Twenty-Two: The Question of Marriage

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I had not expected Jiunan to appear at Mask’s shop, let alone greet me with such hostility.

She was puffing away, the white smoke blurring her face.

Mask said, “The commander wants to see you.”

Jiunan said, “You bastard.”

How dare she come to my territory and curse me? I was a man of some standing, after all. What right did she have? At most, she was my mother-in-law....

I took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Commander, how have you been?”

“Spare me that nonsense!”

I threw caution to the wind and rose to kiss her wrinkled cheek. The act filled me with self-loathing, as though I had become one of those painted women who sold their smiles.

Jiunan kicked me away and laughed. “Go to hell.”

Her laughter proved that her mood had improved.

She was laughing, yet I felt filthy. I asked, “What brings you here?”

Jiunan opened a can of beer and licked away the foam. “Why did you poach Broken Clock and Soles?”

I cried, “They retired too?”

“You know the rules. I didn’t authorize their retirement, so they can’t leave. I only came to ask whether this was your doing.”

I had never imagined the two of them would act so impulsively. I was preparing for a second expedition to Sobbing Village. Wasn’t this just making things difficult for me?

I steeled myself. “I did want them to come work for me.”

Jiunan flicked her cigarette butt into the unfinished beer. The beer had not been cheap, and seeing her waste it made my heart ache.

“You are the Governor’s favorite. You are a celebrity among our Rangers. You are the protagonist of Black Coffin’s legendary tale. You are even a darling of the vampire race. But don’t forget that you were once my subordinate, and that you married my adopted daughter.”

“I could never forget, Commander. Lamia and I have always been grateful to you and held you in the highest regard.”

Jiunan’s smile became exceedingly strange. “I can give those two men back to you, but I have one condition.”

She stared at my face, though her gaze wandered over the rest of me. In an instant, I understood what she wanted. But should I give it to her? If matters truly came to that, how could I face Lamia afterward? As pure as I was, what face would I have left to live in this world? And how could I possibly satisfy the appetite of such a voracious middle-aged woman?

A man must have principles. A man must have dignity. At this difficult moment of choice, I could think only of a poem:

“Alive, I shall be a hero among men;
Dead, I shall be a champion among ghosts.
Even now, I think of Xiang Yu—
He would not cross the river eastward.”

Jiunan said, “My condition is this... Give me twenty million credits, and I’ll approve their discharge.”

My expression changed dramatically. “Would payment in kind be acceptable?”

“No. Your flesh isn’t worth anything.”

I was furious, but when I tried to argue, I found myself speechless.

I wrote her a check. Jiunan contentedly flicked it with her finger and shook her head. “Praise this little scrap of paper. It bears the gospel of humanity.” Then she slipped it into her pocket.

I cursed her silently without end.

She touched my face. “You and Lamia have been getting along well lately, haven’t you?”

“Thanks to you, we’re doing wonderfully. We’re planning to have a child.”

Jiunan froze. “You know Lamia is an artificial human. She has no organs. How could she possibly...?”

I was astonished. “Wasn’t it you who performed the operation? Everything works perfectly now. We are both deeply grateful for your miraculous skills.”

Jiunan shook her head. “I have never performed any such operation. The Valkyrie Corps exists to produce soldiers. We would never implant organs unrelated to combat.”

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My mind descended into chaos. “But I have already been with Lamia... So you’re saying you didn’t perform the operation?”

“Whoever did it, the Valkyrie Corps certainly has no such procedure.”

Then how had the wife who shared every pleasant night with me come to possess those organs? Had she secretly gone out and undergone the surgery herself?

Suddenly, Vaga said, “She’s pretending not to know. This kind of modification is a Corps secret and cannot be disclosed to outsiders.”

At once, everything became clear. I understood perfectly and said, “Yes, Commander. Since you put it that way, I naturally understand.”

Jiunan blinked, twisted her mouth into a smile, and said, “I’m afraid I understand less and less.” She reached into her pocket and squeezed the check, then burst into delighted laughter as she walked out the door.

Mask and I felt as though we had both been struck by a heavy blade, yet had somehow escaped with our lives. We were disappointed, but also relieved.

I asked, “Have all the supplies been purchased? I need to leave as soon as possible, before the Epoch Empire interferes.”

Mask led me to a warehouse across the street. Goods were piled inside like mountains. I almost thought he had emptied Black Coffin itself. He said, “Workers will load everything onto the vehicles when the time comes.”

“I’ll go contact them at once.”

After making inquiries, I learned that Michael was at the Senate. When I reached that level, I saw Legang, Michael, and the genius duo—Narlay and Sosa—on the broad lawn outside the Senate building. There was also a very handsome boy. I remembered that his name was Bette. He was a survivor of the undead Koloff murder case, the younger brother of the late Ranger Rita. Right—Michael had adopted him as well.

They were playing with moose. The animals had grown strong and enormous, and Legang seemed like a druid from myth, possessing miraculous hands that could communicate with animals and promote their growth.

