Bad Born Blood - Chapter 196



Only Noblemtl

196

I sat and listened to Japha’s story and sorted it out.

For generations, the Menoah family selected slaves with outstanding fighting qualities and raised them to be captains of the guard, and these captains were treated as members of the family.

Even when Jafar was young, two boys entered the family as candidates for new captains of the guard. Although it was rare for two men to enter the position at the same time, the two boys were identical twins.

‘One of them was the captain of the guards who died in the temple… … .’

There was a reason why Jafar showed complicated emotions when looking at the captain of the guard. It was because his face must have been exactly the same as that of his former lover.

“Even within the family, no one wants to talk about it. It’s not something to brag about. I know that my temperament and affection are abnormal, but I couldn’t resist the pull.”

Jafar’s lover was the younger of the twins. The candidate for captain of the guards was able to become close to the Menoa family easily because he also had direct connections with them.

“It is dishonorable for a Tajirun to have sexual relations with a person of another race, but even within the clan, it is strictly forbidden to have relations with slaves. It is because it destroys discipline and order.”

Even the strict class order breaks down in romantic relationships. Furthermore, if important tasks are entrusted to outsiders and slaves for emotional reasons, the group will not last long.

“… … I would have expelled you too.”

I didn’t pity Jafar. He did something that deserved to be kicked out.

It was the same even if I thought about it from the other person’s perspective. I, too, was swept up in emotions and fell in love with Giselle Custoria. Even if that fact was discovered and I was expelled from the family, I wouldn’t have been dissatisfied. That was because it was a problem with my behavior.

“Yes, as I said before, I have no complaints about the banishment itself. The problem is that my lover died at the hands of the Menoa family.”

Jafar’s vertical pupils dilated even more narrowly.

Within the Tajrun family, exile was tantamount to death. Furthermore, Jafar had also committed acts that brought disgrace upon the family.

“I was banished and left alone in the wilderness. After two days, a squad of assassins sent by my family would come.”

The reason for exiling them instead of executing them was to avoid the stigma of ‘kin murder’. If they were to send someone to kill them after exiling them, they could claim that it was a ‘death by strangers’ that had nothing to do with the family. It’s a ploy that works in a society where legitimacy is important.

“At that time, ‘Kato’ appeared with another guard. At first, I thought Kato was coming to kill me. He said we were lovers before… … In reality, Kato, who was a slave, could not have rejected me. If you think about it, you could say that he was using his status to harass Kato.”

Kato seems to be the name of his lover. Jafar stared at the floor as he took out the name. It was the first time he realized that Tajirun’s eyes could be so hazy.

“The Menoa family has inflicted a cruel punishment on you. It would be more miserable to die at the hands of Cato.”

“That must have been my father’s intention. Kato was probably able to join the assassination squad by telling me that he had been forced to do so. Kato’s twin brother was also in the assassination squad at the time.”

I thought back to the conversation between the dead captain and Jafar in the office.

“I understand the situation at the temple at that time. Kato betrayed even his own brothers to protect you. That’s why the indifferent captain of the guards showed his harsh feelings toward you.”

“I didn’t expect it either. Kato killed his other comrades, and even attacked and subdued his own brother who was like an alter ego. I was drawn to Kato… … It wasn’t just my delusion. Kato was drawn to me too. At the time, I even thought it was a good thing that we were exiled. Because the two of us could spend free time together.”

I thought about it for a moment and shook my head.

A boy and girl in an impossible situation, a desperate situation, an escape from love… … .

It was somewhat romantic.

‘But of all people, it had to be Jafar.’

The imagination did not flow smoothly. It felt strange to think of a human boy and Jafar running hand in hand in the wasteland. I am not a racist, but I could not help feeling an instinctive rejection.

“We knew nothing about the outside world. I, and Kato too. Everyone we met tried to deceive us, and we almost died countless times. Few people trusted Tajirun in particular, and even when we did get jobs, as soon as they found out about our relationship with Kato, they all turned on us and kicked us out.”

Jafar muttered and mentioned Kato’s death. The Menoa family continued to send people to track Kato and Jafar.

“… … I couldn’t hold out any longer, and Kato died to save me. I had no more reason to live. But I couldn’t take my own life. Because Kato saved my life. That’s how I ended up in Border City. That’s all for today’s story. This is a good place to end Part 1, hooray.”

