Chapter 6: Yoshino Past

A quarter of an hour later.

Leone, having activated her Lion King ability and running at full speed in her beastified form, was rushing back toward Night Raid's base.

Though she had been deeply frightened by Esdeath murderous aura, she still maintained the professionalism of an assassin. After wandering around the forest for a while to confirm there were no pursuers, she finally returned to the hidden base nestled in the cliffside.

Seeing Leone return in such a disheveled state, the members of Night Raid quickly gathered around her.

"Let me guess, whether it was assassinating Esdeath or finding Yoshino in the Imperial Capital, you didn't manage to complete either mission, did you?"

Looking at the empty-handed Leone, Najenda didn't hold back in the slightest. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "While I didn't expect much from the first task, how did you manage to fail the second one as well?"

"I, uh… ran into a little unexpected situation halfway through…" Leone scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "After receiving the news that Esdeath had arrived in the outer city, I really did intend to see if I could assassinate her—but I was discovered, so I had to retreat."

"You didn't fight her?" asked Akame, another member of Night Raid.

"I was going to, but my instincts told me that if I did, the only thing you'd be hearing today would be news of my death."

"I've told you countless times—Esdeath can't be taken down alone. You just never listen," Najenda said helplessly. "To defeat her, we'd need at least fifty thousand elite soldiers and ten Teigu users working together. A solo fight is suicide."

"What about Yoshino?"

Off to the side, unable to wait any longer, Tatsumi finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Big Sis Leone, did you really encounter Yoshino in the Capital?"

Three days ago, after hearing from Najenda that Leone had spotted someone in the Capital who resembled Yoshino, Tatsumi had wanted to go there himself.

After witnessing the darkness within the Capital, he couldn't bear the thought of Yoshino possibly suffering the same fate as Ieyasu and Sayo. He didn't want her to remain there even one more day.

But he also understood how vast the Capital was—one person searching alone was like a drop of water disappearing into the sea. Even if he went, he wouldn't be able to do much to help find her.

So he could only continue his harsh training while anxiously waiting for good news.

Now that Leone had finally returned—but without Yoshino—his already uneasy heart grew even more restless.

"Ahem."

Hearing Tatsumi butt into the conversation, Leone didn't want to dwell on the embarrassing topic any longer. She coughed a few times and spoke in her usual brash tone, "Of course I did. I absolutely, one hundred percent guarantee that the girl I saw was definitely from your village."

"Are you sure? Don't go mistaking someone else!"

"She was wearing a green rabbit-ear hoodie, had blue hair and blue eyes, and held a strange bunny puppet in her right hand. With features that distinctive, there's no way I could be wrong."

Upon hearing Leone confirmation, Tatsumi nose stung, and he couldn't help but feel tears welling up again.

He had left his village filled with dreams and hopes, only to be drowned in the malice and darkness of the Capital.

His two best friends had died horribly at the hands of noble scum in the Capital, their bright futures snuffed out.

That was what had led him to join Night Raid and step onto the path of bloodshed with no return.

Ever since they were separated while being chased by a Danger Beast, it had been more than two months since he last saw Yoshino. He had already stopped holding out hope—but now, Leone intel gave him a glimmer of light.

One last villager was still alive. He still had a chance to save her from the clutches of the Capital.

"Come to think of it, Tatsumi, does your village girl have any connection to Esdeath?" Leone suddenly asked.

"You mean Yoshino and Esdeath? Of course not, there's no connection at all."

Pushing down his emotions for now, Tatsumi answered clearly.

But then he became puzzled—why would Leone ask such a strange question? So he asked back, "But why do you ask?"

"When I found your village girl, I was planning to bring her back with me. But Esdeath suddenly appeared and chased after her first. She even gave me a warning look, telling me not to make a move," Leone scratched her head. "And… how should I put it… Esdeath emotional reaction upon seeing your village girl was really intense. That's why I thought there might be something between them."

"That's impossible. Yoshino is just a girl from my village—how could she have any ties with the Empire's top general?"

"Then why did she chase your village girl?"

"Well…"

Tatsumi fell into deep thought.

He didn't believe his village girl could have any connection to Esdeath—but he also didn't think Leone would lie about something like this.

He thought hard, digging through every memory he had of Yoshino. Suddenly, as if struck by realization, his brows furrowed.

Based on what he knew of Yoshino, if there was anything about her that could draw Esdeath attention, there was only one possibility.

"Yoshino… is a Teigu user. And her ability is quite Similiar to Esdeath."

Though Tatsumi voice was tinged with uncertainty, he still gave his best guess.

The moment he said that, most of the Night Raid members widened their eyes in shock.

"Your village girl is a Teigu user?!"

"Why haven't we ever heard about this?!"

"Could it be a mistake? A poor village like yours actually had a Teigu?!"

A barrage of questions came at Tatsumi like bombs, overwhelming him.

Najenda raised her hand to calm the excited crowd, signaling them to stay quiet and ask questions one at a time.

Once everyone had quieted down, Tatsumi finally sighed in relief and tried his best to answer.

"I didn't know anything about Teigu either. Before joining Night Raid, I had never even heard the term. Now that I've learned a little about them, I've started to think that Yoshino might be a Teigu user," he said slowly. "What's more, Yoshino almost never uses her power. In all the years we spent together, I've only seen her use her abilities once or twice. Her presence is really faint. If Big Sis Leone hadn't asked, I probably wouldn't have remembered it."

"Do you know what kind of Teigu she has? Why do you say it's Similiar to Esdeath?" Najenda followed up. "Actually, forget it—just tell us everything you know about this girl named Yoshino. That way we'll be able to analyze the situation more accurately."

"I understand."

Tatsumi nodded, his gaze drifting as if lost in memory.

"It all started eight winters ago, during a very cold season…"