Chapter 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16
I'd told Kinuan before that I wouldn't learn the Akies Combat Style. Going back on my word now felt more than a little awkward.
But this was an order—a mission—from the Imperial Guard Captain.
"So you've changed your mind. Since I was the one who told you to come back if you ever did, I won't give you a hard time about it."
Kinuan accepted it without fuss.
"Thank you, Instructor."
"Since you're here, let's step out for a bit. Do you have other plans?"
"I'll get ready right away."
Kinuan and I changed into civilian clothes.
Kinuan led the way toward the Lower District. We rode the high-speed elevator down and passed through the district checkpoint. The soldier on duty checked our IDs and gave us a respectful salute.
The moment we stepped into the Lower District, the scenery changed completely. Old, crumbling buildings that had stood since the settlement's earliest days lined the streets.
Peeling walls were caked with grime and pollutants, and children peeked out from behind shattered windows.
Whoosh.
With every gust of hot wind, weathered concrete flaked away, scattering dust into the air.
Kinuan walked into a run-down shopping district. The guide android at the entrance to the street was missing its lower half, leaving it looking like some crude bust.
—W-wel... come... we... g-greet... you.
The android spread its arms as if to welcome us, but its movements were stiff, and its mechanical voice was so choked with static that it was barely intelligible.
I swept my eyes over our surroundings. For the Lower District, the people here looked relatively decent. It seemed to be a shopping district frequented by the middle class—or at least by those who could scrape together a living. As proof of active law enforcement, security drones patrolled the main street.
Commit a crime here, and those drones would shred your body with a hail of bullets.
Kinuan stopped abruptly in front of a shop. Crude toys and holographic game consoles were arranged behind the glass window. There was even a model clumsily imitating the Legion Full-Armor Prosthetic.
"Do kids these days still want stuff like this?" Kinuan asked.
"When I was a kid, I used to stand in front of windows like this, completely mesmerized."
"You're still a kid."
Well, from his perspective, I supposed I was. I opened the shop door and held it for him.
"Shopkeeper."
At Kinuan's call, the shopkeeper cracked his eyes open. Even with customers standing right there, he lazily propped his chin on his hand and jerked his head toward the display cases.
"If you're looking for something, dig through there yourself. Don't ask me, 'cause I don't know."
Talk about unfriendly. I studied the shopkeeper. He looked so utterly listless that I felt a sudden urge to kick him.
"Give me everything from here to here. You deliver, I assume?"
Kinuan said, sweeping his hand from one end of the display case to the other. The shopkeeper blinked in confusion before his eyes went wide.
"Everything? Is this some kind of jo—"
I shoved the credit chip Kinuan had given me right in front of the man's face.
"Just answer the question. He asked if you deliver."
I scowled. One more stupid remark and I was going to snap his fingers.
"O-of course! Yes, yes, we do. Just give me the address."
Finally snapping out of his stupor, the shopkeeper scrambled into motion.
In this neighborhood, customers who bought out an entire stock without so much as haggling were practically nonexistent. If the lump of meat inside the shopkeeper's skull had been working properly, he'd have realized we weren't ordinary customers.
"Uh, excuse me, esteemed customers?"
The shopkeeper checked the address and let out an awkward laugh.
"What is it? Surely there's nothing wrong with the credits?"
"W-well, I don't think we can deliver there. That whole area's a vehicle-restricted zone until the day after tomorrow. Those terrorist bastards—Genesis, Nemesis, whatever they call themselves—"
"I get it, spare me the explanation. Hmm. What to do..."
Kinuan stared at the mountain of packed boxes. The problem wasn't the weight but the sheer volume. No matter how we bundled it all, it was too much for two people to carry. And petty thieves would swarm us the entire way there.
"If we call Gabriel, we can make it work. He looks intimidating enough to scare off the local thugs."
I pulled out my terminal. Gabriel's face flickered onto the holographic screen.
—Hey, Good—no, Luka. What's up?
"Get over here. Didn't you say you'd help if I ever needed it?"
—Just like that? I've got things to do—
"I said get over here right now, Gabriel. You'd better start running before I rip out that artificial spine I paid for."
I threatened him. Gabriel grumbled, muttering a string of curses, but promised to be there soon.
It didn't take long for Gabriel to walk through the door. The instant his massive frame filled the doorway, the shopkeeper's face went pale with fear. Gabriel looked like a dangerous man by any measure.
"You called me out for this? What am I, some neighborhood errand boy? I'll have you know—"
Gabriel's face twisted after hearing what we needed.
