Chapter 41
Giiiiing, giing.
I felt the vibration crawl up my spine. My pupils and lips trembled involuntarily.
The android was removing the external spine embedded in my back. As the securing screws on either side of my spine came loose, blood trickled down my back.
- You will experience some foreign body sensation and pain for a while.
The android placed the blood-stained screws onto a tray one by one as it spoke.
On the wall-mounted display, my medical chart was visible. I had suffered a fatal cervical fracture. This wasn't something that could be overcome through sheer willpower or determination, so this time, I didn't attempt an early discharge.
Crack.
I rubbed the back of my neck and moved my head. The muscles around my barely reattached cervical vertebrae were stiff.
‘I almost ended up living with an external spine.’
Whether external or internal, having a cybernetic artificial spine implanted would mean an extended rehabilitation period. Recovering my original level of performance with an artificial spine would take a long time. Even in full-body prosthetic procedures, the spine—dense with neural connections—was the most difficult and intricate part to operate on.
I closed my eyes and focused on the changes in my body. The neural signals that had been rerouted through the artificial spinal cord now traveled through my natural central nervous system again.
I had grown accustomed to the external spine, so at first, my body felt unfamiliar—like it wasn’t mine. But my brain and body felt more in sync now. My reaction speed had actually increased to the point that I nearly dropped a cup when I tried to pick it up.
For an Imperial Guard cadet, this kind of foreign sensation would resolve itself in a day or two. My brain would quickly adjust and compensate for any gaps or discrepancies.
‘Our brains have been modified to be compatible with cybernetic implants and combat.’
I stood up and slipped on my cadet uniform jacket. Finally, I stopped in front of Felix’s hospital bed.
“It was fun, Felix.”
“Lu… ka. Are you leaving?”
Felix was still lying down, wearing a neck brace. He had moved around too much and worsened his injuries multiple times. His cognitive function had regressed to that of a toddler.
“...I have to go.”
I had no reason to worry about Felix’s future. He was part of a prestigious family that even ran corporate enterprises. They wouldn’t let him starve just because he had lost his usefulness. In fact, nobles with impressive statuses had come to visit him in the hospital.
“Luka.”
Just before I walked out, Felix mustered all his strength to speak. When I turned around, he was straining to articulate his words clearly.
“May… may fortune be with you.”
I gave him a slight nod.
I move forward. Felix remains here. That’s all there is to it.
But I will remember Felix. Just as I remember all those who have died.
Giiiiing, giing.
I felt the vibration crawl up my spine. My pupils and lips trembled involuntarily.
The android was removing the external spine embedded in my back. As the securing screws on either side of my spine came loose, blood trickled down my back.
- You will experience some foreign body sensation and pain for a while.
The android placed the blood-stained screws onto a tray one by one as it spoke.
On the wall-mounted display, my medical chart was visible. I had suffered a fatal cervical fracture. This wasn't something that could be overcome through sheer willpower or determination, so this time, I didn't attempt an early discharge.
Crack.
I rubbed the back of my neck and moved my head. The muscles around my barely reattached cervical vertebrae were stiff.
‘I almost ended up living with an external spine.’
Whether external or internal, having a cybernetic artificial spine implanted would mean an extended rehabilitation period. Recovering my original level of performance with an artificial spine would take a long time. Even in full-body prosthetic procedures, the spine—dense with neural connections—was the most difficult and intricate part to operate on.
I closed my eyes and focused on the changes in my body. The neural signals that had been rerouted through the artificial spinal cord now traveled through my natural central nervous system again.
I had grown accustomed to the external spine, so at first, my body felt unfamiliar—like it wasn’t mine. But my brain and body felt more in sync now. My reaction speed had actually increased to the point that I nearly dropped a cup when I tried to pick it up.
For an Imperial Guard cadet, this kind of foreign sensation would resolve itself in a day or two. My brain would quickly adjust and compensate for any gaps or discrepancies.
‘Our brains have been modified to be compatible with cybernetic implants and combat.’
I stood up and slipped on my cadet uniform jacket. Finally, I stopped in front of Felix’s hospital bed.
“It was fun, Felix.”
“Lu… ka. Are you leaving?”
Felix was still lying down, wearing a neck brace. He had moved around too much and worsened his injuries multiple times. His cognitive function had regressed to that of a toddler.
“...I have to go.”
