Chapter 231
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231
I stood beside Son Seok-jae, watching the prototype MAU power up.
Numerous companies besides Handicraft Industry were competing for the military MAU contract. According to Son Seok-jae, whichever company won the bid and secured mass production would instantly become one of the Federation’s core defense contractors.
‘And receive massive funding from the Bellato Federal Government.’
The sheer scale of that “massive funding” was likely beyond my imagination.
“The weapon chosen for this project will become a symbol of the Federation,” Son Seok-jae muttered beside me. “To a certain extent, we can even ignore the cost-effectiveness normally required for mass production.”
The Legion was a perfect example. In terms of pure performance, it was an inefficient weapon. The cost of mass-producing Imperial Guardsmen was astronomical; objectively, churning out full-armor prosthetics like the Myrmidon would provide a greater boost to military strength.
However, an invisible gravity influences war and combat—a pull generated and guided by symbols like the Legion.
“The moment the pilot changed, the unit’s movements became completely different. I’d believe you if you told me it was a different machine.”
I watched the prototype in silence.
Vroooom! Screeech!
The accelerating machine slid to a halt, bracing itself against the ground before changing direction.
‘The prototype’s pilot is Yanaka, Boyan’s friend.’
I glanced at the screen Son Seok-jae was monitoring. Her name was Yanaka Bondred.
“It’s a machine built to the Federal Government’s strict specifications,” he said. “It’s optimized for its official pilot. No one else could move it like that.”
Yanaka’s prototype moved like a human, taking cover behind buildings. Though its motions were clumsy compared to a Legion, it was remarkably fluid considering the sheer size of an MAU.
Whir, clack.
The prototype drew its firearm and fired. An explosion tore through the target. They called it a ‘gun,’ but it was practically a cannon.
Boom!
The blast echoed across the lot. Acrid smoke billowed from the shattered target.
‘If they build it right...’
I had to admit, it had the potential to become the signature weapon of the Federation.
Screeech, clank!
An unnatural sound grated from the prototype. The machine couldn’t keep up with the pilot’s inputs as it attempted a difficult maneuver, spinning in place while lowering its stance.
“We’ll need some improvements there, haha.”
Son Seok-jae walked over to the Vice Minister of the research department, laughing affably. The Vice Minister seemed pleased as well.
“You’re the furthest ahead of all the companies so far,” the Vice Minister said, his eyes fixed on the prototype. “This is the first time anyone has passed the Phase 3 maneuver. That report was indeed true.”
The atmosphere between him and Son Seok-jae was good.
From a distance, I read their lips and caught snippets of their faint voices.
“Is that man the one…?”
“Yes, he’s the one who defeated Mushir Al-Kashura. He’s from the Empire.”
The Vice Minister and Son Seok-jae glanced my way as they whispered.
“His name is… Lu, Lu…?”
“He goes by Luka. I don’t know any personal details beyond that. He’s currently working under Japa Trading.”
“Ah, the Japa Burger people… They have a branch in Bellato City, too. It’s quite good.”
Son Seok-jae was introducing me.
Meanwhile, the prototype moved on to other maneuvers. The researchers from the Strategic Weapons Research Department watched with keen interest.
“Handicraft Industry was already highly rated, but… they’re going to be peerless for the time being.”
The researchers’ assessments were just as favorable.
The data recovered from Mushir Al-Kashura’s prosthetic was incredibly useful. It had allowed them to bypass years of trial and error in an instant.
‘Which means Handicraft Industry is years ahead of its competitors.’
Of course, that was assuming there were no technology leaks.
‘Even with superior technology, if the management is naive, you’ll just get your core tech ripped away and be left in tatters.’
The Federation’s Strategic Weapons Research Department was a predator. If Handicraft Industry showed the slightest opening, they would drain it of its technology and discard the husk.
‘An entrepreneur needs a wickedly cunning mindset.’
Every successful one I had ever met was the same. I had seen that flash of cunning in both Japa and Son Seok-jae.
‘Gilda and Giselle must have been the same. To succeed as an entrepreneur, you can’t remain a pure engineer.’
