Bad Born Blood

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Greedy
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< Chapter 25 >

In principle, this was something I should never do. I knew that well.

That’s why I was angrier with myself than with anyone else. I felt like contradictions were tearing me apart. I almost wished there were two of me.

One would be the loyal soldier of the Empire, and the other would be someone wanting to help Ilay.

Both of these facets were also parts of me. But a conflict had arisen between those two roles. Choosing one meant I had to give up the other.

Holding my throbbing head, I thought it over. One way or another, I had to follow Ilay. That was my conclusion.

‘If I go, I can save Ilay without making him a traitor.’

My plan was simple. As soon as I encountered Lilian Ramoness, I would kill her. Even if Ilay was watching—it didn’t matter!

‘Even if Ilay ends up hating me, at least I’ll save his life.’

And, given time, once the heat of emotion cooled, Ilay would understand. He wouldn’t hold a lifelong grudge over my killing Lilian. That’s what I believed.

“……Kodrak, secure the captives here until the other platoon arrives. I’ll leave the rest to you once you join up.”

Kodrak nodded at my command but added a comment.

“You’re an exceptional soldier, Platoon Leader. I’ll never forget today’s battle for the rest of my life. You handled a task of extraordinary magnitude as if it were nothing. It went beyond admiration—I was stunned.”

I couldn’t laugh. His compliment had thorns in it. I understood what he meant.

“Go on, say what you want to say.”

“But as a Leader, you’re flawed.”

I closed my eyes, then opened them in a half-lidded gaze.

“If I hadn’t been the Platoon Leader, the damage would have been much worse. I think I racked up enough achievements—what exactly is your complaint?”

Kodrak sighed.

“You’ve never really led. You broke through everything using only your own skills. Someday…”

I stood up, cutting off Kodrak’s words with a laugh.

“The reason my methods seem so self-centered is because you lack strength. None of you could keep up with my abilities. You can’t understand or follow my style of command or combat. What difference does it make if a wolf fights alongside a day-old pup? Fighting alone would be the same. Watching those who were useless whining about not being used… it’s truly absurd.”

Kodrak’s pupils gradually dulled. His gaze darkened, stained by anger and humiliation.

“You, too, Platoon Leader, will someday need the help of someone weaker than yourself. You can’t always be the strongest.”

“Then, when that time comes, feel free to laugh at me, Kodrak. Go on, say, ‘See? Wasn’t I right?’”

“I’ll remember that, Platoon Leader Luka. Now, I’ll go carry out your orders.”

Kodrak turned to leave. I glanced briefly in the direction Ilay had disappeared, then called out to Kodrak again.

“Kodrak, but remember the advice of my first lieutenant. If the day comes when I realize my way was wrong… I’ll keep your advice in mind and try to think differently.”

Kodrak flinched, his eyes widening. He smirked, twitching one corner of his mouth.

“For the first time, I’ve just realized that arrogance and flexibility can coexist. Then, I wish you good fortune.”

I nodded slightly and turned away.

* * *

I had to admit one thing.

As cringeworthy as it sounded, Ilay was my friend. We had a relationship that went beyond mere comrades. He was the first peer with whom I’d connected deeply on equal terms.

‘Ilay, you’re using Imperial soldiers for personal reasons.’

I was following Ilay’s trail. Corpses of his platoon members appeared at scattered corners. Prioritizing speed inevitably led to casualties.

‘They wouldn’t have had to die under normal circumstances.’

Any other platoon wouldn’t take such sacrifices just to pursue rebels.

The Suppression Force surrounded the entire fortress. Just driving them back gradually would fulfill our role.

‘Even if you manage to secure Lilian, how do you plan to escape?’

No matter how much I thought it over, I couldn’t see any feasible solution. Lilian would have to die in the end.

‘I get that she was someone you cared for, but there’s no need to die with her.’

From where I stood, Ilay’s actions were nothing short of suicide. He was clearly out of control.

“Not that I’m in a position to talk.”

Breaking off from my platoon to pursue Ilay wasn’t a wise decision either. I frowned and pressed forward.

‘There was another confrontation here.’

I examined the scorched walls and bullet casings. There were also corpses of nobles. They seemed to have wielded unfamiliar guns in an attempt to buy time.

‘Even the nobles, who weren’t soldiers, died fighting with guns. It shows just how hard the rebels are pressing in.’

It wasn’t just this corridor; similar scenes were likely happening throughout the underground sections of the fortress. A substantial portion of the Suppression Force must have entered the residential areas and were sweeping through the rebels.

Creak, creak.

There was a faint noise. I turned my head, focusing on the source of the sound. A nobleman’s severed head was blinking. It seemed he was equipped with a remarkably expensive life-support system.

“Ugh, ack! I-I surrender. I’m from the Ramoness family….”

The nobleman struggled to speak, barely clinging to consciousness.

“Do you know where Lilian Ramoness went?”

I lifted the nobleman’s head and asked.