I had no reason to worry about Felix’s future. He was part of a prestigious family that even ran corporate enterprises. They wouldn’t let him starve just because he had lost his usefulness. In fact, nobles with impressive statuses had come to visit him in the hospital.
“Luka.”
Just before I walked out, Felix mustered all his strength to speak. When I turned around, he was straining to articulate his words clearly.
“May… may fortune be with you.”
I gave him a slight nod.
I move forward. Felix remains here. That’s all there is to it.
But I will remember Felix. Just as I remember all those who have died.
* * *
The fact that I had been admitted into the Custoria family had not yet spread. According to the Commander of the Imperial Guard, it would take quite some time for the official paperwork to be processed.
‘The family has strict elders, you see. Well, there’s nothing to worry about. This much will go through without a hitch.’
I recalled the Commander’s words. In the Custoria family, members served on the front lines of the family’s affairs for forty to fifty years before stepping back as elders. Among noble families, Custoria had one of the more flexible and active generational transition systems thanks to this elder system.
Many noble families had no generational shift until the predecessor died. Some of the Empire’s nobles lived for over two hundred years. From my perspective, not even having lived a full century, that was an unfathomable amount of time.
As I walked down the corridor of the Imperial Guard training facility’s main building, my mind drifted through various thoughts.
‘Witch Barbara.’
I checked the Empire’s wanted profiles. When sorted by the most recent updates, Barbara’s name appeared.
Barbara’s bizarre behavior, her deviations, and the series of incidents known as her curses.
If the Empire had been involved, the so-called android rampage, attributed to Barbara’s curse, suddenly made sense.
However, the exact boundary between the Empire’s operations and Barbara’s own actions remained unclear. That ambiguity was why Nemesis took the bait. They saw Barbara as a genius hacker capable of toying with even the Royal Kracia Academy and recruited her.
But Barbara was an agent working for the Empire. A spy, meticulously prepared to infiltrate the core of the terrorist group Nemesis.
‘Several years… No, perhaps over a decade.’
I still didn’t know what Barbara truly was. She wasn’t just an irregular from the lower class. It was possible she had been designed for this mission from the genetic level.
The eerie behaviors I had witnessed from Barbara weren’t just an act. The fact that she was a twisted human being was undeniable.
‘…In the end, nothing is a coincidence.’
At the academy, I had simply been walking along a path that had already been laid out by those above. I had deluded myself into thinking it was my own choice and will.
The more I learned, the more the depth of the Empire became immeasurable.
‘Even my encounter with Kinuan and my training in Akies combat techniques must have been part of their plan.’
Now, I was sure of it. Just as Kinuan had said, this was not my free will. The higher-ups had subtly guided me toward meeting Kinuan.
Doubt bred more doubt. Everything started to feel off.
The fact that I had risen as an irregular from a double-digit orphanage.
Maybe I was never an irregular to begin with.
Maybe I had the potential to enter a single-digit orphanage all along.
It had always felt strange. Back in the orphanage, I felt like the only odd one. As if I were a different species, I couldn't connect with the others. It wasn't until I arrived at the Imperial Guard training facility that I finally felt a sense of belonging with my peers.
‘So, it wasn’t that I overcame a harsh environment and unfavorable genetics through sheer effort…’
Perhaps I was destined to become an elite soldier from the very beginning, and the entire plan had been structured around me.
Ilay’s words came to mind. He had said that people needed irregulars like me to believe in the possibility of social mobility—to accept the current system and hierarchy as fair.
‘Stop it, Luka.’
I closed my eyes. My thoughts were spiraling. I couldn't afford to think like a dissident.
…All of this was just my own delusions and baseless speculation.
Even the Commander of the Imperial Guard telling me the truth behind this incident—perhaps that, too, was a test. A way to see if my loyalty to the Empire and my discipline as a soldier would waver.
‘This is my chance to change my life.’
Luka Custoria.
A position I had seized with my own hands. But it was too soon to feel secure. The moment I loosened my grip, it would vanish like smoke. I couldn’t let that happen.
I kept walking with my eyes closed until I abruptly stopped. When I opened them, Kinuan’s office stood before me.
Chiiik.
The door slid open, revealing a familiar sight. Kinuan sat at his desk, a teacup and a book beside him. From the shelf by the window, fragrant smoke curled into the air.
“Oh, Luka. Did you enjoy your youth at the academy?”
He said things like that so effortlessly, even when he knew the truth. By now, I was used to his way of speaking.
