Bad Born Blood-Chapter 194

Chapter 194

The banquet ended without spilling any blood. Seeing Jafa’s firm stance, Ozmer withdrew as if avoiding a bloodbath. There was no glaring violence—only a sticky, lingering conflict left in its wake as the meal concluded.

After the banquet, Jafa and I returned to our quarters.

"When you brought it up, their reactions made it clear. Your return was definitely a topic in the last meeting. Your deduction was spot on, Jafa."

I added with certainty.

"Actually, my father contacted me a few months ago. It was before you even regained consciousness, Luka."

Jafa sat down in a chair with a sluggish motion. It seemed the post-meal drowsiness was hitting her.

"Hmm, reaching out to the child he personally exiled? Did he finally develop some late paternal affection? It seems even Tajirun blood can run hot at times."

I chuckled. But I knew all too well that wasn’t the case.

Jafa also shook her shoulders in laughter. She waved her hand dismissively before taking a sip of water.

"Ho, that’s a funny joke, Luka. Laughing after a meal makes my stomach hurt. Anyway, to explain—the Menoa Family’s main business is human trafficking.

Within the Tajirun race, no one really sees this as a problem. But the Bellato Federation does not recognize human trafficking as a legitimate business.

Because of that, most of the Menoa Family’s main businesses are illegal. If Bellato were to suddenly classify us as a criminal organization and expel or suppress us from Federation territory, we wouldn’t have much of a defense. The family’s status depends entirely on government policies, the disposition of those in power, and public opinion. It’s not exactly an ideal situation for the family’s survival."

"And?"

"They need to put forward a legitimate business that the Federation recognizes. That’s the only way the Menoa Family has a future. Conveniently, I run a decently sized legal enterprise. My father believes I can bring ‘immense profits’ to the family. That’s why he reached out behind the scenes regarding the repeal of my exile."

"Did you accept the proposal?"

"No, I refused. I like my current life, free from the constraints of race and family. Even after that, he occasionally reached out, but it never went beyond simple greetings."

I organized Jafa’s words in my head.

"You refused, and yet they still brought up your return in the roundtable meeting."

"If the exile order is revoked, I’ll be officially reinstated as a member of the Menoa Family. Regardless of my own will, Menoa would gain indirect access to Jafa Company’s background."

"The other siblings must have been displeased with the very possibility of my return. If I came back, a portion of our father’s inheritance would go to me. And if things took a certain turn, I could even end up inheriting the position of head of the family. In terms of independent business scale, no one in the family surpasses me, making me a strong candidate for the next family head."

"For the family as a whole, it would be beneficial, but for them personally, it wouldn’t. Ha."

It was an interesting situation. Conflicting interests had tangled together to create losses.

"So one of my siblings must have killed our father. He was too complacent. Even if he had prepared a lawyer specializing in inheritance matters, that would have been for the distant future. He never expected that one of his own children would try to kill him so soon. My father was an exceptional man. And because of that, he always believed he could control his children, often underestimating them."

"When people are too close to each other, they sometimes fail to see abilities objectively. So, is Ozmer, the current family head, the prime suspect?"

"For now, yes. Ozmer is a staunch traditionalist. Our father’s decisions—repealing the exile order, shifting the family’s main business—those would have been unacceptable to him. But there are other possibilities... Ah, that was a mistake. I just said something meaningless to someone with a more open mindset than anyone else. Ho, ho."

I narrowed my eyes at Jafa. She, on the other hand, half-closed hers, looking exhausted.

"Jafa, once this is over, you’ll have a lot to tell me."

"...I intend to."

I felt my head heating up. An intriguing mystery was piling up, piece by piece. It was like peeling away the layers of wrapping on a gift box without knowing what was inside.

‘In about 28 hours, the legal office’s head and the forensic experts will arrive.’

Before that, something was bound to happen. That much was certain.

"Anyway, we should rest while we can."

