Chapter 261

Chapter 261

I regularly took Boyan to the training room.  

Kwa-jik!  

Boyan’s heavy fist struck the back of my arm. I lightly deflected it and twisted his arm downward, wrapping around it.  

Udeuk!  

An unpleasant sound came from Boyan’s bones. I bent his arm just enough to avoid breaking it while hooking his leg to collapse his balance.  

Whirik!  

Boyan’s body spun midair. Even though he had never formally learned how to break his fall, he instinctively took the impact on his back as he landed.  

“Kaak, keok!”  

Boyan gasped for breath as he stared at the ceiling.  

I looked down at him, rubbing my neck. Boyan was still far from being a match, even as a warm-up partner.  

‘He’s decent among ordinary people, but…’  

At best, he was on the level of a gang’s brawler-type executive.  

‘This is just training to vent aggression and instincts. It’s practically a game.’  

Boyan had a natural inclination for violence, but he lacked the desire to truly learn combat techniques. If he had been more eager to improve, he would have progressed quickly, but his actual technical growth was minimal.  

“Don’t just focus on the upper body. Broaden your vision and senses. I don’t know exactly how a Crawler’s perception works, but your five senses should be sharper than a regular human’s. Instead of isolating each movement, read the whole picture, the flow. That way, you’ll know what your opponent will do next.”  

“When you explain it like that, it sounds like some kind of superpower.”  

Boyan spoke while lying on his back.  

I walked over to the table and grabbed the documents placed there before tossing them at Boyan’s face.  

They were papers that Ismael had sent regarding Boyan.  

“There’s a department under the federal government called the Strategic Weapons Research Department. The deputy minister there is willing to take you as an intern. Think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and give it your all.”  

Boyan picked up the papers and read them, his eyes widening in shock.  

Whik!  

With just the strength of his waist and legs, Boyan sprang up to his feet.  

“I-Is this real? Me? What about school?”  

“You were going to school because you wanted to become a bureaucrat. Practical work will probably suit you better than academic life. You’ve studied enough to have a solid foundation anyway.”  

“The Strategic Weapons Research Department… That’s where Yanaka is a pilot, right?”  

“Yeah. Depending on your tasks, you might run into her from time to time.”  

Boyan flipped through the documents, reading every word as if he were devouring them.  

“…Luka, I really, truly appreciate this.”  

I patted Boyan’s shoulder and left the training room. I felt noticeably lighter, as if I had just unloaded a burden.  

‘Was this how Regor felt too?’

Regor probably didn’t dislike Boyan either. That’s why he risked everything to protect him.  

I, too, resented Boyan at times—no, quite often, actually—but at my core, I still liked him. However, it was also true that Boyan’s existence was a heavy burden to me.  

I had taken too lightly the burden that Regor had passed on to me.  

‘Taking responsibility for someone is an entirely different kind of difficulty compared to risking your life to complete a mission.’  

When I reached my room, I leaned back deeply into the chair.  

‘Giselle… what did she think of me when I was unconscious?’  

No matter how much Giselle cared for me, there must have been moments—perhaps even frequently—when she saw me as a burden. Anyone would think that way at some point.  

Responsibility isn’t built solely on positive emotions. It means enduring a great deal for the sake of another person.  

There were so many things I wanted to ask Giselle. What emotions and thoughts had driven her to care for me and smuggle me out of the Empire…?  

*         *         *

After that, The Empire’s Blade actively moved to make contact with me.  

It was worth the effort to reveal my survival to the defected Imperial Guards under the guise of a special lecture.  

I coordinated with Lante and descended into the underground of Border City. Lante guided me with practiced ease.  

The underground was eerily silent. Those who had been cast out of even the slums above clung to the tunnel walls, their cloudy eyes vacant as they let out sickly groans.  

Tuk, tuk.  

Lante navigated the labyrinthine paths without hesitation. Once we were deep enough that no human presence could be sensed, he finally spoke.  

