Chapter 217
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217
I’d been working with Japa for a while now. Naturally, I’d come to understand how Japa’s Equesian mercenary group operated.
I didn’t know if other Equesian outfits shared the same structure, but the one Japa employed was divided between a Mercenary Captain and a Great Warrior.
The Mercenary Captain handled negotiations with employers and commanded battles. Mercenary work was a business, after all. What mattered most for a captain was ruthless judgment and a cold intellect.
Yet, no matter how commercialized, a mercenary group was still a band of warriors. Individual martial prowess remained crucial and carried immense symbolic weight. If a Mercenary Captain was weaker than their subordinates, it would be difficult to maintain a proper hierarchy.
The Great Warrior symbolized that raw power on the captain’s behalf. The strongest warrior’s respect for the captain established the group’s order, setting the tone for everyone else.
In essence, two leaders maintained the balance of power.
'Even though they're both combat species, Equesians and Crawlers are different. Equesians understand the importance of political savvy and negotiation.'
And now En, the Great Warrior who embodied that very power, stood before me.
Creak.
En stood blocking the entrance to the study. When he gripped the doorframe, his hand left deep imprints in the wood.
I let out a dry chuckle and stared at him.
“Quick response. I’d expect nothing less,” I said, standing in the center of the room.
—This is Japa's private space. You don’t belong here.
“I’m not trespassing. Strictly speaking, this is Anguis Regina’s house, isn’t it? I entered with her permission.”
—Does someone with permission break in through a window?
I had no defense for that. I rubbed the back of my neck.
“To find Kinuan, we have to understand his ultimate goal. We can’t afford to miss a single clue.”
—There are no clues here. You just need to do what you always do: hunt the prey.
“Whether there are clues here is for me to decide after I’ve looked.”
Right now, I needed to contact Japa to mediate this. There was no reason to start a fight. And yet, I wanted to use this opportunity to gauge En's capabilities.
'If a conflict arises with Japa, I'll inevitably have to fight En.'
A bright yellow light glowed from En’s combat helmet. He was much larger than me. Any ordinary human would have been crushed by his sheer presence the moment they faced him.
'The only reason I can stand toe-to-toe with an Equesian is because I'm an enhanced human.'
In terms of innate biological combat ability, Equesians overwhelmingly outmatched humans.
—You act as if you own the place. I’ve always seen that rebellious look in your eyes.
“I just want to see if you can back up that talk.”
—Stop lying. You want to probe my strength in preparation for a clash with Japa. For that reason, I decline to fight.
En placed a terminal on the table. I frowned. The tension I’d just built up evaporated instantly.
Whirrr.
Japa’s real-time hologram flickered into the air. The resolution was low, making it difficult to read his expression clearly.
—Hoyot, hoyot, hoyot... My, this is quite embarrassing, Mr. Luka. Did you hear about this place from Anguis Regina? It seems she has chosen you.
“If you want to find Kinuan, you need to share your information with me. Hiding things one by one like this will only complicate matters.”
—To me, Anguis Regina's well-being is just as important as finding Kinuan.
“...So Anguis Regina really did commit patricide.”
—It is an undeniable fact. At first, I wanted to kill her, too. After all, I had lost my second lover in such a senseless way. But once I realized she was the only flesh and blood he left behind, I found myself covering up even her most horrific sins.
“A Tajirun feeling maternal love for a human girl?”
—If you start questioning that, there will be no end to it. My loving a human male was abnormal to begin with. Strictly speaking, it isn't maternal love. It’s more likely my feelings for Paolo were projected onto her.
Japa continued.
—My reason for seeking Kinuan is not just revenge. I must find him for her liberation as well. In her mind, Kinuan exists as a flawless, fantasy figure. I intend to drag him into reality and kill him right before her eyes. Only then can she let go of her obsession and live her own life.
It made sense. If things continued as they were, Anguis Regina would ruin herself.
Japa seemed to care for her far more than I had thought.
“Well, I’ve already uncovered Anguis Regina’s past and her real name. Now that I’ve dug up the facts you wanted to hide, what do you plan to do?”
—...There is always the option of killing you here. No matter how strong you are, you cannot fight an entire mercenary group. The Equesian mercenaries have already surrounded the area.
