Tracking Night Raid

"So, Yorii was the one who took me home yesterday?"

"A girl's home isn't somewhere people can just casually enter... but if it's Yorii, I suppose it's not impossible."

After getting dressed and putting on her shoes, Seryu, who was always so brisk and energetic, stopped before the mirror in her home.

Rarely, she paid attention to her hairstyle and the wrinkles in her clothes.

"Woof woof woof..."

Half of Koro's body was already out the door. It turned back to look at Seryu, utterly dumbfounded, as though saying, "Something's wrong with you."

After dawdling for quite a while longer, Seryu finally left with Koro.

Imperial Capital Security Force.

Though it was already getting late, not many people had arrived at the Security Force.

In the courtyard.

Yorii Tsugikuni was teaching Sayo and Ieyasu swordsmanship.

Compared to yesterday, the two of them had clearly improved a great deal.

Tatsumi was there as well, but he was already packing his things and preparing to leave.

"Goodbye, Master. I'll be going now."

"See you tomorrow."

Since he had to rush to Aria's family estate, Tatsumi naturally had to leave early.

He bid farewell to Yorii Tsugikuni and the other two before departing.

"See you tomorrow."

Yorii Tsugikuni nodded at Tatsumi.

After teaching him for an entire morning, he could tell that Tatsumi's talent for swordsmanship was clearly somewhat greater than Sayo's and Ieyasu's.

In no time at all, he had grasped quite a few of its essentials.

"I'm late."

"I drank a little too much last night and only just woke up."

Seryu came over from afar with Koro, greeting Yorii Tsugikuni and the others from a distance.

"I brought breakfast for you, Yorii."

"There's some for Sayo and Ieyasu too."

Seryu opened a small food box containing three breakfasts.

Hearing Seryu's words, Koro once again gave her a look that said something was off.

"Thank you, Sister Seryu."

"I was getting hungry after sword practice. This breakfast looks really delicious."

Sayo accepted the food Seryu handed her, looking utterly famished.

Still, she was a little puzzled. During these past few days in the Security Force, she had heard plenty of veteran members call Seryu a violent maniac.

Yet after spending time with her, Sayo had not felt that Seryu was violent at all.

"Thank you. That was thoughtful of you."

Looking at the breakfast Seryu offered him, Yorii Tsugikuni nodded.

When he opened the food box, he carefully noticed that although all three meals were the same, his portion clearly had one more egg than Sayo's and Ieyasu's.

However, Yorii Tsugikuni did not pay it much mind. He merely assumed it was Seryu's extra thanks for taking her home yesterday.

"I came late today."

"I'll have to ask you for swordsmanship instruction tomorrow, Yorii."

Tracking Night Raid

Inside the small pavilion beside the courtyard.

Seryu sat down on the bench beside Yorii Tsugikuni.

The Security Force had plenty of work to do, especially with a pile of unresolved cases lately. She had to go deal with them next.

"Any time you're free is fine."

"Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be here practicing with Sayo and the others for some time to come."

Yorii Tsugikuni ate slowly. He had no intention of keeping the swordsmanship and Breathing Techniques he had created to himself.

Of course, Yorii Tsugikuni did not teach just anyone.

He had his own principles when it came to accepting disciples.

Though he had not known Seryu for long, Yorii Tsugikuni approved of her.

That was why he was willing to teach her.

"By the way, take a look at these."

"These people are members of Night Raid. They're wanted criminals of the Empire."

Seryu took out several wanted posters and handed them to Yorii Tsugikuni and the others.

Opening the wanted posters, Seryu briefly introduced them. "These are all known members of Night Raid. Their organization probably consists of more than just these people."

Because of what happened yesterday, Seryu had basically confirmed that Night Raid was responsible.

Thus, she began focusing her attention on tracking Night Raid.

All sorts of forces were tangled together within the Imperial Capital, but when it came to the strongest underground organization, none could compare to Night Raid.

Unlike other organizations, which possessed little fighting power.

