Chapter 107
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107
"Just as you said... the Imperial Family knew the warning signs of this attack. They even identified the mastermind."
"They knew, yet they didn't stop it."
"They must have had their reasons."
I recalled my conversation with Kinuan.
The Empire and the Imperial Family exploited the sacrifices of their own citizens—even the deaths of nobles—wielding them as tools of control. In essence, the Empire kept a tight leash on every family. Anyone who tried to break free was punished.
Public resentment toward terrorist groups like Nemesis has grown even worse.
The Empire had announced that the attack was the work of terrorists. As a result, public opinion was shifting hard toward wiping out the terrorist organizations rooted throughout the Empire—even if it meant enduring a certain amount of collateral damage.
I had managed to pry the name of the mastermind out of Kinuan. It was the work of the Corobus Family.
The culprit was on the list compiled by the Imperial Guard.
After waiting two days, I went to see Heilas and delivered the information to him.
"You really managed to get information out of Kinuan."
Passing judgment wasn't my role. Heilas and the Imperial Guard would handle that.
The massive tide brought about by Nikolaos's death.
And even before that, there had been my meeting with Kinuan. I couldn't tell from where, exactly, all of this had first been set in motion.
"It seems Kinuan has his own separate information network."
"I figured as much. He must be connected to the upper echelons of the Empire—circles even I know nothing about. If not, he wouldn't have survived this long. I've submitted proposals to dispose of Kinuan more than once. It's nothing personal. I made those proposals even before Nikolaos died."
"Kinuan might also be part of a plan prepared by the Upper Command."
I spoke the truth as though it were mere speculation.
"That's possible. But... Kinuan is not someone who benefits the Empire. If the Upper Command is working through him, then they're being deceived by him."
There was no chance of that. Kinuan's direct superior was none other than Emperor Yuri Cracia himself. The Emperor, deceived by Kinuan? Absurd.
No matter how remarkable Kinuan was, he was still just one man. On top of that, he was an old soldier whose skills had faded considerably from his prime.
Heilas is barking up the wrong tree when it comes to Kinuan.
I still didn't know how to bring Heilas down. He was a powerful man. But I had the feeling an opportunity would present itself before long.
Heilas doesn't seem as formidable as he used to.
Heilas was human too—capable of misjudgment and error. Now that I had become family, his flaws were slowly coming into focus. And unless I was badly mistaken, he trusted me immensely.
If I wait, the time will come.
That much was certain. The only problem was time.
Would the Empire tear down the Custoria Family first—or would I drag Heilas down before that happened?
Heilas was obsessed with Kinuan, hunting for decisive evidence.
Evidence that would justify Kinuan's summary execution.
I couldn't say for certain why Heilas was digging into Kinuan so relentlessly. But there had to be a reason.
"I think I'll be spending quite a bit of time in the Lower District for a while."
"Giselle mentioned she's been heading down there lately as well. Keep an eye on her for me."
Giselle's name came out of Heilas's mouth. Unlike my usual self, my heart skipped a beat. But I didn't let it show.
"Do you know what Giselle is doing down there?"
I steered the conversation toward Giselle to mask my agitation. Precisely because it was a topic I wanted to avoid, I raised it myself.
"I heard she's running a small business. Personally, I think it wouldn't be too late to start after she graduates from the Academy—but she must have her own thoughts on the matter."
"From what I've seen, she's working quite hard. It looks like she'll get results, too. Must the Family Head of Custoria always be a soldier?"
"Nikolaos was excellent—and the eldest son—yet simply because he wasn't a soldier, he was neck-and-neck with Jupe. Do not take tradition lightly, Luka. And while Giselle is clever, she has too many flaws to become Family Head. Setting aside the fact that she isn't a soldier at all."
Heilas coldly appraised his own daughter.
"No one knows how a person might change."
"That's also true. But people don't change easily. One's innate temperament tends to last a lifetime. This is from my own experience."
Innate temperament. On that point, I actually agreed. It didn't change easily. Even my short life was enough to prove it. Even when a person seemed to have changed, in reality it was just their suppressed nature finally surfacing.
My own weakness, too... hadn't sprung out of nowhere one day. It was something I had carried all along.
* * *
I went down to the Lower District and visited Gilda's workshop.
Gilda's workshop—or rather, by its current name, the G&G Workshop. Named after the initials of Gilda and Giselle.
At any rate, a strange visitor had turned up there.
There was nothing unusual about Giselle, the workshop's manager, being present. The two of them ran their business out of it, after all.
Ilay.
But Ilay was here too.
Why was Ilay here? He hadn't come to see Giselle, his fake fiancée. No—the reason Ilay was here was because of another man entirely.
Director Jin Gau?