I had to make a decision. If Japa intended to eliminate me, I needed to move immediately. If the Equesian mercenaries formed a tight perimeter, even I would find it difficult to escape.
'Equesian mercenaries are willing to sacrifice their lives for the collective goal.'
They possessed a level of cohesion found only in the most elite military units.
...But I knew. My arrival here was also part of Japa’s calculations.
'Japa is a genius even among the notoriously cunning Tajiruns. Even with Kinuan's help, swallowing the very family that exiled him whole was no small feat.'
Japa was also well aware of Anguis Regina’s emotional instability and her obsession with Kinuan.
'This situation was inevitable.'
As long as Anguis Regina remained obsessed with Kinuan and Akies Victima users, it was only a matter of time before I ended up here.
“Japa, I reached this place on my own. If you're thinking of testing me further, don't bother. Come to think of it, you once showed me photos of my predecessors—the ones killed while chasing Kinuan.”
My predecessors had died in gruesome, horrific ways.
—Then, for now...
Japa tried to deflect.
“I’m not finished. My predecessors’ deaths weren’t Kinuan’s doing, were they? You had your Equesians kill them. And they died because they slept with Anguis Regina.”
—That is an interesting theory, Mr. Luka. Killing them just for sleeping with her? If that were the case, I would have killed everyone who ever slept with Anguis Regina. You saw her former managers yourself—perfectly alive and well.
I smirked.
“Those managers were nothing more than her playthings, not even worth mentioning. But a half-baked Akies Victima user only feeds the fantasy of Kinuan she’s built in her head. She’s an attractive woman, so the bastards who got a taste probably kept chasing after her. And the more they did, the larger the fantasy of Kinuan grew.”
Japa turned to look away, his gaze shifting toward En.
—En, you may leave Mr. Luka be and return. He has proven himself splendidly.
Japa neither denied nor admitted to killing my predecessors.
—Congratulations, human. You have survived another day.
En muttered as he backed away, his presence fading from the doorway. However, Japa kept the channel open.
—It is true that I wanted to hide my relationship with Anguis Regina until the very end. I did not intend to test you blindly. My desire for her happiness is entirely genuine, and I wanted to find Kinuan without exposing our details if possible. Just as you have things you hide from me.
“I'll hear the rest when I get back. For now, I'd like to investigate this place in peace. Paolo wasn't just a simple chef, was he?”
Japa hesitated before replying.
—What a nostalgic name... Paolo, Paolo... Paolo was the chef who developed the original recipe for Japa Burger. But cooking was not his true profession.
I scanned the documents held down by paperweights and the books scattered messily around the room. I saw patterns and drawings in a familiar style.
—Paolo Quan was a poor archaeologist. He was particularly fascinated by the Arcane civilization. To him, the food business was merely a means to fund his research.
* * *
Japa’s hologram vanished. I exhaled quietly and began my investigation.
Paolo’s study was packed with records of the Arcane civilization.
'There's nothing here I can understand at a glance.'
What mattered was that Paolo had a deep interest in the Arcane civilization. Judging by the degrees and certificates hanging on the wall, he was an elite who had received a higher education.
Rustle.
I opened one of Paolo's notebooks, narrowing my eyes.
'...Graphology, was it?'
I searched my memory. Graphology—the theory that a person's handwriting reveals their personality and emotions. Honestly, it wasn't highly credible.
Yet, even to a layman like me, one emotion was clearly palpable in Paolo's notebooks.
'An obsession with the Arcane civilization.'
He had densely packed the margins of books written by other scholars with his own annotations.
'And jealousy. Inferiority.'
Scattered throughout were scribbled curses slandering other researchers, along with angry laments that he could have done better.
'Paolo was an archaeologist who never received proper recognition or funding.'
I applied this to a logical deduction.
'Kinuan contacted Paolo because of the Arcane civilization, and killed him as soon as he got what he wanted.'
But there was no guarantee this deduction was the truth. It was far too predictable for someone like Kinuan.
If it were him, he would have gone beyond my expectations... Damn it. Shit.
'In the grand scheme of things, I'm no different from Anguis Regina. I'm endlessly building up this monster named Kinuan in my own mind, always assuming he'll evade my predictions.'
The thought annoyed me. I was repeatedly losing to a Kinuan who wasn't even here.
