Captain of the Imperial Capital Guard / Taking Action

Seryu did indeed pride herself on justice, but that justice required evidence—evidence she personally knew of.

Take Night Raid, for example. She knew Night Raid's assassins killed people without restraint, so she believed Night Raid had to be evil.

But on Koizumi's side, she had no solid evidence proving that Koizumi, Reimu, and the others were friends of the Peaceful Path Sect's leader. The Peaceful Path Sect opposed the Empire, yet she had never seen Reimu and the others do anything harmful within the Empire. On the contrary, they had been constantly selling protective charms to help Imperial citizens save their lives.

And Reimu and the others had saved her too. If she really did this, wouldn't that make her ungrateful?

So Seryu was deeply conflicted. Should she listen to her master, or to her own heart?

On the way to the Hakurei Amulet Shop, Seryu kept asking herself that question. Yet the closer she got, the stronger the waves of guilt grew in her heart. Mr. Koizumi and the others had hidden nothing from her. They had even told her how the charms were made, yet she had failed to keep the secret and accidentally let it slip.

To put it plainly, it was not entirely Seryu's fault. She had previously bought quite a few charms from Reimu, intending to give them to her colleagues in the Imperial Guard, and she had given one to her master as well. Her master, Ouka, had taken it as a token of her filial devotion and accepted it. Who could have expected him to overhear that the charm actually worked? That was what made Ouka suspicious.

After all, the Imperial Capital kept a close watch on forces opposed to the Empire. If he destroyed a small Peaceful Path Sect outpost and reported it, it might count as a meritorious deed. He could get promoted, at the very least to a position far better than his current one.

With that in mind, Ouka wasted no time ordering his obedient disciple to do this and that.

Koizumi's brow furrowed slightly. This was becoming troublesome. Reimu's power had been mistaken for the power of those opposing the Imperial Capital. Still, that made sense. Koizumi should have thought of it sooner.

Opening a charm shop in the Imperial Capital was a bad idea to begin with.

Everyone feared death, especially the Emperor. Once people learned there was something that could truly save their lives, they would all go mad rushing to buy it. And if the Emperor found out, he might even impose a monopoly.

Besides, Reimu had been selling these charms far too openly. Selling something like this under the Emperor's nose was practically asking for death.

In just one day, it had attracted plenty of people from the Imperial Capital. Sooner or later, word of it would reach the Emperor's ears.

Koizumi just had not expected that before it reached the Emperor, it would reach the ears of the Imperial Guard captain—and that he would come knocking directly on their door.

No, the other party had only sent Seryu. But... that made things even harder to handle.

If you had come in person, I could have had Reimu and Kokoro beat you up and then make a run for it.

But you sent Seryu. Considering what had happened before, it was genuinely hard to make a move against her.

So what were they supposed to do?

For a moment, Koizumi felt the situation had become rather thorny.

At the same time, Reimu and Kokoro came downstairs. They had heard the commotion and come down to take a look. When they discovered people from the Imperial Guard here, both Reimu and Kokoro froze.

Then Mine suddenly squeezed in through the crowd. Seeing the scene before her, her pink eyes were filled with intense curiosity.

The Imperial Guard Captain

"What's going on?" Reimu frowned slightly as she looked at the scene before her, confusion flickering in her eyes.

Kokoro silently stepped beside Koizumi. Her expression remained blank, but her gaze was fixed on the guards. She could sense the hostility those people held toward them, so she had to remain vigilant.

Reimu naturally sensed it as well, and she looked at the guards with an unfriendly expression.

Seryu lowered her head, her face full of guilt. From her expression alone, Reimu could guess what had happened.

Reimu was, after all, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, and the Hakurei Shrine Maiden was Gensokyo's administrator, responsible for resolving Gensokyo's incidents. Without skill or brains, how could she handle those incidents? Although she usually relied on simple brute force, that did not mean she was stupid.

"There's a problem with the charms you sold." Koizumi tilted his head slightly toward Reimu and spoke softly.

"How could that be? I made those charms myself!"

Reimu might have been so laid-back that people thought she had an unusually weak sense of danger, making her easy to underestimate, but those were still charms she had made herself. How could there possibly be a quality issue?

Koizumi pursed his lips. Of course he understood what Reimu meant, but the problem was not their quality.

"I'm not talking about quality. We've attracted too much attention! We've caught the eye of some people with bad intentions."

Koizumi spoke quietly, and Reimu narrowed her eyes, a trace of displeasure flashing within them.

I'm just trying to make some money here. What gives anyone the right to tell me to close down?

I wasn't planning to get involved in this Singularity's affairs in the first place. I was going to let Kokoro handle it. Yet here I am, behaving myself and running a shop, and you've got the nerve to come to my door and tell me to shut it down. Are you looking to die?

The more Reimu thought about it, the more irritated she became. Her fists clenched tightly. If not for Seryu's sake, she would have already slammed a Dream Seal straight into their faces.

