Bad Born Blood Chapter 328

328
Barbara jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

“Luka, Luca, ah, Luca! You are destined to die on the battlefield. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot refuse it, so it is your fate. I really like you, you are so stupid and foolish!”

Barbara giggled. She circled around me with an excited tone and behavior, as if she were attending a festival.

Clang, clang.

I ignored the fly-like Barbara, who was equipped with prosthetic arms and legs for combat.

‘tranquility.’

I haven’t settled into peace. I believe it’s because I still have work to do.

‘But really, as Barbara said… … what if I’m the kind of person who can’t stand peace?’

The boy Luca of the past could not stand the peace of Kracia Academy. At that time, I rushed into the incident in pursuit of stimulation and violence.

But people change.

… … I think the current me is different from the boy Luca.

‘I can live without being surrounded by violence.’

I have no choice but to believe that.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo, Luca.”

Barbara gave me a meaningful laugh, as if to confirm my decision. She leaned forward on one foot, carrying her pack behind her, and spun around as if she was going to fall over.

Whirlwind.

Barbara, who had maintained her balance, projected a hologram in front of me. Her hologram was filled with pictures and words about the guards.

“You may have forgotten, but you are a former Imperial Guard. Imperial Guardsmen serve in the military or other combat roles even after their prime. Only a very small number return to a normal life. They are not involved in violence in any way. You know why.”

“You don’t have to emphasize that.”

“You were trained to enhance your natural violent nature, and the Empire used chemical treatments to rewire your nervous system and even manipulate your hormonal system. In extreme terms, they created a human who is not only insensitive to violence, but also feels pleasure from it. They packaged it as an honorable soldier.”

It is a well-known fact. I am aware of it too.

“Don’t beat around the bush. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I know you’re going to leave Giselle one way or another. Isn’t it unbearably boring when you actually have her? For you, ordinary s*x is a dull thrill compared to murder. I’m not the only weirdo. You’re the same.”

I wanted to grab Barbara’s neck with my right hand and push her against the wall, but, well, I held myself back somehow. Ahem, good job.

“You seem to be trying to turn me into a pleasure killer… … I’ll show you that you’re wrong.”

“Luka, your innate nature cannot be suppressed.”

“But life is a choice. We don’t just live by our nature. There may not be the best in my life, but there will always be the second best and the worst. That’s always been the case.”

“Then do your best. It’ll be hard to convince Giselle.”

Barbara stepped back and said, and I agreed with her.

After such a difficult reunion, I must declare to Giselle that I am going back into the pit of fire.

… … I feel so miserable.

* * *

I went back to Giselle. She was cooking in the kitchen.

Sigh.

I leaned against the door and watched Giselle’s back.

Giselle was humming in her loose-fitting one-piece dress, while the meat in the frying pan was sizzling.

“Did you practice since this morning? Life has been tough on you lately… … .”

Giselle spins around, holding a plate of meat. But as soon as she sees me, her eyes narrow. The air seems to freeze.

My limbs have been transformed into battle gear. Giselle knows what this means.

“Luka, what are you doing?”

“I can’t just disappear like nothing happened.”

I spoke calmly. I hoped the conversation would end without any agitation.

But still, that was just my wish.

“I gave my whole life to get you out of… that damned chaos and that damned empire! Even betraying my people! And now that I’ve gotten you out of here, you want to crawl back on your own two feet? Are you out of your mind?”

Giselle’s voice boomed. She threw the platter of meat she was holding at my face.

Crash!

A chunk of meat hit me in the face and fell down my chin.

“… … The seasoning is delicious.”

I tried to joke by wiping my hand over my mouth. But my joke only made Giselle angry.

Well, let’s think more carefully when talking to our lovers in the future.

Giselle came up to me and raised her hand. Thank goodness her hand was a living one and not a prosthetic.

match!

Giselle’s spicy palm hit my cheek, and my head spun around.

I could tell that a handprint was left on my cheek without even touching it. My cheek felt very cold.

“I can’t just leave Ilay like this. And I don’t want to end up being beaten by Kinuan either.”

I said, straightening my head. This time, Giselle raised her other hand higher.

Ouch!

It seems more painful than before.

“Luka, ignore everyone else for me. Put aside your pride. I would gladly do that for you. So why can’t you?”

Giselle grabbed my collar.

“… …Because you and I are different people.”

Giselle clenched her fist. This time it was going to hurt a lot. She clenched her molars.

Phew!

She must have learned some martial arts or something because she was really good at throwing punches.

I shook my head and swayed my upper body.

“If I crawl into the Empire like this and you die, what will become of my life? What will become of it? What meaning will there be in all the things I have done so far… .”

I was destroying the tower that Giselle had built.

“It makes sense. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have died long ago. If there was no clue to track you down… … I was ready to die at any moment. I was ready to put a gun to my chin at every moment.”

There are three or four times that I can remember right now. I tried to die. Each time, Giselle, who wasn’t there, pulled me back to life.

“And yet, you’re leaving me? Are you kidding me?”

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at Giselle. I was hesitant to say anything next.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I’m more greedy than I thought. I don’t want to lose my lover, my friends, or the people around me. If there’s something I can do to play a role in this chaos, I want to do it.”

I prepared to be hit, but the next punch didn’t come. Honestly, I was a little relieved.