"The clues and evidence you’ve thrown at me keep my thoughts running nonstop. Even if I wanted to rest, I couldn’t. If you really want to give my brain a break, tell me something else—something interesting enough to divert my attention."

I spoke with a tinge of irritation, trying to extract more information from Jafa.

It was true that I was feeling somewhat on edge.

I was continuously arranging and rearranging random puzzle pieces, pieces that might not even belong to the same puzzle, let alone add up to the correct number. I couldn’t stop until the picture of causality took shape.

Running a thought-halting routine might help. But right now, my mind was burning at just the right intensity, and I didn’t want to stop. It was a kind of immersion.

Jafa knew exactly what I was thinking, yet she still opened her mouth to speak.

"When I, an exile, reconciled with my father and signed a non-aggression pact with him... Kinuan was by my side. His advice was invaluable. Much like yours is now."

The name Kinuan came up. My train of thought instantly shifted focus.

"Kinuan must have been a great help when Jafa Company was rapidly growing. That’s his specialty—using others to build and expand the organizations he needs. And he always keeps himself in a position where he can pull out at any time, never exposing himself publicly."

"Exactly. Thinking back now, he must have approached me under the guise of coincidence."

The word "approach" sounded strangely loaded.

I suddenly recalled that Jafa was a woman. A truly revolting thought crossed my mind—there was a possibility that Jafa and Kinuan had been lovers. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but Kinuan... He wouldn’t have any reservations about Tajirun customs. He would have taken Jafa without hesitation—

I grimaced at my own thoughts. It felt as if insects were crawling all over my body. I wanted to grab something, anything, and crush it.

"...Luka, whatever you’re thinking, there’s only one thing you need to know for certain. Kinuan took everything from me. The Tajirun standing before you—this Jafa—is nothing but an empty husk. A shell left behind by a ghost. If it means getting revenge on Kinuan, I’m willing to do anything."

Jafa was staring at me with an empty gaze. But she wasn’t truly looking at me—her eyes were lost in the past. A fleeting glimmer of emptiness flickered through her vertical pupils.

* * *

There was no way to know for certain where the former family head’s corpse was. I could only make an educated guess.

‘No one in the Menoa Family completely trusts one another. There are plenty who would devour even their own kin for power and profit.’

I recalled Jafa’s words.

Ozmer, the current family head, would have moved the body to avoid the prying eyes of his siblings. Whether he was the culprit or not, he had no choice but to hide it.

‘If he’s the killer, he hid the body to destroy or burn it at the right moment. If another sibling is the culprit, then he’s hiding it to protect the evidence until the lawyers arrive.’

Following the route Jafa had mapped out, I wandered through the mothership. Officially, I was a guest, so I was free to go anywhere except restricted areas.

‘The Guard Training Facility.’

I stopped walking as I entered an area where non-Tajirun were more common. Beyond a glass wall, I could see children undergoing training. Right now, they were learning hand-to-hand combat.

The instructor teaching them seemed to be a retired member of the Guard.

A sense of déjà vu hit me. I had seen this scene before. A bitter taste filled my mouth.

‘Slave soldiers.’

Some of those children were likely kidnapped rather than acquired through any legitimate transaction. Yet they would grow up to be fiercely loyal warriors, willing to lay down their lives for the very people who had abducted them—the Menoa Family.

From an outsider’s perspective, their loyalty might seem utterly foolish.

But I didn’t see them as fools. The names and labels might change, but the same thing happened everywhere in the world.

The Imperial Guard was no different. No matter how many grand titles were attached to it, the essence of the Guard was the same as what I was seeing now.

‘The former family head’s corpse must be in the Guard’s residential or training areas.’

I thought through the situation from Ozmer’s perspective. He didn’t trust his own siblings. Instead, he would place greater faith in the Guard—loyalists bound by compulsive, mechanical obedience.

He wouldn’t have hidden the body in a restricted zone. Direct blood relatives had access to those areas anyway. In fact, the direct-commander Guard units were deployed more slowly in those zones, making it harder to secure the body in an emergency.

