Chapter 190

Imperial Ishtar.
The Imperial Palace of Xuran is the heart of the nation. As is true of any monarchy, you could line up all the nations of the continent and not find one quite like the Imperial Palace of Shiran.
For example, the royal castle of Bastiterra was a hotbed of corruption until just a few years ago. Even now, there are conflicts among the ruling circles at every opportunity.
Sheeran is different.
Historically, the imperial power has not been weak for hundreds of years, and the current emperor is the most powerful in the world. No family of note can raise their voice in the imperial court.
so the palace is always quiet.
This is especially true of the main palace, where the emperor resides. The only people allowed to enter are the Emperor’s hand-picked Royal Guard and servants. Like puppets, they are expected to do their jobs without a word.
Silence fills the overwhelmingly large room. Kushan felt a peculiar sense of pressure. This place felt more like a temple than an imperial palace, which made the Emperor’s gaze seem even heavier.
Slowly, the emperor’s mouth opens.
“It’s been three years, and I never thought I’d see you here again.”
“That doesn’t sound very honorable.”
“Haha, you’re still picky. There are more than a few people who want to be with me.”
He smirked.
“But I consider it a worthwhile meeting. There are few who share my time, and you and Heinrich are the only ones I can call friends anymore.”
“…….”
“Markus is gone, too. It’s a shame.”
Kushan didn’t answer because he was Moorish. But he thought. Had the Emperor not known that Markus was hiding in Howland? Or perhaps he had known and ignored it.
How much do we know and how much are we designing for?
The question is buried in the back of my mind. If I asked him, he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. Even if he did, there was no way for him to know if it was true or false.
There’s only one thing that’s certain.
Making Xuran even greater.
The emperor lives for it and only for it.
“Isn’t the picture funny?”
“Hmm?”
“He is a heinous criminal, bring him in, and leave him defenseless.”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed at this, and then he burst out laughing.
“I didn’t realize it before, but your personality has changed a bit, hasn’t it? In the old days, you would have said something like this. What brings you here, please get to the point….”
It’s become humanized without realizing it, he adds.
“It’s refreshing to realize that someone as old as us can still be different.”
“Good to know, I’m still not interested in gossip.”
“That’s not like you either, you should have kept your mouth shut here, with that look on your face that says you don’t understand.”
It really didn’t make sense.
The emperor was as he was, terribly so. He smirks and seems to enjoy mocking others, but it’s only a facade. Underneath, his obsession is as black as soot.
Kushan’s laughter grew louder as he closed his mouth. To a third party, it might have sounded like a conversation between best friends. But to Kushan, it sounded like a lowly, meaningless ceremony.
“I’d rather talk to the AI.
It was a time when attitudes got really bad.
“It remains to be seen whether the changes you’ve made are growth or regression, but I see them as quite positive. That’s why I want to give you as much time as possible.”
The laughter stopped.
“First things first, I’ll give you the scoop: the Cellbrosics labs are empty at the moment, some headed to Kilikia, most to Bastitera. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I’m sorry.”
“Say what you believe. You sent the bailiffs.”
“No, no. I’m kind of serious.”
The emperor muttered something about being disappointed.
“Every single researcher is a high-level employee. I want them to work for the Empire. There are many talented people in the Empire, but a ruler is always hungry for talent.”
“You’d be better off giving up early.”
“Of course it’s hard right now, so I’m giving you a choice.”
Red Eyes looks directly at Kushan.
“Ditch the name. I know the cohesion of the Celbrodix Labs. If you return to Heinz Millarck, will the Lab not follow you?”
“Your premise is wrong, there’s no way I’m going to accept…….”
“If you don’t accept it, the nest will fall.”
Said the emperor, in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I can do so much from this position. Bastitera is, yes, a place where the Shran have little influence. But there’s nothing I can’t touch if I set my mind to it.”
It wasn’t a bluff.
He’s the emperor of an empire, if not of a small country. If he’s willing to bleed, he’s willing to do anything, and if he’s careful, he can attack the Rap in a way that won’t draw international condemnation.
It’s just been waiting for the right time to write it down.
“Take your time in prison. Don’t let it be too late.”
At the Emperor’s gesture, the Royal Guard approached and took Kushan away. Immediately afterward, the Emperor turned to Heinrich, who had been standing silently behind him the entire time.
“What happened to Dustborne Corporation?”
“I haven’t heard from them yet, so I’m going to assume they failed.”
“One is persistent. What bad luck.”
“It’s not just luck.”
The present. His jaw clenched as he remembered the unidentified man.
“Can you handle it yourself?”
“It wouldn’t be difficult if you followed the lab to Bastitera, it’s special in many ways.”
Shran and Bastitera. The difference in military power is staggering. They don’t even need to send in internationally banned aircraft. Artillery fire alone can devastate a country in an instant.
However, if it’s personal protection and not war, it’s a different story.
