Chapter 190
Akies Victima is a combat technique that is difficult to use and learn.
Ordinary people cannot even acquire it. Regardless of whether it is through surgery or drugs, so form of neural enhancent is required just to gain access to it.
Those who have mastered Akies Victima maximize their observation and insight through an abnormal expansion of brain function. They predict the future and infer the past through high-speed, multi-angle reasoning.
Simply put, we predict and control what ordinary people consider luck. Thanks to this, we can often turn even the slimst chance into reality.
At first glance, this might seem like an incredible ability. One might wonder why others are not rushing to master it. But in this world, everything has a reason.
"If you’re an exceptional Akies Victima user, you could take on an armored vehicle with nothing but a handgun. But if you invested that massive brain capacity not into Akies Victima but into cybernetic equipnt and prosthetics, you wouldn’t be taking down just one vehicle—you could handle dozens."
From a pure combat effectiveness standpoint, Akies Victima is inefficient for regular military forces. It is sowhat useful in special operations and, in reality, is primarily utilized as a combat technique by insurgents.
......And it cos with several major drawbacks. In particular, it leads to overuse of the irreplaceable biological organ—the brain. Due to excessive intuitive expansion, brain activity and tension remain constantly heightened. This is an irreversible condition.
"Akies Victima is impressive, but it’s not the strongest combat technique."
Ragnata spoke first. She looked at with a cautious expression.
"I know it’s not the strongest. I’m asking a more fundantal question."
"You’re a skilled Akies Victima user yourself. Yet you’re asking about its weaknesses... Hmm, interesting."
Ragnata gave a aningful smile.
"You have a lot of experience. You must have fought against various kinds of opponents, not just Akies Victima users. Let’s assu you face an Akies Victima user of equal or superior skill. How would you counter them?"
"I lost to you. If I had such a thod, I wouldn’t have been captured like this."
"That was because of your aging, not a lack of experience or technique. In your pri, you acted as if you could never lose to anyone. And in truth, you were that strong."
"I appreciate the high praise."
Before Ragnata could get too smug, I quickly shot back.
“It’s not an overestimation. It’s a fact. Don’t mistake it for goodwill. If you don’t give a proper answer, I’ll be getting up.”
I let out an annoyed sigh and pressed my hands against my knees, lifting myself slightly off the chair.
“...Akies Victima thrives in chaos and excels at creating variables. It holds value beyond just being a combat technique. Just like its na suggests.”
I settled back into my chair.
“Just like its na suggests?”
“Accretia must have wanted to imitate an old empire from Earth or sothing because they borrowed a lot of vocabulary from Latin. They use it to sound sophisticated and obscure anings from the lower class. Many words for noble ranks and social statuses ca from there too. Akies Victima is no different. Over ti, its usage and grammar have changed, but if you look at the original aning and context of the words, you can infer the intent behind it.”
“I know that ‘Akies’ ans insight.”
“And ‘Victima’?”
I thought for a mont before speaking.
“...The weak.”
That was probably correct. Akies Victima was optimized for those without power to exploit the weaknesses of those who had it.
“You’re a sharp student. Your teacher must have enjoyed instructing you. ‘Victima’ refers to a sacrificial offering in a ritual—soone who is forced into sacrifice, a weakling whose very life can be toyed with at the re gesture of the strong. Soone who cannot resist—that is a Victima.”
I thought of Noel Mullizcane. I had pushed him to the back of my mind all this ti, letting myself forget.
“The person who nad Akies Victima... probably wanted those who mastered it to carry a hidden dagger in their hearts, even under the oppression of the powerful. Even the weak get their mont, after all. But most never realize when that mont arrives. And so, they let their golden opportunity slip through their fingers. Possibility isn’t kind—it doesn’t even reveal its face to those who fail to seize it.”
I understood now.
Akies Victima—its principles and very existence were a cry to the weak, telling them not to miss their chance. Whether it was to change their lives, to unleash their hatred and fury, to seek revenge—whatever it was, if they had the opportunity to fulfill their will, it would help them grasp it.
The strong had no reason to learn it. It was a technique for those who had nothing.
Countless Akies Victima users had burned away their futures, driving needles of drugs into their skulls. For the weak to defeat the strong, they had to risk everything. They even had to endure the patience to wait for a chance that might never co in their entire lives.
Let’s say soone took the risks and endured the hardship. But what if, when their mont finally arrived, they failed to recognize it? How devastating would that be? Akies Victima is a way of thinking—a combat technique designed for those people.
“A slave panics when their leash and chains are broken... but a human reaches for a blade. And if they don’t have one, they’ll clench their fists instead. Being weak isn’t the sa as being a slave. But most people go through life not even realizing their chains have been broken. They don’t even notice. Oppression dulls perception and judgnt, reshaping one’s very mind and way of thinking.”
A thrill ran down my spine.
“Then what does ‘Akies Domini’ an?”
“Hmm, well, I’m not an expert, so I can’t say for certain... but ‘Domini,’ or rather, in its transford form, ‘Dominus,’ refers to a master in a position of control. If Akies Victima is insight for resistance, then Akies Domini must be insight for control.”
I swallowed my complex emotions without letting them show. Ragnata likely didn’t know about the Empire’s intricate surveillance system.
