Chapter 59
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59
I received Tora's ledger from Aleph. When I slotted the chip into my terminal to check it, over a decade's worth of transaction history spilled across the screen.
"You certainly are resourceful, Young Master. To think you've already struck a deal with La Vie en Rose."
Aleph said this as he saw me off. Even without an introduction, he knew exactly where Grace belonged.
Aleph didn't even ask what I intended to do with Tora's ledger. A clever man. Sharp-witted, and skilled at catering to the powerful.
Grace and I left the Arena.
"Lord Luka, do you trust Aleph?"
Grace asked bluntly. At that very moment, she had seized the arm of a pickpocket who had lunged at us and snapped it clean. The sound of a cheap prosthetic arm cracking echoed through the air.
"Do I look like I trust him? If I did, you might as well gouge out your remaining eye."
"That is precisely why I ask. I would sooner trust the Diva—"
"Your boss is just as hard to trust. A fickle, unpredictable woman."
When I badmouthed Martina, Grace's brow creased ever so slightly. Her loyalty was impressive.
Why did she quit being a cadet?
Grace had a strong military disposition. That was exactly why she'd passed the selection test and been chosen as a cadet in the first place.
"I do not know what terms you offered him, Lord Luka, but Aleph is a man who moves whichever way the scales tip. The type to betray you the instant things turn unfavorable."
"I'm well aware of Aleph's reputation. You can go now. We're done for today."
"I will escort you to your office," Grace said, out of pure habit.
"Ha. And who exactly would be escorting whom?"
I laughed. Grace flushed, just for a moment. It would be hard for her to argue the point.
"Go report today's events to the Diva. That's your job."
I sent Grace on her way and slipped into an alleyway. Syncing my terminal to my retinal display, I pulled up Tora's ledger once more.
Ken told me to look for companies starting with 'B.'
After narrowing down the list, I connected to the Lower District's cheap network. My terminal's firewall flared to life, filtering out the viruses that came flooding in.
They all went under a long time ago.
With my current information network, there was no way to trace the remnants of defunct companies. The Lower District's network and data were wildly volatile—riddled with corrupted records and misinformation. If the ghost company belonged to Kinuan, he would have scattered dummy data everywhere without a doubt.
I needed a reliable, uncorrupted database. The Imperial Guard database I had access to didn't hold trivial details like these.
Nikolaos Custoria.
A name flashed through my mind.
Nikolaos, eldest son of the Custoria family. A high-ranking Imperial official, and an exceptionally capable man. And, at least on paper, my older brother.
I worked my terminal to switch lines—a disposable line with the highest security clearance. Using it even once would burn through a lower-class citizen's daily wage. The thought turned my stomach. My sense of money was still closer to that of a lower-class citizen than anything else.
Regardless, I placed a call to Nikolaos, and it wasn't long before he picked up.
—I've carved time out of my busy schedule for you, brother. I can spare five minutes, at least.
Nikolaos's voice came through the terminal. A memory surfaced. I, too, had once told Nikolaos I'd give him five minutes to convince me.
"I want access to the Empire's central database. I figured you'd have the authority, Brother."
—I do, of course. But I can't simply hand that authority over to you. I'd rather like to keep my head attached to my shoulders a while longer.
Naturally. I'd planned to open with the difficult request, then follow it with the easy one.
"Then could you look into a few ghost companies for me? Consider it a favor I'll owe you."
—Luka, will this help raise your standing within the family?
"Most likely."
—Narrow down the list and send it over.
Nikolaos agreed without hesitation.
"I just need it within two days."
—At a glance, two hours should be more than enough.
His efficient handling of the matter was deeply satisfying.
"I'll repay this debt."
—Brothers help one another. Reach out whenever you need something.
Nikolaos hung up, playing the part of the benevolent brother to the end.
He would collect on today's debt with interest, no question. He'd make some difficult demand of me down the line. But that was a problem for future me. For now, the task at hand came first.
