Chapter 262

Chapter 262

'Giselle Custoria.'  

I didn't want to mention that name within myself as much as possible. Every time I thought of Giselle, the worst assumptions lingered in my mind.  

The possibility of Giselle’s survival, given that she was missing... coldly, objectively, strictly speaking, could only be seen in a pessimistic light.  

However, just for today, Giselle felt closer to reality.  

Stay composed. Lock away emotions. Shift my thoughts before the hormones that trigger emotional expression could go rampant.  

I closed my eyes and opened them again. My thoughts had been long, but in reality, it had only been an instant.  

'Lante, former Imperial Guard, now an executive of The Empire’s Blade.'  

Lante stood before me. His worn-out prosthetics and corroded synthetic skin were visible.  

'That shabby appearance is a disguise.'  

When the time came, Lante would refine himself splendidly again, just like in the past.  

"Are you saying that Giselle Custoria is the leader of The Blade?"  

I spoke as monotonously as possible. I hoped my eyes remained as inorganic as glass.  

"The Empire’s Blade mimicked Nemesis’ organizational structure. Even an executive like me doesn't know who the leader is. Thanks to that, even if one part falls, the head can survive. However, what is certain is that Giselle was the one who funded and gathered people to form The Blade. I, too, was persuaded by that child and joined the organization."  

The possibility of it being a lie was infinitesimally low.  

A missing piece in the picture inside my mind was filling in, and the overall shape of the image was becoming clear.  

'To Hemillas' close aides, Giselle is the daughter of a respected superior. Practically a niece. There’s plenty of reason to trust her, and she had the resources to create and support an organization.'  

Giselle had formed The Empire’s Blade. While the concept itself was difficult to grasp, all the necessary motives and capabilities aligned perfectly.  

'The reason Giselle distanced herself from Gilda and concealed her true purpose from Ilay was also...'  

Even I, a close friend, found it hard to trust Ilay completely. To Giselle, Ilay must have seemed like an exceedingly dangerous existence.  

I parted my lips. I had to at least act like I was searching for my once-close stepsister. I couldn't reveal too much emotion. The Imperial Guard tended to be rigid.  

"Are you saying that Giselle's disappearance was a staged deception?"  

For the first time, Lante made a troubled expression. He hesitated before answering.  

"To be honest, whether her disappearance was a cover or if she was captured by the Empire’s operations... even I don’t know. Either way, it’s better for me and the other members not to be told."  

My chest grew cold. The faint hope I had was freezing over.

If the disappearance was a staged act to maintain secrecy, the truth had to be concealed. Even if she had been kidnapped by an external force, the right choice was to keep that information from others.  

"I want to know Giselle's current whereabouts."  

I emphasized once more.  

"I haven't met her since the early days of the organization. We've been operating in a decentralized structure, each of us growing our strength individually while waiting for the Day of Resolution. Essentially, we are separate groups united under a single banner, sharing only a common goal. However, if your participation becomes a certainty… I can speak with the 'Head.' If Giselle is still leading the organization, we can contact her immediately. You're an important figure to us."  

Lante laid out his conditions. There was a chance he was lying.  

But even if it was a lie, I had to swallow it. I couldn't afford to lose this lead.  

"I swear on the Custoria name I inherited from my father. When the time comes for the uprising, I will give my all to aid you."  

It was nothing more than an empty promise. But there was nothing else I could offer. I couldn't exactly pull out my heart and place it in their hands.  

"That will suffice. In the end, nothing in this world is certain. The only thing we can trust is the blade of honor engraved upon our hearts."  

For the Imperial Guard, honor was the foundation of humanity—the core required to wield high-performance combat prosthetics. A guard who lost their honor was nothing more than a paranoid killing machine.  

"Thank you."  

I placed a hand over my chest in a gesture of respect.  

"It will take some time until the next scheduled contact with the Head. Wait for ten days. Just linger around the place where we first met, and I'll find you."  

I remained on high alert until I left the underground base. Thoughts and emotions regarding Giselle kept rising and overflowing in both my heart and mind.  