As I searched the study, I noticed that a significant number of handwritten notebooks were missing. The middle section of a bookshelf was conspicuously empty.
'Did Kinuan take them? Or did Japa...?'
Either way, no crucial materials remained here.
That was enough. I could pry the rest out of Japa.
For the first time in a while, the bridge of my nose throbbed. I wiped a trickle of blood from one nostril with the back of my hand and closed my eyes.
I had been active for far longer than expected. On top of that, every single event had been a major one.
'I need to meet Japa as soon as I get back. Better to press him before he can organize his thoughts.'
Still, I wanted to rest, even if just for a moment.
I left Paolo’s house. Walking past the food street, I soon reached a main road bustling with vehicles. I hailed a taxi, caught my breath, and sank deep into the backseat.
The front and back of the taxi were separated by a metallic partition. Through a palm-sized glass window, I could see the driver.
“Just drive for an hour. Don't circle the same route.”
The taxi driver glanced back, his expression anxious. My haggard appearance and suspicious request had clearly put him on edge. His index finger hovered over an emergency button on the steering wheel.
“...I'll pay upfront.”
I pulled a credit chip from my inner pocket—one unrelated to Japa Trading—and inserted it into the payment slot.
“Thank you, valued customer! I will serve you with the utmost care and comfort!”
Only then did the driver grin, taking his hand off the emergency button. I was actually a bit curious what would have happened if he’d pressed it.
'Finally, some rest.'
I loosely closed my eyes. Just an hour, then I’d go find Japa. That would be enough to get me back to ninety percent.
'I'll ask Japa for the details on Paolo.'
After that, I’d continue the investigation into Valek. I’d also have to contact Ilay to share what I knew about Mushir Al-Kashura.
'Mushir Al-Kashura.'
A dangerous individual known as a legendary mercenary.
Still, Ilay would manage to stay alive. He’d survived in the Empire for twelve years while I was gone; his danger-sensing abilities would be top-notch even without something like Akies Victima.
...Stop thinking. I need to shut down. My temples throbbed. My thoughts felt sluggish, as if the fluid in my brain had turned to gelatin.
For today, this is where...
I muttered to myself, as if hypnotizing my own mind.
I was just on the verge of falling asleep.
Screeech!
The taxi screeched to a sudden halt. I frowned, opening my eyes. Being dragged back to consciousness right before sleep was absolutely miserable.
“C-Customer! Looks like there’s some kind of accident up ahead.”
The driver craned his neck forward.
The road was completely gridlocked. People were abandoning their cars and running back in our direction.
Whoosh! Crash!
Further up the road, vehicles were being flung into the air. Multi-ton cars sailed off the asphalt like toys.
“Aaaaah!”
Screaming people rushed past the taxi, desperate to escape.
Some major chaos had broken out. I pressed down on my heavy eyelids, calculating the time. I hadn’t slept for forty hours, dealing with one incident after another. My senses were dulled, my cognitive abilities slipping.
Even now, I couldn’t assess the situation instantly.
Thud!
One of the airborne vehicles crashed down right in front of us, crushing our hood. Smoke immediately billowed out with a crackle as the engine died.
“Hieeeek!”
The taxi driver frantically mashed the emergency button.
Thump!
The roof of the taxi popped open, and the driver’s seat shot high into the air. An emergency ejection button. I suppose to make a living driving in Border City, you needed at least that much...
—This vehicle will explode in five seconds. If pressed by mistake, please state the password. Five...
A calm voice announced. Perhaps the driver had been mugged before, because he’d installed a wonderful self-destruct device as an added feature.
“Ah, damn it...”
I recalled it hadn’t even been five minutes since the words “utmost care and comfort” had left his mouth.
—...Four.
I kicked the locked door, shattering it off its hinges.
Right. Nothing in this world ever goes my way. I knew that. I knew it all too well, but sometimes, it still pissed me off.
Clunk.
The moment I was out, I kicked the taxi itself, sending it sliding. Pushed off the road, it exploded like a firework.
Boom!
Flames and smoke billowed upward.
I brushed the embers from my head and shoulders and adjusted my coat.
Sometimes, you just have to start the next day without any sleep. Sure. Why not.
Well then. Another shitty day begins.