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Chapter 129
Chapter 129
I explained Barbara’s true identity to Giselle.
Barbara was a spy that the Empire had spent over a decade preparing and deploying. A carefully cultivated agent meant to infiltrate Nemesis. Antisocial yet loyal to the Empire, brimming with madness yet possessing a sharp intellect.
"…That’s Barbara. That’s why even Nemesis never suspected she was an imperial spy. Because to anyone looking, she’s just a crazed witch perfectly suited to a terrorist group."
I finished speaking.
En ǔm̊а̇
Even Giselle, who had steeled herself for this, had her expression change multiple times. Anxiety, nervousness, anger… and betrayal. Her emotions were clear to me.
"So Father knew about what happened at the Academy all along. He knew how much I suffered, and yet…"
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"He had no choice but to watch. Barbara was an agent the Empire had painstakingly prepared. If the imperial high command had hovered around her, Nemesis would never have taken her in."
Giselle must have understood that, at least rationally.
"So the reason Barbara was able to toy with the Accretia Academy was because the Empire let it happen. Now it all makes sense. She was a Trojan Horse."
Her fingers twitched restlessly, betraying her unease. The more she listened, the more her frustration and curiosity must have grown.
Е̇ n̊ ùm̃ a. i d̄
"The deeper you dig, the more the questions will pile up, and the more impossible it will be to shake off the fear and doubt. Even I can’t give you a clear answer."
I spoke as if reading her mind. If an explanation alone could resolve everything, I would have told her long ago.
"The reason Barbara is so obsessed with me?"
"That’s something you have to figure out, Giselle. It might have to do with something you did in the past. Or maybe Barbara is just insane. A madman’s actions don’t need a rational reason."
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Giselle reached for the glass of water on the table. She moistened her dry lips before quietly closing her eyes.
"I’m scared of Barbara, Luka. I can’t even understand what she truly wants. I don’t know if she loves me or hates me."
Е n úm а́ .іd
I didn’t think it was hatred. Being someone who had strayed from the norm myself, I could recognize it. Barbara expressed affection and goodwill in a twisted manner. Hm, no need to say that out loud.
Giselle opened her eyes and pulled out her terminal. A holographic screen appeared, prompting her to enter her network ID.
"Do you think it’s possible to negotiate with Barbara?"
She asked while typing, her gaze fixed on the letters appearing on the screen.
"Barbara is a lunatic, but in the end, she always acts based on rational judgment. That’s what makes her even more bizarre. If she sees a benefit, she’ll accept my deal."
"This deal… will it truly benefit Father and the Custoria family?"
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Having finished entering her ID, Giselle hesitated before asking.
"I’ll put it simply. Father and the Custoria family are in crisis right now. Father, Hemillas, may never return to us alive."
"So it’s true that he’s in conflict with the Imperial Court…?"
It seemed Giselle had heard something about it from somewhere.
I nodded and looked at the holographic screen. Giselle lowered her head slightly and logged into the network.
* * *
E n̆ũm å.
Networking and electronic warfare weren’t my area of expertise or interest. But I was familiar with the classification of the Empire’s network systems.
There were lower-tier networks accessible to commoners, operated freely by private companies. These were flooded with corrupted data and low-quality information.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Since the lower networks were publicly available and widely used by the Empire’s lower-class citizens, they were inexpensive. However, they were virtually devoid of security. A device with a low security rating would get wrecked by viruses the moment it connected.
The upper class of the Empire typically used private networks managed independently by institutions, corporations, or noble houses—like the Imperial Guard’s internal network. These networks were exclusive to members of their respective groups, offering curated information and high security, making them both reliable and safe.
‘But that also means they’re constantly under the scrutiny and censorship of higher authorities.’
Then there was the highest-tier network, managed by the Imperial Court itself. Only high-ranking officials and the top aristocracy were granted access. The network I accessed with my Overseer privileges as the Emperor’s agent belonged to this category.
Еn̆ ů m̂а
‘Lower, internal, and upper networks.’
Most people classified networks into these three categories, but electronic warfare specialists and hackers divided them even further. I had heard that those so-called tech wizards could bypass through alien servers and even access the networks of Corite and Bellato factions. Well, that world was beyond my interest or comprehension.
"They’ll always be tracking you on the network, Giselle."
I spoke while standing beside her. Giselle, still seated, manipulated the holographic interface.
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"I know. That’s why I’ve never logged in with my own ID."
We stared at the holographic screen.
Е n ũ m̄_а̃
The moment we connected to the public lower network, the firewall activated. The security system of the terminal was in the process of burning away hundreds of viruses and illegal programs. Quite literally, it was incinerating them.
Beep, beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!
As soon as we logged in, a flood of alarms popped up.
- If there’s a misunderstanding, let’s talk.
- We’re friends, aren’t we?
- I protected you! Why can’t you understand that?
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- Connect, connect, connect, connect, connect, connect…
The sender varied with each message, but anyone could tell they were all from Barbara.
Hundreds of overlapping messages covered the entire screen. Whatever trick she had used, even mass deletion wasn’t possible.
We had to manually remove each message one by one. In other words, unless we closed our eyes, we had no choice but to see them.
- Don’t trust Lukaus Custoria.
I flinched. And then came the real spectacle.
Ӗ ǹuṁа̀
- Luka is a pervert who rolls around with men in the back alleys! I saw it myself. Here’s the proof!
A doctored, manipulated photo appeared. It was horrifying. Someone with my face was engaging in acts I didn’t even want to describe.
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“…It’s fake, right?”
Giselle glanced between the photo and me. I really hoped that faint blush on her cheeks was just my imagination.
“Of course it is. Are you kidding me?”
I frowned and answered.
Е̂ n ū m а .і́d
- Heehee, Giselle. It’s nice to see your face after so long. You’re still as lovely as ever.
