Chapter 138
“‘Return to the mansion and fulfill your duties and responsibilities, Lukaus Custoria.’ That is what Master has ordered.”
As I listened to Paigon’s words, I strapped my equipment onto my body.
“How much did Father anticipate?” I asked.
Paigon lifted the corners of his wrinkled lips and smiled faintly.
“Well, I wouldn’t know.”
Being older, Paigon was that much more seasoned. It was hard to win against him in a battle of words.
“Is there a way to return to the main estate? Even air vehicles aren’t operational.”
“It’s not impossible to travel by land. There’s simply no connected road, but it’s not an island.”
I put on my coat. Graken Vuth was not in its place.
‘Iskan must have taken Graken Vuth.’
Still, Crucis was strapped to my waist. Having a weapon gave me a sense of stability.
“What if I refuse to return to the mansion?”
Paigon lifted his head to look at me. His cybernetic eyes had been replaced with a straight-lined goggle. Because of that, I couldn’t read his emotions through his pupils or gaze.
“Master was displeased with your reckless actions. You appeared in places you should not have. For now, you must trust Master and wait.”
I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again, fixing my gaze on Paigon.
‘……These days, I see many noble children who believe the world will turn in their favor. A baseless, optimistic belief.’
I recalled something Paigon had once said while praising me.
“The world is hardly so generous to me… that problems will resolve themselves just by waiting.”
I gripped the hilt of my sword with my right hand. Paigon’s tone took on a sharp edge.
“Are you saying you will disobey Master’s orders twice? Do you truly not trust your father?”
……Now I understand what everyone’s mistake was.
“Father has hidden many things from me. I don’t blame him. I did the same. And because of that, ‘Hemillas’ and I came to distrust each other.”
That was the mistake Noel, Hemillas, and I had made.
I told Giselle everything. It didn’t matter whether a lie was meant with good or bad intentions. Who would trust the words of someone who refuses to speak the truth?
If you desire trust, you must tell the truth.
Noel never told Agatha and Katrin the truth, and because of that, he never gained their trust. That led to everyone’s downfall—Agatha never found true happiness until the day she died, and Katrin hated Noel until her very last moment.
Hemillas and I never spoke the truth to each other, which is why we could never fully trust one another. If even one of us had been honest, things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control like this. There was undoubtedly a bond between us, but there was no trust.
‘To protect myself and ensure my safety, I must hide my weaknesses. Always keeping secrets is advantageous for survival.’
That was true—if survival was my only goal.
But right now, my goal wasn’t just survival. I had multiple problems in front of me that needed to be resolved. Since my objectives had changed, it was only natural that my strategy should be adjusted as well. If I wanted to create allies who would help me, I needed to reveal my weaknesses and share my secrets.
Of course, exposing weaknesses and whispering secrets was dangerous. But nothing in this world came without a price.
‘Come to think of it, the reason Ilay and I grew distant was because we started keeping secrets from each other. No, to be precise, it was when I started hiding many secrets of my own.’
Back when I was a cadet and knew nothing, Ilay and I shared everything. We even knew the smallest details about each other.
Ilay had even confessed his most dangerous weakness—his ‘subversive ideology’—to me. He had done so because he believed I would never betray his trust.
And in return for Ilay’s faith in me, I joined him in the perilous plan to rescue Lilian Lamones. If I had discovered his subversive ideology on my own, too late… feeling betrayed, I never would have helped him.
‘At some point, I stopped being honest, and in turn, Ilay stopped opening up to me.’
And little by little, a wall formed between us.
‘On the other hand… Gabriel and I became closer the more we learned about each other.’
Every time one of my secrets was revealed, Gabriel and I grew even closer. Now, Gabriel was willing to risk his life for me.
Tzzzzzt.
A pleasant white noise filled my ears. Knowledge and realization stirred my brain. The tangled threads of my thoughts began to unravel, one by one.
“…Lady Giselle, please come this way.”
Paigon muttered. His hand was inside his coat. I had no idea what kind of weapon would emerge from there.
Grip.
Giselle grasped the hem of my clothes and shook her head. Paigon’s goggle-like cybernetic eyes glowed red.
Bzzzzzzt.
