Chapter 83
As soon as I entered the room, I scanned the interior.
There were no surveillance devices like cameras in sight. If I couldn’t detect any, it was safe to assume there weren’t any.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was perfect. Just in case, I maintained the speech and demeanor of a maid, prepared for the possibility of wiretapping.
‘There are two beds, but...’
There wasn’t even a partition to divide the space. The room was completely open.
"I'll rest on the sofa."
I said as much.
Sitting on the sofa allowed me to face the entrance while turning my back to the bed and bathroom. It was the best position to ensure both Giselle’s privacy and security.
"You can make yourself comfortable."
"A night or so is fine, really."
I emphasized. I had no problem staying awake for a day or two. Ilay probably wouldn’t be sleeping tonight either.
"...Alright."
Giselle reluctantly dragged out her words. She hesitated for a moment before stepping into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water filled the room.
The dripping sound pounded in my ears. My stupid brain kept picturing Giselle’s bare skin beneath the cascading water.
‘Focus on the mission, Luka.’
I narrowed my eyes and steadied my breathing.
‘If Barbara makes a move... it'll be during the test run of the prototype tomorrow or on the way back.’
The worst-case scenario was Barbara doing nothing.
That would mean all my current actions amounted to nothing more than a clown’s performance. The mere thought was unbearable. I’d gone through all this trouble—there had to be something to gain.
Please, approach us, Barbara.
I desperately willed it.
Shhh.
With each sound of water, my senses kept drifting toward Giselle. It was for her protection. Nothing could be allowed to happen.
Click.
The water stopped, and the door opened. I didn’t need to turn around to picture the scene. Giselle stepping out, her body still damp. Droplets trickling from her skin, tapping softly against the floor.
Rustle.
The faint sound of her changing into comfortable clothes.
Naturally, I didn’t wash up. I had to maintain my makeup—more of a disguise—until tomorrow.
"You can look this way now."
Giselle’s voice called out.
I turned. She was wearing flowing pajamas made from a luxurious fabric that shimmered with a soft luster.
Whirrr.
Sitting comfortably on the bed, Giselle activated her terminal, bringing up a holographic display. It was detailed specifications of the Autonovus prototype.
"I didn’t realize you were interested in vehicles. Are you considering a future in that field as well?"
She met my gaze and spoke.
"As if. My main interest is cybernetic prosthetics. That’s what benefits the family, after all."
"I don’t know much about it, but Autonovus doesn’t seem to have much to do with prosthetics."
"It’s a company specializing in vehicles. But if you want to dig deep into one field, it’s good to have a broad understanding of related areas too. You know what I mean, Keisa."
That made sense. I was a soldier. But I wasn’t just trained in combat.
To fight well, you needed all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge and skills. A broad yet shallow understanding of various fields was necessary.
"Keisa, you know Lukaus, my older brother and our family’s adopted son, right?"
Giselle suddenly brought me up in conversation. I nodded with just a slight movement of my chin.
"Of course."
"I always thought he was prideful and reckless… but this time, he surprised me. I saw him in a new light. I think I understand why Father values him so much."
"I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t know him personally."
"He swallowed that fierce pride of his for the sake of the family."
"Isn’t that just because he’s a soldier? I’ve heard that Imperial soldiers follow orders with absolute obedience."
I spoke calmly.
"From what I see, Luka isn’t someone who simply follows orders. He moves of his own will."
"I don’t think that’s a good quality for a soldier."
It wasn’t my imagination—my tone had turned a little colder.
For a moment, we silently observed each other. I was the one who broke the silence. Standing up, I walked over to the table where drinks and snacks were placed.
"Would you like a warm drink before bed?"
"No, I’m fine…"
Giselle turned off the hologram display on her terminal. One by one, the bright lights in the room dimmed.
Now, only the soft glow of a single light, faint as moonlight, barely outlined the shapes of objects.