Jafar stepped off the counter and came down. He looked at me and smiled. It’s not easy for me to describe Jafar as ‘her’ in my head.

“The reason I am telling you this, Mr. Luca, is to apologize. I have revealed my personal history and weaknesses to you.”

Jafar nodded slightly.

I stared at the entrance of the restaurant. Later, Ozmer and the Tajiruns came in. The remaining guards were around them.

Jafar was the first to question Ozmer, as if he was the first to attack him.

-Ozmer, why is my father’s body here?

Jafar gestured to the Equsian mercenaries. The Equsian mercenaries came out carrying a refrigerated capsule containing the body.

-Stop talking nonsense, Jaffa. Why are you here? Did you plan the blackout?

-I came here in a hurry because I thought my ‘lover’ was in danger. I don’t want to lose my lover again.

Jafar glanced at me and spoke. I desperately tried to keep my expression blank, even as I felt goosebumps running down my spine. My eyelids fluttered.

‘This damn snake head!’

But it was an effective excuse. The Tajrun of Menoah knew the walls of Jaffa well.

Jafar continued speaking as if to clear the Tajiruns’ doubts.

-How could an outsider like me have planned a blackout? Did the Menoa mothership have such a lax security system? I think everyone here knows who the mastermind behind the blackout is.

The battle for the truth between Jafar and Ozmer continued.

But I didn’t listen to the conversation. I already knew the truth and the outcome of this situation.

‘The blackout was indeed Ozmer’s doing. It was to stage a slave revolt. The moment the blackout occurred, he would have ordered his brainwashed guards to kill the captain and massacre the trainees.’

Even Jafar would have a hard time planning a blackout on the Menoa mothership. It would be even harder to do it at the time he wanted.

‘But Jafar knew when the ceasefire would occur. There were people in Ozmer’s inner circle who had been bribed. Many of the Round Table attendees were also Jafar’s informants. Lisanda wasn’t the only informant.’

For a long time, Jafar had been eating away at the Menoah family. Even the traitors probably believed that they were the ‘only traitor’.

Jafar sent me to the dining hall when the power outage occurred, because he was sure that if I was there at that time, the situation would be controlled and sorted out.

‘Originally, this was Yen’s role. Yen was seriously injured, so they had no choice but to use me.’

Jafar waved his hand widely as if he were giving orders while talking.

-There are more injured people than that, so let’s start with transporting them and treating them. Right now, even the existence of the guard is in danger. Thanks to the incompetent head of the family, one guard was completely destroyed by me, and it seems that less than half of the remaining members are left.

-Who would give an order like yours… … .

However, despite Ozmer’s objection, the Tajiruns were in an uproar. The first priority was to treat the wounded. Without the guards, there would be no force to protect the Menoa family.

‘Ozmer, you should have ordered the transport of the wounded from the moment you arrived. It seems like all your plans have gone awry and you can’t think straight.’

I watched the situation with my arms crossed.

-Is there a reason why you hid your father’s body like this?

Jafar asked again.

-There is no reason for me to tell you, an outsider.

-You are not talking to me, you are talking to your other brothers and sisters.

The eyes of the Tajiruns were focused on Ozmer.

Ozmer was in a state of confusion. His dark red skin, with its strong color, was colorless, and his crisis-solving ability was poor. Judging from the current atmosphere, there were almost no Tajiruns actively supporting Ozmer.

‘Ozmer is not prepared to be the head of the household. After all, it was not Ozmer who killed the head of the household.’

It would be difficult to even maintain the position of the head of the family if he killed his father while his own foundation was unstable. Ozmer would not be a fool who could not calculate to that extent.

-That’s because there were signs of murder. I had to hide my father’s body until I found the culprit. One of my brothers had to be the culprit.

Ozmer made a dangerous remark.

– You speak as if you are not a suspect, Ozmer. Aren’t you the most likely suspect, the current head of the household? It seems more reasonable that you murdered your father and hid the body in order to manipulate it. After killing him, you must have been very shocked to learn that your father had entrusted the distribution of his estate to the Legato Law Firm.

-Wait, wait!

-And now there is an internal strife among the guards. Are you deliberately trying to cause violence and steal your father’s body?

-I don’t know! I haven’t been the head of the household for long. Do you think they’d be that loyal to me? There have been some disturbing moves among them since my father passed away. Especially that guy!

Ozmer swore at the dead Equusian captain. This made me a little angry and almost threw up my arms.

