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Gabriel had little contact with the Empire’s upper class and aristocratic society, so he was unaware of the intricacies of Imperial politics. He simply described, sometimes passionately, what was happening around him.
“In the meantime, I heard the news of your death from Giselle. It was a story that had nothing to do with me, explaining why I didn’t tell anyone. Don’t be upset. You were someone who was as good as dead to me.”
I snorted.
“I shouldn’t be upset. On the contrary, if you had told me that you had missed me for several years, I would have found it strange. After all, as you said, I am just a person from the past to you.”
Gabriel smiled faintly. He talked mostly about G&G Cybernetics, Giselle, and Gilda.
“Who knew that the company would grow so quickly? The people we hired later were all experts who were incomparable to someone like me. I didn’t want to be treated as someone who got a job by getting lucky and using connections.”
Gabriel grinned as if he had had a drink.
I kept listening to Gabriel’s story. It was the growth process of G&G Cybernetics. There were a lot of frictions with other companies. There were even times when illegal force was used.
‘We expanded the business quite aggressively. There were a lot of risky decisions.’
It was hard to believe that this was Gilda and Giselle’s way of operating. Strictly speaking, they are both technical people. They are far from the type of people who make bold and aggressive decisions or who use their wits to do business.
If it were the Gilda and Giselle characters I know, they would have slowly expanded their business while building solid skills. However, there was a change of heart in the two of them. Or… … .
“… … Is there someone new among the key executives that I don’t know?”
Someone may have come in to fill in the gaps between the two technicians.
“Huh? That’s not it. Giselle and Gilda’s decisions have always been absolute.”
My guess that there was a third party was wrong. It could be. I just don’t have enough information. If I could guess everything that happened during the 12-year gap, that would be not insight, but supernatural power.
“Please continue talking.”
“Akbaran and the Empire decided to expand their business to Border City because they thought there was no more market for the Kinetic Chip. It was the city with the most cybernetic prosthetics outside of the Empire. Giselle didn’t even perform full-body prosthetics because she thought other countries and races would feel uncomfortable with it when doing business. She was very aggressive about expanding.”
It is not surprising that companies that are aggressively expanding are moving into Border City. Border City is a buffer zone between the three countries and a testing ground for new technologies. It is a market that any capable company would drool over.
‘And Giselle avoided full-body prosthetics.’
I wiggled my fingers.
“Since the decision to enter Border City, the relationship between Giselle and Gilda has been strained. G&G Cybernetics has also split into two factions.”
I opened my eyes wide. This is a story that only those who are not involved in it would know.
‘New information.’
A piece of information that I had not previously considered entered my head. From this one piece, countless possibilities flowed out.
‘Giselle and Gilda had a conflict.’
This was unexpected even for me. Gilda and Giselle had been at odds for business or other reasons. Gabriel didn’t know the exact reason.
“Because of Gilda’s uncooperativeness, the advance into Border City was entirely up to Giselle. In the two years since her advance, Giselle spent nearly half of the year in Border City. Even if it was an activity that was beneficial to the national interest, if it weren’t for the Custoria family, the Empire would not have permitted such a stay.”
“Did your business venture go smoothly?”
“I don’t know much about that. It didn’t seem to be going as well as it did within the Empire. Even within G&G, there was so much noise that it was almost like a full-blown commotion.”
“pus?”
“Luka, I’m a total idiot, so I don’t understand complicated numbers and stories. And I don’t think Gilda is such a bad person. So I’ll tell you what I’ve heard and seen. G&G Cybernetics was on the verge of being spun off. If Giselle hadn’t gone missing, the company would have split.”
I bit my lower lip as if flicking it. It was time to ask the question I didn’t want to ask.
“Is it possible that Gilda touched Giselle? No, that’s a stupid question. There’s always a possibility. I’ll ask again, Gabriel. Do you think Gilda touched Giselle?”
Gabriel’s eyes wavered. He likes Gilda, and he likes Giselle. And he likes me. He’s the type of person who can’t hate someone on his own side.
“I, I don’t know. At some point, I couldn’t understand Gilda and Giselle’s thoughts and actions. They were just talking about something difficult. I just did what I was told. Believing that the two of them would somehow solve it… … .”
If it were me, I wouldn’t have stood by and watched the two of them get twisted like that. But Gabriel is not me. I can’t force my choices and possibilities on Gabriel.
‘… … long.’
He’s a new suspect.
There are four main suspects that I have identified so far. One of them is suspected of kidnapping Giselle or is involved in her disappearance.
First, Kinuan. He is the most likely suspect. Given Balek’s appearance, it is highly likely that Kinuan’s intentions were somehow involved in Giselle’s disappearance. He is good at manipulating others from behind the scenes.
Second, Barbara. She is the woman who wants to possess Giselle. However, there is no evidence or trace of her involvement at the moment. Above all, Giselle is also wary of Barbara. She would not have gone around without a plan for Barbara.
Third, people who conflict with Giselle in areas I don’t know about. G&G Cybernetics has aggressive business strategies and expansion. Competitors, other nobles, etc., there are countless others.
The fourth is… … Gilda, who was just revealed through the story. The Gilda in my memory was kind and gentle… … a woman who tried to protect her acquaintances and friends. I couldn’t believe that she had such a serious conflict with Giselle and was on the verge of being shot. People say that everyone changes, but her transformation is unimaginable.
If there is a fifth suspect, it is Ivan. But I have ruled Ivan out of the suspects. I know the darkness of the upper echelons of the Empire.
‘If Ivan had decided to get his hands on Giselle, I would have belonged to him by now.’
