More importantly,
Yorii Tsugikuni had not yet shown any obvious hostility toward Night Raid, which meant there was a chance he could be recruited.
Under such circumstances, she naturally did not want things to become too strained between them.
There was no need to continue fighting Yorii Tsugikuni over an Ogre Ouka who was certain to die.
Upon receiving the order to retreat,
Lubbock, who had been hiding in the shadows, made his move.
While the others had been fighting, he had been setting up escape routes and traps around the perimeter.
Now was the perfect time to use them.
"Close."
Lubbock abruptly pulled the threads in his hands taut. The threads of his Imperial Arms, Incursio, were made from the fur of a Super Dangerous Species said to dwell in the clouds above the Eastern Sea. They were not only tough, but incomparably sharp.
In past battles, his enemies often met their end by being sliced to pieces.
And against a sword-focused opponent like Yorii Tsugikuni, the net woven from Incursio could serve as an excellent restraint, making it a form of countermeasure.
Trying to trap me?
Yorii Tsugikuni watched the threads closing in on him from the corner of his eye and began to take things a little more seriously.
The Sun Breathing Technique activated in an instant. The Nichirin Blade at his side began to blaze with surging heat waves.
"Slash!"
A sharp, despairing sound suddenly rang out.
Lubbock felt the threads he had been holding suddenly go slack, and Yorii Tsugikuni, whose figure had just blurred, returned to his original spot.
"Broken..."
Looking at Lubbock, who staggered backward after the crossing threads were suddenly severed,
the pupils of everyone who had already retreated to the mouth of the alley shrank in unison.
Without any hesitation, they immediately continued retreating. Nadjeshda's Imperial Arms had already gone to assist Lubbock, so they did not need to worry about him.
Besides, apart from that web of threads, Lubbock had set up plenty of other traps.
Yorii Tsugikuni did not pursue them. He could tell that the direction the green-haired youth had fled toward was filled with traps.
More importantly, Oka behind him still needed treatment.
"Lord... Lord Oka."
"Someone, hurry and call a doctor!"
Seeing the members of Night Raid leave, the two Security Force members who had come with Oka finally snapped out of their shock after watching Yorii Tsugikuni drive Night Raid away.
They pushed through the onlookers surrounding them and ran toward Ogre Ouka.
Seeing Ogre Ouka clutching his neck, taking in far less air than he let out, they panicked.
It seems there is very little hope of saving him.
Though Yorii Tsugikuni did not turn around to look,
he could sense that Oka behind him was close to death.
Only after Oka was taken away by the doctor who had rushed over did Yorii Tsugikuni finally head back.
Whoosh!
When they saw Yorii Tsugikuni approach, the people who had been watching from all around respectfully moved aside, opening up a straight path.
The sight of this young man with unusual markings on his face driving back Night Raid all by himself was deeply etched into their minds.
Should I tell her about this?
As he walked back, Yorii Tsugikuni thought of Sayo.
Oka was dead.
Just as the doctor arrived, he had breathed his last.
Based on what he knew of Sayo, if she learned that Oka had died, she would definitely be very sad.
Because he had rarely been comforted by anyone since childhood,
he was very poor at comforting others, so Yorii Tsugikuni hesitated.
He could face even the most vicious demons, but he could not bear to watch his friend grieve.
A small flower by the roadside was quietly blooming.
Yorii Tsugikuni reached out to pluck it, but stopped halfway.
He recalled how Sayo used to pick a nearby flower to help make a decision whenever she could not decide what to eat.
But then he suddenly felt that the little flower had worked so hard to bloom.
Why should he make it suffer the misfortune of withering early?
Chapter 46: Winds Rise, Honest Takes Notice
Without hesitating any further, Yorii Tsugikuni began walking toward Sayo's home.
No matter what, Sayo would learn about this sooner or later.
"She went out."
Yorii Tsugikuni spent quite some time reaching the outside of Sayo's home.
Looking at the doors that had all been left open,
he searched inside but did not see even a trace of Sayo.
