Chapter 41: Escape from the Imperial Capital (Double Chapter)

Esdeath didn't care much for gardens or flower viewing.

After all, this mansion in the capital was a place she barely returned to a few days each year, and compared to the gardens of other wealthy families, hers was clearly lacking.

But ever since Yoshino moved in, the garden had been tidied up nicely, even warranting the hiring of a gardener.

However, Chelsea was in no mood to admire flowers at the moment.

She walked briskly along the winding pebble path of the garden, and after several minutes, finally found Yoshino in a pavilion at the center.

At this moment, Yoshino was sitting on a stone bench in the pavilion, with a Go board set in front of her. It looked like she was playing against herself.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Yoshino turned her head curiously.

But upon seeing Chelsea disguised as Tatsumi, her face lit up with delight.

"Tatsumi, you're back?"

"Oh wow! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Did Miss Esdeath already complete the mission?"

Before Chelsea could say a word, Yoshino and Yoshinon eagerly greeted her.

Usually, Chelsea never saw Yoshino this enthusiastic.

As expected, this girl only ever slightly opened her heart to those she was familiar with.

Calming herself, Chelsea imitated Tatsumi smile, scratched her head, and said, "Yeah, I'm back. But I came back alone—Lady Esdeath didn't return."

"Why?" Yoshino asked in confusion. "Wasn't Tatsumi part of Jaegers, going on a mission together?"

"Yes, Lady Esdeath and the rest of Jaegers are still on the mission," Chelsea replied. "But Night Raid turned out to be much stronger than expected. Lady Esdeath and the others didn't have much luck at the start, so she sent me back to bring you over to assist."

"Miss Esdeath… is in danger?" Worry flashed in Yoshino eyes. "Is she okay?"

"Lady Esdeath isn't injured—she's just encountered a tricky situation," Chelsea said. "We don't need you to fight, just need a bit of your help to resolve a few issues."

"Yare yare, looks like it's time for Yoshinon to make an appearance again!" Yoshinon cackled. "Charge! Let's show those Night Raid guys what we're made of!"

"I'm not sure what I can do, but if Miss Esdeath needs help, I'll do my best," Yoshino raised her tiny fist to encourage herself. "So Tatsumi, are we going now?"

"Yes, the sooner the better."

After getting Chelsea's response, Yoshino was about to head toward the garden's exit, but Chelsea stopped her.

She couldn't let Yoshino meet any of the servants in the general's residence.

If someone from the residence saw her taking Yoshino away, they would definitely question why she was here and why she was taking Yoshino with her.

The excuse that Esdeath had trouble dealing with Night Raid might fool the naive Yoshino, who wanted to help her "older sister" and trusted her fellow countryman. That trust and eagerness to help made her overlook the plausibility of the story. But the servants who had worked in the residence for years—even decades—wouldn't be so easily fooled.

After all, while Yoshino didn't know the strength of Night Raid, those servants certainly did.

Running into trouble while fighting Night Raid?

That was a complete joke.

"Yoshino, we need to leave quietly," Chelsea blocked her path. "Lady Esdeath encountering difficulties on the mission—this is something that must not be known by others."

"Why?"

"You know how strong Lady Esdeath pride is. She promised the Emperor herself that she would take care of Night Raid," Chelsea pulled out a well-prepared excuse. "But now that the operation didn't go as planned, if the Emperor or others in the Empire find out, it'll leave an irreparable stain on her record."

"Umm..."

Yoshino thought for a moment and seemed to accept the reasoning. She nodded, "Okay, but at least let me tell the big brothers and sisters in the mansion. If I suddenly disappear, they'll be worried."

"I already told them when I came," Chelsea replied immediately. "They know you and I will be leaving in secret. We just need to get out of the capital."

"…Alright."

Seeing that Yoshino no longer had doubts, Chelsea took her and scaled the garden wall, bringing them outside the estate.

She threw cloaks over both herself and Yoshino, so they wouldn't draw attention, and the two melted into the crowd.

She wasn't worried the servants would notice Yoshino disappearance right away.

It was 8 in the morning now. Earlier, Yoshino had told the maids she wanted to be alone today, so no one would go into the garden until lunchtime.

That gave them four whole hours to act.

By the time the servants realized Yoshino wasn't in the garden, they'd likely spend another half an hour searching the entire estate.

And by the time the city guards were alerted to Yoshino disappearance, at least five hours would have passed.

By then, she and Yoshino would already be far from the capital.

They reached the gates of the Inner City. Chelsea's heart skipped a beat when she saw the heavily reinforced, tightly shut gates.

As expected, the Inner City was on lockdown.

A large crowd of people and carriages was gathered by the gates, creating a packed scene. Even with the number of guards increased several-fold, it still wasn't enough to handle the congestion.

"Yoshino, can you leap over the city wall?"

Since the gate was impassable, Chelsea could only pin her hopes on Yoshino abilities.

She had never seen this girl fight personally, but according to Tatsumi, this delicate-looking girl was actually extremely powerful.

In fact, within Night Raid and even the entire Revolutionary Army, no one could probably beat her.

Chelsea was skeptical of that claim.

But even if Yoshino wasn't as strong as Tatsumi said, she definitely wouldn't be weak.

And Yoshino didn't disappoint—she nodded without hesitation.

"Um… Yoshino," Chelsea looked up at the towering wall and said a bit awkwardly, "Can you… carry me along when you jump over?"

Tatsumi himself could easily leap over a wall more than ten meters high.

Even though he didn't wield a Teigu, his body had already reached the realm of human legends. Even Level 1 Danger Beasts were just average opponents to him, and he could probably take down weaker Special-class Danger Beasts with some effort.