“It was so enjoyable that I nearly never made it back to the training facility.”
“What happened to Felix is unfortunate. He was a promising cadet.”
Did he truly find it unfortunate? The words nearly escaped my lips.
“Thanks to your teachings, Instructor, I managed to survive. So, for now, I’m grateful.”
“I still remember how frustrated you were, struggling to master Akies combat techniques, only to complain that they were useless when wearing Legion armor.”
“Well, I don’t think much has changed on that front.”
I replied as I took a seat. Kinuan poured tea and handed me a cup.
Bitter and astringent, as always. The fact that this stuff cost more than my monthly salary still baffled me.
Lowering the cup, I met Kinuan’s gaze. My thoughts drifted to the terrorist, Rick Silva Núñez—or rather, damn it, let’s just call him Rick Kaiser. That was easier. Either way, the bastard who broke my neck.
“Rick asked me to pass along his regards to you. Said he’s doing well.”
“Ah, Rick Silva Núñez? Well, I’m glad to hear he’s doing fine.”
Kinuan answered calmly. Not even his eyebrows twitched.
"Rick is a first-class wanted criminal. A terrorist. He’s the one who broke my neck."
"Unlucky. Or should I say lucky? You met him and still survived. Well, Rick always had a soft personality. I see that hasn’t changed."
I frowned. He was speaking about a terrorist as if they were close.
"You know him well?"
"Of course. We were in the same Imperial Guard training cohort. We called him Rick Lapidus. It means ‘fast.’ Just like his nickname, his reflexes were extraordinarily quick. If his prosthetics were up to par, he could even catch a flying bullet with his fingers. Nowadays, there are quite a few people capable of such feats thanks to technological advancements, but back then, he was in a league of his own."
The world was a vast place indeed. Kinuan spoke as if there were many warriors of Rick’s caliber.
"So you don’t keep in touch anymore."
"You’re misunderstanding something. I may be a retired soldier, but I’m still on the Empire’s payroll. I wouldn’t go so far as to exchange messages with a terrorist. Judging by your reaction, I take it you haven’t mentioned Rick’s regards to the Commander of the Imperial Guard."
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"…That’s because it’s something that could get you executed on the spot. At the very least, I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes and ears before reporting it."
Half of it was the truth. The other half was an attempt to win some favor.
"There’s no need to be so considerate. If something like this could get me disposed of, it would’ve happened long ago. But I’ll accept your concern nonetheless."
"And if you were to be disposed of, I wanted to learn more about Akies combat techniques first. I’ve heard quite a few things."
"Haha, I find that more believable than your claim of looking out for me."
I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
‘Akies Victima users are classified as high-risk individuals. Their names are kept on a special list.’
That was what Investigator Jillian Campbell had said.
‘Since it seems like you've learned Akies Victima, I won’t kill you.’
That was why terrorist Rick Kaiser hadn’t crushed my skull completely. He had left me alive—barely.
I needed to find out exactly what Akies Victima was. It was more than just a combat technique. It had to be.
"…So what exactly is Akies combat?"
I didn’t beat around the bush. I relayed everything Jillian Campbell and Rick Kaiser had mentioned to Kinuan, word for word.
Kinuan took a sip of his cooling tea as he gazed out the window. Then, as if he had been waiting for my question, he smiled.
“—You’ve reached this point faster than I expected, Luka Custoria.”
“You’ve already heard about it?”
At my words, Kinuan maintained his impenetrable smile. It seemed his information network extended even to the upper echelons. He was truly an unreadable man.
“Well, of course. You’re getting close to the center now. For someone at the fringes, you know far too much. You understand what that means, don’t you?”
“I understand perfectly.”
If any secrets or classified information slipped from my lips, I was as good as dead. And even if I kept silent, if the upper ranks decided they wanted to bury certain incidents and truths altogether… Then, I would be in danger as well. The Custoria name would offer some degree of protection, but that was precisely why the Commander of the Imperial Guard had rushed to have me admitted into the family.
“The history of Akies Victima runs far deeper than you think. We would have to go back to the era before the Empire settled on Planet Novus. And its founder was…”
Kinuan’s smile faded. With a blank expression, he continued speaking.
“…Noel Mullizcane, the leader of the first recorded rebellion in Imperial history, in the year 3518. A rebel leader, the creator of Akies Victima, and the theorist behind Meta Combat Techniques.”
Akies Victima had been a subversive combat style from the very beginning.