Chapter 195
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195
The situation surrounding the Menoa family was a tangled mess.
Lies and truths were interwoven, while unrelated incidents clouded the bigger picture. The truth lay buried at the very bottom.
To someone who relished schemes and conspiracies, the Menoa family's current predicament would be incredibly alluring.
‘The people of the Menoa family don’t trust one another.’
That was why even the simplest incidents blew out of proportion instead of being resolved. Taking a step back, it all looked so simple—it truly did.
‘But the Tajiruns of the Menoa family have put everyone but themselves on the suspect list.’
With so many suspects, the case only plunged deeper into a labyrinth. A group devoid of trust was bound to collapse, even from the most trivial of incidents.
‘Ozmer didn’t murder his father.’
Of this, I was almost certain. If Ozmer were the culprit, things wouldn’t be this twisted and complicated.
‘Rather, Ozmer is convinced that one of his siblings killed their father.’
That was why everything had become so convoluted. The inheritance issues must have been a mess as well.
‘If they conduct a full investigation and still fail to find the real culprit, the inheritance will remain frozen. It might even be forfeited due to some punitive clause.’
From what I could see, the one experiencing the greatest turmoil was Ozmer. He had suddenly become the Family Head, and the exiled Japa had returned as a threatening presence, putting immense pressure on him.
Since Ozmer's power base was fragile, he would naturally suspect everyone around him. Believing that one of his siblings had murdered their father made it even harder for him to trust anyone.
Furthermore, other schemes and conspiracies I wasn't even aware of were likely unfolding simultaneously within the Menoa family.
I ended my train of thought and cracked my eyes open slightly, not that it did any good.
‘A sudden blackout.’
The power to the Menoa Mothership had been cut. For a mothership of this scale to lose power all at once made no sense. It would have countless emergency power grids and backup generators.
‘Someone who knows the internal workings very well cut the ship's power on purpose.’
I listened closely. A sharp, metallic clatter echoed from the kitchen.
Clack, clank.
There were people in the kitchen, drawing weapons and preparing for combat.
I activated my Auditory Vision to observe the situation. As I expected, the personnel in the kitchen were all well-trained soldiers.
‘They've drawn their firearms and taken cover in optimal positions, using the kitchen as a stronghold…’
I furrowed my brow. A grim premonition flashed through my mind.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, echoing through the hall.
"Agh!"
The bullet tore through an Elite Guard trainee. The human boy clutched his wound, his face a mask of disbelief.
Bang! Bam-bam-bam-bam!
Muzzle flashes sparked, intermittently illuminating the kitchen and the dining hall. The soldiers in the kitchen were firing wildly at the trainees.
Screeech!
I ripped a steel table from its moorings and used it as a shield. Stray bullets rained down in all directions.
‘...Ozmer made a bold decision.’
The pieces of the puzzle rapidly fell into place.
‘Ozmer plans to frame this as a slave rebellion.’
The mothership was damaged in a slave riot, and in the chaos, the former Family Head's body was desecrated. It was a plausible excuse.
"—What is the meaning of— cough, ack!"
Resistance rose against the assault from the kitchen. Surprisingly, it was the Equesian Elite Guard Captain. Armed with only a pistol and a dagger, he was fighting back against his own Elite Guards.
The Equesian Elite Guard Captain seemed to have received no warning. He was being attacked by his own subordinates.
‘He intends to sacrifice the Elite Guard Captain, too. That's the only way to make the story convincing.’
The pretext Ozmer would fabricate formed clearly in my mind: 'The Elite Guard Captain, along with a faction of rebellious Elite Guards, trainees, and slaves, attempted an uprising.' With that narrative, it wouldn't seem strange even if the former Family Head's body was desecrated.
Since the former Family Head had only just died, it would be easy to attribute it to something like 'corrupted loyalty.'
‘These guys are different from the Imperial Guard...’
I felt pathetic for ever comparing them to the Imperial Guard.
I calmed my breathing. Don't get worked up. That’s right, there was no reason to get worked up. They weren't people; they were slaves. Why waste anger on dogs and pigs?
