065
Three days have passed since the Ken Noma incident.
“You… … this kid, Luca… … !”
I was listening to Gabriel’s drunken rant. I’m not the most cheerful person, but I had to listen to this.
“Do you know what happened to me, to Martina… Ugh, what happened to me there? Don’t you know!”
Gabriel grabbed me by the collar and shook me. I was momentarily offended, but this time I let it go.
dump.
Gabriel let go of my collar and sighed so hard his shoulders slumped.
I glanced at Gabriel and took a sip of the synthetic juice. Hmm, this tastes like apple. I’ve never had a real apple before, so I don’t know if this really tastes like apple.
Last night, Gabriel was dragged to Grace like a pig to the slaughterhouse. And he spent the night with the boss of La Vie en Rose. The story goes that he rolled around in bed with Martina Diva.
“You worked hard… ….”
I didn’t know what to say, so I spoke mechanically. Gabriel gulped down the entire bottle and raised his voice as if sobbing.
“You should be grateful to me. Do you think I’m doing this to you just for money? Damn it!”
“I am grateful in many ways.”
I was getting tired of hearing his lament, so I answered coldly.
“Is that the attitude of a grateful kid? It’s cold! It’s cold! Oh my! I’m freezing to death! Damn it!”
I swallowed my words as I tried to criticize the whiner’s attitude. I think an hour is more than enough for me to listen to him.
It may sound strange, but… …Gabriel wanted my friendship.
‘But that can’t be.’
I am the one who has to prepare to ‘consume’ Gabriel. I had no intention of getting closer. If we become any closer, I won’t be able to use Gabriel as a tool.
‘Kinuan thoroughly utilized and consumed Tora and Ken Noma.’
I should become that kind of person too.
Gabriel drank heavily, almost unconscious. He was a man of integrity, but he was short-sighted and lacked self-control.
Squeak.
The door to our gang office opened. I’m going to sleep here today, so the guards left it empty. That means no one is coming.
I stared at the strange guest.
The woman who entered the office was wearing a hood pulled down low. The texture of the clothes was quite luxurious. She was not from the lower class.
The lower part of the body under the hood was not visible because of the mask with air filter. The nobles often visited the lower areas wearing such masks, because the air there was not good.
“Giselle?”
But I recognized her from a distance. She was an unexpected visitor.
Giselle Custoria.
She smoothed down her mask as she tossed back her hood. The hydraulic cylinders moved along her chin and ears, and the mask lowered below her chin.
Giselle looked around and furrowed her delicate eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm, it smells bad.”
“Oh, that’s the smell of this guy’s fart.”
I said, hitting Gabriel with my elbow. Giselle looked at Gabriel’s grim face, frowned, and covered her mouth.
“Lu, Luca. Who, who are you? Who is this girl?”
Gabriel stuttered and spoke, surprised at seeing Giselle.
While I was thinking about what to say, Giselle spoke first.
“She’s Luca’s younger sister.”
Giselle’s speech was polite yet dry.
“Younger sister? Younger sister?! Luca, you punk! Why didn’t you tell me you had a younger sister!”
Gabriel opened his eyes wide and stood up as if to block my path.
“Why should I speak?”
“You can tell me the details! Between us!”
Even though Gabriel is drunk, he looks very drunk.
I looked over Gabriel’s shoulder at Giselle. Giselle nodded to Gabriel to let her go.
“Get out of my way. It seems like this isn’t an ordinary matter since you came all the way here to find me.”
I stood up, pushing Gabriel. Gabriel grumbled and went up to the second floor with the bottle of alcohol in his hand.
“I wonder if that guy is eavesdropping on our conversation?”
Giselle said as she sat down next to me.
“He’s not that kind of guy. His hearing isn’t that good.”
“I guess you’re pretty trustworthy.”
Trust, in a way you could say trust. Gabriel never deviates from my expectations. In that sense, he is a trustworthy subordinate.
Click.
Giselle handed me the data chip.
“Your father sent it to you. I don’t know what’s inside.”
I could guess the contents of the data chip.
‘The final destination of the ghost companies’ money.’
Nikolaos died while investigating the flow of money. No matter how sophisticated the network is, there are security vulnerabilities. If high-ranking officials of the empire are involved, the network must be used with even greater caution.
It was a sure security measure to physically convey it like this. He even sent his most trusted daughter as an errand boy.
‘Heilas is also being very careful.’
No one knows how far and to what extent the mission I’ve been assigned involves anyone. Even Haylas only has a vague idea of the outline.
“I won’t ask why you stay in the lower areas.”
Giselle is quick-witted. She didn’t try to find out what was going on right now.
“How is the atmosphere at your home?”
I also changed the subject of conversation. I was actually curious about the situation at my parents’ house. There was no one who would kindly give me regular reports as an adopted child.
“You were away from your seat for a long time, so Jupe is the only one who is feeling uneasy.”
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Giselle reached for the bottle of liquor on the shelf. The action was so natural that I just stared blankly before grabbing her wrist.
“That’s alcohol.”