'If I find Giselle here…'  

I would take her and run from this wretched world with everything I had. Whatever happened to the rest of it was no longer my concern.  

*         *         *  

The burden I carried was Boyan.  

Calling him a burden might have been harsh, but it was the truth. The other burden, Gabriel, had been left in Ragnata’s care. Ragnata would honor her word.  

If, someday, both Ragnata and I survived and met again… I would be genuinely grateful to her. I would do anything for her.  

'But Ismael is different from Ragnata.'  

Ismael was a calculating bureaucrat. Taking in Boyan was purely for his own benefit.  

'If he decides I’m no longer of use to him, Boyan will be the first to go.'

I could have ignored Boyan here. No matter what happened to him, I could have just focused on my own interests.  

‘And I could have justified it by saying I had done enough.’  

If I had known things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have taken Boyan in to begin with. A fleeting impulse had shackled me.  

But that wasn’t anything unusual. That was just how the world worked. Conflicts and events didn’t arise from pure rationality—they were driven by desire and impulse.  

If I hadn’t been consumed by strong desires and impulses… I would probably be living a promising life as a rising star in the Imperial military right now.  

‘I regret taking Boyan in.’  

That was undeniable. If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have accepted Regor’s request.  

‘But regret doesn’t erase my choices or decisions.’  

Because of that, even if obstacles piled up ahead, I had to deal with them.  

Boyan was different from the likes of Jafa, Anguis Regina, or Lapis. He couldn’t take care of himself, was clumsy in everything he did, and from my perspective, constantly made foolish mistakes.  

‘That’s why he’s a child, not an adult.’  

I pushed aside my thoughts and headed toward the Border City branch of the Strategic Weapons Research Department.  

"Ah, Luka. You’re here. Perfect timing—I was just about to take a break."  

Ismael had taken time out of his busy schedule to greet me. Holding a cup of coffee, he led me inside.  

Through the office’s glass windows, I saw Boyan working. His main tasks were running errands and organizing documents.  

"At first, everyone was tense when they heard a Crawler was coming in. Even if he isn’t an adult, it was still unusual to have a Crawler in an office role. But he’s been handling all sorts of physical tasks and takes initiative, so people have come to appreciate him."  

I observed Boyan closely. He seemed to be struggling with organizing documents, likely because he hadn’t taken any stimulants today.  

"Does he ever show any aggression while working?"  

I spoke candidly. Impulsiveness was one of the biggest problems with Crawlers—especially their lack of control over their aggression. Simply put, they had a dangerously short temper.  

"I’m not just saying this to make you feel better—there haven’t been any signs of that at all. Even when someone scolds him, he just shrinks back. At first, people hesitated to give him orders, but now they do so without hesitation."  

It seemed the regular sparring sessions were proving effective. Instead of forcibly suppressing his instincts, allowing controlled release helped him regulate them more easily in everyday life.

"Could you call Boyan over for a moment? I'll be in the garden between the main building and the annex."  

Recalling the outdoor garden I had seen during my last visit, I made the request.  

Ismael nodded and headed inside.  

In the meantime, I walked toward the passage that connected the main building to the annex.  

Hwooong.  

A gentle breeze passed through the well-maintained garden. The airflow must have been deliberately considered in its design.  

I gazed beyond the garden, where other public buildings of Border City came into view. The people moving between them were mostly human.  

Among non-human species, I spotted a few Tarfa and Begabunders. It was a strange sight—the Tarfa, who stood about chest-high to a human, speaking with the Begabunder, who was nearly twice the height of an average person.  

The green-skinned Begabunder bent at the knees and waist to meet the Tarfa’s gaze. It was a visual representation of the coexistence the Federation aimed to achieve.  

‘But Tarfa and Begabunders are species that suit humanity’s preferences. They were friendly to humans from the very beginning.’  

Species that didn’t align with humanity were rarely seen in this government district.  

Crawlers, for example, only appeared near construction sites or cargo transport vehicles. There were no Crawlers dressed for office work, like Boyan.  

