Bad Born Blood - Chapter 149
Only Noblemtl
149
Kikrik, kirrik.
The Emperor’s shadows circled around the edges of the conference room, surrounding me and Heilas. The body revealed through the pitch-black cloak was an exoskeleton without even an artificial skin.
Perhaps they are not moving hastily because they are reporting to the Emperor and receiving instructions.
“Luka, your first plan failed. Even if the Crown Prince comes, he will not receive the military’s cooperation. Everyone who promised to rise up with me has just died.”
Heilas told me to make a plan.
“Are there any guards you can call?”
“There is no place close enough to be of immediate use. I have placed troops on the route leading to the palace.”
I thought I knew the whole story of the military leadership’s coup plan. I also saw the reason why it had dragged on this long.
‘A small number of people can’t stage a coup. They needed an opportunity to gather the military. The riots during the Storm would have been a good excuse. The military and Heilas would have also been working behind the scenes to create a bigger riot.’
It is natural that chaos arises during a storm. Everyone seeks the opportunity to express their intentions.
‘Most of the soldiers who were called up won’t know that they’ve gathered for a coup. However, it’s soldierly nature to obey orders from superiors even when in doubt. If the commanders on the scene come up with a reasonable excuse to attack and occupy the palace… …the rest will be fine. We can come up with a plausible excuse later. After all, there’s a member of the imperial family named Ivan Kratsya by our side.’
It was a pretty good plan. I even thought it might have worked if Haylas hadn’t had other intentions.
“Then, please give the order to enter now. We will somehow… … the palace.”
“The army won’t move at my command. The chain of command is different. And the imperial family knows about my plan. They must have prepared for the worst. I have one question here. Why would the crown prince, the eldest son of the enemy, help us and pressure the emperor?”
Ivan didn’t seem to explain this far. He kept the fact that he was the real Tsarevich a secret.
The more I learned about Heilas’s information gaps, the more amazed I became by his judgment. There was a reason the Emperor was specifically trying to eliminate him.
“The Emperor intended to kill Francis at the right time for the sake of the war. The real Crown Prince was Ivan. He was not plotting evil because he was the second son, but because he could not overcome his greed and wanted to become the Emperor as soon as possible.”
Even the world’s greatest Heilas had not expected this at all. His pupils moved slightly and turned to Ivan. Ivan, with his arms and legs broken, was just sprawled on the chair like a wooden doll.
“… … I see.”
The only person who is fully aware of this situation is the Emperor.
All the little pictures we had drawn without knowing about each other… …were part of the Emperor’s great picture.
But there is one exception: the painting I wanted to believe was true.
“The variables caused by my actions would be foreign substances that were not part of the Emperor’s plan. I have made irrational judgments that conflict with my existing principles of action. Originally, the possibility of the Captain and Francesque’s cooperation would not have existed.”
I also had some concerns.
‘Kinuan.’
I could not have predicted or foreseen Kinuan’s actions and accidents. I have no way of knowing what picture he drew in this situation.
Kiriririk.
The shadows’ gazes were focused on us. Their gazes were closer to androids than humans.
“Your Majesty, He said He would give you one last chance. I will include the survival of Lu, Kaus Kus, and Toria in the deal.”
One of the shadows spoke. It had a more normal speech function than the Lowzen I had killed. The other shadows lowered their weapons and glared at us.
‘You shouldn’t accept that offer.’
The Emperor’s offer was generous. If the Emperor had judged it advantageous, he would have put forward harsher terms or attacked earlier.
‘Even the Emperor is not in a position to be completely relaxed. Many things have become tangled, so he wants to put out the urgent fires first.’
Heilas is probably thinking the same thing as me. I don’t have to tell her to give advice.
Ssuk.
I slowly stepped away from Heilas and took my place. I stood in the middle of them to keep the shadows from taking Ivan away.
‘Ivan is a good negotiating weapon.’
It would be good for us to secure Ivan, as he would be useful in many ways if he were alive. Francis also wanted Ivan captured.
We continued to fight for dominance, securing each other’s territory.
“After all the preparation and preparation, are you choosing destruction, destruction of the race?”
“My capable son has found another solution, so there is no reason not to follow it.”
Heilas’s bluff was still there. He spoke as if he had believed me from the beginning.
Heilas must have agonized over whether to kill me or not every day, and he must have internally struggled hundreds of times when he saved me from the shadows. If only his mind had been a little more inclined towards the machine, I would have already been a corpse.
‘Heilas knows how to inflate himself.’
How many times have I been fooled by that bluff, and cringed at the thought that Haylas knew something.
“Oh, my, my family will be slaughtered because of the foolish decision of the head of the household.”
The shadow closed its mouth after saying those words.
“Luka, if you trust me, from now on, follow my orders without saying a word. Take Ivan and join Crown Prince Francis. Right now, there needs to be an aide who knows all the circumstances by the Crown Prince’s side. I’ll take care of the rest first.”
“They were originally the guards… … .”
“No matter how many dead people are eaten by the Legion, they are no match for me.”
This damned human is bluffing again. It won’t be easy to survive against them. Before I could add, Heilas spat out fiercely.
“If you spit one more time, I will cut off your head and proceed with my original plan. Your Majesty will be very pleased.”
I wanted to respond, but I bit my lips shut.
Seven shadows moved immediately. Three of them ignored Heilas and aimed at me.
Kiiiiiing!
Heilas swung his spear long. He ignored the shadows coming towards him and blocked the path of those aiming for him.
There was no time to argue any further.
It’s funny that I’m saying this, but it’s important for soldiers to follow orders. If you try to coordinate and exchange opinions in a combat situation, you’ll be wiped out. For now, it’s important to follow the orders of your superiors.