The director of the Imperial 4th Research Institute had visited the G&G Workshop. Truly an unexpected turn of events.
That was why Ilay had come. He had always wanted a chance to talk with Jin Gau, an authority on the Arcane Civilization.
"Oho, Miss Custoria. You're doing something quite interesting here, aren't you? I once read your thesis with great interest. Very forward-thinking for an Academy student. But did you know? Over in places like Bellato's Border City, there are already prototypes that have realized your theory. Which means it isn't all that special a theory after all. When it comes to creative thinking, they tend to be ahead of us."
Jin Gau watched her work over Giselle's shoulder. Behind his glasses, the smile in his eyes was sly.
"I-is that so? M-more importantly—you read my thesis?"
Giselle spoke as though deeply honored.
"I read every thesis published at the Empire's Academy. Whether by students or anyone else."
At those words, Giselle's eyes went wide.
"T-that's impossible. Ah, I'm sorry."
"It's no lie."
Jin Gau kept smiling. There wasn't a trace of offense in his easy, free-spirited grin.
"No, I-I didn't think you were lying. I was just surprised. I never imagined you'd look at a mere student's thesis."
"There are fresh thoughts and ideas that can only come from not knowing much yet. Even when they make no sense in practice, there's plenty of interesting material. It feels like reading a novel. Sometimes I even draw inspiration from them."
I had no academic grasp of just how great a researcher Jin Gau was. But I could guess at his standing from the reactions of those around him—and from his eccentric manner.
"I am Ilay Kartika. I've contacted you a few times in the past..."
Ilay approached as if steeling himself. He probably wouldn't approach a woman with anything close to that much timidity.
"So you were the one sending me all those irritating messages. But I didn't come here to see you."
Jin Gau's words were ice-cold—the exact opposite of his manner toward Giselle. His blunt, unvarnished tone bordered on rude.
Yet Ilay's expression didn't so much as flicker. He clearly knew Jin Gau's temperament well.
Ilay kept the conversation going, doggedly. Jin Gau frowned in distaste at first, but bit by bit his expression softened.
"...Hmm. You saw a teleportation device yourself?"
"I heard the teleportation device from that side was seized by another research institute. At the time..."
Somehow, Ilay had broken the ice. An impressive feat. He was referring to the teleportation device he'd seen at the Arcane Fortress in the past.
He must hate dredging up what happened back then, because of Lillian Ramones—so does that mean Jin Gau is worth that much to him?
As for me, I didn't have much interest. Jin Gau was neither a soldier nor the type to throw his weight around.
"I'd been planning to take that for myself, but those bastards from the 2nd Research Institute..."
"I heard they specialize in artifact research. Whereas you, Director, specialize in energy conversion..."
Listening to them, it seemed Jin Gau had never managed to get his hands on the teleportation device.
While the two of them talked, I made my way over to Giselle.
She was patting her chest, clearly having been wound tight with tension over Jin Gau.
"Lu-Luka."
But then Giselle stammered again. This time, it was because of me.
"I heard there was a commotion, so I stopped by. Why is he here?"
I spoke calmly, indicating Jin Gau with my eyes.
"I don't know either. He suddenly contacted me this morning and just showed up out of nowhere. So I called Ilay. I knew he'd been wanting to meet Director Jin Gau for ages, so I figured I'd make him owe me a favor."
Even in the middle of her fluster, Giselle had thought of Ilay and secured herself an advantage. She'd probably do quite well once she officially launched her business.
Against all expectations, Ilay and Jin Gau had hit it off and were chatting away.
"Good work. Ilay seems pleased too. Where's Gilda? I haven't seen her since I got here."
"Out on business. More importantly, Luka..."
"What is it?"
I answered without looking at her.
"Let's talk for a moment about what happened last time. We haven't spoken about it since."
Giselle euphemistically called it what happened last time. I let my eyes drift and glanced behind me.
Damn it, Ilay.
Ilay was smiling as he looked between Giselle and me. He seemed to have caught on to our relationship, at least somewhat. After all, he was the one who'd set the whole stage in the first place.
Giselle stood and walked into a small storage room at the back of the workshop—a space barely large enough for four or five people to stand.
Creak.
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. The air was thick with the smell of metal and oil. And yet, even there, all I could sharply register was Giselle's sweet scent. No other smell could reach my mind.
"Act natural, Giselle Custoria. Did you see Ilay's face just now? He was grinning like a madman looking at us. Hey, wait—"
But contrary to my words, I couldn't push her away. In the end, I wanted her just as badly.
Giselle reached out and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her sweet breath brushed against my lips. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. She did the same, and our gazes met.
A secret rendezvous.
I never imagined I'd do something like this. I didn't know what I was doing here right now. A sigh escaped me—yet I couldn't stop.
