Chapter 86
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86
The aerial vehicle we were in was returning to the imperial capital of Akbaran.
It took quite some time after Barbara woke up before she could communicate with us properly.
She was piloting someone else's full-body prosthetic. An ordinary person wouldn't have been able to move in it at all.
Whir, click.
Barbara tried to press her prosthetic eye into place with a finger, but the focus quickly slipped again. And focus was the least of her problems.
The compatibility between her nervous system and the borrowed prosthetic was so poor that system errors kept flashing up.
"I-I've already... reached my l-limit," Barbara muttered, slumping against the wall.
Her limbs twitched and jerked at random, as though they'd broken free from her brain's control.
I crouched down in front of her, bringing myself to eye level.
"Your real body is over there. It's still breathing, at least."
I jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward Nether Along, who was now trapped inside Barbara's shell. He remained unconscious, wearing the peaceful expression of someone fast asleep.
"Y-You can scrap that one. A natural body is... just something to be u-used and thrown away."
"So you've got another full-body prosthetic waiting for you somewhere?"
"More importantly... you look stunning, Luka, Luka. I didn't even r-recognize you at first."
Even with her consciousness fading, Barbara sidestepped the question and changed the subject.
"Compared to what you've done, a little cross-dressing is nothing."
"Heh... heh. Is that a c-compliment?"
The corners of her mouth twitched into a strained smile.
"No. It's contempt, you body thief."
"But is it really wise... to keep me bound like this? You know, don't you? What my r-role is."
Barbara leaned in, bringing her lips close to my ear. Her voice, raspy and grating like sandpaper, was deeply unsettling.
Barbara is a spy the Empire planted inside Nemesis. Ilay and Giselle must never find out.
Once we finished talking, I'd have to release her. Giselle and Ilay would certainly demand an explanation. I needed a plausible excuse to let her go before that happened.
"Let's make a deal, Barbara. Tell me who was involved in the assassination of Nikolaos Custoria. Everything you know. Do that, and I'll let you go."
Giselle and Ilay looked startled at the mention of releasing her. I raised a hand to cut off their protests before they could speak.
"Heh... hehehe... Haha! Oh, so that's what this was about? That's what you wanted? No wonder you went to such lengths to lure me out, you noble lords of Custoria."
"Because we knew you'd target Giselle."
"So you used Giselle as bait? Would you look at that, my Giselle, Giselle, Giselle... Even your own family treats you like a tool. Come to me instead. I'm the only one who can truly cherish you. We were such good friends once, weren't we?"
I didn't bother checking Giselle's reaction. Overcoming her trauma about Barbara was a hurdle she had to clear on her own.
"Cut the nonsense and answer the question."
I grabbed Barbara by the chin, forcing her to look at me.
"Fine... I lost this round. I'll admit it. Lean in..."
Barbara whispered in a voice meant for my ears alone. I carved every syllable into my mind, recording it like a data chip.
When she finished, she let out a rasping breath and went on.
"...That's everything. If you plan on digging any deeper, you'd best be ready for the consequences."
"That's my concern, not yours. I take it none of this was a lie?"
"This whole mess was a personal matter between the two of us. If we can settle it like this, I'm more than satisfied. Do whatever you like with my biological body. In fact, it'd be cleaner to just have my identity erased entirely."
I stood up.
"Fine. We have a deal, Barbara. I'll drop you wherever you want."
"A-Any scrapyard will do. Just dump me somewhere suitable and I'll make my own way from there."
I did as she asked.
Several abandoned scrapyards were scattered along the outskirts of Akbaran. With no proper waste management, they sat out in the open, forming a hideous landscape of rust.
Whirrrrr.
We held the aerial vehicle at a moderate height. The thrusters flared at steady intervals, keeping us stable in the air.
I shoved Barbara, wrapped in a blanket, out of the vehicle. To any observer, it would have looked like we were dumping garbage.
Keep carrying out your mission for the Empire, Barbara. But remember—if your madness ever swallows your duty, I'll be the one to put you down.
I watched coldly as she fell, shrinking into a tiny speck.
With a heavy thud, she landed on a heap of scrap metal. Knowing her, she'd survive somehow and find her way back to Nemesis.
I turned around. Giselle and Ilay were staring at me, waiting for an explanation.
"...I know you have questions about letting her go, but this was our best option. Barbara isn't the kind of woman who talks under torture. She undoubtedly had a trump card or two up her sleeve. A deal was the only route that worked."
Whether they accepted it or not didn't matter. I couldn't reveal Barbara's true identity to them.
Besides, most of what I'd said was true.
Barbara had undergone rigorous, high-level training and conditioning to become an imperial spy.
Piloting someone else's full-body prosthetic took far more than raw willpower. Her pain tolerance had to be extraordinarily high. If she were the type to break under torture, the Empire would never have sent her to infiltrate Nemesis in the first place.
"Luka. So the mission's complete?"
Ilay swallowed his dissatisfaction and focused only on the result.
I nodded, reaching up to peel away the disguise makeup. The hardened gel tore off along the contours of my face, leaving my skin stinging.
"Yes. It was a successful mission."
I glanced at Giselle as I spoke.
She was staring at me with open disapproval. Unlike Ilay, who was a soldier, she wasn't satisfied with my clipped explanation. Do not seek to know what Upper Command has not disclosed. It was a fundamental rule.
