Hola, Im Back
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To be Honest, Yoshino hadn't expected to see Tatsumi here.
This time when she left the capital, it was really just to prove her own strength, eLiverte her standing in Esdeath eyes, and gain more freedom as a result.
Although she knew that Night Raid's base was somewhere in the forest outside the Imperial Capital, she didn't know the exact location.
Those kinds of minor intelligence details? She simply couldn't remember them clearly.
But considering how vast the forest outside the capital was, she originally thought—there's no way she'd run into Night Raid by sheer coincidence, right?
And yet, she really did run into them.
Or perhaps it was that Night Raid had noticed the battle between Esdeath and herself, and deliberately sent Tatsumi to make direct contact?
If that were the case, then the "coincidental" appearance of Tatsumi right along the path Esdeath and her party were traveling would make much more sense.
Although Yoshino had been confined and not allowed to leave the residence these past few days, she had still heard some whispers from the outside.
She was well aware that Night Raid's assassination activities had become increasingly frequent.
At the same time, she also knew that this must be Night Raid's classic diversion tactic—intending to draw Esdeath attention, and then send someone to extract her from the capital.
It was just that Esdeath had paid no mind to their provocation and hadn't even considered taking action. She had remained in the General's mansion with her the whole time.
Now that they finally had a rare chance to be out together, sending Tatsumi to negotiate in person was naturally the most logical choice.
After all, Tatsumi was still technically a newcomer to Night Raid. Although he'd participated in a few assassination missions, neither his face nor identity had been exposed yet. Even if he appeared openly near Esdeath, it wouldn't cause much of a stir.
While conversing with Tatsumi, Yoshino subtly glanced at Esdeath.
That glance caught her off guard.
She couldn't help but feel puzzled.
She had the distinct feeling... that Esdeath expression didn't look too pleasant?
That shouldn't be possible.
At this point in time, Esdeath and Tatsumi hadn't even met yet.
And in the original story, Esdeath was actually captivated by Tatsumi strength, his sunny smile, and his ability to rise from a humble border-town background through his own effort. She'd fallen for him at first sight during the martial arts contest.
Although Tatsumi hadn't shown any particular strength yet, his smile was certainly bright and warm.
Even if, for now, he only met one of Esdeath "ideal partner" criteria, that shouldn't be enough to make her pull a long face, should it?
"Aiya, look at Yoshino being so forgetful. We got so caught up chatting that I almost forgot to introduce you two."
After a brief exchange, Yoshinon gestured for both sides to come closer and said in a very natural tone, "Miss Esdeath, this is Tatsumi, a fellow villager who set out with us from Tam Village. He got separated from us on the way to the capital due to an accident. Tatsumi, this is Miss Esdeath. Try not to let your jaw drop when I tell you—she's actually a general of the Empire. And get this—she might be Yoshino long-lost sister!"
"What? Yoshino actually has an older sister?"
Even though he already knew, Tatsumi feigned surprise as part of the act, eyes wide in shock.
Esdeath, although meeting Tatsumi for the first time, had already learned about parts of Yoshino past over the past few days they'd spent together, including what had happened to her over the last eight years. So she wasn't surprised about her having a fellow villager.
What did surprise her, though, was Yoshino attitude toward this boy.
Even if they were from the same village, wasn't her attitude a bit too warm?
To this day, Yoshino still hadn't smiled at her even once!
"You... are really just Yoshino fellow villager?"
Esdeath scrutinized Tatsumi from head to toe, asking with a tone of suspicion.
Her three beast officers behind her all had somewhat speechless expressions.
They were suspicious too, sure—but wasn't this their first meeting? Did she have to ask so bluntly?
"Miss Esdeath, you're being too much. If you ask that way, you'll make Yoshino shy," Yoshino giggled, covering her mouth. "Though Yoshino and Tatsumi are very close, they really are just childhood friends from the same village."
"That's for the best."
Seeing that Yoshino face had already turned red, Esdeath didn't linger on the topic. She changed the subject, saying, "I was rude just now. Yoshino is a very important person to me, so I had to be cautious."
"Understandable, very understandable."
Tatsumi quickly nodded.
But inwardly, he felt puzzled.
Wasn't Esdeath supposed to be the cold-blooded demon everyone talked about?
Yet now that he saw her in person, she didn't seem as terrifying as the rumors made her out to be.
"Back to the main point, I should be thanking you and your village for taking Yoshino in."
Esdeath expression turned serious as she said, "If not for your help, I might never have reunited with her in the capital. From today on, you are a guest of the General's Mansion. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. For Yoshino sake, I'll help however I can."
"Thank you very much, General Esdeath."
Tatsumi heart surged with joy, and he continued, "Actually, there is a small request I was hoping you might help me with."
"Oh? What is it?"
"I only just arrived in the capital and fell victim to a scam. I lost all my money and can't even afford food anymore, so I was forced to go into the forest to hunt for survival," Tatsumi sighed. "Would it be possible for the General to help arrange a place for me to stay? I'll never forget your kindness."
"That's nothing."
Such a small request was hardly worth refusing. Esdeath immediately agreed: "We're just about to return to the General's Mansion. Come along. There are plenty of vacant guest rooms—just pick whichever you like."
"Thank you so much!"
Tatsumi bowed deeply with joy written all over his face.
The plan was going even better than expected.
He hadn't anticipated gaining entry into the inner city's General's Mansion so easily.
Although his goal in meeting Yoshino this time was to persuade her to leave with him, that was not something he could say outright in front of Esdeath.
Whether Yoshino would agree was one thing—but if Esdeath found out he intended to take her "sister" away, she definitely wouldn't agree.
So, infiltrating the General's Mansion and carrying out the plan step by step was the most reliable approach.
For the sake of Night Raid, and to ensure Yoshino wouldn't be harmed in the upcoming revolution, he had to get her out of the dangerous whirlpool that was the capital.
"Failing to save Ieyasu and Sayo is my greatest regret."
Walking at the back of the group, Tatsumi thought to himself:
"But this time, I won't let anything happen to Yoshino."