Bad Born Blood - Chapter 111



Only Noblemtl

111

I got up before dawn. Today, at noon, there was a parade of the Crimson Crown Prince Francis.

I went into the private training room I had reserved and checked my nervous system. I performed basic combat moves one by one, from basic to complex moves.

A quick glance at the display on the wall showed that his speed and balance were close to his best. He was in excellent condition.

I extended my fist. It was an optimized movement through the coordination of biology and machine.

I moved my upper body left and right and threw my punches in succession. As the output of my prosthetic arm gradually increased, the striking pocket gradually rose upward.

Pa- Ah!

Soon the sack of impact hit the ceiling and fell. A loud noise echoed off the walls.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My body was feeling moderately warm.

This time, it was time to assume a virtual enemy and fight. It may seem stupid, but it is quite effective. This is because you repeatedly predict the movements of the enemy you will encounter and input them into your brain in advance. Even if it is not a virtual simulation, if you train, you will be able to make quicker judgments and actions in real combat.

‘small…….’

I opened my eyelids slightly. Light entered my pupils dimly.

‘… … Is it Kinuan or Heilas?’

When I opened my eyes fully, the figures of two people appeared before me, overlapping each other. It was quite vivid compared to what I imagined.

‘Am I hallucinating again?’

I blinked.

After visiting the Jingau Director, the hallucinations improved. In particular, Heilas no longer appeared as a hairy bipedal animal.

I wasn’t afraid of my head being damaged. What I was afraid of was my fighting ability being reduced due to my brain malfunctioning during battle.

‘As long as you can fight properly, it’s okay to have hallucinations in peacetime. I came here with that in mind.’

However, it would be problematic if you experience hallucinations or motor neuron disorders during battle.

‘Kinuan, Heilas… … It doesn’t matter who it is. Anyone who blocks me must be destroyed.’

Those humans are the same. If they judge that I am a hindrance, they will not hesitate to take my life.

‘You must not hesitate when it comes to making a decision.’

I need to learn the determination that Ilay showed. Cut off your emotions and take action. I can do that too.

Kilik!

I pulled out my shock pistol, Ruina, and pretended to pull the trigger. If I really shot it, the walls of the guard training room would be shattered.

Kiiing!

The high-pressure heavy weapon, Crucis, was still showing off its skills. Despite its many battles, it was still shiny as new.

Whirl!

I swung the heavy crucian carp. It felt like the sword was going to cut through my body.

When using Cruxis, you have to attack in a way that keeps the flow going. Even with a high-powered body, your wrists and elbows won’t be able to withstand the kinetic energy of Cruxis, which is a heavy weapon.

So, Crucifix was difficult to handle. To use an idiomatic expression, it was like a wild horse running wild.

I looked ahead. The imaginary enemy, whether it was Kinuan or Heilas, was dodging my attacks well.

Woohoo!

As the acceleration picked up, Crucis and I moved faster. As I spun like a top, an idea came to mind.

Whirl!

I swung my sword around and threw it down, scraping the ground. The Crucis that left my hand flew low like a boomerang.

The imaginary enemy was hit by Crucis and then disappeared into the distance.

Card ding ding!

The Crux flew around, ripping through the training room wall and climbing up to the ceiling. The wires and circuits inside were clearly visible, and electricity flowed through them.

The Crux that was digging up to the ceiling barely stopped as it was stuck in the steel frame. I reached out and grabbed the Crux stuck in the ceiling and pulled it out.

Kwajijijik!

A complex piece of equipment came down from beyond the ceiling. I backed away and shrugged my shoulders awkwardly.

“… … I will take care of this with the Royal Guard’s security.”

I walked out of the training room in disarray.

Now it was dawning. The sun was shining through the haphazardly built buildings. I walked without washing, feeling the morning breeze.

After training, I liked the feeling of my sweat cooling off in the cold wind. It was a refreshing feeling that was hard to describe.

‘These are feelings and sensations that will soon disappear.’

The emotions and sensations I am experiencing now cannot be felt by the whole body. Today’s memories will be memories that I will never experience again.

‘It’s a world full of contradictions.’

I changed my limbs into machines to become stronger. But I have to fight the machines to remain human again.

Kinuando, Heilas, and even Iskan… … advised me to cherish the senses and memories of my living body and to experience various things.

Thud, thud.

I cooled my body slowly and without rushing. I even looked straight into the sun, even though my eyes were dazzled.

‘Someday, I too… … will I miss the flesh and blood I’ve lost? Or will I live like the beasts in the torture facility, jealous of the flesh and blood I’ve lost?’

It’s something I don’t know. Right now, if I can just become stronger, I feel like I can give up anything more than flesh and blood.

While I was lost in thought, my diligently moving feet stopped in front of the door. Before I knew it, I was in my room.

Chiik.

Even before the door opened completely, I knew someone was in the room. And I frowned when I realized who it was.

“What’s going on?”

Ivan Kratsya was sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs crossed, staring at me idly.

“Let me start with greetings. Good morning, Luca. I heard you were in charge of protecting Francek?”

Ivan said as if he found it funny.

“I am performing my duties as a member of the Royal Guard. It is not my personal protection.”

“No, clearly Francesque will move with you right next to him.”

I think so too. If you’re not going to keep me by your side, then there’s no reason to call me.

