Bad Born Blood - Chapter 90



Only Noblemtl

090

I felt like my vision was distorted. I felt dizzy.

The Crimson Crown Prince, Francis, was the ‘prepared sacrifice’.

Emperor Yuri Kratia intended to kill his own son in the future.

The father is using his child so much that he is trying to kill him.

If it were the lower classes at the bottom who were planning something like that, I would understand. But in the imperial palace at the top of the empire… … and it was coming from the mouth of the emperor.

I stubbornly kept my mouth shut. If I opened it, I felt like a cry would come out.

“Luka, you may be asked to carry out the assassination of the Crown Prince. The Watcher’s primary duty is not combat or assassination… … but sometimes it is necessary.”

Kinuan looked at me and said.

“I would gladly undertake it for the sake of the empire.”

The answer was mechanical. It was difficult to think normally.

“Let me ask you something, young watcher… … .”

The emperor smiled brightly after hearing my answer. His smile resembled the portrait of the first emperor that I had seen countless times.

As the emperors of the past grew older, they began to resemble the first emperor, Dino Kratia. Yuri Kratia was no different. His mature, middle-aged face bore the marks of the first emperor. Perhaps his face had been made to look like that.

“… … Then, would it be possible to kill the Crown Prince for ‘my own personal purposes’ rather than for the Empire?”

The Emperor continued to speak, slowly looking into my eyes. His pupils glowed like swirls. There was a surreal, intimidating feeling, as if he were not human.

My five senses felt oppressed. My body wanted to surrender to the Emperor. I am excellent. I know the exemplary answer that should be spit out here.

But, but, but… … .

My chest creaked, and my throat was scratchy. I often… … get off track at crucial moments. My dirty temper, which doesn’t want to yield to power, sometimes rears its head. No matter how much you try to suppress it, human nature doesn’t change easily.

“Your Majesty is the Empire, so you could say it’s for the Empire’s sake. But… … .”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, Luca.

“but?”

The emperor’s retort was filled with a hint of anger. Has he ever had his opinions refuted in his lifetime? If so, it would not have been to a lowly person like me. At least to a government official of the level of a prime minister or minister.

“… … It is unpleasant for an innocent child to die by the order of his father. Even if it is for the good of the Empire. Not only I, but the people of the Empire will think so too.”

I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I could have died here.

Did you survive all this while enduring all this trouble just to say something like that and die? You’re such a retard!

Another me inside my head screamed.

But I’m not a fool who jumps off a cliff without thinking. I won’t die just from what I just said. That was my gut feeling.

“Kinuan, I have always believed in you. This child is still young, but… … he has the makings of a watcher.”

The Emperor smiled, his slight anger fading away. My intuition was right.

“He’s a really bad guy. He’s worse than me.”

“You certainly have had a gentle side to you since long ago.”

Kinuan and the emperor were talking about me.

My every word and action was subject to evaluation. The Emperor was testing me against ‘some standard’. Just now, I seemed to have passed just barely.

What exactly are the qualifications and standards of a watcher?

It didn’t seem like he was simply talking about the Archie’s Victory suitability. There was something more to it than that.

“But Crown Prince Francis must die. It is a matter of the future of the Empire.”

The Emperor emphasized. He and Kinuan did not speak in detail in front of me. They just looked at me with cold eyes.

“I don’t like it, but if I have to do dirty work while wearing a bad name, then I think that’s my role.”

I said so. I didn’t tremble. Because this much is true.

“Haha, that’s enough. That’s great. I guess it’s time to introduce you.”

The emperor tilted his head to the side and rested his chin on the back of his hand.

Exactly!

The Emperor snapped his fingers, and then there was a noise behind him.

Crack, crack.

The sound of footsteps echoing on the floor was clear. The owner of the footsteps was someone I knew.

I had a vague idea in a corner of my mind. When I heard that the Crimson Crown Prince was a fake, there was one person who came to mind.

