Chapter 75
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75
Only Martina, Grace, and I remained in the VIP room.
"I have just one piece of business, Martina Diva."
"Hehe, go ahead, Young Master."
Martina smiled with her eyes as her fan spread open. It was a smile that could bewitch any number of men. But not me.
"Even when I'm not around, I want you to look after Gabriel. Make sure he and his gang don't fall apart. If it comes to it, you can bring the Gabriel Gang under La Vie en Rose. With your skills, managing that should be no trouble."
Martina's pupils dilated in surprise. I hadn't expected to make such a request myself.
"It almost sounds as if... you're worried about Gabriel."
"Think whatever you like. But as you know, I can't stay in the Lower District forever. I'll likely be away for long stretches at a time. It would be inconvenient if Gabriel weren't around the next time I need influence down here."
I spoke dryly, betraying not a shred of emotion. Locking my feelings away deep inside had long since become second nature.
"If it's influence in the Lower District you need, Young Master, La Vie en Rose can provide it."
"I can't trust you. One of La Vie en Rose's other revenue streams is information brokerage, isn't it? If the price were right, you'd sell my secrets to someone else in a heartbeat."
La Vie en Rose's high-class courtesans mingled with high-ranking nobles. Careless men often spilled secrets in bed.
"I haven't breathed a word about you to anyone, Young Master. I swear it."
For now, perhaps. But there was no guarantee she'd keep her mouth shut down the line.
"Enough small talk, Martina. Are you going to protect Gabriel or not? Just answer me that."
"And what do I get in return?"
There was only one thing I could offer.
"An association with me."
My potential.
A promising Imperial Guard Cadet of the Custoria Family. By any measure, my prospects for success were extraordinarily high.
"Confident, aren't we?"
"I am," I replied curtly.
Whir.
The rims of Martina's pupils glowed. She was likely deep in thought, turning her consciousness inward.
Snap!
Having made up her mind, Martina snapped her fan shut.
"It feels like a bit of a loss on my end, but I'll consider it an investment. Even while you're away, Young Master, Grace will keep an eye on the Gabriel Gang."
Our deal was struck.
I rose and left the VIP room. Having received Martina's orders, Grace followed to see me out.
"You must hold quite a prestigious position," Grace remarked.
"It's nothing special."
In truth, it was. But it was a status I had earned through my own strength. I had no wish to be treated like some pampered noble heir swaggering around on his family's coattails.
We walked down the establishment's corridor. There was a great deal of foot traffic; business seemed to be booming. Every time I visited the red-light district, I was reminded just how varied people's tastes could be.
Beep.
A chime sounded from my terminal.
The caller was Heilas.
* * *
Uncharacteristically, Heilas was waiting for me in the training room rather than his office.
Whoosh.
Heilas spun his spear with fluid grace and settled into a stance. Standing before him were five active Imperial Guardsmen, close-quarters weapons in hand.
It was a rare sight—a chance to watch Heilas fight. During the aerial vehicle crash, I'd been too busy trying to survive to properly observe his combat.
"Perfect timing. Wait just a moment," Heilas said, glancing my way.
The five guardsmen fanned out, encircling Heilas. They belonged to the 1st Centuria, a high-ranking unit within the Imperial Guard—the elite of the elite, even among their peers.
Tap!
A guardsman wielding a sword lunged at Heilas. As if on cue, the others struck simultaneously from every direction.
Swish!
Sweeping his spear in a wide arc, Heilas deflected the incoming strikes and carved out breathing room. Lowering his center of gravity, he glided backward, slipping free of the encirclement.
Having broken out of the five-man trap, Heilas struck the nearest guardsman in the neck with the shaft of his spear. In a real battle, it would have been a fatal blow.
His movements were flashy yet disciplined. Driven by precise calculation, the spinning spear parried the guardsmen's attacks one after another.
Heilas flowed seamlessly into counterattacks, using the centrifugal force from his defensive spins.
'The unity of offense and defense.'
Attack and defense were not separate things but a single, continuous motion. I couldn't begin to imagine how much training and experience it took to reach such a peak.
'So this is the Empire's strongest soldier...'
Even to my eyes, trained in the Akies Combat Style, there wasn't a single opening to exploit.
Almost comically, the guardsmen collapsed one by one. It wasn't that they were weak—each was a battle-hardened veteran. They only seemed helpless because they were facing Heilas.
Thud!
Heilas drove the butt of his spear into the chest of the last remaining guardsman. The man's chest protector shattered.
'If Heilas were to use Legion... how powerful would he be?'
Legion. True to the word's meaning, he would become a "One-Man Army."
The sparring session over, the guardsmen picked themselves up and withdrew.
Heilas remained standing, spear still in hand. Catching his breath, he gestured toward me with his chin.
"Luka, grab your weapon and step up. Let's have a light spar while we talk."
My heart quickened. This was an incredible opportunity.
"Ah—use your personal weapon. Only then will I feel a bit of tension," Heilas added. His words prodded at my competitive spirit, provoking me.
Hummmm!
I drew Crucis, my high-compression heavy weapon, and stood before Heilas.
"I look forward to your guidance."
My tone was sharp, as though my tongue were laced with thorns. Even if only for a fleeting second, I wanted Heilas to feel his life threatened. That was my goal today.
In short, I lunged forward with intent to kill.
Heilas's sparring spear lacked lethal force. It was hard to inflict critical damage on someone equipped with a combat prosthetic using such a weapon.
'That spear will shatter the instant it meets Crucis.'
So how did he plan to counter?
I charged, swinging Crucis with everything I had. By the time I closed the distance, I'd built up enough momentum to negate the heavy weapon's greatest weakness—its slow initial strike.
