Chapter 287

I boarded the aerial vehicle provided by the Empire. The vehicle hovered over Akbaran, following the route I had designated.  

The capital of the Accretia Empire, Akbaran.  

Like it or not, this was my hometown. The place where I was born and raised.  

The unpleasant yet lukewarm air unique to the lower districts was part of my memories, and I often found myself missing the self-destructive routines of those who had carelessly replaced their bodies with machines.  

‘My every move is being reported to Ivan.’  

It wasn’t real-time surveillance. The neck brace periodically connected with orbital satellites to transmit conversation data.  

‘What a headache.’  

It was a hassle. There were ways to evade eavesdropping, but they were all bothersome.  

‘And it’s also a bomb.’  

According to Director Jin Gaw, my neck brace contained explosives. Enough to blow my head off.  

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked out the window.  

Wuuung.  

Before I knew it, the aerial vehicle had left the outskirts of the city and was circling near the Custoria Family estate.  

The Custoria Family was gradually losing its luster of prosperity, slowly declining.  

‘It’s not a rapid collapse that stands out, but over generations, they’ll steadily lose their influence.’  

It wasn’t just the Custoria Family. The Imperial Household, wary of militarization, was stripping power from the strongest military families first.  

I gazed at the Custoria estate before turning my eyes away.  

‘Juppe is the head now. It’s none of my business.’  

I couldn’t take care of the Custoria Family as well. My capabilities didn’t extend that far. And I believed I had done enough to not be ashamed in front of Hemillas.  

‘I’m not a hero who dreams of great feats. I don’t even want to be one.’  

I closed my eyes.  

Wuuung.  

The hovering aerial vehicle adjusted its course, its thrusters roaring.  

‘I’m similar to Jin Gaw. I’ve just been struggling to survive, trying not to be swept away and killed by the tides. I never had grand ambitions or goals.’  

I simply wanted to stay alive, to avoid seeing the misfortune of those around me, to be with the people I cared about.  

That was enough. I didn’t want anything more. Accretia, Corite, Bellato… Whatever mess they made among themselves, it had nothing to do with me.  

The war would happen regardless. It wasn’t something a mere individual like me could stop, no matter how much I wanted to.  

‘I…….’  

Giselle’s face flickered in my mind. For some reason, it made me angry.  

Memories fade. Maybe my feelings for Giselle had already turned into a lingering obsession.  

‘……Even so, I want to see Giselle.’

I leaned my head back against the chair and let out a breath.  

Ever since waking up in Border City, I had been searching for Giselle. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure anymore whether I liked or loved her. Time had passed, and I had changed.  

But by now, it didn’t matter whether it was love or lingering attachment. I just wanted to meet her and talk about the time we had lost.  

‘Only then will my real life begin.’  

Ivan Accretia’s words surfaced in my mind.  

All this time, whether by malice or goodwill, I had merely been swept along by the tide of circumstances and the era.  

I would settle my long-standing feud with Kinuan, find the missing Giselle, and face her.  

And after that, I…  

My train of thought came to an abrupt halt, as if it had reached the edge of a cliff. It felt as though the road ahead had been severed.  

‘You’re really exhausted, Luka.’  

I let out a quiet chuckle. Maybe it was because I had just overcome a major hurdle and my tension had finally eased.  

The aerial vehicle I was on adjusted its course again, heading toward the Empire’s military airfield.  

 

*         *         *  

 

Upon arriving at the airfield, I came face to face with Ilay aboard the Empire’s transport ship.  

There were two transport ships bound for Border City. One was for Ilay and me, while the other was used by the special operations team under his command.  

“…So this is how things turned out, Luka.”  

Ilay didn’t say much the moment he saw me. But his words carried enough weight to be interpreted in multiple ways.  

Tap, tap.  

Instead of responding, I touched my neck brace, signaling that we were being eavesdropped on.  

‘For now, let’s not bother trying to figure out what Ilay is really thinking.’  