If you gave him a Teigu, given time, he could definitely become a legendary hero.

But Chelsea was different.

She only had Tatsumi appearance—not his overwhelming strength.

Though she was a Teigu user and an assassin, her combat power wasn't that high.

Compared to the other "assassins" in Night Raid—who were really more like berserkers—she was much more in line with the traditional definition of an assassin.

With the power of Gaea Foundation, her disguise abilities were maxed out. Coupled with her already exceptional adaptability, she could easily take on any role.

Whether it was infiltration, reconnaissance, or assassination missions—throughout all of Night Raid and even the entire Revolutionary Army—no one was more skilled than her.

But just because she was highly skilled didn't mean her combat ability was strong.

Her actual strength was merely that of a well-trained ordinary person, and Gaea Foundation didn't provide even a hint of offensive power.

Trying to leap over the towering inner city walls of the Empire was simply too much to ask of her.

Hearing Chelsea's request, Yoshino and Yoshinon both turned their heads, confusion evident in their eyes.

Chelsea naturally understood how unreasonable her request must have sounded to Yoshino.

But no matter what, she could never possess a physique like Tatsumi. Aside from asking Yoshino to take her out with her, she had no other way to leave the capital.

"I injured my leg a bit during a fight with Night Raid,"

Chelsea fabricated another lie, trying to make her request sound more reasonable. "Although I can still walk and run normally, I can't do anything too strenuous. If I tried to jump over that wall, the wound might tear open again."

"Tatsumi... got injured?" Yoshino expression turned slightly worried. "Is Night Raid really that strong?"

"Yes, Night Raid is very strong. Otherwise, Lady Esdeath wouldn't have come to ask for your help," Chelsea replied. "My injury isn't too serious, it just slightly affects my movement. No need to worry."

"Although Yoshino knows Tatsumi must be working hard for the village's revival, overexerting yourself isn't good," Yoshino said softly. "If something were to happen to you, not just the villagers, even Yoshino would be very sad."

"Yeah, yeah, you're pretty strong, no doubt," Yoshinon chimed in, "but you shouldn't get too involved in fights between Imperial Arms users. Even though Miss Esdeath brought you into the Jaegers, work that exceeds your capabilities should be left to others."

Hearing the two's heartfelt concern, Chelsea scratched her head, a strange feeling welling up in her heart.

She had to admit, Tatsumi really was lucky to have friends who cared so much for him.

Chelsea even felt a twinge of guilt for deceiving such kind-hearted girls.

But the guilt lasted only for a brief moment.

Very quickly, her resolve to take Yoshino away became even firmer.

Such a good child—she couldn't let her remain in this dark and decaying capital.

Though under Esdeath protection Yoshino only saw the beautiful side of the Empire, as the Empire's top general, Esdeath was destined to fall along with its corruption.

When that day came, Yoshino—so deeply entangled with the Empire—would surely not meet a good end either.

As Chelsea was lost in thought, she suddenly felt her body lift into the air, snapping her back to reality.

Turning her head, she saw that Yoshino had scooped her up in a princess carry.

Though such a petite girl lifting a boy at least twenty centimeters taller and significantly bigger than her might seem unbelievable, it actually happened.

Before Chelsea could say anything, Yoshino leapt from the ground, aimed for a gap between the patrolling guards atop the wall, and slipped right through.

The guards only felt a breeze brush past them, completely unaware of what had happened.

"Which direction should we head now?"

Landing lightly on a rooftop beyond the inner wall, as if she had simply hopped over a small mound, Yoshino turned and asked.

"North..."

Chelsea, arms wrapped around Yoshino neck, forced herself out of her shocked state and calmed down before replying, "Put me down now. If someone sees us, it'll be bad. We need to blend back into the crowd and exit through the north gate."

"Walking to the north gate from here will take two or three hours at least. That's way too slow," Yoshinon remarked. "It might hurt a little boy's pride, but to save time, why not let Yoshino keep carrying you?"

"I don't really mind, but it's going to look really weird to others..."

"Then we just don't let others see us."

"What do you mean?"

"Hehe, I mean—we'll fly there."

Yoshinon let out a mischievous giggle.

"By the way, Tatsumi, are you afraid of heights?"

Ten Minutes Later

Northern Forest Outside the Capital

Yoshino gently landed in a hidden base nestled within a cliffside, an extremely secluded location, and set Chelsea down.

"Is this Miss Esdeath secret base?"

Looking at the outpost carved into the cliff wall, Yoshino eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Chelsea, whose legs were still weak from the high-speed flight, leaned against the wall and panted heavily for breath.

Forcing herself upright and calming her nerves, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said, "Yes, this is Lady Esdeath secret base. We'll wait here for now. She'll probably come pick us up tomorrow."

"Tatsumi, are you okay?"

Noticing Chelsea's abnormal state, Yoshino leaned in close. "Did I fly too fast just now?"

"No, no, I can handle that speed just fine. Just a little short of breath, that's all."

Chelsea patted her chest to show she was okay. "You go rest inside for now. Oh, by the way, your room is the last one on the left upstairs. Be a good girl and don't peek into anyone else's room, okay?"

After all, this wasn't Esdeath secret base—but Night Raid's secret outpost.

If Yoshino were to see any personal belongings of Night Raid members and became suspicious, that would be very bad.

Yoshino nodded obediently.

Once Yoshino was settled, Chelsea immediately headed for the area where messenger pigeons were kept.

She stuffed the mission completion report into a bamboo tube tied to a pigeon's leg and released it.

Only then did she finally relax.

"My part of the mission is complete,"

She murmured to herself.

"From here on, it's up to you all now."