Chapter 43: I'm Sorry, I'm a Member of Night Raid (Two-in-One)

Under Esdeath orders, Tatsumi set off immediately.

Riding a first-class Danger Beast specialized in speed, he headed alone in the direction of the Imperial Capital.

But of course, he had no intention of actually returning to the capital to help the Empire search for Yoshino.

When he was close to the capital, he dismounted and slapped the beast on its side, releasing it back into the wild.

Tatsumi couldn't be sure whether the Empire had some kind of tracking technology for their mounts, so he didn't dare take any chances. After releasing the mount, he slipped into the forest outside the capital and began heading toward the Night Raid base.

After a long trek, he returned to the base with practiced ease.

Naturally, the other members of Night Raid had already received word from Chelsea and were gathered in the main hall.

Those who were injured were not present—presumably, they had returned to their rooms to rest—leaving only the few who could still move about to talk things over.

"Tatsumi, you're finally back."

Seeing him appear, Najenda raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "We were just discussing whether we should find a way to break you out of the castle, but you made it out yourself."

"Esdeath suspects that either Ieyasu or Sayo joined Night Raid and took Yoshino away." Tatsumi gave a brief explanation. "So I volunteered to assist in the investigation, and she allowed me to act on my own."

"How did Esdeath react? Any follow-up actions?" Najenda asked.

"She seemed a little upset, but there wasn't any major reaction. I think she believes Night Raid wouldn't dare harm Yoshino, or even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able to," Tatsumi replied. "Esdeath hasn't returned to the capital yet. She'll probably send people to trace your retreat path... By the way, no one left any traces that could be followed, right?"

"Kid, what do you take us for? Some rookies who just started in the trade?" Leone laughed loudly and gave him a hearty pat on the back. "We were actually worried that Esdeath might have tailed you, considering you're also from Yoshino village."

"That's unlikely. The kid acted pretty convincingly," Najenda said with a chuckle. "Mine even said the kick he gave her in the stomach still hurts. But just to be safe—Leone, Susanoo, keep watch outside."

"Yes, ma'am." ×2

With orders received, Leone—now in beast form—and a burly man left the base and disappeared into the forest.

Then, Najenda and Tatsumi made their way to the room where Yoshino was staying.

"Your village friend is in there." Najenda tone grew serious. "All of Night Raid has taken on a huge risk to give us this opportunity. Tatsumi, you don't need to convince her to join the Revolutionary Army, but at the very least, convince her to sever ties with Esdeath."

"Of course."

Tatsumi nodded and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Suddenly, his heart began to pound faster.

Maybe it was the fact that he was about to face Yoshino as a member of Night Raid, or maybe the pressure of the task at hand—it made him even more nervous than when he was working under Esdeath.

But no one else could complete this mission besides him.

Forcing himself to calm down, Tatsumi turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

In the empty room, Yoshino was standing on tiptoe, trying to get a look at the forest outside through the window.

Hearing the door open, she turned around and met eyes with Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi, these days..."

Tatsumi tried to greet her, but the second half of the sentence got stuck in his throat.

Although it was true he hadn't seen Yoshino in several days, Chelsea had recently impersonated him to speak with her.

Under those circumstances, asking how she had been lately felt too strange.

He coughed twice, changed the subject, and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright," Yoshino shook her head gently. "Tatsumi, Yoshino feels like a lot of people came to this secret base. Is Miss Esdeath here?"

"About that..."

Tatsumi smile turned awkward as he scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Yoshino, I actually owe you an apology."

"Didn't you just apologize?" Yoshino asked innocently.

"This is for something else." Tatsumi bowed apologetically. "I lied to you."

"Heh heh, in Yoshinoi's memory, Tatsumi has never apologized this seriously before."

This time, it was Yoshinoi's sharp voice that rang out with a teasing tone: "Just what kind of lie did you tell us to make you act like this, huh? Haha, are you going to tell us you betrayed Miss Esdeath and brought us here to sell us out to Night Raid?"

"..."

Tatsumi froze, not knowing how to respond.

An awkward silence fell over the room.

After a while, Yoshinoi seemed to realize something and hesitantly asked, "Tatsumi...?"

"At this point, there's no point in hiding it anymore."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth and said directly, "Yoshino, Yoshinon, I really am a member of Night Raid. But I didn't betray Esdeath—because I joined Night Raid even before we ran into each other in the forest."

Faced with a stunned and speechless Yoshino, Tatsumi continued speaking without pause, pouring out everything:

The Empire's darkness, the minister's corruption, the emperor's incompetence...

His reasons for joining Night Raid, their mission, the goals of the Revolutionary Army...

The real purpose of their "coincidental" meeting, why he moved into the general's mansion, Chelsea's impersonation strategy, and the diversion tactics...

For twenty minutes straight, Tatsumi spoke without interruption, while Yoshino listened in silence.

When he finally finished, Yoshino still didn't speak, seemingly trying to digest the flood of information.

"So... Tatsumi is now an enemy of the Empire?" she asked quietly, her voice tinged with complex emotions. "From now on, you'll have to be enemies with Miss Esdeath?"

"Yeah, that's inevitable," Tatsumi replied with difficulty. "It's not that we want to fight her, but she and Honest are basically partners in crime. She's a major supporter of the corrupt Empire, and she'll never allow us to overthrow it. That's why... we have to take her down."