“Lilian? Ah, as for a d-direct descendant, I don’t, don’t know exactly where she went.”

For a split second, his pupils shifted sideways. One of those habits that means he is lying.

Crunch!

I jammed my fingers into his eye, crushing it. The powder leaking from the broken eye was entirely composed of fine mechanical parts. It was a very costly mechanical eye.

“W-What are you doing? I said I surrender!”

But I didn’t hear the scream I’d expected. Now that I thought about it, he’d probably suppressed his pain when his neck was severed.

For someone with a fully mechanical body, physical torture held little meaning. What mattered was the mind and brain inside.

Whirrr!

I extended my blade and traced a circle around his temple. Like slicing open a piece of fruit, his head opened, and a pinkish gel, like brain fluid, oozed out.

Squish, squish.

I scooped aside the gel-like cushioning with my hand and gripped the container holding his brain. As I squeezed, the restraints creaked as if on the verge of snapping.

Creeaak!

It made a fairly chilling sound. I liked it.

“S-Stop! What are you doing! A-Argh, aaah!”

A scream burst out, laced with terror. Smiling, I looked down at him.

“This is your last chance, noble sir. Where did Lilian Ramoness go?”

I had no time to waste. If his answer dragged on, I planned to kill him and move forward without hesitation. The nobleman must have sensed my intent.

“She went down! She went down!”

“Down? Are you kidding me? If she’s trying to escape, she has to get to the surface eventually. There must be another escape route leading upward, right?”

“I don’t, don’t know the details. R-Really. They don’t tell collateral members important things.”

His mental state wasn’t stable enough for him to lie. It seemed safe to trust what he was saying.

“Have you seen Ilay Carthica?”

I asked. The nobleman, leaking the remaining artificial fluids as if they were tears and snot, replied.

“I-I saw him. He’s gone mad! Even though we’re acquaintances, he… he attacked us even after we said we’d surrender….”

Sorry, but I had no intention of listening to him any longer.

Crunch!

The metal container crumpled in my grip, and brain matter seeped out in jagged clumps. Soon, the squishy pink flesh sagged, spilling out.

He was destined for purging anyway. Even those noblemen who surrendered would end up tortured to death in the end. Perhaps killing him like this was an act of mercy.

I wiped my dirty hands on my pants. I never felt guilt over killing, but today, I was especially numb. The battlefield was always like this.

I continued tracking Ilay’s platoon. Since I’d heard he’d gone deeper, there was no need to wander. Choosing a path even in the intersecting corridors was easy.

Before long, I heard gunfire and screams. It was close. Not far at all.

At last, I’d caught up to Ilay.

* * *

Even while spending time with Ilay, there was always one concern lingering in my mind.

What would I do if Ilay ever turned against the Empire?

I could overlook the occasional deviations he sometimes displayed. But if he ever took actions against the Empire’s interests—or worse, committed acts that could be considered treason—what would I do?

Now, the time had come to answer that question I’d been putting off.

Following the sounds of gunfire and bodies, I entered a vast banquet hall. The long table stretched far enough to seat dozens, but instead of a lavish feast, it was lined with corpses.

In the center of that table stood Ilay, as if he were about to give a speech.

“Ilay!”

I shouted. At the same time, Ilay’s finger moved.

Bang!

Ilay shot his own lieutenant. His lieutenant collapsed backward with a hollow stare. A clean hole pierced through his forehead, all the way to the other side.

“…After all I asked of you, you still came, Luka.”

Ilay murmured my name, his lips barely moving. Scattered around him were the bodies of Imperial soldiers—his own platoon members.

So you finally did it, Ilay.

At first, disbelief chilled my emotions. Then, from somewhere deep in my chest, a surge of volcanic anger erupted.

Every one of Ilay’s platoon members had been loyal soldiers. They’d followed his unreasonable commands and orders without a word.

Ilay had killed his own men with his own hands, all for the sake of that one woman! For that!

Creak.

Only my right mechanical eye moved. I spotted members of the Ramoness family on one side of the banquet hall. The instant my analysis finished, their identities flashed onto my retinal display.

‘The head of the Ramoness family and his direct descendants.’

There were five of them: Hugo Ramoness, the head of the family, along with his wife, two sons, and one daughter. That daughter was Lilian Ramoness. With an anxious expression, she looked back and forth between me and Ilay.

The three families that had instigated the rebellion—one of their leaders was right there.

Ilay let out a long sigh and looked at me. His eyes glinted like shards of ice between the blood-soaked strands of his hair.

“Luka, Luka, Luka. I suppose you won’t just let this one go either.”

Muttering to himself, Ilay let his right hand holding the pistol fall to his side, and with his left, he drew his sword. The tip of his blade was aimed directly at me.

I suppressed the overwhelming anger rising inside me. This wasn’t an opponent I could afford to fight out of emotion. Surprisingly calm words slipped from my mouth.

“…In the name of His Majesty the Emperor and the citizens of the Empire, I will judge you.”

The emotions I had forced down were so cold that they made my front teeth ache.