194
The dinner ended without bloodshed. Ozmer, seeing Jafar’s stern attitude, retreated as if to avoid bloodshed. There was no red violence, and the dinner ended with only sticky conflicts left behind.
After the banquet, Jafar and I returned to our quarters.
“It’s clear from their reaction when you bring it up. Your return was brought up as an issue at the last meeting. Your reasoning is quite sound, Jaffa.”
I said with added confidence.
“Actually, I got a call from my father a few months ago. It was before Mr. Luca even woke up.”
Jafar sat down on the chair with a tired expression. He seemed to be feeling sleepy as he had just eaten.
“Hmm, you contacted the child you banished with your own hands? Did you belatedly develop feelings for your blood relatives? Tajirun’s blood can sometimes be hot.”
I said with a smirk. I know very well that that can’t be true.
Jaffa also laughed, his shoulders shaking. He waved his hand and took a sip of water.
“Hey, that’s a funny joke, Mr. Luca. My stomach hurts from laughing after eating. Anyway, let me explain, the Menoa family’s main business is human trafficking.
No one in the Tajirun race would look down on this, but the Belato Federation does not recognize human trafficking as a business.
Because of that, most of the Menoa family’s main businesses are illegal. Even if Bellato suddenly defines us as a criminal organization and banishes or suppresses us from the federal territory, we have nothing to say. The treatment of the Menoa family changes depending on the regime, the tendencies of those in power, and public opinion. It’s not a good situation for the family’s survival.”
“so?”
“We need to present a legitimate business recognized by the feds. That way, the Menoa family has a future. As it happens, I run a legitimate business of decent size. My father thought I could bring ‘huge profits’ to the family. That’s why we’ve been talking about lifting the ban behind the scenes.”
“Did you accept the offer?”
“No. I declined. I liked my current life, free from the constraints of race and family. I’ve occasionally received calls since then, but they only end up as greetings.”
I sorted out Japha’s words in my head.
“You brought up returning to the roundtable even though you refused.”
“If the banishment order is lifted, I will be registered as a member of the Menoa family anyway. Regardless of my will, Menoa can indirectly obtain the background of Jafar’s company.
The other brothers would have been reluctant to even think of the possibility of my return. Part of my father’s legacy would have passed to me. In particular, the position of head of the family could have passed to me. In terms of the scale of the sole business, there is no one like me, so I am a strong candidate for head of the family.”
“It may be beneficial for the entire family, but it’s not beneficial for them, haha.”
It was a funny story. Profit and loss were intertwined.
“So one of my brothers must have killed my father. My father was also complacent. Even if he had hired an inheritance lawyer, it was probably preparation for the distant future. He probably didn’t think that there would be a child who would try to kill him right away. My father was a good person. So he always thought he could control his children and tended to look down on them.”
“The closer you are to someone, the more often you become unable to judge their abilities objectively. Is the current head of the household, Ozmer, the most likely suspect?”
“That’s true, for now. Ozmer is a stubborn traditionalist. His father’s decisions, such as the lifting of the ban, the change in the main business, must have been difficult for Ozmer to accept. But there are other possibilities… … . Oops, I made a mistake. I said something meaningless to someone who is more open-minded than anyone else. Hoot, hoot.”
I squinted my eyes and looked at Jafar. He had his eyes half-closed, loosely, as if he was tired.
“Jafar, you’ll have a lot to tell me when this is over.”
“… … I think so.”
I felt my head heat up. It was full of interesting mysteries. It was like peeling off the wrapping paper of a gift box, not knowing what was inside.
‘About 28 hours later, the head of the law firm and the autopsy experts arrive.’
There will be an accident before then, that’s for sure.
“Anyway, it would be better to rest when you can.”
“The clues and evidence you gave me keep running through my head, so I can’t rest even if I want to. If you want to give my mind a rest, tell me something else that will ‘interest’ you.”
I tried to get more information from Jafar in an irritated tone. It’s true that I’m somewhat nervous.
I was just arranging and arranging random puzzle pieces that didn’t even match the number and might not even be related. I couldn’t stop until a picture of cause and effect emerged.
It would be better if I just did a thought-stopping routine. But right now, my head was just right, so I didn’t want to do that. I was in a kind of immersive state.
Jafar opened his mouth even though he knew my intentions.
“When I, an exile, made peace with my father and made a non-aggression treaty… … Kinuan was by my side. Kinuan’s advice was of great help to me. Just like you are now.”
The word kinuan came up. My thoughts instantly changed focus.
“When Japha was growing up, Kinuan must have been a big help. That’s his specialty. He uses others to create and grow the organization he needs. And he keeps himself out of sight so he can get out at any time.”
“That’s right. Now that I think about it, he must have approached me under the guise of a coincidence.”
The word approach sounded like it had a different meaning.
I remembered that Jafar was a woman. It was a truly horrible thought, but the possibility that Kinuan and Jafar were lovers came to mind. If it were Kinuan, of all people, she would have calmly… … .
I frowned as I imagined it. It felt like bugs were crawling on my body. I wanted to grab something in my hand and crush it.
“… … No matter what Mr. Luca thinks, please know this one thing for sure. Kinuan took everything from me. The Tajirun Jafar that stands here now is nothing but a hollow shell. A ghost with nothing but an empty shell. I will do anything to get revenge on Kinuan.”
Jafar was looking at me blankly. His gaze was not at me. It was just lost in the past. Even in his vertical pupils, a light of emptiness flashed.
* * *
There was no way to know exactly where the body of the previous owner was. It was only possible to guess.