Now is the time to follow Heila’s orders.
Whoosh!
I carried Ivan on my shoulders and ran to the window. Ivan rattled as I ran.
OMG.
I focused my auditory vision on the shadows. As the area narrowed, their movements became more subtle.
The shadows aimed their guns at me. I ran straight ahead without moving left or right. If I wasted even a little bit of my movement, I would be caught. Heilas would block the shots.
‘Trust Heilas.’
I accelerated and jumped in a long straight line.
Ta- ang! Phew!
The shadows’ shots flew past me, disorganized. I didn’t dodge them.
It was thanks to Heilas’s skillful use of his spear and feet to blast away the surrounding furniture and block their fire. Some of them even seemed to have been blocked with his own body.
Kaaaaaaang!
The safety glass that touched my foot stretched tenaciously along the shape of the shoe, then when it reached its tensile limit, it shattered with a loud noise.
The path opened up. I ducked my head and went through the window. By the way, this is the 21st floor.
Swish!
The sound of rain suddenly poured down as the window broke. The sudden change in the outside world made my auditory vision all messed up. It was similar to the feeling of being stared straight in the face by strong headlights.
But there’s no need to panic.
My cognitive and brain functions are now well beyond their limits. I have completed my auditory correction from the moment a few drops of rain hit my face.
Kiriririk!
I scraped my way down the outer wall of the building. Once I reached a reasonable height, I leapt towards the streetlight.
Kwajik!
The streetlight bent long as if absorbing the impact. I slid down under the half-fallen streetlight.
I didn’t check above. I ran straight into the alley, preparing for any possible sniping.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ivan repeatedly tapped my back with the fingers of his broken arm. When I interpreted the signal from his fingers, I found that it meant that I wanted the gag removed.
I ignored Ivan’s signal and looked around.
‘Fransec will be coming this way. We should join him.’
Ivan kept patting my back. I was so nervous that I wanted to snap off the fingers that were interrupting my thoughts.
But before meeting Francesca, we need to hear Ivan’s story.
Ugh!
I pulled Ivan’s gag roughly and broke the loop. Ivan’s head shook as if it had been hit by a hammer.
“If you talk nonsense, I’ll break your jaw. I won’t warn you twice.”
I said as I ran down the alley. Ivan’s body on my shoulder shook as well.
“… … You are all making a mistake. If the surprise attack fails, everything is over. You do not know about the royal family and Krachia’s bloodline.
You may think of the Emperor as simply a symbol of the Empire, but the Emperor is the most powerful force in the Empire. If you delay like this, you have no chance of winning. My father will already be preparing to go on an expedition. He will personally come forward and burn all those who fall in love with him. Even if you bring a bunch of Legion, it will be meaningless.”
Ivan chuckled. It seemed like he was mocking himself.
This is new information. I just crammed what I heard into my head. The arrangement of my existing knowledge was getting mixed up.
“Why are you telling me that now?”
“If I leak this information to the outside, the country will die. My father will think I don’t know ‘that’. I found out by chance.
Luca, do you know why I’m telling you this? I’m offering you asylum. Cora, Bellato, anywhere. Take whoever you want to take care of. Now is the time to do it. If you sell the confidential information you and I have, you’ll be treated well. Especially Cora. Yes, Cora would be good. They’re even more sinister than us.”
Ivan spoke in a sweet voice. But I read the emotion in it. Without sight, the emotion in the voice sounded more delicate.
‘I’m scared.’
Ivan, who had been so arrogant, was trembling. If this was going to happen, why did he rebel? Why did he rush to become emperor?
‘ah…….’
I misunderstood Ivan’s principle of action. He was not driven by greed. He was driven by fear. Then, his hasty judgment and sloppy planning, hidden behind the mask of arrogance, were all understandable.
“Tell me what the Emperor’s power is. I will listen and then decide.”
“Bye… … No, even if you understood this, you wouldn’t defect. If you did, you wouldn’t have come here. Get me to safety, Luca. Then I’ll tell you everything.”
Ivan said as if he had gained momentum.
But I also clearly warned you, there will be no second chance.
I moved my hand.
Kwajik!
Ivan’s lower jaw shattered and shattered. He groaned softly and blinked in surprise. Intricate microscopic parts fell out of his shattered jaw.
“Then let’s go to Francesque.”
I muttered and tried to move forward.
thud.
I felt like the world was turning upside down for a moment. I could barely keep my body up by putting strength into my knees. My sense of direction was disturbed and I couldn’t stand properly.
Crack.
I gritted my teeth and leaned my shoulder against the wall.
I was dizzy. My hearing and vision also temporarily disappeared, so I was plunged into pitch-black darkness. I couldn’t even guess how long I had been resting in this spot.
I took a deep breath and focused on the sound. In the meantime, I grabbed Ivan’s finger that was patting my back and squeezed it.
In the darkness, white threads unraveled as if glowing. I barely regained my auditory vision.
‘Kinuan?’
At the end of the alley, I saw someone. I thought it was Kinuan.
… … But Kinuan’s form quickly disappeared. Since it disappeared like smoke, I decided that it was not real.
‘Now I’m seeing hallucinations with my auditory vision as well.’
No, was what I just saw a hallucination? Did the real Kinuan appear? Since when has he been watching me? It was strange from the beginning. What if I was moving according to his purpose? Kinuan, Kinuan, Kinuan… … .
I feel like I’m going crazy… … No, I’m crazy. I was on the verge of becoming paranoid. If I lose my balance even a little, my delusions and reality will mix up.