Bad Born Blood Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Gabriel’s gang was growing smoothly. Their main businesses revolved around minor security work, including brothels and the arena. If their revenue continued to expand, they might need to get registered as an official enterprise soon.

When that ti ca, they would need soone capable of acting as the organization’s strategist.

‘Grace.’

I looked at Grace, who was staying at the gang’s office. She was teaching basic combat techniques to so of our gang mbers, serving as a sort of external instructor.

Whoosh!

Pig Nose lost his balance due to Grace’s maneuver and fell flat on his back.

“Your lower body is always too loose, Pig Nose.”

Grace tapped his calf a couple of tis as she spoke. Pig Nose grinned as if he had been waiting for this mont and cracked a joke.

“Oh, that’s because I use my hips a lot every nigh— Ugh! Sh, you, bi—”

Grace kicked him square between the legs. Pig Nose groaned in pain, rolling on the floor.

“Next.”

She gave him a kick to the rear and gestured for another gang mber to step forward.

“Co on now. Why bother learning all these troubleso moves when we can just use guns?”

Beard grumbled. Grace turned to look at Gabriel.

Gabriel sighed, grabbed a fistful of Beard’s chest hair, and yanked hard. Beard let out a whimper, tears welling up in his eyes as he got dragged closer.

“Shut up and practice properly. If we go around shooting every troublemaker in the brothel, we’ll run out of custors. You need to be able to subdue them barehanded, too.”

“G-got it, Boss.”

With Gabriel’s pressure weighing on them, the gang mbers obediently followed orders.

By lower district standards, Gabriel’s combat skills were above average. In the arena, he was registered as a high-tier fighter. For an ordinary gang, that was a significant force.

‘But that’s not enough.’

Plenty of gangsters in the lower district had combat skills on par with Gabriel. Running a gang required power beyond that level.

‘If only Gabriel could learn Akies Combat Techniques like Ken... but he doesn’t have the talent for it.’

For Gabriel to master Akies Combat Techniques, he would either have to beco addicted to stimulants or undergo nervous system modifications. Neither was a good option.

If I weren’t around, there was only one person who had both the ability and the motivation to take care of Gabriel.

‘Martina Diva.’

I tapped the table a few tis before speaking.

“Grace, arrange a eting with Diva.”

Grace didn’t even ask why. She imdiately contacted La Vie en Rose and set up an appointnt.

The eting was scheduled for tonight at one of La Vie en Rose’s establishnts.

As evening approached, Grace and I stepped out onto the street. We walked in silence for a long ti.

Neither of us were particularly social. What others might perceive as an awkward silence was comfortable for us.

It was Grace who eventually broke the quiet.

“Luka, have you had any contact with Diva recently?”

She was perceptive. She must have assud that Martina Diva and I had t sowhere before. She was right—I had spoken with Martina at a banquet in the upper district.

“So, it’s true that you were among the top-ranking cadets.”

“I don’t like to brag. I have no reason to lie about sothing like that.”

I thought for a mont before speaking.

“Then let’s make this interesting. If you tell why you left the Imperial Guard Academy, I’ll tell you about my eting with Diva.”

It didn’t matter if she refused. This was just curiosity on my part.

“I was an Irregular from the lower district who managed to beco a cadet. And I wasn’t even from one of the single-digit orphanages.”

It was like listening to my own story.

“You caught quite the opportunity. That kind of chance doesn’t co often.”

That statent applied to as well.

“That’s right. I was much more desperate than the other cadets.”

Because she had nowhere to return to.

I felt a strong sense of kinship. She was like . Irregulars who made it into the Imperial Guard Academy probably shared similar mindsets. That’s just how the selection process worked.

“So why did you leave?”

For the first ti, Grace hesitated. I walked alongside her, waiting for her response.

“There’s sothing I should explain first. A year above , there was another Irregular. Normally, cadets from different years don’t interact much, but since Irregulars appearing in consecutive years is extrely rare, we ended up having a lot of contact.”

I would have done the sa.

“Irregulars usually have outstanding records. Not a single one has ever been dismissed due to lack of ability. The only ones who leave are those who quit of their own will, like you.”

“Luka, you don’t seem like the blindly loyal type.”

Grace spoke cautiously, as if treading on dangerous ground. It seed that was how others perceived . Ironically, that was precisely why I had beco the emperor’s Overseer.

“No one’s ever called obedient before.”

“That Irregular senior and I beca as close as siblings. If I were to put it emotionally, we were close enough to die for each other. Ti passed, and they officially beca a mber of the Imperial Guard. Even after that, they often ca to visit .”

The Irregular she was talking about was likely still in the Imperial Guard—assuming they hadn’t died. I listened as she continued.

“...Whenever the Imperial Guard had important missions or battles, they deployed in full-body prosthetic suits, the Legion.”

To use a Legion, one had to endure an overload dozens of tis greater than that of standard combat prosthetics. Even Imperial Guards had to attach multiple signal dampeners and auxiliary processors just to withstand its effects.

“So? If you have sothing to say, say it clearly. Don’t dance around the subject—it’s not like you. I don’t have the ti to report a re lower-district gangster as a dissident.”

Grace was hesitating on sothing important. So I gave her a direct answer. I was telling her that whatever she said, I’d just hear it and let it go. Whether she believed that or not was up to her.

