Bad Born Blood - Chapter 37



Only Noblemtl

037

Detective Jillian’s actions were swift. Two days later, he contacted me.

Jillian’s face appeared beyond the terminal screen. He was walking down the street. It seemed like he had just finished his investigation.

-I met Calesa’s boyfriend. To be exact, I should call him my ex-boyfriend. As you said, his family, personality, abilities… … He wasn’t a man who could go against Calesa Kano.

This was exactly as I expected. Calesa intentionally brought her boyfriend into contact with Barbara because she needed an ‘excuse’ to harass Barbara.

-It looks like there’s some progress. Choosing you was the right choice.

“If I point out a suspect, is it possible for you, the investigator, to investigate him with your capabilities?”

-It’s possible to stir up one or two people. But if I make a mistake, I’ll be hit hard too.

“Then there is no reason to investigate so diligently.”

I questioned Detective Jillian’s enthusiasm.

-Including your case, there have been six android rampage incidents. This time, there was a death. Anyone can see that it is the work of a human. And yet, because it happened inside the Academy, we haven’t even been able to properly investigate it yet.

“I didn’t know you had such a strong sense of justice.”

Jillian burst out laughing. He shook his head.

-That’s not it. It’s because my personality is twisted. After committing such a thing… …I want to put handcuffs on the hands of the criminal who is so sure that no investigation will be conducted and that he will not be caught.

I felt a sense of kinship. If I were in the same situation, I would feel distorted. I would want to catch the culprit even if it meant cutting into my own flesh.

“Have you done any research on Barbara?”

-Barbara? Do you think that kid is the culprit?

Jillian questioned.

“If we assume that Barbara is the culprit, I know that her motive for the crime is strange. It’s not logical. She only attacked her friends and isolated herself from the Academy. But I’m a little worried.”

-Barbara is from a lower class. She excelled in robotics and artificial intelligence engineering and was admitted to Kratzia Academy through special admission.

“With that level of talent, wouldn’t it be possible to manipulate androids?”

– According to experts, it’s practically impossible. Neither you nor I are experts in engineering. So it’s right to trust the experts. If Barbara manipulated it… … That means a single student disabled the Academy’s security. The Academy’s androids are a closed network. They say that in order to manipulate the androids, you have to first break through the Academy’s security network.

“Then, if we assume that the culprit is a noble child, how did he manipulate the android?”

– It is physically possible for the nobility. They can manipulate the manufacturing and distribution process of androids that enter the academy, or install malicious programs in advance. If they have power and money, they can buy them.

“That doesn’t seem very realistic either.”

-It’s more plausible than your hypothesis. There actually is a similar incident.

I had nothing to say since they said there was a similar case. They are the experts on crime.

-Oh, and I don’t know if this will help, but… …Barbara is sponsored by the Custoria family.

“… … I think it will help.”

I shared the information with Jillian and then disconnected communication.

‘It seems like something is going to connect, but it doesn’t.’

Everything is connected. But the facts and motives are like stepping stones, missing here and there. The direction is clear, but it is not perfectly connected.

“hmm.”

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.

‘The only sure way is torture.’

Giselle and Barbara are just excellent students. They probably didn’t receive any torture or pain tolerance training.

‘That’s a problem because it can’t be done.’

There is an easy way, but it takes a lot of going around in circles.

* * *

I first went to see Giselle Custeria. Up until now, she had always come to see me.

OMG.

Giselle was practicing body repair. She was standing next to a workbench with only prosthetic limbs and arms. Her hands were quite skilled in handling the tools. It seemed that she had come to the Kratzia Academy only because of her family’s halo.

“Just wait a minute, Luca.”

Giselle said this and returned to her work.

I looked around the maintenance room from a distance. The students were working with serious faces. It’s not like the nobility just play around without putting in any effort.

‘The aristocratic society is also quite fierce.’

Incompetent nobles are eliminated. Those who fail to fulfill their roles within the family are treated as scum. Even children from great families desperately trained at the Royal Guard Training School. Sometimes they even risked their lives.

Even the proud Giselle Custoria cares about me, a person of lower class origin, for the sake of her family’s status and reputation.

“What brings you here?”

Giselle said while drinking water after finishing her work.

“Because I miss you.”

I said absentmindedly. Giselle spat out the water she was drinking.

“Are you crazy?”

Giselle didn’t even blush. She was looking at me with a mixture of contempt and disgust. She really did hate me. Thank goodness.

“It seems that he has become mentally ill as a result of the side effects of the high-performance body, just as you said.”

“Your sarcasm is as high-level as it is sarcasm. Tell me the real reason why you came. I’m a busy person, too.”

I looked around. There was only Giselle and me in the break room.

“I want you to stop lying to me or hiding the truth from now on, Giselle Custoria.”

“I don’t like the questioning tone.”

“Because we officially received a request for investigation from the National Police Agency.”

Giselle’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you really thinking of becoming a detective?”

“A soldier only follows orders. The guards also ask me to cooperate, so I have no choice.”

When the word guard came up, Giselle couldn’t argue anymore.