Noticing Reimu's displeasure, Seryu hurriedly stepped forward.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Reimu. If it weren't for me..."

Seryu truly felt deeply apologetic about this, leaving Reimu with nowhere to vent her anger.

Looking at the other girl's guilt-ridden face, how could she bring herself to blame her any further?

Reimu might have been shameless, but she was not socially inept. Besides, Seryu could not be blamed for this. Her original intention had been to help her teammates.

She dared say that if the person who had come was Seryu's master, she would have slapped him to death without hesitation.

"You don't need to apologize to me. I know you didn't mean to."

Though they had only known each other for two days, Reimu understood this girl's personality, so she did not blame her.

Glancing at the charms around them, Reimu sighed helplessly and gathered them all back up.

"I don't mind closing the shop if that's what you want, but we bought this place. No matter what, you need to reimburse us for the money we spent on it. Otherwise, wouldn't we be taking a huge loss?"

Sure enough, even at a time like this, money was still what Reimu cared about.

But Koizumi had to admit that the money they had earned from selling charms over the past two days had not even covered the cost of buying the shop.

If Reimu did not demand that money, Koizumi would probably have to take advantage of Reimu or Kokoro and share a room with one of them.

Housing prices in the Imperial Capital were still high. Otherwise, they would not have failed to earn back what they had spent by now. And they had no idea how long they would have to stay in the Imperial Capital before finding the distortion in this Singularity.

Reimu might have been shameless, but she was not without chastity. If she really had to sleep with Koizumi, she would kick him to death.

Koizumi knew perfectly well how vicious her kicks were.

"Of course. I will..." Seryu said firmly. She was the reason Miss Reimu had ended up like this, so compensation was only natural. Though her master said Miss Reimu belonged to the Peaceful Path Sect, a voice in Seryu's heart kept telling her that she could not do this. Miss Reimu was her friend.

But before Seryu could finish speaking, a figure wearing a savage grin appeared behind the guards.

Everyone who saw that figure immediately backed away and hurried off as if they had seen nothing.

Even Mine was grabbed by someone in the crowd and dragged away.

Mine warily prepared to fight back, but the moment she saw a head of blond hair, she stopped resisting.

The only person with blond hair who would kidnap her like this was her other partner, Leone.

"What is it, Leone?" Mine looked at Leone behind her in confusion and asked.

"Get out of here. That man was Ouka, the captain of the Imperial Guard. Didn't you see everyone leaving?"

Leone spoke with a grave expression, and there was a faint trace of hatred in her voice.

"That Ouka is a scumbag who commits every kind of evil and worships profit. He often abuses his authority to do whatever he wants. But his skills are the real deal. I was afraid he'd notice you if you stayed so close. We only came to gather information, so don't expose our identities."

As she spoke, Leone's gaze drifted toward the Hakurei Amulet Shop.

If she had not been mistaken, the person inside just now was that young man she had tricked before.

What bad luck. He had barely been swindled by her before the Imperial Guard came knocking.

Still, the Hakurei Amulet Shop... She had heard it was a very effective shop that sold protective charms. A member of the Imperial Guard had supposedly had his life saved by one, so the charms seemed genuinely effective. Their reputation had simply grown too large and attracted the Imperial Guard captain. But that also proved the charms were real. Otherwise, there was nothing about that shop that would attract anyone.

As for whether it was some Revolutionary Army outpost... give her a break. Night Raid belonged to the Revolutionary Army. How could they possibly not know if it was one of the Revolutionary Army's bases?

"Then, Leone, do you think the person Akame is looking for is the owner of this shop?"

Mine could not help looking at Leone, concern in her voice.

If the person Akame was looking for really belonged to this shop, then things were going to get troublesome.

Anyone targeted for elimination by the Imperial Guard was unlikely to survive for more than a few hours.

"I don't know, but one thing's certain: being targeted by the Imperial Guard is never a good thing."

Leone frowned tightly and spoke flatly.

"Anyway, Mine, go back to base first and report this to Boss. If that shrine maiden has the real deal, we might be able to use this opportunity to recruit her into the Revolutionary Army. With charms that can save lives, casualties among the Revolutionary Army's frontline soldiers would definitely decrease."

Make a Move

Leone's idea was sound. Though she was no general, as a member of Night Raid, she understood that no country could be overthrown through assassins alone. To overthrow the Empire, the frontline soldiers were the most important. But too many dead soldiers would become a serious problem, so these charms were valuable.

Now that the Imperial Guard had surrounded them, if they really had ability, perhaps she could risk exposure and recruit them. The Revolutionary Army desperately needed talented people like that.

Look at the Peaceful Path Sect's leader. The Revolutionary Army had always hoped to bring that person to their side, but the Peaceful Path Sect had remained neutral all along, leaving both the Revolutionary Army and the Empire in a difficult position.

