Bad Born Blood - Chapter 16



Only Noblemtl

016

I had told Kinuan that I would not learn the art of fighting Archies. I didn’t feel like changing my mind later.

But this was the order and mission of the captain of the guard.

“It seems you’ve changed your mind. If you’ve changed your mind, then I’m the one who asked you to come, so I won’t ask you any more.”

Kinuan readily agreed.

“Thank you, Instructor.”

“While you’re here, why don’t you go out? Is there anything else you need to do?”

“I will prepare it right away.”

Kinuan and I changed into civilian clothes.

Kinuan headed to the lower level. We took the high-speed elevator down and passed through the area checkpoint. The soldier at the checkpoint came out and confirmed Kinuan’s identity, then saluted him with respect.

As we entered the lower area, the scenery changed quickly. There were several old buildings that had been there since the early days of settlement.

The peeling paint on the walls was covered in dirt, and children could be seen peeking through the broken windows.

Phew.

The weathered concrete crumbled and turned into dust whenever a hot wind blew.

Kinuan entered the dilapidated shopping street. The guide android installed at the entrance to the street had only the upper body left, like a bust.

-Oh, oh …

The android opened its hands to welcome us and spoke, but its movements were stiff and its robotic voice was noisy, making it difficult to understand what it was saying.

I looked around. There were many people who looked normal for a lower-class area. It was a shopping district used by the middle class who could barely make a living. As evidence of public power at work, a security drone was patrolling the street.

If you commit a crime here, your body will be torn apart like a rag by a hail of bullets from security drones.

Towering.

Kinuan stopped in front of a store. Crude toys and holographic game machines were displayed beyond the glass windows. There was also a crude replica of the Legion of the Armored Corps.

“Do kids these days want things like this?”

Kinuan asked me.

“When I was young, I also stood here for a long time, lost in thought.”

“You are still young.”

From Kinuan’s perspective, I’m also young. I opened the store door and waited for Kinuan to come in first.

“Master.”

The shop owner opened his eyes at Kinuan’s words. He rested his chin on his hand indifferently even though a customer had arrived, and pointed to the display case.

“If you’re looking for something, look in there. I don’t know even if you ask.”

He was quite rude. I glanced at the shop owner. He looked so unmotivated that I wanted to kick him.

“Give me everything from here to here. Will delivery be possible?”

Kinuan said, pointing to the end of the display case. The owner tilted his head at first, but soon his eyes widened.

“Everything? What kind of joke are you… .”

I thrust the credit chip I received from Kinuan in front of the store owner.

“Answer me. I asked if it was delivered.”

I said with a frown. If you talked nonsense one more time, I was going to break your fingers.

“Water, of course. Yes, yes. Just give me the address.”

The store owner, who had just come to his senses, started moving in a hurry.

In this market, it was rare for someone to buy something without even bargaining. If the shop owner’s brain was functioning normally, he would have realized that our status was not ordinary.

“Oh, uh, are there any guests over there?”

The store owner checked the address and smiled awkwardly.

“What’s going on? You’re not short on money, are you?”

“That, that delivery won’t happen. That area is a restricted area until tomorrow or the day after. Those terrorists, either Genesis or Nemesis… … .”

“Okay, I get it. That’s enough explaining. Hmm, what should I do with this… … .”

Kinuan stared blankly at the mountain of boxes stacked up. It wasn’t the weight that was the problem, but the volume. No matter how they were tied together, it would be difficult for two people to carry them. There would be countless thieves.

“If I call Gabriel, I think things will work out. He has a fierce face, so the weird guys won’t follow him.”

I took out my terminal. Gabriel appeared on the holographic screen.

-Hey, good, no, Luca. What’s going on?

“Come here. I said I could help you with anything you need.”

-You want me to come all of a sudden? I have work to do too…

“I told you to come right now, Gabriel. You’d better run before I rip out the artificial spine I paid for.”

I let go of the grudge. Gabriel grumbled in a voice laced with profanity, but replied that he would go right away.

Not long after, Gabriel came into the store. The store owner looked frightened as the large man entered. Gabriel was a dangerous man by any standards.

“You call me for something like this? Do you know that I’m just a neighborhood errand boy? Even if I do this… … .”

Gabriel frowned after hearing our circumstances.

“Just shut up and listen.”

Gabriel sighed and shouldered the boxes that were too heavy for his size. He looked me up and down, his gaze particularly lingering on my arms and legs.