“… … Oh, and thank you for the warning last time. Thanks to it, I was able to survive.”

I expressed my gratitude. If I hadn’t listened to the warning and prepared, one of my limbs would have been blown off by the armed helicopter. If I was unlucky, I would have died.

“Even if I hadn’t warned you, you would have done just fine. I just wanted to make you owe me something. You’re weak to those you owe money to.”

“That’s true.”

“By the way, Heilas is also quite a force. I didn’t know that they would take advantage of the catacombs there. That’s why it’s harder to persecute them. What if we mess with Heilas and the military now?”

Ivan interrupted me, waiting for my answer. His eyes sparkled like an innocent boy’s.

“It would seem that Heilas is being persecuted because the profits from the Catacomb mines were diverted to the Disabled Veterans Fund.”

Ivan clapped his hands in satisfaction.

“Haha, you’re smart as expected. You’re a watcher. It wasn’t a coincidence that Heilas has been cleverly avoiding traps up until now. He’s been so close to being caught that he hasn’t. Who would have thought he had another pocket? The same goes for the other old men who wear badges and make a fuss. Managing an empire isn’t easy. If you have a little bit of a head on your shoulders, everyone will rush to bite you.”

I had mixed feelings.

Heilas was not just a loyal soldier. As one of the top military leaders, he was also skilled in plotting and scheming. Heilas, who had revealed his hidden evil side, would not be taken lightly. He might even start a counterattack.

However, the longer Heilas endures, the higher the probability of the Custoria family being destroyed.

“Your Majesty… … .”

“Call me Ivan. If you call me by my first name again, I’ll be mad too.”

“Ivan, your thoughts seem to differ from His Majesty’s.”

I spoke boldly. Ivan had hinted at something like that to me last time.

‘Luka, I’m different from my father. My father is my father, and I am me. The plan right now is my father’s will.’

I said that because I believe it to be true.

Ivan moved his lips with a faint smile.

“Father is old. Like all emperors and kings, their judgment becomes clouded and feeble in their later years. Even the noble emperor, who is of divine blood, is no different. On the other hand, I am now in my prime. Even now, countless plans are endlessly rising in my head. I need the power and authority to put them into practice. I feel that it is a waste to wait even a year, let alone ten years.”

Ivan stretched out his slender hand and grabbed the air. His eyes were shining brightly. They seemed to be drawing in the surrounding light. His surroundings were dark, and only his pupils seemed to shine like the sun and moon.

… … It was so bold and bold. It made my previous remarks seem ridiculous.

I didn’t know what to say. If someone who wasn’t a member of the royal family said something like that, he would be executed immediately. Not only the family, but even those who knew him would all be beheaded.

‘I want to push my father out with my own hands and take his place.’

This ambitious boy seems to have no intention of following the path his father has laid out for him.

I answered in silence. I shouldn’t have said anything in agreement.

“Luka, this is not a test of your qualifications as a Watcher. I swear it on everything I have.”

This must be true. My intuition told me so. But my mouth remained firmly shut.

Ivan sighed and stood up. To his surprise, he walked up the wall and stood upside down on the ceiling. His bare feet stuck to the wall.

Ivan, his hair hanging down, stopped walking above me.

“Akis Domini, the Emperor’s Watcher… … I’ll tell you one of the qualifications. A Watcher must not be oppressed by authority, and must be able to express a different opinion even if that person is the Emperor.”

I opened my eyes wide. Only then did everything make sense.

The Watcher needed the mindset of Archie Victima. He was someone who could assist the Emperor in his thinking and judgment. Even without separate orders, the Watcher would have to find and supplement what the Emperor had missed.

“There is no absolute truth in the human world we live in. Thesis, antithesis, and conflict, then and now, lead to higher-level thinking and better judgment. However, on the surface, the emperor must be a divine being. It is even more unacceptable to appear as if he can make mistakes.”

Ivan, who had been walking on the ceiling, fell down and stood behind me. I didn’t look back. If I saw Ivan like that, I felt like I would voluntarily kneel down and swear allegiance from my heart.

There was something about Ivan that was hard to describe. You could call it an aura, a halo, or charisma.

“Originally, a Watcher who mastered Archie’s Victory was supposed to erase his own existence and assist the Emperor. However, my father was weakened, and Kinuan crossed the line. The plan to kill Francek was made by Kinuan long ago. A brain-dead, broken man… …who suggested killing the royal family.”

I don’t know what expression Ivan was making. I just vaguely felt his eyes staring at the back of my neck.

“Is killing His Highness Francis the problem?”

I asked, breaking the silence. Does the monster behind me have any kinship with me?

“No, the plan itself is great. But the problem is that it came out of Kinuan’s mouth, and my father readily accepted it. That’s not the normal relationship between an emperor and a watcher. It wasn’t a conclusion reached after a conflict of opinions, but the result of Kinuan cleverly tricking my father.”

I was a fool to expect something like brotherhood. That couldn’t be happening.

“I understand that you are silent. There is no need to respond. The relationship between the Emperor and the Watcher is one of silence. Listen, Luca. I need confusion. And I need to ruin my father and Kinuan’s plans.”

Ivan came to see me just before Francisc’s parade. From here, my thoughts began to infer cause and effect and figure out my mission and role.

“… … When the time comes, do your part. You are my watcher and no one else’s.”

As the door opened, Ivan’s presence disappeared.