Maybe even Ilay himself wasn’t sure of his own feelings. Human emotions weren’t black and white. And for someone like Ilay, they were bound to be even more complex.  

“This brings back old memories. Back when we were cadets, we used to take on missions like this. This time, our mission is to hunt down Kinuan.”  

I spoke casually as I glanced at the transport ship’s interior walls. Familiar equipment lined the space.  

“I brought everything useful. Take whatever suits you.”  

With those words, Ilay manipulated the holographic interface, preparing the briefing.  

I only picked up a vest-style protective gear and a standard-issue officer’s sidearm. Crucis, Ruina, and ‘Mothblade’ were enough. Anything more would only weigh me down.  

‘I never recovered the Firelight Saber.’  

I had lost it on the battlefield where Kashura and Kinuan had appeared. Someone might have retrieved it, or by now, it had likely overheated and broken apart.  

Click, clack.  

The protective gear adhered to my chest and back, expanding as it adjusted to my body. The overlapping sections were designed like fine scales, ensuring they didn’t hinder flexibility.  

Screech.

The protective gear expanded up to my neck before stopping. If it extended one step further, a helmet would enclose my head.  

For elite soldiers with full-body prosthetics, this equipment was unnecessary, and for regular soldiers, it was too expensive. That’s why it was typically used by cadets.  

I twisted my body in different directions, adjusting to the fit. The unfamiliar sensation of the protective gear quickly faded.  

In the meantime, Ilay had finished preparing the briefing.  

‘From now on, we’re tracking Kinuan.’  

I leaned back in my chair at an angle.  

“Go ahead with the briefing, Fox Lord.”  

I snickered, and Ilay frowned.  

“The reason why the Empire has trouble chasing Kinuan is… we can’t even issue an official order. Kinuan’s very existence is top secret. That means gathering intelligence is unnecessarily costly, and we’re forced to find him with only a small team.”  

If another nation got their hands on Kinuan, or worse, if Kinuan went mad and surrendered, it would be an even greater disaster for the Empire. That was why the Empire couldn’t afford to put too much pressure on Kinuan.  

‘The Empire has to operate outside Kinuan’s field of view while tracking him. We can’t provoke him into heightened vigilance.’  

…Of course, that was an absurdly difficult mission.  

Kinuan was in the same situation. With hunters like Ilay lurking everywhere, he wouldn’t have been able to move freely either.  

And I was the one who had broken that stalemate.  

“We recently confiscated some equipment used by Kinuan’s subordinates. Most of it wasn’t anything special, but one thing stood out—an almost perfect stealth cloak.”  

As Ilay spoke, he switched the display.  

A black cloak covering the entire body appeared on the holographic screen. It had a hood, concealing the wearer from head to toe.  

Etched into the cloak’s surface were symbols resembling runes or sigils, embedded as electronic circuitry. It looked similar to an Arcane Civilization relic, yet there was something distinctly different about it.  

I didn’t have enough knowledge in this area to pinpoint exactly what it was. If I had to find the right term for it, I’d say… it had a more religious feel.  

“Corite equipment?”  

I voiced the most reasonable conclusion I could come up with.  

“Correct, model student. The Holy Corite Alliance often produces strange artifacts. They’re the most aggressive researchers of Arcane Civilization relics. Sometimes, they even manage to create crude imitations of them.”  

I thought of Kinuan’s subordinates, the ones called ‘Dead Ronin.’ Their stealth and disguises were good enough to fool even my senses.  

‘Even Lante, with all his experience and keen instincts, mistook Dead Ronin’s stealth for a paranormal phenomenon.’

No matter how developed one’s senses were, detecting phenomena that defied the laws of physics was impossible.  

"I'm not an expert on Corite technology either, but according to the Research Department… it's a single-use device created by temporarily transferring Force abilities. A Force user with stealth capabilities temporarily imbued their power into it."  

“…Does that mean Kinuan and the Corites have joined forces?”  

