Chapter 314

This is not the first time I have faced a powerless situation. It was the same when I was captured by Mushir al-Kashura.

My limbs were immobile. My left arm was physically damaged, and with the neural connections severed, my prosthetic arm and leg were nothing more than scrap metal.

The scars of battle were deeply etched into my cybernetic implants like wounds. There was hardly any intact exterior left.

‘I must have made Lapis feel bad.’

I blinked and stared at the dark isolation room. It was a space completely devoid of external information. But in a way, this was better.

Inside my head, my thoughts tangled like an intricate web, unbearably complex.

‘My mind won’t stop.’

For the weak to defeat the strong, they must always take an indirect approach. It was never about clashing head-on but using asymmetric power to strike at an opening.

I recalled the past, perceived the present, and foresaw the future.

Like running a simulation on a computer, I envisioned countless choices and their possible outcomes.

The greatest ability of an intelligent being is imagination—the capacity to believe in what does not exist and to think based on events that have not yet happened.

‘Kinuan has completely grasped me.’

Luka cannot defeat Kinuan.

Not alone. I had to recognize and confront my own weakness.

‘I have learned from my past experiences.’

At every crossroads in my life, it was always others who saved me. Those bound to me through bonds of companionship and aid, formed despite my clenched lips and hesitant hands.

The bonds between people are microscopic phenomena. No one can fully read them.

The interests between groups and factions, their economic gains and losses—these can be calculated and predicted.

But human emotions change from moment to moment. The shifts in relationships between factions are slow enough to observe, but an individual’s heart can turn unexpectedly in an instant.

That was why I was caught off guard by the Parish Overseer. I never anticipated that Kinuan’s betrayal would make him change his mind so easily. There must have been a complicated bond of love and hatred between them—one I never understood.

Click.

I opened my eyes. Quilia was bringing my meal.

She tore a piece of bread and held it up to my mouth.

“Has my fate been decided?”

I asked as I chewed and swallowed the bread. Quilia stared at me with an indifferent gaze before pressing her lips shut. She had been instructed not to speak.

I knew there would be no answer, but I asked anyway. Even the slightest reaction from Quilia might give me a clue about what was happening outside.

"Kinuan must have already left by now. If given the chance, the Parish Overseer would have tried to take him down as well."

Quilia lowered her head, avoiding my gaze. She mechanically fed me bread and handed me a glass of water.

As soon as the meal was over, Quilia rose from her seat.

"…The transfer is tomorrow."

She spoke, and I gave a slight nod.

*         *         *

Click, click.

I woke up to the sound of footsteps. Someone was approaching my isolation room.

Focusing a bit more, I recognized them—it was Dican, the Parish Overseer.

‘It’s dawn.’

I couldn't see outside, but my sense of time was precise.

It was indeed dawn. By now, the deep blue sky would be stretching over Border City. It was the hour when nocturnal and diurnal species exchanged roles.

"Lukaus Custoria, your journey in Border City has come to an end."

The Parish Overseer opened the door as he spoke.

"The transfer is happening sooner than I expected."

"The homeland has placed a high value on you."

"If I go to the Holy Corite Alliance, your secrets will be exposed. Including your collaboration with Kinuan."

I knew it was an empty threat. I was merely testing the waters.

"My sins have already been reported to the Order. I have also informed them about Kinuan. By now, they should have formed a pursuit squad. Regardless, I have proven the value of the Border City Parish. That is all that matters to me."

Before long, two men armed with archaic swords and armor entered. Their appearance was completely detached from modern science.

But I could tell—they were the Holy Corite Alliance’s elite warriors.

Their rigid movements exuded an unshakable confidence, the kind possessed only by those who could stand against any monster in the world.

‘As if cutting-edge weapons and electronic equipment were unnecessary for them…’

There was an undeniable sense of unyielding power emanating from them.

Seated in a wheelchair, I was escorted down the corridor. In that brief time, I observed many details.

‘They’re trying to transport me in secret—and as quickly as possible.’

Not a single person crossed my path on the way to the Pioneering Temple’s airfield. That meant they had restricted access within the temple itself.

At the airfield, a Coritan aerial vehicle hummed softly as it finished preparations. The sleek, white vehicle, despite being capable of ground travel, resembled an elegant airship at first glance.

"You’re in a hurry. Someone must have come here looking for me and Lars."

I gazed up at the sky as I spoke. The biting dawn air escaped my lips in a long breath.

‘Ivan Accretia will try to use the Empire’s power to rescue me. But not here—at least not yet.’

Ivan had entrusted the pursuit of Kinuan entirely to me. This was a test of sorts.

If I succeeded in capturing Kinuan, I would be freed from the Empire’s subjugation and gain my freedom.

‘If I get taken back to the Empire like this, I’ll become Ivan’s eternal servant.’

Ivan Accretia wouldn’t want me to be interrogated in the Holy Corite Alliance. But if he were to make a move, it would be outside Border City.

‘He’ll use the Empire’s unofficial combat operatives to intercept me in transit.’

The Holy Corite Alliance would also be preparing for an Imperial attack. A large-scale battle might even break out.

‘The Emperor’s Shadows.’

Combat machines specialized in warfare. This time, they would likely be deployed.

As of now, I was powerless.

Did I have a plan? Truthfully, no.

Even if there was a strategy I could devise with my calculations and abilities, Kinuan would have already blocked off any such possibilities.

At this point, what I needed was an unpredictable factor—someone or something operating outside of our calculated projections.

All I could do was wait for the fragile threads extending from me to weave themselves together.

And right now…

WIIIIIIING!

