Chapter 291

I am neither virtuous nor kind.  

Those whose moral compass deviates from the norm call me kind, but that doesn't change the fact that I am a villain.  

Because I can crush the bones of someone I have no personal grudge against without hesitation.  

Crack!  

I grabbed the index finger of a Sonsu Industries employee and twisted it until it snapped. The sound of bones shattering rang out.  

“Guh, ugh… keuk, keop.”  

The employee couldn't even look at my face. Pressed against the wall, he trembled in fear.  

Crash!  

I slammed his head harder into the wall. His cheek split open, exposing the raw flesh beneath.  

Scrape!  

I dragged his head along the wall, leaving a long, bloody smear like a careless brushstroke.  

"If you so much as glance in my direction, I'll pluck your eyes out. Keep them to yourself."  

My low voice made him shudder.  

“M-money… if it's money, my p-pocket… credits… kuh!”  

I lightly kicked the back of his knee. His leg buckled, and he collapsed onto one knee.  

Creak.  

I pressed a standard-issue pistol against the back of his head. That cold sensation must have sent chills down his spine.  

“Why is Sonsu Industries preparing for Anguis Regina’s concert?”  

“W-who… are you?”  

“Don’t answer a question with a question. Alright, are you so loyal to Son Seok-jae that you’re willing to throw away your one and only life? Then nod. I’ll pull the trigger and send you straight to the afterlife. There are plenty of employees besides you. One of them will talk. I’ll count to three. One…”  

You can’t leave room for hesitation in a threat. I drove him into a corner before he could think too deeply.  

“…Two.”  

The employee clenched his eyes shut and trembled violently.  

“I-I don’t know. I-I just do what I’m told.”  

“Then call Son Seok-jae here. He’s nearby, isn’t he?”  

“The boss isn’t here! He’s in a meeting w-with officials. I swear! It’s true, so please, d-don’t shoot.”  

I narrowed my eyes and studied him. He didn’t seem to be lying. His entire body was radiating fear.  

“Stand up slowly and act like nothing happened. Take me to the manager.”  

I heard movement outside.  

There were always a few people who approached the restroom, sensed something was off, and quickly fled. They probably thought I was robbing the place.  

‘There are a lot of police and private security in the area. It’s about time to move.’

The employee shoved his broken finger into his pocket and, with a pale face, hurried out of the restroom.  

"Remember, I have my gun trained on you."  

"I-I don’t want to die. I’ll do whatever you say. Just… just spare me."  

I followed four steps behind him as he cautiously led the way.  

We arrived at a warehouse near the docks—an area with little foot traffic.  

"Open it."  

With trembling hands, the employee unlocked the warehouse door.  

Inside, the space had been converted into a temporary control room. Various monitoring equipment and audio mixers for the concert were set up.  

And in the center of the control room… was someone I knew well.  

'Lapis?'  

Lapis Lazuli was busy working with her hands, not even looking in my direction as she spoke.  

"I told you I’d handle this alone. Go back and check the equipment—"  

Before she could finish, I struck the employee on the head with the butt of my pistol. He collapsed with a dull thud, unconscious.  

Only then did Lapis stop talking and turn toward me. When she saw me under my hood, her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly aimed a small handgun at me.  

Lapis looked like a young girl with blue skin, but she had lived far longer than me. She had undoubtedly crossed the boundary between life and death many times before.  

Ting!  

Like the seasoned veteran she was, Lapis didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. A thin, needle-like bullet shot toward me.  

But I had already tilted my head to evade it. The bullet merely grazed the edge of my hood.  

"It’s me, Lapis."  

Before she could fire again, I pulled back my hood.  

I deliberately kept my eyes half-lidded, lowering my gaze. I didn’t want to look at Lapis. If I did, I would instinctively start analyzing her emotions and inner thoughts.  

‘Lapis is someone I can trust.’

She wouldn't have allied with Sonsu Industries after betraying Jafa.  

‘If Lapis is here, there must be a reason.’  

Even without looking at her, I could feel her trembling.  

"Luka? You’re safe? You’re really safe!"  

Lapis beamed at me, overjoyed. A small warmth spread in my chest—relief.  

Just as I had worried about her, she had worried about me too.  

My trust in her remained unshaken.  

Only then did I lift my head and truly look at Lapis. Tears welled up in her pitch-black eyes, devoid of whites.  

"There’s a lot to explain, but let’s skip the details for now."

"This side has just as many circumstances to consider. Luka, I just want to ask… you did come here to help us, right? Well, if you're here for some other reason, I'll pretend I didn't see you."  

I scratched my head instead of my neck, where the wooden collar rested.  

"It's hard to say no after hearing that. Yeah, I came to find Jafa. It's also hard to say I bear no responsibility for Jafa's crisis."  

Lapis smiled brightly.  

I let out a faint smile as well. Talking with her made me feel like a normal person. Even though it was just an illusion.  

"I have about a day to help Jafa."  

I got straight to the point.  

"…That's a tight deadline. To sum up the situation, Son Seok-jae has already captured Jafa."  

I frowned. With just one sentence from Lapis, my narrow perspective suddenly broadened.  

"So the bounty on Jafa was fake. They needed people to believe Jafa was still hiding all over Border City to stir up more confusion."  

The outcome of this corporate war in Border City had already been decided. Son Seok-jae and the supremacists had won.  

Yet, Son Seok-jae still hadn't declared victory and was prolonging the conflict.  

'Why?'  

The answer surfaced quickly in my mind.  

'Because he has another objective. Capturing Jafa and the corporate war are just means to a greater end.'  