Narlay did not appear to have become a vampire yet. He had already been ennobled as a baron, but Michael had decided to postpone the transformation ceremony for a while.

Michael saw me too and called out, “Children, look! A great figure among the Rangers has arrived!”

“Regrettably, a former Ranger.”

Michael and Legang embraced me in turn. The three children followed aristocratic etiquette and bowed to greet me.

Narlay said, “Mr. Longinus, your skill is every bit as remarkable as they say. You defeated Arm Dile with a single blow. I hear she is currently the strongest of the demon test subjects.”

It seemed the boy was not entirely ignorant of his own limitations.

“Children, you still have much to learn.”

Michael, Legang, and I walked aside. I said, “I’m worried that the Epoch Empire will send troops to attack Charon Heavy Industries. We need to prepare our defenses in advance.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? When do you think we should leave?”

“As soon as Yune is available. We’ll take two hundred tons of construction materials and one hundred tons of food, then depart immediately.”

Michael nodded. “I’ll have people speed up preparations for Ember.”

Legang said, “Lamia has returned from the frontier expedition. She insists on accompanying you.”

I sighed. “If that is what she wants, there is absolutely no stopping her.” Still, Lamia and I had never tried anything aboard Yune. Given her temperament, she would probably want to experience it....

Michael asked, “Why are you blushing?”

“You vampires wouldn’t understand.”

Michael laughed. “Whatever it is, it’s probably no good. Get out of here, and don’t corrupt my pure children.”

“Purity exists to be corrupted. I have no objection to giving them the precious first lesson of life with my filthy soul. Children, come over here to Uncle....”

In the end, Michael and Legang chased me down together and drove me away.

Lamia and I had been separated for so long that we had endless things to say to each other. Unfortunately, time was short, so she decided to use another method in place of conversation. Everything was understood without words.

By morning, she and I were holding hands and watching Mask supervise the loading in town. I filled her head with visions of Sobbing Village’s glorious future. She said, “Wherever you are, I will be there. I’ll ask Jiunan to assign me permanently to Charon Heavy Industries.”

“I’ve already poached so many of her people. She’ll never be willing to give you up.”

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Lamia stubbornly raised her face. “Even if she demotes me, I still refuse to live apart from you for long.”

My heart swelled. I pulled her tightly into my arms. “You absolutely must not be demoted. If my business venture sinks, I’ll be relying entirely on you to support me.”

Lamia smiled faintly. “Money is all you ever think about. We could live perfectly well without it.”

I would not have minded living like a dog, but I could not bear to let Lamia suffer alongside me.

A lonely dog approached the two of us in our intimacy. No—that was my mistake. It was Mask. His eyes were full of reproach.

“The vehicle is ready,” he said.

“Then everyone to your stations! Prepare to depart!”

“Who will drive?” Lamia asked.

“The driver.”

“Who is the driver?”

I looked at Mask. Mask looked toward a temporary worker, but the man had already stopped working and gone home.

I let out a mournful cry. “Damn it, I forgot to find a driver!”

Yune was completely different from Juno. I could drive Juno, but I could not drive the enormous beast known as Yune.

Lamia sighed. “They say Yune is a cursed vehicle. Its last two drivers died, and no one is willing to take over.”

“Can they really disobey a Ranger military order?”

“Even with a military order, it’s too late to find someone now.”

Mask said, “I can drive. To be honest, I have several years of driving experience.”

With no other option, the detective agency could only suspend its operations. After all, Charon Heavy Industries was the greater priority.

Once we left the city, we drove south. I had drawn up the route map in advance, and for the moment everything went smoothly.

That night, the door to the cab was pushed open. I turned and saw Soles and a tall, square-jawed Ranger.

He saluted Lamia and me. “Commanders!”

Soles smiled. “This is Zhan Liesi, the man I told you about.”

So this was the bastard who had stolen Soles away?

“Good evening, Second Lieutenant,” Lamia said.

I gave a disdainful snort through my nose, already wondering how best to make things difficult for the wretch. But Zhan Liesi seized my hand, visibly overcome with excitement.

“Commander, I’m a great admirer of your books. I’ve always dreamed of meeting you.”

Being a man of highly developed social instincts, I knew one did not slap a smiling face. “Sit down for a while. Have a beer.”

He sat and opened a can. I asked, “Do you have a home yet? Which floor is it on? How large is it? Can you afford a betrothal gift of one million credits?”

Zhan Liesi choked on his beer and began coughing violently. Soles blushed. “Longinus, you’re not my father. Why are you asking him all that?”

I glared at Zhan Liesi and said to Soles, “Why not? Don’t forget, I’m the one who adopted you!”

Soles turned her head away. “I don’t want to discuss this kind of thing right now.”

The atmosphere became extremely awkward. Then Broken Clock appeared inside the vehicle and said, “We found two coffins among the cargo. They’re extraordinarily heavy. I have no idea when they were loaded.”

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