Chapter 228
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228
Kinuan always appeared and disappeared without warning.
He was utterly unpredictable, moving as if on a leisurely stroll, completely outside my predictions and grasp.
We left the street stall, and just as he seemed to blend into the crowd like a ghost, Kinuan vanished completely.
"Kyaaaah!"
"H-His head?"
"What on earth just..."
A moment later, the heads of the stall owner and his customer tumbled to the ground. Passersby stared, wide-eyed, at the bizarre deaths.
How far does Kinuan's information network reach?
Standing amidst the crowd, I looked up. The chaotic buildings of Border City jutted haphazardly into the sky.
The timing of his appearance was impeccable.
I met with Ilay today. Since it would be some time before our next contact, I couldn't share information with him right away.
And Kinuan was after Paolo Quan's legacy. He had made it the subject of our deal.
Paolo Quan was Anguis Regina's father and Japa's former lover. He was the chef who created the Japa Burger sauce, but he was also an archaeologist tracking the Arcane civilization.
It was only the day before yesterday that Japa spoke of Paolo Quan's legacy.
Kinuan had struck with uncanny precision, as if he knew the entire situation.
But there's no way he knows everything. Don't treat him like some omnipotent being. He's human, just like me.
I thought of Akies Victima—the ability to deduce reality with near-prophetic accuracy from minor clues and circumstances.
Kinuan was a master of Akies Victima. He intentionally instigated conflict and tangled relationships, snatching up the information that leaked out in the chaos.
That's why he seems omnipotent. It's all a performance. Don't be fooled.
I blinked.
He showed up in person to test me. He wanted to confirm his suspicions.
That alone would be enough to shake me. With his sharp insight and observation, he must have peered deep into my mind.
Grit.
I ground my teeth. My mistakes stood out glaringly.
I let Kinuan overwhelm me, validating all his assumptions. I should have played dumb and fed him false information.
There was definitely information that even Kinuan didn't know. He wasn't a god. He was merely a human crawling on the earth.
You're letting yourself get dragged around, you idiot, Luka.
The relationship between us was unfair.
I don't know what his goal is.
Vague concepts like "ascension" couldn't possibly be his true objective. It was nothing more than wordplay.
Kinuan knows my goal is Giselle.
If Kinuan held information about Giselle—or even if he just pretended to—I had no choice but to yield the upper hand.
Finding Giselle was a higher priority than capturing Kinuan alive. This was my weakness.
But is Paolo Quan's legacy really that significant? Significant enough for Kinuan to step forward and verify it himself?
Things were tangling on multiple fronts. A murky chaos was approaching, one that couldn't be navigated with ordinary thinking.
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. I had felt this sensation before.
The Imperial Storm Era.
Conflicting goals tangled in a complex web of interests, revealing a picture with only its outline and fragments visible. Ruin and death were always close behind, forcing a choice.
It's already dizzying.
Do not repeat past mistakes. Trusting others naturally carries the risk of betrayal.
But if you can’t trust anyone for fear of betrayal, all that awaits is an unbearable ruin.
This world is far too violent for one person to endure alone.
I am no invincible superhuman.
"...Just a mere human."
And Kinuan would be no different.
* * *
I stopped by the Handicraft Industry to order an exoskeleton prosthetic leg from Son Seok-jae.
"Ah, a mechanical prosthetic leg? Not a cybernetic one?"
Son Seok-jae, wearing grease-stained maintenance overalls, was wiping his hands on a rag.
"If I wanted a cybernetic one, I wouldn't have come here. Make it combat-spec."
"We'll need to take measurements, won't we?"
I rattled off the dimensions from memory, based on my visual estimate.
Someone of Ragnata's caliber would adapt to it, even if it wasn't crafted with extreme precision. It was only a temporary prosthetic, anyway.
"You must have plenty of general-purpose parts in your warehouse. Just grab one, modify it for high output, and give it to me. I'll pick it up tomorrow."
"Well, putting one together is no trouble at all... but I am curious who's going to use it."
Son Seok-jae took a refreshing gulp of beer and wiped the foam from his beard.
"That's none of your business."
