Bad Born Blood-Chapter 107

Chapter 107

’Just as you said... The Imperial Family was aware of the signs leading up to this attack. They also identified the one who orchestrated it.’

’And yet, they did nothing to stop it.’

’There must have been a reason for that.’

I recalled my conversation with Kinuan.

The Empire and the Imperial Family manipulate and control even the sacrifices of their own people, even the deaths of nobles. The Empire had tightened its grip on each family’s leash. Anyone who tried to break free faced retribution.

’The hostility toward terrorist groups like Nemesis has intensified.’

The Empire officially announced that this attack was the work of terrorists. As a result, public sentiment demanding the eradication of terrorist organizations deeply rooted across the Empire was growing stronger. Even at the cost of certain side effects.

I managed to obtain the name of the mastermind behind the attack from Kinuan. It was the work of the Corovus family.

’The culprit was on the list compiled by the Imperial Guard.’

Two days later, I sought out Hemillas and delivered the information to him.

"You actually got information out of Kinuan."

Judgment was not my role. Hemillas and the Imperial Guard would take care of that.

’The massive tide set in motion by Nikolaos’ death.’

Before that, there had also been my meeting with Kinuan. I couldn’t tell where the planning had begun.

"Kinuan seems to have his own intelligence network."

"I suspected as much. He’s probably connected to the upper echelons of the Empire beyond my knowledge. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have survived this long. I’ve submitted multiple recommendations to dispose of Kinuan. It’s not personal. I made the same recommendation even before Nikolaos died."

"Kinuan may be just one piece of a larger plan prepared by the higher-ups."

I spoke the truth as if it were mere speculation.

"That’s possible. However... Kinuan is not someone beneficial to the Empire. If the higher-ups are relying on him for their plans, then they’re being deceived by Kinuan."

That was impossible. Kinuan’s direct superior was none other than Emperor Yuri Accretia. The idea that the Emperor was being deceived by Kinuan? Utter nonsense.

No matter how exceptional Kinuan was, he was still just an individual. An aging veteran whose skills had long declined from his prime.

’Hemillas is barking up the wrong tree when it comes to Kinuan.’

I still didn’t know how I would bring Hemillas down. He was a formidable man. But it felt like an opportunity would come soon.

’Hemillas doesn’t seem as great as he once did.’

Hemillas was human—prone to mistakes and misjudgments. As family, I began to notice his flaws little by little. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he trusted me immensely.

’If I wait, the time will come.’

That much was certain. The problem was time.

Would the Empire bring down House Custoria first, or would I manage to topple Hemillas before that happened?

Hemillas was obsessively searching for conclusive evidence against Kinuan.

’Evidence that would allow him to execute Kinuan on the spot.’

I couldn’t fully grasp why Hemillas was so fixated on Kinuan. There had to be a reason behind it.

"I’ll likely be spending a lot of time in the lower district for a while."

"Giselle has been going there a lot lately as well. Take care of her."

Hearing Giselle’s name come from Hemillas’ mouth sent a jolt through my chest, something that didn’t usually happen. But I didn’t let it show.

"Do you know what Giselle is doing?"

I steered the conversation toward her, as if to conceal my unease. It was a topic I wanted to avoid, so I brought it up first.

"I heard she’s running a small business. Personally, I think she could wait until after she graduates from the Academy, but she must have her reasons."

"From what I’ve seen, she’s putting in a lot of effort. It looks like she’s about to see results. Does the head of House Custoria have to be a soldier?"

"Nikolaos was exceptional and the eldest son, yet because he wasn’t a soldier, he was in a deadlock with Juppe. Don’t underestimate tradition, Luka. And Giselle—she’s smart, but she has too many flaws to be head of the family. Even without the soldier aspect."

Hemillas coldly assessed his own daughter.

"People can change," I said.

"That’s true. But people don’t change easily. One’s innate nature usually remains for a lifetime. That’s my experience."

Innate nature. I actually agreed. People don’t change easily. Even in my short life, I had come to understand that. When someone seems to have changed, it’s often just that their suppressed nature is finally surfacing.

My own weakness... It wasn’t something that suddenly appeared one day. It had always been a part of me.

* * *

I went down to the lower district and visited Gilda’s workshop.

Gilda’s workshop, now officially named G&G Workshop. The name was derived from the initials of Gilda and Giselle.

Regardless, a peculiar visitor had shown up there.

It wasn’t unusual for Giselle to be present—after all, she and Gilda were running a business there.

’Ilay.’

But Ilay was there.

Why was Ilay here? It wasn’t to visit his fake fiancée, Giselle. The reason Ilay was here had to do with another man.

’Director Jin Gaw?’

The director of the 4th Imperial Research Institute had come to G&G Workshop. No one could have predicted this.