“Every time I see you like this, I can’t tell if you’re being selfish or kind… … .”

Giselle said, biting her lower lip. Everything about her was shaking. Her life would be shaken, too.

“I want to tie the knot. Barbara will tell you that I’m a violent, savage, but I swear that’s not why I’m going to the Empire. I’ve learned to take control of my life and make choices. And I’ve chosen to stay by your side.”

“No matter what you say, it’s just nonsense. Your choice is to betray me.”

Giselle held my hem tightly. She didn’t cry. She tried to hold me until the end.

But I didn’t budge. Giselle’s grip was loose.

A person cannot possess another person completely. We are not objects or possessions.

“No matter what happens, I’ll come back. If I feel like my life is in danger, I’ll get out right away.”

“… … You’re lying. Anyway, if you’ve decided, there’s nothing I can do.”

Giselle muttered with a sigh. I felt uneasy.

“You can’t follow me.”

I struck first. Giselle squinted her eyes in another way.

“Do you think I’m as stupid as you? Will following you only be a burden to me? I have no intention of following you.”

Giselle smiled bitterly and went into the bedroom. She rummaged through the table and took out a notebook.

Giselle took out her notebook, thought for a moment, and then wrote down a list.

I stood behind Giselle and caught my breath. It seemed like she had somehow gotten through it.

‘Giselle and I… … have changed.’

Giselle didn’t even cry or hang on.

‘My attitude changed as soon as I realized that I couldn’t be persuaded.’

There was no trace of emotionality. Instead, there was a sharp shine of business rationality.

‘That cold look is also a part of Giselle.’

And Giselle, who laughs wildly every night with a fever, is also her.

“I organized the original ‘Sword of the Empire’. The organization was anonymously supported by nobles and powerful people who had feelings against the current emperor or the imperial family itself. I wrote down their code names and contact information. By the way, I used the name ‘Leon’. That’s the name I used.”

“Leon? You spelled Noel’s name backwards.”

If you spell Noel backwards, it becomes Leon. I laughed.

“It’s been nearly ten years, so there’s no way to know if they’re still hostile to the royal family. You’re responsible for identifying them.”

Giselle wrote down the information in her head in her notebook. It was precious information that was not stored anywhere digitally.

In an extremely digitalized society, we still use analog methods because digital is vulnerable to security.

No matter how much technology developed, precious information had to be conveyed by word of mouth and hand.

“Go out for a moment. I need to concentrate to recall my memories.”

Giselle tapped her pen on the table, lost in thought.

‘This is something that needs to be finished anyway.’

More than anything, I was concerned about Kinuan. On nights when I put Giselle to bed first, I would often feel anxious.

I still don’t know Kinuan’s true purpose. The mind warfare is probably… …a process for some purpose to him.

One day, I opened the front door and it wasn’t strange to see Kinuan standing there. He was that kind of person.

Squeak.

Giselle came out of the bedroom and threw a notebook at me.

“When is departure?”

I thought for a moment and then answered.

“tomorrow.”

“Then keep hugging me today.”

Giselle grabbed my arm as if she was going to eat me.

* * *

‘The last storm was a chaos intended by the imperial family. They wanted to use the chaos of the storm to eliminate nobles and people like Heilas who threatened the imperial power.’

But this time, the story was different.

The Accresia Empire is in turmoil that the Imperial Family does not want.

I’ve been racking my brain about the events that have unfolded in the Empire over the past month.

From the outskirts of the empire, large and small riots broke out. Small groups like ‘Nemesis’ and ‘Sword of the Empire’ rose up.

Terrorism and guerrilla warfare were common occurrences even in the empire. If the situation did not become serious, it could be easily suppressed by local forces alone. Originally, there was no need for the central army to intervene.

‘The reason that in the past only a small number of guardsmen were dispatched throughout the empire was to respond quickly to local unrest.’

But this time, armed demonstrations and terrorist attacks occurred simultaneously in various places.

‘And the number of guards that were previously exhausted has not been replenished. It will be difficult to respond flexibly.’

The elite soldiers stationed only in the capital city of Akbaran had to be sent to the frontier, which inevitably created a vacuum in the imperial control.

… … And so, the imprisoned Crimson Crown Prince Francesque Kratzia was released.

‘It’s still just a rumor. The Empire officially says that Francesek is under house arrest.’

If Francis rises up against Ivan and claims the rightful throne… … things will get worse. Even the cowards who were neutral and stood by might gamble by giving Francis power.

While I was lost in thought, someone hit me on the back of the head. I could have avoided it by making a sound, but I got hit anyway.

Bam!

I barely suppressed my battle reflexes. When I turned around, I saw a man wearing a logistics company uniform shaking his palms.

“Hey, rookie. Don’t be so dazed. While others rest, you have to work. I brought you here because you’re a machine with arms and legs, so I thought you’d be good at work.”

I slowly raised my head.

“Hey, look at this. Aren’t you laughing? You look like you got hit in the back of the head. Are you going to come back with a knife? Huh?”

The man raised his hand as if he was going to hit again.

“lol.”

I forced a smile. You’re great, Luca.

I’ve imagined breaking that guy’s arms and snapping his neck hundreds of times.

But in reality, I was lifting boxes and loading them into the vehicle.

… … Now I am disguised as a logistics worker going from Border City to Akbaran.