Night Raid had obtained a large number of Imperial Arms, meaning every one of them was essentially an Imperial Arms User.

In fact, aside from her, no one else in the entire Security Force had much ability to fight Night Raid.

That was what troubled Seryu the most.

But now that Yorii Tsugikuni had joined them, the Security Force's combat power had undoubtedly increased considerably.

"Of course, if you run into any of these people, just fire a signal flare and call for help."

"Their combat strength is beyond what ordinary people can match."

Though Seryu hated the members of Night Raid deeply, hatred had not clouded her mind.

She knew exactly how powerful those people were. Every time she fought them, she did so prepared to die.

"They actually all have Imperial Arms."

"Back in the village, I heard that Imperial Arms Users could split mountains and tear apart the earth."

Ieyasu flipped through the wanted posters and could not help shrinking back.

He was indeed much stronger than ordinary people, but before Imperial Arms Users...

His so-called strength was not worth mentioning at all.

Only then did he realize how many dangers he might face in the future.

"They really are powerful."

"But I believe justice will prevail."

Seryu had no particular thoughts about the fear on Ieyasu's face.

In truth, aside from her, who had always been tracking Night Raid, the others in the Security Force stayed as far away from them as possible unless they were summoned.

Since it was already noon, after considering it for a while, Seryu decided to take her newly formed team out on patrol that night.

Her goal was simple: to find traces of Night Raid.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.

During those three days, the four of them went out to patrol every night.

Unfortunately, they had found nothing.

The members of Night Raid seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving no sign of their activities behind.

"Looks like we won't find anything today either."

"Let's head home early and practice swordsmanship together tomorrow."

On the dimly lit street, Seryu said goodbye to Yorii Tsugikuni and the others.

After several days with no results, she was feeling somewhat discouraged as well.

"Goodbye, Sister Seryu."

"Tomorrow, I'll bring breakfast for you, Sister Seryu."

Sayo waved to Seryu. After spending several days together, she and Seryu, both girls, had quickly grown closer.

The two had now become good friends.

"I'm so tired. I feel like my feet don't even belong to me anymore."

"I wonder when we'll find those elusive bastards."

Ieyasu sounded utterly drained. To help their bodies adapt to the Breathing Techniques as soon as possible, Yorii Tsugikuni had increased the intensity of their training over the past few days.

Patrolling after training had been too much for Ieyasu, who still had not found the knack for the Breathing Techniques.

Sayo, who trained under Yorii Tsugikuni alongside him, was different.

Having already grasped some of the key principles of Water Breathing, Sayo found her training much easier now.

Moreover, with the support of the Breathing Techniques, her body had grown stronger and her endurance had improved greatly. She was clearly much more energetic.

"Once you master Water Breathing, you'll be fine."

"But even if we run into those people, we'll probably only be able to call for help."

Sayo patted Ieyasu on the shoulder, urging him to perk up.

Previously, she had only heard that Imperial Arms Users were incredibly powerful. But after Seryu demonstrated it for them a few days ago, Sayo finally understood.

Ordinary people like them had no ability whatsoever to resist Imperial Arms Users.

Of course, in Sayo's eyes, Yorii Tsugikuni should be somewhat better than them. As for what would happen if he faced an Imperial Arms User, she had no idea.

"I'll definitely learn Water Breathing."

"I just wasn't studying seriously before."

Seeing that Sayo, who had once been much weaker than him, was now gradually grasping the uses of the Breathing Techniques, Ieyasu decided to get serious.

Although learning the Breathing Techniques carried the risk of a shortened lifespan, compared to being slaughtered because he lacked strength, a shorter life seemed much easier to accept.

"I wonder if Tatsumi came back today."

Since Tatsumi was working as a guard at Aria's home, he had rarely returned lately.

Most of the time, he stayed at Aria's family estate.

As they slowly walked back, Ieyasu remembered that he had not seen Tatsumi for several days.

"Don't worry."

"Didn't he say last time that he'd come back once a week?"