Chapter 309

The only ones left in the room with the cognitive map were Ilay and me. The two of us stared at Kinuan's cognitive map.

Maria, Sariel, and Quilia were outside under the watch of two special task force members.

Chiiik.

As soon as we were alone, Ilay pulled back his stifling helmet. His inorganic hair fell forward, and his glass-like pupils glowed blue. If he didn’t display any emotions, his face made it painfully clear that he was practically a machine.

"Luka, does Kinuan really need such a cumbersome memo? Is this one of Akies Victima’s cognitive techniques that I don’t know about?"

Ilay crossed his arms and rested his chin on one hand. He had the same question as I did.

"Of course not. I don’t need one either."

"Then this must be a trap meant to confuse us."

I quickly shook my head.

"…It’s not a trap. Something’s off. This is different from the traps and schemes Kinuan has used against us so far. It’s too shallow to be a strategy. Too easy."

"Luka, isn't it your philosophy that there’s no such thing as an easy answer? Do you really think the answer would come this easily?"

"Reality doesn’t move according to my philosophy. I have no intention of missing the answer right in front of me just because I’m trapped in my own values."

Ilay looked at me and nodded.

"Flexibility of thought, then."

He briefly closed his blue eyes before opening them slightly. It was a habit from his biological days, still ingrained in him. Someday, once he fully adapted to his mechanical body, even that habit would disappear.

"Kinuan must have a reason for needing to secure trivial information through something like a cognitive map. No matter what, it must be a functional abnormality caused by brain damage."

I spoke as if organizing my thoughts.

Kinuan had used Akies Victima for a long time. There had to be functional abnormalities due to brain damage.

'But he had thoroughly hidden it.'

I even suspected that Kinuan had found some way to overcome Akies Victima’s side effects. The weaknesses or 'brain dysfunction' he occasionally revealed to me felt like an act.

'Because of his behavior—always unclear, always ambiguous—I was constantly questioning what was real and what was fake.'

But this time, I had reached the truth.

To borrow from the old adage Ilay had once mentioned, ‘The darkest place is under the lamp.’

This was a truth I could only believe if I regarded Kinuan as a human just like me.

'A truth I would never believe if I feared, worshiped, and saw him as a monster of chaos.'

Here, I would pull out the wedge Kinuan had planted in me and correct my distorted perception.

"Luka, if what you're saying is true, then Kinuan’s brain is so damaged that he can’t even store information properly. And yet, he still moves around, slipping past all forms of pursuit… There’s no other word for it—he’s a monster."

Ilay still saw Kinuan as something far above us—a monster who could continue to outmaneuver everyone even with a broken brain. That was the Kinuan that existed in Ilay’s mind.

"Ilay, we have the advantage. Kinuan is cornered. He’s so desperate that he can’t even properly conceal the information he needs to hide. He’s making his last frantic struggle."

"Hm… is that so…?"

Ilay responded vaguely. Having pursued Kinuan for so long, he found it hard to believe that Kinuan was truly in a tight spot.

The wedge Kinuan had planted was difficult to remove. It had taken me a long time as well.

'Kinuan must have shown us his weaknesses multiple times before now. But… because we believed he would never make such careless mistakes, we dismissed those weaknesses as traps.'

There’s no such thing as a perfect being. People only pretend to be perfect.

I memorized Kinuan’s cognitive map, then burned it. Leaving it behind would do more harm than good.

"What happened to Lars? My last order was for him to make contact with you."

I spoke without looking at Ilay. I didn’t want to watch him and agonize over whether he was telling the truth or lying.

If Ilay were lying… then so be it. At the very least, even if he deceived me, I believed he wouldn’t do me harm.

"Lars never showed up at the rendezvous point. His last signal was lost at the Pioneering Temple. In the worst-case scenario, he’s already dead."

Ilay took a breath before continuing, as if trying to persuade me.

"I’ll say it again—abandoning Lars is the rational choice. Sariel, that Crawler, has a nose far sharper than Kinuan could have anticipated. If Kinuan really is cornered… then we can catch him. Lars is a soldier. He came on this mission knowing he was expendable for the sake of the nation."

Ilay’s reasoning wasn’t wrong. Lars had come on this mission prepared to be sacrificed.

But there was still a line I wasn’t willing to cross. If I severed it, something inside me would break. Maybe it was the impurity that Hemillas had spoken of.

"Ilay, you’d abandon Lars without hesitation. If Kinuan were in my position, he would too. Even Hemillas would have left Lars behind. But… I’m not you. I’m not Kinuan, and I’m not Hemillas."

I swallowed my last words.

'I am me.'

I was sick of seeing people worn down under the excuse of inevitability. That wasn’t my way—it was someone else’s.

The weak don’t exist just to be trampled by the strong, and an ordinary life shouldn’t mean becoming the stepping stone for a so-called hero.

More than anything, I was certain.

'Lars isn’t someone who has resolved himself to die. He’s just a boy trapped in a war machine.'

Lars hadn’t chosen to be expendable based on his own experiences, values, or convictions. He was far too young for that. He had simply been brainwashed into being a disposable tool for the Empire—he wasn’t mentally mature enough to make that kind of sacrifice by choice.

