Chapter 250

Chapter 250

Rest is truly important. No matter how many times it is emphasized, it is never enough.  

Effort without rest evaporates meaninglessly. Even in the Imperial Guard, they teach how to rest properly.  

It cools down the mind, heated to the brink of breaking, and steadies the nervous system, which seems ready to spiral out of control.  

Scattered fragments, seemingly unrelated, wove together by faint threads in my mind, revealing an outline.  

‘……Ilay is trying to depose the Emperor and establish a republic.’  

It was one of the many aspirations of anti-imperialist forces.  

‘But there’s no guarantee that Ilay is telling the truth.’  

I sat in my chair with my eyes closed.  

‘Ilay is indeed acting for my sake. But that’s his own decision, and if it serves his goals and my safety, he wouldn’t hesitate to lie. Ilay will not move in the direction I want.’  

Meeting Ilay this time, I realized something.  

‘Ilay isn’t afraid of being hated by others.’  

His will was firm and unyielding. And disturbingly arrogant.  

‘Gilda has entered negotiations. She’ll collaborate with a suitable corporation.’  

Meeting Gilda again would be dangerous—for both of us.  

‘The Emperor is watching me.’  

Many questions remained. But at this moment, one stood out above all.  

‘Who used the android to warn me of the ambush?’  

Only one person came to mind immediately.  

‘The Witch, Barbara.’  

Barbara was a lunatic obsessed with Giselle.  

‘She managed to uncover and act upon a classified operation led by someone like Ilay.’  

Among the hackers within my awareness, only Barbara possessed such capabilities.  

‘Twelve years of Barbara’s life are untraceable. She is both an imperial spy and a member of Nemesis.’  

Barbara was one of the suspects in Giselle’s abduction.  

‘If her obsession remains unchanged, there’s no way she would leave Giselle alone.’  

I had no way to contact Barbara first. She was elusive, adept at concealing herself.  

Barbara might lack physical combat abilities, but she was a monster nonetheless—beyond my comprehension.  

Beep.  

I frowned at the call ringing from the wall communicator.  

My scattered thoughts had been solidifying into form, but they were momentarily disrupted.  

It was the first time the wall communicator had been used. Everyone who knew me contacted my personal terminal.  

I gathered my thoughts and pulled my senses back to reality.

An unexpected yet familiar figure stood on the screen of the wall communicator.  

‘Yanaka Bondred. Boyan’s friend and an official MAU pilot of the Federation.’  

Yanaka was standing at the entrance of the first floor of the building. She had pulled her hat low over her face, shoving both hands deep into the pockets of her jacket.  

Her cheek, which I had struck, was still swollen, covered with gauze.  

‘She looks like a delinquent through and through.’  

Just from her appearance, she didn’t seem like an official pilot of the Federation at all.  

‘Reject visit.’  

I firmly pressed my finger against the screen of the wall communicator. There was no need to meet Yanaka. I wasn’t old enough to be counseling kids.  

The screen went dark as soon as I pressed the rejection button.  

Beep!  

The communicator rang again, and Yanaka’s face reappeared on the screen. She was shouting something. Even without sound, I could read her lips.  

‘She came to see Boyan?’  

It seemed Boyan had repeatedly refused Yanaka’s visits. I scratched my head and then pressed the button to allow entry.  

“……What a hassle.”  

Had I known things would get this complicated, I wouldn’t have taken Boyan in.  

Kids required more effort than I had expected. I didn’t recall being this troublesome when I was younger—hmm.  

I grabbed the coat hanging on the wall and headed down to the first floor.  

As I descended, I saw employees moving busily.  

Even though their leader was severely injured, Jafa & Co. was still operating somehow. Jafa was merely the decision-maker. The actual system ran automatically. A company was like a colony organism.  

Yanaka was waiting for me in the first-floor lounge.  

She stood up as soon as she saw me and bowed her head in greeting.  

‘Did getting slapped teach her some manners?’  

Thinking idly, I sat on the sofa in front of Yanaka.  

“Just state your business quickly and concisely, like a soldier.”  