He sighed and continued, "That's also why I need you to stay away from Esdeath. If you get too involved with her, once the Revolutionary Army starts purging the old regime, you'll become a target too."

"Everyone hates the Empire. Our village was poor because of heavy taxes too... But if you want to change things, Tatsumi, why do you have to use such a violent method?" Yoshino asked sadly. "Isn't Night Raid an assassination group? The Tatsumi I know wasn't someone with blood on his hands."

At her words, a conflicted expression crossed Tatsumi face.

As a boy from a remote northern village, he had never imagined getting involved in such a huge cause.

His only reason for leaving home with his friends was to help his village using his own strength.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

The truth Tatsumi had buried deep in his heart for so long finally came to light before Yoshino.

"Because Ieyasu and Sayo are dead. They died in the private prison of a noble in the imperial capital," Tatsumi said, biting his lip. "They were treated as playthings by the nobles, used as tools for their lust. There wasn't a single patch of unscathed skin on Sayo's body. Ieyasu's strong body was tortured until it was covered in wounds. If Night Raid hadn't appeared, I would've become that noble's plaything too."

"How... how could this happen...?"

"That day, I buried them with my own hands," Tatsumi looked at his hands. "That day, I swore to destroy the empire that killed Ieyasu and Sayo. So their souls can rest in peace... and so no one else ends up like them."

If, back then, Ieyasu and Sayo had still been breathing—if only they had survived—he might never have taken such a drastic path.

But in the end, they died.

Died at the hands of the nobles in the imperial capital. Died in the darkness of the empire.

All his anger and sorrow had turned into a flame of vengeance, pushing him to join Night Raid.

"I kept this from you all because I knew how heavy this truth is," Tatsumi said. "But now that you've asked me directly why I joined Night Raid, I have no choice but to tell you. This... this is the reason."

"Ah... that's just... awful."

Rarely, Yoshinon tone grew somber.

Yoshino didn't say anything either. Her expression vanished, as if she couldn't bear the weight of what she'd just heard. It was as if she'd sealed off her heart once again.

Just like how she was when Tatsumi first met her.

Seeing this, Tatsumi could only sigh deeply and fall into silence.

This wasn't something he could soothe.

Even he had fallen into despair for a long time before he finally pulled himself together with the encouragement of the Night Raid members and rebuilt his resolve.

And for someone as delicate and sensitive as Yoshino—hundredfold more than him—it would naturally take even longer.

No... that's not right.

This news was probably even harder for Yoshino to accept than for anyone else.

After all, her sister was a supporter of the Empire—one of the accomplices who had allowed the Empire to rot to this extent.

In other words, Ieyasu and Sayo's deaths... were partly due to Esdeath as well.

Placing himself in Yoshino position, Tatsumi felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.

So, when he looked at the girl in front of him, his eyes were filled with a hint of pity.

"There's just too much information to take in all at once... even Yoshinon getting a headache,"

Yoshinon lowered her head, her chubby severed arms making a gesture of holding her temples. "Tatsumi, could you give Yoshino and me some time alone?"

"You two... will be okay, right?"

"Of course. Parting—whether by life or death—is something everyone has to face."

Yoshinon gave a small nod, as if answering Tatsumi, or perhaps just speaking to herself. "Just... give Yoshino and Yoshinon a little more time."

Tatsumi didn't say anything more.

He silently left the bedroom and gently closed the door.

"How'd it go?"

Najenda, who had been waiting outside, put down her cigarette and glanced at Tatsumi.

"Boss, you were eavesdropping the whole time. Don't you know better than anyone how it went?"

Tatsumi sighed and rubbed his brow tiredly.

"I heard, yes, but I don't know Yoshino well enough." Najenda handed her cigarette to Tatsumi. "Do you think she's been convinced?"

"If you're asking whether Yoshino will leave the capital... then yes, I think she will."

Though he had the urge to take the cigarette to calm his nerves, Tatsumi raised his hand and declined her kindness, instead explaining, "That's just the kind of person Yoshino is. She doesn't like hurting others, and she doesn't want to be hurt. Even when she is hurt, all she does is run away."

"Hah, really is like a rabbit, huh?"

Putting the cigarette back between her lips, Najenda seemed a little more at ease. Her tone grew lighter. "Then let her stay here for now. One more person won't hurt."

After saying that, she paused for a moment, then changed the topic: "You're off missions for the next few days. Spend time with her. Learn more about the relic she possesses. And ideally, get her to hand it over to us."

"Boss, isn't that a bit rushed?" Tatsumi couldn't help but ask. "That girl just found out she lost her friends."

"We've already spent too much time, energy, and manpower just to bring your fellow villager out of there. The stronger the Revolutionary Army becomes, the faster our revolution progresses. Tragedies like what happened to your friends can be prevented that much sooner."

"Well... that may be true..."

"A powerful force requires a strong will to wield it. If your fellow villager doesn't want to hurt others, then I won't force her,"

Najenda said calmly, her tone unwavering.

"We'll handle the dirty work. We'll bear the sins. To avenge her friends, and to save many others from the Empire's tyranny, all she needs to do is give us the power she's unwilling to use. I don't think that's asking too much."