Bad Born Blood - Chapter 119



Only Noblemtl

119

The smoke from the incense burner rose and swirled around Agatha.

‘Agatha Custoria.’

Even I, who said that name, found it hard to believe.

The elder lying on the bed is Agatha Custoria. She is a being from the past two hundred years ago. Even if she is a full-body noble, it is rare for her to live for more than two centuries. Even if you do a rough calculation, Agatha has lived for close to three centuries.

‘Agatha called me Noel. She believes I am the reincarnation of Noel.’

Reincarnation and reincarnation are nonsense. When you die, everything evaporates. Consciousness is just a phenomenon of electricity and chemistry.

Agatha wants to believe in superstitious concepts. It is an illusion created by her weak consciousness. Above all, Agatha herself said that she believes in superstitions because she has become weak.

‘But I must take advantage of Agatha’s kindness.’

I opened my eyes slightly and held Agatha’s hand as if wrapping it around hers.

“When you say Noel, do you mean Noel Mulizka?”

“… … Mulizka is a name that was given late. Noel is just Noel. I don’t like the name Mulizka.”

It was confusing. It was hard to organize my thoughts. But there wasn’t much time. It wouldn’t have been strange if Agatha died at any time.

‘Where and how much do you know about Agatha? And… …the other elders and Heilas?’

Does Agatha know that I am the Emperor’s Watcher? And Noel Mulizka too… …was the Emperor’s Watcher?

A long-standing question rose to my consciousness.

‘The first rebellion by Noel Mulizka.’

Given the depth of the Empire that I have seen, it would not be strange if the Empire had used Noel to incite rebellion. It was as if they had taken care of it before the flames of rebellion could grow any bigger.

‘Noel, who took on the role of the leader of the rebellion, would have been an emperor’s watchman like Kinuan.’

If you think about it that way, everything makes sense, and that’s why Akiess Victory is the Watcher’s condition. That’s why the Watcher’s alias is Akiess Domini.

“When I see you looking so lost in thought, you really are just like Noel.”

“If there was no genetic connection, they wouldn’t look alike.”

“I’m not talking about your looks. I’m talking about your soul.”

That’s ridiculous. If a homeless person on the street said something like that, I would ignore them.

“I don’t believe in the existence of the soul, but even if it exists, I can’t see it.”

Her hazy laughter continued. There was a mechanical noise mixed with noise.

“There is no need to separate the inside from the outside. Our soul is not inside, but outside. The form of the soul is determined not by the thoughts inside, but by the actions expressed outwardly.”

“Have you been watching me until now?”

It is not an illusion that my words are sharp.

The secrets I keep are a shield that protects me. But the moment they leak out, they become a knife that stabs my heart.

If Agatha knows my secret, I am in dire straits now. Haylas may be armed behind the door.

“I want my descendants to prosper, but I don’t want to betray you twice. I hope this answers your questions and fears.”

Agatha’s words were strange. She was looking at me and Noel. I pursed my lips.

“I also want to protect House Custoria. If there is anything I need to know now, you must tell me.”

There was silence. The light in Agatha’s metal face flickered as if it would go out. I was afraid that she would lose consciousness.

Here I have to make a choice. If I want to get answers from her, I will have to give up some of my secrets.

“… … The Emperor is trying to destroy the House of Custoria. I need your advice. I ask you as a descendant who is not of the same blood but has received the name of Custoria.”

Agatha’s eyes widened. She raised her upper body with difficulty.

“It’s no secret that the Emperor wants to oust House Custoria. You should have revealed that you are the Emperor’s Watcher before asking for my help. You too are hiding your secret… … and asking for my help, just like Noel!”

She knew everything.

For the first time, I saw hatred in Agatha’s mouth. My heart sank. I couldn’t stop my heart from beating. I felt like my breath was coming out of my chin.

My choice was just wrong. It stirred up the hatred that had been buried deep in her heart.

‘My feelings towards Noel are bittersweet.’

I can’t know what happened between Noel and Agatha. It probably wasn’t a relationship that could be explained simply.

“Heilas too… … Are you aware of the existence of the Watcher?”

I need to check this fact first.

Agatha listened to me and put one hand on her face. It looked like she was crying. It was a machine body that couldn’t cry even if it wanted to.

“I already told you that I don’t want to betray you twice, child. Don’t make me miserable anymore.”

“You maintained neutrality.”

Even if I trample on Agatha’s feelings, there’s nothing I can do. There are many things in front of me that are more important than her feelings.

If I’m not careful, I might end up fighting Heilas as soon as I step out the door. That’s the worst I could imagine.

“Noel, you will end up repeating the same thing over and over again. You will lose everything in pursuit of a cause.”

Agatha’s eyes were blurring and darkening repeatedly. I wondered if she was even in her right mind.

Ugh.

I gritted my teeth. I glared at Agatha with fierce eyes.

“I need to know the past so I can make better choices. I need to know what Noel did wrong. If you want to let out a sigh of regret, you can do so, but do it alone. I will stand up here. You will soon be dead. But I have to live tomorrow and the day after that. I don’t want to waste my time on the empty words of the dead.”

I stood up. And slowly sent a battle signal to my body. I awakened my senses and expanded them. My brain was hot enough that my concentration quickly reached its peak.

Ssuk.