“That’s your original body. It looks quite high-performance. And it’s well-balanced. Were you a rich kid? So you didn’t need the money?”

Gabriel was talking nonsense. He was a talkative man, to the point of being embarrassing for his size.

“Put your useless curiosity in the asshole. Not only about me, but also about the person behind you.”

Gabriel’s gaze lingered on Kinuan for a moment.

“I have no intention of picking on someone who is struggling even at Aleph. I also have a sense of humor.”

We went out onto the street with our luggage on our backs. Calling Gabriel had an effect. With a big, fierce-looking man by our side, no thieves or pickpockets came near us.

“Hmm, this is the orphanage area. Are these all gifts? Volunteer work or something?”

Gabriel said as he turned onto a familiar path. I just found out that the destination was an orphanage.

‘The 47th Orphanage.’

Kinuan had a cigarette in his mouth in front of the orphanage. I’ve been with him for quite some time, but this was the first time I saw him smoking.

“You guys, put the boxes down in the inner vacant lot and rest.”

As Kinuan said this, he entered the orphanage building.

“Damn, I wanted something a little more grandiose. Like, maybe a fight with another gang or something fancy like that. Delivering presents to a kid from an orphanage? You call Gabriel the Iron Fist for something like that?”

Gabriel grumbled as soon as Kinuan disappeared.

“If a fight had broken out, I wouldn’t have had to call you.”

I said, stacking the boxes neatly and arranging them. It was a habit I had developed throughout my cadet life.

“Luka, I know you’re strong, but… … this place isn’t easy either. Just because you’re strong in combat doesn’t mean you’ll always survive. You also need connections and strategy.”

Gabriel said, tapping his head with his index finger. I don’t know about his connections, but it’s funny to hear the word “strategy” coming out of Gabriel’s mouth.

I stared at the orphanage building, snorting.

‘Children in the same situation as I was in the past.’

He was grumpy and hungry, but his eyes sparkled with anticipation of the gift.

‘Struggle to get out of here. Build up your strength and move forward. You can’t settle.’

The words rose to the tip of my tongue.

The fate of those from lower-level orphanages was largely predictable. Children with combat aptitude became consumables, low-level soldiers. Still, it was better. Although it was dangerous, there were decent jobs and money to be made. If you were lucky, you could somehow rise to the rank of non-commissioned officer.

Children who are not even soldiers? They are released into the streets. Then, as if they had been waiting, swindlers and gangsters show up and suck out the marrow of these children who are ignorant of the ways of the world.

‘Even if a miserable fate comes to you soon, you will not have to blame others. It was you who missed the opportunity the Empire gave you.’

I muttered to myself.

I got out of here. I got up on my own from this horrible bottom and grabbed the rope of salvation and climbed up. When others said I couldn’t do it, I worked hard and gained strength.

‘Perhaps this is the orphanage where Kinuan grew up. Is it because they were successful that they donate and do good deeds?’

It seems that Kinuan also has a lukewarm side. I would never do something like this. There is no mercy for those who cannot seize their own opportunities.

“Luka, what on earth does that Kinuan guy do? He doesn’t seem to be your family… … If he’s a big shot that Aleph can’t do anything about, then I should know about him.”

“If you want to keep your balls, don’t worry about it.”

I answered briefly. And I meant it.

Although we only met a few times, Gabriel was a pretty decent guy. How do I know that? Just because he knew how to keep his promises and loyalty, he was considered a decent guy in this neighborhood.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

Soon the door of the daycare opened wide. As if they had been waiting, the children came running out and started rummaging through the gift boxes I had organized.

“Thank you! Ugly uncle! Handsome hyung!”

The children smiled brightly and said.

“What a talking rascal.”

Gabriel didn’t get angry, he just smiled. He wasn’t crazy enough to get upset by children’s words.

‘Gabriel is worth interacting with.’

I didn’t waste my money.

I observed Gabriel. His balance had improved considerably, thanks to his new spine, which had better endurance and strength. His hunched back had also been corrected considerably. His nervous system bandwidth had also improved, so the load on his body had also been reduced. His chronic muscle pain and insomnia had also improved.

To put it simply, Gabriel’s upgrade is like widening a bumpy and narrow road. Even if the compatibility and optimization of the cybernetic body is a mess, it can be tolerated to some extent if the bandwidth is greatly expanded. In the back alleys, this simple method is usually preferred over elaborate tuning.

