075
In the VIP room, only Martina, Grace, and I were left.
“I have one business, Martina Diva.”
“Haha, go ahead, Young Master.”
Martina smiled with her eyes wide open, a smile that would charm many a man. But not me.
“Even if I’m not here, I want you to take care of Gabriel. To keep him and his gang from collapsing. If necessary, you can bring Gabriel’s gang under La Vie en Rose. I’m sure you can handle it with your skills.”
Martina’s pupils dilated, as if in surprise. I didn’t know I would be asking for something like this.
“It almost sounds like… …you’re worried about Gabriel?”
“You can think whatever you want. But as you know, I can’t stay in the lower zone all the time. I’ll be away for long periods of time. When I need influence in the lower zone again, it’ll be difficult without Gabriel.”
I spoke dryly, not showing a shred of emotion. It was my habit to keep my emotional signals locked inside.
“If Your Majesty needs influence in the lower regions, we at Lavienrose can do it for you.”
“You can’t believe it. Another source of income for La Vie en Rose is information trading. If necessary, they’ll hand over my information to others.”
The high-class courtesans of La Vie en Rose mingle with high-ranking nobles. The sloppy ones tend to easily tell their partners their secrets in bed.
“I haven’t told anyone about you yet, I swear.”
That may be the case for now, but I can’t guarantee that he will keep his mouth shut in the future.
“Let’s cut the small talk, Martina. So, are you going to protect Gabrielle? Or not? Just answer this.”
“What can I get?”
There is only one thing I can give you.
“Friendship with me.”
My possibilities.
A promising cadet of the Custoria family’s guard. Anyone can see that I have a very high chance of success.
“You’re so confident.”
“Don’t be so confident.”
I answered briefly.
Kiing.
Martina’s pupils were shining. She must be deep in thought, her consciousness turned inward.
widely!
After thinking about it, Martina folded her fan.
“It feels like a bit of a loss, but I’ll think of it as an investment. Even if you’re away, Grace will keep an eye on the Gabriel Gang.”
We finished the deal.
I got up from my seat and left the VIP room. Grace, under Martina’s orders, followed me out to see me off.
“You must be of great status.”
Grace said.
“It’s nothing special.”
It’s true that it’s great. But it’s a position I earned through my own efforts. I didn’t want to be treated as a noble young man who was meddling with his family’s power.
We walked down the store’s corridor. There were a lot of people coming and going. It seemed like business was going pretty well. I feel this every time I go to a red-light district, but tastes are truly diverse.
Beep.
I heard the terminal ring.
The caller was Heilas.
* * *
Heilas was waiting for me in the training room, which was rare, rather than in the office.
Whirlwind.
Heilas straightened his stance, turning his spear cleanly. Five active guardsmen stood before him, melee weapons drawn.
It was a precious sight. It was a chance to see the battle of Heilas. When the air vehicle crashed, I was having a hard time keeping my body healthy, so I couldn’t properly see the battle of Heilas.
“You came at a good time. Just wait a moment.”
Heilas glanced at me and said.
Five guardsmen surrounded Heilas, keeping a distance between them. They were from the 1st Hundredth, a higher-ranking unit within the guards. They were considered the best within the guards.
widely!
A guard with a sword rushed at Heilas. As if that was a signal, other guards attacked Heilas from various directions.
Whirlyrick!
Heilas swung his spear sharply, blocking the attacks of the other guardsmen and gaining space. He lowered his upper body and slid backwards.
After breaking free from the five guards, Heilas struck the neck of a nearby guard with his spear. In a real fight, it would have been an instant death.
Heilas’s movements were flashy and restrained. The intricately calculated rotation of the spear repelled the guards’ attacks one after another.
Heilas continued his attack by using the centrifugal force gained from striking with a spinning defense.
‘The workshop is complete.’
The attack and defense were not separated, but ended as one movement. I don’t know how much training and experience it takes to reach that level.
‘This is the Empire’s strongest soldier… … .’
Even with my eyes trained in the fighting techniques of Archie, I couldn’t see a single clue as to how to attack Heilas.
As if it were a lie, the guardsmen fell down one by one in vain. They are not weak. Each and every one of them is a hero who has come back from behind. It is just that they appear relatively helpless in front of Heilas.
widely!
Heilas struck the last guard’s chest with the butt of his spear. The guard’s chest guard broke.
‘If Heilas uses Legion… … how much stronger will he become?’
Legion, as the word suggests, will be a ‘one-man army’.
The guardsmen who had finished their training retreated one by one.
Heilas still stood with his spear raised. He took a deep breath and gestured towards me.
“Luka, come up here with your weapon. Let’s have a light discussion.”
I felt my heart pounding. This was a great opportunity.
“Oh, use your own weapon. That should make me feel more nervous.”
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Heilas added, his words stimulating the competitive spirit within me.
Kiiing!
I stood in front of Heilas, drawing my high-pressure heavy weapon, Crucis.
“I will learn a thing or two.”
My tone was harsh, like a thorn on my tongue. I wished, even for a moment, that Heilas felt threatened for his life. That was my goal today.
In short, I rushed in with the determination to kill Heilas.
Heilas’s sparring spear has low killing power. It is difficult to inflict fatal damage on those in combat gear.
‘It’s a spear that will shatter if it collides with a crucifix.’