We didn't speak of the future. Knowing this would end someday, we chose not to put it into words.
If only I hadn't been adopted...
Noble families and high society were not so simple. If I annulled my adoption and entered as a son-in-law instead, I'd become a laughingstock. And the Custoria Family would never tolerate it.
...Yes. This is a passing emotion. It'll cool eventually.
But if this isn't just a temporary lapse, then I need to prepare.
Giselle was surely thinking the exact same thing.
"Luka, I haven't been able to sleep properly since that day. I've turned it over in my head again and again, trying to decide what to do."
Giselle spoke first. She caught her breath and went on.
"I've even braced myself to leave the Empire with you. If that's what you want, I'll make the arrangements. But if you don't want to lose everything you've built, then let's end it here. Doing something foolish once or twice is enough. No matter how I look at it, this is my fault. Knowing how hard you worked to get where you are... I never should have done this. I don't want to ruin you."
This was the conclusion Giselle had reached. She, too, had acted on emotion—but had somehow forced herself to think rationally and find a way out.
Leave the Empire?
Not once had the thought crossed my mind. But there was no need to even weigh it.
You don't know anything, Giselle.
I could no longer leave the Empire. And it wasn't because I was reluctant to release everything I'd built with my own hands.
The Empire will never let me go.
I was no longer just an ordinary Imperial Guard Cadet.
"Luka?"
Giselle asked, watching my face. I had drifted deep into my own thoughts.
Bzzt, bzzt.
It felt as if static was crackling inside my skull.
The speed of my thoughts accelerated. Everything was connecting. As the truths, facts, and events I knew wove together, a faint path began to reveal itself.
The mindset of Akies Victima.
As I've said many times, it doesn't turn the impossible into the possible. But so long as even a sliver of a chance exists, it will find the way. And that wasn't limited to combat.
I am Kinuan's successor.
My master would have found a way—carved out his own safe zone—even in circumstances worse than this. Compared to walking a tightrope between the Imperial Family and the terrorist organizations, what I was dealing with was a trivial matter.
Even now, Kinuan maintained a delicate balance that left no one able to touch him easily.
Just like Kinuan.
Handle the monsters surrounding me. Impose conditions and constraints. If the conflicting interests circling me balanced out like scales, then no one would be able to make a reckless move.
"For now, trust me and wait. Whether it ends badly or well, I'll be the one to handle it. But I swear this—I will avoid the worst-case scenario."
Giselle and I finished our conversation and stepped out of the storage room. Ilay and Jin Gau were still talking.
Jin Gau was hugging Ilay so tightly it was almost painful to watch.
"Yes! Put it that way, and we might actually be able to bring that device over! Ours is the only facility capable of supplying such a massive amount of energy from Holystone! Why didn't I think of this?!"
"Ha, haha. Sometimes being too smart makes you overlook the blind spots."
Ilay smiled as he gently pried Jin Gau off him.
"Ah—and Lucaus Custoria! Long time no see!"
Jin Gau turned to me, excitement written all over his face.
I gave a polite bow. He was a man even Heilas treated with respect.
"I didn't notice back then, because I was drunk, but..."
Jin Gau tilted his head and stared at me for a long moment. Then he reached out and lifted my left eyelid—the eye that was still my own, biological one.
Snap, snap.
Jin Gau snapped his fingers to the left and right, as if running some kind of experiment. My five senses tracked the motion with razor speed.
"My, my... your brain is going to melt at this rate. If you're showing hyper-reflexive responses even in an ordinary state, you're in dangerous territory. Concentration isn't a 'normal state' to begin with. What we call 'concentration' is really a state where the brain is running at excessive capacity. Meaning—it's not something you can sustain at all times."
Contrary to the weight of his words, Jin Gau was smiling as if amused. I answered flatly.
"I am an Imperial Guard Cadet. I can endure it better than ordinary people."
"I'm telling you it's high even by Imperial Guard standards. You know it well, don't you? Just as you can't run Legion at all times, the same applies to Akies Victima. Take a long vacation and get some psychological therapy. If you need it, I'll write you a medical opinion."
Ilay and Giselle were listening to Jin Gau as well. Ilay stood there calmly, but Giselle's face had gone dark.
"I'm still fine. I have the capacity to manage my own body."
Jin Gau took a step back and pushed his glasses up.
"The symptoms will be unpredictable and varied... but generally, hallucinations come first—auditory and tactile illusions."
He went on, still smiling.
"I like people like you. The ones who brush off side effects as trivial and drive themselves to the limit—they're the ones who push the world forward. Doesn't matter the field. If you find the time later, come by my research institute."
Jin Gau held out his hand, palm turned upward.
Whir.
A holographic business card projected from a lens set into his palm. As I looked at the card, his Unique ID registered itself to my terminal.