Bad Born Blood-Chapter 192

Chapter 192

We arrived at the Menoa family’s conference room under Lisanda’s guidance.

Only one designated bodyguard could accompany us inside. The Equessian mercenaries Jafa had brought waited outside.

’My role here is observation.’

I entered the conference room, standing behind Jafa.

Srrk.

The attention of the Tajirun was silent. When Jafa and I stepped in, only their eyes moved, and the silence pressed down on us.

’A round table and ten chairs.’

I had already heard from Jafa about how the Menoa family made decisions.

Menoa placed the ten highest-ranking Tajirun, those who brought the greatest benefit to the family, at the round table and granted them voting rights. The family head alone held three votes.

A total of twelve votes moved at the round table. In cases where there was a tie and a decision could not be reached here—

’When a tie occurs, the two chairs separate from the round table also gain voting rights.’

My pupils shifted. Those seats belonged to the two Commanders of the Menoan Guard. One of them was currently vacant, while the other was occupied by a Commander of Equessian origin. Naturally, the empty seat belonged to the deceased Commander.

It was a remarkable system. Two Commanders of the Menoan Guard, both outsiders and former slaves, could influence the Menoa family’s decision-making process. Of course, reaching that stage was exceedingly rare.

’If a tie occurs even among the Commanders, the family head gains the sole authority to decide.’

For a single noble family, it was a remarkably progressive and democratic system. This must have been a key reason for the Menoa family’s longevity. The fact that even individuals of external origin could participate, albeit in a limited capacity, was significant.

’Akbaran also continuously integrated talent from the lower districts into high society.’

Though my thoughts were long, less than three seconds had passed since we entered the conference room.

There was no seat for Jafa. We had to remain standing, as if being interrogated. Jafa was the first to break the silence.

- It seems the Menoa family has a custom of making guests stand. A lot must have changed in my absence.

- I wonder if you can even be called a guest.

The Tajirun seated at the head of the round table replied. He held a staff adorned with a gem, a clear sign of his status as the family head.

’Ozmer, the eldest son of the Menoa family’s direct line.’

His full name was much longer. Jafa had shortened it to ’Ozmer’ when explaining the current Menoa family head to me.

Ozmer’s skin was darker than that of the other Tajirun. Because of this, it sometimes appeared as a dull brown or even black. In many ways, he looked more sinister and dangerous.

- I’m disappointed. If Father passed away, you could have at least invited me to the funeral. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

- A banished man? You dare say such things even after carrying the weight of disgrace?

It was open hostility. Jafa must have expected this kind of treatment.

- Well, that’s fine. I didn’t come here hoping for a friendly conversation or a warm meal. So, will you make a non-aggression pact or a peace treaty with me? Or perhaps you’ll lift my exile now that Father’s gone?

- Peace? How ridiculous. Absolutely laughable.

The Tajirun burst into laughter all at once. Their eerie chuckles spread through the conference room, gnawing away at the atmosphere.

- Then you’re saying you want war. I’m ready.

Jafa remained unfazed by their mockery. He was a man who had clawed his way up from the very bottom. He wouldn’t be shaken by insults or scorn.

Silence.

The laughter died instantly. Even the smallest movements of the Tajirun came to a halt. Only their vertical slit pupils shifted toward Jafa.

- War?

- Are you really surprised to hear that word after launching the first attack? Now that is what’s truly laughable.

Jafa chuckled alone.

- How arrogant. Do you really think you’ve become something just because you’ve built a little business?

- I have become something. That’s why I’m proposing war. Not very Tajirun-like, I know. But I doubt you’ll ever actually declare one. You’re willing to carry out unilateral raids and ambushes, but you have no stomach for a full-scale war.

The Tajirun murmured among themselves. They had likely expected Jafa to take a submissive stance.

’Even if Jafa is well-known in Border City, he’s just the ruler of a single city.’

The Menoa family’s power and influence far outweighed his. Just from the size of their mothership, it was clear how massive their operations were.

’If Menoa decided to crush Jafa with their full strength, he wouldn’t last.’

But that would also be a loss for Menoa. Even if they could eliminate Jafa, the outcome would be mutually damaging.

’That’s probably why the previous head of Menoa chose to make peace with Jafa. He could have eliminated him, but it would have been more trouble than it was worth.’

Seeing the shift in atmosphere, Jafa continued speaking.

- You must have thought I’d come crawling, offering you a share of my profits. That was out of respect for Father. But now that he’s dead, I have no intention of paying anything at all.

- So you’re really going to go through with this?

- I’m giving you a choice. Either we become unrelated to each other... or we go to war. Just so you know, I’m well-accustomed to war and violence. To do business in Border City, you sometimes have to act against your nature.

- Your nature? To hear those words from your mouth... The reason you were banished...

Ozmer trailed off mid-sentence. It seemed to be a matter he found particularly distasteful.

Jafa’s firm stance unsettled the atmosphere in the conference room. His words and actions were completely different from what they had expected.

- I’ll give you the room you used before... Stay for a few days. We’ll talk again once a decision has been made.

Ozmer spoke neutrally, his tone free of mockery or contempt. The other Tajirun also refrained from provoking Jafa.

* * *

Jafa and I walked down the corridor. Since he was already familiar with the layout of the Menoa mothership, no guide was necessary.

“They won’t choose war. No, they can’t. When they place profit and risk on the scales, if the balance doesn’t tip significantly in favor of profit, they won’t act. They’ve been trained to think that way since childhood. It’s practically an obsession, hoyot, hoyot.”