"Luka, you and Quilia should go save Lars. I’ll take Maria’s group and track down Kinuan. That’s my compromise."

I had expected Ilay to make that proposal.

"Once this is over, don’t kill Maria and Sariel. They’ve been useful allies. Treat them fairly."

"I wasn’t planning to. I’m already looking into Maria Oganov’s background. She has connections, so she’s not someone we can take down easily. You don’t need to worry."

"Connections?"

"Seems like she has ties to high-ranking military officials in the Bellato Federation. I’m still digging into the details."

So that’s why Maria never backed down, even in the face of state violence. It all made sense now.

*         *         *

My collar was Ivan’s leash. Through it, he monitored and controlled me.

But this time, I needed to slip out from under that control.

"Ivan, I’m heading into Corite’s Pioneering Temple. Just like before, my signal will be forcibly cut off, and the collar will activate."

I whispered to myself, matching the collar’s data transmission cycle.

I let the silence drag out before continuing.

"Whether you permit it or not, I’m going. If you want me to find Kinuan, handle it. I’m one step away. If you’d rather watch my head explode before I take that step, then so be it."

Yeah, this was a threat. I was threatening the Emperor of the Empire. Look at you, Luka—how far you’ve come.

I checked the transmission time and waited.

By now, the collar should have transmitted data to the Empire’s military satellites. It was packed with classified information, likely reinforced with layers of top-secret security technology not even available to the public. Maybe it was even a reverse-engineered communication system based on Arcane Civilization’s technology.

Srrng.

I ran my fingers over the collar, feeling its surface. There was no noticeable change.

‘There’s no way for me to confirm whether Ivan has released his control over it or not.’

Given Ivan’s sadistic tendencies, even if he had temporarily released the collar’s control, he wouldn’t tell me.

While I was communicating with Ivan, Ilay had found a temporary shelter.

We broke into a nearby abandoned building, disabling the lock, and took the time to rest and check our gear before continuing the mission.

'Sariel is asleep under the effects of a sedative…'

Ilay and the two special task force members took turns resting while keeping watch over Quilia and Maria.

The moment Maria saw me, she frowned.

Ssk.

She gestured at me with her chin, signaling that she wanted to talk. The task force member assigned to watch her moved to follow.

"That won’t be necessary. I’m here. And Maria is our ally in this mission, so don’t treat her like a criminal."

I stopped the task force member and stepped out into the corridor with Maria.

"I agreed to cooperate under the condition that I work with you. I don’t trust that murder machine."

Maria voiced her displeasure. It was clear she didn’t want to work with Ilay.

"If you’re unhappy, take Sariel and leave. I’ll make sure no one stops you. I have no intention of forcing you to stay—you’ve already helped more than enough."

At my straightforward response, Maria widened her eyes.

"You don’t sound like you’re lying."

"That ‘murder machine’ is my friend, but I won’t deny that he’s ruthless. Sometimes, he pisses me off so much I feel like cracking his skull open."

Maria twitched her lips, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"I like you, kid. Hm, but with the age gap, dating is out of the question. Maybe I should just make you my son-in-law, like I said before…"

"I already have someone. Pretty face, slender body."

I shut her down immediately.

Maria clicked her tongue in disappointment before glancing toward Ilay.

"So, you’re off to rescue one of your subordinates?"

"Idiot probably walked right into a trap. He’s not someone prepared to die just yet. If he’s still alive, I want to save him."

I had already ruled out the possibility that Lars had assassinated the Parish Overseer under Ivan’s orders. Meeting Ilay had made me certain.

'Kinuan is Ivan’s top priority. He wouldn’t do anything that might interfere with mine and Ilay’s mission. And Ilay doesn’t seem to know anything about it either.'

Maria placed a hand on her hip and sighed, looking exasperated.

"And here I thought you were just another heartless Imperial soldier. Turns out you’re surprisingly soft."

"…That’s my weapon."

I replied quietly.

"Hm, hmmm."

Maria stroked her chin with a thoughtful, unreadable expression.

'Gabriel.'

I parted my lips slightly. At first, I hadn’t intended to tell Maria about Gabriel’s existence.

But Gabriel longed for his family. No matter how strong he pretended to be, inside, he was still a boy craving affection.

'This is for Gabriel to decide.'

Maria didn’t seem like the kind of parent who treated her children as mere expendables. If she were, Uriel, Raphael, and Sariel wouldn’t follow her so loyally.

She had her ruthless side, but she must have had warmth as well.

"Do you know the Anima Traveling School?"

"Oh, that weird woman’s school? How do you know about that? Only nomads are supposed to be aware of it…"

"Go there and look for ‘Gabriel.’"

Maria froze in shock. Like a broken machine, she stood still for a long moment before her body slowly began to tremble from the tips of her fingers to her shoulders. Then, she turned to me with wide eyes.

"How do you know that name?"

"He looks like you. I recognized it immediately. Go see for yourself. But I’ll tell you one thing in advance—respect Gabriel’s choice. If you try to force him… you won’t see me as soft anymore."

At my words, Maria’s face softened into a gentle smile. For the first time, I felt like I was seeing not a 'commander,' but a 'mother.'

"…So you’re Gabriel’s friend. Haha, that kid has a good one."

I didn’t deny it.