Bad Born Blood Chapter 303

303
Kinuan is still in Border City. Quilia handed me the evidence.

“You knew Kinuan’s movements and just left it alone until now?”

The hologram was showing photos and videos of Kinuan sent by believers throughout Border City.

“There was no way to catch him even after seeing him. He was already gone when we went to find him after receiving reports from believers. And we lack the force to subdue Kinuan. We need a small number of excellent fighters, not an army.”

Quilia said calmly.

It would be difficult to release troops into Border City to capture Kinuan, and even if they were released, it would be meaningless. Simply increasing the number would only cause more chaos.

Woohoo.

The aerial vehicle we were riding was heading towards the area where Kinuan had most recently appeared.

Exactly, exactly.

I clapped my thumbs together and lost myself in thought. My mind was accelerating as my concentrated thoughts melted smoothly into my head.

‘Kinuan is deliberately exposing himself to external enemies.’

He was using himself as bait.

‘I don’t know how many enemies Kinuan has. It could be less than I think, or it could be more.’

How many people will flock to Kinuan? Well, I am one of them.

‘But we’re moving so that those who are not worthy of being found can’t find it.’

I couldn’t help but lick one side of my lips fiercely.

“This is an invitation from Kinuan.”

It’s not like I’m completely hiding my body, nor is it completely exposed for anyone to find.

Kinuan only allowed those who had reached a certain level of skill to seek him out.

‘Going to Kinuan now is part of his scheme. He may have set a trap.’

My head became increasingly complicated.

‘… … But what if you anticipated my thoughts like this and made me hesitate?’

Kinuan’s bait operation may have been a mere bluff.

If they can’t shake off their pursuers anyway, they might want to leave behind easy-to-find clues to disguise it as a ‘trap’.

Those who are cautious in everything tend to avoid ‘too easy answers’. Those who are accustomed to hardships become anxious when things go too well. I was one of those people.

‘What if it’s Kinuan’s bluff? Is he trying to buy time by making the pursuers hesitate? Is he needing time to use his mind transference?’

In my head, countless choices were spreading out. The being called Kinuan was close to chaos and contained infinite possibilities. It was the most difficult to read.

‘I have to go in regardless of whether it’s a trap or not. Even if it’s a trap, I have no choice but to overcome it with my own strength.’

I made a decision.

“How much do you know about Kinuan’s subordinates?”

“The Dedronin are a kind of religious group that worships Kinuan. They are willing to die for Kinuan. It’s hard to believe that they were formed after Kinuan arrived in Border City, as they are so united and loyal.”

“Kinuan is good at controlling minds. He must have lured them with various words. There must have been many socially unstable people in Border City who were psychologically vulnerable. They must have been easy to deal with for Kinuan, who had been rolling around in the Empire. How big was the scale? He must have been exhausted by the series of incidents.”

“I estimate there are about fifteen left. More than half of them died in the last incident.”

I attempted to establish long-distance communication with Lars, taking into account the eavesdropping.

-I’m moving now. Have you found the guy?

“I found the trace. You make contact with the fox and come this way.”

-The time has finally come.

There was tension in Lars’ voice as well. The real mission was at hand.

The brief communication ended.

All the way.

I replenished my energy by squeezing the soft nutritional jelly. The ammonia smell was so strong that it made my nose tingle, and it made me feel more alert.

Swish.

I moved my hands to check my weapons. It’s a soldier’s habit.

Shock pistol Ruina, high-pressure heavy weapon Crucis, and two fire moths made from the fire light series. There were originally three fire moths, but one was used on Kinuan and was not recovered.

‘And although it’s not very practical… … the Graken Boot.’

The Graken Boots were more or less just decorative daggers. There was hardly any use for the Graken Boots these days.

“Quilia, how good is your fighting ability? I think there will be a complicated battle situation. You should know the ability of words that I can use.”

“We won’t be pushed back even if we fight the best soldiers of each country.”

“I guess that means you’re at the level of a royal guard. Okay, I understand.”

I vaguely estimated Quilia’s fighting power.

‘Actually, it’s probably more than just the guards.’

I have also seen the abilities of the parish priest. If someone is worthy of being the parish priest’s bodyguard and confidant, he must be a great fighter.

‘Above all, if you skillfully apply your cognitive distortion ability to combat… … it’s easy to catch them off guard. Depending on the conditions, you can do things beyond your abilities.’

Before we knew it, the aerial vehicle was descending.

The place we arrived was the old downtown area of ​​Border City. It was the center of Border City in its early days.

As with all cities, the old downtown area ages over time. Border City’s old downtown area was no different. With no redevelopment and unregulated expansion, it became a messy, tangled fortress. It was unstable, as if one building would collapse and the others would follow.

Landing was difficult because there was no suitable open space or airfield in the old city center.

Rattling.

Quilia and I jumped down from the roof of a suitable building, and the air vehicle returned to the temple along the set trajectory.

“That’s where Kinuan was last discovered.”

Quilia pointed to the market in the old city center.

Quilia and I went down from the rooftop to the ground via the emergency stairs. There were many people staring at us, but no one was stupid enough to mess with us.

Quilia was wearing the priestly garb of Cora. ​​The white robe with gold embroidery was eye-catching. In the Federation, it was like a bureaucratic uniform, so there would be no trouble for the vagrants.

Daughter.

We entered a general store in the market place. At the entrance there was a light-shaped symbol indicating that we were followers of the Disem Church.

Towering.