"…Keisa. More than that, come here and give me a hug, like a nanny would. I left behind the doll I always sleep with."
Her voice was unusually sweet—enough to make my ears tingle.
She must be feeling anxious because of Barbara.
I hesitated but answered with my steps. Standing beside her bed, I leaned forward slightly and extended my arms.
Giselle lifted her body just enough to wrap her arms around my neck.
She smelled nice.
Our chins and the nape of my neck brushed lightly against each other. The hug was brief. Her hands, which had been gripping my back and shoulders, gradually loosened and fell away.
Even in the dim outlines of the darkness, I could see Giselle's expression.
"I think I'll have a good dream tonight. Thanks."
"You're too kind."
I walked slowly back to the sofa and sat down. Soon, the quiet rhythm of Giselle's breathing reached my ears.
…Even if it weren’t for the mission, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep.
* * *
Morning finally arrived.
The room’s lighting gradually brightened, matching the color temperature of the sunrise.
"Ugh… Mmm… Ah, right. This place…"
Giselle groaned as she woke, shaking off the remnants of sleep. She looked at me, then quickly averted her gaze. Seeing me the moment she opened her eyes must have flustered her—she wasn’t used to situations like this.
I didn’t bother speaking to her either. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts. But the time for leisure was over. From now on, it was back to the mission.
Once we were both ready, Giselle and I stepped out of the room.
"Did the ladies sleep well last night?"
Ilay greeted us, placing a hand on his chest. His face was filled with a smug smile, and I wanted nothing more than to punch it. It was obvious what kind of thoughts were running through his head.
"Good morning. The temperature this morning is…"
An Autobot approached and began delivering its briefing.
The tour proceeded smoothly as scheduled. After a light breakfast, we followed Autonovus staff to the outdoor testing ground of the research facility.
Clunk, clunk.
At the test site, the prototype vehicle Arachne was on display. Engineers and researchers were clustered around it, performing maintenance and adjustments.
"Even from a tactical standpoint, this terrain is extremely challenging. Vehicle entry would be difficult."
Ilay commented as he observed the vast testing ground. The landscape stretched endlessly, filled with jagged rock formations. Large and small boulders were scattered unpredictably across the ground.
"The first person to navigate through the rocky terrain with Arachne in the shortest time will receive a special prize prepared by our company. Please enjoy this as a lighthearted challenge!"
The Autobot projected a holographic map before us, displaying multiple possible routes through the rocky expanse.
"This is my chance to show off my skills."
"Skills? You’ll probably crash and burn halfway through."
Excited chatter rippled through the crowd. They had come here simply to enjoy the tour.
Whirr, whirr.
An Autonovus employee boarded the prototype Arachne. The vehicle’s four-wheeled legs accelerated, and in an instant, it lunged into the rocky terrain.
Vrrrrrrrr!
The four legs absorbed the impact, allowing the vehicle to traverse the rough terrain smoothly. When faced with large boulders, it raised its legs to climb over them, and for narrow gaps, it lowered itself to slip through.
"Oh, this is way better than I expected."
"Hmm..."
Its rough-terrain traversal capabilities were impressive. The speed barely dropped even on difficult terrain.
As Arachne moved farther away, those with subpar cybernetic eyes had to rely on visual enhancement equipment—either wearing goggles or using binoculars—to keep track of its movement.
Arachne approached a massive boulder. Everyone assumed it would go around it.
Vrrr!
The vehicle's power output surged. The sound was loud enough to be heard even from a distance, and auxiliary legs extended rapidly.
Thud!
Arachne leaped and latched onto the boulder. Despite the steep incline, its auxiliary legs maintained traction. From a distance, it looked like a giant spider.
For a moment, the crowd fell silent. Then, exclamations of awe erupted.
"This is… quite impressive."
Ilay unfolded his arms, clearly amazed. I was just as surprised.
