Chapter 101
Many nobles had died in the torture facility. Cleaning up the aftermath was Hemillas' responsibility.
'A classified investigation conducted solely by the Imperial Guard.'
'The underground facility in question is suspected to be a financial source for Nemesis.'
'A large number of deaths, including nobles.'
There was no one in high society unaware of this incident. It was rare for so many members of the upper class to die all at once.
Even if their acquaintances or family members had died, people remained silent rather than criticizing the Imperial Guard’s actions. No matter how depraved a noble might be, no one openly defended murder for pleasure. Moreover, many families even reduced funeral ceremonies to private family gatherings.
I felt relieved as I listened to the news. If the nobles had stepped forward to hold the Imperial Guard responsible for the incident, I would have been deeply disappointed.
'It's precisely because of this atmosphere that Bao Zakanan dared to visit such a dangerous underground facility, without even knowing who was running it.'
Even high-ranking officials had to take risks to satisfy their antisocial desires.
And the Empire’s terrorist organizations actively exploited these shadows of the Empire. They could seize the weaknesses of the upper class while also securing operational funds.
Once the situation had calmed down to some extent, Hemillas summoned me.
"The names of all the Imperial Guards who participated in this mission, including yourself, have been erased from the records. No matter how justified our actions were, there could still be people seeking revenge."
Hemillas spoke in a voice weighed down with exhaustion. Just from that one sentence, I could tell how much effort he had put into containing the situation.
"It must have been quite a challenge to clean up the mess."
"This was expected from the moment we deployed Iskan. I know his nature all too well. Iskan and I were classmates back in our cadet days."
I was momentarily surprised.
"Hmm, you two don’t look the same age."
At a glance, Iskan appeared to be at least ten or twenty years younger.
"I have to maintain an air of authority, so I use a face that looks older, whereas Iskan has no such need."
That made perfect sense.
In the Empire, nobles and high-ranking officials typically fixed their appearance around middle age. It was easier to command respect and trust that way.
Looking too young made one seem inexperienced, while looking too old made one seem weak. The middle ground was ideal.
And it was an unspoken rule to avoid appearing younger than one's superiors within the organization.
I had always been aware of this, but seeing it firsthand gave me an odd sense of dissonance. I had subconsciously assumed Iskan was younger than Hemillas.
"Knowing that Iskan has a tendency to cause trouble, was there a specific reason you deployed him for this mission?"
I couldn't suppress my curiosity and asked. Honestly, I was getting quite comfortable with Hemillas. I shouldn't be, but I was.
"Because he's that reliable. And I judged that he's someone who could protect you in any situation."
I didn’t know whether to be grateful or angry. But anger won out.
"I'm a soldier too. I can protect myself."
"You're still just a cadet. Iskan was a veteran before you were even born. If you want to complain, do it after you become stronger than us."
I had nothing to say and shut my mouth. A sigh rose to my throat but never came out.
"Anyway, was there anything lacking in my previous report?"
I changed the subject. Hemillas wouldn’t have called me just for small talk.
But I had already completed my mission report on the first day of my return. Back then, Iskan had been with me.
"No, nothing was lacking. Your reports are always excellent. You answer your superiors' questions before they even ask."
I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere. Just when I thought Hemillas was easy to deal with, he would turn difficult like this.
Before he could pick apart any weaknesses, I recalled my last report.
'Bao Zakanan felt betrayed by Nikolaos, whom he thought of as a lover. So, he commissioned an assassination through Nemesis. Nemesis gladly took on the request to further indebt Bao Zakanan to them. Nikolaos’ movements and schedule—Bao Zakanan would have given all that information himself.'
But there were parts that couldn't be explained by this alone.
The fact that Nikolaos had died right after I had tasked Kinuan with investigating him.
It was hard to dismiss that as mere coincidence. So I fabricated a plausible addition to the story.
'Nemesis approached Bao Zakanan, claiming they handled contract killings. They anticipated that, upon learning this, Bao Zakanan would immediately request Nikolaos’ assassination. Conveniently, Nemesis also wanted Nikolaos dead because he was investigating Kinuan, so they manipulated Bao Zakanan into providing the necessary information.'
Yes, that sounded convincing enough.
And once again, every secret and cause led back to Kinuan. That was one of Kinuan’s roles. He harbored countless mysteries and unanswered questions. As a result, investigations and pursuits always hit a dead end with him. Anyone who tried to uncover the shadows was inevitably blocked by Kinuan.
Hemillas stroked his chin, as if recalling my report.
"…In the end, it's Kinuan."
As long as Hemillas focused on Kinuan, the Custoria family was safe. No matter how deeply one dug into Kinuan, no clear answers or truths would emerge. Kinuan was a ghost of the Empire—a mere illusion.
'No matter what schemes the Imperial Household and Kinuan devise, they can't move against the Custoria family without justification.'
I wished, more than anything, that I was mistaken about the Imperial Household wanting to eliminate the Custoria family. If this was all just my paranoia, it would be a relief.
'I haven’t received any direct orders yet. Wanting to protect the Custoria family isn’t an act of rebellion against the Empire.'
I told myself that. But this was nothing more than self-justification.
My intuition had already found the answer.
'The Custoria family's influence has grown too large. And Hemillas is dangerously competent.'
Among military families, the Custoria family was the most prestigious. And as this incident had proven, there were Imperial Guards who were more loyal to Hemillas than to the Empire itself. I didn't know the exact percentage, but it wasn't small.
