Chapter 150
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150
I arrived at Fransek's camp with Ivan slung over my shoulder. The atmosphere was far more militaristic than when I had left. The camp had been reinforced with a large contingent of armored troops, their Full-Armor Prosthetics and vehicles now a common sight.
The sound of rain pattering against the cold steel of the armored units was chilling. Perhaps influenced by my state of mind, the outlines in my auditory vision appeared a pale, bluish-white.
Fransek's forces now resembled a proper army. Still, their combat-ready troops numbered only about five hundred—any larger, and they would have struggled to maneuver through the city center.
'The occupation of this district is almost complete.'
I gazed at the still-smoldering buildings and wrecked vehicles—the fresh scars of battle. Having crushed the rioters, Fransek's troops now marched along the Circulation Road.
At the center of their formation was a large armored vehicle serving as the command post. It was spacious enough for twenty people, with armor thick enough to withstand an aerial bombardment.
I felt the bewildered stares of the onlookers. They had no idea who the prisoner slung over my shoulder even was.
'We have to maintain this momentum. Once tomorrow comes, people will snap out of it. They'll realize what they've done.'
Whether Fransek negotiated with the Emperor or forced an abdication, it had to be settled tonight. Once the light of reason returned, his forces would crumble.
Whir.
The door of the slow-moving command vehicle slid open as I approached.
Inside, Fransek looked up from his conversation with other nobles and non-commissioned officers.
"Ah, the messenger who secured the military's cooperation has arrived! Everyone, please excuse us for a moment."
At Fransek's words, everyone stood.
Anxiety and anticipation mingled on their faces. If Fransek succeeded, they would stand at the center of power. If he failed, it was the end of everything.
'The military's cooperation.'
At those words, color returned to their faces. Even though most of them likely possessed Full-Body Prosthetics, their relief was palpable. It was probably because the majority were young nobles.
Fransek was pretending to be in league with the military. He must have spun a tale to make it sound as if he’d been preparing this revolution for a long time.
'The Crown Prince and the military.'
If legitimacy and military might truly backed him, Fransek actually stood a chance. Assuming any of it was real, that is.
'But except for Heilas, all the generals are dead. There is no one left with the authority to command the troops scattered across Akbaran.'
There were many masterless soldiers in Akbaran. The Emperor, too, must be deeply troubled.
'If the Emperor brands Fransek a rebel and tries to suppress him, the military might just get absorbed by Fransek instead.'
Right now, Fransek's momentum was soaring.
Tomorrow might be a different story, but tonight belonged to him. A procession of thousands of lower-class citizens trailed behind his forces.
Yet, as fiercely as Fransek's fire burned, it would burn out just as quickly.
The flame was at its peak. Tonight was the last chance. We had barely six hours left.
The army wasn't just inside Akbaran. The vast majority of the Imperial Army was stationed along the borders and in fortified frontier cities.
Considering the capabilities of the Emperor and Kinuan, they could fabricate a justification to wipe us out and mobilize their forces within half a day.
'Crucially, I only have a few hours of mobility left myself.'
Already, my thoughts and senses were growing dull. The drug's effects had peaked and were now wearing off.
Whir.
While I was lost in thought, the armored vehicle's door slid shut.
Inside the spacious interior, there was only me, Fransek, and Ivan, whose jaw was completely shattered. Paper documents were strewn messily across the center table.
Real-time feeds of various parts of the city were likely playing on the wall monitors. That was just my guess; monitor screens were something my auditory vision couldn't register.
"Lu..."
Fransek trailed off as he looked at me, his gaze likely falling on my blinded eyes. Composing himself, he managed to speak.
"Your talents never cease to amaze me. By the way, what happened to my brother's jaw?"
"He was saying things that were hazardous to my mental health. I got a bit annoyed. If it weren't for your request, Your Highness, I would have blown his head off. So please, overlook it."
Under normal circumstances, I would never have dared to utter such words. But right now, I had nothing to fear. I was a man who would be finished by tomorrow anyway.
Thud.