"Shut up and start carrying."
Gabriel sighed and hefted the boxes onto his shoulders, putting that massive frame to use. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on my limbs for a long moment.
"So that's your real prosthetic body. Looks incredibly high-spec. Your balance is perfect, too. Were you some rich family's young master? That why you didn't blink at the money?"
Gabriel chattered on. For a guy his size, he was embarrassingly talkative.
"Shove your useless curiosity up your ass. That goes for me—and especially for the gentleman behind me."
Gabriel's eyes flicked to Kinuan for a brief second.
"I've got no intention of messing with someone even Aleph can't handle. I'm not stupid."
We headed out to the main street with our cargo. Calling Gabriel had paid off. With a fierce-looking giant walking beside us, not a single petty thief or pickpocket dared come near.
"Hmm, this is the orphanage district. These all gifts? What, you two doing charity work?"
Gabriel asked as we turned down a familiar street. I, too, had only just realized where we were headed.
The 47th Orphanage.
In front of the building, Kinuan set a cigarette between his lips. Despite all the time I'd spent with him, this was the first I'd ever seen him smoke.
"Leave the boxes in the courtyard inside and take a break," Kinuan said, before stepping into the orphanage.
"Damn it. I was hoping for something more exciting. Picking a fight with another gang, something flashy. Hauling presents for orphanage brats? You called Gabriel of the Iron Fist out for this?"
Gabriel grumbled the moment Kinuan was out of earshot.
"If it were the kind of job that needed a fight, I wouldn't have called you in the first place," I replied, stacking the boxes neatly—a habit of orderliness drilled into me during my time as a cadet.
"Luka, I know you're strong, but... this neighborhood isn't that simple. Being good in a fight doesn't guarantee you survive. You need connections and brains, too."
Gabriel tapped his temple with an index finger. Connections aside, hearing the word "brains" come out of Gabriel's mouth was nothing short of hilarious.
I snorted and turned my gaze back to the orphanage.
Children in the exact same position I once was.
They were filthy and half-starved. Yet their eyes shone with anticipation over the gifts.
Claw your way out of here. Build your strength and climb. Never settle.
The words welled up in my throat.
The fate of children from the lower-tier orphanages was painfully predictable. The ones with combat aptitude became low-ranking soldiers—expendable fodder, essentially. Still, that was the better path. Dangerous as it was, it was a proper job that paid. With luck, they might even make non-commissioned officer.
And the children who couldn't even become soldiers? They were cast out onto the streets, where swindlers and gangs waited, ready to suck the marrow from the bones of these naive kids.
Even when a miserable fate catches up to you, don't go blaming anyone else. You'll have only yourselves to blame for squandering the opportunity the Empire gave you.
I muttered it to myself.
I had escaped this place. I'd dragged myself up out of this wretched gutter, seized a lifeline, and climbed. When everyone said it was impossible, I ground myself to the bone building my strength.
This must be the orphanage where Kinuan grew up. Is he handing out charity just because he made it out?
It seemed even Kinuan had a soft, sentimental streak. I'd never do such a thing. I had no sympathy to waste on people who couldn't seize opportunities for themselves.
"Luka, what's that Kinuan guy actually do? He doesn't seem like family... If he's a big shot even Aleph bows to, I should've heard the name."
"If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, mind your own business," I replied flatly. And I meant it.
For someone I'd met only a few times, Gabriel was a decent guy. How could I tell? In a place like this, simply knowing how to keep a promise and show loyalty was enough to qualify a man as decent.
"Whoaaaa!"
Soon the orphanage doors burst open. As if they'd been waiting for this exact moment, children came pouring out and swarmed the gift boxes I'd so neatly stacked.
"Thank you, ugly mister! And thank you, handsome big brother!" the children cheered, beaming.
"Listen to these little brats," Gabriel muttered—though he only laughed. He wasn't pathetic enough to get worked up over a kid's teasing.
Gabriel's worth keeping around.
My money hadn't gone to waste.
I studied Gabriel. Thanks to the new spine—which boasted excellent durability and power—his physical balance had improved dramatically. His hunched back had straightened out considerably. With his nervous system's bandwidth expanded, the strain on his body would have eased as well. His chronic muscle pain and insomnia had probably improved.
To put Gabriel's upgrade simply, it was like paving and widening a narrow, rutted road. Even if the compatibility and optimization of his cybernetics were a total mess, expanding the bandwidth let the system handle the load. In the back alleys, people generally preferred this crude but effective approach over delicate tuning.