"Whenever I get a new business partner, I always treat them to drinks at a nice place. You too, Mr. Luka, sometime soon..."
"I don't drink," I answered quickly.
"No drinking, no smoking, no chasing women. I have to wonder what you do for fun."
I bared my teeth as I answered.
"...I kill people instead. It's the joy of my life. Does that answer your question?"
Son Seok-jae smiled, his eyes narrowing. He habitually reached for a cigarette but put it back when he remembered he was in front of me.
"A chilling answer, but I get the point. Ah, the first report on Mushir Al-Kashura is complete. Would you like to review it? I can explain it to you."
"No, I'll hear it from Lapis."
Son Seok-jae nodded with a gentle smile.
"As you wish. Also, someone from the Federation will be coming to observe the prototype test."
Faster than I thought. But this was better. I could feel the waves of events surging in.
"Send the schedule to my terminal."
After finishing my business with Son Seok-jae, I went to find Lapis.
Lapis was staying in a room guarded by two Equesians, who were still warily keeping their guard up around me.
"Relax, boys. I've made up with Japa."
I smirked as I walked into the room.
Creak.
Inside, Lapis was struggling to pack her clothes into a suitcase. It looked like she was planning to leave the Handicraft Industry.
"Leaving now that the investigation is over? I heard the first report is done."
I walked over to Lapis and pressed down on the suitcase lid for her. The latches clicked shut, and the case compressed tightly.
"I've already secured all the data and blueprints, anyway. If I need to do more research, I can just run simulations. Do you need the report too, Luka?"
"I'm no technician, and that data isn't important to me. Just give me the key points."
Lapis projected a hologram of Mushir Al-Kashura's prosthetic body from her terminal. With a wave of her hand, the schematic disassembled, its internal components scattering in intricate detail.
"Basically, it's the same as the Empire's full-armor prosthetic..." Lapis gave a condensed version of the report.
It shares the characteristics of the Legion.
But that didn't mean Kashura was associated with the Legion. It was simply an inevitability, like convergent evolution.
High-performance, high-output prosthetics inevitably cause neural overload.
The Legion minimized this overload by plastering their units with various auxiliary computing modules and installing signal attenuators.
...But there is a difference between Kashura's full-armor prosthetic and the Legion.
Kashura's full-armor prosthetic had no signal attenuators or auxiliary computing units.
"...The attenuator that adjusts the high-output control signals to fit a biological brain is probably in that missing metal box. The brain would be in there too, along with the auxiliary computing units."
Lapis made a logical deduction. But my thoughts were different.
Kashura is using multiple brains. That's why he doesn't need auxiliary computing units or attenuators.
If my deduction was correct, Kashura would be the most horrific monster I had ever encountered.
"Will the data from analyzing Kashura's prosthetic help the Handicraft Industry's weapon development?"
"Absolutely. It's practically the same as capturing a Legion. It's not like the Federation doesn't know the principles and core structure of Legion and full-armor prosthetics. The issue is the precise data accumulated over long periods of time and actual combat. The data from Kashura's prosthetic will reduce trial and error, significantly shortening the development period."
"But robots and full-body prosthetics are different. It might not be as helpful as you think, right?"
It was a question born of curiosity—and perhaps a slight resistance to the idea that the pinnacle of the Empire's combat prosthetics could be caught up to so easily.
"In terms of combat weapons, the gap is gradually narrowing. If you think about it, a Mechanic Armor Unit, or MAU, is basically just a massive exoskeleton. Exoskeleton combat suits have already caught up quite a bit to the responsiveness and flexibility that used to be unique advantages of prosthetics. When it comes to models with a direct nervous system interface, prosthetics only really lead in durability and volume."
I was itching to argue. As someone who had severed his own limbs to become stronger, the idea of that gap narrowing was deeply unpleasant. I wanted to deny her words.
But only a fool argues with an expert.
"I'll head out first. If I stay here any longer, these Equesians are going to kill someone. See you at the office later."
"I'll carry your bag. You have a lot of luggage."
I picked up Lapis's suitcase and followed her out. Lapis left the room carrying only her toolbox.