I gestured with my chin. Yanaka glanced around before speaking.  

“I came to see Boyan.”  

“If he’s been ignoring your visits, he must have a reason. What do you plan to do by forcing a meeting?”  

“I asked my physician to prepare some medicine that a Crawler can actually use. It was formulated by the Federation’s top elite, so it’s far better than street drugs or hospital prescriptions.”  

Yanaka pulled a box of ampoules from her pocket.  

“……Why are you going this far for Boyan?”  

“Don’t interrogate me. I just want to help him.”  

“I’m only saying this because you have nothing to gain from getting close to him. You’re an official pilot of the Federation with a bright future ahead, while Boyan is just an outcast Crawler.”

Yanaka frowned.  

"Do I need a clear reason or tangible benefit to help a friend?"  

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. It was an annoyingly pure statement.  

"Hmm. If that’s really all there is to it, I’ll take you to Boyan. Follow me."  

I got up from my seat.  

Yanaka shoved her hands into her pockets and followed me into the elevator.  

Vrrrnnng.  

The hum of the elevator’s operation filled the silence.  

Yanaka was a type of person unfamiliar to me.  

‘She’s excessively meddlesome, especially when it comes to kids her age. She must be well-liked.’  

That would explain her popularity. She was good at fighting and held a high status. An official pilot of the Federation had to be quite an elite.  

"The Deputy Minister talks about you often. He says they’ve acquired a remarkably talented piece on the board."  

Yanaka broke the awkward silence in the elevator.  

"Glad to hear it."  

"You were a well-known figure in the Empire, weren’t you? The adopted son of the Commander of the Imperial Guard…"  

I cut her off.  

"Where did you hear that?"  

"One of the instructors in pilot training used to be an Imperial Guard. He teaches close-quarters combat using enhanced nervous systems. He knew about you."  

"For someone trained by the Imperial Guard, your close combat skills were pretty underwhelming."  

Yanaka bristled at the insult, glaring at me.  

"I'm a pilot. Close combat is just supplementary knowledge for me."  

"Must’ve been impressive watching taxpayer-funded shells being wasted so meaninglessly. The Federation has it rough."  

I crossed my arms, leaning my shoulder against the elevator wall with a smirk.  

"T-That was because those Legions were strange! Their mobility and defenses were far better than what was known. Normally, they—"  

"This world isn’t a game. You really think enemies in real combat will only show up with the exact level of performance and combat ability you expect?"  

"No, I—I don’t think that, but…"  

Hmm. Teasing her was unexpectedly fun. I even wished the elevator would take a little longer to reach its destination.  

"If all pilots were like you, the future of new weaponry would be grim."  

"……I learned a lot from this battle. I can get better."  

I found it amusing. Yanaka seemed to think she could survive every real battle.  

‘The Empire’s methods… are right when it comes to training elite soldiers.’  

Cadets in the Imperial Guard underwent training that was as close to real combat as possible. Even before completing their training, they took on numerous real combat missions.  

‘She’s fragile.’

Yanaka didn’t seem to have any experience with killing. No matter how well someone scored on psychological evaluations for military aptitude, actual combat revealed things that no test ever could.  

‘The Federation must be aware of that. Especially since they have former Imperial Guards assisting with pilot training—someone must have pointed out the same flaws I see.’  

But the Federation likely had its own intentions.  

‘They want to turn pilots like Yanaka into war heroes. That means she needs to have enough character and morality to win public support.’  

That was probably also why the Federation didn’t suppress Yanaka and instead allowed her a degree of autonomy.  

‘But if she dies on the battlefield, none of that matters. In war, strength justifies everything. Personality flaws are something to worry about only after you’ve won.’  

Not that it was my place to judge whether their methods were right or wrong.  

In the end, war would determine who was right.  

—Bam, bam, bam…  

An ad for Jafa Burger was playing in the elevator. The only reason I bothered to note this was…  

"Bam, bam… Ah, um."  

Yanaka had been unconsciously humming along but quickly shut her mouth when she noticed my gaze.  

"You’re a fan of Anguis Regina, huh?"  