Such an intense battle had just taken place. Clearly, Sayo must have received word and gone out.
Unable to find Sayo, Yorii Tsugikuni did not linger any longer and decided to return and rest first.
While Yorii Tsugikuni returned to rest,
the entire Imperial Capital became lively.
News that every member of Night Raid had been driven back by a young man with red markings spread like a hurricane at astonishing speed.
Almost overnight,
the name Yorii Tsugikuni spread throughout the Imperial Capital's commoners, nobles, and upper circles.
The most important reason for this was Night Raid.
Before Yorii Tsugikuni appeared, Night Raid had been at the height of its notoriety in the Imperial Capital.
The Empire had once sent many people to track them down, but had made no progress whatsoever.
This had even led many to believe that Night Raid had no rival in the Imperial Capital.
Of course, that was under the premise that Esdeath had not returned.
Thus, by comparison, Yorii Tsugikuni, who had crushed every member of Night Raid by himself, naturally became the center of heated discussion.
"Master, you're back."
Awakened in the middle of the night by Imperial troops hurrying through the streets,
Sayo saw that the books they had brought back today at Yorii Tsugikuni's door had not been touched.
She realized that Yorii Tsugikuni had not returned yet.
After waiting for a long time, she finally saw Yorii Tsugikuni coming up the stairs.
"Why are you still awake?"
Yorii Tsugikuni looked at Sayo's relieved expression.
His usually expressionless face softened.
"Something seems to have happened outside, and I was worried."
"As long as you're all right, Master. I put today's books on your desk. I'll go back to sleep now."
Sayo adjusted the lamp in Yorii Tsugikuni's room, and the whole room immediately became much brighter.
With Yorii Tsugikuni safely back, the weight in her heart was finally lifted.
"Mm."
Nodding, Yorii Tsugikuni sat down at his desk.
Compared to Tatsumi and Ieyasu, Sayo was clearly much more attentive.
Things seem to be getting more and more complicated.
The battle that night had come too suddenly.
He had not had much time to think.
Now that he was sitting down, he began to reflect on everything that had happened.
When he had first arrived in the Imperial Capital, he had truly been a complete outsider.
But as events gradually unfolded, he became increasingly involved. Without realizing it, he had formed connections with many matters and many people.
He had also gradually witnessed the complexity of the Imperial Capital.
Yorii Tsugikuni began to slowly familiarize himself with the various forces within the Empire.
Night Raid's operation tonight had shown him just how chaotic the Imperial Capital was.
Although, judging from Night Raid's usual conduct, they must have had a reason for killing Oka,
Yorii Tsugikuni did not agree with their brutal methods.
Wars often broke out in his homeland, so Yorii Tsugikuni fully understood how terrifying war could be.
That made him cherish peace all the more.
During his time living in the Imperial Capital, he had seen many corrupt aspects of the Empire.
But Yorii Tsugikuni knew that compared to war, corruption could still be saved.
Once war began, no one knew how many people would die.
War was more terrifying than demons.
Therefore, Yorii Tsugikuni did not agree with the Revolutionary Army's ideals.
"So, the person who defeated five of Night Raid's Imperial Arms Users was someone from the Security Force?"
Inside a grand residence,
dark red carpets, enormous crystal chandeliers, and golden tableware placed everywhere
all showed that the owner of the residence was either extremely wealthy or highly influential.
Minister Honest sat quietly in a chair in the hall. After swallowing a piece of blood-red raw meat,
he turned his gaze toward Suzuka, one of the Four Rakshasa who had come to report.
"Yes, my lord."
"His name is Yorii Tsugikuni. He is an ordinary member of the Security Force."
As one of Minister Honest's core subordinates, Suzuka had come to report as soon as she learned that a major battle had broken out in the city.
She knew that Minister Honest had recently been furious over anyone capable of eliminating Night Raid.
One of Minister Honest's distant relatives had been killed by Night Raid not long ago.
Before you continue