I put my hands in my pockets and tried to start warming up Ruina.

If Agatha calls Heilas here… …I will shoot Ruina towards that door.

‘There’s no need to despair when facing your worst enemy, Luca.’

Good things are rare in life. Usually there is only the worst and the lesser of two evils. Today, I just had worse luck, so the worst happened.

“Child, calm down. Haylas is unaware of the Watcher’s presence, nor are the other elders.”

Agatha spoke behind me. Her voice was much calmer. There was no emotion.

“Why didn’t you tell me? This information would be vital to the survival of the Custoria family.”

“Because if you find out, you’ll die. Being exceptionally capable and sharp isn’t always advantageous for survival. Sometimes being incompetent and dull is much more advantageous. Heilas has always been a child with good intuition. If you give her a clue, she’ll figure out things she shouldn’t know. Even now, she’s figuring out the royal family’s plot on her own and preparing for it. If she dies, she dies because she’s exceptional.”

It sounds contradictory, but it’s true.

The imperial family checks Heilas because he is superior. The superior Heilas finds out about the plot. That is why conflicts arise. The imperial family checks Heilas to expel him because the conflict could result in civil war.

Cause and effect are intertwined and circulate.

The royal family’s judgment was not wrong. Heilas is a potential danger. Even his steadfast loyalty is ultimately nothing more than human will. Will and mind are physical phenomena, and phenomena are influenced by variables.

Machines don’t change, but humans do. And both Haylas and I are humans.

“If it were me, I would have told you. Haylas is the best soldier I know. His abilities are beyond measure. I’m sure he would have come up with a plan.”

“You don’t know, Luca. No matter what Custoria does, it can’t defeat the Imperial Family. The more Custoria prepares, the more vulnerable the Empire will become to civil war, and the only result will be that the Empire will be vulnerable to external enemies.

That’s why I opposed the appointment of Heilas as the head of the household. However, the child won the position of head of the household with his own power. As if that was his destiny. Yes, it is destiny because it cannot be stopped.”

He mentions fate again. I think I’m going to hate that word from now on.

“If accepting fate leaves only defeat and resignation, then I don’t want to accept fate.”

Agatha, who heard my words, laughed in a mechanical voice. It was strangely eerie.

“You’re saying the same thing as Noel, my child. Then go and watch Noel’s choices and learn from them. The despair and agony of having to choose the lesser evil because you’re looking into the future.”

Agatha rose from her bed as if she still had some energy left. The cables and tubes attached to her body fell off with a snap.

She stood behind me like a wandering ghost. Her cold hands wrapped around my neck and down to my chest.

“If you’re Noel, I have to believe you came back for a better choice.”

“I am not Noel.”

“Long ago, a mysterious wanderer from Cora, or rather Corta, told me that if I endured the dark years, I would see the one I longed for again. I have endured until now, believing only those words… … .”

Agatha’s eyes, reflected on the floor, were red.

“… … So you have to be Noel.”

She is a fanatic of misguided beliefs. She sees what she wants to see and believes what she wants to believe.

I wasn’t even angry. I just felt sorry that a woman who had once been stronger than anyone else had become so weak.

I closed my eyes and opened them. Agatha was staggering as if she would collapse at any moment.

Squeak.

I held Agatha as she fell. I turned around and laid her down on the bed.

“We don’t have time, Agatha. If my presence has been a comfort to you, you should be of help to me. That’s only fair.”

Noel would probably have said the same thing in the same situation as me.

Agatha opened her metal lips. I put my ear close. She whispered an old secret to me.

“……thank you.”

I lifted my upper body and nodded my head. Agatha’s hand tried to wrap around my neck as if she had some lingering desire, but then sank.

Agatha will not survive today. It took superhuman mental strength to have lasted this long. She is broken, and has just lost the reason to continue.

“Goodbye, Noel.”

Agatha muttered. Behind the machine’s face was a girl, not an old woman.

She must have cried every night for a long time. So, in order to stop crying, she must have removed the ability to express sadness from her body.

“Have sweet dreams.”

I bowed my head and kissed her forehead.

* * *

Squeak.

I opened the door and came out.

I passed through the hallway and reached the railing on the second floor. I looked down and saw Heilas and the elders standing on the first floor. There was probably no eavesdropping or eavesdropping.

Some of the elders will know that the dying man is the founder of the family. Given the nature of the Custorian family, they will show absolute respect to Agatha and will not do anything to question her authority.

When I first met the elders, Agatha’s presence and voice were the greatest.

‘The oldest elder came to me before he died.’

I am neither the head of the family nor the heir to the bloodline. It would be strange for someone like me to seek me out before I die.

‘What will they think of me now?’

I came down the stairs and stared at the elders and Heilas. They looked at me too.

Swish.

The elders passed me by and returned to Agatha. They will watch over Agatha’s end.

Thud, thud.

I went down the stairs. Heilas was waiting for me and said.

“What did you talk about?”

“They said I resembled my first love.”

“Hmm, I expected her to be a woman.”

That was the end of our conversation.

Heilas didn’t say anything. That made me feel endlessly uneasy.

But don’t be fooled. This is Heilas’ specialty. Pretending to know something and guessing the truth from the other person’s reaction.

‘Heilas doesn’t know.’

You have to trust Agatha.