Lapis walked to the center of the control room and pointed at a screen displaying the concert venue.  

"Anguis Regina… is going to claim during this concert that Jafa cruelly abused her. Then, she'll announce that Sonsu Industries rescued her from Jafa Corporation and that she has become Son Seok-jae's adopted daughter."  

Knowing the truth, I couldn't help but scoff.  

"What a ridiculous stunt."  

"But it'll be effective. Jafa is already infamous as a ruthless member of the Tajirunese race. Even the smallest blemish on her reputation will have people saying, 'I knew it,' and looking at her with disgust. The public may not know Jafa personally, but they certainly know about the Tajirunese."  

"And Anguis Regina agreed to this pathetic show?"  

"I'm wondering the same thing. Anguis Regina begged me. She acted like she was willing to do anything to save Jafa. I never knew those two were that close."  

I let out a heavy sigh as something clicked in my mind.  

'Anguis Regina must have regained a lot of her memories during treatment. She must have realized how deeply Jafa cherished and devoted herself to her.'  

Noticing my expression, Lapis tilted her head slightly, then narrowed her eyes.  

"You know something, don't you?"

"Anguis Regina is Jafa’s adopted daughter. Jafa erased all records of it so thoroughly that almost no one knows."  

"What?"  

"I know you’re dying to ask more, but there’s no time to explain. We need to meet Anguis Regina right awa—"  

I stopped mid-sentence and snapped my head toward the door.  

'Enemy.'  

A chill ran down my spine. It felt like the air had frozen over.  

Beyond the door, someone was radiating intense hostility. I called it hostility, but to put it more precisely, it was the presence of someone who had completed their battle preparations.  

"Hide, Lapis."  

I stepped in front of Lapis, shielding her.  

Clatter!  

She quickly moved behind a steel table, peeking out cautiously.  

Creeeak.  

The door opened with an eerie sound.  

"En?"  

Lapis spoke before I did.  

Standing in the doorway was En, an Equessian mercenary. He looked at us through the visor of his combat helmet.  

His translator emitted a voice laced with static.  

- I knew… this day would come eventually.  

Even through the mechanical tone, the bitterness was evident.  

"En, wait! What do you mean? You're a mercenary for Jafa Corporation! Luka came here to help us—he’s not our enemy!"  

En reached over his shoulder and retrieved the spear shaft stored on his back. With a practiced motion, he unfolded it and drew its blade.  

Whirrrr!  

The spear spun rapidly as En stepped inside.  

"You’re not saying… you betrayed us, are you? Why?"  

I could hear the sorrow in Lapis’s voice. I answered in En’s place.  

"It’s not betrayal. The contract ended. His new employer must be Son Seok-jae."  

"But that doesn’t make sense! En, you’ve been with Jafa—no, with us—for so long…"  

"Lapis, don’t appeal to emotions. En is an exceptional mercenary. Mercenaries don’t serve people. They don’t even serve money. They serve contracts."  

I recalled my past experiences. I hadn’t met many Equessian mercenaries, but every encounter left a strong impression.  

Even in the Accretia Empire, where xenophobia ran deep, Equessian mercenaries fought and died for imperial nobles.  

To put it another way, even the empire’s nobility trusted the reputation of Equessian mercenaries enough to hire them. That alone proved their unwavering loyalty—not to emotions, but to contracts.  

'A tragedy.'  

En probably liked Jafa. But contracts came before personal feelings.  

- I never thought I’d have to say this to you. But thank you for understanding, human Luka.  

"Well, I assume there’s more going on within the mercenary corps. With your entire race in the business, the contracts made at the top are out of your hands."

I could already guess the situation. After all, I had once been deeply embedded in the military of the empire.  

- For the trust and honor built upon the blood of my ancestors, and for the prosperity and future of my unborn descendants, I must uphold my contract.  

"You heard that, Lapis? That’s the end of the conversation. En probably did his best to create a favorable situation for Jafa. It’s obvious just by looking, so don’t carry any unnecessary guilt—just fight with everything you have. Let’s both give it our all."  

- That was my intention.  

"And call your friend too. You’re beneath me, after all."  

I grinned as I gave a thumbs-down. With my other hand, I slowly drew Crucis.  

Kiieeeeeing!  

Crucis revealed its heavy presence.  

Kiririk.  

The blade touched the ground, its sheer weight leaving a shallow dent in the floor.  

I blinked and locked eyes with En.  

'Did he come alone? En wasn’t stupid. Even if he spoke arrogantly, he knew I was stronger than him.’

I carefully observed him. There was no sign he intended to summon another Equessian.  

My reasoning stopped there. Now was the time to use my brain for battle.  

Kirik.  

En bent forward, as if about to topple over.  

I didn’t even blink as I watched him. The skin visible between the gaps in his armor glowed with bright orange stripes.  

Shiiik!  

En moved. The glow of his stripes trailed behind him in lingering afterimages.  

The fight had begun.  

I rolled my eyes to track his movements. I couldn’t afford to waste time, stamina, or thought here.  

'A quick finish…'  

En’s spear clashed against my blade. Naturally, I had the advantage in both weight and strength.  

Kaaaaang! Kiiiiik!  

It seemed like En was being pushed back, but then he twisted his spear to redirect my force.  

He rapidly retreated, his spearhead moving in a peculiar way. It clung to my sword like a magnet—relentless, unwavering.  

Kirik.  

Before I could put my strength into it, En used the tip of his spear to suppress my sword’s movement. His close-quarters combat technique was far more refined than I had expected.  

I knew immediately.  

'This is going to be a long fight.'  

Nothing in this damn world ever went the way I wanted.

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