“I hate to say this, but I’ll remind you again that I am the daughter of the captain of the guard.”

It was a kind of warning using his position. He said that it could be detrimental to me. But I didn’t listen to it.

I know the captain of the guards’ personality well. He is not the kind of person who would listen only to his daughter and do anything to my disadvantage.

“Are you harassing Barbara because you want to expel her from the Academy? I found out that the Custoria family is supporting Barbara. Does that have anything to do with it?”

I didn’t even ask subtly. There is something between Giselle and Barbara. We need to know the relationship clearly to find a clue.

“You know I’m the second victim of the curse, right? Isn’t that enough of a reason to hate Barbara? We were friends before.”

“If they were true friends, they wouldn’t hate Barbara so much for what happened to her. Instead, they would have tried to solve Barbara’s curse together.”

I said it as if I was arguing.

“We weren’t close enough to help each other like that.”

Giselle tried to leave. She was hiding something.

“The Civilian Police Department believes that the android rampage was a deliberate act. Based on the motive so far, Giselle Custoria, you are the most likely suspect.”

I spoke quickly and held Giselle back.

“I did that? I too am a victim of Barbara’s curse.”

“It’s a common alibi for a criminal to hide by disguising himself as a victim. You are from the Custoria family, and as an aspiring engineer, you have knowledge of androids. You have the ability to manipulate androids skillfully.”

“You’re seriously crazy, Luca. Get out of this.”

Giselle was furious. It was a natural reaction.

“I also don’t think you, Giselle, would have manipulated the android. So if you know anything, please tell me everything. My guess is that… … .”

My intuition pointed me in the direction of Barbara. I was about to say that, but then closed my mouth.

Profit.

The door to the break room opened. There stood Barbara, holding a lunch box.

“Ah! Luca, I was looking for you. You weren’t where you usually were.”

Barbara smiled brightly. It seemed to me that she was teasing me. How did she find me? If there had been a stalking, I would have known by now.

I squinted my eyes. I ground my teeth without realizing it.

I exercised patience. I resisted the urge to grab Barbara by the scruff of her neck and throw her against the wall. I wanted to tear her insides out with fear and pain. Truth obtained through violence is pure.

“Don’t laugh, Barbara. It annoys me.”

I said, biting one lip. I felt bad. Barbara was acting like she was above me. She was just a regular person who wasn’t my boss.

“Lu, Luca? Why are you, t, saying that… … .”

Barbara opened her eyes wide in confusion. Soon, her eyes also became moist. As if to say, who could be more pitiful than herself?

‘The criminal disguises himself as the victim.’

That’s what I said earlier. This applies equally to Barbara.

‘A monster in sheep’s clothing.’

Barbara is not a sheep. She has fangs and claws.

‘My friend was attacked one after another and harassed for two years.’

No one in their right mind would be able to smile brightly in this situation.

But there is no evidence. If you want to claim that Barbara is the culprit, you need evidence.

‘Even if you have talent for investigation… … your aptitude is not suited for it.’

Pushing evidence and questioning others. That’s not my way.

I can lock the door and take ten minutes. In ten minutes, I can get the whole truth out of Barbara’s mouth. But I have to resist this urge. My specialty is breaking people.

“I, I like Lu, Luca. He even saved me. So, if there’s any misunderstanding, I want to resolve it with words.”

Hearing that makes me sick.

bang!

I threw the chair next to Barbara. The metal chair dented as if it had been hit by a car.

“Luka! What are you doing!”

Giselle screamed.

After letting out a little of my anger, I looked at Barbara calmly. Barbara’s smile slowly disappeared.

“Until now, it was just a diversion to break the monotony of life. But from now on, it’s serious, Barbara. You made a fool of me.”

Barbara didn’t even scream, just stared at me blankly. That inanimate expression was her true self.

“Barbara, I don’t know what you’re talking about-.”

Barbara smiled, pushing the corners of her mouth up with her index finger and thumb. She tilted her head to the side and looked at us. Her pupils were empty and unfocused.

“ah…….”

Giselle’s face hardened. Her shoulders trembled noticeably. A distinct fear coiled around Giselle’s body like a snake.

Barbara walked briskly towards the stern Giselle.

“I’ll leave your lunch box behind. Enjoy your meal, Luca. And… …Giselle, it was nice to meet you. See you later.”

Barbara, who had put down her lunch box, stroked the back of Giselle’s hand and stepped back. Giselle turned her head away, avoiding Barbara’s eyes.

“haha…….”

I sat there laughing. Even I was mistaken.

The power dynamics here are clear: Giselle is afraid of Barbara.

Crack, crack.

Barbara watched us until the end, then backed away and disappeared out the door.

“Giselle.”

I called Giselle’s name. She covered her face with both hands. Why was the young lady of the Custoria family so afraid? Even though her father was the captain of the imperial guard.

“Don’t ask me anything. Just spend your time quietly and leave the Academy. Please, Luca.”

There was not a trace of hostility or contempt in Giselle’s words, unlike before. It was simply a pure request.