Chapter 74
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74
The Gabriel Gang grew steadily. Their primary operations centered around brothels, arenas, and miscellaneous security work. If their profits kept climbing at this rate, they might soon have to register as an official business.
When that day came, they would need someone capable of serving as the organization's strategist.
Grace.
I watched Grace, who was staying at the gang's office. She was teaching basic combat techniques to our members, acting as a sort of guest instructor.
Whoosh!
Snub-Nose lost his balance to Grace's technique and hit the floor flat on his back.
"Your stance is always too loose, Snub-Nose," Grace said, tapping his calves.
Snub-Nose, seizing the moment, grinned and cracked a filthy joke.
"Ah, that's 'cause I use my hips too much every night— urk! Y-you crazy bi—"
Grace kicked him right between the legs. Snub-Nose groaned, curling up and rolling across the floor in agony.
"Next."
Grace nudged Snub-Nose aside with a light kick to his backside and gestured to the next man.
"Hey, come on. We've got guns. Do we really have to learn all these tedious moves?" Bearded One grumbled.
Grace glanced over at Gabriel.
Gabriel sighed, reached out, and seized a fistful of Bearded One's chest hair. Eyes watering, Bearded One was dragged forward.
"Shut up and practice properly. If we shoot dead every troublemaker who shows up at the brothels, we won't have any customers left. You need to be able to subdue people with your bare hands."
"G-got it, Boss."
Once Gabriel laid down the law, the members fell in line.
Gabriel's combat ability was well above average by Lower District standards, and he was registered as a high-tier fighter in the arena. To an ordinary gangster, he was a superior they couldn't afford to cross.
But that's not enough.
The Lower District was crawling with gangsters whose skills rivaled Gabriel's. To run a proper organization, he needed more power than that.
It'd be great if Gabriel could learn the Akies Combat Style like Ken... but he doesn't have that kind of talent.
For Gabriel to master the Akies Combat Style, he would either have to become a stimulant addict or undergo nervous system modification. Neither was a viable option.
If I wasn't around, there was only one person with both the ability and the motivation to look after Gabriel.
Martina Diva.
I drummed my fingers on the table before speaking.
"Grace, arrange a meeting with Diva."
Grace didn't even ask why. She immediately contacted La Vie en Rose and set up an appointment.
The meeting was set for tonight, at one of La Vie en Rose's establishments.
*
Around dusk, Grace and I headed out into the streets. For a long stretch, we walked in silence.
Neither of us was particularly social. A silence that others might find awkward felt perfectly comfortable to the two of us.
It was Grace who eventually broke it.
"Lord Luka, have you been in contact with Diva recently?"
Grace was sharp. She'd likely deduced that Martina Diva and I had crossed paths somewhere. In truth, Martina and I had met and spoken at a banquet in the Upper District.
"It seems the rumors about you ranking near the top during your cadet days are true."
"I despise bluffing. I have no reason to lie about such things."
I mulled it over for a moment before speaking.
"Then let's play a little game. If you tell me why and how you quit as an Imperial Guard Cadet, I'll tell you about my meeting with Diva."
It didn't matter if she refused. This was pure curiosity on my part.
"I became an Imperial Guard Cadet as an Irregular from the Lower District. I wasn't even from a One-Digit Orphanage."
It felt like listening to my own story.
"You seized a massive chance to rise in the world. That kind of opportunity is rare."
The words were as much for me as for her.
"Indeed. I was far more desperate than the other cadets."
Because there was nowhere to go back to.
I felt a strong sense of kinship. Grace was a lot like me. Irregulars chosen as Imperial Guard Cadets probably shared similar traits. That was the whole point of the selection test, after all.
"And yet, why did you quit?"
Grace hesitated for the first time. I walked beside her, waiting for her to speak.
"Before I answer, there's something I need to explain. There was another Irregular in the class ahead of mine. Normally, cadets from different years don't interact much, but since having Irregulars in consecutive classes is extremely rare, we spoke often."
I probably would have done the same.
"Irregulars generally excel. There's never been a single case of one washing out from lack of skill. Unless, of course, they quit voluntarily like you."
"Lord Luka... you don't strike me as the fiercely loyal type."
Grace carefully floated a rather subversive observation. So that was how I came across to others. Ironically, that was the exact reason I'd been made the Emperor's Watcher.
"I can't say I've ever been called obedient a day in my life."
"That senior Irregular and I became as close as siblings. Emotionally, we were close enough to die for one another. Time passed, and he officially became an Imperial Guardsman. Even after that, he still visited me often."
The Irregular she spoke of was likely still in the Imperial Guard—assuming he wasn't dead. I kept listening.
"...Imperial Guardsmen often deploy in the Legion Full-Armor Prosthetic for critical missions and battles."
Operating the Legion meant enduring an overload dozens of times greater than that of a standard combat prosthetic. Even Imperial Guardsmen had to plaster themselves with signal attenuators and auxiliary computing units just to withstand it.
"And? If you've got something to say, spit it out. Don't beat around the bush—it doesn't suit you. I don't have the time or the interest to report some petty Lower District gangster for treason."
Grace was hesitating, swallowing her words. That was why I offered her reassurance. I was telling her that whatever she said would go in one ear and out the other. Whether she chose to trust me was up to her.