I noticed the output from Paigon’s cybernetic body increasing and issued a warning.
“You’d best not. Combat isn’t your specialty, is it? Take us to my father.”
Paigon was quick-witted. And he was the one person Hemillas truly trusted. Whenever Hemillas had a critical, classified mission, he called for Paigon before even his own family.
“Young Master, then allow me to pose a question. If you answer correctly, I will obediently follow your orders.”
I motioned with my chin, waiting for his next words.
“Do you know what Master’s next plan is?”
Paigon awaited my response. My lips twitched slightly.
With my nervous system chemically enhanced, my thought process was far faster than that of an ordinary person. Paigon wouldn’t have asked such an obvious question if he only expected a predictable answer.
‘Noel’s misjudgment led to Agatha’s mistake.’
Agatha had waited for Noel’s reincarnation. Because of her misguided obsession, she failed to see what truly mattered. She never even realized that another Noel was already under her care.
‘The one closest to Noel isn’t me… it’s Hemillas.’
Hemillas possessed keen insight and never ran from responsibility or duty. Though he wasn’t born in the lowest ranks of society, he was a second son who fought his way to the position of family head. He had continuously risen through the ranks of the military, and his accumulated network and experience were at least as extensive as Noel’s, if not greater.
…And Hemillas was capable of self-sacrifice. He didn’t just throw his subordinates and family into the fire—he used himself as bait for the sake of his house and the empire, even as the family head and Commander of the Imperial Guard.
‘The best option is long gone. Now, he has to choose between the lesser evil and the worst outcome.’
At its core, Hemillas was in the exact same situation as Noel. And if that was the case, then he had only one course of action.
The coup wasn’t his true goal!
‘He intends to embrace all the flames and be consumed in the explosion.’
I could see Hemillas making the same choice as Noel. He would kill all the military generals who conspired in the rebellion. He would sever Ivan Accretia’s head. A tribute to the emperor.
And then, he would take his own life.
The emperor would recognize the meaning behind Hemillas’ sacrifice. Just as Agatha had remained as the founding ancestor of a powerful noble house due to Noel’s sacrifice, the Custoria family would survive because of Hemillas’.
It was the only way to fulfill both his responsibility as the family head and his duty as Commander of the Imperial Guard.
‘Agatha, you should have told Hemillas everything. You should have shown him. The one who needed to see Noel’s failures and find a different answer wasn’t me—it was Hemillas.’
I bit down on my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. It was all so tragic. It wasn’t me who should have seen Noel’s memories. It should have been Hemillas.
“His choice… is sacrifice.”
Paigon let out a sigh. Whether it was relief or resignation, I couldn’t tell. Slowly, he moved his lips.
“You are correct, Young Master.”
His arm twitched. I didn’t hesitate.
Bang!
I immediately drew my standard-issue pistol and shot him in the crown of his head. His head jerked back momentarily, but he didn’t die.
“So, I… I c-can’t… let you… go.”
I started to draw Crucis but froze.
Click.
Paigon pressed something inside his coat. His skin and body began to glow as if splitting apart. The artificial skin melted under the intense heat, and his clothes caught fire.
‘Self-destruction.’
The explosion was about to happen.
…You were loyal, Paigon.
I could see just how deep the bond between Hemillas and Paigon was. Even in death, Paigon was honoring his master’s will, using his life to stop me.
Whoosh!
I yanked Giselle by the nape and wrapped my arms around her. She hadn’t fully grasped what was happening.
I wanted to get out of the blast radius, but that wasn’t going to be easy. No, it was impossible.
Screeeech!
I scraped against the floor as I turned a corner. Then, curling my body around Giselle, I braced myself. Even if I died, I hoped she would survive.
“Lu…”
Giselle’s voice was swallowed by the explosion.
Kuaaaaang!
Flames erupted from the blast, engulfing the hallway and rushing around the corner. A serpent of fire came crashing down on us.
* * *
My mind, which had sunk deep into unconsciousness, barely grasped a sliver of light.
“…Please, don’t die, Luka. Don’t leave me behind.”
A voice. I had no strength to respond.
“You’re strong… You always acted like you’d never die, no matter what…”
Someone was dragging me. My body scraped against the floor. I didn’t even know who was speaking to me.
