Bad Born Blood Chapter 106

Chapter 106

I am an idiot.

I am a fool.

I am a moron.

As I woke up, I stared at the ceiling of my quarters, drowning in self-loathing.

The events of last night ca rushing back. I had been attacked by an ard helicopter at Carthica Tower. Sohow, I managed to take it down. Ilay killed his competitor and cousin, Garcia.

And then, Giselle and I...

The mont we parted flashed in my mind.

’What the hell have you done?’

’Do you actually have a death wish?’

Conflicting voices clashed in my head. I had done sothing I shouldn’t have. A desire I had suppressed over and over again had finally erupted.

’I’ve done sothing I can’t take back.’

I had introduced an unnecessary risk.

"Goddamn it."

My ability to control my emotions must have weakened after the grueling battle. Ilay’s pointless words had shaken as well.

No, that was just an excuse.

I knew better, and yet I hadn’t stopped myself. I had lost to my own longing. This was bound to happen sooner or later.

I should have kept my distance from Giselle. I should have minimized the chances of even running into her.

The fact that I hadn’t... ant that I had wanted to see her, too.

Even now, I was itching to go find her. I wanted to confirm that what happened last night hadn’t just been a dream.

"You stupid bastard."

I buried my face in my hands and let out a sigh. My emotions, once unleashed, took complete control over . I couldn’t suppress them.

’This isn’t the ti for this.’

Amidst my turmoil, I noticed a summons from Commander of the Imperial Guard, Hemillas. He had ordered to report to his office this afternoon.

It was probably regarding the attack.

Since information about Iskan and had leaked, there was a chance of additional attacks. The fact that they had made such a bold move—taking out another noble in the process—ant they weren’t ordinary enemies.

’Get a grip, Luka.’

I ran a hand through my hair and stared into the mirror.

’If you want to protect your current life and Giselle, you need to beco a monster. A monster that can devour anyone who stands in your way.’

Whether that was Hemillas or Kinuan.

It was ti to steel myself.

Rember who you used to be. I had changed so much. I had things I cherished now. Things I couldn’t afford to lose.

If I lost the people and things I loved... I might crumble beyond repair.

If I didn’t want that to happen, I needed to beco strong again—like the old , who had nothing to lose. I had to return to being ruthless and unyielding.

Sharpen my mind like a blade. Hone my will to a razor’s edge.

I needed to build my physical strength and have people who could support . The problems and events of the real world weren’t things that could be solved with sheer willpower alone.

‘Is this what impurity feels like...?’

A bitter smile escaped .

My circumstances had beco even more complicated, but my path forward had never been clearer. And right now, more than ever, I wanted to beco stronger.

The raging passion inside was pushing out the darkness.

* * *

In the office, Hemillas and Iskan were waiting. It seed they had been discussing sothing before I arrived.

I gave them my verbal report on last night’s events.

"...Only Ilay Carthica knows that the ard helicopter was targeting . Everyone else will believe it was the work of terrorists."

"You handled things well under such pressing circumstances. This was entirely my mistake. I owe you an apology."

It was rare for Hemillas to say sothing like that. It showed just how unexpected this incident had been for him.

I had almost died, after all. If my skills had been average for a cadet, I would already be lying in a coffin.

"Have you found out who ordered the attack?"

A regular cadet wouldn’t have dared to ask such an audacious question. But I had every right to.

"Our investigation has narrowed the suspects down to less than ten."

"But you’re not certain yet."

"It will take ti."

I thought for a mont before speaking.

"Give the list of suspects. I’ll investigate."

Hemillas’ eyes widened. Iskan also looked at with a questioning expression.

"You?"

"I can do it with Kinuan’s help. For whatever reason, he seems to like . And he knows more about the underground world than we do. If we use his information network, we might be able to find traces of the culprit. Having a list of suspects would make it even easier."

It was rare for to ntion Kinuan outright. He was a dangerous man.

The more I flaunted my ties with Kinuan, the more people would suspect that I was just as dangerous. Hemillas might even stop trusting .

"You’re more deeply entangled with Kinuan than I expected."

Hemillas’ words carried many layers of aning. But he had no idea that Kinuan was the Emperor’s personal overseer.

"If I weren’t, I’d be dead by now."

"Whatever the case... just rember Rick Silva Núñez. Rick was once a loyal Imperial Guard. So much so that the higher-ups even assigned him to an undercover mission."

"I’m the one who killed Rick. I’m not so fool lost in delusions, throwing away my future over ambition."

Hemillas finished deliberating, tapping his fingers on the desk before summoning a holographic display. A list of suspects compiled from the Imperial Guard’s investigation appeared before .

I morized their nas and faces in an instant. Before five seconds had passed, the hologram vanished.

"If you need support, let know."

I exited Hemillas’ office. Iskan also stood up and walked out with .

As we walked down the corridor, Iskan was the first to speak. His dark crimson uniform swayed elegantly with his movents.

"I’m sorry, Luka."

"What do you an?"

"My judgnt complicated things. The rational course of action would have been to extract only Bao Zakanan."

Iskan had slaughtered all the clients in the torture facility. That was the reason we had been attacked. But I neither resented his decision nor thought it was wrong.

"If I were in a higher position... I would have made the sa call."

"No, you wouldn’t have. You would have made a better decision. I let my emotions get the better of ."

I wasn’t sure about that. Especially after thinking about what I had done last night.

"But I believe killing them was in the Empire’s best interest. I don’t know if it was the best choice, but at the very least, it wasn’t the worst one."

My voice was filled with conviction. Because I truly believed it.

"...You’ll make a fine Imperial Guard."