If the Imperial Guard were ordered to massacre cadets, how many of them would actually obey?
The Imperial Guard possessed an obsessive loyalty, but they were not men devoid of honor. A dishonorable mission required a justifiable reason.
"—You bastards! Who... cough, wheeze... ordered you to... cough..."
The Equesian Elite Guard Captain fought his own men with meager, makeshift armaments. He couldn't even properly dodge the gunfire because he was trying to protect the trainees.
‘...It wasn't ordered by anyone else. It was ordered by the current Family Head, Ozmer himself.’
Looking at the situation, Ozmer had no intention of letting the law firm perform an autopsy.
‘Ozmer must find the lawyers suspicious, too. He can't be sure they’ll be impartial. Even if Ozmer didn't kill his father, he’s the prime suspect, so he could end up taking the fall. If the lawyers are part of a scheme concocted by his other siblings, he'd be utterly helpless.’
I recalled my days in the Empire. Because the members of the Menoa family couldn't trust one another, they failed to find the answer even when it was right in front of them. Hmph, how bitter.
‘Should I just watch?’
I held my breath and observed. It wouldn't be too late to act after the situation settled down.
Bang!
A gunshot grazed past me. A trainee, shot through the head, collapsed limply to the floor.
Ignore them, Luka. They are slaves. They aren't your friends, nor are they your acquaintances. If you died, would they even blink? Not at all. They would just step over you like trash on the street.
So, I should ignore them just as I would ignore trash. They may be slaves, but they are soldiers undergoing combat training. Since they carried the karma of killing, they had to live with death as a constant companion.
"—It... hurts... it hurts..."
I stared toward the whimpering voice. With every gunshot, sparks flew, briefly illuminating the darkness.
"Grrr, gurgle..."
A young Crawler was clawing at the floor, foaming blood at the mouth. The gunshot wound was fatal; blood was already pooling heavily beneath its belly.
Clatter.
As the Crawler writhed, a fallen bowl flipped over, scattering vegetables across the floor.
‘...It's young.’
The Crawler before me couldn't have been more than ten years old.
I don't believe children deserve protection simply because they are young. Adults and children are equal before the universe. The world crushes them both with the exact same cruelty.
If children must be protected because they are weak, then weak adults deserve the same treatment. There is absolutely no reason a child, specifically, must be protected.
‘None.’
But I am human.
Humans are creatures who, unfortunately, feel sorrow and anger when they see a child dying in vain. They hesitate to kill children, even if they aren't of the same species.
My past flashed through my mind. The first Force User I ever met... he had stayed his hand instead of killing me. Even as he died by my blade, he didn't take my future with him.
‘The reason why, in the same situation, we protect children instead of killing them.’
There is no grand conviction or philosophy behind it. It is nothing more than the manifestation of weak instinct and compassion.
Alright, Luka. That's enough pathetic self-justification.
Click.
I drew the Auto-Tracking Pistol from my coat. Poking only the muzzle over the edge of the table, I began locking onto my targets.
Beep, beep, bee-beep.
My Retinal Display lit up, acquiring targets in rapid succession. They only held guns; they were lightly armored and didn't even wear helmets.
Click, click.
I pulled the trigger repeatedly. Following the reports of my pistol, soldiers in the kitchen collapsed one by one. Even under attack from an outside party, they didn't panic, instead hiding deeper behind cover.
"You're tough. Don't die on me."
I grabbed the heavily bleeding Crawler by the scruff of its neck and dragged it behind my cover. When I flipped it over, I saw the gunshot wound on its belly was severe. The bullet must have nicked a major blood vessel; blood was spurting out with every beat of its heart.
"Grrr..."
The young Crawler gasped shallowly, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. Its mouth twitched, silently begging to be saved.
Psssssh.
I pulled out a Liquid Bandage, shoved the nozzle into the wound in its abdomen, and sprayed. There was nothing else I could do. The rest was up to the Crawler's resilient life force.