“What are you looking at? Have you fallen in love with me?”

Gabriel felt my gaze and turned around. I made a face like I was chewing shit because I was so dumbfounded, and then glared at him fiercely.

“Nong, I’m joking. Damn it, you don’t have to look at me like you’re going to kill me.”

Gabriel hastily retracted his words.

“When you have time, get it tuned by a real mechanic. The expensive parts might not be performing as well as they should.”

Gabriel just snorted at my advice.

“Optimization needs to be done periodically. Where do I have the time and money to do that? If it weren’t for your help, I would be crawling on the floor begging right now. I wouldn’t be able to say anything even if those who looked down on me peed on my head.”

“This should be enough for about half a year.”

I held the blank credit chip up to the terminal and entered the amount. The amount appeared on the credit chip display.

“… … Hey, what does this mean? If you want to hire someone to do a murder, you’ve come to the wrong person. I’m not that low of a person.”

Gabriel didn’t accept the credit chip right away. That made him trustworthy.

“It’s an investment in the future. I’ll call on you often when I need your help, starting with something as trivial as today.”

“Good boy, I’m not your pup. If you want to act like a boss, start a gang or something.”

“Think of me as a collaborator. I don’t intend to treat you like a subordinate. I won’t ask you to do anything unreasonable.”

Gabriel took the credit chip with a trembling expression. It was too much money for him to refuse. It was a big expense for me as well. The cadet’s salary was not very generous.

“I’ll take it, but know that I’m not your subordinate.”

“Okay, stop talking. And just use that money for maintenance and feature enhancements. Don’t waste it on weird stuff.”

I emphasized the last word. Gabriel nodded, perhaps feeling a little stung. The guy didn’t seem to have any systematic spending habits. Most people in the lower classes were like that.

Before long, the empty lot was littered with wrapping paper. The children were each holding toys and game consoles. Some children couldn’t get what they wanted, so fights and fights broke out.

Gabriel and I just watched the fight without stopping it.

‘Yes, take it by force. After all, not everyone gets it equally. If there’s something you need, take it.’

If someone is enjoying it, another cannot have it, because the world is not abundant.

… … We know that fact very well.

Not long after, the door to the orphanage opened. Kinuan, who had finished talking inside, walked out.

“Luka, let’s talk for a moment.”

Kinuan headed to the shelter behind the orphanage. There was a worn-out bench in the shelter.

Squeak.

Kinuan sat on the bench with his back to me. I stood behind him and waited for him to speak.

“I sometimes come out like this. The director here must have been stealing food from the kids, because he looks so good. I bet the director’s salary isn’t all that great.”

“Instructor, did you grow up here?”

“Well? I’ve already forgotten where I was born and raised. I just stop by a nearby orphanage every once in a while. Maybe I’ve been to your orphanage too.”

Kinuan looked somewhat tired. Looking at him this way, he was just a retired guard. Why would the captain of the guards have to keep watch over him separately? That question lingered in my mind.

Kinuan suffers from brain dysfunction. His nervous system is damaged due to the overload. He seems to be holding on somehow with superhuman mental strength, but he has many limitations.

It may be a bit arrogant, but if I somehow manage to drag it into a global war, I might be able to beat Kinuan.

Let’s take it easy. The man in front of me is just a retired soldier who is being buried in the past, an old soldier whose glory has faded. Maybe that’s how I will look in the distant future. If I’m lucky enough to live until then.

“… … Yes, Luca. Did Captain Heilas send you to me?”

Kinuan blurted it out nonchalantly. The captain of the guards’ name suddenly came out.

By now my pupils would have dilated like those of a herbivore that has discovered its natural enemy.

Wow!

I unconsciously increased the output of my body and prepared for battle. Extreme tension rose from the top of my head to my toes.

‘Do you know that I came under the command of the captain of the guard? How much do you know? Are you planning to deal with me here? Is there really something with Kinuan?’

All sorts of speculations were going around. The worst-case scenarios came to mind one after another.

“Luka, if you don’t want to die, calm down. It’s hard to subdue you without killing you.”

Kinuan spoke without even looking at me, looking straight ahead. I took a deep breath. The output of the body was gradually decreasing.

“I am a soldier of the Empire. This is all I can answer.”

I closed my eyes, then opened them and spoke calmly.