My thoughts were in utter disarray. My condition was so severe that even my cognitive abilities were impaired.
I must have been gravely injured. But I felt no pain. That… was an even worse sign. Not feeling pain despite severe wounds meant something was seriously wrong.
My name is Luka.
I spoke to myself.
Focus. If your brain isn’t destroyed, then gather your consciousness.
With great effort, I sharpened my awareness, focusing it like a spear. I repeatedly stabbed through the veil of reality, forcing my mind to break through.
If you’re going to collapse here, then what the hell was all that suffering for, you idiot?
He even cursed at himself. The veil of reality did not break easily. Still, there was a faint effect—my external senses opened up slightly.
Kuung, kung. Tzzzzzt.
I heard something besides the voice. It was the sound of my body being dragged along the ground. And I could faintly feel the damp rain and wind.
“I won’t let you die here.”
Giselle—her voice rang out clearly. She kept calling my name. Thanks to that, my consciousness drew slightly closer to reality.
I wanted to make sense of the situation. But with my impaired cognitive function, that was impossible.
Right now, I didn’t even know why I was injured… or why Giselle was dragging me. I only had a raw, instinctive sense that we were in danger.
Where were we? Giselle had been dragging me for quite some time.
“W-Who are you?”
It seemed Giselle had encountered someone.
“The future I wanted to avoid… has become reality.”
Something felt wrong. Please, move. Move, damn it.
“M-Mr. Iskan, please. Luka needs treatment…”
Iskan. Who was Iskan?
“I’m sorry, Giselle. You may not understand, but I can’t let Luka live. It’s the commander’s order. I like the kid too, but before that, Hemillas comes first. If you two show up after an explosion like that… well, forget it. Explaining won’t change anything now.”
The one called Iskan was approaching.
“If you intend to kill Luka, you’ll have to go through me first.”
“Getting past you would be easier than breaking a child’s wrist. You’re smart, aren’t you? You know you can’t stop me—”
“No. I mean that if you take even one more step forward, I will take my own life.”
This was dangerous. Giselle wasn’t bluffing.
I tried to open my eyes. But countless safety mechanisms blocked my consciousness from fully reaching reality.
When the body sustains fatal injuries, the brain shuts down unnecessary functions to prioritize survival. I had lost a lot of blood, and there wasn’t much energy left to send to my brain. My body, in its state of emergency, wouldn’t allow me to expend energy on thinking.
My brain and body had conspired to sink my consciousness deep below the surface. They had suffered enough because of me—maybe they had decided to go on strike.
If I don’t wake up here, I’m going to die! Everything will be for nothing! So listen to me, you worthless bastards!
I screamed.
Crunch!
I bit my tongue, hard and clean. I opened my eyes.
Creak, creak.
I didn’t even have the luxury of checking my own condition. I wasn’t sure if I was moving or not, but I sent a signal to my cybernetics and drew Crucis.
Screeech!
I planted Crucis into the ground and pushed myself up.
“I’ll give you time to come to your senses, out of respect for our past ties.”
Iskan spoke. I fixed my hazy vision on him.
Bzzzzzzt.
My brain started processing. I felt like I was about to die. It was like forcing a broken, burning computer to run.
‘Senior Imperial Guard Iskan. Hemillas’ confidant and friend.’
I recognized who he was. He stood there calmly.
‘Even Iskan was prepared in case Paigon failed…’
I had defied Hemillas’ orders twice now. He had given me a way to survive, but I had stubbornly crawled my way back. That left him no choice but to have me killed.
“Giselle, step back.”
“You’re in no condition to—”
“Shut up and listen to me. Even if I die… you survive. I’m sorry for everything.”
I lightly tapped the back of my hand against Giselle’s chin. Her pupils wavered and lost focus. Supporting her, I gently laid her down.
At last, my vision and focus locked onto Iskan.
“Thanks for waiting. Now come at me, Iskan.”
I raised Crucis in front of me.
“You really are a man.”
Iskan let out a hearty laugh. He pulled a short staff from his waist and swung it.
Clang! Shhk!
The staff extended into a spear, and a sharp blade shot out from its tip.