I threw Ivan onto the conference table. With his limbs broken, he couldn't do anything on his own. His vocal cords had been shattered along with his jaw, so only weak, wheezing sounds escaped his throat. To put it bluntly, he was no different from a bug.
"...You came alone, without Heilas. Has our plan failed?" Anxiety laced Fransek's voice.
"Heilas will join us later. He volunteered to act as a decoy so I could get Ivan out."
"Which means he might not return."
"If he's the type to die back there, he wouldn't have been much help to us anyway," I bluffed. Worrying or praying wouldn't change a thing.
"I've already told everyone that the deal between the military and me is finalized," Fransek said, his voice tight. "If there's no sign of them joining us, plenty of people out there will betray me in an instant. We have to turn these lies into reality."
"Except for Heilas, all the generals are dead. We can't mobilize the military right now."
Fransek's face must have turned pale. He hid his trembling hands beneath the table.
"Then... is our revolution over?"
"Heilas saved me even after witnessing the general's death. No matter how much he cares for me, he isn't someone who would act at the cost of his family and household. In fact, because he deemed his family more important, he tried to kill me twice. In other words, Heilas has another plan."
I didn't know what that plan was. But it was likely the worst possible option, one with an incredibly low chance of success—an option he wouldn't have even considered as a backup under normal circumstances.
We had to wait for Heilas to contact us. Only then could we decide our next move.
Hiss, wheeze.
Lying on the table, Ivan gasped for breath as he stared at me. Because his prosthetic body was aesthetically perfect, his current state looked almost pitiful.
"I'll connect you soon, so stay still, Riley."
Fransek called Ivan "Riley." It seemed that was his birth name.
Press.
Fransek felt around the back of Ivan's neck. A port opened beneath the artificial skin.
Click.
The moment the cable plugged in, Ivan was connected to the terminal.
Hummmm.
Static-laced audio, synthesizing Ivan's voice, flowed from the terminal's speaker. Ivan's pupils flickered as they adjusted to the system.
—Brother, you are being deceived by Luka. The military and Heilas are already marching on the Imperial Palace! If we are tied down like this...
I let out a sigh. I wanted to rip the cable out right then and there.
"Ivan, Prince Fransek is not your puppet," I spat coldly.
There was no agitation on Fransek's face as he looked at Ivan. Resting his chin on his clasped hands, he spoke.
"I will ask you only one thing, brother. Did you want to become Emperor so badly that you were willing to kill me?"
It was a shrewd question. Hiding his inner turmoil, he spoke with absolute certainty about the attempted fratricide, as if he already knew everything.
'Fransek probably still doesn't want to believe that his father and brother tried to kill him.'
But refusing to believe it wouldn't change the truth.
—...Even if I wanted to keep denying it, there's no time. Fransek, you are my puppet. You were merely sitting in my seat for a little while. And yet, you snapped your own strings and started acting on your own. Why couldn't you just dream your happy little dream, knowing nothing?
The truth came out easily. The reason was simple.
'Ivan is anxious.'
He wanted to escape the Empire. If he dragged this out, he wouldn't even make it out of Akbaran.
"Why... why me? Father... Riley, why? No, what did I..."
Even I was slightly taken aback. The moment Ivan finished speaking, Fransek's stoic expression began to crumble.
'Damn it.'
Ivan's sudden shift in attitude was clearly a massive shock to Fransek. Even if he had prepared himself mentally, it was too much to bear.
—The fact that you're shaken by a few words is exactly why you're unfit to be Emperor. It was pathetic watching you pretend to be my older brother. I have never once thought of you as family. Every time you acted affectionately, I was imagining how I would kill you.
"Lu... Luka, something is wr-wrong. This isn't Riley."
—I felt closer to the collateral Kirishi or the members of the Mitoba family. I always wondered how an idiot like you could possibly be my brother.
Seizing the opportunity, Ivan poured out his venom. Fransek's mental state was in jeopardy. This was a turn of events even I hadn't anticipated.
'The bond between them was deeper than I thought. Fransek clearly never imagined his brother could be so cynical.'
I moved to silence Ivan. If I pulled the cable, he couldn't spout any more nonsense.
Grab!