How does Heilas plan to respond?
I charged forward, swinging Crucis with all my might. By the time I reached Heilas, it had already gained momentum, and the slow first strike disadvantage of heavy weapons had disappeared.
Heilas stepped back, his eyes slightly open as if observing me. Crucis passed by, cutting through the air fiercely.
‘Continue to use rotational force to accelerate.’
Heavy weapons are not weapons that you can stop and swing again. Once you swing them and gain momentum, you can’t stop. That’s why they are difficult to handle. You have to keep the flow of the attack going in order to be most effective.
Go with the flow, Luca.
I opened my eyes wide. I raised the output of my body to its peak in one breath.
I tried to swing my sword while standing close to Heilas. It would be hard for him to dodge this. I imagined myself cutting open Heilas’ waist with his spear.
At that moment, Heilas’s spear became blurred. By the time I realized it, I had already been attacked.
Key- Ing!
The sound of a rushing wave followed later.
Heilas stabbed me in the left shoulder. It was so fast that I couldn’t even react. I dropped my sword and stepped back.
‘Overwhelming speed.’
Even Archie’s fighting techniques couldn’t deal with it.
‘This is the imperial way.’
I looked at Heilas, holding his shoulder. The light in his eyes was sparkling.
Heilas was a perfect fighting machine. He controlled his high-performance fighting body as if it were his own body. I don’t know how many people in the empire have a brain like that.
‘Even if I fight a hundred times, I feel like I’ll lose a hundred times.’
Kinuan also always said. Akiess Victory is not a miraculous fighting technique that makes the impossible possible. It is only effective against opponents who have a chance of winning.
Against an opponent with such a difference in skill, Akies’ fighting techniques were useless.
“You won’t give up after experiencing it once, right?”
“Persistence is one of my few strengths.”
I touched my numb shoulder. It was a blow aimed at the joint between the biological and mechanical. The impact resonated deeply, temporarily breaking the neural connection. It felt like my arm was cut off.
‘There was an attack like this too.’
I learned one thing.
Heilas fought in various ways as if he was teaching me. It was a very detailed sparring match. I know it’s a funny expression, but I couldn’t think of any other words.
“Heavy weapons have great destructive power. If you can maintain your momentum, there is no better weapon. But you are immature. In terms of skill and experience.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve been criticized like this. I feel a little bad. I guess I’ve gotten too used to compliments.
“The Archieus combat technique uses a method of artificially raising insight. However, it is a technique of the weak to fight against the strong with a weak body from birth. Use it as a tool, but do not rely on it too much.”
Good advice. I took it to heart.
“The reason I called you this time is to give you a mission. A member of the royal family has appointed you. Does that make sense?”
I haven’t been able to answer yet. It was too much to even respond to Heilas’ attacks.
This time, Heilas stepped back, waiting for my answer. I barely managed to catch my breath before opening my mouth.
“……there is.”
I told him about the royal boy I had met after the banquet. The image of the purple boy was still vivid in my mind.
“Hmm, it seems he’s interested in you. I guess so. Your background is quite unusual. An irregular among irregulars.”
This seems like a compliment.
“What is your mission?”
“It’s security work. The schedule could be as short as one or two days, or as long as several days. Well, it depends on his whims. One thing you should know for sure is that this is the duty of the guard. Your judgment is the judgment of the guard.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Even after the mission was completed, the training did not end.
I sparred with Heilas until my limbs were torn to pieces.
‘Heilas made time for me.’
I know how busy the captain of the guard is.
I concentrated as if it were a real fight, and memorized each and every one of Heilas’s movements. This knowledge could one day save me from death.
* * *
The royal family entrusted me with the task of guarding them. It was absurd in common sense. Even in the Royal Guards, there were many people with more experience and skills than me.
If we were only looking at efficiency, there was no reason to assign security duties to me.
‘curiosity.’
That’s why the royal boy chose me. It wasn’t a reason I liked.
I stood at the guard airfield with a heavy heart. I fiddled with my weapon as if to shake off my anxiety. I had Crucis and Ruina in my waistband and inside my coat. I also prepared enough magazines.
Woohoo.
A six-seater aerial vehicle of unidentifiable affiliation descended from the sky. The exterior was black. The door of the landing aerial vehicle opened upward.
I entered the air vehicle as instructed in advance. Inside, a purple royal boy was sitting with his legs crossed.
I waited for him to speak without showing any emotion.
“Nice to meet you, Lucas Custoria. Lucas is a bit stiff and long, do you have a nickname?”
“You can call me Luca.”
“Luka, Luca, Luca. The feeling isn’t bad. For now, sit down.”
The royal boy stared out the window with his chin resting on his hand. Outside, the glass was pitch black, but inside, the view was crystal clear.
‘Is there no one else but me?’
There was only me and the royal boy inside the vehicle. I had to take charge of the royal security alone.
“Luca.”
The royal boy moved his lips while still looking outside.
“Please speak.”
“I want to decide on a name for the time being. Nero, Ivan, Selim. Which of these do you think suits you best?”
I felt like there might be something in common with those names. But I don’t know with my knowledge and insight.
“Ivan… … This sounds good.”
“Actually, I liked that too. Hmm, I like it even more now that you decided it.”
The royal boy, Ivan, laughed.