The messages became more recent.
- Ilay Carthica? Are you out of your mind? You’re marrying that trash? That’s a lie, right?
- Giselle? Giselle? Giselle? Giselle? Giselle? Giselle? Giselle?
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- Why can’t I see you? What did you do?!
The tone of the messages became increasingly agitated. It seemed that thanks to Hemillas’ efforts, Barbara had a much harder time stalking her. He had been protecting Giselle in his own way.
Ẇеb̊nо̃v̂ ê l Èn ů ḿа
- Suddenly, I feel scared of myself. I even started to think I might hate you. So contact me, Giselle. Right now!
Even under official scrutiny, these messages would probably just look like those of a typical obsessive stalker. Which, to be fair, Barbara was.
- The season of storms is coming. Be careful. I’m doing well, so don’t worry.
After that, there had been no messages for a long time.
‘Barbara must be incredibly busy inside Nemesis.’
If things were going according to the Empire’s plan, Barbara would be holding an important position within Nemesis.
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Beep.
And then, a new message appeared.
- Giselle! Please, answer me. I’ve been struggling so much lately. Talk to me like before. Please, please, please! Don’t run away. I won’t treat you badly.
I could almost hear her voice. Leaning forward, I pressed my hand against the table.
"I’ll talk to her instead."
I pulled the holographic interface toward me.
E n̂ ů mа .і̆ d̈
- It’s been a while.
Message sent. The reply came instantly.
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- Who are you? Who the hell are you to use Giselle’s ID? I swear I’ll find you and kill you. You’re not in bed with her, are you? No, Giselle, you’re my goddess! A goddess must remain pure!
- Don’t worry about that. I’m a pervert who rolls around with men, remember? I can personally guarantee Giselle’s chastity.
Giselle shot me a glare and pinched my side. Hm, that’s definitely going to bruise.
Beep.
Е n ú mа
The next message had no text—just strange code. The terminal recognized it as an external network gateway.
We brought out an old, unused terminal and entered the code. Even so, this felt like a bad idea. Contacting Barbara on the network was incredibly dangerous. That world was her battlefield.
In reality, I could snap Barbara’s neck in less than a second. But in the network? It was the opposite. If I left even the smallest security vulnerability, she could hack into our terminal in a single second.
Vrrrrr!
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The old terminal began processing the code. Despite its age, it was still a high-end model, equipped with a sturdy firewall. Since no viruses were detected, we could breathe a little easier—for now.
"Never seen this script before," I muttered, staring at the screen. Strange characters stretched across it in a long sequence, formed from dots and lines. It was bizarre.
Еṅû.m а. ì d̆
"It’s the Tajirun script. Looks like she’s rerouting through a Tajirun server. Those money-grubbing bastards wouldn’t do this for just a few coins…"
Giselle recognized it before I did.
…Tajirun. The name felt unfamiliar. I racked my brain, trying to pull up the memory, like digging out a dusty old book from the back of a forgotten storage room.
‘Tajirun, the merchants.’
Finally, I remembered.
The Tajirun were a species. Snake-like in appearance, and saying their entire race was dedicated to trade and commerce wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
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If the Equessians were a race of mercenaries, the Tajirun were a race of merchants. As a soldier, they weren’t particularly relevant to me. I only knew that, true to their reputation as traders, they were cunning and cowardly.
- This network will only last five minutes, even if I empty my entire fortune for it. If you have business, speak quickly, Luka. If you called me here for something trivial, you’ll regret it.
- I want to make a deal.
- Haha, the situation is different from last time. Back then, I cooperated only because you had me captured. Here, I’m stronger than you. I hold the superior position. I have no reason to negotiate. So hurry up and try to tempt me.
I moved my fingers quickly, forming my response. Barbara could disappear at any moment.
- I have Noel Mullizcane’s records in the form of virtual simulation data. If you convert them into a modern format for me, I’ll share them with you. I’m sure you’ll find them useful.
Wе b̀ṅо̊v̊ е̌l Е́ nu mа̇
At the mention of Noel Mullizcane, Barbara didn’t reply right away.
"Noel?"
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Giselle tilted her head in confusion.
The Empire deliberately avoided teaching anything about Noel Mullizcane. It was natural that she was unfamiliar with the name.
Even if someone tried to look him up, the only information available was a brief mention labeling him as a rebellion leader.
- Now this is interesting. Who exactly are you? Don’t tell me… you’re one of my kind?
Enŭ m а . ĭd
- That’s none of your business. I’ll deliver it to you in person.
- I have a condition. Giselle comes with you.
I glanced at Giselle. She placed her palm over the back of my hand and nodded.
We set a time and place. Barbara would appear in a form we wouldn’t expect. After all, she now had a fully cybernetic body.
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The communication with Barbara ended. She grumbled about spending half of her savings on the connection.
"Luka, can you promise me one thing?"
Ẁ е b̃n̈ о.v е.ľ Е̇ǹ u m̃à
"I can’t promise anything without knowing what it is."
"When this storm passes… tell me everything you’ve been through. No matter what it is, I’m ready to accept it."
I couldn’t tell her. My silence was my answer.
Srrk.
Giselle withdrew her hand from mine. My fingers twitched before I clenched them into a fist.
"I’ll fulfill my role, but keep this in mind. I’m not like my submissive mother. I can’t love someone completely if they won’t open up to me."
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I still didn’t understand Noel’s choices and struggles. But I thought I was beginning to grasp Hemillas’ burdens.
Fulfilling two roles at once was difficult. Whether as a family head and a father, or as an Overseer and a lover—committing to one always meant neglecting the other.
Now I understood exactly how Hemillas felt.
…If I wanted to protect them, I had no choice but to be hated.
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