Chapter 200

Tak.
The servant who had escorted him to his room withdrew. Maximilian glanced futilely at the closed door, and when he realized he had no ears to hear, he let out a deep sigh.
“……You’re really here.”
It’s been a crazy time.
I had to go through a series of tests for contagious diseases and contamination, submit a record of my activities as a hunter, Max, and a few other necessary formalities, and then I couldn’t remember.
“I wonder if I made a mistake.
Courtly etiquette is ingrained. It’s hard to unlearn a lifetime of habits after living as a vagabond for so long, but that’s the way of the Xuran, and it might come across as rude in other lands.
I also spoke briefly with Queen Pekatum. She was one of the most beautiful women in the entire continent, but she was not selfless. I remembered the vicious rumors that had been circulating.
“I could have gotten myself killed.
I shudder to think about it. Putting myself in the shoes of a commoner, I realized how high the royalty stood. One wrong word and you could be executed.
“Hah. I shouldn’t have offered to follow you.”
I sighed again and climbed into bed.
“……Oh, hmm.”
A cushion unlike any haystack I’ve ever felt wrapped around my tired body. As expected, my body was more honest than my mind. The regret that had been building up melted away like snow.
“This is great.
Of course, it doesn’t compare to the furnishings of the Imperial Palace, but that’s where I was born and raised. In Bastitera, on the other hand, it’s a polar opposite. The level of comfort is inevitably different.
I can’t thank Hyun enough.
“He’s the type of guy my sister would like, and he’s got a great personality.
I spent the night lost in my own thoughts and demons.
It’s the morning after a long day.
And that’s when the real diner life began.
“You said Max, you’ve got good table manners.”
“Well, is that so? Haha, I’ve had a hard education.”
“You should follow suit. How long do you want to eat easy?”
“Why force yourself to eat something that doesn’t feel right, when it’s going to be worse for your health?”
Across from me, a friendly redheaded woman and a burly man were arguing. It was the new communal dining room in the palace, but it looked like the cafeteria.
Kim said as Maximilian laughed awkwardly.
“Why don’t you guys stop playing with yourselves and start talking in unison.”
“Oh, right. Rosetaya from Celbrox Labs. This is Castle Rock.”
“I apologize for the late introduction, and I wish you well.”
“We’ll take care of you while we’re in your debt.”
After a quick hello, I resumed my meal. The neighboring tables were also bustling, but it didn’t feel quite as royal. In Maximilian’s memory, the palace was a very solemn place.
Suddenly, my attention was drawn to Rosetta.
He stared at me, and then grunted in confusion.
“You, Rosetta, where have we met before?”
“…Huh? Are you trying to do that? I’m a little confused.”
“No, no, no. It just feels familiar.”
Rosetta flinched for a moment. When he played the killer, he wore a thick overcoat, an iron mask, and hid his hair.
“……Isn’t it just because they have similar hair colors?”
“It’s a rare color in this part of the world, and Bastitera people are usually lightly pigmented.”
Kim, with a steel plate in his face, nodded approvingly, and Maximilian nodded.
“Maybe so, it’s certainly not common here.”
“Hmmm. Maybe we’re from the same place then.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it, but it was a nice gesture,” Castle Rock said as he moved the broccoli to the corner of the plate. He probably didn’t mean it, but it was a nice gesture. Rosetta blurted out a quick question, “Chapter?
“I’m a foreign-born, my mom was a Shiranese immigrant.”
“I’ve never heard of that either.”
“Well, you didn’t ask, so it’s funny when you suddenly start talking to yourself.”
Out of the corner of their eyes, they watched Maximilian’s reaction: He hesitated for a moment, then affirmed nonchalantly.
“I’m descended from them.”
“Hmmm. What a coincidence. Actually, I’m most curious about where he’s from.”
“Anyone in the lab would, and I’ve heard that the guys in Dustborn don’t know much either.”
“Why am I suddenly?”
The timing of her arrows was perfect, just enough to stay within the lines of small talk. Kim exchanged unspoken signals with Rosetta through her eyes. Their breathing was unexpectedly in sync.
“I’ll be done in no time.
I’ll be out of the closet in less than a month.
* * *
It’s safe to say that Maximilian’s safety is assured as long as he stays in the castle.
Bastitera is not what it used to be. The spies and traitors are long gone. Even the workers are thoroughly vetted. The city’s security is as tight as the castle itself.
“He didn’t seem to want to run around in circles either.”
She was very content with her life. If I may exaggerate, I’m almost in tears of emotion at every meal, the result of a lack of proper ceremony.
“Only if you’ve been a wanderer for a long time.”
Kushan only laughed at the news of the Shiran prince’s arrival, as if it were absurd. He was tired of being surprised at every opportunity.
Kim’s behavior has been suspicious, but even as a Kushan, it’s hard to follow through. There were too many debts to pay. The dominance of the relationship was too important.
“He’s going to be a crucial piece, and we’re going to have to get him to cooperate of his own volition, and maybe if we stay together like we are now, and leak a little bit of information, it will go smoothly.”
“Do you really intend to antagonize Shiran?”
“They’re already hostile to you, so why be nice to them?”
“I think you have to learn to get down on your knees to make it in the world, but….”
Kushan asked, shaking his head.
“What do you have in mind? I’ll tell you up front, a coup is out of the question. Countless civilians will die. It’s not an option for Cellbrox Labs, and I personally don’t like it.”
“What an obvious thing to say. Of course I’m going to use a less bloody method.”
Unfortunately, not a single drop can go unnoticed.