"Hey, kid. You're a Crawler. You won't die from something like this. Stay sharp and keep your eyes open."
With those words, I pulled the trigger of the Auto-Tracking Pistol again and again. This time, the enemies had taken better cover, so the tracking bullets only struck walls and steel plates.
‘The concentrated fire on the Equesian Elite Guard Captain has stopped.’
My intervention had dispersed the attack. The Equesian Elite Guard Captain barely managed to pull himself together, catching his breath behind cover. His injuries looked extremely severe, but if he was on par with the last Elite Guard Captain I'd faced, he could still fight.
"Equesian! Respond if you can hear me! I'll attack from the left. You take the right and cover me. I'll be the one breaking in!"
I didn't care if the enemy heard me. The Equesian Elite Guard Captain finally looked my way and gave a hand signal.
It was slightly different from the Imperial Army's system, but I could roughly understand its meaning. I nodded, preparing to spring forward.
Bang!
The Equesian Elite Guard Captain raised his head and fired his pistol. Even though the other soldiers had already aimed their weapons in anticipation, his rapid fire was faster.
‘He didn't become the Elite Guard Captain for nothing.’
His body was covered in blood. Despite suffering near-fatal wounds, his aim remained flawless.
The enemies' attention shifted toward him. I crouched low, then kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
I had already mapped out my path. The kitchen and dining hall were littered with cover.
Thud!
Tables and chairs were struck by bullets, splintering apart or clattering across the floor. Their gunfire couldn't keep up with my speed.
Crash!
I launched myself into the kitchen. Cooking utensils flew with a loud clatter as my body slammed into them.
Screeech!
I scraped my fingers against the floor to brake, the metal tiles tearing open along my fingertips.
‘Eight.’
That was the number of soldiers remaining. I could see their threat levels and the path to eliminate them. The analysis was complete before I even needed an auxiliary device.
Hummmmm!
I drew the Hwagwang Yedo. The light from the blade was faint, as it hadn't finished preheating, but it was more than enough to cut through light armor.
I swung the sword.
Sizzle!
With a faint hiss of heat, the soldier next to me was sliced in half. I smoothly twisted the blade and cut down the one beside him.
Splaaat!
Slicing diagonally from shoulder to waist, I spilled the soldier's entrails cleanly onto the floor. The heat of the Hwagwang Yedo vaporized the blood, filling the air with a metallic, fishy stench.
Hummm!
The friction intensified the blade’s thermal glow.
Bam!
I kicked the central kitchen counter, blocking their line of sight. Bullets aimed at me embedded themselves in the steel.
Thwack!
My blade pierced through the counter and plunged into a soldier's face, passing easily through the back of his head.
Ba-a-ang!
Thanks to my dilated perception, the gunshot seemed to stretch on for an annoyingly long time.
Clang!
I had already shielded the side of my face with my left arm. The bullet struck my prosthetic and ricocheted into the ceiling.
I saw the soldier's face, frozen in shock. Yes, you get it now, don't you? The moment you let me get this close, you were already dead.
Squish!
I curled my fingers and stabbed them into the neck of a nearby soldier. I forced my fingers open inside his throat, tearing it apart and leaving his head to loll on a stump of ruined flesh.
Whoosh!
I grabbed the dangling head, ripped it clean off, and threw the skull at another soldier.
Flinch.
They showed signs of terror at my brutality. If they hesitated for even a split second, I could kill one more.
They weren't completely emotionless, then. Yet, to kill their own comrades, they must have undergone training and education akin to brainwashing.
‘But the rigidity of thought caused by brainwashing leads to a decline in capability.’
The Empire didn't refrain from brainwashing because they lacked the technology. A rigid mind is ill-suited for an elite soldier. That was why they put obsessive loyalty and honor at the forefront instead.
Brainwashed soldiers are good at following orders, but nothing more. That must be why even the Menoa family doesn't brainwash those of the Elite Guard Captain rank. A commander's thinking must always remain flexible.