But for me... it was a rule I occasionally broke.
* * *
Two days had passed since the contact mission with Barbara.
I was at the Custoria mansion now, walking toward the annex alongside Heilas. The estate housed a detached building known as the Silver Moon Pavilion.
The Silver Moon Pavilion—residence of the family elders.
No one was permitted to enter without the Family Head's explicit permission. Even the servants here were androids, not humans.
I had visited the Silver Moon Pavilion once before, around the time I was adopted into the family.
This was my second time. Because entering the Silver Moon Pavilion was such a rare privilege, Jupe had been eaten up with jealousy and watching me warily ever since he'd heard the news.
Frankly, Jupe's relentless envy was exhausting, and I would have preferred not to draw attention. But this meeting had to take place inside the Silver Moon Pavilion. The report I carried was simply too critical.
Even Giselle, who had shared the mission with me, wasn't allowed inside.
The number of secrets shared only between Heilas and me keeps growing.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was hard to say.
Being the only one who knows so many secrets...
...also meant that getting rid of me would silence those secrets forever. I always kept the worst-case scenario in mind.
"What happened to Barbara's real body?" I asked as we stood in the first-floor hall of the Silver Moon Pavilion.
"It was disposed of."
"...I see."
"To put it plainly—Nether Along is dead."
"I figured as much."
Nether Along had died trapped inside Barbara's original body. I would have saved him if I could, but there'd been no other way.
To eliminate any unnecessary risk, he had to die. We had no reason to endanger ourselves to save him.
Innocent Nether Along.
But he was weak.
And that was why he died.
Resent me all you want. But I'm in the exact same boat as you, Nether Along.
If I ever lacked utility, or showed the slightest weakness, I'd have been silenced long ago.
Turning down the left corridor from the main hall led to a drawing room. It was so rarely used that even the door creaked in protest as it opened.
Step, step.
With every step we took, thick dust billowed up, swirling around us like a shroud.
"Sit. This might take a while."
Heilas and I sat across from each other at a table inside the drawing room. Adjusting to the musty air, I spoke first.
"I can't confirm whether Barbara made it back safely. If something happened to her, we'd have wasted a valuable imperial asset."
.
"No need to worry about that. Nether Along's full-body prosthetic was found this morning. The head was completely crushed, but we identified it by the prosthetic's registration number. It seems Barbara made it back in one piece. A woman like her would definitely have had a spare body lined up."
I went on to report everything that had happened at the Autonovas Exhibition in detail.
"Giselle still has no idea Barbara is an imperial spy. Ilay may have caught on, but he's not the type to talk."
"You handled the mission far more cleanly than I expected."
"Only because Barbara was surprisingly cooperative with the information."
Heilas's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Barbara is on our side, after all. We only set that trap to make the contact look natural. Once the connection was made, she had no reason to hold back."
"Her obsession with Giselle is a different matter, though. In my judgment, she's a serious danger. We need to watch Giselle's safety more closely. It may be presumptuous of me, but... I believe Upper Command should issue a warning to Barbara."
"As you said—that's none of your concern. But I am well aware of the situation."
This time, I pushed back. This was a point I couldn't let slide.
"It'll be too late to act once the damage is done. Just like with Nikolaos. Just like the position we've found ourselves in now."
Heilas's expression hardened instantly.
"I didn't expect you to bring up Nikolaos here. I told you, I'm fully aware of the situation. This is different from what happened to him."
His tone sharpened, an attempt to press me back down. He was telling me to drop it. Normally, I'd have shut my mouth and backed off.
Not today.
"I'm not speaking as an Imperial Guard Cadet right now... I'm speaking as a member of the Custoria family, exactly as 'Father' wished. I saw Barbara's obsession with my own eyes. I'm certain she'll come for Giselle again. And when she does, neither you nor I may be there to protect her."
Heilas was a reasonable man. Or so I believed. Present him a logical argument, and he wouldn't simply brush it aside.
"...Let me make this absolutely clear, on my name. As long as Giselle remains in Akbaran, Barbara will never lay a finger on her. Trust me on this. I've already put safeguards in place. What happened to Nikolaos will not happen again. Do you understand, Lucaus Custoria?"
"Understood, Captain."
I nodded, holding Heilas's gaze. Honestly, a chill was crawling down my spine, and my heart was slamming against my ribs.
To put it bluntly, I had just talked back to Heilas.
Still visibly irritated, Heilas glared at me for a moment before releasing a long sigh. He reached into his coat and drew out a flat flask.
"Luka, for the record... not even Giselle, Nikolaos, or Jupe has ever talked back to me like this. Don't go thinking I let it slide because you're my son."
Heilas took a swig. Exhaling a breath heavy with the reek of strong liquor, he slipped the flask back into his pocket.
"...Then let me ask you once more. Are you absolutely certain Bao Zakanan orchestrated Nikolaos's assassination? I'm not doubting your reliability. But I need you to search your memory thoroughly. This is a matter of the gravest importance."
"According to Barbara, yes. I don't have an audio recording, but I can vouch for my memory. It's flawless."
There was good reason for Heilas's extreme caution.
Even I had wondered whether Barbara was playing some sick joke on me when I first looked into Bao Zakanan.
Bao Zakanan.
He was Nikolaos's direct superior.