what methods we use…!"
He almost lost control of himself, but regained his composure in time and released some of the accumulated air. "They must simply perish, for the good of all. I can only be grateful to the wisdom of Elizabeth III and Ricardo von Britannia for choosing to maintain a strong monarchy and a democracy limited to the nobility. Although - if I can allow myself to be completely honest - our state, system and rules leave much to be desired and are undoubtedly flawed, it is still definitely better than depraved democracy and governments elected on the basis of popularity. I don't even want to think what a sorry state Britannia would be in today if the country were ruled from the top not by the Emperor and his family, but by corrupt idiots like the local Colonial Chancellor or the Commissioner of Social Affairs."
"And yet we did not avoid this type of creatures in quite important positions, just like at United Europia." Lucius remarked, half-amused, but very quickly returned to his haughty posture and tone of voice. "Regardless of this, the fact is that in matters of great politics and war, Britannia is victorious and, taking into account the political and social decline of our opponents, combined with the inability to draw conclusions and the indifference of the masses of people to the fate of the state, I can certainly say that an empire will soon rule the world."
However, the Purple Prince, with one firm wave of his hand, dismissed any further attempts to discuss him and his position on this matter. "However, this is not the subject of this conversation. What matters to us at this point is to destroy all sources of leaks as quickly as possible."
Over the next few moments, both officers swore their oaths of allegiance to Lucius and Lawrence gave him a list of all their agents operating within the civil administration of Area 11. It also quickly became clear that, in fact, it was not a very impressive list. Not only were there few people, but the vast majority of them were low-level employees, only 3 could be classified as people from the middle of the local hierarchy.
Still, Lucius had no intention of turning down this ease of work and gratefully accepted the offer.
The next half hour was spent discussing plans of action and potential ways to get rid of those who hated and hindered Lucius' work. It all took time and some finesse to get rid of them, but it was something to do, undoubtedly.
On this occasion, the limited skills of both officers in the field of intrigues, their planning and implementation came to light. That said, Lucius and Mariemaia have gained complete freedom and, coupled with the seemingly genuine sincerity of the Purple Prince, their trust as well.
The conversation was therefore ended after the previously mentioned time, about half an hour. General Barclay and Colonel De Lugo left first the room with the round and richly decorated table, and then Purtress herself.
So Lucius was left alone for some time, in the conference room that served as his personal office. He returned to work, but prioritized informing Mariemaia of what had happened, and the two struck up a brief conversation. The red-haired teenager in charge of his personal interview was more than happy with the letters she received, which provided her with some additional help.
In addition, however, Lucius was informed by her about certain movements within Empress Gabrielle's party, but without details. With a recommendation from the Mariemaia's side that the Purple Prince should be careful because of the possibility of an assassination attempt on him. Lucius thanked her politely, but he didn't care, because at that moment he had no reason to believe that anyone would be able to attack him, or that Gabrielle would be stupid enough to do so at that moment.
For the next few minutes after the call ended, Lucius finished the rest of his paperwork for the day, including reading the various reports. So he had quite a lot of free time, just for himself, and he quickly decided that he would spend the next few hours training in combat and piloting Knightmare Frames.
But then, something unexpected happened to him. Another message, this time directly from Doctor Kinnon Zimmad, straight from S.K.F.D. Institute, as Lucius himself believed.
The content of the message, after the initial surprise and confusion, put Lucius in a great mood after reading all the lines.
"Your Highness, after many hardships, design problems and minor technological perturbations, we have finally managed to complete work on KPR-02 Deathtrooper." Lucius wanted to laugh, but only did so after reading the next sentence in the message. "The first two non-prototype units will be delivered to Area 11 in 4 days, although this time may be extended if we detect any additional design or technical defects."
Lucius slammed his fist on the table, a satisfied look on his lips. "Finally, technological superiority will be restored, for the Knights of the Purple Rose and me."
If it weren't for the fact that he already had plans for the rest of the day, he wouldn't have refused a glass of wine or even a whole bottle. Nevertheless, he already had plans for the rest of the day and had no intention of practicing flying the Knightmare Frames as he was completely drunk.
These were hours well spent, which gave him a big shot of adrenaline and were also a great break from everyday duties. During the following 3 days, Lucius regularly practiced piloting and fighting in the Knightmare Frames. Also, with the other pilots of Task Force Boudica, among whom he found many equal pilots.
All this until the 4th day, when the first 2 copies of the long-awaited Knightmare Frames were supposed to arrive. One of the first, from the 7th generation, which was created at a time more or less similar to a certain prototype developed by Camelot Engineering Corps.
Also during the fourth day, something happened that gave Lucius the opportunity to test the latest machines and it was an unexpected event.
AN: And that's all for this chapter.
Lucius' emotional struggles, a closer look at the character of Amon Dirlewanger, Clovis' movements and the whole action heading towards one, quite specific point.
As for the character of Amon, I didn't want him to be a typical psychopath in the service of - in this case - a quasi-totalitarian state, but instead someone who was equally cruel and bestial, but also intelligent and doing everything deliberately. On top of all this, he was loyal to the empire and effective in his work. I personally believe that someone like Amon, is much more credible than Luciano Bradley.
That's all for this chapter, I wish you all the best and see you soon. -King's Snake