Jafa chattered excitedly. He was clearly enjoying himself after having landed a solid hit back in the conference room.

“They’ve lost the decisiveness to choose ‘loss.’”

“That’s exactly the problem. If someone could perfectly calculate and predict profit and loss, then avoiding loss would always be the right decision. But no such absolute being exists. Even someone who has trained Akies Victima to its limits can only predict outcomes based on their own limited perception. And even that isn’t perfectly accurate.”

“But it’s precisely because they refuse to take losses that the Menoa family has survived and thrived until now. Everything has its pros and cons.”

“There’s a law in the universe: Those who do not change cannot survive. This is an unchanging truth, no matter how strong a creature is. The environment constantly shifts, so methods must adapt as well. If you fail to keep up with change, you are doomed to extinction.”

Easier said than done. Most attempts at innovation and change end in failure. But fearing change only leads to slow, inevitable decline.

Creak.

We entered Jafa’s old quarters. Five Equessians followed us inside, while the remaining five stood guard in the hallway.

We checked the room to confirm there were no surveillance devices.

“...Luka, can you do it?”

Jafa spoke as he opened the bag the Equessians had brought. Meanwhile, I was taking off my clothes one by one.

“I’ve never done this before... but there’s no one else to do it but me.”

This had already been discussed beforehand.

“It’s a prototype, so it’ll feel extremely restrictive, hoyot. Not that these things are ever comfortable to begin with.”

Jafa pulled a full-body combat suit out of the bag. Its surface shimmered slightly depending on the angle.

‘Adaptive Camouflage Combat Suit.’

And not just any suit—it was a newly developed model incorporating the latest technology. It was said to be capable of evading infrared detection and various other sensors.

Clank. Thud.

I set down my Firelight Saber and Auto-Tracking Pistol. Once I removed my pants, I was completely naked. Jafa averted his gaze slightly, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

Srrk. Click.

I struggled to put on the airtight combat suit. Calling it airtight was just a nice way of saying it was suffocatingly uncomfortable.

Sssss...

With the helmet in place, even breathing became difficult. The suit filtered body odor and regulated airflow to avoid detection by advanced sensory systems, making both inhalation and exhalation sluggish.

The visor was a narrow slit, drastically limiting my field of vision. I could already feel the stress piling up in my head.

Chhk.

I tapped my wrist to activate the camouflage function. A tingling current ran over my synthetic skin.

As electrical impulses cascaded over the combat suit’s surface, it became transparent. It was the pinnacle of modern stealth technology. On top of that, it incorporated various advanced features I couldn’t even begin to understand—necessary for evading the diverse sensory abilities of different species.

“I’m counting on you, Luka. Now that I think about it, I may have given you quite a difficult task. If things go well, I’ll make sure to compensate you generously.”

As Jafa’s Equessians moved in and out, the door to the quarters opened. I used the opportunity to slip out unnoticed.

‘Impressive.’

It was my first time wearing an Adaptive Camouflage Combat Suit. Even the Tajirun passing right by me failed to notice my presence.

‘It completely suppresses all biological signals that might leak out.’

That didn’t mean I could move carelessly. Signs of presence could be revealed in unexpected ways.

‘More surprising than the suit... is the fact that Jafa’s informant is that Tajirun.’

It was only when I put on the suit that I learned about the informant. The less exposure critical information had, the better.

The late disclosure didn’t mean Jafa didn’t trust me. After all, the saying to deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies existed for a reason.

Jafa had received prior information about the raid through an informant. Naturally, the informant wasn’t someone with enough power to participate in the Round Table Meeting. If they had been, the raid information would have been delivered much earlier.

‘Thinking about it, that Tajirun does have a reason to be an informant.’

The informant was a Tajirun of ambiguous status.

Following the memorized map, I arrived in front of a door. Leaning against the wall, I waited for it to open.

Chiiiik.

The automatic door slid open. A Tajirun inside briefly stepped out, visited another room, and then returned.

Chik.

Before the door could close, I slipped inside as well. The Tajirun remained completely unaware of my presence.

Tok.

I tapped my finger on the table. The Tajirun flinched in shock.

“Jafa sent me, Lisanda.”

My words flowed out through the translator.

The informant was Lisanda—the Tajirun woman who had guided us to the conference room and one of Jafa’s siblings.

‘Despite being a direct descendant, she fell behind in achievements and couldn’t secure a seat at the Round Table Meeting.’

Just hours ago, Jafa and Lisanda had exchanged fierce insults. Because of that, I hadn’t expected them to be secretly working together.

“You’re quite the ticking time bomb.”

Lisanda finally spoke, this time in fluent Standard without relying on the translator. Her tone was more polite than I had expected.

“Tell me what’s happened. Who killed the former family head?”

Lisanda slowly took a seat.

“You’re not even an Equessian mercenary, yet Jafa seems to trust you greatly. Are you Jafa’s lover or something?”

...That caught me off guard.

“I don’t have a thing for alien species. And Jafa’s a man. A same-sex relationship with an alien? That’s a terrifying kink.”

Lisanda tilted her head as if I were speaking nonsense, then flicked her tongue. She seemed especially confused about the word man. Akies Victima’s intuition kicked in at the most absurd moment.

...I was thoroughly caught off guard.

Everything I had experienced so far flashed through my mind. Even the incident with Anguis Regina came to mind. I had sarcastically asked her if she was Jafa’s lover back then. At the time, Anguis Regina had laughed as if it were utterly ridiculous.

Now I knew why.

‘Jafa... was a woman?!’

...I wanted to scream.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