Kai glared at Keter, who was grabbing his wrist. His eyes were void—those of someone whose emotions had dried up. “Fine. I was planning to kill you anyway.” Though there was no wind, Kai’s hair and clothes fluttered. An invisible aura wrapped around his entire body. He wasn’t giving Keter a warning out of courtesy. Rather, it was a consequence of the martial art style he had mastered, White Eternal Body, the ancient hero’s martial art. It was a counter-based technique that lured an attack by showing an opening. The tension was at its peak. But contrary to expectations, Keter didn’t strike. He didn’t release any energy. Instead, he got angry. “Seriously? Do we really have to spill blood over this?” Kai was genuinely caught off guard. He had run one thousand twenty-four simulations in his mind for how Keter might act: attack, defend, dodge, flee, deceive… He was confident he had accounted for every possibility from Keter’s current position, but attempting conversation wasn’t one of them. Not even a madman would try that at this moment, and yet, Keter did. “Mr. Spy gets to learn how strong Eslow really is, Jeffrey becomes a hero who saved the city, and me? I get to make friends with Mr. Spy. Everyone wins.” Letting go of Kai’s wrist, Keter turned and shouted to Jeffrey, “Sir Jeffrey! Good work! You can stop now!” Who gave him permission to end the battle? Jeffrey had no reason to follow Keter’s orders, and yet… Jeffrey, who had been pressing the Homunculus with aggressive force, backed away. The Homunculus tried to pursue, but Jeffrey had already shifted into a defensive, evasive stance. “Why is Jeffrey obeying your command?” Kai was shocked once again. Jeffrey, who should only take orders from Eslow, was responding to Keter’s voice. In truth, Keter hadn’t expected that either. Like always, he just blurted it out. But now, pretending it was intentional, he added, “Do I really have to say it out loud?” Kai concluded there must be some kind of understanding or agreement between Keter and Eslow. There was no other explanation for why Jeffrey would follow Keter’s words. It’s not possible that Keter is Eslow’s puppet. We’ve had twenty-four-hour surveillance on Eslow for a year now. If Keter were truly working for Eslow, the empire would have done everything in their power to kill him. But Keter’s behavior didn’t match that of a subordinate; it was more like an equal, or a partner. That changes everything. Keter’s overwhelming power may be impressive in the Lillian Kingdom, but it wasn’t particularly rare in the empire. Moreover, his family, Sefira, wasn’t also politically valuable due to its flaws. But if Keter and Eslow were connected, there may be room for negotiation. Kai snapped his fingers, and the Homunculus stopped attacking. As Jeffrey and the Homunculus stood off, Kai adjusted his clothes and addressed Keter. “Lord Keter. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Kai Esential of the Imperial Special Task Force.” Keter handed over a business card. Kai’s eyes narrowed at the sight. “Solver… What an interesting occupation.” “Judging by your tone, are we friends now?” “Fair enough. If you have questions or tests for me, feel free.” “Then I’ll ask bluntly. Is the Godfather backing you?” “The only things behind me are the sky and the ground.” “What’s your relationship with Lord Eslow?” “Friend of a friend. We use each other.” “Does Sefira wish to align with the empire?” Keter pointed to himself with his thumb and said, “I want to be friends with…” Then, pointing at Kai with his index finger, he said, “...you.” “…What’s your goal in becoming friends with me?” “Goal? That’s such a rigid, bureaucratic word. I would rather call it symbiosis.” “There are usually three reasons to make a friend: they’re capable, they’re fun, or you feel a connection,” said Keter, holding up three fingers—thumb, index, and middle, like the Imperial way. “Looking at you, Mr. Kai… You hit all three. You’re strong, fun, and remind me of my old self.” “You’re speaking in riddles. If you want something, you don’t need to pretend to be a friend. Just say it plainly.” “I don’t want anything.” “Wealth, treasure, the ancient hero’s martial art—the empire can grant any wish. It is not difficult for the empire to help Sefira escape its political isolation.” “Getting help by begging for it. And plus, you would expect something in return, right? That’s a transaction, not a friendship.” “You keep using that word ‘friend.’ What exactly do you mean by it?” Keter stepped toward Kai and drew a circle with his toe. Then he drew another one overlapping slightly. “A friend is someone whose life overlaps with yours. Just a step. For the good parts and the bad.” Kai looked down at the circles, then erased them with his foot. “My life and future belong to the empire.” “Did they threaten you to be loyal to the empire? Hold your family hostage? Feed you a poison you have to keep taking an antidote for?” “None of that. I chose this myself.” “If you chose it for yourself, that means it is your life, doesn’t it?” “Starting to get it now, aren’t you?” Kai’s gaze trembled. A faint sprout of feeling appeared on his emotionless face. Keter… Who is this person? No one had ever treated Kai this way. He wasn’t being persuaded or tempted. To him, Keter was neither an enemy nor an ally. He was unknown—a being he couldn’t understand yet. The Imperial Special Task Force was trained for strong mental resilience, even against magical attacks on their mind. And yet, just a few minutes of conversation with Keter had rattled Kai. The concept of friendship Keter introduced was undeniably