The Emperor wants to get his hands on the lab. So that he can control the scourge to his will. To make my empire even greater and rule for the next millennium.
In other words, they don’t care about the well-being of the continent except for Shiran. Cellbrox Labs, on the other hand, wants to see the continent stabilized as soon as possible, so that there are fewer people suffering from the catastrophe.
There can be no compromise between the two desires.
In the end, it’s a conflict that can only be resolved by someone dying.
If so, you have your answer.
“We just need a clean emperor.”
“I’m not sure I agree with you.”
Kushan crossed his arms and looked skeptical.
“If you make it across the border safely, you’ll be lucky, if you make it to the capital, you’ll be lucky, and if you make it to the imperial palace, you’ll be calling it a miracle, which is extremely unlikely.”
“Assuming you have the means to get to the palace without causing any damage?”
“……what?”
He was stunned. Kim wouldn’t have told him to simply imagine it. He must have had a trick up his sleeve.
That’s a different story.
“The difficulties are still difficult. The Emperor has his own army. They’ve tried to mass-produce reinforced soldiers in the past, so who knows what they might have accomplished.”
“So what’s the bottom line, it’s impossible?”
“Nope. If you have the right equipment, you can do it.”
It’s only now that Kushan’s eyes are starting to see it.
The outline of a giant painting that Kim is drawing.
“…whether it succeeds or fails, it will be an unprecedented event.”
“When haven’t I. What’s new.”
A few years ago, Kim was just a small-time citizen.
Whether it was a conflict with the mafia, a defense of Kilikia’s existence, or a battle to save a kingdom and a race from the flames of civil war, the scale of his work was immense.
It just takes it a step further.
Kushan was deeply troubled. Radical means that the original rap would never have embraced. But over the past few years, rap has changed drastically.
By catastrophe, by legion.
By Yi Hyun Kim, among others.
“When are we looking at a closing date?”
“As soon as you’re ready. She says it doesn’t bother her right now, but we can’t ignore Shiran’s movements.”
There’s no guarantee that they’ll be as passive as they are now.
risking international condemnation and sending in the military. All in the name of punishing the Bastitera for harboring terrorists who commit crimes on their soil.
Even as an emperor, it’s a burden-bearing path. It is expected to be uneven. But that’s just a prediction, and there are far more legitimate reasons to pressure Bastitera than that.
“He’s a prince after all, and he’s sure to get his hands on you if he finds out you’re here.”
So much for pretending that Celbrosix Labs kidnapped the prince when they went on a terrorist rampage.
How they took the prince from the palace, the timing of the terrorist attack and the prince’s disappearance don’t match. There are many contradictions, but the evidence can be manipulated.
The only thing that matters is that the prince was found in Bastitera.
“I see. We’ll have to start preparing, and unless it’s a preliminary operation, we can’t count on Bastiterra’s help in the actual operation. It’s a serious diplomatic problem.”
“Of course not. We’ll figure it out between us.”
Don’t let it turn into a war.
An operation must end with an operation.
“But are you sure you’re okay with the prince? No matter how you package it, he’s attacking my flesh and blood, and I don’t think I can get him to cooperate voluntarily. I might as well use him in a different way.”
“Let’s talk about that slowly.”
Even as he spoke, Kim was convinced.
Maximilian would definitely want a hand in the planning.
‘Because he’s more against the Xuran imperial family than anyone else.
Maximilian has fled, fearing the darkness that has fallen over the imperial court. He may not know the full truth about the catastrophe, but he has a vague idea of what the current emperor is like.
“I just need the opportunity to talk about it.
And that day came sooner than I thought.
* * *
Poof!
“Off….”
Thrown to the mat, Maximilian moans in agony. A dull ache radiated from his back to his entire body. Then a gloved hand reached out in front of him.
“Good job, you’re very good!”
“Haha, thanks for the kind words.”
After being helped to his feet, he looked at the other man with new eyes.
“You said Leone.
A young woman, barely into adulthood. She has a stern look in her eyes that speaks of sincerity. As with all Dustborn agents, she has an air about her that cannot be easily dismissed.
“I understand you’re a trainee.”
“Oh, that’s right, I’m treated like the youngest in the company. I have one motivation for coming in later than me, but we’ve been here about the same amount of time. I guess it’s the same in the eyes of the seniors.”
“Well, yes.”
Lately, Maximilian’s confidence has been shattered. Every confrontation with the agents has been disastrous. Today, he’d been robbed by Leone, the youngest of the group.
Of course, that was just bad opposition. Recently, Leone has been improving. She may not know it in practice, but in a duel, she could hold her own against the elite agents of the Lab.
Maximilian, who had only been in the unit for two weeks, had no idea what was going on.
“Don’t be depressed, I’m not being facetious, I’m actually surprised at how well you responded. It’s like you’re organized, like you’ve been trained somewhere…….”
He was even encouraged by a trainee much younger than him. He lost three more times after that. I headed for the showers with my heart and mind racing.
“I might even want to use the train….”
“…You can have your cake and eat it too. I’d rather have an armored car….”
“Armored vehicles are available from …?”
“Hmm. If I ask Tamtam to modify…….”
In the distance, I saw two men discussing something unintelligible. One was Maximilian’s benefactor, Lee Hyun Kim. The other was a man I had never seen before.
I’m sure it’s new to me, but somehow it looks familiar.
“Where did I see that?
You wrinkle your brow and take a moment to search your memory.
Maximilian’s eyes widened as he remembered.
“Heinz Millarck?
An old photograph found in the Imperial Palace.
The cold-looking man who was photographed there.
He looked as if he hadn’t aged a day.