* * *
Ken Noma. Organizing the gang. La Vie en Rose. Aleph of the Arena.
I hadn't slept properly in three days, handling these matters one after another. The best I'd managed were brief catnaps and short bouts of meditation. With all that fatigue piled up, my head felt impossibly heavy.
I closed my eyes in the elevator heading up to the Upper District. I felt like I could drop off to sleep on the spot.
I wanted to check the data Nikolaos had sent, but I'd genuinely hit my limit. My brain refused to work. My thoughts were sludge, as if some foreign substance had clogged my cerebral cortex. If I could, I'd have cracked open my skull, pulled my brain out, and rinsed it under running water.
I returned to my quarters. On the way, I passed cadets from the junior classes training. I used to be just like them. Even though it was only two or three years ago, it felt like a lifetime.
I hope no one calls me...
In my current state of mind, I felt like I'd snap even if Heilas himself summoned me.
Without even washing up, I collapsed onto the bed. Having long since pushed past my limits, sleep took me the instant I lay down. I'd been clinging to consciousness through sheer willpower alone. My brain was fully prepared to cut the lights at a moment's notice.
Light, fade away.
I whispered it softly and shut my eyes.
My consciousness winked out. A silent, deathlike slumber swallowed me whole.
...I woke exactly six hours later. Not down to the second, of course.
When I checked my sleep duration on the wall display, the margin of error was about ten seconds. My internal clock hadn't slipped. That meant I was in good shape.
Beep.
I synced my terminal to the wall display. Messages and missed calls received through the Imperial Guard's internal network had piled up.
My gaze caught on the cadets' activity logs. Ilay's name appeared with striking frequency.
Ilay, just how many missions did you tear through while I was gone?
His mission records were laid out there. Among them were several that couldn't be brushed off lightly.
He practically volunteered for things he didn't even need to do.
No wonder I hadn't seen his face around.
Both Ilay and I had been swamped with our own affairs. Since we had no reason to run the same missions, it had been quite a while since we'd last crossed paths.
Normally, Ilay would've dropped by at least once by now...
I wasn't the affectionate type. I didn't go out of my way to visit people without a reason. But Ilay often came to see me.
Since there wasn't a word from him, I felt a faint pang of disappointment. Well—if it bothered me that much, I could just go find him myself.
Yes. For once, I'd be the one to check in and pay a visit.
Mind made up, I stepped into the shower. After a quick wash, I threw on my cadet uniform and left my quarters.
"Luka, I don't know what you've been busy with lately... but at this rate, you'll lose the top spot in no time. Graduation isn't far off."
A classmate I ran into in the hallway called out to me.
"None of your business," I replied flatly.
"Ilay's been going absolutely feral lately. He might even set the record for most missions completed in the history of the training center."
My classmate wasn't exaggerating. Even I was taken aback. In cadet evaluations, real-world experience—that is, mission execution—was valued above all else.
"Then let Ilay take the top spot."
"Look at you, so relaxed now that you've gotten into the Custoria family, you bastard. Well, I suppose if I got adopted by the Imperial Guard Captain, I'd be taking it easy too."
I wished my mind were actually at ease. I wanted to bury my fist in the face of this classmate who ran his mouth without knowing the first thing about my situation.
Right now, out of all our classmates, I was the one walking the sharpest knife-edge. I'd climbed too high to ever climb back down. If I slipped, only a fatal plunge awaited me. Was this what they meant by riding a tiger?
Now that I'd come this far, quitting would only mean being 'disposed of.'
The missions I had to undertake in exchange for the Custoria name were monumental and tangled beyond belief.
Sometimes, I miss the old days.
Back then, I didn't have to think about complicated things. I only had to sharpen myself to a razor's edge and look straight ahead. Enemies and allies were decided by my superiors. All I had to do was swing my blade and pull the trigger.
But now?
Now I had to judge for myself who was an ally and who was an enemy. Even who to follow, who to trust—none of it was clear. It was maddening. There were moments I wanted to throw the whole thing away.
