Chapter 132
I became the consort of the Mullizcane family. Not just that—I was the husband of the next family head. It was a remarkable rise in status.
Since my origins were humble, there was significant opposition within the Mullizcane family. However, Katrin’s position and determination were firm, so everything proceeded smoothly.
I personally delivered the wedding invitation to Agatha’s house. She probably didn’t even know that Katrin and I were seeing each other.
"Noel, I thought you weren’t interested in women…"
Agatha stared at me blankly. When she unfolded the invitation, a hologram of Katrin and me appeared.
"I’m a man too, you know. It’s about time I settled down."
I spoke calmly. Agatha scratched her unkempt hair.
"That’s true. But this is unexpected. I never imagined you and the Captain were that close. Who confessed first?"
"I’m not sure. It just sort of happened this way."
"You’ve made it big. Congratulations, Noel."
"Are you just going to leave your guest standing outside?"
I moved to step inside, but Agatha held the door, looking at me.
"…Ah, sorry. My boyfriend’s coming over tonight."
"Didn’t you break up recently? You started dating someone new already?"
"Yeah."
Agatha nodded. I let go of the doorframe as well.
"Have a good time."
"You must be busy preparing for the wedding. Hang in there."
And that was how we parted.
I walked down the hallway toward the elevator. With each step, memories of the past flickered by, as if I were retracing time.
‘Agatha.’
She had been my companion through the depths, climbing up to this point together.
Memories of childhood surfaced. I kept watch while Agatha climbed over walls to steal. The kids we hung around with on the streets betrayed us easily. But Agatha stayed by my side until the end. We shared even the smallest things.
‘Noel, you and I both stabbed him. If there’s guilt, it belongs to the both of us.’
Our first kill was together. We were probably around twelve. Gripping the handle of the knife together, we drove it into the chest of a terrified man.
We enlisted together as well. No matter what situation we faced, we protected each other. Even if the entire unit was wiped out, as long as Agatha and I survived, that was all that mattered.
Swish.
Stepping into the elevator, I ran a palm down my face.
‘Agatha is no longer my partner. Katrin is.’
Memories are like books. You read them when they come to mind, then close them again.
What matters is the future. What can be chosen and changed isn’t the past—it’s the future.
* * *
Katrin and I were preparing for a grand wedding.
I had something to discuss with her, but when I arrived at her office, I hid myself. Agatha was standing in front of Katrin’s office.
"…Commander, please make sure Noel is happy!"
Agatha bowed deeply at the waist as she spoke. Even Katrin seemed taken aback and hurried to lift Agatha’s upper body and head.
"He’s been through so much hardship. He never trusted people easily, so I thought he’d never even consider dating. But now, he’s decided to marry—that must mean he really cares about you. Please take good care of Noel."
Agatha remained steadfastly bowed.
"Thank you, Agatha. And I’ve taken care of what you asked. They’ve been eager to have you for a while now. They said they needed an outstanding field officer."
"Thank you."
Only then did Agatha straighten up.
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I’m practically stealing away your closest friend."
"It’s fine if it’s you, Commander. I like you just as much as I like Noel. Ah, but you’re not my commander anymore, are you, Katrin?"
Agatha hesitated awkwardly for a moment, then hugged Katrin. Katrin smiled and embraced her in return.
I waited until Agatha left before stepping into Katrin’s office. Sitting in her chair, Katrin tilted her head slightly and looked at me.
"Agatha is leaving the Mullizcane Jaeger?"
"Hmm, I guess I didn’t tell you. Seeing you sneak around like this, I figured as much."
"Why did you allow it?"
My voice rose slightly. Katrin’s eyelids lowered just enough that her eyelashes nearly covered her pupils.
"Because I felt guilty for taking you away from her."
"But the commanders of other units will just use Agatha as a tool. At best, they’ll treat her like a well-sharpened blade. If she stays in the Mullizcane Jaeger…"
"Noel, you separated from Agatha and became independent, didn’t you? So you need to respect her independence, too. That was a rather thoughtless remark coming from you."
