Chapter 124
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124
"Wow, it's been forever, mister!"
Gilda paused what she was doing to welcome Kinuan.
"You look busy, so I'll make the coffee myself. Was the breakroom this way? The place looks a little different."
"You saw the sign, right? We rebranded as G&G Workshop. Upgraded some of the equipment, too."
"Ho, I'll always be rooting for you."
Kinuan feigned ignorance about G&G Workshop's collaboration with Giselle, even though he was already fully aware of it.
Calm down. Don't show a shred of agitation. Act normal.
I half-closed my eyes and seized control of my body. Consciously suppressing my emotional signals, I clamped down on every physical sign of anxiety.
"Didn't expect to run into you down here in the Lower District, Instructor," I said to Kinuan, who was in the breakroom.
He was brewing coffee with his own recipe, dumping an assortment of ingredients into the pitch-black liquid. A strange aroma drifted up as boiling oil mingled with the coffee.
"I just happened to have some free time for once. I didn't expect to find you here either."
Kinuan claimed he hadn't expected to see me. There was no way to tell whether it was true.
Coincidence, or does he have some hidden motive?
Turning it over in my head wouldn't produce an answer. I had far too little to go on.
Kinuan was a master of emotional control. Even a battle-hardened veteran like Rick Silva Nunez had fallen because he couldn't read Kinuan's true intentions.
...In that case, as always, I had to assume the worst.
Kinuan came here because of Agatha's chip.
That was the only smart way to think about it.
"Mister, did you know? Luka's become a celebrity in the Lower District."
Gilda chimed in, slowing her work. She'd always been fond of Kinuan.
"Ah, yes, I've heard. He even earned a nickname, didn't he... What was it again?"
Kinuan sat down, cradling his freshly brewed coffee.
"They call me 'Luka the Noble Hunter.'"
I answered for him.
"That's a dangerous nickname. It must be causing you no end of trouble."
Kinuan brought the cup to his lips and took a sip.
"Things have been unfolding in ways I didn't anticipate. Lately it feels like all my plans keep unraveling."
"When does anything in life ever go according to plan? What we need isn't meticulous planning, but adaptability. Anyone can stray from the path. What matters is whether you stay a prodigal son or find your way back to the righteous road."
"...I'm trying."
I sharpened all five senses, straining to read Kinuan's emotional signals. If those senses had been visible, they'd have looked like tentacles probing every crevice of his body.
And yet Kinuan was astonishingly dry. Like staring at a stone statue.
His emotional control is flawless.
Not a single emotional signal breached the surface. The occasional smiles and easy demeanor were all false signals. He shielded himself with a buckler of deception and skewered others with a spear of truth. No one was better cut out to be a double agent.
And if I wanted to survive, I had to become a man like Kinuan. Say what you will—he was my master.
"So, Luka. Is your work going well? Your cadet days will be over soon. In all the history of the Imperial Guard, there's never been a cadet with a record as turbulent as yours."
"Results will come soon enough."
Whatever those results turned out to be.
Kill Kinuan to blind His Majesty the Emperor.
Oust Heilas and become Family Head of Custoria.
I had to accomplish at least one of these with my own hands. Only then could I—and the Custoria family—survive.
Both were daunting. So I would take whichever opportunity came first. Whichever it was, I couldn't afford to hesitate the instant the chance appeared.
Can I beat Kinuan?
Kinuan's brain was broken, but his depth and residual strength were immeasurable. Move recklessly, and I'd be the one destroyed.
Heilas goes without saying. The man's a soldier forged of steel.
Don't drift too deep into your thoughts, Luka. The lingering scent of your unease might leak out.
"By the way, Gilda's workbench looks quite impressive."
There it was. Kinuan's curiosity had turned toward Gilda's work.
"It's a job I commissioned."
There was no point trying to lie now. It wasn't like Gilda and I had gotten our stories straight beforehand.
"Bypassing the technical team at Imperial Guard headquarters to commission Gilda? Ah—Gilda. I'm not belittling you. Just stating a fact."
Gilda looked up from her work with a pout.
"That is belittling me! Honestly. Sure, my skills fall short of the elites in the Upper District—that part's true. Luka just tossed me this job to slip me some pocket money, using our friendship as an excuse. I do work with his little sister, after all."
Gilda delivered it with flawless nonchalance. Inwardly, I was floored.
Gilda lied for me.
I could've hugged her on the spot. I never would've dreamed she'd respond so cleverly.
She must have realized decoding the chip demanded secrecy. Sharp woman.
Even so, Gilda had no obligation to go as far as lying. Listening to my exchange with Kinuan, she'd caught on in an instant and covered for me.
My chest swelled. It was hard to put into words. No—to be honest, damn it, I was genuinely moved.
"So you deliberately handed the job to Gilda. I've thought this for a while now, but you really are..."
Kinuan trailed off with a playful smile.
"Kind?"
"...A Good Boy."
"Fine, sure, you're right. It's too exhausting to argue every last point."
I grumbled. After that we talked about trivial things. A brief mention of Crown Prince Fransek slipped into the conversation too.
"That street parade incident, plus the 'Noble Hunter' nickname. There must be plenty of people gunning for your life now. And the number who dislike you—no grudge required—will only keep growing."
"You could say the people targeting me have gone up by a truckload or two. That's why I always go around armed."
