Bad Born Blood Chapter 217

217
I can now say that I have been working with Jafar for quite some time. So, I have naturally come to know how Jafar’s Equusian mercenary force operates.

I don’t know if other Equusian mercenary units have the same structure. At least the Equusian mercenary unit hired by Jafar was divided into a mercenary captain and a great warrior.

Negotiations with employers and battle command are handled by the mercenary captain. Mercenaries are also a serious business. What is important to the mercenary captain is cold judgment and cool intelligence.

However, no matter how commercialized the mercenary force was, it was still a group of warriors. The power of an individual was still important and had symbolic significance.

If the mercenary captain is weaker than his subordinates, it is difficult to establish a proper hierarchy.

The Grand Master represented the military power of the mercenary captain. The most outstanding warriors established order by respecting the mercenary captain.

In effect, the two leaders maintained the balance of the mercenary force.

‘Even though they are similar fighting races, the Equsians and the Crawlers are different. The Equsians know the importance of political ability and negotiation.’

And the great warrior En, who symbolized that power, stood before me.

Uduk.

En stood blocking the entrance to the study. When he touched the doorframe, a dark handprint was left.

I snickered and stared at Yen.

“You responded quickly. I guess it’s as expected.”

I said this while standing in the center of the study.

-This is Jafar’s personal space. It’s not your place to come in.

“It’s not trespassing. Strictly speaking, isn’t this Anguise Regina’s house? I came in with her permission.”

-A guy who said he had permission to come in by breaking the window?

There’s nothing to say about this. I just rubbed the back of my neck.

“To find Kinuan, we must understand his fundamental purpose. We cannot afford to miss even the smallest clue.”

-There are no clues here. You just have to keep chasing your prey like you always did.

“It’s up to me to see and decide whether there are any clues or not.”

Right now, I need to communicate with Japha and mediate. There was no reason to cause an armed conflict. However, I wanted to use this opportunity to understand En’s capabilities.

‘If there is a conflict with Jafar, I will inevitably have to fight En.’

The eyes of En’s battle helmet glowed bright yellow. He was also bigger than me. If you were a normal human, you would feel overwhelmed by the pressure as soon as you saw him.

‘I can face Equusian because I am a human who has undergone enhancement.’

In terms of innate fighting prowess, Equusians overpower humans.

-You’re acting as if the time has come. I’ve always felt your ominous gaze.

“I want to see if you have as much talent as you do speaking.”

– Leave the lies alone. You probably want to explore with me in preparation for a clash with Jafar. So I refuse to clash.

En placed the terminal on the table. I squinted. It felt like all the heat I had built up was leaving my body.

Wheeing.

A live hologram of Japha floated in the air. The hologram’s resolution was low, making it difficult to accurately see Japha’s facial expressions.

– Hoyot, hoyot, hoyot… … This is, really, embarrassing, Mr. Luca. Did you hear about this place from Anguise Regina? That child chose you.

“If you want to find Kinuan, you have to open up to me about it. If you hide everything like this, things will only get worse.”

-Anguis Regina’s well-being is as important to me as finding Kinuan.

“… … It seems that Anguise Regina really committed genocide.”

– It’s an undeniable fact. At first, I wanted to kill that child, too. I lost my second lover in vain. But when I realized that he was the only blood relative he had left, I was able to cover up even my terrible sins.

“Tajrun feels maternal love for human girls?”

-If you go into it like that, it’s pointless. It’s abnormal for me to love a human male. Strictly speaking, it’s not maternal love. It’s just that my feelings for Paolo were transferred to that child.

Jafar continued speaking.

– The reason I am looking for Kinuan is not just for revenge. I must find Kinuan for the liberation of that child. Kinuan is a perfect fantasy that exists in that child’s mind. I plan to bring Kinuan back to reality and kill him in front of that child. Then he can let go of his obsession with Kinuan and live his own life.

It makes sense. If things continue this way, Angus Regina will be ruined.

It seemed like Jaffa valued Anguish Regina more than I thought.

“Well, I already found out Anguis Regina’s past and real name. Now that I’ve dug up the truth you wanted to keep hidden, what are you going to do?”

-… … There is also a way to kill you here. Even you can’t fight the entire mercenary force. The Equsian mercenary force has surrounded the area.

I had to make a decision. If Jafar wanted to get rid of me, I had to act now.