I could sense Iskan’s sincerity. But at the sa ti, a question ford in my mind.

"I appreciate the complint, but I’m not sure what it really ans to be a ‘good’ Imperial Guard."

"Soone who doesn’t lose themselves."

Iskan defined it in a single sentence. It was the kind of statent that could only co from soone with an unwavering sense of values.

"I hope to be that kind of person, too."

I agreed with his words.

* * *

I contacted Kinuan. However, even after a long wait, there was no reply.

Normally, I would have waited for him to reach out first. But today, I was in a hurry. The sooner I handled things, the better.

And I believed my relationship with Kinuan was strong enough that I could visit him unannounced.

Knock, knock.

I stood in front of Kinuan’s office. There was no response from inside, but when I checked, the door wasn’t locked.

Ssshhhk.

As I opened the door and looked inside, my eyes widened.

"Shi—"

I imdiately shut my mouth. Then, cautiously, I leaned my head out to check the hallway. Fortunately, no one was outside.

‘Kinuan is collapsed on the floor.’

This wasn’t an attack. If it were, I would have noticed imdiately.

Kinuan’s office was neatly organized. He had collapsed right in front of the door, as if he had been trying to lock it but failed.

‘He’s not dead.’

I checked his condition. He was still alive. The systems in his fully cybernetic body were functioning normally.

‘It’s his brain.’

It was the sa neurological issue that plagued him—a side effect of Akies Victima.

"Instructor, excuse ."

I lifted Kinuan onto my shoulder and carried him to the sofa. The great Kinuan was completely defenseless in front of .

‘With just a single movent of my hand...’

There weren’t even any surveillance devices in the office. A powerful temptation crept over .

Kinuan was my ntor and advisor. But he was also the one who held my life in his hands. If necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of .

‘Kinuan’s death.’

My thoughts stretched freely. If Kinuan were to die here, what would I gain? What would I lose? Would this situation work in my favor? Or would it lead to my imdiate execution? Would the Imperial Family trust a re apprentice like to replace Kinuan?

...Or was this entire situation a trap to test ?

I stood still, staring at Kinuan, who sat motionless as if he were dead.

Clatter.

I reached into Kinuan’s coat. If my guess was correct, it had to be there.

"As expected..."

I was also a trained user of Akies Victima. To use Kinuan’s words, I was a "Mista." I understood the principles and properties of Akies Victima well.

My fingers closed around a syringe.

‘A stimulant.’

Kinuan undoubtedly carried a drug synthesized to match his brain’s condition. Given his position and the nature of his assignnts, he had to be prepared for combat situations.

If sothing critical ca up, he would willingly endure shortened lifespan and accelerated side effects just to push his brain back to operational status.

‘Even Ken Noma, who beca a wreck, could do it. There’s no way Kinuan can’t.’

I found the injection port at the back of Kinuan’s head and pressed the syringe in.

Thunk!

I only injected about 30% of the dose. That was enough to restore consciousness. Anything more was unnecessary since this wasn’t a combat situation.

Tremble.

Kinuan’s eyelids flickered violently. They opened and closed repeatedly, and his cybernetic eyes spun so fast that it looked as if he had multiple pupils.

Snap.

Then, all movent stopped. And the storm hit.

Whoosh!

Kinuan grabbed my arm and yanked toward him. He twisted around , locking my body as if wrapping in a coil. His movents were unlike anything I had ever seen before—like a snake constricting its prey, he tightened around my neck and limbs.

“In—Instructor, it’s .”

I barely managed to slip my hand between his arm and my neck, preventing myself from being completely strangled. My strained voice was enough to snap Kinuan back to full awareness.

“Ah, Luka, so it was you.”

His voice was eerily calm. The pressure around my neck and limbs imdiately loosened.

‘So this is Kinuan’s true ability...’

I had been caught off guard, but his movents were utterly inhuman. It was an unpredictable, grotesque attack, and I had barely survived by instinct alone.

He had restrained purely through combat reflexes. It shattered my understanding of what was possible.

‘Just how much of a monster was he in his pri?’

What I had just witnessed was only a fragnt of Kinuan’s forr self. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had been like at full strength.

Having seemingly finished assessing the situation, Kinuan let out a bitter chuckle.

“Good thing it was you who found , and not soone else. I’ve ended up exposing a weakness.”

“Has your condition worsened?”

I asked as I rubbed my sore limbs. My body still ached from his sudden attack.

“Seems my ti is running out.”

Maybe that was why Kinuan had decided to accept . Perhaps he no longer had the luxury of selecting a successor at his own pace.

That worked in my favor. Even if I wasn’t fully prepared, it ant my chances of being discarded had decreased.

“Anyway, what brings you here? I seem to have lost so mories, but I don’t recall summoning you. Or is this about last night’s attack?”

It was hard to believe he had been unconscious just monts ago. His cognitive functions were already operating at full capacity.

I kept my admiration to myself and got straight to the point. Of course, Kinuan already knew that I had been attacked by the ard helicopter.

“I want to know who ordered the attack.”

For the briefest mont, Kinuan’s lips twitched.

Ivan Accretia had warned about the attack beforehand. That ant the Imperial Family was well aware of the situation. And with Kinuan’s information network, he wouldn’t even need to conduct an investigation to know who was behind it.

“You think I know the answer?”

“Yes.”

“And even if I do, why should I tell you?”

“...Because I will remove Hemillas and beco the head of the Custoria family.”

I finally said it.

Kinuan fell silent. He stroked his chin for a long mont before suddenly breaking into laughter.

“So that’s the answer you’ve co up with.”

I had no other choice.

If I wanted to protect everything I had, this was the only solution.