"Every time he deployed with the Legion... his personality began to break down. To be precise, his humanity was eroding. The last time we met, he wept and told me he was terrified. He said that if he kept going, he'd lose himself completely."
I listened calmly. Right. It's not that big a secret. A year or two ago, I might have been shocked. Not anymore.
"The Legion devours the mind. It's not a weapon you can endure through ordinary willpower. He simply lacked the aptitude for it."
Heilas, for instance, had deployed with the Legion countless times without his personality collapsing. Other Imperial Guardsmen who'd used it dozens of times also managed to retain their humanity. In the end, it all came down to individual endurance.
"You're right, Lord Luka. Not everyone ends up like that. But I had a premonition. I knew I would meet the exact same end as him."
At that, I voiced the question that had been nagging at me.
"But cadets are assets of the Empire. It shouldn't have been possible for you to just walk away because you felt like it."
"Grant me one favor and I'll answer that. I won't ask about your private meeting with Diva. Instead... I want to know what became of my senior. It's virtually impossible for me to dig up internal Imperial Guard information. His name is Rosen."
The human side Grace had kept buried finally surfaced. She still cared deeply for her senior Irregular, Rosen.
"If I cross paths with Rosen or learn anything about him, I promise to tell you."
Grace fixed me with her single exposed eye. Looking into mine, she gave a slow nod.
"Even cadets can get leave to visit the nearby Upper District. And as you already know... some of La Vie en Rose's staff occasionally take out-calls up there."
Grace was certain that Martina and I had met in the Upper District.
"I was one of Diva's regulars. I've never had much interest in men. We shared an intimate bond for a long time, and perhaps because my guard was down... I ended up pouring out all my weaknesses and anxieties to her."
I'd figured as much. Grace's loyalty to Martina Diva was clearly laced with affection.
"And after hearing your story, Diva pulled you out of the Imperial Guard?"
"Diva pulled some serious strings. I never imagined such a thing was even possible."
I was mildly surprised myself. I hadn't realized Martina's reach ran that deep.
"She made that investment because she knew she'd gain a former Imperial Guard Cadet as a subordinate. It wasn't out of pure charity or sympathy. You were the perfect asset to supply the muscle La Vie en Rose lacked."
"I'm well aware of those calculations. But it doesn't change the fact that I owe her a debt I could never repay in a lifetime. I'll stay by Diva's side until the day she dies."
Considering Martina Diva's age, that might not be all that long.
"That was an interesting story, Grace. I'll pay my share of the bargain later."
"I can wait as long as it takes," Grace said with a faint smile.
She looked a good deal lighter now that she'd gotten it off her chest.
Rosen, the Irregular of the Imperial Guard.
I turned the name over in my mind. I, too, had grown curious about his whereabouts.
* * *
Grace and I arrived at the designated meeting place. It was one of La Vie en Rose's establishments—and to me, an unbearably uncomfortable one.
"Ha, ha, aren't you a cute little thing?"
"Just my type."
"If you've got some free time, I'll knock off a discount. Be sure to drop by."
If it had only been the words, I could have stomached it. The problem was that every one of the people throwing those lines at me was a man.
This was a male-only host club. They ranged from slender, pretty boys to hulking, rugged types built like Gabriel.
I scowled hard. I couldn't suppress the visceral, instinctive disgust rising in me. Martina had almost certainly summoned me here just to savor my reaction.
"Quit hitting on him. This young master is Diva's guest. You want to die?"
The gang member working the floor shoved the men aside, clearing a path for us.
"Aw, look at you acting all scary again."
"He's all bark and no bite. Real sweetheart underneath."
Not one of the men seemed the least bit intimidated by the gangster's threats. That said everything about the atmosphere inside the La Vie en Rose gang.
Grace and I stepped into the VIP room at the back. Martina was lounging on a massive sofa, flanked by four male hosts. Their outfits caught my eye in the worst possible way. Leather straps that barely covered the essentials... God, this was driving me insane.
"I'll stand at Diva's side from here, Lord Luka," Grace whispered.
She slipped behind Martina, taking up a protective position. Watching our brief exchange, Martina let out a sultry laugh.
"My, my, have you and Grace grown awfully close, Young Master Luka? You didn't share a bed behind my back, did you? Just the thought of it makes me jealous."
"Is that so? I slept with Gabriel, too."
I shot back flatly, thoroughly annoyed.
"Gabriel? Honestly, he had less stamina than I'd hoped. Didn't live up to his looks—all that talk of being hung like a stallion."
"Go easy on Gabriel. Look at who his partner was. A grandm—"
"Young Master. I told you once before—it's poor manners to tease a lady."
Martina cut me off, her tone suddenly sharp.
"You should have seen this coming the moment you summoned me to a place like this. I'm not exactly famous for my mild temper either."
"It just so happens all our other venues are fully booked tonight, leaving only this VIP room. I meant no harm by it."
I stared straight into Martina's eyes. She was lying through her teeth. She'd done this for the sole purpose of getting under my skin.
Sensing my irritation, Martina flashed a fake, syrupy smile.
"Off you go, boys."
Martina tapped the hosts' crotches and backsides with her folded fan. The eyesores finally scurried out of my sight.