Chapter 207
After parting ways with Ilay, I walked through the night streets. I planned to take a slightly longer route. The alcohol was kicking in, and I had a lot to think about, so I wanted to feel the cold wind.
‘Giselle, Ilay, Kinuan, Ivan Accretia, Mushir al-Kashura, Valek… Jafa, Anguis Regina.’
Everything was connected around Kinuan.
‘Giselle.’
I wanted to go find Gilda right away and ask her about Giselle. The person who knew Giselle’s transformation best was Gilda.
Grit.
My teeth ground together, and my prosthetic fingers twitched. I wanted to give in to the boiling impulse.
‘Calm down, Luka. There’s an order to things. I need to find Valek first.’
I was a trained soldier. I knew how to control aggression and impulses. Of course, that didn’t mean I was entirely free from them. Lately, I had been giving in to my impulses far too often.
Whirrr, whirrr.
As I walked through the streets, I lifted my head at the sound of machinery. A man wearing a rear exoskeleton was walking aggressively. The exoskeleton assisted his movements, emitting a rough mechanical noise. Seeing the dense, threatening tattoos covering his skin, he was likely a gang member.
‘The Bellato Federation doesn’t favor prosthetics. Instead, they use various equipment like exoskeletons to enhance themselves.’
To be precise, prosthetics were an unpopular option outside the Accretia Empire. Especially the act of voluntarily replacing healthy body parts with cybernetic implants—it was condemned. Only those who had lost their limbs in accidents or wounded soldiers used prosthetics.
‘Come to think of it, the Empire’s excessive supply of prosthetics is also a means of control. If you become a full-body cyborg, it’s almost impossible to live outside the Empire. Within the Empire, even in the lower districts, prosthetic specialists can be found everywhere, but outside, that’s not the case. The higher the ratio of prosthetics, the more imperial citizens are practically bound to the Empire.’
Full-body prosthetics—especially high-performance combat prosthetics—were difficult to obtain outside the Empire. There weren’t many skilled technicians who could handle them either.
‘Valek abandoned his high-performance combat prosthetics. Unless he was a lunatic like Barbara, swapping out his entire body on his own would be impossible.’
Barbara, after all, was the kind of woman who constantly replaced her body, using and discarding parts regardless of whether they were properly adjusted.
However, combat prosthetics required highly precise calibration. They had to be handled by an expert.
‘There probably aren’t many full-body prosthetic technicians in Border City. Even fewer who can properly calibrate high-performance combat prosthetics.’
If I asked Jafa, she would be able to get me a list in no time.
‘…Even this line of reasoning must be within Kinuan’s expectations.’
The Kinuan in my mind was an omniscient, omnipotent monster. I had no choice but to admit it.
‘To me, Kinuan is invincible. He can do anything and knows everything.’
I revered Kinuan.
Honestly, I didn’t even entertain the thought that I could outmaneuver him and catch him off guard. I couldn’t picture myself ever getting the upper hand on him.
I had faced countless strong opponents before and imagined victory against them many times. But when it came to Kinuan, I couldn’t even summon such a vision.
‘I’ve already lost before the fight has even begun.’
I needed to shake off this weakness. But the wedge Kinuan had driven into me was buried deep. If I were in Kinuan’s position, could I have operated within the Empire as he did? Not a chance. I couldn’t even properly control the handful of people around me.
‘I am lesser than Kinuan.’
No matter how many times I tried to think differently, I always arrived at the same conclusion. Even asking Ragnata about Akies Victima’s weaknesses was an unconscious manifestation of that inferiority.
“…Fuck.”
I muttered a curse and shoved my hands into my coat pockets.
* * *
The next day, I requested the necessary information from Jafa. She immediately grasped my intentions upon seeing my request for a list of prosthetics technicians and engineers.
“Oh ho, so instead of going straight to Mushir al-Kashura, you’re prioritizing tracking Valek?”
“There’s no need to move according to Kinuan’s intentions. I’ll find Kinuan directly through Valek.”
I didn’t mention that Ilay was in contact with Mushir al-Kashura. Jafa had plenty of secrets she kept from me, so I felt no obligation to be entirely forthcoming with her either.
“Well, just in case it proves useful later, I’ll start looking into Mushir al-Kashura. He’s an extremely secretive figure, so tracking him down won’t be easy.”
“That Kashura mercenary has already surpassed the biological limits of his lifespan, even accounting for his full-body prosthetics. He’s probably not a single individual. More likely, a successor is inheriting his gear and name.”
“Ohhh, I think the same. It’s a common trick mercenaries use to inflate their reputations. So, any other reports or developments?”
Jafa flicked her tongue and looked at me.
Click, click, click.
The rhythmic sound of her nails tapping against each other spread through the air.
Tajirunese could pick up scents from the air with their tongues and read others’ emotions. I imagined my pores closing, shutting down any emotional signals.
“Nothing.”
“In many ways, hiring you has been worth it. Luka, you’re getting closer to Kinuan faster than anyone I’ve ever employed. Your ability to handle other issues is also outstanding.”
“Flattering me won’t get you anything more, Jafa.”
“No, I say this because I want to discuss the future. Even after the Kinuan pursuit is over, I’d like you to stay with Jafa & Co. as a fixer. I value talent. Money is just the result—talent is the means to earn it.”
“If I’m still alive by then, I’ll consider it.”
“For now, that answer is enough.”
Jafa smiled. The once-alien expressions and emotional signals of the Tajirunese had become familiar to me.