I was at a loss for words.
I was the one who had let go of our partnership first.
Two weeks later, we held our wedding, and I officially took on the name of Mullizcane.
* * *
Time inside the simulation flowed quickly.
I shifted my senses outward to check the passage of time in reality. Around twenty minutes must have passed. The simulation was vast, and the mental fatigue was considerable.
But I couldn’t afford to waste time resting, so I focused once more.
This time, the identity synchronization rate between me and Noel was extremely low. Because of that, I wasn’t seeing things from Noel’s perspective or experiencing his emotions—I was merely watching the scenes unfold like a video.
My point of view moved freely. When I shifted my perspective too quickly, the system couldn't keep up with the processing, leaving the surroundings in darkness.
The scenes outside of Noel’s direct field of vision were nothing more than approximations generated by the simulation and the computer. After all, this was Noel’s memory.
Giiing, giiing.
A metallic sound rang out.
In the training grounds of the Mullizcane Jaeger, an early model of a fully armored prosthetic was in motion. I immediately recognized whose brain was inside that machine.
Noel had transferred his brain into a fully armored prosthetic. That was the reason for the drastic drop in identity synchronization.
Fully armored prosthetic.
Noel’s psychological state and cognitive structure had now strayed far from that of a human. He had become something closer to a machine than a man. His brain was now functioning as a component of the prosthetic.
If he remained inside the fully armored prosthetic for too long, he would permanently lose his human functions one by one.
Creak, thud!
The fully armored prosthetic raised a heavy weapon with one hand and fired. The impact obliterated the target as if it had been hit by artillery fire.
—Noel, can you handle it?
Katrin’s voice echoed from the speakers.
—I’m fine for now. But if possible, we should avoid using this. This thing… it devours humanity.
—Technology will advance. There are already units using it in live combat, and the results have been phenomenal.
—I don’t know about results, but I do know that no fully armored prosthetic user will remain intact.
Noel’s voice came out in a monotone, mechanical tone.
—You’re right. I’ve only used it for a few days, and my mental state is worse than after years on the battlefield. Physically, the brain damage was severe too.
—There’s a reason we use prosthetics that retain the human form, even when more efficient options exist. Fully armored prosthetics are a foolish concept.
Noel expressed his negative opinion without hesitation.
—At least this model still resembles a human. It’s already proven its effectiveness, so the focus will shift to minimizing side effects. No matter what anyone says, fully armored prosthetics are the future of Accretia, Noel.
Katrin was right. No matter how exceptional Noel was, he didn’t always make the right judgments or perfect predictions.
Two centuries from now, fully armored prosthetics would become the Empire’s core military unit. And further into the future, an era would come where every soldier would operate within a fully armored prosthetic.
The early model of the fully armored prosthetic that even Noel struggled to handle had worse performance than the mass-produced Myrmidon of my era. It was a clear indication of how rapidly technology had advanced.
'Noel wasn’t a scientist, so it would’ve been difficult for him to predict technological progress.'
Akies Victima wasn’t a supernatural power. It merely inferred the future based on the information and knowledge available to the user.
Creak, creak.
A scene unfolded that was physiologically difficult to watch.
The fully armored prosthetic entered the hangar. As its helmet opened, a metal container holding Noel’s brain emerged.
A robotic arm carefully transported Noel’s brain toward his original full-body prosthetic.
Creak.
The back of the full-body prosthetic’s head opened wide, receiving the brain. A sharp electrical signal jolted through it, while chemical agents were released to seamlessly reconnect the brain to the prosthetic.
Thud!
Noel’s eyes snapped open. At that moment, the identity synchronization rate spiked, and my perspective was pulled into his, merging completely.
"Kuhak… kuhk…"
The moment I stepped out of the glass chamber, I hunched over, coughing violently. My brain, which had adapted to the fully armored prosthetic, now found the full-body prosthetic unfamiliar.
Even something as basic as breathing wasn’t functioning properly. My parasympathetic nervous system was malfunctioning, forcing me to consciously regulate every bodily function.