‘If I were Ozmer...’

I glanced toward the dining hall and started walking in that direction.

—What business do you have here? This isn’t a place for outsiders.

An Equessian in black combat gear blocked my path.

‘Another Guard Commander.’

This Equessian was the other of the two Guard Commanders. Knowing he was on the same level as the one I had killed made my body itch in anticipation.

But I suppressed the aggression and showed no signs of it. I could control myself enough not to pick an unnecessary fight right now.

Good job, Luka. You’ve finally become a decent person.

Praising myself, I came up with an excuse.

"I’m hungry."

—Didn’t you eat at the banquet? The food should have been edible for humans.

"You must not have been paying attention. I didn’t touch a single thing there. There was no consideration for vegetarians, so I had nothing to eat."

The Equessian crossed his arms and tilted his head.

—Not an omnivore, but a vegetarian? Since when did humans evolve into herbivores?

"It’s not biological—it’s a matter of belief. That pile of greens over there looks good. I assume I can have some? Or are you planning to let a guest starve?"

The Equessian stroked his chin before gesturing toward the dining hall with a nod.

—I grant you permission to eat. But watch your mouth so you don’t negatively influence the trainees.

"You mean, don’t let them realize they’re slaves?"

The Equessian fell silent for a moment. Then, instead of getting angry, he let out a short laugh.

—I once tried escaping from here myself. But I soon realized... rather than earning a few coins just to become cannon fodder, this place was the better option. freeweɓnovel-cøm

His voice was louder than before, as if he wanted others to hear.

‘What a blatant lie.’

I smirked at the Equessian’s exaggerated performance. There was no way he had ever actually attempted to escape. This was just a fabricated story to brainwash the trainees, convincing them that life here was better than the outside world.

And to some extent, it was true.

I had no intention of causing a scene, so I simply gave a small nod. The Equessian Guard Commander, seemingly busy, left after issuing his warning.

Step, step.

Walking over to the dining hall’s serving area, I loaded my plate with vegetables and sat down. With some random sauce thrown on top, it was at least edible.

‘The cold storage is over there.’

I moved only my eyes, scanning the layout of the dining hall and kitchen. In my head, I overlaid it with the mothership’s structure and the path I had taken to get here.

‘If I melt through the wall from the outer hallway using the Firelight Saber, I can get in.’

I had found the optimal route into the cold storage. The body had to be in there. If my judgment was wrong, then so be it.

As I ate and observed my surroundings, my certainty grew.

‘The people working in the kitchen are highly trained.’

Their movements were far too precise for ordinary cooks. Occasionally, they would glance at a cupboard or open a cleaning cabinet, hesitating slightly as if checking something.

‘They’ve hidden weapons there. Ready to respond in an emergency.’

Their intentions were clear as day.

—H-Hey, h-human. Is just e-eating greens... tasty?

A Crawler trainee sat across from me and struck up a conversation. His Tajirunese was still clumsy.

I glanced at the trainee. Judging by his size, he was younger than Boyan. His plate was piled high with nothing but meat.

"Of course, it’s delicious. You should eat some vegetables too instead of just meat. It’ll make you healthier."

Standing up, I dumped my leftover vegetables onto the Crawler trainee’s plate. He flailed in distress, completely at a loss.

—N-No veggies! I hate them!

"Picky eating is bad."

I patted the Crawler trainee on the back, intending to leave, but a strange sensation made me freeze. I looked up at the ceiling. It was the same instinct—something like foresight—that had saved my life countless times before.

Flick!

The ceiling lights went out all at once. The entire mothership seemed to lose power as mechanical noises abruptly ceased.

‘...Is the battle for the corpse starting now?’

It was earlier than I expected. I thought it would at least begin at night.

Whether this was good luck or bad, I couldn’t tell.

The cold storage, where I suspected the body to be, was deep inside.

Which meant—I was already on the front lines.

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