“You’d think the royal family would be jealous and protective of Princess Ainoa and Crown Prince Adrian, both of whom have been known to send assassination plots against each other. They can’t do it alone, and with more people, they stand out.”
“Things are tight.”
“You should have sent me away long ago, you’re too watered down.”
The emperor was not offended by the rude remark. Proof of intimacy? Not a problem. Heinrich could have spouted off a half-truth right now and the Emperor would have no reaction.
What happens here does not leak out. It’s better if it doesn’t affect the Emperor’s standing, or the safety of Xuran. Heinrich is familiar with the Emperor’s temper.
“Don’t worry about Dustborn as a group. If you take down the pivot, the key players will scatter. The organization will survive, but it will never be the same.”
“Do you think a man named Hyun will be a hindrance in the future?”
“As far as I can tell, yes.”
The “strings” Heinrich investigated were human beings who didn’t know where they were going. Fresh ideas, bold execution. And given his friendly relationship with Rapp, it was inevitable that sooner or later they would clash.
“Maybe they’re still plotting something.”
“First of all, tell them to tighten up the border checks.”
“Let’s see what’s going on on my end.”
An individual, not a huge group.
This makes them unpredictable and hard to track once you miss them.
By now, Kim had become a huge variable.
* * *
Tududuk.
When I pushed the lid off, sand and stone dust fell away. Natural light poured through the gap. Kim stuck his head out, explored his surroundings, and left the tunnel.
Ghost and Edwin followed, emerging onto the surface. The fresh mountain air filled their lungs, and in their panic, they didn’t bother to dust off their clothes.
“……You’re really here.”
“Was infiltration supposed to be this simple…?”
They didn’t do anything but follow Kim’s lead. There was a moment of confusion as to the exact location, but it was short-lived, and they soon found the entrance to the tunnel.
“This makes me wonder, what did you used to do?”
“I just lived a normal life.”
“I remember hearing you say you were in the military.”
“I’ve been there for about two years.”
Ghost was troubled. Westcreek had heard of a similar situation before. When he’d gone undercover in Atlanta, Kim had blurted out a code word for a criminal organization.
‘I didn’t realize you knew the tunnels of Shiran.
What country are the operatives from?
That said, when I first came to the lab, I was a bit of an amateur, so maybe it was an act, but I never felt unnatural at the time.
“It has nothing to do with my past. It was sold by the Legion.”
“…Excuse me, but how do you know something I don’t know?”
“We had a raid in Kilikia a while back, and when I interrogated the guy we captured, he told me all sorts of stuff, so I remembered it, though I didn’t expect to use it right away.”
It was a little unconvincing, but it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t lazy enough to pry into my coworker’s identity in the first place.
“There’s a village down north. We need to meet up with our collaborator there.”
“Do you even have a collaborator?”
Ghost was feeling his common sense break down. Normally, he’d cross borders cautiously, hoping to avoid detection. Wasn’t that the whole point of infiltration, to slowly blend into the community?
I was overwhelmed by all the things that were available.
“Not the spy I planted, of course I belong to the Legion.”
“You brought me here to be roasted.”
“You were good last time. Just do what you did then.”
Edwin let out a huge sigh.
“It sucks you right down to the marrow.”
“It’s the same whether you hit me in the back of the head once or twice.”
Not even once. He’d tried to trick Kamael Rothfur in Ishrad, too. It didn’t work, but Edwin had long since become a traitor to the bone.
“We’ll take their cars, their clothes, their maps, and if possible, their fake IDs.”
You’ll soon have a clear conscience.
* * *
I’ve been holed up in the rural town of Moonstone for seven years now.
Lately, Konrad Reimer has been struggling with confusion about his identity; he’s more comfortable with his day job as a hardware store owner than he is with his espionage work.
He scolds the neighborhood kids for sticking gum on the walls. He often shares his food with the couple next door. Occasionally, he’ll take his paru out on wild animals.
Konrad fits in so well here. He blends in with a group of people who were so unlikeable at first, living in safety, untouched by the tragedies of the outside world.
Legion hasn’t heard from me in years.
I was starting to wonder if I could live with myself.
There’s a robbery at the door, no, comrades.
“Heck, it’s Edwin himself…!”
“Well, hmm. I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead.”
“No, come on in, you never know who might be watching.”
Konrad led the three of them inside the store, away from the prying eyes of the residents. He walked all the way to the door and locked it, even though it was normally business time. Edwin Berenice was a worthy opponent.
“I haven’t heard from you in a while, what’s the status of the organization?”
“It’s quite an embarrassing situation. They even captured a Kilikian spy the other day.”
“Did you, damn it, while I’ve been floundering around here….”
Then Edwin said with a determined look.
“So I have to make sure I get this one right.”
“Sure, we’ll work with you, just tell us your plan.”
“To start with, I’ll share the situation, um.”
For some reason, Edwin seemed to notice his subordinate.
The question that briefly crossed my mind was quickly drowned out by what followed.
“A key player in the organization has been arrested.”
A rescue operation by Legion (not) has begun.