Pupil dilation and contraction, heartbeat and respiration, even my excretory organs—all of them were out of sync. Embarrassingly, my lower half was damp. Damn it.
"Haa… haaa…"
I focused on stabilizing my breathing first. I needed to calm my overstimulated nervous system.
"The observing scientists are whispering that you’re a monster. They say your brain’s resilience is abnormally high."
Katrin approached as she spoke. She removed her coat and wrapped it around my waist, covering the mess below.
"The real monster isn’t me—it’s that thing."
I gestured toward the fully armored prosthetic with a nod. Just then, the doors opened, and the research team entered.
Creak, hiss, click-click.
A group of small extraterrestrials swarmed over to begin maintenance on the fully armored prosthetic. They were at least a head shorter than me, making them look somewhat endearing.
Tarfa.
That was the name of their species. They had a pair of horns on their heads, and their skin was a shade of blue. They were small and physically weak. Even as adults, their appearance resembled that of human children.
But when it came to scientific and technological prowess, the Tarfa were far ahead of humanity.
'The first human nation to encounter the Tarfa was Accretia, and thanks to that, the Empire was able to absorb their superior technology.'
I followed Noel’s thoughts for a while before stepping back to create some psychological distance.
‘In my era, I’ve never seen a Tarfa with my own eyes.’
The Empire persecuted extraterrestrial species. Because of this, ordinary imperial citizens rarely had any opportunity to see them.
The Tarfa, like other extraterrestrial species in the Empire, simply remained hidden—but they were out there somewhere.
Giiing.
Once again, my perspective merged with Noel’s.
"Noel Mullizcane. I’d like to speak with you once you’ve recovered."
A Tarfa woman addressed Noel. She was larger than the other Tarfa, and her horns were longer.
"If it’s a conversation, we can have it now."
"You can call me Kel. My real name would be difficult for you to pronounce."
Kel and I exchanged introductions. After the customary pleasantries, Kel got to the point.
"My team and I would like to provide exclusive support to the Mullizcane family."
Both Katrin and I turned to Kel in surprise.
"Is this the Tarfa’s sixth sense?"
Katrin murmured as if something had occurred to her. Kel closed her eyes in thought, then opened them and spoke.
"Noel, you are going to become an extraordinary person. That’s why I want to establish a connection with you now."
Katrin crossed her arms and smiled.
"Hmm, someone chosen by the Tarfa’s sixth sense… I guess I really did pick the right husband."
Kel’s intuition proved to be correct.
From that point on, I experienced ten years of uninterrupted success. As the consort of the next head of the Mullizcane family, I overcame the barriers of social status. With the name Mullizcane as my wings, I received the recognition I deserved.
'Ballistic Control Techniques, Adaptive Three-Dimensional Maneuvering…'
Some of the combat techniques I developed were acknowledged for their battlefield effectiveness and included in the official combat manuals. As my reputation grew, other units even sent officers to me for training.
My influence within the military naturally expanded, and I moved beyond my affiliation with the Mullizcane Jaeger to take on the role of an independent military advisor.
Even within the Mullizcane family, no one questioned my origins anymore.
As I gained recognition in the military, Katrin was able to become the head of the family even faster than expected. Her father had stepped down early. Most likely, Katrin had a hand in that decision.
"Everyone looks up to you. Maybe you’re not just a small light—perhaps you’ll become a great one."
Katrin spoke as she embraced me from behind.
The bedroom was silent, and beyond the window stretched a city of jagged spires. Below, the depths remained shrouded in darkness. I gazed down quietly. I couldn’t see them.
Were those swallowed by the shadows also looking up at me? Could they even see me from there? Could I truly become their light?
I wanted to be their beacon—a living proof that it was possible to escape the filth and choose a better life. If more people like me emerged, perhaps those above would finally lower their gaze and see those below.
I closed my eyes.
And soon, an opportunity came.
An audience was scheduled with the ruler of Accretia—His Majesty, Cracia.