In the open lot of the Handicraft Industry's grounds sat a Japa Trading aerial vehicle, the same one Lapis and the Equesians had arrived in.
Son Seok-jae, now changed into clean clothes, came out to see them off. He was smoking a cigar in the distance but put it out as I drew near.
"Miss Lapis, you are highly skilled. If you ever grow tired of Japa Trading, come to me. Actually, this is a secret, but I only pretend to be a xenophobe to get funding from extremists. Even the porn I watch only features aliens. I love aliens."
Son Seok-jae offered a handshake, his insult wrapped in a fake smile.
Lapis showed her disgust and refused his hand.
"...I hope we never meet again. You are rude and foolish. Exactly the kind of person I despise."
Son Seok-jae chuckled and pulled back his awkward hand.
Whirrrr.
The engine of the aerial vehicle carrying Lapis and the Equesians hummed to life.
I feel sorry for Lapis in many ways.
I owed her a great debt. Up until now, she had always fulfilled my requests without a single complaint. When I had first woken up in Border City, I was a complete mess. I was slightly better now.
In any case, the conclusion was simple. Lapis was a wonderful person.
Lapis is trustworthy.
I was even prepared to share my deepest secrets with her.
She works under Japa... but she isn't loyal to Japa. The driving force behind Lapis's actions is always her own beliefs and conscience.
Lapis was warm. She was different from me, cynical to the point of being hostile toward others.
The world we live in is mostly terrible, but the reason I occasionally feel it's not so bad... is because of people like her.
Yes, I liked Lapis Lazuli. Not in a romantic way, but as one person to another.
I watched the receding aerial vehicle until it was just a dot in the distance.
...And then, the dot exploded.
Boom!
The sound of the explosion reached the Handicraft Industry's lot. My eyes widened as I stared at the fireball where the vehicle had been. The burning wreck was plummeting toward the ground.
The aerial vehicle carrying Lapis Lazuli exploded.
The objective fact slammed into my thoughts. My mind, suddenly cold, began to race.
Japa Trading, Lapis Lazuli, Handicraft Industry, Son Seok-jae, xenophobia, Mushir Al-Kashura, full-armor prosthetic, weapon development, crucial data...
I couldn't afford to delay. If I gave a skilled liar time to close off their emotions, it would be impossible to drag the truth out of them.
I spun around, my eyes wild. Son Seok-jae was also staring at the explosion, his mouth agape.
"Ah..."
I moved before Son Seok-jae could finish his sentence. My body had been primed for action the very instant that dot exploded.
Crunch!
I grabbed Son Seok-jae by the collar and kicked his leg. The moment my foot connected, his knee shattered. He couldn't even scream.
Thud!
I grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground. His nearby subordinates and secretary didn't even have time to intervene.
Swish!
I drew the Grakken Boot. The pure white blade of the dagger hungrily craved blood. Sometimes, a weapon reflects its master's state of mind.
Thrust!
I plunged the Grakken Boot into Son Seok-jae's side, driving the blade all the way up to just beneath his heart.
Thump, thump.
With every violent beat, Son Seok-jae’s heart brushed faintly against the tip of the blade.
"Don't move. One slight shift and your heart will be pierced. I warned you—if you touched Lapis, the deal and everything else would be over."
I threatened him, assuming he was the culprit. It didn't matter if it was true.
Was his hatred for other species stronger than I anticipated? Or did he make a move before the data could be handed over to Japa Trading?
If Son Seok-jae was the culprit, there were only two possible reasons.
Tremble, tremble.
Son Seok-jae was shaking, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. No matter how powerful he was, he was still a civilian without combat training. Faced with sudden violence and threats, fear forces an honest reaction. In this state, no one can easily lie.
"I-It wasn't... m-me."
The smell of urine wafted from the crotch of the middle-aged man who had been so composed just moments ago.
Unless my Akies Victima had rusted, or Son Seok-jae was a superhuman who could overcome biological instinct...
...He isn't lying. He isn't the one who blew up the aerial vehicle.
I bit my lip. The emotions I’d suppressed came rushing in.
Please...
...Please let the kind-hearted Lapis be alive.
I actually felt like praying. If only some transcendent being existed somewhere in this universe.