“Your involvement is going to change the course of events. Even in the capital, Akbaran, rumors are spreading among the people that Lukaus Custoria is still alive. The Empire’s ability to manipulate information and conduct espionage isn’t what it used to be. Do you know why?”  

I took a moment before answering.  

“It’s because of the sudden change in emperor.”  

“As you recall, the chaos of the Storm Era wiped out key personnel, crippling the surveillance and control systems. Their intelligence assets have been cut in half, at the very least. The Empire’s surveillance capabilities are weaker than ever.”  

Now that I thought about it, it made sense.  

That explained why Ivan was keeping the dangerous Ilay so close. Someone like Ilay was too valuable to cast aside, yet too dangerous to be left unchecked. Killing him would be difficult, as there were no suitable replacements. But at the same time, the Empire lacked the resources to monitor him thoroughly.  

‘The Empire never entrusts its intelligence and surveillance operations to a single institution.’

The emperor had assigned intelligence duties to his closest aides and various talented individuals. Even within the Empire, missions overlapped, and multiple factions monitored and competed against each other. It was an ambiguous system where no one could be certain who was a spy and who was truly loyal to the emperor.  

Since many intelligence agents did not officially exist in records or documents, the sudden change of emperor and the simultaneous deaths of key figures caused the Empire’s intelligence network to collapse.  

‘To put it simply, even the agents under Hemillas would have lost all means of contacting the Imperial leadership.’  

For spies whose communication networks had vanished, making a hasty report was out of the question. Any leaked information could render everything meaningless—or worse, be used against them, leading to their deaths. Someone like the witch Barbara was a prime example of such a precarious existence.  

“The spies embedded throughout the Empire don’t officially exist. Because of that, even when intelligence comes through unofficial channels, Imperial officials can’t tell what’s real and what’s fake. Many claim to be secret Imperial agents, using the names of the dead. The situation is so chaotic that wiping everything clean and starting over might be a better option.”  

The surveillance system, which had relied on the emperor and a handful of superhumans, crumbled with the emperor’s sudden death.  

‘Ivan might be in a far more desperate position than I thought…’  

I recalled Ivan Accretia. Monsters like him always had a different face beneath the surface.  

“The movements of the Holy Corite Alliance and the Bellato Federation aren’t looking good either. Compared to before, the Empire now has to pay much more attention to foreign powers. We’ve also planted people in the Holy Alliance and the Federation to keep an eye on their actions.”  

It seemed The Empire’s Blade had spread its influence across the entire planet Novus. Given that many of its members were former Imperial Guards skilled in solo operations, they were well-suited to dispersing and acting independently.  

‘That’s why neither foreign nations nor the Empire’s citizens can fully trust Imperial Guards who defected and turned against the current emperor.’  

Even if we opposed the current regime and the emperor, that didn’t mean we hated the Empire itself. At any moment, many of us could revert to being terrorists or guerrillas fighting for our homeland.  

…And to be honest, I didn’t want to engage in actions that went against the Empire’s interests either.  

“It’s me.”  

Lante spoke as he stood at the entrance of a steel door within the underground passage.  

Clatter, clack.  

A manual peephole, devoid of any sensors, slid open briefly before shutting again.  

“This is The Empire’s Blade’s Border City branch. Consider this a gesture of trust toward you.”  

Lante said as he walked ahead.  

I carried the background of being Hemillas’ adopted son and Francec’s loyal follower. Because of that, The Empire’s Blade placed unwavering trust in me.

‘If I report this place to Ivan or Ismael, my value and standing will skyrocket.’  

As I stepped deeper into the underground base, I saw weapons, equipment, and various prosthetic parts and components densely packed along the walls.  

‘As expected, they’ve intentionally avoided maintenance.’  

Lante’s shabby appearance was a deliberate act. If necessary, he could undergo maintenance and fight in peak condition. The Empire’s Blade wasn’t a hollow shell of an organization.  

“So… you really are Lukaus Custoria. I didn’t expect you to be alive and well.”  

The former Imperial Guards stationed at the base spoke to me. They welcomed me, and all of them were dressed similarly to Lante. It seemed they were operating in Border City using this place as their base.  