A boy with purple hair walked out. Unlike his innocent face, his eyes were bewitching, and he exuded an ambiguous charm that made it hard to tell whether he was male or female… … However, he was so strangely beautiful that my instincts warned me that he was dangerous.

Flora and fauna that are too beautiful are usually poisonous. I remembered a saying I heard somewhere long ago.

“It’s so nice to see you like this. You managed to keep your head in place. You can be proud of yourself for surviving this far, Lucius Custoria.”

The purple boy blurted out his harsh words.

Today, I must have crossed the line between life and death several times without even realizing it.

“It is an honor to see you with your head on your shoulders, Your Majesty. I am glad that you do not appear ugly.”

“I told you to call me Ivan. I like the name you chose. I plan to use it even when I become emperor.”

I glanced at the Emperor’s face. He just smiled as if he found this whole situation amusing.

“Do you like the child who will be your watcher?”

“If I were a woman, I would take you as my husband.”

It’s horrible to even hear. I frowned slightly.

“Haha, it seems Lucas doesn’t like you.”

“I understand. I would hate someone like me. It’s strange to like someone who is cruel, capricious, and even eccentric.”

Ivan knew very well how others viewed him. That was why he was even more scared.

“That is also one of the qualities of an emperor.”

The emperor approved of Ivan’s temperament.

“Luka, no matter what happens, survive and stand by my side. Then you can be compensated for all the pain you have suffered.”

Ivan stood before me and spoke. His voice was neutral, and his breath smelled like flowers. But he was a snake. A poisonous snake that camouflaged itself with colorful patterns to lure its prey.

“I intend to do so. Even if my soul and mind rot and decay.”

But I have no intention of being consumed by your will.

If I die… … it is my will and my choice. Just as I once chose a resisting death over a certain survival in front of Rick Kaiser.

This was the only rebellion I could muster.

* * *

After my audience with the Emperor, I returned to my lodgings. On the way back, Kinuan did not say a word.

‘Akis Domini, the Emperor’s Watcher.’

I am a young apprentice, a prospective watchdog.

‘If you don’t meet the standards the royal family wants, you will be punished.’

At least it’s fortunate that ‘obedient character’ isn’t the standard. Well, if obedience were the standard, you wouldn’t have even thought of making me a watchdog in the first place. You know very well that I have a rebellious nature.

‘What Kinuan and I have in common.’

You can think of that as the qualifications of a watcher.

‘Qualities that allow you to quickly learn Aikies Victory.’

Other than this, nothing else really came to mind.

I felt my nerves on edge. Even after I got back to my room, I couldn’t relax. Even though I wanted to rest, my trained mind was running fast for survival.

My future conduct will be reported to Kinuan, the Emperor, and Ivan. I must always be careful.

‘Being evaluated without knowing the criteria for evaluation.’

It was similar to when I learned the Archie’s fighting techniques. The prerequisite for entry was to steal and learn the Archie’s fighting techniques.

‘The same goes for the watchers.’

Finding out the evaluation criteria yourself may also be one of the evaluation items.

‘What to believe and what to doubt.’

Not only the Emperor, but even Ivan treated me kindly. Kinuan also cares for me.

‘But there is no guarantee that all of those attitudes and feelings are true.’

Look at the Crimson Crown Prince Francis. He has no doubt that he will become Emperor.

Stinging, stinging.

My headache got worse, as if my skull had been torn open. I put my hand on my forehead and felt the heat through the artificial skin.

The temperature on my forehead was high, as if I had a cold.

The overload was severe. There was no point in thinking more with my mind narrowed and slowed down. My physical condition would only get worse. I had to clear my mind and temporarily put my anxiety aside.

‘What I need is rest.’

But even for someone like me who has been trained, it is not easy to erase the anxiety I feel now. Still, I have to sleep.

The good news is that I am an excellent student.

The battlefield is a place where extreme anxiety and stress are strewn like rocks on the pavement. I was trained to sleep well even in such places.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly.