"Probably not to that extent, but it's likely that he's connected to a group with Corite ties. If they’re supplying him with equipment like this, it makes sense. There’s even a Pioneering temple in Border City primarily run by Corites. Kinuan has been operating in Border City for a long time, so if he has connections to the Corites, they likely stem from there."  

"Then we should start our investigation from there."  

Ilay gave a troubled smile.  

"That's easier said than done. In Corite society, temples aren’t just government facilities, and the priests hold far higher status than we might assume. On top of that, they loathe us, beings who have covered our bodies with machines. They won’t cooperate with us."  

As he spoke, Ilay stared at me.  

"So, what?"  

"You've spent quite a bit of time in Border City. Don’t you have someone you can ask for help?"  

This sly bastard was asking a question he already knew the answer to.  

Ilay was well aware that I had frequent contact with Gaya, a Corite. More importantly, Gaya was a Force user. Given that Force users were considered elites in Corite society, his help could be invaluable.  

"I wouldn't say we were that close. We had our fair share of conflicts."  

"Still, if you sincerely ask for help, he’ll do something for you. People who know you… they’d love to see you, the ever-proud Luka, swallow your pride, ask for help, and even show gratitude. That’s part of your charm."  

"That was a compliment, right?"  

"It was."  

"Son of a bitch."  

Ilay chuckled, but his expression soon turned serious.  

"Luka, we’re in no position to be picky. You know that."  

I knew. Pride was a luxury I couldn’t afford right now.  

During our journey, Ilay also updated me on the situation in Border City. As I listened, my face gradually hardened.

 

*         *         *

 

Ilay, the special operations team, and I arrived in Border City. The six operatives assigned to us would serve as our hands and feet.  

The moment we arrived, we split up. Ilay immediately began preparations for what was to come.

‘And I need to do what I must.’  

With the hood of my cloak pulled down, I looked up at the half-destroyed high-rise building.  

‘Jafa Trading Company’s headquarters…’  

That ruined structure used to be the headquarters of Jafa Trading Company. It had withstood numerous hardships and attacks, yet now, it was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Only fragments of its framework peeked through the collapsed exterior walls.  

I recalled Ilay’s words.  

‘A conflict has erupted in Border City. No one knows where it started, but corporations here have begun launching large-scale attacks against each other.’  

Jafa Trading Company had been a primary target. In fact, the very first skirmish of this corporate war had been an attack aimed at Jafa.  

‘The Equessian mercenaries left en masse to track down Kinuan. Especially the elite forces—every single one of them was deployed.’  

And in that window of opportunity, Jafa Trading Company had been struck.  

Border City’s security had never been great, but now, it was in complete shambles. Aside from the upper-class residential districts and the zones controlled by private security forces, the entire city had effectively turned into a lawless wasteland.  

Viiiiiing!  

Overhead, aerial vehicles from private security firms zipped back and forth, moving constantly to protect their contracted clients.  

“This chaos in Border City could be an opportunity for us.”  

One of the operatives beside me spoke. Of the six special operatives under Ilay’s command, one had been assigned to accompany me.  

“If it’s an opportunity for us, then it’s an opportunity for Kinuan too,” I muttered.  

The special operatives Ilay had brought along were the modern equivalent of the Imperial Guard.  

‘The difference is that they weren’t trained under the Legion system—they followed corporate training programs instead.’  

The operative next to me was still a rookie—he had undergone full-body prosthesis barely a year ago.  

…And he was also an Irregular from the lower districts. That was likely why Ilay had assigned him to me.  

“It’s an honor to be working with you on this mission. When I was a kid, I once saw you from a distance—”  

I was already getting irritated.  

“If you’re going to spout embarrassing crap, keep your mouth shut, Lars.”  

“S-Sorry about that.”  

Lars gave an awkward smile. Despite being fully cybernetic, he still had freckles on his face—his appearance must have been modeled exactly after his original body.

 

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