Chapter 260

Chapter 260

Son Seok-jae’s residence was no different from that of any other wealthy household in Border City.  

His wife was pretty enough to hide her age, and there was no shadow on the children's faces. Among the servants he had hired, I spotted at least three who were non-human.  

‘This is ridiculous.’  

I frowned as I walked toward the dining room.  

Son Seok-jae’s two sons were laughing and chatting with the non-human servants. Considering their father’s crimes, it was an unbelievable sight.  

‘Do the employees of Sonsu Industries know about this?’  

Probably not.  

Son Seok-jae practically lived in his factories and only came home once or twice a month at most. Naturally, he was extremely secretive about his family and private life, and there wasn’t even a single family photo in his office or vehicle.  

‘How is this even possible? Equessians being here makes some sense since they work as mercenaries, but…’  

Son Seok-jae was a well-known segregationist.  

“These servants owe a great debt to President Son. They genuinely believe he’s a good person. They think the world is just misunderstanding him.”  

Ismael whispered to me.  

We arrived at the entrance of the dining room. A Begabunders servant bowed deeply and pushed the door open.  

The Begabunders were a primate-based species like humans, but they were nearly twice as tall while remaining just as thin, with green skin. Their temperament had many similarities to humanity, making them a closely bonded race.  

Whenever a species friendly to humanity was mentioned, Tarfa and Begabunders were always among them.  

Creak.  

The door to the dining room opened. Dazzling lights spilled out, and the Begabunders’ distinctive metallic lines glowed on their skin.  

Begabunders were one of Planet Novus’s major species, but they had always been outside my area of interest. Unlike the Tarfa, they weren’t mechanical engineering experts, and unlike the Equessians or Crawlers, they weren’t a combat species.  

“Thank you, Marta!”  

Son Seok-jae’s eldest son expressed his gratitude to the Begabunders servant who had opened the door. Though he was the eldest, he didn’t look even ten years old.  

“It’s not just Marta. You should call her Miss Marta. Always be polite, no matter who you’re speaking to.”  

Son Seok-jae pinched his son’s ear as he spoke.  

“O-okay. Miss Marta, thank you.”  

I felt nauseated by the absurdity of the situation.  

Outside, Son Seok-jae preached hatred for non-human species and committed massacres. Yet here he was, teaching his son to respect them.  

The dinner was extravagant. The warm food smelled delicious, and Son Seok-jae introduced his wife and children to us.

‘Galbijjim’ was as tender as Son Seok-jae had promised, and he proudly boasted that it was his wife's handiwork.  

"……I'm Luka."  

I spoke a few words indifferently and then remained silent.  

Son Seok-jae's family probably thought I was a difficult person. I had no intention of making even the smallest effort to be sociable for their sake.  

"Alright then, take the children upstairs. I need to talk with our guests a little longer."  

Son Seok-jae played his roles as a husband and father well. He hugged his wife and children one by one before sending them out of the dining room.  

Srrk.  

At his gesture, the servants also began to disappear one by one.  

"Hoo……."  

The moment everyone was gone, Son Seok-jae let out a long sigh.  

It was as if he had just taken off a heavy mask, his expression noticeably lighter. He reached for a cigar but, noticing my gaze, opted for a drink instead.  

"……It seems you have a lot to say to me, Luka."  

Sensing the hostility in my demeanor, Son Seok-jae took a submissive approach.  

"No, not really."  

Swallowing back the many things I could have said, I kept my response brief.  

"Karma will end with me. My children will grow up considering extraterrestrials as their friends. I'm the one stuck in the past, while coexistence is the future. There should be no place for stubborn old villains like me anymore, that much is certain."  

Utterly repulsive. It had been a long time since I had encountered someone this revolting. The nausea was so overwhelming that I couldn't even taste the food.  

"President Son, I apologize for suddenly bringing Luka along. My personal bodyguard suffered an unexpected injury……."  

Ismael spoke with an awkward expression.  

"Oh, Deputy Minister, no need for that. There's nothing to apologize for. In fact, I wanted to host Luka myself. This was a good opportunity."  

Son Seok-jae slightly lifted himself from his seat, waving dismissively.  

It seemed Ismael had only informed him about my presence just before our arrival.  

'A battle between a young fox and an old raccoon.'  

And I was the stray dog caught on the fox’s leash.  

Ismael and Son Seok-jae talked business. They discussed the development of military MAUs, and from what little I overheard, things seemed to be progressing smoothly.  

"Hmm, the food was so excellent that I overate without realizing it. If you'll excuse me for a moment, Luka, President Son."  

Ismael rubbed his stomach as he stood up. It was a deliberate exit.  

Creak.  

Once Ismael left, only Son Seok-jae and I remained in the dining room.  

A truly chilling silence settled between us.  

Even though we weren’t particularly close, it had never been this awkward before.

"……Haha, I seem to be in quite a precarious position myself."  

Son Seok-jae muttered ambiguously.  

"Looks like you've earned quite a bit of resentment from Deputy Minister Ismael."  

"I haven't done anything to warrant his resentment. The Deputy Minister is simply keeping me in check. He knows I could act independently, outside the jurisdiction of the Strategic Weapons Research Department."  

Son Seok-jae cast a subtle glance toward the door Ismael had walked through before continuing.  

"I don't know what the Deputy Minister has told you, Luka. But he is… an excellent bureaucrat. The more capable a bureaucrat, the better they are at using and discarding their subordinates. In the framework of a nation, the ones who rise are those who know how to cling to the right lifeline and switch it when necessary. To a bureaucrat like him, subordinates are nothing more than disposable stepping stones."  

"Hmm, and you're saying you're different?"  

I sneered.  

