Inside the General's Mansion, Tatsumi was pacing anxiously in the guest room.
His gaze occasionally drifted to the direction of the mansion's front gate, as if he were waiting for someone to return.
Just not long ago, when he was about to go chat with Yoshino like he usually did, he discovered that she was nowhere to be found in the mansion.
After asking the maid who took care of Yoshino, Tatsumi learned from her that Yoshino had gone out with Esdeath.
But when he asked where they went, the maid was unable to answer, saying she had no idea.
This caused unease to rise in Tatsumi heart.
So, he slipped past the Three Beasts and the guards, quietly sneaking into Yoshino room in hopes of finding a clue.
Unfortunately, he didn't find anything.
But he didn't give up. Driven by his growing unease, he snuck into Esdeath study. There, he saw an imperial edict lying on the desk.
After reading the text on the edict and learning that the Emperor planned to bestow honors upon Yoshino, he was utterly shaken.
This was a situation he absolutely didn't want to see.
The reason he came alone to the General's Mansion was to rescue Yoshino from the capital, to take her far away from this deep and endless meat grinder of a vortex.
But not only had his plan made no progress, Yoshino was becoming more and more entangled with the Empire.
This made him feel a deep sense of crisis.
He wasn't worried that the Empire would try to steal Yoshino artifact.
From his time staying at the General's Mansion, he had witnessed Esdeath indulgent affection for Yoshino.
Even if the Empire learned that Yoshino possessed a treasure rivaling the most powerful Teigu, with Esdeath protecting her, there was no one in the Empire who could take what belonged to Yoshino.
But even so, it wouldn't improve the Revolutionary Army's position in the slightest.
If Yoshino had not regained her memories, then that would be fine. But once she remembered her past and truly came to regard the Imperial General Esdeath as family, then her power would naturally become a power for the Empire.
Esdeath alone was already a massive headache. She had singlehandedly subdued the southern mountain tribes and pushed the northern barbarians to the brink of extinction. She had forcibly extended the Empire's fortune by a century and had become the greatest obstacle on the Revolutionary Army's path.
Although Tatsumi didn't know the exact nature of the treasure Yoshino possessed, he was certain of one thing: if her power were to be used by the Empire, the already slim hopes of the Revolutionary Army would become even more negligible.
The Empire, once glorious and peaceful, had now begun to rot from within, breeding countless corruption and darkness.
Ieyasu and Sayo were killed by this very darkness of the capital.
Even if it wasn't for justice, but purely for the sake of personal bonds, he was determined to tear down this decaying Empire from top to bottom.
And when that time came, he and Yoshino would be standing on opposite sides.
This wasn't something Tatsumi wanted to see.
He had to accelerate his plan to persuade Yoshino to leave.
Twenty minutes later.
A luxurious carriage rolled up from the end of the street and stopped at the entrance of the General's Mansion.
From the carriage, Esdeath and Yoshino stepped down.
"Milady, did everything go smoothly?"
Seeing his master return, Liver, who had been guarding the door, immediately stepped forward respectfully and asked.
"Not very smoothly. Something unexpected happened, but it's still under control."
Esdeath casually replied a few words but clearly didn't intend to elaborate. She turned the conversation to work matters: "The Emperor wants me to deal with Night Raid as soon as possible. We've delayed long enough. Go call for Nyau and Daidara. Let's proceed with the original plan."
"Yes, shall we depart immediately?"
"Yes, the sooner the better. I don't want to waste too much time on a bunch of skulking thieves."
Esdeath paused for a moment before adding, "Gather more manpower. Eliminate them as quickly as possible, once and for all."
"You mean... recruit a few more Teigu users?"
"Exactly."
When Esdeath had just returned to the capital, she had treated dealing with Night Raid like a game of cat and mouse.
The capital was a boring place, and the existence of Night Raid added some amusement to her life.
But now, her entire focus was on Yoshino. She no longer had the interest to play with Night Raid.
Since the Emperor had already begun to urge her, she had no choice but to shift her attention back to Night Raid. And naturally, the faster they were dealt with, the better.
"Apart from you Three Beasts, I plan to search the entire Empire for a few suitable candidates and form a temporary team," Esdeath said simply. "I will personally lead the team and eliminate Night Raid in the shortest time possible."
"Understood. I'll immediately begin compiling a list of suitable members."
"Go."
Following Esdeath orders, Liver quickly headed toward the Imperial Military Headquarters to carry out the mission.
At the same time, Yoshino, who was standing beside her, suddenly looked toward the guest room as if she sensed something.
And there, she saw a fleeting figure—Tatsumi.
Tatsumi had been secretly watching?
But Yoshino wasn't surprised.
She was fully aware of Tatsumi real reason for sneaking into the General's Mansion—she just hadn't said anything.
It seemed that her visit to the palace with Esdeath had caused Tatsumi to feel threatened, prompting him to peek from the window.
Yoshino quietly withdrew her gaze and pretended as if she hadn't noticed anything.
Due to Esdeath close watch on him these days, Tatsumi hadn't had many chances to have an Honest conversation with her.
Now that Esdeath and the Three Beasts were about to leave the mansion to deal with Night Raid, this clearly became the best opportunity for Tatsumi to persuade her to leave the capital.
If it were just one day earlier, she might have agreed.
After all, she had already stayed in the General's Mansion for over half a month. Although she had been enjoying good food and comfortable living, the main quest hadn't progressed at all, and she had been seriously considering switching sides to Night Raid just to test the waters.
But now, a golden opportunity to change the Empire had presented itself before her—there was no way she could miss it.
However, if Tatsumi sincerely tried to persuade her, given her current "character setting," she would definitely have to leave with him.
So, she had to find a way to get Tatsumi out of the picture for now...
With this little plan forming in her mind, Yoshino tugged on Esdeath sleeve to get her attention.
"Yoshino, is something the matter?"
"Um… may I request that Tatsumi be allowed to join your team, Miss Esdeath?" Yoshino blinked her large eyes. "Tatsumi said when he left the village that he wanted to accomplish something great in the Empire. If he can join your team, I believe he'll definitely be able to achieve that goal."
"Hmm…"
Esdeath expression turned slightly troubled.
But Yoshino rarely asked her for anything. And this time, she was making a request for her fellow villager. Agreeing would surely earn her more favor.
Although their mission was to go up against Night Raid, as long as the core members were strong, bringing along one or two showpieces wouldn't hurt.
"No problem."
In the end, Esdeath nodded.
"I'll have someone summon your fellow villager shortly and let him join my team."