Chapter 101
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101
Many nobles died in that torture facility. Cleaning up the aftermath fell to Heilas.
A solitary investigation conducted by the Imperial Guard to preserve confidentiality.
The underground facility in question is suspected of serving as a funding source for Nemesis.
Numerous casualties, including nobles.
There wasn't a single soul in high society who hadn't heard about the incident. For so many of the elite to die all at once was unprecedented.
Yet even those who had lost acquaintances and family members held their tongues, offering no criticism of the Imperial Guard's actions. However decadent a noble might be, none would dare defend pleasure-killing. In fact, many families quietly scaled their funerals down to private services.
I felt a wave of relief as the news filtered through. Had the nobles taken the lead in holding the Imperial Guard accountable, I would have been sorely disappointed.
It's precisely this kind of atmosphere that let even Bao Zakanan wander into a dangerous underground facility without knowing who ran it.
To indulge their antisocial appetites, even high-ranking officials were willing to court danger.
And the Empire's terrorist organizations were exploiting these shadows to the fullest. It gave them leverage over high-society figures and a steady stream of operational funds.
Only after things had quieted down somewhat did Heilas summon me.
"I've struck the names of the Imperial Guardsmen who took part in this mission from the records—yours included. No matter how justified the operation was, there may be those seeking revenge."
Heilas spoke in a voice heavy with exhaustion. The words alone made plain how much effort the cover-up had cost him.
"It sounds like cleaning up the aftermath was quite the ordeal."
"It was a foregone conclusion the moment I deployed Iskan. I know his temperament all too well. Iskan and I were classmates back in our cadet days."
That caught me off guard.
"Well, you certainly wouldn't guess it from your appearances."
On the surface, Iskan looked a good ten or twenty years younger.
"I need to maintain a certain dignity, so I wear an older face. Iskan has no such concerns."
That made a certain kind of sense.
The Empire's nobles and high officials typically froze their appearance once they reached middle age. It was simply easier to command respect and trust that way.
Look too young, and you seemed inexperienced; too old, and you seemed frail. The middle ground struck just right.
And unspoken as it was, custom held that one should appear younger than one's superior in the organization—a matter of courtesy.
I understood all of this well enough, yet seeing it firsthand left me oddly disoriented. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd simply assumed Iskan was younger than Heilas.
"Was there a reason you deployed Iskan for this mission, knowing full well he'd cause trouble?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it. Honestly, I'd grown far too comfortable around Heilas. I really shouldn't have.
"Because he's a man I trust that much. And I judged him capable of protecting you under any circumstances."
I couldn't decide whether to feel grateful or angry. The anger won out, if only slightly.
"I'm a soldier perfectly capable of defending myself."
"Even so, you're still just a cadet. Iskan was already a veteran before you were born. If you want to complain, do it once you've grown stronger than the both of us."
I shut my mouth, with nothing to say. A sigh climbed toward my throat, but I swallowed it back down.
"In any case—was there something wanting in my last report?"
I changed the subject. Heilas wouldn't have summoned me merely for small talk.
Yet the mission report had already been filed the very day I returned. Iskan had been with me then.
"No, nothing was wanting. Your reports are always excellent. You answer the questions a superior might have before they even think to ask."
I couldn't tell whether he was being sardonic or sincere. Just when I'd started to think Heilas was easy to read, he'd become slippery like this.
Before he could throw me off balance, I ran back through my earlier report in my mind.
Bao Zakanan felt betrayed by Nikolaos, the man he'd taken as a lover. That is why he commissioned the assassination through Nemesis. Nemesis carried it out gladly, sinking Bao Zakanan deeper into their debt. As for Nikolaos's movements and schedule, Bao Zakanan would have handed over everything.
But there were pieces this alone couldn't explain.
Specifically, the fact that Nikolaos died right after being assigned to investigate Kinuan's background.
Dismissing that as mere coincidence was difficult. So I'd woven a story to bridge the gap.
Nemesis approached Bao Zakanan and let slip that they also handled contract killings. They knew that once Bao Zakanan realized assassination was on the table, he would commission Nikolaos's death without hesitation. Since Nemesis themselves wanted Nikolaos dead for digging into Kinuan, they most likely baited Bao Zakanan to get exactly the information they needed.
Yes. Plausible enough.
And once again, every secret and every cause traced straight back to Kinuan. This was one of Kinuan's roles. He was a vessel for all manner of mysteries and secrets. Because of that, the current of any investigation, any pursuit, always came to a halt at his feet. However hard anyone tried to dig into the darkness, Kinuan blocked them every single time.
Heilas stroked his chin, seemingly turning my report over in his mind.
"...In the end, it comes back to Kinuan."
So long as Heilas kept his focus on Kinuan, the Custoria family was safe. No matter how deep they dug, the answers and the truth would never surface. Kinuan was a ghost of the Empire, an illusion.
Whatever schemes the Imperial Family and Kinuan cook up, they cannot strike at the Custoria family without justification.
I wished it were nothing more than my own misreading—this notion that the Imperial Family wanted the Custoria family gone. If it were merely a delusion, I could rest easy.
No direct orders have come down to me yet. Wanting to protect the Custoria family is not treason against the Empire.
I told myself as much. But it was only self-rationalization.
My instincts had already found the answer.
The Custoria family's influence has grown too vast. And Heilas is far too competent.
Custoria was the foremost among the Empire's military households. And as this incident had made clear, there were Imperial Guardsmen more loyal to Heilas than to the Empire itself. I didn't know the exact proportion, but it was hardly small.