Arachne had exceptional mobility. With some refinements, it could be viable for military use, despite the usual drawbacks of transformable designs.
Clinging to the massive rock, Arachne used all eight legs to climb upward before leaping down the other side.
Beep!
Upon reaching the finish line, Arachne came to a halt. The recorded time was approximately 4 minutes and 32 seconds.
After completing the test run, Arachne circled the perimeter of the rocky terrain and returned.
Some people clapped as it arrived. The vehicle had exceeded expectations. A few nobles were already approaching the staff to place pre-orders.
"Giselle, will you be taking a test run?"
Ilay asked, standing beside her.
"Of course. That’s why I came."
Giselle nodded readily.
Arachne was a two-seater. Maintaining such high mobility while ensuring stability inside the cabin likely made it difficult to accommodate more passengers.
"Then… I’ll ride with you. As part of my duty as a guard."
Ilay glanced at me as he spoke.
"I leave my lady in your care, Sir Ilay."
Even if Barbara didn’t strike, it was better for Ilay to handle any unexpected incidents. Watching me run around with a billowing skirt wouldn’t be ideal in a crisis.
And for that reason, I trusted Ilay. If it came down to it, he would prioritize Giselle’s life over his own without hesitation.
Vrrr, vrrrr.
The tour participants boarded Arachne. Autonovus staff clustered around them, providing a brief explanation.
Arachne operated in groups of four. Naturally, this created an unspoken sense of competition among the riders.
I focused on Arachne No. 2, where Giselle and Ilay had boarded.
‘The chances of Barbara making a move here are low. There are too many eyes watching.’
Even if Barbara was antisocial, she was still affiliated with the Empire. She would likely prefer to operate in secrecy.
I shifted my gaze to Arachne No. 3. There, I spotted Enrico Lagan, who had hastily volunteered upon seeing Giselle board.
‘Is he a fool, a hopeless romantic… or both?’
I then studied the man next to Enrico. He was armed with a firearm, seemingly a bodyguard.
Thinking about it, it was almost laughable. Even with all that weaponry, he was still far less dangerous than barehanded Ilay.
Vrrr.
Using my Overseer privileges, I accessed the upper-tier network and verified the bodyguard’s identity.
‘Nedder Along.’
He wasn’t an unknown figure. In fact, his record was so clean that there wasn’t a single flaw to point out. Even his full-body prosthetic’s registration number was neatly logged in the Empire’s database.
Following my gaze, detailed information was highlighted in my retinal display.
‘Lived in the lower districts with his mother, but his biological father was a retainer of a noble family from the upper districts… He received ample financial support. An illegitimate child, but he lived comfortably in the lower districts. His education was decent, too.’
Nedder Along had completed a selection exam and entered a vocational school suited to his aptitude.
Twitch.
My eyes paused for a moment.
Nedder Along had undergone a basic office administration training program at his vocational school. His background had nothing to do with being a soldier or a mercenary.
Sure, it wasn’t strange if he had decided to switch to security work later on. With his father’s backing, he had obtained a high-performance full-body prosthetic.
But something about this didn’t sit right with me. That detail kept gnawing at my mind.
I didn’t know Enrico’s exact standing within the Lagan family. But would a noble house really assign someone like Nedder Along—a half-qualified bodyguard—to protect him?
As I pondered this, the hum of Arachne grew louder. It was about to depart.
“Wow, that’s amazing! Th-That’s Arachne, right?”
A familiar voice pierced through the noise and engine roar, stabbing into my ears.
My pupils darted toward the source of the voice.
In the crowd, I spotted a girl. Her striking red-gold hair stood out.
‘Barbara!’
My right cybernetic eye instantly confirmed her identity. Every detail matched, down to the smallest biometric data.
It was Barbara, without a doubt.
Despite being a wanted terrorist, she had appeared in broad daylight, utterly unbothered.
She was only about thirty meters away from me.
I moved quickly, pushing through the crowd without hesitation.