I swept my coat aside to reveal my weapons. Crucis and Ruina came into view.
"And since we've crossed paths like this, I'll let you know. Before the storm hits, there's a group you and I need to meet together. I'll send for you soon."
Instinct flared. This was an opportunity. It could be a turning point.
At last, Kinuan and I will be moving together—just the two of us.
It might even be an opening arranged by Ivan. I smothered my agitation and excitement.
"Luka, the data transfer and recovery are done!"
Gilda called out, glancing up from behind her equipment. There was no way the actual data recovery on the chip I'd brought could be finished already.
I have to trust Gilda.
I rose and walked over to her.
Gilda worked the hologram interface, then stopped.
"Judging by the format, it looks like some kind of video... Want me to play it?"
"Ah—sure, let's take a look."
I nodded, casual as I could manage.
Kinuan watched us too, sipping his coffee. His gaze was strangely keen.
Beep.
A large holographic screen projected onto the wall. After a few bursts of static, a blurry video flickered into view.
— Haah, hah, ahhn.
Lewd sounds echoed ominously. As the picture sharpened, it revealed a man and a woman writhing together.
A chiseled, handsome man and a woman with impossible proportions. Their skin glistened as if slick with sweat. The damp, humid air of the room practically seeped through the screen.
Even to an amateur like me, it was... explicit. Actually, it was sensual enough to border on artistic.
There was also something abnormal about the coupling of full-body prosthetics modified for enhanced sexual function. The two tangled together like octopuses and snakes. Their movements were vicious and savage, as if each saw the other as prey.
"...Ah, so it's that kind of thing."
Gilda shrugged and killed the video. Feeling absurdly embarrassed, I took two steps back from her.
"I honestly had no clue it was this kind of data."
"No, no. Happens all the time. The chip had oddly tight security, so I dug in figuring there might be hidden assets, but... well, you know how it goes. People stash everything—personal collections, memories, records of their parents or their youth."
Gilda smiled sheepishly, her tone soothing.
"Anyway, seems like data I've got no use for."
"Want me to dispose of it, then?"
"The chip's owner would probably prefer that. I'd like to preserve their honor."
Kinuan watched us, then rose languidly. He crossed to me with a smile.
"Given the contents, it's a good thing you didn't hand it over to the Imperial Guard's internal team. May I ask whose chip it is?"
"...It belongs to Nikolaos."
Sorry for throwing your name under the bus, Nikolaos.
But I'm guessing Nikolaos's tastes were far from vanilla anyway. This probably wouldn't even register as dishonor... I told myself, rationalizing.
"Thanks for the coffee, Gilda. And Luka—don't linger in the Lower District too long. I've got word that someone's targeting you."
"Thank you for the warning."
"I'll be off, then."
Kinuan turned to leave.
"Leaving already? I just wrapped up my work. Stay and hang out a while longer."
Gilda tried to hold him back, looking genuinely let down, but Kinuan begged off with an apologetic look.
"I've got plenty of work myself. The only reason I came down to the Lower District today was some business. I just stopped by to see you while I was here."
Leaving nothing but an empty coffee cup behind, Kinuan walked out of the workshop.
Thud.
The door closed.
Kinuan didn't come here knowing all the details either. In a sensitive time like this, he found my Lower District visit suspicious and tailed me. Today was just a subtle probe.
A strange surge of triumph ran through me. Close to absolute certainty. I'd succeeded in deceiving Kinuan. I'd read his intentions and blocked them!
Of course, I hadn't managed it alone.
Even Kinuan wouldn't have expected Gilda to cover for me like that.
Unexpected help had turned the tide. That was why even Kinuan had been completely fooled.
"Thank you, Gilda."
Gilda grinned and bumped her shoulder lightly against mine.
"The real data recovery will be done soon, so wait over there. I don't know what's going on, but... I'm rooting for you, Luka."
"You trust me?"
"Working with Giselle only made me surer. You're a good person, Luka."
I gave a bitter smile.
"I'm probably not as good a person as you think, Gilda."
"Maybe not to someone else. But to me, you are."
Gilda worked her state-of-the-art terminal. The restoration process seemed to be entering its final stage.
"That quick thinking earlier was incredible. Must've been tough to pull up a video like that on the spot," I said, praising her save.
I drew out a credit chip and started keying in numbers. It was the only way I could express my gratitude.
"Oh, that one's from my personal collection. I can send you more if you want. I only save the handpicked stuff. Honestly, after the kidnapping, my sex drive vanished for a while... but lately I've bounced back, so I'm enjoying life again."
Gilda said it without batting an eye. For a moment I was speechless. She, too, must have fought a private battle to climb out of the horror of her past.
...I'd thought so before, but Gilda was no ordinary woman. Her mind wasn't rigid, yet her spirit was unbreakable. No matter what came at her, she was the kind of person who'd always get back up.
It suddenly hit me that Gabriel was at the workshop today as well. Probably here for security, but for no good reason it left me uneasy.
"Gilda—by any chance, are you and Gabriel..."
"I told you last time, Gaby and I aren't like that. I've got standards when it comes to looks, you know."
It wasn't that I disliked Gabriel. But somehow, a good woman like Gilda felt wasted on a guy like him. Hmph—just my twisted nature talking, I supposed.
Click, beep.
Mechanical tones chimed in sequence. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Gilda straightened up and shot me a thumbs-up.
The data recovery was complete.