"Not— not really."  

Yanaka pulled her hat down over her face.  

"Want me to get you an autograph?"  

"I said I’m not a fan!"  

Yanaka’s voice got louder, just as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.  

From this point on, only Jafa’s close associates were allowed access. Regular employees couldn’t enter.  

The hallway was noticeably quieter. I walked toward Boyan’s room.  

‘Anguis Regina.’  

I sensed her presence before I even turned the corner—thanks to the distinctive scent of her cosmetics.  

"Ah, Luka."  

Anguis Regina looked at me with a slightly gaunt face. She must have been worried about Jafa’s injuries.  

Thud.  

Yanaka, who had been following me, abruptly halted and stared at Anguis Regina.  

Swish.  

Anguis Regina stepped closer to me, letting her fingers lightly graze my arm as she passed.  

"I have something to tell you. Let’s talk later."  

"You can say it now."  

"But you’ve got an adorable guest with you. Hello there, young lady."  

Anguis Regina glanced at Yanaka and flashed a dazzling smile, one that practically sparkled.  

"She’s here for Boyan."  

"Well, same difference. I’ve got something to take care of for now anyway. Oh, and Gabriel and Ragnata have left. I didn’t think they’d disappear without even saying goodbye."

"Oh, really? I guess they weren’t close enough to you to bother saying goodbye."  

I feigned ignorance and shrugged.  

"I’ll contact you soon, then."  

Anguis Regina moved past me and Yanaka, about to leave.  

Yanaka hesitated, then suddenly rushed after her.  

"Uh, um, s-sign— Ah, something to sign on, w-wait a second…"  

"Don’t worry. An idol always carries autograph sheets for her fans. It’s a basic courtesy."  

Anguis Regina spoke with theatrical warmth.  

Yanaka’s face turned red as she accepted the autograph. Anguis Regina even pressed her red lips onto the paper as a bonus.  

Like any typical teenage girl, Yanaka grinned, flustered and unable to contain her excitement.  

Step, step.  

Once she was done, Yanaka watched Anguis Regina leave, then walked back toward me.  

"You said you didn’t need an autograph?"  

I smirked.  

"Well, now that I think about it, I have a friend who’s a fan of hers, so…"  

"Yeah, sure."  

It was a simple reminder that, despite everything, Anguis Regina was indeed an idol.  

I led Yanaka to Boyan’s door.  

Knock, knock.  

Instead of ringing the doorbell, I simply knocked. If I had been alone, I would have just walked in.  

‘Hmm.’  

Even through the door, I couldn’t sense any movement inside. It was too quiet.  

Cautiously, I opened the door.  

Whooosh.  

A cold wind blew in as soon as I did. The window was wide open, high above the city.  

"For fuck’s sake…"  

I scowled the moment I saw inside.  

"K-Kidnapping?"  

"Kidnapping, my ass…"  

I glanced at the windowsill. There were claw marks—Crawler claw marks, perfectly matching Boyan’s size.  

‘What a dramatic way to go out for a walk.’  

I leaned out the window and looked down. From this height, people looked like mere dots.

"Crawlers really are something. No special training, just raw instinct and physical ability, and they can climb down from here like it’s nothing."  

Grumbling, I grabbed onto the windowsill and pulled myself over.  

Whish.  

Hanging onto the outer wall, I peered downward. Boyan’s trail stretched along the building’s crevices in a clear path.  

"W-What the hell are you doing?!"  

"Playing tag."  

With that, I let go of the windowsill.  

From Yanaka’s perspective, it must have looked like I simply vanished as I plummeted.  

Fwoooosh!  

The rush of air roared past my ears. As I entered freefall, my entire body responded.  

Time slowed, a thrilling sensation spread through me, and my senses expanded—ready for combat. I could even hear the pounding of my own heart and the flow of blood through my veins. If there was ever a substitute for drugs, this was it.  

Screeeeeech!  

Before I could crash to my death, I dragged my hands against the wall, slowing my descent.  

Glancing up, I saw Yanaka staring down at me, clearly conflicted.  

She had never learned anything like this before.

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