“Every ti they went out in a Legion... their mind started to crumble. To be precise, their humanity was disappearing. The last ti I saw them, they were crying, telling they were afraid. That if they kept going like this, they would lose themselves.”

I listened calmly. Yeah, that wasn’t exactly a shocking revelation. If I had heard this a year or two ago, I might have been shaken. But not now.

“The Legion eats away at the mind. It’s not a weapon that just anyone can endure. That person simply lacked the resilience for it.”

Even Hemillas had deployed in a Legion countless tis without losing his sense of self. Plenty of other Imperial Guards had used it just as much and remained human. It was a matter of endurance.

“You’re right, Luka. Not everyone ends up like that. But I knew—I just knew that I’d walk the sa path as my senior.”

At that point, I voiced a question that had been on my mind.

“But cadets are the Empire’s assets. You couldn’t have just left because you wanted to.”

"If you do a favor, I’ll answer that question. I won’t ask about your private eting with Diva. Instead... I want to know what happened to my senior afterward. It’s nearly impossible for to obtain information about the Imperial Guard from the inside. Their na is Rowzen."

A glimpse of Grace’s hidden humanity surfaced. She still cared about that Irregular senior, Rowzen.

"If I et Rowzen or find out anything, I promise to tell you."

Grace looked at intently with the eye beneath her eyepatch. She held my gaze for a mont before slowly nodding.

"Even as a cadet, I was allowed to go to the nearby upper district with special permission. And as you already know... so mbers of La Vie en Rose occasionally get dispatched to the upper district as well."

Grace was certain that I had t Martina Diva in the upper district.

"I was one of Diva’s regulars. I never had much interest in n. She was soone I shared a deep connection with over a long ti. And perhaps because I let my guard down... I ended up confiding in her about my fears and weaknesses."

I had already suspected as much. Grace’s loyalty to Martina Diva had affection mixed into it.

"So Diva pulled you out of the Imperial Guard Academy after hearing your story?"

"Diva went to great lengths, calling in every favor she could. Even I never imagined it would be possible."

That part surprised . I hadn’t expected Martina’s network of connections to be that powerful.

"She made the investnt because having an ex-cadet as a subordinate was worth it. It wasn’t pure goodwill or sympathy. You were soone who could fill the gap in La Vie en Rose’s need for muscle."

"I’m well aware of that calculation. But it doesn’t change the fact that I owe her a debt I can never fully repay. Until the day Diva dies, I will stay by her side."

Considering Martina Diva’s age, that wouldn’t take too long.

"That was an interesting story, Grace. I’ll settle the price for it later."

"I can wait as long as needed."

Grace gave a faint smile. She seed noticeably lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The Irregular of the Imperial Guard, Rowzen.

I repeated the na in my mind. Now, I was curious about his whereabouts as well.

* * *

Grace and I arrived at the eting place with La Vie en Rose. It was one of their establishnts, but for , it was a rather uncomfortable space.

"Hah, hah, how cute."

“My type.”

“If you’ve got ti, I’ll give you a discount. Make sure to stop by.”

If you only listened to the words, it was sothing you could tolerate. The problem was that every single person saying such things to was a man.

This place was a n-only establishnt. There were all sorts, from slender young n to ones as burly as Gabriel.

I frowned deeply. The instinctive surge of physiological disgust was sothing I couldn’t suppress. Martina had probably brought here just to enjoy my reaction.

“Cut the flirting. This young master is Diva’s guest. You wanna die?”

A gang mber managing the place shoved the n aside, clearing a path.

“Hey now, don’t be so scary.”

“He only talks tough. He’s actually pretty gentle.”

Even with the gang mber’s warning, none of the n seed intimidated. That said a lot about the atmosphere of La Vie en Rose’s gang.

Grace and I entered the VIP room in the back of the establishnt.

On a wide sofa, Martina sat with four male escorts draped around her. Their outfits caught my attention in the worst way possible. They were wearing nothing but leather straps covering only the essentials. ...This was insane.

“From here on, I’ll stand by Diva’s side, Luka.”

Grace whispered to before moving behind Martina, standing as if guarding her.

Noticing our exchange, Martina smiled seductively.

“Hm~ Looks like you and Grace have gotten pretty close, huh? Luka, young master, you two haven’t been sharing a bed behind my back, have you? Just the thought of it makes jealous.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you’ve slept with Gabriel too.”

I was so irritated I just threw it out there in resignation.

“Gabriel? Honestly, he wasn’t as strong as I expected. Doesn’t live up to his looks. I an, he’s built like a breeding stud and everything.”

“Cut Gabriel so slack. Look at who he was up against. A grandm—”

“Young master. I told you before, you shouldn’t tease a lady.”

Martina sharply cut off.

“You brought to a place like this. You should’ve expected at least this much. I’m not exactly mild-tempered.”

“Coincidentally, all the other venues were fully booked tonight, so this was the only VIP room left. No bad intentions, really.”

I stared into Martina’s eyes. That was a lie. She just wanted to ss with .

Noticing my displeasure, Martina put on a deliberately fake smile.

“Go on now, pretties.”

She lightly tapped the escorts’ privates and backsides with her folded fan. The ghastly-looking n disappeared from my sight.