Quilia and I stopped walking as we looked at the ‘fresh heads’ on display at the counter inside the general store. Neither of us even groaned or screamed.

Next to the fresh head was an impressive body with a clean cut neck.

“This corpse belongs to the owner of a general store. He was a devout believer.”

Quilia went further inside and explained calmly.

“… … He died not long ago.”

“It seems certain that we were invited.”

I quietly placed my hands on my waist. My fingers clicked into place on the crucifix.

‘Someone is coming in here.’

The footsteps outside were turning towards this side. If they were just a simple guest, you could just kick them out, but if not, you have to respond.

“Hey, what the hell is this? Am I just witnessing a murder?”

A cheerful voice was heard. A man smoking a cigarette was standing at the entrance of the general store. Only his left arm was a prosthetic, and the marks of a long battle engraved on his chest armor were overwhelming.

Creak.

I turned my head and looked at the man and analyzed him.

He was a man of considerable age. He was not a full-body prosthesis, and judging from his physical appearance, he looked to be over fifty. His gray hair and beard were impressive.

‘An experienced mercenary.’

This was my intuitive assessment.

Could it be a coincidence that the mercenary is visiting here at this very moment? It could be, but it would be naive to believe so.

‘That mercenary guy also came here because of some information.’

Quilia was also waiting for my signal. She was trained as a soldier of Cora, so she should be used to following orders.

Damn it.

The man took a step into the store. He smiled and wiped his hands on his pants, as if he wanted to cooperate with us. He seemed ready to shake hands.

‘I feel anxious.’

My intuition was throbbing. My five senses were furiously scanning my surroundings.

It wasn’t just the appearance of a man that made her feel uneasy.

Wheein.

Eventually, I realized the reason for my intuitive anxiety.

On the man’s temple the dot of the optical sight gleamed a faint greenish light.

Phew!

A sharp, needle-like gunshot rang out. It was a sniper shot.

dump!

The man stumbled sideways and fell against the door. To anyone who saw him, he looked like he was drunk when he fell. But blood was running down his temple.

“I’ll go out and find the sniper.”

Quilia said, pulling out her mask, which was a Force catalyst. Her cognitive distortion disguise should be enough to avoid being sniped.

“No, that’s not true. The sniper… … must have seen us coming in here. But he didn’t attack us, and I didn’t feel threatened. I’m not sure if he was friend or foe.”

I said, dragging the dead man inside the convenience store.

‘If they were going to attack us, they would have tried already.’

I wanted to identify those who were drawn to the force called Kinuan.

‘I don’t know all of Kinuan’s enemies either.’

Kinuan might be… … using himself as bait to gather ‘his enemies’ here. When powerful people with complex interests gather together, there will inevitably be conflict and they will kill each other.

‘Then the chaotic situation that Kinuan likes will occur.’

Not long afterwards, the back door of the general store opened.

I raised both hands without a weapon, signaling for conversation.

“If you’re looking for Kinuan, come talk to us. I guess you came here because you wanted to talk too?”

A woman with a sniper rifle walked out from between the dark stalls of the general store. She was a middle-aged woman with a face covered in wrinkles and scars. Judging by her attire and armament, she looked like a mercenary.

The middle-aged woman was like me, only with arms and legs. Since she didn’t use artificial skin, her mechanical parts were clearly visible. The body, not the prosthesis, was also incredibly muscular, making it hard to believe she was a middle-aged woman. She seemed to have naturally strong bones.

“Young man, you have good judgment. That must be why you are looking for Kinuan.”

“Do you have a grudge against the man you just shot and killed?”

“Haha, he’s my ex-boyfriend. We broke up on bad terms.”

“But still, it’s bold of you to kill her right away, even though she was your lover.”

I slowly lowered my raised arm. It was someone I could talk to.

“I broke up with him because I cheated on him with another man. Because of that, he became a loser among his colleagues who couldn’t even take care of his own woman. That’s why he’s been threatening to kill me for years if he sees me. I had no choice but to strike first, so please understand.”

“hmm.”

I frowned slightly when I heard about the love affair between middle-aged men.

The middle-aged woman laughed at my reaction, but the tension still remained between us.

“So let’s let our guard down. Anyway, where are you… … from? What a strange combination. One seems to be from the Empire, and the other is a priest of Korra?”

A middle-aged woman said, blinking one eye wittily.

I felt a strange sense of foreboding. I don’t know why. At first, I thought it was because of Ragnata, but that wasn’t it.

Ragnata had a strangely detached feeling. However, the middle-aged woman in front of him had an extremely worldly air. She seemed like a woman who would commit unnecessary killings.

“… …Young man of the Empire, and priest. By the way, my colleagues are nearby. If you and I cause a scene, Kinuan will be the only one who likes it, right?”

A middle-aged woman blurted out what she believed.

I’ve had a hard time concentrating because of the intense feeling of foreboding I’ve had since a while ago. I felt like something important was going to come to mind.

“You are a mercenary from the Nomad side.”

I said, staring at the middle-aged woman. I studied her face and features carefully.

“Well, you can think of her as a mercenary. It seems like the young man is curious about this lady. While you’re at it, tell me your chest, waist, and hip sizes? 103… … .”

A middle-aged woman shrugged her shoulders and said, “She was bigger than the average man, so even the slightest movement was noticeable.”

Something feels familiar.

Soon I realized what the feeling of deja vu was.

‘Damn it, Gabriel… … .’

The middle-aged woman resembled Gabrielle.