Fransek seized my hand and shook his head. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.
—Are you crying? You wanted to believe I had some unavoidable reason, didn't you? You wanted a plausible excuse to come from your beloved little brother's mouth.
Ivan was gouging deep into Fransek's heart.
"That's enough abuse, Ivan. From now on, you speak only when spoken to. If you mock Prince Fransek one more time, you'll experience what it feels like to have your head flattened."
I placed my hand on Ivan's head. As I applied pressure, cracks began to spiderweb from his temples.
"Lu..." Fransek tried to stop me.
Bam!
I kicked out, shoving Fransek away. He was thrown against the far wall and collapsed to the floor.
My palm pressed down even harder on Ivan's head. Cracks spiderwebbed across his artificial eyes.
"Don't think your petty brotherly bond will protect you. In this room, I hold the power of life and death over you."
—You've finally lost your mind, Luka. I can see the madness in you. If you had been like this from the start, I might have liked you more...
Despite his words, Ivan stopped mocking Fransek. He had taken my warning to heart.
'Ivan prioritizes his own survival above all else. Right now, his goal isn't to become Emperor; it's simply to survive.'
Once you know someone's goal, you can understand their motives. And negotiation becomes simple.
"As you can see, Prince Fransek still thinks of you as his brother. His victory is the only way you survive. Cooperate with us, Ivan."
—Haha, what happened to you? Your cognitive capacity has shot up. A change like this shouldn't be possible in such a short time...
"Fine, keep deflecting. Goodbye."
I channeled strength into my arm. My arm was an Imperial-grade custom prosthetic, and its durability was incredible. The table gave way first.
Crunch!
I kept crushing his head, fully intending to kill him. If he hit the floor, his head would burst. His precious brain would be reduced to mush.
Gritting his teeth, Fransek lunged forward and cushioned Ivan's head with his arm. Thanks to the dampened impact, Ivan's life was spared.
'I knew you would move, Fransek.'
It was true that I had intended to kill Ivan. If Fransek hadn't moved as I anticipated, Ivan would be dead. My murderous intent had been genuine, and I had felt no hesitation.
Whir, whir.
Ivan's pupils must have dilated completely; his life had undoubtedly flashed before his eyes.
"Haa... haa..." Fransek gasped for air as if he were the one who had almost died. Even in the depths of panic, he had lunged forward to save his brother.
"Ivan, Fransek is a better man than you. If you have even a shred of humanity left, feel some shame."
Ivan fell silent. After a few bursts of static from the terminal, coherent words came through.
—The Cracia family possesses a unique gene. It is the key to activating the combat legacy of the Arcane Civilization. If Father uses it, we are finished. None of this matters—not the army gathered here, not anything.
His words sounded like the truth. I waited for Fransek's reaction.
"I... I have never heard of such a thing."
—Of course you haven't! You just believed whatever Father spouted and never bothered to look into anything yourself. I truly despised you, Fransek.
Despite coming through a mechanical speaker, his words carried a heavy, resonant weight. Ivan utterly loathed Fransek.
—While you stood outside, waving and smiling without a care in the world, I trembled in fear every single night! I never knew when Father might kill me. I thought countless times that I might just be another Fransek. What if he had another, real Crown Prince hidden away? Was someone like me, shivering and terrified, truly fit to be Emperor? I could never rid myself of those doubts.
He had been unable to believe in himself. The persona we knew was the backlash of that insecurity. Even his arrogant, insolent behavior—acting as if he never doubted his status as the heir—was merely a mask worn to survive.
—Luka, if you were in my shoes, could you trust a father who would casually try to kill his own eldest son? I had to crawl and scrape to survive, just like you.
I didn't answer. Peel back a single layer, and everyone was just human.
Neither Ivan nor Heilas was the dark monster I had imagined. They were simply humans wearing masks, pretending to be monsters, just like me. Even their reasons for wearing those masks were identical to mine. They had feigned being monsters to avoid being devoured by the true ones.
The real monster wasn't here. That grotesque entity in human skin lived deep within the Imperial Palace.
There are those born human who become machines. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that there are those born human who become monsters.