Bad Born Blood - Chapter 108



Only Noblemtl

108

I remembered my past when I was in an orphanage.

Back then, I used to look up at the upper zones through the messy wires. I believed that if I tried, I could get there. That was what the Empire had propagandized and taught me.

And then the screening test showed that I was fit for the Guard. I clenched my fists and let out a silent scream.

My efforts paid off. I was able to get out of this cesspool. I no longer had to tremble in fear of dying at the whim of someone else.

‘But it’s the same here.’

The upper class and the aristocratic society were no different. Only the clothes they wore and the food they ate improved.

… … We were all slaves to someone.

There are only miserable slaves and slaves who are somewhat better than them.

Look at how even noble families that boasted of power can collapse overnight.

There were now over a hundred guardsmen gathered in this place. It was quite a large number.

The official number of guards was a thousand. However, in reality, it was less than that. At most, there were eight or nine hundred, and during times of manpower shortage, there were only five or six hundred.

Even in peacetime, the guards are called up for missions throughout the empire. In order to gather all the hundreds of guards, preparations must be made two months in advance, and it is difficult to gather even a hundred people overnight.

‘The domain of the Korobus family.’

We were standing in front of it. In the center of the estate was a building that was a bit unusual to call a mansion.

It was a large residential area in the form of a remodeled giant airship. I heard that it was one of the imperial colony ships that departed from the planet Ark during the early days of settlement. The captain of that colony ship was the beginning of the Korobus family.

“It’s a family with a long history. They were once even relatives of the imperial family.”

Ilay, who was beside me, muttered. The cadets of the same class as me were here as auxiliary soldiers of the guard.

But there will be no fighting today.

The fact that the guards had gathered in such large numbers was simply a show of force. If the Korobus family did not want to be annihilated, they would readily admit their wrongdoings and surrender.

‘The Korobus family tried to touch the guards.’

The one who instigated the attack on me and Iskan was a member of the Korobus family. One of their members was a regular at the torture facility and was killed by Iskan, so they wanted revenge.

And that information was passed on to me through Kinuan, and I reported it to Heilas.

The Royal Guard began negotiations with House Corobus. Talks with the military’s upper echelons had also been concluded, and Heilas was also officially moving.

Beep.

I stepped forward at the call of Heilas. The guardsmen’s eyes scanned over me. Now I was a famous member of the guards.

As I had hoped as a child, I stood on the threshold of success.

“When I heard the list you gave me, Korobus confessed his crimes. He asked only to be spared from extermination. It was the work of some fools within their ranks. A few fools ruined the family.”

Heilas stood in front of me and said,

“I’m glad I could help. Things are going smoothly.”

“If it is announced to the public, all of their relatives will die. They will probably think it is fortunate that they end up becoming minor nobles.”

“I didn’t know the Korobus family would give up without a fight.”

“They haven’t produced a single high-ranking official in over a hundred years. They’ve been able to live comfortably up until now thanks to their ancestors who took good care of the land.”

The Korobus family seemed like the epitome of corrupt nobility. They were a family that owned land. Land with profitable mines, at that.

‘Catacombs Mines.’

It was a mine where a large quantity of high-quality minerals were mined. Because of this, they were able to maintain their family’s prestige without having to produce high-ranking officials or soldiers.

“Because they had so much, they didn’t have to work hard. They could maintain their wealth and honor just by selling mining rights.”

Heilas’ words were laced with contempt.

Soon after, five noblemen with their limbs removed were brought out to us on an iron cart. They were the masterminds of this incident.

‘The one who tried to kill me and Iskan… … .’

I wasn’t even angry. Even though they were trash that deserved to die to some, they were family to them.

… … and they are victims too.

‘The Empire wants to reclaim the rights to the Catacomb mines.’

It has been nearly two hundred years since the Accretia Empire settled on the planet Novas.

The chaos of the settlement period was subsiding and the power structure was solidifying. Thus, the empire entered a period of stability. There was no longer any need to share the valuable vested interests. In this way, whenever there was a justification, they would want to recover the vested interests and cleverly solidify a strong centralized system.

This is a subversive thought. If it were my country in the past, I would have denied it.

But the plain fact is that the Empire will think it has a good cause.

‘Even the nobility may be purged at any time.’

The Korobus family begins its decline today.

“Come with me, Luca. You too must learn how to negotiate.”

Heilas entered the Korobus family mansion with five of his associates, including me. Iskan was also among them.

“We return the sovereignty to the leader of the people and the defender of the empire. We, weak and feeble, are merely borrowers of this land… … .”

The head of the Korobus family spoke while kneeling. His complexion was extremely dark.

‘There was a fight.’

There were traces of battle inside the Korobus Mansion. It seemed that the factions had been divided.

The Korobus family made a humiliating choice to avoid extinction.

“It’s already a finished story, but… … You should have prepared for the future instead of wasting the profits from the land on decadence and pleasure.”

“We are not fools, Heilas Custoria. We were just trying to get things ready.”

The Korobus family chief spoke quietly. He said nothing more. He really seemed to be a fool.

Heilas opened his eyes and stroked his chin. He nodded slightly. The contempt he had for the Korobus family had disappeared.

I think I know what the Corobus family means.

‘The Empire and the Crown impeded the expansion and advancement of the Korobus family into high positions.’

The negotiations and administrative procedures between the Korobus family and the Royal Guard proceeded smoothly as if they had been planned in advance. On the surface, the Korobus family was accused of smuggling minerals and was deprived of their rights and lands.

‘The funny thing is that the smuggling isn’t a lie at all.’