Heilas narrowed his eyes slightly, watching me as he stepped back. Crucis sliced fiercely through empty air.
'Keep using the rotational force to accelerate.'
A heavy weapon wasn't meant to be stopped and swung anew. Once you swung it and built momentum, you couldn't halt. That was what made it so difficult to master. To reach maximum efficiency, you had to maintain the flow of the attack.
Ride the flow, Luka.
My eyes went wide. I instantly pushed my prosthetic's output to its absolute peak.
I pressed in close, readying my blade. Even he would struggle to dodge this. I pictured slicing through both Heilas's spear and his waist in a single stroke.
In that instant, Heilas's spear blurred. By the time I registered it, the blow had already landed.
Whirrr!
The sound of rushing wind trailed a beat too late.
Heilas thrust at my left shoulder. It was a speed I couldn't even begin to react to. I dropped my weapon and stumbled backward.
'Overwhelming speed.'
Even the Akies Combat Style couldn't counter it.
'This is the way of the Empire.'
Clutching my shoulder, I looked at Heilas. A brilliant light flickered in his pupils.
Heilas was a perfect killing machine. He controlled his ultra-high-performance combat prosthetic as if it were his own flesh and blood. I wondered how many people in the Empire possessed a brain capable of that.
'If we fought a hundred times, I would lose a hundred times.'
Kinuan had always said it: Akies Victima was no miraculous combat style that made the impossible possible. It only worked against opponents you actually stood a chance against.
Against an enemy of such overwhelming skill, the Akies Combat Style was utterly useless.
"You're not giving up after a single hit, are you?"
"Being stubborn is one of my few virtues."
I kneaded my throbbing shoulder. The strike had targeted the joint where flesh met machine. The deep shockwave had temporarily scrambled my nervous system synchronization, making it feel as though my arm had been severed.
'So there are attacks like this, too.'
I'd learned something new.
Heilas fought in a variety of ways, as if instructing me. It was an incredibly gentle spar. I knew "gentle" was a strange word to use, but I couldn't think of any better way to describe it.
"Heavy weapons carry immense destructive power. If you can sustain your momentum, there's no better weapon. But you are still green—in both skill and experience."
It had been a long time since anyone had pointed out my flaws so bluntly. It stung a little. I suppose I'd grown too accustomed to praise lately.
"The Akies Combat Style artificially heightens one's insight. But by its very nature, it is a technique of the weak—designed for a fragile prosthetic to face a stronger one. Use it as a tool, but do not lean on it too heavily."
It was sound advice. I took his words to heart.
"The reason I called you here today is to assign you a mission. A member of the Imperial Family has personally requested you. Do you have any idea who it might be?"
I hadn't been able to answer until now; simply keeping up with Heilas's attacks had taken everything I had.
This time, Heilas stepped back, waiting for my response. I finally caught my breath and spoke.
"...Yes, I do."
I told him about the Imperial boy I'd met after the banquet. The image of those violet eyes was still vivid in my mind.
"Hmm. It seems he's taken an interest in you. Understandable. Your record is highly unusual. You are an irregular among irregulars."
I took that as a compliment.
"What kind of mission is it?"
"Guard duty. The schedule could run as short as a day or two, or stretch to several days. Well—it depends entirely on his whim. But keep one thing in mind: this is an Imperial Guard mission. Your judgment represents the judgment of the Guard."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Even after the briefing, the training didn't end.
I sparred with Heilas until my limbs felt ready to fall apart.
'Heilas cleared his schedule for me.'
I knew all too well how busy the Captain of the Imperial Guard was.
I pushed my concentration to its absolute limit, treating every exchange like a real battle and committing each of Heilas's movements to memory. One day, this knowledge might be the very thing that saved me from death.
* * *
A member of the Imperial Family had assigned me to guard duty. Logically, it made no sense. The Imperial Guard was teeming with veterans whose experience and skill far surpassed mine.
From a purely practical standpoint, there was no reason whatsoever to assign me to this duty.
'Curiosity.'
That was the only reason the Imperial boy had chosen me. It wasn't a particularly comforting thought.
I stood at the Imperial Guard airfield, a lingering unease hanging over me. I adjusted my weapons to soothe my nerves. Crucis hung at my waist, and Ruina was tucked inside my coat. I'd also packed plenty of spare magazines.
Vroooom.
A six-seater aerial vehicle with no identifying markings descended from the sky. Its exterior was a sleek, matte black. Once it touched down, its gull-wing doors swung upward.
Following my prior instructions, I stepped inside. Sitting within, legs crossed, was the violet-eyed Imperial boy.
Keeping my expression neutral, I waited for him to speak.
"Nice to meet you, Lucaus Custoria. 'Lucaus' is a bit stiff and long. Do you have a nickname?"
"You may call me Luka."
"Luka, Luka, Luka. I like the sound of that. Have a seat for now."
Resting his chin in his hand, the Imperial boy gazed out the window. Though the glass looked pitch-black from the outside, it offered a crystal-clear view from within.
'Am I the only one here?'
There was no one else in the vehicle besides the two of us. I alone was responsible for guarding a member of the Imperial Family.
"Luka."
The Imperial boy spoke, eyes still fixed on the view outside.
"Please, speak."
"I want to choose an alias to use for the time being. Nero, Ivan, or Selim—which do you think suits me best?"
I suspected those names shared some common thread, but it lay beyond my current knowledge and insight.
"I think... Ivan would suit you best."
"Actually, I liked that one too. Hmm—I like it even more now that you've chosen it."
The Imperial boy—Ivan—smiled.