If the Equusian mercenaries form a siege, it will be difficult for the country to escape.

‘Equusian mercenaries are willing to sacrifice their lives for the collective’s sake.’

They had a unity that you would only find in elite units in the military.

… … But I know. What I’ve gotten this far has been within Japha’s expectations.

‘Japa is a genius among the Tajirun, who are known for their cleverness. It is said that he received help from Kinuan, but he swallowed up the family that exiled him.’

Jaffa was also aware of Anguis Regina’s emotional instability and her obsession with Kinouane.

‘This situation is inevitable.’

As long as Angus Regina was obsessed with Kinuan and Archie’s Victima users, it was only natural that I would come here.

“Jafar, I got here on my own. If you want to test me further, then leave it at that. Come to think of it, you showed me pictures of your predecessors who were killed while chasing Kinuan.”

My predecessors were found dead in horrible guises.

-Then first of all… … .

Jafar tried to avoid the subject.

“I’m not done yet. The deaths of my predecessors were not Kinuan’s doing, right? You must have ordered the Equsians to kill them. The reason my predecessors were killed was because they slept with Anguise Regina.”

-That’s an interesting guess, Mr. Luca. You’re saying that you killed her because she slept with him? If that’s the case, I would have killed everyone who slept with Anguise Regina. You saw all the former managers alive and well.

I laughed.

“Those managers are nothing more than masturbation tools for Anguise Regina, so they are not worth discussing. However, users of the lesser Archies Bigtima fantasize about Kinuan inside Anguise Regina. Since she is an attractive woman, those who have tasted her once would continue to chase her. The more they did, the more the fantasy about Kinuan would grow inside Anguise Regina.”

Jafar turned in the opposite direction. His gaze was directed at En.

-Yes, you can go back and leave Mr. Luca behind. He has proven his abilities well.

Jafar did not deny that he had killed my predecessors, but he did not confirm it either.

-Congratulations, human. You survived today too.

Yen muttered and stepped back.

Yen’s presence disappeared. However, Jafar continued to communicate with me.

– It is true that I wanted to hide my relationship with Angus Regina until the end. I did not intend to test you blindly. I sincerely wish for the child’s happiness, and I wanted to find Kinuan without exposing information about us as much as possible. Just as you also hide something from me.

“I’ll go and listen to the rest of the story. Now I want to investigate this place in comfort. Paolo wasn’t just a simple cook, was he?”

Jafar hesitated and then answered.

-That’s a nostalgic feeling, Paolo, Paolo… Paolo is the chef who developed the original recipe for the Jaffa Burger. But his main occupation was not a chef.

I glanced through the piled-up papers and messily spread-out books. I saw familiar patterns and pictures.

-Paolo Kwan was a poor archaeologist, especially interested in the Arcane civilization. For Paolo, the catering business was just a means to fund his archaeological research.

* * *

Even Jafar’s hologram disappeared. I took a deep breath and began to investigate.

Paolo’s study was full of records of the Arcane civilization.

‘There’s nothing I can understand right now.’

The important thing is that Paolo had a deep interest in the Arcane civilization. Judging from the degrees and certificates hanging on the wall, he was an elite who had received higher education.

Swish.

I opened Paolo’s notebook and squinted my eyes.

‘… …I think it was called graphology?’

I searched my memory.

Graphology is a discipline based on the theory that a person’s character and emotions are revealed through letters and handwriting. In fact, it is not very credible.

But even I, a layman in the world of graphology, could sense one emotion from Paolo’s notes.

‘Obsession with the Arcane civilization.’

He also wrote his own dense annotations on books written by other scholars.

‘And jealousy and inferiority complex.’

There were occasional curses and swear words that defamed others’ research, and notes of lamentation and anger that he could have done better.

‘Paolo is a man who has not received proper recognition and support as an archaeologist.’

I put the situation into rational reasoning.

‘Kinuan contacted the archaeologist Paolo because of the Arcane civilization, and killed Paolo as soon as he got what he wanted.’

But there was no guarantee that this rational inference would be true. It was too obvious for Kinuan’s actions.

If it’s Kinuan, then it exceeded my expectations… … Damn, damn it.

‘If you look at it broadly, I’m not much different from Anguis Regina. I’m inflating the monster called Kinuan inside me. I’m certain that Kinuan will go beyond my expectations.’

