Chapter 66

Acrid smoke filled my vision.
The man squinted his red, bloodshot eyes. There was no sensation left in his limbs, and he thought they were gone.
The smoke was a dark ash color. Beyond the smoke, black shadows wavered. They were spirits that bore an uncanny resemblance to humans, but each was missing a part.
“-, –!”
Even as the tinnitus rang through the goal, there was a loud sound. An explosion, a human scream. The roar of something other than a beast……. The stench of death was thick in the air.
It wasn’t until five days ago that I realized something was wrong.
It’s the day the soldiers talk about how their captain seems to be in a bad mood today. From that day on, Mithril grew restless. He grew sharper and sharper, and even seemed afraid.
The harsh atmosphere spread to the soldiers. It had no small impact on the lives of Atlanta’s citizens. There were many civilians who were unjustly killed in the heat of Chapter.
This was two days ago.
At Mithril’s command, thousands of people gathered in the Capitol. With soldiers stationed, barricaded, and armed to the teeth, the Capitol was transformed into a fortress.
And that brings us to today.
“Sah, help me.”
Through the smoke, a Turkic woman appeared.
A familiar face. Her name is Tali. She’s from Atlanta, the same city as the men, and she left her family and friends to join the Legion.
Tali’s color was much lighter than she remembered. Her lower half was missing. She crawled across the floor, dragging her torn body. Her intestines sloshed with blood.
I thought he was lucky to be alive. I didn’t feel sympathy for him; he was a good man, after all, even if he was of the same ethnicity and belonged to the same group.
Most of all, it’s eye-catching.
“Get the fuck away from me. If you want to fuck off, fuck off alone!”
The man growled, suppressing his voice as best he could. It would be nice to be able to chase him away, but he hadn’t moved yet. He still wasn’t sure what his condition was.
“Ugh, huh, off…….”
Tali was getting closer, a shameless bitch. The man scowled, trying to figure out what to do. One of the ways was to take care of her, to make sure she didn’t pull any stunts.
But I didn’t have to do it myself.
Quack!
Something jumps out from behind and hits Tali.
A black form half-swallowed her head. It wriggled, a slimy, slimy texture.
Even with my deaf ears, I could hear the horrible sound. Shattering, tearing, such. After the destruction phase was over, part of the creature slipped into Tali’s earlobe.
And again, Tali started to move.
In the same crouching position, but with bizarrely articulated joints. The distance from the man was rapidly decreasing.
“This son of a bitch is……! Argh, argh, argh!”
The screams and explosions never subsided. Only shadows moved through the smoke, like beasts hunting in the night.
“That’s more than I thought.”
The Godmother watched the chaotic, yet stealthy slaughter from the outside. Despite her title, her appearance showed no signs of age.
There were no wrinkles on his face beneath his handsome bowler hat, or on the back of his right hand where he held his cane. His waist was stiff and he was basically taller than most men.
“Looks to be a placenta from Atlanta. Doesn’t look like he’s being forced to comply, judging by his attire and armor; he’s probably a soldier by choice.”
“It must mean that Hafael has gained control. He’s always had a knack for it, manipulating others, especially those beneath him, with ease.”
It’s not the same as innate charisma. Mithril, or Hafael as he is known, knows how to capitalize on fear. He doesn’t resort to brute force, but instead establishes strict order by example when necessary.
He even has a full range of spells, making him one of the best in the cadre when it comes to occupation. Although his pure combat power was somewhat lacking, his greatest strength was his ability to handle the aftermath.
That made it all the more frustrating.
“Have you found Hafael?”
“Looks like you made an early exit with the soldiers under ……. Now that things have come to this, you’ve run out of excuses.”
The young man sighed.
“Hafael has betrayed you, old man.”
He glanced at his godmother, who didn’t react in kind. No anger, no panic, no embarrassment. Just calm, as if he knew it all along.
But the young man wasn’t so gullible as to accept things at face value. Above all, he knew his godmother’s true nature.