She sat down and began giving orders to her staff over comms. Soon, a list of prosthetics technicians would be sent to my terminal.
Step, step.
I left Jafa’s office and headed toward the room where Ragnata was staying. As a guest of Jafa & Co., she was being treated well.
‘What a joke.’
Even funnier was the fact that Ragnata and Anguis Regina seemed to be quite friendly with each other.
The floor where Ragnata and I stayed had a high-security clearance—only Jafa’s close associates could come and go. The hallway was quiet, and even from a distance, I could hear voices.
‘Anguis and Ragnata—do they have something in common?’
I observed the two from afar as they talked. They were seated at the bar by the window, sharing drinks while overlooking Border City. It was broad daylight, yet their faces were already flushed with alcohol.
“Ah, Luka. Come over and have a drink.”
Anguis Regina spotted me and gestured. I sat on a sofa a little away from the bar.
“You’ve got some nerve. Drinking with a woman who tried to kill you?”
“That was in the past. And Ragnata was just doing her job, wasn’t she? There wasn’t any personal grudge, right? You think so too, don’t you, Ragnata?”
Anguis Regina beamed at Ragnata. She returned the smile smoothly.
“A professional doesn’t mix emotions with work. Honestly, just being treated this well as a failed assassin is more than I could ask for.”
“That’s a pathetic way for an assassin to end up. If it were me, I’d have bitten my tongue and died.”
I scoffed. Ragnata didn’t react to my provocation. She was much tougher than someone like me.
“Says the one who captured me instead of killing me.”
Sensing the tension between us, Anguis Regina stood up.
“Hey, come on, both of you, don’t fight. Let’s all get along, yeah? No need to hold grudges. I’m gonna step out to the bathroom for a bit.”
Anguis Regina stood up, pulling at the loose fabric of her outfit. Depending on the angle of the light, the material became semi-transparent, subtly revealing the lines of her body.
As soon as she left, I let out a sigh.
“What are you thinking, associating with Anguis Regina?”
“She’s an interesting woman. She may be crippled, but she doesn’t fear me, even though I once tried to kill her. And she’s not a soldier or a warrior. Maybe it’s because she’s a celebrity ruling over Border City?”
“She’s just not sane. That woman’s a lunatic, too.”
I had seen Anguis Regina’s dark side before.
Ragnata lifted her drink with her wrinkled fingers and took a sip. Her wheelchair had an adjustable height, rising to match the bar counter.
“Honestly, I’m interested in you, Jafa & Co., and, most of all, Kinuan. But no one seems willing to tell me what really happened with him. Anguis Regina seems connected to Kinuan in some way, too.”
That was something I was curious about as well.
“…It’s probably a complicated relationship.”
“Why don’t you sleep with Anguis Regina? That’ll give you the answers. Psychological barriers tend to break down in bed. She seems to have a thing for you. A man shouldn’t be too quick to push away a woman coming on to him. You turned her down last time too, didn’t you?”
So they’d been talking about all sorts of things behind my back.
“Don’t say disgusting shit. I can’t stand women like her.”
Ragnata chuckled, amused.
“Oh? That’s not it, is it? You’re quite the romantic, I see. You have someone you like… what was her name again? Giselle, wasn’t it? Holding out for a woman who isn’t even by your side…”
I glared at Ragnata, my entire body tensing. Every vein in me felt like it was standing on edge.
“Shut that mouth before I break it.”
“…So this is your sore spot.”
She really had been underestimating me.
I got up and swung my arm in a wide arc.
Crash!
I grabbed Ragnata by the temple and slammed her into the bar. The solid wooden counter cracked, and splinters embedded themselves in her cheek.
“Don’t mistake my restraint for weakness. I’m barely holding myself back. You, Jafa, Anguis Regina… There are moments, multiple times a day, when I want to kill you all. Do you know why I don’t? Because you’re still useful to me. We’re not friends. Understand? Now answer me. If you start spouting nonsense here, pretending to have the upper hand, I will make you scream, one way or another.”
I loosened my grip, waiting for Ragnata’s response.
“I apologize, Luka. You’re right. I forgot my place and took your goodwill for granted. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Her response was calm.
“Correct answer, Ragnata.”
I let go of her head.
Tch.
She plucked the splinters from her cheek and gestured with her chin toward the back.
“But Luka, Anguis Regina is an interesting woman. Get close to her, and secrets will come out. Ah, just a bit of advice.”
I had already felt Anguis Regina’s gaze on me for a while.
Swish.
I turned around. Fresh from the bathroom, Anguis Regina stood there, her flushed face alight with excitement.
‘She’s been watching us since I slammed Ragnata’s head into the bar.’
The sweet, harmless act she put on was nowhere to be seen. Even after witnessing my violence, she hadn’t intervened. If anything, she looked thrilled—rubbing her thighs together like she was getting off on it.
Disgusted, I straightened my collar and turned to leave.
“Hehe… Luka…”
Anguis Regina let out a sultry chuckle, her gaze fixed on me. I wanted to pin her to the wall and choke her out, but I held back.
I ignored her and kept walking. But she spoke again, as if reeling me back in.
“…Did you know? Kinuan is the reason my father died.”
Her voice was thick, saliva-wet, dripping with something sticky. She stepped back slightly, as if inviting me to come closer if I wanted to hear more.
“Oh, yeah? That’s too bad.”
I answered indifferently and walked away.
Behind me, she muttered something under her breath—some curse, no doubt. She spoke in Tajirunese. So, she knew the language.