Bad Born Blood Chapter 249

249
Ilay Kartika.

He is one of the few men I can call a friend. If you were to say ‘equal friend’, he was practically the only one.

Ilay was someone who did not need my protection, and furthermore, she was someone who had the ability to protect me.

So he could go against my wishes. Sometimes, he would go against my opinions and decisions and get his way.

‘Because he’s my friend, not my subordinate.’

This is also why we can’t make many true friends.

A friend is not someone who blindly agrees with my opinion. If we are true friends, we should be able to respect each other even when our beliefs and wills conflict.

‘but…….’

I can’t respect Ilay for killing Gilda.

If I want to call Ilay my ‘friend’ from now on, I have to stop him here. Even if it means killing Ilay.

The narrow elevator shaft was an advantageous space for me. Ilay was fighting me in a battlefield where it was difficult to use her specialty.

Cheeeeek!

The fire-light sword passed through the wall of the passage.

Ilay grabbed the wall and leapt with one hand to escape the blade’s trajectory. It was a stunning acrobatic move.

Phew!

I flinched.

‘Damn, I hesitated.’

I was able to shoot down Illei, who was temporarily floating in the air, with the ‘Moth’. However, my fingers hesitated as the image of Illei dying came to mind. Illei’s movements were complex and fast, so even if I aimed to avoid the brain, I could still hit the head.

Since the fire moth is a thrown weapon, it cannot be stopped mid-flight.

‘Luka, you’re such a fool!’

A scream to myself burst out from within. How long has it been since I vowed to stop it even if it meant killing me!

I didn’t know I was such a pushover. No, I knew it, but today is a bit much, damn it.

Shudder.

I wasn’t the only one who hesitated. Iley also seemed to feel uncomfortable after seeing my actions.

He must have sensed that it was a life-or-death situation in an instant. The moment my hand went inside the coat, he must have thought, “Oh no.”

Even without the Archies Victory, first-class players have that level of risk detection.

Whirl!

Ellie, who was running away from me, grabbed the wall and turned her body upside down. Then she ran towards me head first.

‘You son of a bitch… …!’

I knew what Ilay was doing. She was sticking her head out to me. If I had the Firelight Sword, I could pierce Ilay’s forehead.

Ilay had entrusted his life to me so clearly. The guy behind the helmet seemed to be smiling.

Kick!

I lifted my toes up onto the wall without swinging my sword.

Ku- Woong!

Ilay blocked my kick with an exquisite crossing of her arms and soared.

“Back off, Luca. If you want to protect Gilda, you have to be prepared to kill me. You’re not using your full potential right now. If you had wanted to, after defeating Mushir Al-Kashra, my head would have been cut off already.”

Ilay’s voice vibrated within the inner space of the helmet.

“You’re not using all your skills either. You’re only attacking at a level that I can avoid.”

I replied annoyed. The excitement was cooling off. People who didn’t want to kill each other were fighting each other.

“Of course. Killing you in order to kill Gilda is like putting the cart before the horse. If I didn’t intend to protect you, I wouldn’t have killed Gilda.”

Illei sighed softly. He continued speaking with a gleam in his eyes.

“Luka, if you truly wanted to kill me to protect Gilda… … I would have tried to kill Gilda even if it meant tearing your heart out. But you are still a weak and greedy person. You won’t let go of anything you have in your hands.”

Illei leisurely put his sword into his waistband, indicating that he would not fight.

“I’ve never had anything of my own in my life, so I have to hold on to it and not let it go.”

I replied calmly.

“That’s how you ended up ruined. Don’t act like a child, Luca. We have two hands. If you want to grab something beyond your capabilities, you have to let go of something else. You know how to grab something, but you don’t know how to let go. It’s also because you’ve never had enough to let go of what you’ve grabbed.”

Ilay’s words had weight. All of these words must have come from experience.

“… … I don’t think what I want is so big that I have to give it up.”

“No, it’s big enough. You want to escape the Emperor’s hands, and take care of everyone around you? Luca, by the way, this was done on purpose. This should be enough of an excuse to say you were done to. The best plan would have been to kill Gilda, though.”

Illei pointed to his side. He could see the inside of his sword burning blackly with the firelight sword. If it hadn’t been for the highest specification combat body, it would have been damaged and rendered him incapacitated long ago.

The battle fever has died down.

I felt a surge of relief in my chest. But Ilay’s situation was precarious.

‘The emperor is not a fool.’

Suspicion is not easily put away. Illei will be tightroping in the Empire.

‘Illai will continue to prove her worth to the Emperor. The Emperor will doubt Illai, but… … he will leave her alone because her usefulness is greater.’

Heilas lived that kind of life too. A being that was threatening but useful and could not be killed.

“Get out of the Empire, Ile. That’s what you wanted… … If I say that, you’ll think I’m stupid. What do you want to do by staying in the Empire, Ile?”

Ilay has a purpose, and that purpose is not for the Emperor.

Ilay didn’t answer for a moment. He folded his folding helmet back down, fully retracting it into the neck guard.

Illei’s inorganic, full-body face appeared. Steam rose from the artificial sweat, a coolant, evaporating eerily.

