Chapter 256
The Imperial Guards in my mory were brilliant. Especially the close aides and executives of Hemillas—they were superhuman beings beyond reach.
And yet, one of those superhumans stood before in a pitiful state. The deserter from the Imperial Guard seed to have gone without proper maintenance for a long ti.
Signs of rough, makeshift repairs were visible on his limbs, and except for his face, he was practically without synthetic skin.
‘A ss...’
On the other hand, his durability and reliability were remarkably outstanding. Even without maintenance, his prosthetics still functioned well enough to hold his own against for a brief mont.
"You may not rember, but we’ve crossed paths a few tis before."
"I have a faint mory of you. You were often by the Commander’s side."
"I was active in the northern part of the Empire. Because of that, I never stayed in Akbaran for long. I’m relieved you rember . My na is Lante... Yes, just call Lante."
It seed he had discarded the rest of his na.
"I heard that so forr Imperial Guards defected to the Federation. But judging by your appearance, you’re not a defector—you’re a fugitive."
That could have sounded sowhat rude. But I had no intention of sugarcoating my words. Lante wouldn’t have wanted that either.
"Those who defected were all low-ranking guards. The Federation governnt isn’t an easy opponent. From the mont they defect, they beco subjects of lifelong surveillance. They can’t move freely. You must already know this well."
I feigned an expressionless face. But my mind was racing, rapidly piecing together the situation to deduce the cause-and-effect behind it.
As I stroked my chin, I spoke.
"Hmm, so the defected guards are working as informants within the Federation governnt. And that ans you must have heard about from them."
A faint glow flickered around the edges of Lante’s pupils. He smiled slightly.
"As the rumors say, you’re exceptionally perceptive. No wonder the Commander took you in as his adopted son. You’re right—many of the forr Imperial Guards are tangled together like an underground network."
That was why people like Ilay were hunting down and killing forr Imperial Guards.
‘Which ans... these people are rebelling against the Empire—no, more precisely, against the Imperial family itself.’
To the Emperor, they were an extrely troubleso presence.
"What brings you to ?"
"You already know my purpose..."
Lante briefly glanced beyond the alleyway. People were passing by. So hesitated at the entrance of the alley before turning away. It must have been because of the ominous air that Lante and I exuded.
Lante, who had been watching the street, slowly opened his mouth.
"…We need a unifying force. And the perfect person has appeared. A once-symbolic boy has now beco an exceptional man."
"Are you trying to overthrow the Emperor and establish a republic?"
I spoke coldly, full of caution.
"No, we want to return the Empire to its rightful heir. Prince Francec may be in confinent, but he is still alive."
I almost laughed. If things went their way, the Empire would inevitably beco a republic.
According to Ilay, both he and Francec were preparing for a republican governnt.
'…If it's the Francec I know, he would willingly transfer his power and transform the system into a republic.'
mories of my ti in the Empire kept resurfacing—entangled plans and people, sches and conspiracies so intricate that no one could tell who was using whom. A bitter chill ran through , so sharp it felt like a dagger of pure malice stabbing into my chest.
'The Empire hasn’t changed.'
A faint smile escaped onto my lips.
"His Highness has been imprisoned for a long ti. He may not even be in the right state of mind to claim the throne."
"You don’t need to worry about that. We’ve been monitoring his condition regularly."
It seed Lante had people within the Empire who were under his influence.
He then briefly explained the situation.
At present, a faction centered around deserters from the Imperial Guard existed. It bore the grand na The Empire’s Blade. Their objective was to dethrone the current Emperor, Ivan Accretia, and restore Francec, the rightful heir, to the throne.
Though The Empire’s Blade was not large in scale, many of its mbers were elite forr Imperial Guards. Using that strength, they were not only operating within the Empire and the Federation but also across the entire planet Novus.
'Even I have to admit, I make for a compelling figurehead. From their perspective, I’m soone they wouldn’t want to lose.'
I was the adopted son of the Commander of the Imperial Guard and a cadet personally favored by Francec. If I stepped forward, their forces could expand at critical monts.
"If you join us… even those brothers who have remained neutral would start to move."
By "brothers," he must have ant the Imperial Guards who were staying neutral in this conflict.
"This isn’t a decision to be made lightly. I’ll take so ti to think about it."
"I hope that ti doesn’t take too long. We are desperate. Very desperate."
Lante emphasized his last words. Then, stepping backward, he exited the alley, pulled a hood over his head, and lted into the crowd. His presence faded away, vanishing completely.
"…Ridiculous."
Sothing was coming again.
* * *
Today was the scheduled eting with Ilay Carthica.
‘This will be the first ti seeing him since the assassination attempt on Gilda.’
Through Ilay, I had conveyed to Ivan my intention to return to Akies Domini.
Ilay would be bringing the response.
Step, step.
I took out my terminal and checked the encrypted ssage to confirm the eting location. No matter how many tis I looked, this was the right place.
"Hm."
I frowned at the colorful lights. Beyond the semi-transparent glass, n and won flirted and danced suggestively.
'A brothel.'
This was a brothel. Prostitutes, barely clothed to an almost shaless degree, walked around boldly.
True to Border City’s reputation, there was a wide variety of species here, and many were holding hands with partners who were not their own kind.
As I stepped through the entrance, I brushed off nurous solicitors trying to lure in. So cursed at under their breath as I passed.
Sss…
A heightened sense of awareness prickled at my skin. My mind was already processing countless thoughts.
The eting place was a brothel. Not the kind of location Ilay would usually choose.