‘Lante, along with seven former Imperial Guards.’  

I recognized about three of them—I had seen their faces before and even knew their names. I had exchanged brief conversations with some of them in the past.  

“Weren’t you supposed to be permanently crippled?”  

“Hmph, I thought you were dead.”  

Murmurs spread through the room.  

The rumors about me had been one of two things—either I had died or I was left incapacitated. No one had expected me to be alive and well.  

“…Is the wind finally changing?”  

A man who had been servicing his prosthetic arm muttered as he looked at me.  

I could feel the desperate hope in their gazes. They were waiting for a turning point, something to shift the tide—just as I was.  

‘They don’t trust me exactly. They trust Hemillas.’  

Hemillas had an exceptional eye for talent, and I was someone he had chosen.  

“I haven’t said I’m joining yet. I have no intention of engaging in a reckless suicide mission with you.”  

I spoke aloud.  

Two of them shot me cold looks, while Lante and another man laughed heartily. The rest maintained neutral or mechanical expressions.  

“Just bringing you here means we’ve taken a considerable risk. And… we can’t reveal the plan to you just yet.”  

I observed the expressions of the others.  

‘Lante is the leader here.’  

No one objected to his words or questioned his decisions. It made sense—Lante was skilled enough to be one of Hemillas’ close aides.  

Lante led me further inside. Though I remained somewhat wary, I followed him without hesitation.  

We entered a meeting room large enough for about ten people.  

Lante shrugged off his tattered coat and hung it on the wall before sitting down.  

“Lukaus, I can understand that you have your own circumstances.”

“Just call me Luka.”  

“It might not look like much, but The Empire’s Blade can provide you with the information and resources you need.”  

Lante tapped the conference table, activating a holographic display.  

“You’re telling me to state what I want?”  

“I don’t expect you to cooperate with us blindly. I was one of Hemillas’ closest aides. I’ve heard plenty about your rebellious streak. He used to call you a son who doesn’t listen very well.”  

Lante chuckled, his deeply wrinkled face creasing further.  

A wave of emotion stirred inside me.  

Lante was someone who remembered Hemillas—not as some revered figure but as a human being, flaws and all.  

And I was one of those who missed Hemillas too.  

“If you put it that way, then I won’t refuse. There’s one piece of information I want. It’s the reason I’m in Border City.”  

Out of the countless questions and uncertainties in my mind… I chose the one I longed for the most.  

‘But don’t expect a proper answer, Luka. The Empire’s Blade is an organization built by former Imperial Guards. At their core, they’re soldiers, not an intelligence agency.’  

To be honest, I had better espionage skills than they did. I doubted they knew something I didn’t.  

‘They were operating in Border City, and yet they took this long to notice me.’  

That alone showed their lack of intelligence-gathering capability.  

“I want to know the whereabouts of my stepsister, Giselle Custoria. Whether she’s dead or captured by someone, I need to know. I heard she disappeared from Border City years ago.”  

Lante listened without so much as a twitch, staring directly at me.  

“…Is that all?”  

Did that mean they could find her? Or was he telling me to ask for something else because they couldn’t?  

“That’s all I want.”  

“If we tell you Giselle Custoria’s whereabouts, can we take that as your full cooperation with The Empire’s Blade?”  

I suppressed the pounding in my chest.  

Lante’s words… it was as if he knew where she was.  

The thought crossed my mind—what if Giselle, whom I had searched for so desperately, had been absurdly close this entire time?  

Life had a way of being ironic like that.  

“…Yes.”  

I answered, and Lante pressed a finger to his lips.  

“A secret to whisper, Lukaus Custoria… no, Luka.”  

He glanced toward the door behind me, signaling that even those outside the room weren’t privy to this.  

Whatever Lante was about to say was a secret known only to a select few within The Empire’s Blade.  

“…The person who organized The Empire’s Blade was Giselle Custoria.”  

At that moment, I understood where the funds that had shaken G&G Cybernetics had gone.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.