'If the Custoria family's influence expands even further… If Hemillas begins to turn the Imperial Guard into his private army…'
Hemillas was a loyal soldier. But how long would he remain loyal? From the Imperial Household’s perspective, he was a potential threat.
…This was why the Imperial Household wanted to remove Hemillas and the Custoria family.
The chain of reasoning in my mind was complete. I wasn’t someone who denied reality. It was time to accept it.
Luka, decide. The Imperial Household or the Custoria family—which side are you on?
* * *
Since my schedule was free for the time being, I headed down to the lower districts. I had to visit regularly to make it seem like I was still investigating Kinuan.
More than anything, the lower districts were a good place to clear my head. For me, visiting here was like taking a walk.
But today, rather than clearing my head, I was about to get a bigger headache.
"Hey, noble brat. So you've been keeping something this nice all to yourself?"
Gabriel smirked as he flexed the fingers of his upgraded prosthetic arm. Just seeing that made me frown in anticipation of an impending headache.
"A grand opening discount event! Support the new beginning of G&G Workshop!"
Gilda was cheerfully shouting. The scent of oil filled the first floor of the gang’s office.
"This time, I'll do it for free. But don’t remove the tracking chip on your own—make sure to bring it back in a month."
Giselle had set up a makeshift maintenance station and was servicing the gang members' prosthetics. She spoke calmly to these utterly vulgar people. Thinking back to how she used to be, it was surprising.
“Heh, heh heh. Of course, miss! Damn, never thought I’d get an upgrade for free in my life.”
A gang member grinned and stood up.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I sat down across from Giselle.
“Do you want an upgrade too?”
She spoke as if it were nothing. Obviously, I had no need for any of these modifications. Cheap lower-district prosthetics might benefit, but mine wouldn’t.
“There aren’t any defects, right? They’re still my subordinates, so don’t install anything weird on them.”
“I’ve optimized their cybernetic and biological signal systems through neural wave analysis. Their reaction speeds should have improved just from that. But we’ll have to monitor how long the effects last—everyone’s enhancements vary.”
It was an experiment, plain and simple. Of course, as long as there were no adverse effects or harm, it didn’t really matter… but no scientist or engineer could predict every possible side effect.
For now, though, there seemed to be no visible downsides—just improvements.
‘These people already take on far greater risks and side effects to enhance their prosthetics.’
When you looked at it that way, it wasn’t really a bad deal for anyone.
“G&G Workshop?”
“Both Gilda and I have names that start with ‘G.’ And we’re paying Gabriel’s gang for shop security. I heard Gilda had some bad experiences in the past. You actually did something pretty decent, you know.”
She was referring to the time I had saved Gilda from some lowlife thugs. It was one of the few good deeds I could actually say I was proud of.
“…Do whatever you want.”
At this point, I wasn’t going to stop Giselle. Not that I had the right to in the first place.
“Of course. Even if you didn’t say that, I was going to do as I pleased.”
I glanced around.
‘Maybe this is a significant new beginning for Giselle.’
G&G Workshop was probably one of the few decisions she had made entirely on her own. It could lead to a major change in her life.
I stood up and walked toward Gabriel. The moment I did, a waiting gang member immediately took my seat, eager to receive his upgrade.
Gabriel had been continuously adjusting his hand movements, testing out different gestures. I sat down next to him.
"I’m remembering how it felt before I replaced my arm with a machine. The sensation, you know? Look at this—it reacts the moment I think about it."
Gabriel grinned as he spoke. It probably wasn’t truly on par with a biological limb, but the upgrade must have been significant enough for him to feel the difference.
"Gabriel, I hate to ask, but… keep an eye on Giselle for now. Seems like she plans to come down to the lower districts often. Hey, what?"
I spoke flatly, but Gabriel’s eyes widened as he stared at me.
"Luka, I think this is the first time you’ve ever asked me for something nicely. Huh, this feels… weird."
"You’re making a big deal out of nothing…"
I grumbled and glanced over at Giselle and Gilda.
Gilda was as cheerful as ever. Gabriel and his gang members all liked her. Some probably admired her, too.
I turned my eyes to Giselle, who was focused on her work. The gang members were wary of her. They knew that if a noble like Giselle ever got moody, their lives could be snuffed out in an instant. Plus, her background gave her a naturally sharp temper.
"If Giselle were my subordinate, I’d just order her not to come down here, but I can’t do that. And I can’t always be around to watch over her, either."
"Got it, man. I’ll assign only my best guys to guard the workshop. I’ll even drop by myself when I’m off duty."
Gabriel thumped his chest as he made his promise. But I was still uneasy.
I could ask La Vie en Rose and Grace to look after Giselle. But they were business partners, not friends.
‘If I ask La Vie en Rose for a favor, they’ll demand something in return.’
And worse, La Vie en Rose might manipulate the naive Giselle. There were too many reasons to hesitate entrusting her to them.
‘Hemillas said Giselle would be safe as long as she stayed within Akbaran.’
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Hemillas, but I couldn’t shake my worries. Barbara’s obsession and madness could easily turn toward Giselle without warning.
"Ah…"
Lost in thought, I suddenly recalled Ilay’s request. I had promised to support him within the Carthica family.
I walked up to Giselle and spoke.
"Let me know when you’re done. I’ll take you back. I have something to talk about."
Giselle stared at me for a moment before giving a small nod.