‘In the Menoa family, there is no complete trust in one another. There are many who will devour even their own blood relatives for profit and power.’
I remembered Jafar’s advice.
Gaju Ozmer would have moved the body away from the eyes of his brothers. Whether he was the culprit or not, he was in a position where he had to hide the body.
‘If he were the culprit, he would hide the body in order to destroy or burn it at the right time. If it were another brother, he would hide the body to protect it until the lawyers arrived.’
I wandered around the mothership following the route Jafar had set for me. As a guest in name only, I was free to roam around as I pleased, except for the restricted areas.
‘The Royal Guard Training Camp.’
I stopped walking in a section where there were many non-Tajirun people. I could see children training through the glass wall. They were currently learning martial arts.
The instructor teaching the children also appears to be a retired member of the Imperial Guard.
I felt a sense of foreboding. It was a scene I had seen many times. It made my mouth water.
‘Slave soldiers.’
Some of them may have been kidnapped rather than traded for a fair reason. However, they will grow up to be loyal soldiers who will give their lives to the Menoah family, their kidnappers.
If you look at it from a distance, those loyal to the Menoah family will look like absolute fools.
But I don’t think they’re stupid. Similar things happen everywhere in the world, just with different names and titles.
The same was true of the Imperial Guard. No matter how flashy their adjectives were, their essence was the same as that of the Guard.
‘The bodies of the former heads of households will be in the guard quarters or training areas.’
I thought and judged from Ozmer’s perspective. He doesn’t trust his brothers and sisters. He would rather be closer to the Royal Guard. They are beings with an obsessive and mechanical loyalty.
They wouldn’t have hidden the body in the restricted area. After all, it’s an area that only direct blood relatives can enter. Rather, since the family head’s personal guard is delayed, it’s difficult to secure the body in case of an emergency.
‘If I were Ozmer… … .’
I walked towards the restaurant, staring at it.
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-What’s going on? Isn’t this a place where outsiders would come?
An Equusian in black combat fatigues blocked my path.
‘Another captain of the guard.’
This Equusian was the last of the two captains of the guard. The thought of him being of equal power to the dead captain made me shiver.
But I suppressed my aggression and didn’t show it. Now I’m confident that I won’t start a pointless fight.
That’s great, Luca. You’ve become a human.
I praised myself and made excuses.
“Because I’m hungry.”
– Didn’t you eat at the banquet hall? It must have been food that humans could eat.
“I guess I didn’t see it properly. I didn’t even touch the food there. They didn’t have any consideration for vegetarians, so there was nothing to eat.”
Equusian crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side.
-You’re saying that you’re vegetarian, not omnivorous? Since when did humans evolve into vegetarians?
“It’s not a biological reason, it’s a matter of belief. That bunch of grass looks delicious. Should I eat some? Or would you rather let your guest starve if he’s hungry?”
Equusian stroked his chin and nodded toward the restaurant.
-Eating is not permitted. Be careful what you say so as not to have a negative influence on the trainees.
“Are you telling them not to realize that they are slaves?”
Equusian was silent for a moment. After a while, he gave a short laugh without getting angry.
-I also ran away from here. But I soon realized. Rather than enjoy the freedom of being a cannon fodder for a few bucks… … I’d rather be here.
Equusian’s voice was louder than before. It was as if he was speaking so that others could hear as well.
‘You’re really good at lying.’
I snickered at the exaggerated behavior of the Equusian. This Equusian would never have escaped. It was probably just a story made up to brainwash the trainees. It was better here than outside. And to some extent, it was true.
I nodded, not intending to cause trouble. The Equusian captain was busy, too, as he only gave me a warning and disappeared.
Thud, thud.
I walked to the restaurant’s serving counter, took a bunch of vegetables, and sat down. I sprinkled some sauce on it, and it was pretty edible.
‘The refrigerator is over there.’
I moved my pupils to examine the layout of the dining room and kitchen. Then, I overlapped the route I had taken with the layout of the mother ship in my head.
‘You can melt the wall in the outer hallway with the fireworks and go through.’
I could see the best route into the refrigerator. The body would be there. If my judgment was wrong, there’s nothing I can do about it.
As I observed while eating, my confidence grew.
‘Those who move around in the kitchen are people who have undergone a considerable level of training.’
For a cook, they moved too neatly. They would occasionally glance at the cupboard or open the dustbin, then hesitate as if checking something.
‘So you hid the weapons there. To respond in case of emergency.’
Their intentions were obvious.
-Hey, human, human. Grass, is it delicious even if you just eat grass? Is it delicious?
A crawler trainee sat down across from me and spoke to me. He seemed unfamiliar with the Tajirun language.
I glanced at the trainee. Judging by his size, he seemed younger than Boyan. His plate was full of nothing but meat.
“Of course, it’s delicious. Don’t just eat meat, eat vegetables too. That way you’ll be healthy.”
I stood up and poured the leftover vegetables onto the crawler trainee’s plate. The crawler looked flustered and didn’t know what to do.
-I hate vegetables!
“Picky eating is bad.”
I tried to leave, patting the crawler trainee on the back, but I felt a strange sensation and stood up straight, looking at the ceiling. It was an intuition, like foresight, that had saved me several times.
Pick!
The lights on the ceiling all went out at once. The mechanical noise suddenly stopped as if all the power in the mother ship had gone out.
‘… Is the fight over the corpse starting now?’
It was earlier than I thought. At least I thought it would start at night.
I don’t know if it’s fate or misfortune. The refrigerator where the body is supposedly located is inside. So, I’m on the front lines now.