That was why Ilay was here. He had always wanted to have a conversation with Jin Gaw, a leading authority on Arcane Civilization.

"Oh ho, Lady Custoria. You’re doing something quite interesting, aren’t you? I once read your thesis with great interest. For an Academy student, your ideas were quite ahead of their time. But did you know? In places like Border City in Bellato, there are already prototype devices that bring your theories to reality. Meaning, your ideas aren’t all that special. When it comes to creative thinking, they tend to surpass us."

Jin Gaw stood behind Giselle, observing the work in progress. His sly smile peeked through his glasses.

"I-Is that so? M-More importantly, you read my thesis?"

Giselle sounded almost overwhelmed with gratitude.

"I read every thesis published by the Imperial Academy. Whether it’s by a student or not."

Giselle’s eyes widened.

"T-That’s unbelievable. Ah, I apologize."

"It’s not a lie."

Jin Gaw was still smiling. His carefree grin showed no sign of discomfort.

"No, I-I didn’t think it was a lie. I was just surprised. I never imagined you would read a student’s thesis."

"There are fresh ideas and perspectives that only come from those who don’t know much. Even if they don’t make practical sense, they can be quite entertaining. Almost like reading a novel. Occasionally, I even get inspired by them."

I didn’t have the academic background to fully grasp how brilliant Jin Gaw was as a researcher. But judging by the reactions around me and his distinctive demeanor, I could guess his level of authority.

"I’m Ilay Carthica. I’ve reached out to you a few times before..."

Ilay stepped forward, as if mustering his courage. He wouldn’t even approach a woman this timidly.

"So you were the one pestering me with messages all this time. But I’m not here to see you."

Jin Gaw’s words were chilling. His attitude toward Ilay was the complete opposite of how he treated Giselle. His blunt honesty was almost rude.

Yet Ilay didn’t so much as flinch. He must have already been familiar with Jin Gaw’s personality.

Ilay persisted in making conversation. At first, Jin Gaw frowned in disdain, but gradually, his expression relaxed.

"Hmm... So you’ve seen a teleportation device with your own eyes?"

"The teleportation device from that location was taken by another research institute, from what I heard. At the time..."

Ilay managed to break the ice and keep the conversation going. It was an impressive effort. He brought up the teleportation device he had seen back at the Arcane Fortress.

’He must hate bringing up that incident because of Lilian Lamones. So that means Jin Gaw is someone valuable enough to warrant the effort?’

I didn’t particularly care. Jin Gaw wasn’t a soldier, nor was he the type to flaunt authority.

"I originally intended to take it myself, but those bastards from the 2nd Research Institute..."

"I heard that institute specializes in artifact research, while you specialize in energy conversion, Director..."

From their conversation, it seemed Jin Gaw had never gotten his hands on the teleportation device.

While Jin Gaw and Ilay continued talking, I moved toward Giselle.

She was still calming herself, brushing her hand over her chest—she must have been quite tense because of Jin Gaw.

"L-Luka."

But then she stuttered again. This time, it was because of me.

"I heard there was some commotion, so I stopped by for a moment. Why is he here?"

I spoke calmly, gesturing toward Jin Gaw with my eyes.

"I don’t know. He contacted me this morning out of nowhere and suddenly showed up. So I called Ilay. He’s been wanting to meet Director Jin Gaw for a while now, and I figured I’d make him owe me one."

Even in the middle of all this, Giselle was thinking ahead, using the situation to her advantage. She might actually do well once she fully dives into business.

Surprisingly, Ilay and Jin Gaw seemed to be getting along—they were deep in conversation.

"Good move. Ilay seems to be enjoying himself too. What about Gilda? I haven’t seen her."

"She’s on a business trip. More importantly, Luka..."

"What?"

I replied without looking at her.

"Can we talk for a bit about what happened last time? We haven’t spoken about it since."

Giselle referred to it vaguely as "last time." I glanced behind me.

’Damn it, Ilay.’

He was looking at us and grinning. He must have picked up on something about our relationship. Not surprising—he had set this up in the first place.

Giselle stood up and headed into a small storage room inside the workshop. It was barely big enough for four or five people to stand in.

Creak.

I followed her inside and closed the door behind me. The place was thick with the smell of metal and oil. But even here, all I could sense was the sweet scent of Giselle. Every other smell faded from my mind.

"Act normal, Giselle Custoria. Did you see Ilay’s face just now? He was grinning like an idiot watching us. Hey, wait a sec..."

Despite my words, I couldn’t push her away. Because, in the end, I wanted this just as much as she did.

Giselle reached out and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her warm breath brushed against my lips. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. She had done the same. Our eyes met.

’A secret affair.’

I never thought I’d find myself in something like this. I didn’t know what I was doing here. I sighed, yet I couldn’t stop.