alluring. Just one step into each other’s lives didn’t create any burden or obligation. But that goes against the Special Task Force protocol… Wait, it doesn’t! The Special Task Force forbade forming families, but nowhere was friendship banned. …Even if it was not forbidden, all actions must still serve the empire. After a moment of thought, Kai said, “Keter. You are a dangerous man. You’re from Liqueur, a region classified at the same danger level as the Demon Capital. You possess archery beyond even Sefira, the Masters of Archery, and you’re close to Lord Eslow. Based on these three factors, I hereby designate you a person of interest.” Though the words were clearly hostile and his tone was dry and official, Keter heard something closer to curiosity. “The reason I am sparing your life right now is not out of kindness. I’m keeping you alive to assess your irregularity. Consider this a temporary stay of execution.” “Don’t be shy. Since we’re friends now, mind if I drop the formalities?” Kai brushed past Keter and approached the Homunculus. One of the two that had fought Jeffrey was still standing, but the other one that had been struck by his weapon created by Eslow’s authority had collapsed. Kai kneeled to examine the downed Homunculus. Keter followed, peering curiously. “Unit Three, report your condition.” With a stiff tone, the fallen Homunculus answered, “Severe damage to the magic core fusion reactor has been detected.” “Reroute your circuits and begin self-repair.” “Initiating... Failed. Insufficient surface area for reconfiguration.” Kai stood up and gave orders to the standing Homunculus, “Unit Two, carry Unit Three.” As Kai prepared to depart, Keter interjected, “So what are you going to do with Unit Three?” “…He’ll be discarded. The damaged core can’t be reused.” Kai had answered just to understand why Keter was asking, but before he could turn away… “Then give him to me.” Kai stared at Keter in disbelief. “You know the value of a Homunculus, and you still have the gall to ask? Shameless.” “Why not? You said you’re throwing him out. That means he’s trash, right?” “Why would you care about trash?” “I pick up trash all the time. It’s practically a hobby.” Keter wasn’t lying. He had picked up Dork, Gyro, and even Elise, the first vampire. He had collected many others, too. Though he claimed it was just for fun, the truth was that it stemmed from an obsessive tendency rooted in abandonment by his parents. He simply hadn’t realized it yet. “Denied. Homunculi are the empire’s treasure and secret weapons. Even if it is defective, I can’t hand one over.” “I swear on my soul I won’t tell anyone.” “The cost of making one is beyond your comprehension. Even discarded, we can reclaim hundreds of thousands in gold.” “So if I pay... will you give him to me?” “Why are you so obsessed with him? Feel sorry for him because he looks like a boy?” “Not pity. Responsibility.” “He ended up partly because of me. If you had ordered reinforcements in time, he wouldn’t have lost to Jeffrey. Right?” “... They are not alive. They just act like it. No need to feel responsible.” “Doesn’t matter to me. Whether he’s alive or not—he looks like he wants to live,” said Keter, pointing to Unit Three. “Homunculi are artificial lifeforms. They have no soul. They’re puppets, following commands. They don’t want anything. As such, they cannot want to live.” “Then why is he looking at me like a stray cat?” Kai frowned. Indeed, Unit Three had the expression of an abandoned cat. “It’s malfunctioning. You’re just imagining it. Unit Three, answer: do you want to live?” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Unit 3 finally said, “I don’t know.” “I don’t know what it means to live or die, so I can’t answer. Please tell me. What does it mean to live or die?” “It’s… asking questions?” Kai had never seen a Homunculus act human, yet Unit Three was now doing just that. The Imperial scientists would faint if they saw this. They had been so certain that the Homunculi were not alive. They were weapons, forged with synthetic souls. As such, there was no need for guilt. But right now, Unit Three looked like nothing less than a curious child. Then I definitely can’t give it to Keter. Of course, Keter was the reason Kai noticed the anomaly, but giving up Unit Three in return was unacceptable. “Your tone changed. Don’t tell me you don’t want to give it up now.” “I never said I would.” “You acted like you would give it to me if the Homunculus had emotions.” Keter pressed on, which made Kai irritated. He didn’t want to linger here and wanted to leave as soon as possible. “Fine. If you want it that badly, buy it from me.” “Five million? You just said it was worth hundreds of thousands.” “That’s the scrap value. If you want to own it under secrecy, it’s five million.” Five million gold was an astronomical sum that no person could front alone. Even the patriarch of a master family wouldn’t be able to afford it easily. Kai was certain Keter would give up. “It doesn’t even have long left. It has maybe three months, tops. Would you pay five million for that? I wouldn’t. That’s enough to feed a family for generations.” “Hmm, yeah. That is a lot of money.” “If you can’t afford—no, I’m sure you can’t. Step aside.” “So impatient. Just a moment.” Keter pulled a blank check from his coat and a pen from his pocket. Without hesitation, he began writing. He signed the check and handed it to Kai. Kai thought it was a fake to trick him. However, it was real—a blank check issued by the Infinite Bank. And what was more shocking was the number written on the check. “Six million gold…?!”