I know! I know this mission is necessary for me!
I screamed it inside my own head.
If I wanted to succeed as a member of the Custoria family and a high-ranking officer of the Empire, I needed a whole arsenal of abilities beyond mere combat.
Once I settled every problem lying right in front of me... I'd become a far greater man than I was now. Someone like Kinuan. Someone like Heilas. They, too, were born of human flesh. It wasn't as if they'd been monsters from the cradle. They must have grown by grinding through the same trial and error I was facing now.
I have to become like them.
Otherwise, I won't survive.
"Luka? What's with that face? I wasn't trying to mock you. Out of everyone, we who trained alongside you know best—you deserve the Custoria name."
My expression must have gone grim. Oddly enough, my classmate's words lifted my mood a little. Even a noble young master was tiptoeing around me now.
This was the status and power I'd wanted to seize. A position taken by my own strength—not handed to me out of anyone's tolerance or mercy.
I wouldn't let go of even this tiny sliver of power. I intended to grow it, rolling it up like a snowball.
"It's just that I haven't slept in days. Being a noble young master isn't for everyone."
I held out my fist, and my classmate bumped it. With that brief exchange, we went our separate ways.
I headed for the personal maintenance room where Ilay was. I'd sent a message ahead, but got no reply—probably because he was busy.
The maintenance room's holographic nameplate displayed the name Ilay Kartika. It meant Ilay was inside, using it.
Beep.
The door slid open the moment the sensor recognized me. The first thing to catch my eye was a mechanical maintenance arm descending from the ceiling. Beside it, an android assisted with the work.
Ilay lay stretched out on the maintenance chair. His limbs were splayed wide, their inner workings exposed. Delicate mechanical hands moved briskly, swapping out parts of his prosthetic body.
"Yo, Luka."
Ilay turned his head and greeted me.
"I hear you've been running yourself into the ground lately, Young Master Kartika."
I said it casually, leaning against the wall. My eyes swept over him from head to toe.
Ilay's changed.
In just three or four months, the air around him had shifted. His artificial skin—which he hadn't had the chance to replace between back-to-back missions—was covered in scratches. The exposed internal components of his prosthetic body were worn down. It meant he'd fought through that many brutal battles, one after the next.
He's been dragged through hell and back in such a short time.
From the very start, Ilay's talent had outstripped mine.
As I've said countless times, Ilay had almost never truly 'worked hard' at the training center. Just by doing a passable job, he'd matched my results.
Me, on the other hand—I'd trained desperately, all but sweating blood.
That was an objective fact, hard to deny. Ilay had superior raw quality to mine. And now, that lazy genius had finally found a purpose and begun to sharpen himself.
Ilay had thoroughly chewed, swallowed, and digested his recent combat experience, turning it into his own flesh and blood. Even without a word from him, I could tell he'd grown stronger.
...And I've been pouring myself into things other than combat lately.
Standing before Ilay, a sense of urgency welled up inside me. I remembered what my classmate had said earlier. It wasn't that being top cadet or runner-up truly mattered that much... but it felt like, while I stood there hesitating, he'd pull far, far ahead of me.
During the Lillian Ramones incident, Ilay had gone wild in the worst way.
And now, he's going wild in the best way.
Maintenance complete, Ilay's prosthetic arms and legs sealed shut. The mechanical arm descending from the ceiling finished closing the joints.
"Luka, come with me. I'll show you my trophies."
Rising from the maintenance chair, Ilay said it as he threw on his coat. He didn't even ask why I'd come. He probably already knew this visit was just to check on him. The thought left me faintly embarrassed.
"To think the great Luka would actually drop by just to see how I'm doing. Amazing. Truly amazing. Guess it really was worth becoming friends after all."
Ilay didn't miss the chance to needle me as he strolled out of the maintenance room.
"Whatever, dumbass."
I spat the curse and followed after him.