‘You’ve got your Chapter firmly in place.’
Underneath her calm exterior, a frightening Chapter must be raging in her belly, and as proof, the veins on the backs of her hands were raised.
“Get him. Can you do it?”
To be honest, it was difficult.
Despite her bandit-like appearance, Mithril is cunning and suspicious. There’s no telling how many tracks she might have left behind. Even when we do find them, they’re a problem.
“I’m not going to bring him back alive.
It’s not possible unless the skill difference is overwhelming. It was an obvious conclusion, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. It’s been more than a decade, but my godmother’s expectations have always been one-sided.
The answer was always the same.
“Sure.”
The godmother locked eyes with the young man for a moment, then raised her staff. She tapped the ground lightly, and a wisp of black slime rose from the smoke.
Some of the slime ran up the cane and into the back of the godmother’s hand. Other parts went under her skirt, dragging on the floor.
It’s an unpleasant sight, the young man thought. He hadn’t seen it in a day or two, but it was still physiologically hard to take.
“I’m done with my errands, I’m going back to work.”
As the godmother turned her back and was about to leave, the young man asked.
“Sir, are you looking for Lasley? I still haven’t heard from him since I sent him to Atlanta, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s imprisoned in this building.”
“No way. I doubt Hafael is that immature.”
She didn’t even snort.
“I would have killed him in a heartbeat. He was a precious child, and I don’t want to see his body.”
Serene violet eyes scanned the buildings of the Capitol.
“I want you to cremate me with the building.”
“……OK.”
Your godmother gets into a waiting military vehicle. The car kicked off and quickly disappeared from view. The young man who had seen them off the last time sighed for the second time.
If you’re lucky, you’re in luck.
Normally, the young man would have acted with his godmother, but something new has happened. In the run-up to the big day, it may be less important, but it still has a purpose.
After all, the Godmother herself ordered it.
‘Because I can’t resist.
He didn’t want to interfere with the grand plan the Legion was currently working on. As if he didn’t already have a good excuse.
“In a way, it’s all thanks to Hafael.”
Bastitera. It was as if I never had to go back home.
* * *
Peek.
Ainoa squinted to her right, pretending to read. Next to the bed, in a cushioned rocking chair, sat a kindred spirit. Fat-faced, hugging a body-pillow doll.
Peek, peek, peek.
“What? If you have something to say, say it.”
Asterike said, flipping through a comic book. His tone betrayed his boredom.
Recently, Asterique has become their watchdog. Given their shared hometown and her relationship with Kim, she couldn’t have been a better fit.
I didn’t like it, of course.
“No, I mean. How’s Sessa?”
“Same thing, Ainoa, Ainoa, when I ungag him. She won’t eat, so when I try to feed her, she tries to bite me. He’s a little quieter than he was the first time.”
“Well, yeah.”
Ainoa smiled awkwardly and sighed inwardly. Don’t provoke them when you’re captured… I never thought she’d take her own advice.
Ainoa, on the other hand, was faithfully following. His pride had long since crumpled. He had too much on his mind to go on a rampage.
The barrows gave me freedom of action in the room. I was used to being watched. In Wangseong, there were far more eyes on me than this.
“I feel like it’s flimsy.
You look down at your free limb. Some sort of mechanical device dangled from his wrist. It’s a device that transmits your location in real time, so if you run away, they’ll know right away.
It would have been easier to keep him tied up, which means he’s looking out for his own comfort, even if he can’t say thank you when you beat him to death.
“What the hell are they doing?
Ainoa’s gaze turned to Astirique once more. His stare was intense, and his voice was soon tinged with boredom.
“I’m not letting you go, not until you say so.”
“Ah, ah. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what?”
“I’m just… curious… about you, and about this guy named Hyun.”
“The lab director came and explained it to me the other day.”
“You mean the Celbrox Labs?”
A company that researches spells and develops and sells related products. It is equipped with an independent armed force, and it is also working to deal with dangerous beasts and disasters at the request of various countries…….