We didn’t talk about the future. There was no need. We both knew this would end someday.

’If only I had never become an adopted son...’

Noble families and their society were anything but forgiving. If I annulled the adoption and entered as a consort instead, I’d become a laughingstock. House Custoria would never allow it.

...Yeah, this was just a fleeting emotion. It would fade with time.

’But if this isn’t just a momentary indulgence, I need to be prepared.’

Giselle must have been thinking the same thing.

"Luka, I haven’t been able to sleep properly since that night. I kept thinking about what to do over and over again."

She spoke first. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"I even made up my mind to leave the Empire with you. If that’s what you want, I’ll start preparing. But if you don’t want to throw everything away, let’s end this here. We’ve been foolish enough already. No matter how much I think about it, this is my fault. I know how much you’ve worked to get here... I shouldn’t have done this. I don’t want to ruin you."

That was Giselle’s conclusion. She had acted on emotion, but she was trying to think rationally and take control of the situation.

’Leave the Empire?’

I had never considered it. But there was no need to.

’You don’t understand, Giselle.’

I could never leave the Empire now. It wasn’t because I was reluctant to abandon what I had achieved.

’The Empire won’t let me go.’

I was no longer just another cadet in the Imperial Guard.

"Luka?"

Giselle looked at my face, questioning me. I was lost in thought.

—Chhhhk. Chhhhk.

It was like static buzzing in my head.

My thoughts accelerated. Everything was connecting. The truths I knew, the facts, and the incidents—they were intertwining, forming a faint path ahead.

The mindset of Akies Victima.

I’ve said it countless times—I don’t make the impossible possible. But if even the faintest possibility exists, I’ll find a way. And that applies to more than just combat.

’I am Kinuan’s successor.’

My mentor would have found a way to secure his safety even in far worse circumstances. Compared to the tightrope he walked between the Imperial Family and terrorist organizations, my situation was nothing.

Right now, Kinuan had established a delicate balance that made it difficult for anyone to touch him.

’Like Kinuan.’

Negotiate with the monsters around me. Set conditions and restrictions. If the interests surrounding me are evenly weighed on the scales, no one will be able to act recklessly.

"For now, trust me and wait. No matter whether the outcome is good or bad, I’ll bring something to the table. But I swear, I won’t let it turn into the worst-case scenario."

With that, Giselle and I finished our conversation and left the storage room. Ilay and Jin Gaw were still deep in discussion.

Jin Gaw suddenly pulled Ilay into an embarrassingly enthusiastic hug.

"Yes! If you put it that way, it is possible to retrieve that device! Our institute is the only facility capable of supplying that level of massive energy through a Hollistone-based system! How did I not think of this before?!"

"H-Haha... Even the smartest minds sometimes overlook the simplest gaps in their thinking."

Ilay laughed awkwardly as he carefully pushed Jin Gaw away.

"Oh, and Lukaus Custoria! It’s been a while!"

Jin Gaw turned his bright, excited gaze toward me.

I bowed my head respectfully. Even Hemillas treated this man with a certain level of formality.

"Back then, I was too drunk to notice, but..."

Jin Gaw tilted his head and stared at me for a long moment. Then, he reached out and lifted my left eyelid—the one covering my biological eye.

Click. Click.

Jin Gaw flicked his fingers left and right, as if conducting an experiment. My heightened senses tracked his movements instantly.

"Wow... you... If you keep that up, your brain is going to melt. Having reflexive reactions like that even when you’re not in combat? That’s a dangerous stage. You see, what we call ’focus’ isn’t actually a normal state. The brain is over-activated when focusing—it’s not something you can maintain constantly."

Despite the grim nature of his words, Jin Gaw was smiling as if he found this all amusing. I replied in a flat tone.

"I’m a cadet of the Imperial Guard. I can endure more than the average person."

"Even by Imperial Guard standards, your levels are high. You should know this yourself. Just as a Legion can’t be used indefinitely, Akies Victima is the same. You should take extended leave and undergo psychological therapy. If necessary, I can write a medical recommendation for you."

Ilay and Giselle were both listening. Ilay remained indifferent, but Giselle’s expression darkened.

"I’m still fine. I can afford to take care of my body."

Jin Gaw took a step back and adjusted his glasses.

"The symptoms vary unpredictably... but in most cases, auditory and tactile hallucinations will be the first to appear."

He kept his smile as he continued speaking.

"I like people like you. The ones who dismiss side effects as trivial and push themselves to the limit—they’re the ones who drive progress in this world. In any field, really. If you have time, visit my research institute sometime."

Jin Gaw extended his palm upward.

Whirr.

A holographic business card was projected from the lens embedded in his palm. As I focused on it, his personal contact information was automatically registered on my terminal.