If it was the Empire, extracting information from Giselle would not have been a problem. There are many ways to extract information. Methods that are so great that it cannot be endured with mental strength alone… … .
“Ilay Kartika? Do you know anything about his activities?”
There was little contact between Gabriel and Ilay. I asked in the spirit of grasping at straws.
“I don’t know anything about that side. I’ve only heard the name occasionally.”
I’ve heard the gist of what happened while I was away. This is probably all that Gabriel can see.
“Now tell me about Siren and Runia. And what happened on the day Giselle went missing.”
I didn’t give Gabriel any more time. It was time to get to the point.
“Hoo, hoo… … .”
Gabriel took a deep breath. He drank the water in gulps with trembling hands.
“Would you like a sip of alcohol?”
I said, pretending to put my hand in my pocket. Of course, there’s no way I’d always carry alcohol with me.
“Okay. I’m abstaining.”
I saw the deaths of Siren and Runia in pictures. If Gabriel had seen the same sight, he would have had a hard time staying sane.
I don’t even want to change my position. If I were Gabriel’s… … I would try to destroy the world. Of course, I would be the one who would be destroyed miserably.
“Siren was a good girl. In Akbaran, if you get to know me a little, there are only girls who ask you to buy them something or to tame them. Siren never asked for anything from me, and said she was satisfied with just being with me.
“She was the first woman like that in my life. She later told me that she had a daughter, but that didn’t matter to me anymore. I, uh, I… … I just liked her. I just liked her… … .”
Gabriel shed sad tears with a grim face.
“How did you meet that woman?”
I said indifferently. I am a person who is far from emotional comfort. Doing something unfamiliar would only make me laugh.
“Siren was a janitor at our company’s Border City branch. I saved her from being harassed by another employee.”
“You’re saying that you weren’t harassing her, but rather stopping her?”
“Hey, I’m also a manager. Since then, whenever we met, we would say hello and buy each other drinks. This was the first time I’d become close to a girl like that. Thanks to that, I had a good time whenever Giselle came to Border City on a business trip.”
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The relationship between Gabriel and Siren deepened. Gabriel seemed to be thinking of bringing Siren to Akbaran if G&G withdrew from Border City.
“Siren’s daughter, Runia, yes. It was really hard to become close to Runia. As you can see, my face is not the type that kids would easily approach. I really put in a lot of effort. I even considered getting plastic surgery.”
Gabriel’s voice was lively, as happy and pleasant memories flashed through his mind. And soon Gabriel’s face distorted.
“Well, by the way, that day was Runia’s birthday. Runia sent me a birthday invitation letter. It said ‘Dad’ on it. Listen, Luca. This cute girl is calling me Dad.”
Gabriel spoke with an expression that made it hard to tell whether he was laughing or crying. The emotional changes were so dramatic that it seemed difficult to keep up with his expression.
Gabriel took out a crumpled photo. It was a photo of Gabriel, Siren, and Runia together.
“That day just so happened to be the day Giselle was meeting with another company for negotiations. It was a day when security had to be especially meticulous.
I told Giselle that I would only be away for 30 minutes. I would just give her a gift, say congratulations, and then run off.
“Giselle was reluctant, but I gave her permission. I swear, since I became team leader, I have never let my personal affairs affect my work. This was the first and last time.”
Gabriel gave instructions to his men to guard the place and left for a moment. And then things started to go wrong.
Less, less.
Gabriel’s body shook. The output from his limbs and prosthetic limbs went up and down. His front teeth chattered so hard that it felt like they would break.
“Even Siren asked me to show her face on this day. I only stayed at the birthday party for five minutes, but it was the best moment of my life.
I held Runia in my arms while giving her a large doll. She shyly said out loud for the first time, “Daddy.” And then, when I returned to the scene, a terrible… … nightmare, a nightmare that I, I could never escape from, began. I’m still there. When I close my eyes, I see that scene, and the smell of blood is in my nose. It’s so bad I want to pull my nose out.”
Gabriel explained the situation with difficulty. I meticulously engraved the scene in my mind as if taking a photograph based on his testimony.
Giselle and her bodyguard were traveling in an air vehicle when it was shot down in the sky. The air vehicle was so sturdy that everyone survived when it crashed, but what happened after that was a problem.
‘I was attacked as soon as I landed.’
All the guards were killed in a brutal manner. Only Giselle’s body was missing. Judging from the records of the air vehicle and the guard equipment, it seemed that someone had taken Giselle away.
Judging by the circumstances, it was a kidnapping for a high ransom. However, no ransom was demanded. Giselle disappeared and the incident was forgotten.
“I really, really hated, hated to doubt it, but it was, it was strange. Siren seemed to insist on coming that day, even though it was out of the ordinary. And I, I… … .”
Gabriel continued. He went to see Siren two days after the accident scene was cleared. And what he saw was despair. He saw Siren and Runia’s bodies, rotting away.
Bam!
As soon as I heard the story, I quickly hit Gabriel on the chin. His consciousness was cut off. It was better than having brain damage from repeatedly recalling bad memories.
Swish.
I slowly sat him down on the chair, supporting him so he wouldn’t fall.
I left Gabriel and went up to the first floor. Gaya, who had been seeing another patient, stood up for a moment and came over to me.
“Did you manage to retrieve Gabriel’s memories?”
“It was a necessary measure.”
“It must have been necessary just for you.”
“Don’t pretend to know anything about me and Gabriel. Gabriel wants to be my equal. He would rather suffer more than be unilaterally indebted.”
I pushed Gaya aside with my shoulder and walked towards the door.
“I would like you to refrain from coming to see Mr. Gabriel for the time being. It is for treatment.”
“… … Please take good care of Gabriel.”
I left the hospital.