I stared at the holograms moving quickly across the table. The Korobus family had traded with alien races for minerals to secure slush funds.

‘The slush funds prepared in this way will not be touched by the empire. At least for this generation, you can live a noble life. Or, it can be used as investment funds for rebuilding the family in the future.’

This was the condition of the Korobus family. It was a condition of handing over the rights without resistance or conflict.

‘They steadily raised slush funds through smuggling because they expected that their rights would be taken away one day.’

The cause and effect were reversed. However, on the surface, it was the fault of the Korobus family.

‘If you refuse to prosecute for smuggling… … the Empire will reinvestigate the alleged attack on the Kartika Building and change the report to say that it was committed by members of House Korobus.’

Then the Korobus family would be exterminated. They would not be able to gain a foothold in the aristocratic society, let alone the empire. So they readily admitted to the smuggling charges, which they could easily evade.

‘Slowly apply pressure, secure a justification, and then quietly kill them.’

In this way, the ‘useless families’ disappeared one by one. If they had been suppressed by force alone, a rebellion would have broken out long ago.

Blink, blink.

I closed and opened my eyes several times.

……shit.

At first, I thought there was something wrong with the device. But that wasn’t the case.

‘hallucination.’

Now, in my vision, the head of the Corobus family looked like Heilas. There was no way Heilas would act so meanly, but his image kept overlapping with mine.

Ssuk.

I closed my right prosthetic eye tightly. I looked only at my left biological eye, and soon the hallucinations disappeared. When I stopped using the cybernetic prosthetic eye, the load on my nervous system was noticeably reduced.

‘That damn Chief Jin-Gau was saying weird things for no reason… … .’

His advice to beware of hallucinations must have had some influence on my psychological state.

‘If we don’t hurry, is this what will happen to the Custoria family?’

While I was struggling on my own, the negotiations continued.

“The mining rights and profits of the Catacomb mines are divided equally between the military and the Royal Guard.”

Heilas spoke as if to make others hear. His entourage followed him and whispered. The words were also spread to the other guards through the communication.

Again, this is not a secret agreement. This is formal negotiation.

“The military, no, the empire’s decision?”

The head of the Corobus family was rather embarrassed. Heilas spoke calmly, resting his arms on the armrests.

“The meaningless money that has been spent on pleasures will be transformed into a fund for the disabled soldiers of the empire.”

I clenched my mouth shut. I desperately tried to keep my front teeth and lips from trembling.

‘There’s no way the royal family would allow something like this, Heilas!’

This is a unilateral decision by Captain Heilas and the military. However, if it is announced first as a fund for disabled soldiers, the royal family cannot afford to lose face.

The real fight has begun.

Heilas also knew that the royal family was trying to oust him.

‘This damn snake… … .’

Even I, who was watching from so close, didn’t notice it. I opened my right prosthetic eye in shock. There were still remnants of the hallucination.

Sssss.

Heilas’ hair and crimson uniform stood on end, and dozens of spears and swords appeared, as if to say that anyone who tried to kill him would not succeed.

* * *

I was reunited with Director Jin Ga-woo sooner than I thought.

‘hallucination.’

The hallucinations that occurred in the Korobus territory tormented me in small ways.

When I looked into the darkness, it seemed as if someone with a human figure was looking at me. Sometimes, it felt as if the statues or portraits of the emperors were alive. Their pupils moved as if they were looking at me.

And more than anything, there were many days after that day when Heilas didn’t look normal. Often, when he lost his senses even a little, he looked like a ferocious beast. A dark red beast with its fur standing on end and its eyes shining fiercely.

‘The embodiment of anxiety.’

I tried to look at my symptoms objectively.

‘This is why users of Archie’s Victory or people with modified nervous systems go crazy.’

If I continued in this state, it was certain that my condition would get worse. Furthermore, I was not in a position to immediately reduce my pressure and stress.

I needed professional help. But if I went to the Guard or the military medical team, my condition would be reported to my superiors.

I walked down the pure white hallway of the 4th Research Institute. Next to me was a blond young master smiling broadly.

“Can I really go with you?”

Illai spoke in an excited voice, as if she were going on a picnic.

“You’re already here. And it’s better if you’re here. The director seems to like you quite a bit, too.”

I don’t know what Jin-ga-woo will do to me. Among the people I can trust right now, the only one who can be of help is Illei.

Creak, creak.

I stood in front of the laboratory I had been guided to. The door unlocked, revealing its interior.

“You’re here, Luca. Everything is ready. Sit over there.”

Jin Ga-woo, wearing a white gown, pointed to a chair in the lab without any special greetings. A chair with all sorts of gruesome surgical instruments and machines hanging from it was waiting for me.

I couldn’t help but flinch when I saw that.

Wheeing.

Jin-Gau repeatedly pulled and released the trigger of the sharp-pointed electric drill.

“Oh, and since you’re a guard, you don’t need anesthesia, right? You were trained.”

“I am human too, so I feel pain.”

Does this person even see me as a human being?

“It is quicker to diagnose symptoms without anesthesia.”

It seems like he had no intention of doing it in the first place.

“Luka, would you like me to hold your hand?”

Ilay said with a gentle smile. I frowned and threw my coat at Ilay’s face.

dump.

As I sat down on the chair, the locks secured my arms and legs.

Wheeing.

Jin-Gau shoved the electric drill into my face. My eyes widened.

No way, I’m seeing that in my eyes right now…

“Okay, okay. That’s a very good response.”

Jin Ga-woo chuckled at my reaction.

Kiiing!

My right prosthetic eye collided with the power drill. I barely managed to hold back a scream.