After hearing Leone out, Mine agreed, though she still had some questions.

"If I go back to base, then what are you staying here for, Leone?"

"Obviously, I'm staying to watch! If that shrine maiden is the real deal, then I think I need to risk exposing myself to save them. Hurry back and inform Boss first..."

Leone had plenty of confidence in herself. Causing such a commotion in the Imperial Capital was not ideal, but it depended on the value involved. Besides, making trouble here did not necessarily mean they could not escape. The Revolutionary Army headquarters had recently assigned Night Raid several helpers. They would probably arrive within the next few days. When that happened, who knew who would be playing whom?

"But..." Mine and Leone often argued over a certain part of their bodies, but Mine was still worried about snatching people away in the Imperial Capital. After all, Imperial General Budou was stationed there.

He and the Empire's other great general, Esdeath, were both known as the Empire's strongest. That was enough to show their power. If they accidentally enraged him and drew him out, things would be disastrous.

"Don't worry. I won't do something stupid without confidence. I'm not in a hurry to throw my life away."

As if to reassure Mine, Leone patted her shoulder and smiled.

Mine stared solemnly at Leone, her brows tightly furrowed.

After a long while, Mine finally nodded and ran toward the Imperial Capital's gate without looking back.

Watching Mine leave, Leone let out a relieved breath, then turned her gaze toward the Hakurei Amulet Shop.

If necessary, she might truly have to risk her life. Of course, that depended on whether they were worth risking her life for.

Leone did not consider herself a good person. She was an assassin of Night Raid, and her hands were stained with blood, so she could not be called a good person. She could watch the people of the Hakurei Amulet Shop get forced into a dead end by Ouka, the Imperial Guard captain. No matter what, she could not expose her identity. Her life could not be thrown away for something without value.

But if the people of the Hakurei Amulet Shop were valuable to the Revolutionary Army, Leone would help them.

That was for the greater good. If she acted rashly just because she could not stand watching, she would not be a qualified assassin.

Meanwhile, inside the Hakurei Amulet Shop, the figure wearing a savage grin slowly appeared before Seryu.

He was a middle-aged man covered in muscles, his face scarred and his body radiating a fierce, baleful aura.

Ordinary people would probably start trembling all over just from standing before him and feeling that aura.

But Reimu was different. She had felt far more terrifying presences. This was merely an aura emitted by a human. Yakumo Yukari and the others in Gensokyo were all youkai. Reimu had fought people like them before, so how could she be frightened by the baleful aura coming from the man before her? Not only was she unafraid, she stood there with a relaxed expression.

Ouka the Ogre was what others called him. Both his appearance and the way he conducted himself resembled an evil demon.

Though he was a scumbag who committed every kind of evil and worshiped profit, no one could deny that his abilities were genuine. Otherwise, he could not have made so many criminals fear him, much less lived so lawlessly in the Imperial Capital.

Of course, Seryu did not know her master was such a bastard. Otherwise, she would have shot him herself long ago.

Though even if someone had told her that, she probably would not have believed it.

After all, her fanatical devotion to her master was second only to her fanatical devotion to justice.

"Oh? I never expected the person who built such a thriving shop to be such a pretty little girl."

When Ouka the Ogre saw Reimu, his eyes lit up, and a gleam appeared in them.

Seryu was shocked by her master's sudden appearance. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed an expression in his eyes that felt utterly unfamiliar to her. In an instant, she felt an immense distance open between herself and her master.

What was going on? Why did my master suddenly feel so unfamiliar?

Reimu frowned. She had to admit that his gaze made her feel sick. She really wanted to throw a Dream Seal at him, then take Koizumi and Kokoro away from here.

With her strength, he could not catch her anyway.

"You're the Imperial Guard captain? Seryu's master?"

Koizumi frowned slightly and hurriedly stepped in front of Reimu, which made her feel a little more comfortable.

Watching some brat step in front of him and block his view, Ouka felt extremely displeased.

No, this was no longer ordinary displeasure. He was furious.

Ever since becoming captain of the Imperial Guard, though his rank was not high, as long as he did not provoke those above him, he could do whatever he wanted in the Imperial Capital.

Now, someone who looked like he barely weighed anything dared stand in front of him. Ouka's anger surged higher and higher.

Watching from outside, Leone could already foresee Koizumi's fate.

How could she fail to understand that look in Ouka's eyes? No need to overthink it. This man was an old hand too.

Ouka coldly flicked his hand toward his subordinates, then looked at Seryu.

"Seryu, these people are the Peaceful Path Sect's agents planted here, just as the higher-ups said. Their purpose is to deceive the common people. They've tricked you, understand? Men, arrest them and throw them into the cells!"

Once they reached Imperial Guard headquarters, would they not have to obey him completely?

With that thought in mind, Ouka gave orders to his subordinates, while Seryu stood there completely dumbfounded.