‘Whether it’s the Empire or the Federation…’  

Both carried contradictions. Such was the nature of any nation.  

Ragnata’s words echoed in my mind. She had seen more of the world than I had.  

‘There’s no such thing as right or wrong.’  

That was what she had said, and I had replied that, for me, there was a right and wrong.  

Ragnata, with all her experience and intelligence, remained detached from the world. She was far too wise to justify her own desires and selfishness as justice.  

"This is difficult," I muttered. The broader my perspective became, the harder it was to assert my own sense of justice.  

In the end, it was merely an extension of my own desires and impulses. No matter how I dressed it up, its essence wouldn’t change.  

Sreuk.  

I turned my head.  

Ismael and Boyan had emerged from the main building and were walking toward the garden. As a subordinate, Boyan trailed a step behind Ismael.  

"If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a guardian consultation," I said.  

"Of course. Afterward, Luka, I’d appreciate it if you could spare me a moment as well."  

Ismael gave Boyan a gentle push forward before turning back toward the main building.  

Boyan’s eyes widened as he glanced between my face and Ismael’s retreating figure.  

"Are you close with the Deputy Minister?"  

"No."  

I gave a curt reply.  

Boyan scratched his neck awkwardly.  

"Uh…"

"Pack up your belongings from Jafa's company building and move them to the government residence. From now on, consider yourself part of the Federation government."  

"But when Jafa recovers, at least a greeting…"  

"You can visit her when the time comes. I'll also inform Ismael, but be prepared—reporters will come looking for you. Even if they ask you rude questions, don’t get angry or show aggression. If necessary, ask Yanaka for stimulants to help control your emotions. From now on, you’ll be seen as a symbol of discrimination against non-humans. Oh, and keep your good report cards handy. They’ll serve as proof that even a Crawler is capable."  

Drawing from my experiences in the Empire, I gave him this advice.  

For an individual to protect themselves from politicians, they needed the backing of the public and the media.  

Boyan looked flustered by my long-winded explanation.  

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean…"  

"I'm saying you need to create a means of protecting yourself, even without me. In truth, you're not an important figure. But as long as you generate some public attention, Ismael won’t be able to kill or discard you so easily."  

"What?"  

"We don’t know what’s going to happen next. I’ll do my best to maintain cooperation with Ismael, but there’s a possibility we’ll become enemies. That said, Ismael is a rational man. If you have value to him, he’ll keep you around even without my request. Fortunately, the Federation government values diversity and coexistence. You’re a useful tool for their rule."  

"I'm having trouble following…"  

"If you can't process this, just take one of the stimulants in your pocket. Sorry, but I don’t have the time or patience to listen to whining."  

I bared my teeth, and Boyan clenched his fists before nodding.  

"This… feels a lot like when my father left me."  

Boyan smiled awkwardly, his words sharp.  

"I'm not saying I'm leaving you right now. I'm just preparing for the worst-case scenario. If you ever need help, contact me. If I can, I’ll come running."  

I then explained the contingency plans I had set up for him.

Border City had its fair share of people like Son Seok-jae, who were staunch discriminationists. But there were also opposing forces. To the anti-discrimination faction, Boyan could serve as a powerful symbol.  

As our conversation dragged on, Ismael emerged from the main building. He checked his watch before making his way toward us.  

"Ismael’s coming. Go on, Boyan."  

Boyan bowed his head and stepped away, making room for Ismael to take his place.  

I struck first before he could say anything.  

"I recently infiltrated ‘The Empire’s Blade’ after making contact with them, Deputy Minister."  

I spoke before Ismael could start questioning me.  

Twitch.  

His eyes widened, and I could see the focus in his mind narrowing—he was completely locked onto this new information.  

"…You’re quite capable, Luka."  

"I was an intelligence agent for the Imperial Court."  

Ismael tilted his head slightly in confusion.  

When people receive information that completely shatters their expectations, their cognitive process momentarily freezes. In other words, for a brief moment, they turn into fools.  

"What?"  

For the first time, the ever-composed Ismael wore a dumbfounded expression. It was a look that didn’t suit him in the slightest.

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