“I know. I don’t want to drink juice while talking about this. I’m not a brat.”
Giselle, who had pushed my hand away, looked at the juice in front of me and smiled. I felt a little embarrassed.
“… …Alcohol is prohibited for Royal Guard cadets.”
“Yes, yes, I guess so. Wow, this is really terribly tasteless. Do people here drink this as alcohol?”
Giselle grimaced as she drank from her glass. She grumbled as she poured herself another glass.
Giselle and I talked about Jupe and our hometown.
“Jupe has been living at his parents’ house these days. Since you and your father have been away for so long, everyone has been clinging to Jupe.”
“There’s nothing I can do. Unlike the half-white-haired Jupe, I have a permanent mission. If you don’t like seeing that, you can just keep me in check.”
“I want to do that too, but I don’t have the strength right now. I think I can do something only when I become an adult. Then I can get a job and start a business.”
I closed my eyes loosely and then opened them.
“That just sounds like an excuse to me, Giselle.”
At my words, Giselle also opened her eyes sharply.
“I know you’re smart, but don’t say things like that when you don’t know what others are thinking. What I’m trying to do can’t be done with a fist-fight. I need the legal authority of an adult.”
Giselle, who was furious, explained things that she hadn’t even asked. She planned to graduate from Kratzia Academy and start a business with the talent she had discovered at school once she became an adult.
“… … It’s about operating a cybernetic body wirelessly without a physical connection.”
“It’s still possible now, right?”
“It’s different. With current technology, without a direct neural connection, only slow reactions and simple actions are possible. Complex movements or combat are out of the question. It’s impossible to mimic neural signals with brainwave signals alone.”
I quietly watched Giselle’s side profile as she chattered. Her face was clearly excited, whether it was because of the alcohol or because she was talking about her interests.
“It compresses the neural signal patterns and sends them to the transmitter, and the receiver reconstructs the signals. It’s not as good as a physical connection, but it’s much… … .”
I don’t really understand the principle even though I’ve heard about it. I just vaguely understand that it’s a great technology that can attract huge investments.
Giselle, who had finished telling her story, tried to get up from her seat.
Sway.
I held onto Giselle’s disheveled shoulders and supported her. It seemed as if she had had too much to drink.
widely!
A startled Giselle stood up and slapped my hand away.
“Son, I can stand alone.”
Giselle stumbled like a baby just learning to walk. The sight of her made me sigh.
“… … I’ll take you to where the drones patrol. Security gets worse at night.”
“It’s okay. I brought a gun. My marksmanship is pretty good. If there’s anyone suspicious… … Just, bang!”
Giselle pulled out her pistol and made a motion to aim it forward.
Chomp!
I reached out and pulled out the magazine from the gun. She blushed as she realized what had happened.
“See? Don’t be reckless. One gun doesn’t guarantee your safety. If something happens to you, I’ll be in trouble too.”
I took her gun, reloaded it, and handed it back to her.
We left the office. The lukewarm air, like half-cold food, flowed through the alley. I walked out, pulling Giselle’s hood over my head.
Step, step.
As she walked, Giselle woke up from her drinking and hesitated before opening her mouth.
“Sorry, Luca. I’m sorry for bothering you. I originally planned to just hand over the chip and leave, but I guess I got a little excited. Oh, I’m saying I got excited because it was my first time going out in a while. And it was my first time coming down to the lower areas alone.”
“There’s no need to ramble on and on. Just know that you’re sorry.”
I said nonchalantly. Giselle, who had been following behind me, matched my pace and stood next to me.
Occasionally, screams and fists could be heard from across the dark alley. A gloomy gaze, whose intentions were difficult to read, swept over us.
Giselle flinched and grabbed my collar.
“Did you grow up in a place like this too?”
“When it got dark, I also tried not to go out. There were kids who went out in the middle of the night and never came back.”
I brace myself every time I see the darkness of the lower zone. If I fall, the place I will fall is the abyss. I am different from the nobles.
As we walked further, the road widened and the street became brighter. Patrol drones were flying around. The lower-level area was where the middle class lived.
“You should go now.”
I said as I stood up. Light and darkness were divided by the boundary between me.
“Luca… … .”
Giselle, who was walking, turned around and spoke to me. I looked at her quietly.
“… … Next time, can I just come over and play instead of doing business?”
Giselle’s eyes sparkled. I calmed down and stared at her. Giselle flinched as if surprised by my heavy response.
“Wake up. This is not a place to come and play.”
I answered coldly. Giselle’s pupils trembled slightly. She bit her lower lip.
“No, I was just joking. I have no intention of coming to a dirty place like this to play.”
Giselle said, pulling her hood forward. She turned away from me, covering her face.
I stared at the back of Giselle as she walked away.
… … I am not a dull fool. I should not get too involved with her. I am a member of the Custoria family. And I have seen even the excellent Ilay misjudge because of a woman.
Right now, I am standing on a thin line. Even the smallest mistake could put me in danger. Relationships and emotions that cloud my judgment and reason are unnecessary to me.
I left after making sure Giselle was gone.