The rest of the battle was easy enough for stray thoughts to fill my head. Before long, the soldiers in the kitchen were nothing but warm corpses scattered across the floor.
Swish.
I spun the blazing Hwagwang Yedo, its thermal glow and heat haze distorting the air.
"Hey. Instead of aiming at me, shouldn't you be treating your wounds?"
I cast my gaze back outside the kitchen.
The Equesian Elite Guard Captain was panting heavily, aiming his pistol at me. With every ragged breath, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"—What is your purpose? Did you orchestrate the mothership's blackout?"
It was only natural for him not to trust me. He could hardly comprehend the current situation.
‘He must be so confused.’
He kept his pistol aimed at me, waiting for my answer.
"Your master, Ozmer, intended to sacrifice you to fabricate a slave riot. Think about it for just a moment. The only reason the Elite Guards would attack you is on their master's orders. Are you really going to protect the master who threw you away like a broken tool?"
My words reached him a second later through the translator. The Equesian Elite Guard Captain's expression grew complicated, and I saw his trigger finger twitch.
Even after being betrayed, he was trying to attack me for his master's sake.
Bang!
My hand moved first. I drew the Auto-Tracking Pistol and fired. Already heavily wounded, the captain couldn't even dodge the slow-moving shot.
Thud.
His head pierced, the Equesian Elite Guard Captain collapsed to his knees and fell forward.
‘In the end, you were just a slave, too.’
I frowned, staring down at the fallen captain.
"Sigh..."
Sheathing the Hwagwang Yedo, I sat on a relatively intact kitchen counter to catch my breath. Corpses littered the area. I could hear the groans of wounded trainees from the dining hall.
Crunch.
I picked up a carrot lying nearby and bit into it. I felt inexplicably angry and wanted to chew on something.
Click.
The blackout ended, and the lights flickered back on.
Ssssssh.
The dining hall doors slid open.
"...My, my."
Japa was the first to enter, letting out a subtle chuckle. Behind him stood five armed Equesian mercenaries.
Seeing Japa, my suspicion solidified into certainty.
It was strange to think that Family Head Ozmer or the other Tajiruns were the culprits. The benefits were unstable, and the execution was too sloppy for a Tajirun. Though I lacked enough information to know the exact details, one thing was certain.
‘Japa manipulated and orchestrated this entire situation. The Tajiruns of the Menoa family danced right to Japa's tune.’
This meant that the blackout happening precisely when I was in the dining hall was no coincidence either.
"Japa, I said I would help you. I never said you could use me."
I spoke, brushing my messy hair out of my face.
"Mr. Luka, it seems there is some misunderstanding between us. We are not friends. The one who gets used is the one at fault. When you used me for your own purposes, did I ever grumble? All I did was ask you to spend a little less money."
Japa clicked his long fingernails together. I couldn't help but laugh.
...Once again, I was the soft-hearted fool.
Japa and the Equesian mercenaries brushed past me, heading toward the cold storage room deep inside the kitchen. Japa must have known all along that his father's body was inside.
Clank.
The Equesian mercenaries entered the cold storage. They would dispose of the body under Japa's orders.
Thud.
Japa sat down beside me. It seemed there was still some time before the other Tajiruns arrived.
"Mr. Luka, you must have noticed the discord and artificiality of the situation inside Menoa long ago. Without that level of insight, you never would have caught Kinuan. This plan has been in the works for a very long time—I worked on it with Kinuan, back then. Before he left, he showed me how to exact my revenge on the Menoa family."
"Is all of this revenge for your exile?"
"No. I hold no resentment over that. I was never someone who fit in with the Menoa family anyway. This is a different, more personal revenge."
Japa pulled a photograph from his coat. It was of someone who looked familiar.
"...The human Elite Guard Captain?"
He resembled the Elite Guard Captain I had killed at the Japa Trading headquarters, only much younger.
"He is the twin brother of the deceased Elite Guard Captain. And he was my lover. I was cast out for committing a taboo: I fell in love with a slave. You see, I... prefer human males."
...I lifted my hips and scooted a handspan away from Japa.