I was also annoyed by this way of thinking. I was always defeated by Kinuan, who wasn’t even in front of me.

As I looked around the study, I noticed that a lot of the notebooks were empty. Only the middle part of the bookshelf was strangely empty.

‘Did Kinuan take it? Or did Jafar… … .’

Either way, there was no way any important information could be here.

That’s all for the investigation. You can ask Jafar the rest.

For the first time in a while, the bridge of my nose started to sting. I closed my eyes and wiped the blood flowing from one nostril with the back of my hand.

The activity time was longer than expected. What’s more, only major incidents occurred.

‘I have to go back to the headquarters and talk to Jafar right away. It’s better to rush in before Jafar can gather his thoughts.’

Still, I wanted to take a short break before going back.

I left Paolo’s house. I walked straight past the food street and came to a street with cars passing by.

I caught a taxi and leaned back in the back seat, catching my breath.

The front and back of the taxi seats were divided by a metal partition. The driver could be seen through a palm-sized glass window.

“Just give me an hour and keep driving. Avoid going in circles on the same route.”

The taxi driver glanced at me. He was uneasy at my haggard appearance and my suspicious request. His index finger rested on the emergency button on the steering wheel.

“… … Pay in advance.”

I took out the credit chip in my pocket and put it in the slot to settle the payment. This credit chip has nothing to do with Japa Company.

“Thank you, sir. We will serve you with all our heart and comfort.”

The taxi driver only then smiled and took his hand off the emergency button. I wondered what would happen if I pressed that button.

‘I guess I’ll get some rest now.’

I closed my eyes loosely. Let’s rest for an hour and then go find Japha. That should make my recovery 90% complete.

‘Ask Jaffa for details about Paolo.’

Next, I will continue my investigation of Balek. I will also contact Ilay and share information about Mushir Al-Kashra.

‘Mushir al-Kashra.’

He is a dangerous person known as the legendary mercenary.

Still, if it’s Ilay, she’ll know how to make contact while saving her life. She’s been around for 12 years in the Empire while I was away, so she must have great ability to sense danger even without something like Archie’s Victory.

… … Let’s stop thinking. This is where things should end. My temples were throbbing. My thoughts were stiff and inflexible. The brain in my head felt like it had turned to gelatin.

Today here… … .

I muttered as if hypnotizing myself.

I was just about to fall asleep.

Squeak!

The taxi came to a sudden stop. I frowned and opened my eyes. I felt dirty as I regained consciousness from the brink of sleep.

“Hands, sir. It looks like something happened in front of me.”

The taxi driver said, craning his head forward.

The road was completely blocked, and people were getting out of their cars and running towards us.

Hooosh! Boom!

Ahead of the road, vehicles were flying into the air. Vehicles weighing several tons were flying off the road like toys.

“Eww!”

People passed by the taxi, shouting. They were busy running away.

It seemed like there was some kind of chaos. I counted the time while pressing my heavy eyelids.

… … I had been experiencing one incident after another for forty hours without any sleep. My senses were dulled and I could feel my cognitive abilities deteriorating.

Even now, I still can’t judge the situation.

Kuung!

One of the flying cars fell towards me and crushed my bonnet with all its might. There was a crackling sound and smoke billowed out, indicating that the engine had been damaged.

“Heeeeek!”

The taxi driver pressed the emergency button repeatedly.

Boom!

The cab lid opened and the driver’s seat rose up with all its might. It must have been the emergency escape button. Well, if you want to make a living as a driver in Border City, this is…

-The vehicle will explode after 5 seconds. If you pressed it by mistake, please tell me the password. 5… …

The voice guidance came on. The taxi driver had attached a fancy suicide device as a service, as if he had been robbed before.

“Ha, damn it… … .”

Let’s recall that less than five minutes had passed since the words ‘With all your heart! In comfort!’ came out of the taxi driver’s mouth.

-… … 4.

I stretched my foot out to the side and kicked the locked door open, breaking it open.

Yes, not everything in this world goes my way. I know that very well. I know that very well, but sometimes I get angry.

Rattling.

As soon as I got out, I kicked the taxi with my foot. The taxi was pushed all the way out onto the road and exploded like a firecracker.

Kwa- Ang!

Flames and smoke rose.

I straightened my coat, shaking off the sparks that fell on my head and shoulders.

Sometimes you can’t even sleep and start the next day, of course.

Well, today started off as another shitty day.