A sharp warning siren rang through the sky. The Coritan warriors and the Parish Overseer froze in place.

Bright red warning lights spiraled across the deep blue sky. And they weren’t just a few.

‘Border City’s police aerial vehicles.’

The public security forces of the Bellato Federation were on the move.

Twelve 12-seater aerial vehicles surrounded the Pioneering Temple in a tight formation, encircling it completely.

THUDUDUDU!

The roar of armed helicopters followed closely behind, their rotors churning the air.

“…The Federation.”

The Parish Overseer groaned.

- This is Mikael Aegis, commander of the Border City Metropolitan Investigation Unit. As of this moment, under Article 4, Section 1 of the Border City Agreement, we are initiating a search of the Pioneering Temple.

A booming voice echoed from the speaker of the lead aerial vehicle.

The rear hatches of the police transports swung open. From inside, police androids leaped down, landing with precise movements. Their blue-painted bodies gleamed under the sunlight, and their green optical sensors scanned the area as they dispersed, weapons drawn.

- Disarm immediately. Raise your hands with your palms visible.

A police android issued the warning, its directive directed at both the Parish Overseer and the Coritan warriors.

The Overseer and the elite warriors of the Holy Corite Alliance had the power to annihilate these forces. But they were representatives of their nation, and provoking an international incident was not an option.

BZZZZZT!

One of the police androids locked its gaze onto me.

A gridded laser beam from its single optical lens scanned me, analyzing my condition.

- Identity confirmed. Citizen number BD823902, ‘Luka.’

The police android strode toward me. I sometimes forgot, but I was a formally recognized refugee and a citizen of the Federation.

- Luka, are you currently being unlawfully detained? Please answer yes or no.

I wanted to yell at the foolish android and ask if it was blind, but I held back and answered calmly.

“Yes.”

- Effective immediately, emergency protection measures for a Federation citizen will be enacted.

Four police androids leaped forward and surrounded me as if forming a protective barrier.

Clank, clank.

The Coritan warriors stepped back and looked at the Parish Overseer. They were warriors, nothing more. They didn’t move based on independent judgment.

Thirty police androids had completely seized control of the airfield.

As soon as the androids secured a safe perimeter, armed officers of various species descended right behind them. Clad in full-body combat suits, they moved with disciplined precision, clearly well-trained. They seemed to be among the elite forces of Border City’s police.

And behind the officers stood a massive man, wearing nothing but a police uniform and a long coat—no combat gear at all.

“…Ha.”

I let out a small chuckle.

There was no mistaking it—this hulking man bore the unmistakable bloodline of Maria.

‘Mikael Aegis.’

Though he didn’t share Maria Oganov’s surname, he was undoubtedly her son.

From his appearance, he looked older than Gabriel. Among Maria’s children, he seemed to be one of the eldest.

“I did not expect the commander himself to make an appearance.”

The Parish Overseer spoke as he faced Mikael.

Armed police had surrounded the area, securing the perimeter. Some of them were preparing to storm into the Pioneering Temple.

‘Border City’s Metropolitan Investigation Commander.’

It had only been two days since I entered the Pioneering Temple. No matter how efficient the process was, something like this wouldn’t have happened without direct approval from the higher-ups.

‘A man in a position to mobilize this level of police force on his own authority.’

Mikael must have held immense influence within Border City.

‘So Mikael was the foundation Maria placed her trust in.’

I wasn’t sure about the details, but one of Maria’s sons was a high-ranking official in Border City. And not just any official—one in charge of security and law enforcement.

“We received a report that a Federation citizen was being unlawfully detained. It appears the report was accurate.”

Mikael’s gaze briefly flicked toward me.

“You must receive hundreds of such reports daily. This will certainly put a strain on old friendships.”

Mikael pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket and placed it between his lips.

"I’m not here to waste my breath on a long discussion. Let’s make a deal, Dican. If you hand over that man right now, I won’t conduct an internal search. But I’m not backing down on this one."

Mikael burned through his cigarette in a single drag, exhaling a long stream of smoke.

I quickly interjected.

"…There’s another man who was captured with me. I’d like him released as well."

I addressed Mikael directly. He frowned, staring at me.

"You’re not really in a position to be making demands, are you?"

"I don’t intend to leave a subordinate behind just to save myself."

I kept my explanation short. I could only hope Mikael’s personality was as I suspected.

"A subordinate, huh… Well, I suppose that makes sense. Dican, add one more to the list."

Mikael snapped his fingers. The Parish Overseer’s expression darkened.

"Commander, both the homeland and the Order will remember this. Cooperation within Border City will be difficult for you moving forward."

"I don’t plan on climbing any higher in the ranks anyway. If anyone’s going to kiss up to those old geezers, let Ismael handle it."

Mikael chuckled to himself.

With his intervention, things were progressing swiftly. Quilia and Lars, who had been brought out, were loaded onto the police aerial transport on stretchers.

Click.

Mikael grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me forward.

"Was this a request from Maria? You seem to be going out of your way for this."

At my question, Mikael let out a sharp laugh.

"Do I look like some mama’s boy who does whatever my mother asks? I hate my mom. This is repayment for finding my little brother, Gabriel."

He pulled out another cigarette with his thick fingers and placed it against my lips.

"I don’t smoke."

"You look like a goddamn terminal lung cancer patient, and yet—how amusing. Hm, don’t tell me Gabriel also turned out to be some boring ascetic? Birds of a feather and all that."

"That bastard’s obsessed with booze, smokes, and women."

"A fine young man, then. I already like him."

…It seemed the moral values of this family were entirely incompatible with mine.