If the Custoria family expands its reach any further—and if Heilas turns the Imperial Guard into his personal army...
Heilas was a loyal soldier. But there was no telling how long that loyalty would hold. From the Imperial Family's vantage point, he was a threat waiting to happen.
...That was the reason the Imperial Family sought to purge Heilas and the Custoria family.
The chain of cause and effect was complete in my head. I was not the sort to deny reality. It was time to accept it.
Luka, make your choice. The Imperial Family or Custoria—which side are you on?
* * *
With my schedule clear for the time being, I went down to the Lower District. Frequenting the place made it look as though I were "still investigating Kinuan."
More than that, the Lower District was a good place to clear my head. For me, coming down here was something like taking a stroll.
Today, though, it seemed destined to hand me an even bigger headache instead of clearing anything.
"Well, well, noble young master. So you were the one hoarding all the good stuff for yourself, huh?"
Gabriel said, wriggling the fingers of his upgraded prosthetic arm. I frowned, bracing for the headache I could already feel coming.
"Grand opening discount event! Come support the fresh start of the G&G Workshop!"
Gilda was shouting at the top of her lungs. The first floor of the gang's office reeked of grease.
"I'll do this one for free. In exchange, don't tamper with the recording chip yourself, and make sure you bring it back in a month."
Giselle had set up a makeshift maintenance table and was servicing a gang member's prosthetic body. She spoke softly and evenly, even while dealing with these utterly coarse thugs. Considering how she'd been before, it was startling.
"Heh, heh. Of course, my lady! Man, never thought I'd live to see the day I got a free upgrade."
The gang member rose to his feet, grinning from ear to ear.
"What on earth are you doing?"
I sat down across from Giselle.
"Want me to upgrade yours too?"
Giselle offered, offhand. No doubt it was an upgrade I had no need for. Its benefits would only show on the cheap prosthetic bodies common to the Lower District.
"There aren't any defects in it, right? They're still my men, so don't go installing anything weird," Gabriel cut in.
"I optimized it by aligning the cybernetic and biological signaling systems through brainwave analysis. That alone should have sharpened everyone's reaction times. But we'll have to wait and see how long the effect holds. The degree of improvement varies from person to person."
It was, quite literally, an experiment. Of course, as long as there were no adverse effects, it hardly mattered... but no scientist or technician alive could predict every possible side effect.
For now, at least, there seemed to be nothing but improvement, no side effects worth noting.
Then again, the people down here enhance their prosthetics while gambling on far worse risks and complications.
Viewed that way, it wasn't a bad deal for anyone.
"G&G Workshop?"
"Because both Gilda and I have names starting with G. And I paid the Gabriel Gang to handle the shop's security. I heard something bad happened to Gilda in the past—you did quite the good deed back then."
She was likely referring to when I'd saved Gilda from those vile gangsters. It was, admittedly, one of the few good deeds I could speak of with any pride.
"...Well. Do whatever you want."
Things had already come this far—I couldn't stop Giselle now even if I tried. And I had no right to in the first place.
"Naturally. I'll do as I please whether you tell me to or not."
I glanced around the room.
Maybe this is a deeply meaningful beginning for Giselle.
The G&G Workshop was probably one of the few decisions she'd made entirely on her own. This choice could mark a major turning point in her life.
I stood and made my way over to Gabriel. The instant I rose, a waiting gang member darted into my seat to get his upgrade.
Gabriel had been trying out various hand gestures for a while now. I sat down beside him.
"Brings back memories. The feeling from before I traded this arm for a machine. Look at it. It reacts the very instant I think of moving it."
Gabriel said with a wide grin. It probably wasn't truly on par with a biological response, but the difference the upgrade had made felt that vivid to him.
"Gabriel, I hate to ask this, but... keep an eye on Giselle for a while, would you? Looks like she plans to come down to the Lower District on her own quite often. Hey—what?"
I'd said it casually enough, but Gabriel was staring at me, eyes wide.
"No, it's just... Luka, I think this is the first time you've ever asked me for a favor so nicely. Huh. Feels kind of strange."
"Don't make a big thing of it..."
I muttered, looking over toward Giselle and Gilda.
Gilda was as bright as ever. Gabriel and the gang members all liked her. Plenty of them probably doted on her.
I turned my gaze to Giselle, engrossed in her maintenance work. The gang members found her hard to approach. They knew that if a noble like Giselle threw a fit, their lives could be extinguished overnight. And given her background, she did have something of a temper.
If Giselle were my subordinate, I'd order her to stay out of the Lower District. But I'm in no position to do that. And I can't be at her side to protect her every hour of the day, either.
"Understood, man. I'll send only my best men to guard the workshop. I'll swing by on my days off, too."
Gabriel thumped his chest and made a grand promise. Even so, unease lingered in me.
I could ask La Vie en Rose and Grace to see to Giselle's safety. But my relationship with them was strictly business.
If I ask La Vie en Rose for a favor, she'll demand something of equal value in return.
And if I wasn't careful, La Vie en Rose might well manipulate the naive Giselle. In more ways than one, placing Giselle in her hands sat poorly with me.
Heilas did say Giselle was safe so long as she stayed within Akbaran.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Heilas—but the worry was real all the same. Barbara's obsession and madness could turn on Giselle at any moment.
"Ah..."
Lost in thought, I suddenly remembered Ilay's request. I'd agreed to throw my weight behind him within the Kartika family.
I walked over to Giselle and spoke.
"Let me know when you're finished. I'll take you home. There's something I need to tell you."
Giselle studied me for a moment, then gave a nod.