Soon, I would have to face Gilda, a woman who had survived as an entrepreneur for twelve years. To be honest, the thought of Gilda’s transformation scared me more than facing an enemy with impossible odds.
Step, step.
The Vice Minister was walking toward me with Son Seok-jae. The prototype’s test run wasn’t over, but he had apparently seen enough. For now, Handicraft Industry held an undeniable technological advantage.
“I am Ismael Ra of the newly established Strategic Weapons Research Department. I am currently serving as the Vice Minister, though I still have much to learn.”
He was a polite bureaucrat. He wore glasses and handed me a business card, an old custom.
Ismael Ra wasn’t his full name. His real, hard-to-memorize name was written below it in a long, flowing script.
Looking at him, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘Nikolaos Custoria.’
Ismael carried the same aura as my stepbrother, who had died long ago. He had a similar lean build and intellectual appearance. The wrinkles forming around his lips, a sign of his nearing middle age, gave him an air of both experience and youth.
“I’m Luka.”
I accepted the card and shook his hand, keeping my expression neutral. I didn’t sneer or act arrogant. It wasn’t as if I behaved like a madman to everyone; it was simply that few people in Border City had ever met me under normal circumstances.
“On behalf of the Federal Government, I thank you for stopping Al-Kashura’s rampage. He was a headache for us as well. He won’t be running wild for a while.”
It was a formal courtesy. I got straight to the point.
“You must have heard that I requested a private meeting.”
“By private, I assume you mean excluding Representative Son Seok-jae as well?”
I nodded.
Hearing this, Son Seok-jae read the room and withdrew without a word.
Ismael and I walked a short distance away, putting space between us and the open lot where the prototype was still running.
“Mr. Luka, I don’t know what level of official you were hoping for… but within Representative Son Seok-jae’s reach, I am likely in the top five.”
This was the condition I had given Son Seok-jae: arrange a meeting with a high-ranking Federal official.
‘Something Japa would never do.’
Japa didn’t want me on my own two feet. He only wanted me operating under his protection. But I couldn't guarantee my safety with Japa’s backing alone.
My head was spinning, enough to make me dizzy.
You have to answer carefully, Luka.
I steeled myself. I had to draw on every scrap of information and knowledge I’d gathered to paint the perfect picture for him.
“...There should be a few defectors from the Imperial Guard in the Federation.”
I tried to construct a favorable scenario, recalling Ilay’s words.
Since the Storm Era, there had always been deserters and defectors among the Imperial Guardsmen. While some lived quiet lives in seclusion, others were surely active, registered in foreign nations.
It wouldn’t be strange if there were… to put it bluntly, traitors from the Imperial Guard within the Federal Government. There were bound to be a few.
“That is something I cannot give you a definitive answer on.”
The list of Imperial Guard defectors would be classified information.
“If my ‘seniors’ are here, they will know my name…”
My voice trailed off. My heart hammered uncomfortably in my chest, which felt as if it were rotting black with the weight of a great sin. My throat was raw. Goosebumps prickled my skin before the words could even form, leaving a foul sensation behind.
No matter what, I was a citizen of the Empire. The words I was about to say meant turning my back on everything I was.
I had to do it. It was necessary.
I coached myself, trying to push past the pride and identity of an Imperial subject that was caught in my throat, choking me. It was useless stubbornness, nothing more than a wedge driven into my skull by the Empire’s brainwashing. I had to pull out that wedge and think freely.
Ismael waited patiently for me to speak. Swallowing hard, as if forcing down a thorn, I continued.
“……Lucaus Custoria formally requests asylum from the Bellato Federal Government.”
At first, Ismael didn’t seem to recognize the name. He activated his terminal, syncing it with the glasses he wore as he pulled up detailed information.
A moment later, his pupils dilated.
* * *
The prototype’s trial run concluded, and with it, my conversation with Ismael.
“…Understood, Mr. Luka. I will contact you as soon as our review is complete.”
Ismael couldn’t give me an immediate answer. That was only natural. He would need to investigate my background further.