“I see.”
I kept my response brief. Saying too much might let my emotions slip.
“And as history has proven, it’s never the masters who watch over the slaves. It’s always the slaves who receive slightly better treatnt that do the watching.”
A dull ache settled in my chest.
“This has been an insightful lesson, Professor Ragnata. But I feel like we’re going in circles. My question was about what you think is Akies Victima’s weakness.”
“Age weakens the mind and spirit too, you know. Just think of it as humoring a poor old woman.”
She smiled wryly.
“Yes, your question—how to counter Akies Victima. A rather vague one, don’t you think? Did you really co here believing I could give you an answer?”
“I’m asking for your opinion, not an answer. I don’t expect soone like you to know the answer.”
I spoke harshly. Ragnata chuckled, closing her eyes.
“You want to know Akies Victima’s weakness? I don’t know about that. But as for how to deal with an Akies Victima user... I’d say it’s common sense. They wrap themselves in chaos. But that doesn’t an they are chaos. Inside, they might be surprisingly normal. Like you.”
I neither agreed nor disagreed. I simply stood up.
Then, just before leaving, I spoke again.
“But what if you peel away that chaos, again and again... and yet, at its core, all you find is more chaos? A chaos you can’t comprehend at all?”
At first, Ragnata only laughed. She laughed for a long while before suddenly stopping. Then, with a sharp glint in her eyes, she pointed her index finger at .
“If such a being exists, then it’s a monster that has been consud by chaos—a creature where the ans have beco the end. Instead of using chaos as a tool, chaos itself becos the purpose. My answer—‘common sense’—wouldn’t work against soone like that.”
I nodded and retraced my steps back the way I ca.
...It wasn’t a wasted trip. I think I got sothing useful out of it.
* * *
Jafa was an incredibly busy person. After watching him for three days, I realized his workload was downright murderous. He barely seed to sleep.
“I don’t usually work this much. The workload has piled up since the attack.”
Jafa spoke, sensing my gaze.
“I didn’t say anything. You’re assuming things.”
I replied from the couch across from him. Of course, Jafa wasn’t just making assumptions—he had read my thoughts with pinpoint accuracy.
Jafa was highly perceptive of others’ emotions and intentions. This was a common trait among the Tajirun.
“Then forget it. I just figured you’d be curious, so I answered. Hoyooh. Let’s take a short break with so tea.”
“I’m already resting just fine.”
Most of my security duties involved idly waiting around like so layabout. The Equessians handled the finer details of scheduling. Since I was just a temporary hire, no one expected to learn any of the more complicated tasks.
Clink.
Jafa pulled out a mysterious tea bag and dunked it into hot water. The box had sothing about snakes written on it—too tedious to bother reading. To summarize, it claid the tea was made from ingredients derived from snakes. Whether that even qualified as tea was questionable.
Ssshh, sshh.
Jafa flicked his tongue over the surface of the tea, gauging the temperature before settling into his seat.
“The noa family won’t be launching any additional attacks. They suffered a significant loss with their Guard. Besides, the Tajirun don’t favor violent thods to achieve their goals. We only maintain military force because it’s necessary.”
“Negotiation and trade are ultimately settled by force. You just use money to buy power. Money only has value because it lets you press a blade to soone’s throat.”
“Well, that’s an excellent point... but a little off-topic. What I ant is that there won’t be any more assassination or attack attempts for now.”
“Then is there any reason to keep on as a bodyguard? I’m almost done with my rehabilitation. I was thinking of seriously starting the search for Kinuan.”
"But in this world, there is no absolute—only possibilities. Finding Kinuan is important, but if I die, everything ends. More importantly, there will be a negotiation with the noa family soon. Having you by my side would be reassuring. The abilities of an Akies Victima user are useful in many ways."
A skilled Akies Victima user is highly adept at observing people. Naturally, this ability proves invaluable in negotiations.
"Kinuan must have been useful in negotiations too, then."
I pressed the question quickly, probing for answers.
"Hoyooh, I won’t deny it. Just like your sharp interrogation just now, the keen edge of Akies Victima can be an asset at the negotiation table. And though I am from the noa family myself... it has been a long ti since I last saw them."
"By the way, what exactly caused the peace agreent with your family to break down? If the peace had an expiration date, you would have been more thoroughly prepared than this."
Jafa had expected an attack at so point, but he hadn’t known the exact timing.
"The head of the noa family—the treaty’s signatory, my father—died. Sooner than expected. For reference, the Tajirun don’t have short lifespans. We live longer than humans on average."
"Are you suggesting foul play?"
"Officially, it was ruled an accident. But like other Tajirun families, the noa family is quite closed off. Only his closest aides and direct relatives would know the exact cause of death."
I furrowed my brow.
"No need to lay out all the facts. I’m asking for your gut feeling. Do you think it was murder?"
Jafa took a sip of his now-cooled tea. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled a faint breath.
"Yes, it was murder. That’s why I plan to visit the noa family with you. You understand what I want from you, don’t you?"
I let out a dry chuckle.
...Detective Luka is on the case once again. If I managed to solve this one too, maybe I wouldn’t feel embarrassed putting Master in front of the title.
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