"What are you staring at? Fall in love with me or something?"
Gabriel turned around, sensing my gaze. Dumbfounded, I grimaced, then fixed him with a murderous glare.
"I-I'm kidding! Damn, no need to look at me like you're about to murder me."
Gabriel backpedaled fast.
"When you've got time, get it calibrated by a proper mechanic. Those expensive parts aren't performing anywhere near their potential."
Gabriel just snorted at my advice.
"Calibration's gotta be done regularly. Where would I get the time or money for that? If it weren't for your help, I'd be crawling on the ground begging by now. I'd have to grit my teeth and take it even if the bastards who hate me pissed on my head."
"This should cover you for about six months."
I tapped a blank credit chip against my terminal and keyed in an amount. The numbers flashed onto the chip's display.
"...Hey, what's this for? If you're trying to hire a hitman, you've got the wrong guy. Even I have standards."
Gabriel didn't immediately reach for the chip. That hesitation actually made him more trustworthy.
"It's an investment in the future. I'll be calling you whenever I need help—starting with trivial errands like today."
"Good Boy, I'm not your lackey. You want to play boss, go start your own gang."
"Think of us as partners. I have no intention of treating you like a subordinate, and I won't make unreasonable demands."
Gabriel took the credit chip with a conflicted look. It was too much money to turn down. It was a hefty expense for me, too; a cadet's salary didn't leave much room for luxury.
"I'll take it. But remember—I'm not your underling."
"I get it, so drop it. Just make sure that money goes strictly toward maintenance and upgrades. Don't go blowing it on stupid crap."
I hammered the last warning home. Gabriel winced slightly and nodded. He didn't strike me as a man with disciplined spending habits—though that held true for most Lower District residents.
Before long, the courtyard was littered with torn wrapping paper. The children clutched their new toys and game consoles. Naturally, since some kids didn't get what they wanted, fistfights and squabbles broke out almost at once.
Gabriel and I made no move to stop them, just watched the chaos unfold.
That's right. Fight for it. No one gets an equal share anyway. If you want something, take it.
If one person enjoys a luxury, another must go without. The world was not a place of abundance.
...We both knew that truth all too well.
A short while later, the orphanage doors opened again. Kinuan stepped out, his business inside finished.
"Luka. Let's talk. Just the two of us."
Kinuan headed toward a small rest area behind the building, where a dilapidated bench sat.
Creak.
Kinuan sat down with his back to me. I stood behind him, waiting for him to speak.
"I come out like this from time to time. The director here looked remarkably well-fed—no doubt from skimming off the children's rations. Impressive, really, considering a director's salary isn't exactly generous."
"Did you grow up here, Instructor?"
"Who knows? I forgot where I was born and raised a long time ago. I just drop by orphanages like this now and then. For all I know, I might've stopped by yours at some point."
Kinuan looked weary. Seen like this, he was nothing more than a retired Imperial Guardsman. Why would the Imperial Guard Captain feel the need to keep tabs on him? The question lingered in my mind.
Kinuan suffered from brain dysfunction—a nervous system shattered by an overload it couldn't withstand. He seemed to hold himself together through sheer, superhuman willpower, but he was bound by severe limitations.
It was an arrogant thought, but if I could somehow drag a fight out into a war of attrition, I might actually stand a chance of beating him.
Let's keep it simple. The man before me was just a veteran fading into the past, an old soldier whose glory had long since dimmed. Perhaps that would be my own future one day—assuming I was lucky enough to survive that long.
"...So, Luka. Did Captain Heilas send you to me?"
Kinuan tossed out the question casually. The Imperial Guard Captain's name caught me completely off guard.
My pupils must have dilated like a herbivore spotting its natural predator.
Whirrrr!
Without thinking, I surged the output of my prosthetic body, bracing for combat. A suffocating tension gripped me from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.
Does he know I'm here on the Captain's orders? How much does he know? Is he planning to eliminate me right here? Is there really something off about Kinuan?
A flurry of calculations raced through my mind, worst-case scenarios flashing before my eyes.
"Luka. If you don't want to die, calm down. It'd be rather difficult to subdue you without killing you."
Kinuan spoke without even turning to look at me, his eyes fixed forward. I forced myself to breathe, gradually dialing back the output of my prosthetic body.
"I am a soldier of the Empire. That is the only answer I can give you."
I closed my eyes, then opened them, speaking with forced composure.