"At the very least, I don't throw my people away like worn-out rags. I do my best to hold onto them. A leader who embraces a variety of people needs more contradictions and vices than righteous ideals and unwavering convictions."  

Son Seok-jae finally stopped gauging my reaction and bit down on his cigar, lighting it. His eyes gleamed through the thick smoke.  

"Luka, do you think it's contradictory that I commit atrocities outside while teaching morality at home? I take it you don't have children. This is what an ordinary father looks like. Fathers all over the world live like this. They know they aren't living righteously themselves, yet they want their children to. Weak men who wish for their kids to be better than they are. I'm no different. I want to create a world and an environment where my children can live without having to commit the same sins and vices as I do."  

Truly a smooth talker. It sounded persuasive—using his children as a shield to justify himself.  

‘But there’s truth in what he said. Not in his justification of his own actions… but in his warning about Ismael.’  

Helping Ismael take down Son Seok-jae wouldn’t necessarily lead to a happy ending. In reality, there would always be another task, another chapter.  

‘Ismael may be assisting me now, but the moment I slip out of his control, he'll try to eliminate me.’  

Son Seok-jae was already slipping from Ismael’s grasp. With his progress in MAU development, he might even go head-to-head with the Strategic Weapons Research Department.  

‘There must be people in the Federation’s upper ranks who are wary of Ismael's rise. They might want Son Seok-jae to keep him in check.’

Son Seok-jae must have been carefully maintaining a delicate balance within the Federation as well.  

Srrk.  

I silently stared at the door. I had heard the sound of Ismael approaching.  

Son Seok-jae, seeing the door open, put on a practiced, insincere smile.  

"Apologies for stepping away."  

Ismael took his seat. Meaningless conversation dragged on for another twenty minutes before he and I finally left Son Seok-jae’s residence.  

*         *         *  

Vrrrnnng.  

Ismael’s aerial vehicle was headed toward Jafa Corporation’s headquarters.  

"Luka, what did you think?"  

Ismael asked, gazing out the window.  

"The food was good. Especially the galbijjim."  

The lingering taste of the galbijjim, prepared by Son Seok-jae’s wife, was still present in my stomach.  

Ismael chuckled before turning to look at me.  

"Son Seok-jae is not someone who should be allowed into the light. His ambition is excessive. He doesn’t know when to stop."  

I quietly observed him, sensing faint traces of emotion.  

Ismael was afraid of Son Seok-jae. The Ismael I had known before had never shown such a reaction.  

‘Son Seok-jae must have done something in the meantime.’  

I finished my thoughts and spoke. To Ismael, it would seem like I had responded immediately.  

"Son Seok-jae recently met with someone beyond your influence, didn't he?"  

Ismael closed his eyes, as if to suppress the slight tremor in his pupils. After steadying himself, he reopened them.  

"I didn’t expect President Son to use me as a stepping stone. The moment he took the lead in military MAU development, he caught the attention of the upper ranks and held secret discussions with them—completely bypassing me. He proposed creating a competitive structure by having two separate organizations work on MAU development, all in the name of fairness and efficiency."  

Currently, military MAU development was entirely monopolized by the Strategic Weapons Research Department. Naturally, they had full control over its direction.  

Those who wanted to curb Ismael’s rise and momentum would have been interested in Son Seok-jae’s proposal.  

"It’s always the same. Strip away the flimsy justifications of morality, and all that remains is a power struggle. If you want to be even more pathetic about it, call it a fight over feeding bowls."  

……Disgusting.  

"I’m not the best option, Luka. But at the very least, I am the lesser evil—or maybe the second-best choice for you. Son Seok-jae, on the other hand, is the worst."  

Ismael had shown me Son Seok-jae’s contradictions and hypocrisy, hoping that when the time came to choose, I would act in his favor.  

But to me, there was little difference between Son Seok-jae and Ismael.  

We were merely using each other, and in the end, I would side with whoever benefited me more.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.  

"This is a personal question. In the Federation’s bureaucratic system, is there any place for non-human species?"  

Ismael tilted his head slightly, as if surprised by the question, before answering.  

"Compared to the Empire, opportunities are far more open. There are quotas in place. Some species even have autonomous districts where their representatives are granted certain powers. Both the bureaucratic and political paths are available."  

"Even for Crawlers?"  

Ismael hesitated.  

"That’s… a difficult issue. Crawlers can often be found in specialized physical labor roles at the lower levels, but not in typical administrative positions. Crawlers are, after all……."  

"I know exactly what the issue with Crawlers is. I’ve run into them plenty in the underworld."  

"Crawlers are intelligent beings, but their nature makes it difficult for them to integrate into our society. Implicitly, they are considered a species to be separated and isolated."  

I told him about Boyan, keeping it to the level of explaining that there was an unusual Crawler specimen.  

Ismael blinked. If he wanted to gain any favor from me, he would have to at least consider the matter positively.  

"I'm not asking you to push Boyan forward. If he were to climb with someone else's strength rather than his own, the fall would only be that much more painful. I just want you to test whether he has any potential. Evaluate him coldly, from the perspective of an elite bureaucrat. If there’s no hope, then he needs to find another path as soon as possible."  

I added, making my stance clear.  

Ismael remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.  

"I wasn’t lost in thought because of this Boyan you mentioned. Whether it's a Crawler or anyone else, bringing them in as an intern and keeping an eye on them is a trivial matter."  

I frowned. I already had a feeling about what he was going to say next.  

"Haa."  

I sighed so deeply my shoulders sank. I braced myself as if awaiting execution, then listened.  

"Unexpectedly, Luka… you're quite a kind person."  

The one thing I hated hearing the most.

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