I don’t understand it at all. I don’t understand why a research institute is doing mercenary work. The organization itself is also suspicious, especially the ‘prefecture’.
‘If you have a facility of this size, you must have a lot of people working in the lab.
But there are only three people Ainoa has ever met. But for a job where secrecy is so important, the cleanup is far too sloppy.
You’re shoved into a room that’s not a prison, that’s full of life, that was always someone’s room. They don’t let you go free after assigning one person to keep an eye on you….
“And this guy.
Asterike seemed to follow the man rather than the director. Judging by this point, Hyun is by no means a mere pawn. He’s in a position to act on his own.
There are cliques in any group, and you can’t lump people together just because they’re in the “Cell Biology Lab”. Ainoa has learned that and has seen it firsthand.
“How do I do that?
First, Ainoa decided, they needed to get to know each other.
“So, you’re Castus?”
“I know it when I see it. Why is that?”
“Where are you from? I’d love to hear your story, if you’ve ever lived in Bastitera, and how did you and Hyun meet…….”
Chin.
The sound of a book being closed interrupted her. Ainoa’s gaze dropped and then rose again. When her eyes locked with Asterike’s, she was speechless.
The man named Hyun was a superimposition. Even though they didn’t look alike in the slightest, the stony expression on his face reminded her of him.
“I know you, Princess Ainoa.”
“What?”
“You’re a man to be revered, my father actually gave his sword to you, and he’s not the only one. When I was a kid, there were a lot of idiots around me who said they were going to be your escort when they grew up. Probably still do.”
The vivid golden eyes were familiar; I had seen them once before. I’d seen a similar color once, when the nobles gathered to anoint themselves with oil, talking about their dull majors.
“Not me.”
Asterike warned with a growl.
“Don’t expect loyalty from me. I’m listening to you, I’ve unlocked your cuffs, I’m accommodating you, I’ll even give you company if you need it, but I’m doing it because you asked me to.”
“…….”
“Honestly, I don’t care what happens to you, you’re just another guy, not some princess I saw once or twice in the distance.”
And silence descended.
Asterique opened the comic book again, as if she’d said all she had to say. She flipped to any page, as if it didn’t matter how far she’d gotten.
Heavy air was flowing.
Zing, and the door opened. There was only one person who would dare to come in here, and I knew who it was without looking.
Kim took a step through the door and hesitated.
“What’s with the mood. What did you do?”
“What? I was just reading a book?”
“Really?”
A mistake. Kim scratched her head and looked at Ainoa. Meanwhile, Ainoa’s vision showed Asterique’s face closer than Kim’s.
He glared at her as if to tell her not to speak, and it was then that Ainoa understood a little more about their relationship.
She couldn’t ask Asterike, but there’s no one way to know a person. Ainoa got to know him day by day, and he didn’t refuse to talk.
First of all, Kim was very conscientious.
When asked what they did today, they would say something about training or studying the history of the operation.
What’s also impressive is that he doesn’t let it show when he’s tired, especially when he’s taking care of his asterisks.
All in all, a perfectly normal human being.
The more Ainoa learned about that side of him, the more she agonized. If what Kim had said hadn’t been bullshit. If there was even a glimmer of justification for his kidnapping.
But it was still hard to have faith.
Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it. For Kim’s “what ifs” to become a reality, there was an indispensable presence.
Traitor.
It’s not enough to be a criminal organization in the shadows. A force from both sides of the aisle that can bring the people to the cause. Assuming that a large faction steps up and leads the way…….
Considering, Ainoa shook her head vigorously.
“On second thought, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Which part?”
“They can’t be that stupid to think that the death of a princess will lead to a civil war. Who benefits? Even if they are incited by someone, it’s the individuals who will make the move in the end, and they will do so of their own free will. You’re taking the people for granted.”
“Hmm,” Kim said, and slapped his chin.
“Let’s try this.”
He said to Ainoa, who was urging him on with her eyes.
“You are, as of today, dead.”