‘If there are defected Imperial Guardsmen within the Bellato Federation… they are highly likely to speak in my favor.’
With a final handshake, Ismael and I parted ways.
‘I’ve done everything I can here.’
I was an individual in possession of critical information. The Bellato Federation would not hand me over to the Empire.
‘And as a bonus, they will try to protect me from Ivan Cracia’s grasp.’
But it also meant I could never return to the Empire. I was voluntarily walking into a new prison called Bellato.
‘I must wrap up my remaining business before the asylum request is formally accepted.’
Son Seok-jae was waiting for me in the distance, smoking a cigar.
“Did your conversation go well?”
“Thanks to you.”
I kept my response brief, wanting to give away as little as possible.
“You won’t tell me what you talked about even if I ask, will you?”
“You know me well. Besides, you already have an idea. If you’re that curious, don’t beat around the bush—just ask.”
I stared at him quietly.
“You must have requested asylum. You are likely the Empire’s…”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
I cut him off. I had vaguely expected this. Son Seok-jae had been excessively kind to me, and it wasn’t just because he was intimidated by my combat prowess.
‘At some point, Son Seok-jae figured out who I was.’
Twelve years ago, I had briefly made a name for myself in the Empire. Anyone who dug deep enough would find connections not only to various Imperial nobles but to the Imperial Family itself.
‘What businessmen and politicians value isn’t something like individual combat power. No matter how outstanding an individual is, they can’t defeat an army. What matters is influence.’
Even I didn’t know if I still held any sway over Imperial subjects. But I certainly wasn’t someone who could be easily dismissed.
My true utility was not ‘violence.’
To Japa, my value was my ‘intuition and reasoning for tracking Kinuan.’ To men like Son Seok-jae and Ismael, my value was being ‘someone who had gained fame and held influence in the Empire.’
Let them all use me. I would simply watch the scales of balance in silence. I wouldn’t step onto them myself until the very last moment.
I was not a faction or a group. I was just one man.
‘All I can do… is tip the scales in my favor by adding my weight when the balance between factions is perfectly level.’
For now, I just had to wait for that balance to grow taut. At times like this, I always thought of Kinuan. I had learned so much from him.
Creak.
I went into the restroom to calm my nerves. The truth was, I could feel a nosebleed coming on.
Shhhhh.
I turned on the faucet and pinched my nose. Blood trickled over my upper lip.
‘My eyes are a bit bloodshot, too. Anyone with a sharp eye would have noticed I’m not in good shape.’
I was breaking down. I couldn’t tell if it was from the stress of Border City or because Lazarus’s treatment hadn’t been perfect.
Creak.
The restroom door opened. I spoke while looking at my reflection.
“This is the men’s restroom.”
“I haven’t come inside yet.”
Yanaka was standing in the doorway. She was exhausted from piloting the prototype, her hair completely soaked with sweat.
“What do you want?”
“Boyan is acting strange. He hasn’t been showing up to our gatherings lately. Since you’re technically his guardian, you must know something, right?”
She had come for Boyan.
“Of course I do. He’s getting his medication from the hospital as scheduled.”
“Do you really think some meds from a hospital will solve it? If a Crawler’s problems could be fixed that easily, racial conflicts would have disappeared long ago.”
I was tired. I just wanted the day to be over. But I decided to hear her out.
“If you’re worried, go visit him yourself. He still goes to school, doesn’t he?”
“As you can see, I’m busy with my piloting duties. I don’t even have time for school lately. Pay some attention to Boyan, Daddy Long Legs.”
Yanaka waited for my answer, holding the door open.
“If you’re done talking, get l—no. Just leave, kid.”
I reined in my temper and softened the last words. Yanaka was one of the few people who worried about Boyan. There was no reason to make an enemy of her.
‘Boyan.’
To be honest, worrying about him was a luxury I couldn’t afford right now.
Ragnata’s words came to mind. If I had to choose, to focus, to abandon someone…
I closed my eyes. A flood of thoughts rushed in.
Crack.
The sink I was gripping shattered under the pressure of my prosthetic hand. Dammit.