‘The Equusian captain remained loyal to his master until the moment of his death, even though he knew he had been betrayed.’

Ozmer is not worthy of loyalty. I closed my eyes and calmed my emotions. I should not step forward here. This is Jafar’s solo stage.

– As far as I know, if all voting members except the head of the household agree, the head of the household can temporarily suspend his/her authority and delegate his/her duties to the next in line. I think now is the time. And all the voting members are here at the moment.

Jafar’s gaze was fixed on a certain Tajrun. He was Maldon, the Tajrun next in line after Ozmer.

‘Maldon and Jafar must have negotiated beforehand. Jafar must have said that he would help Ozmer fall from power and make him the head of the household, so that he could be reinstated.’

Maldon will think he is the next head of the family. He is mistaken in thinking that Jafar’s goal is simply to return.

Jafar’s plan was going smoothly.

A brief meeting was held in a hurry, including Maldon.

Chuck, chuck.

The hands of the Tajiruns went up.

The motion to suspend Ozmer’s authority was passed in an instant. As of now, the royal guards that were supposed to protect the family are not functioning properly, so Ozmer was left without a solution.

The Menoa family was being played by Jafar. They were greedy and distrustful of each other. They gave everything they had to Jafar, even their liver and gallbladder, for the small benefits he offered.

I looked at Jafar’s back. He was more clever than any other Tajrun in this place. He was Tajrun who was not like Tajrun, but he understood Tajrun well. He delved into their desires and tendencies exquisitely.

‘But this isn’t just Jafar’s ability. It’s thanks to a plan Kinuan had made long ago. After visiting the Menoa family, Kinuan perfectly understood their attributes, personalities, and relationships.’

Kinuan’s hand was felt in the great flow. Kinuan was the one dancing on the empire’s web. He could easily shake the Menoa family.

‘Everything is being passed on to Jafar.’

Jafar was leading the flow of events. However, the Tajrun of Menoa did not feel threatened by Jafar. They thought that Jafar’s return should be their decision anyway. This is actually true.

‘There’s also a way to wipe your mouth after the situation calms down and not let Jafar return. Then Jafar will be left to die and be left alone. Peace may be possible, but considering how long it took to prepare the plan, the result is unsatisfactory.’

The Tajiruns now did not trust each other, and they were convinced that one of them had killed their father.

The acting head of the household, Maldon, entrusted Japha, an outcast and an outsider, with handling matters, giving various instructions. He was afraid that leaving the situation to another brother could endanger his position.

‘No matter how capable Jafar is, he is not currently a member of the family and cannot become the head of the household. So, he feels like he is not a threat.’

Watching from the side, I felt like I could not help but laugh.

‘The one who killed the previous head of the household was Jafar… … .’

I observed the Tajiruns and confirmed again. None of them killed the previous head of the household.

‘Japa killed his father through some means. He must have visited the Menoa family and secured the body in order to erase the traces.’

The Tajiruns suspected each other of being the culprit, and entrusted the body to Jafar, who was a third party and collaborator. This was like handing over the evidence to the real culprit.

‘For a long time, Jafar had been in secret contact with many of the Menoa family members.’

Since they couldn’t be caught contacting the ‘Outcast’, the family members all pretended to hate Jafar and acted as if they had no connection to him. So no one expected Jafar to reach out to the Menoa family.

The Menoa family was a microcosm of the ’empire’, and Jafar was the ’emperor’ who looked down on and coordinated all the flows.

… … My stomach feels a little queasy. I lean my back against the wall.

Now, I still have one question. How will Jafar get his hands on the Menoa family? It didn’t seem like the Round Table would pass the motion to restore the family. Jafar, who is not Menoa, would be a good ally, but Jafar, who is named after Menoa, would be a formidable competitor.

Until the lawyers arrive, none of the Menoa family will be able to sleep. They will continue to negotiate and deal behind the scenes to get on the new wave.

As the dawn deepens and the confusion subsides, the opportunity to speak alone with Japha comes to me. Before I can open my mouth, Japha speaks as if he is talking to himself.

“I think I inherited my unconventional side from my father. If the inheritance is to be donated rather than distributed, my father designated the donations to be made to public interest foundations, huh? Social contribution… … Is this an atonement for the past?”

Jafar winked at me with one eye closed.

Japa’s boss has a pretty decent scholarship foundation.

… … It’s not like it’s Tajirun’s answer.