Click.
I stepped into the designated establishnt.
A man, his face riddled with flashing light-up piercings, glanced at .
Despite his intimidating appearance, he greeted with a friendly smile and tone.
"Ah, a reservation… Are you Mr. Hemillas?"
What a distasteful alias.
I gave a nod. The man led the way down a hallway, guiding to a room.
"She's new here. Quite lucky of you to be her first client. Well then, enjoy your ti."
The man opened the door and stepped aside. I entered, sweeping the space with my senses.
‘Only one person.’
There was only one presence inside. No other traces. At least, not that I could detect.
Creak. Thud.
The door shut behind . In the dimly lit room, a red ambient light flickered on.
A person sat on the bed, legs crossed, watching in the nude.
Long purple hair cascaded down their back, reaching the spine. At first glance, their androgynous features made it difficult to discern whether they were male or female.
Whirr.
A chanical hum sounded as their prosthetic body adjusted—waist narrowing, chest expanding into full curves. A high-end, exquisitely crafted adaptive prosthetic body.
"Hello, Luka."
A sweet, lodious voice echoed.
"It has been a while, Your Majesty."
I knelt on one knee and paid my respects.
Ivan Accretia had co all this way to et .
At present, he was using a prosthetic body that made him look only a few years older than his boyhood self.
‘On official occasions, he wears the body of a dignified young man, but this must be the prosthetic that truly aligns with Ivan’s mind.’
Ivan wiggled his toes and sighed.
"Drop the stiff formalities. I told you to call Ivan. Did you already forget?"
I lifted my head slightly.
Ivan looked down at with irises shimring in a kaleidoscope of colors.
‘His reactions are quick and incredibly natural, but this is probably a remotely controlled prosthetic. His actual body—the one with his brain—won't be here.’
The Emperor was at the pinnacle of the Empire, and Ivan was always wrapped in cutting-edge technology. No doubt, he used advancents far beyond my understanding as well.
"Haha, you’re observing , Luka. You really are entertaining."
Ivan stood up. His sleek, naked body had taken the form of a woman.
Whirr.
He walked past a partition, and by the ti he erged on the other side, he had already shifted into the appearance of an androgynous young boy. The transformation was as seamless as changing clothes.
"You must have received my ssage through Ilay."
I didn’t wait for Ivan to speak first. I got straight to the point—sothing that would have been unthinkable in the Empire.
"I never expected you to voluntarily return to Akies Domini. I was truly shocked! That night, my heart pounded so hard I couldn’t sleep!"
Spouting such nonsense despite having a full-body prosthetic that even controlled involuntary bodily functions…
Ivan greeted as if he were welcoming an old friend.
I ticulously concealed any emotional signals. He was the ruler of the Empire—soone who could extract a wealth of information from even the smallest details.
‘Like a machine, devoid of humanity.’
With an utterly dry deanor, I stood up to face Ivan.
"Hmm, but you and I aren’t fools, are we? Your return to Akies Domini is nothing but poison for . It’s like keeping soone who despises as my closest aide."
"But you’ll swallow that poison willingly, Ivan. Because you already harbor sothing far more toxic than ."
"This is why you’re so delightful. You’re always so defiant and inventive. A defector who fled to the Federation, only to turn out to be Akies Domini—a servant of the Emperor and a double agent… How could I resist sothing so thrilling? I’m intrigued."
Ivan licked his lips, then placed a finger against them, his expression playful and mischievous.
"Just thinking about playing this ga with you again excites ."
"This isn’t a ga, Ivan."
I narrowed my eyes in contempt.
"No, it is a ga. Now that I’ve risen to this position, I understand it even better. We’re all just playing a ga."
I focused on Ivan’s words. Even in seemingly aningless remarks, there might be a clue hidden.
"Your goal is…"
"Finding Giselle Custoria, right? Do you really believe she’s alive? Haha, how naive."
'Don’t waver, Luka.'
He was just trying to provoke . If Ivan knew Giselle’s whereabouts, he would have played that card already. Even if the truth was grueso—even if Giselle was dead—he would have used it against .
I closed my eyes for a mont and then opened them again.
"Regardless of what you think, right now, I just want to escape this precarious situation. Acting as a spy for the Empire in the Federation is safer than being in an Empire where you are Emperor."
It was a ridiculous statent, but true. In the Empire—especially in Akbaran—I wouldn’t even stand a chance against Ivan.
But in Border City under the Federation, Ivan couldn’t exert his influence so openly.
"Luka, don’t I seem strange to you? How am I reacting so naturally, moving so fluidly? What if… this *isn’t* a remotely controlled prosthetic? What if my brain *is* inside this body? Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity?"
Ivan danced naked. The curves his limbs created—awkward as it was to admit—were *remarkably* beautiful.
"Dance with , Luka. You like human won, don’t you?"
As he approached, his body seamlessly shifted into a woman’s form. He took my arm and pulled into movent.
It wasn’t that I wanted to dance with him—I had sothing to confirm.
'A simple dance could be pre-programd into the body’s movent system.'
But dancing *with* soone required real-ti adjustnts to match their movents. Could a remotely controlled prosthetic execute such delicate coordination? Did the Imperial family possess technology advanced enough for that? And if it *was* remote-controlled, wouldn’t the body collapse the mont the data stream was interrupted?
A flood of thoughts filled my mind.
"Let’s just enjoy this mont."
Ivan whispered into my ear. His voice was sweet—undoubtedly another marvel of Imperial technology.
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