“When my skills and abilities reach their peak, there will definitely be a war. It will probably be a very big war. It won’t be a local war like now, but three countries will fight for supremacy over the planet Novas.”

A great war within the next few decades. It was something that everyone in the higher-ups expected. The Federation was also rushing to develop a combat-ready MAU in preparation for war.

“And war is chaos. No matter how stable a controlled society is, it cannot maintain its size in the chaos of war. The national power that was poured into internal stability must be withdrawn to the outside. You know better than anyone how much the imperial family wastes on surveillance and control.”

“… … It’s excessive.”

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll make it short, Luca. I’m going to use the war as an opportunity. First, I have to become a war hero. To do that, I have to continue to prove that I’m a promising soldier. And… …I’m going to overthrow the imperial family and establish a republic.”

I frowned in disbelief. I fell asleep, saying something like, “I’m a terrorist.”

“Do you think the people of the empire will accept that? Have you lost touch with reality after living as a superior?”

“Preparations are being made step by step. This is also the reason why Francesque was imprisoned so easily. Even if a republic is established in an empire that holds the emperor sacred, the people of the empire will not follow. However, if the unfortunate crown prince Francesque supports the republic, it will be a different story. The inviolable imperial power will be transferred to the republic according to the will of the imperial family.”

This is truly a sinister plan.

On the one hand, I tried to figure out whether what Ilay said was true or false.

‘If this is true… … .’

Ilay and Francek were comrades who had made plans and were preparing together.

And… …suddenly I felt like I was getting smaller.

Illei was throwing herself into the imperial maelstrom.

But I struggled to find Giselle for my personal desires, wandering around Border City.

‘It’s like an adult and a child.’

But what is that? What do you want me to do? It’s embarrassing for a moment.

Not everyone needs to live with grand plans and goals. This kind of thinking may be self-justification, but the century-long plans of the Empire or the Federation… … are none of my business.

“ha ha ha.”

I laughed. Now I knew what I wanted.

‘tranquility.’

Let them do whatever they want with the fu*king Empire or the fu*king Federation.

There must be at least one place in this world where I can live in peace.

‘… … You guys, become heroes who hold a cause and leave a name behind.’

I have no intention of becoming a hero.

It’s enough to live a life where people around me say, ‘He may have a bit of a dirty personality, but he was a good guy.’

“Luka, why are you laughing?”

Illai narrowed her eyes.

“Your Majesty, Ivan Kratsya must be a rational thinker and a reasonable judge. He keeps you by his side even though he is suspicious of you.”

“But my obsession with you is sometimes irrational. This time was no exception.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll act against the interests of the Empire. The fact that I bit the Shadows as soon as the Federation’s documents were passed is proof of that. If you had risked diplomatic friction and acted forcefully there, you would have gotten your hands on me. When you return to Akbaran… … tell the Emperor to come talk to me. It’s a negotiation. You said there’s a big war coming up?”

“Negotiation? There are conditions for negotiation… … .”

I answered, cutting off Ilay in the middle of her sentence.

“I will act as a double agent for the Empire. This is my specialty. Tell them I will return to Aki’s Domini.”

It was such a bold and brilliant idea that even I was surprised.

A commotion spread through Ilay’s entire body. He must have been thinking so much for a moment that his brain almost exploded.

“That’s pretty convincing. For now, time’s up. See you later, Luca.”

Illai muttered and let go of her hand.

Phew!

Illai fell into the darkness at the bottom of the passage and disappeared.

* * *

“He was a skilled assassin. He may have been instigated by those who were wary of G&G Cybernetics’ advance into Border City. Information may have leaked from within, so it would be a good idea to check out your subordinates.”

I spoke to Ismael Ra as I was trying to sort out the situation. He listened to my report and scratched his head with a troubled expression.

‘The assassin appeared at the secret meeting place designated by Ishmael.’

It was an awkward situation for Ishmael. Of course, the possibility of information leaks was endless. It could have leaked out of G&G Cybernetics.

‘But it is true that Ishmael is most responsible. It is a situation and position where he must take responsibility even if he is not at fault.’

Even I think it was a situation close to being force majeure.

Illei would have been following Gilda ever since she left Akbaran, waiting for an opportunity.

‘Illai also knew in advance that Gilda and I would meet.’

Illei’s ambush was an event that no one could have prevented.

“You missed the assassin? Someone as skilled as you?”

“I know you were flustered, but don’t blame me. It was a miracle that I was able to stop it. I just had a bad feeling about it.”

Even I wouldn’t have been able to respond to Ilay’s ambush if it weren’t for the ‘Android’s warning’.

“I didn’t mean to blame you. I’m sorry. Things got more complicated than I thought.”

Ishmael also seemed to sigh at the thought of reporting to his superiors.

“We have obtained active cooperation from Gilda. Despite the circumstances, we will establish a joint venture with a company designated by the Federation.”

Ishmael felt a faint sense of relief, and his feelings were mixed with gratitude toward me.

“… … You are more capable than I thought, Mr. Luca.”

“You will be saying that a lot from now on.”

I blurted it out carelessly, and Ishmael realized that I was joking and laughed.

“I look forward to it.”