Yes, I guess I’m tired too. My nervous system feels completely dry. Even if I just relax a little, I get tired right away.

I fell into a deep sleep, hoping that no one would disturb me.

Beep.

At first, I ignored it. My shallow consciousness soon subsided.

Beep- beep.

It may be a bit urgent, but if it was a call from the guards or an important mission, a message would have been forced to appear on the retinal display.

So let’s ignore it and sleep some more.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I regained consciousness, resisting the urge to smash the terminal.

“Sick… … .”

My eyelids felt heavy as if they were going to close. My head felt prickly as if needles were being stuck here and there.

I checked the time and saw that I had slept for about three hours. That’s not a lot of sleep for me, usually.

‘But now I need to sleep four or five more hours so that my nervous system can function normally.’

My head was dull and my thoughts were clouded. My thoughts would stop abruptly as they continued.

‘Gabriel.’

I sighed when I saw the sender’s name.

‘Just try to pretend it’s nothing.’

I confirmed the message with a hologram.

-Luka, your sister is here!

Gabriel only has one sister. Damn it, Giselle Custoria.

-Damn, what should I do? Should I get you a drink?

I wish I could just throw some cold water on it and send it away.

-Hey! Why can’t I contact you? Miss, I have a lot of questions for you. Can I answer them?

-You never contact me when it’s important aaaaaaaaaa-!!

I understand Gabriel’s feelings, but I also felt quite annoyed.

I checked the message and immediately put on my coat. Giselle, why is it today of all days?

I went straight through the checkpoint and took the elevator down to the lower level.

‘I told you not to go down to the lower areas without permission, Giselle.’

Giselle didn’t answer my call. She must be ignoring me intentionally. I gritted my teeth as I left the room.

‘Stop bothering me. It’s hard enough already.’

A weak sound rose up into my throat on its own.

I walked through the lower district with a wicked gait. My face was so fierce that even the vagrants and pickpockets who usually followed me avoided me.

Squeak! Boom!

I kicked open the door to the gang office and went inside.

“Hey, this dog… … .”

I was ready to swear before the door even opened.

Pa- Ah!

There was a sound of gunpowder exploding.

My nervous system, worn out from fatigue, sensed the danger and sent out a desperate signal. My combat reflexes moved my body.

Crunch!

I pulled the knife out with my other hand and began warming up the stun gun.

My crossed hands and wrists covered my face, and my forearms and elbows protected my heart and lungs. Even if a surprise attack were to occur, I would not be killed.

thud!

Only then did the door open completely. The first floor of the gang’s office was visible.

“Oh, you’re here. Then congratulations, uh… … Hey, put the gun away.”

Gabriel, wearing a colorful hat, said. He had a birthday cracker on each of his fingers and was preparing to set it off one by one. The gunpowder sound earlier seemed to have been a birthday cracker.

I looked around inside. There were eight gang members, including Gabriel, standing around in ridiculous attire. There was a cake on the table that I didn’t know where I got it from.

No matter how I looked at it… … it was a birthday party atmosphere.

“Hey, Brielle, is it your birthday?”

I asked nervously.

“Luka, what are you talking about? Today is your birthday. Your little brother said that.”

By the way, I don’t have a birthday.

My gaze stopped at Giselle, who was standing at the bar. She just shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms.

What the hell is this, Giselle?

“Hey, you… … .”

I prepared to swear again, but there was a noise behind me.

“Oh, I heard today is your birthday, Luca. This is a gift from Diva.”

One-eyed Grace passed me, holding gift boxes higher than her head.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but your little brother is celebrating your birthday. Everyone came to celebrate. Stop frowning. Have a drink.”

Gabriel, holding a bottle of alcohol, strode toward me and placed his arms around my neck and shoulders. He boldly opened the cap with his front teeth and handed me the bottle.

“Ha, shit… … .”

I took the drink Gabriel offered me with a sigh mixed with curses.

… … I don’t know anymore. I might be already out of my mind from stress.

Anyway, let’s just have fun for now.