Intelligence / Budo's Abnormality ...

It was actually very simple to infer emotions from thoughts, and other people's thoughts from their emotions.

As long as Koizumi could sense someone's emotions, he could roughly determine what they were thinking at that moment.

Therefore, based on Najenda's current emotions, Koizumi more or less guessed at the mischievous intent in her heart.

Akame silently nodded, her crimson eyes filled with anticipation. If possible, she hoped these two girls could join Night Raid. Even if they only did odd jobs, that would be fine.

Seeing Akame like this, Najenda could not help but smile wryly. Please, could you not look at me like that...?

"I understand. Then do as you wish, Akame. But since you brought them back, you have to be responsible for keeping them safe. Understood, Akame?" Najenda sounded casual, but she was actually quite serious.

Akame naturally nodded seriously as well. Since she had brought them back, she would definitely protect them properly.

Akame had always been serious about everything she did. Besides, these were people she had brought back herself, so how could she possibly fail to protect them? Moreover, she truly cared about this pair of twin sisters.

Koizumi merely smiled faintly and did not intend to say anything more. Everything had been planned anyway.

It was not that Koizumi was not serious about Lia and Lie. It was simply that with Akame already there, there was no need for him to step in personally.

Besides, compared to those two girls, Koizumi was more concerned about Serenity, who was in the Imperial Capital.

He wondered how the task he had assigned Serenity was going. Hopefully, she had completed it safely.

Koizumi sighed softly to himself, then slowly walked toward his room.

If Serenity had completed her task, she should have already returned to his room by now.

That was what Koizumi thought, so he planned to wait for Serenity in his room.

Once Serenity returned, it would be time for him to head to the Imperial Capital. The information Serenity gathered would determine whether Koizumi went there to find Seryu. If Seryu still clung to that twisted justice of hers and had become even worse, then there would be no need for Koizumi to seek her out. But if she had not gone that far yet, Koizumi believed he needed to pay her a visit.

Then, Koizumi intended to pull Seryu onto his side.

If possible, Koizumi wanted to recruit as much combat strength as he could. This Singularity would be repaired in the end anyway, so he needed to bring as many useful forces within it over to his side as possible.

After fighting Servants like Serenity and Hundred Personas, Koizumi had realized that he, Reimu, and Hata no Kokoro alone were still not enough. If the enemy used a diversion to draw Reimu and Hata no Kokoro away, then his side would have no fighting strength left.

He had to gather every combatant he could. Even if Seryu herself was not particularly strong, Koro was highly capable. More importantly, Koizumi did not want to become enemies with that girl.

Koizumi knew very well that the girl was not bad by nature. The only problem was that the justice she believed in had become distorted.

The problem was not with her, but with the person responsible for teaching Seryu.

That Ouka looked like a bad person no matter how Koizumi looked at him. Regardless of what anyone else thought, Koizumi disliked Ouka. He could even say that if he were in his vampire state, he would definitely feel intense killing intent toward Ouka.

Back when he was in the Imperial Capital, if he had had more time, he would have killed that bastard long ago.

Information

Just as Koizumi had expected, Serenity had been waiting in his room for a long time. It was just that...

Serenity's posture was a little strange right now. She was holding Koizumi's blanket and doing who knew what with it...

...When had this woman gained pervert-girl traits...? Something was obviously wrong here!

Honestly, if their contract had not still been intact, Koizumi would have almost suspected that someone had replaced her.

Forget it. In a sense, this girl really did have some pervert-girl tendencies. She voluntarily warmed people's beds for them. Was that not perverted enough?

Koizumi decided not to dwell on it. Serenity was simply like that by nature, and paying too much attention to it would only make him seem guilty.

Rather than that, he should quickly ask Serenity about Seryu's recent situation. Koizumi planned to make his move tonight.

If Seryu had not twisted herself to that extent yet, then she would be worth seeking out personally.

"Serenity, you're back..." Koizumi slowly stepped forward, his gaze settling on her.

Surprise immediately filled Serenity's eyes, and she quickly turned toward the door.

Koizumi had long since raised Serenity's favorability to a certain level, though it was not something he had intended to do.

For Serenity, as long as someone could touch her without dying, her favorability toward that person would already be extremely high.

So although Serenity had only just formed a contract with Koizumi, there was no doubt that her favorability toward him was absurdly high. Even if he asked her to die, Serenity might choose death without hesitation.

That was Hassan of Serenity. Though she was a poisonous woman, once she recognized someone as her master, she would willingly die for them.

Hassan hurried to Koizumi's side and lowered her head slightly. The fervor welling up in her eyes made Koizumi shudder. Come to think of it, the woman before him was terrifying in her own way.

Fortunately, their contract only lasted until the affairs of this Singularity were resolved. Otherwise, if Serenity came to Chaldea as well, Koizumi would inevitably be worried. Her poison was a bit troublesome.

Every part of her body was poisonous. What if one day she touched something or prepared food, leaving poison on it, and everyone in Chaldea ended up mysteriously poisoned? That would not be funny.

Koizumi did not know why he had not been poisoned, but Reimu and Hata no Kokoro definitely would not be able to withstand it.

Reimu was a shrine maiden, but her powers probably only restrained evil spirits and heretical beings. As for poison... well, strictly speaking, poison was not some evil or heretical thing. At the very least, it was something humans had developed.

Though Koizumi had no idea what kind of poison the snakeskin on Serenity's body contained.

What was certain was that even Serenity herself could not cure it. Otherwise, she would not be like this.

"My Master! The mission has been completed. Hassan of Serenity reports to you..."

Serenity's tone was extremely respectful, as if she had completely regarded Koizumi as a being akin to a god.

She was more serious than most people reporting their work to their superiors.

Only utterly devoted loyalists would show such an expression and attitude. It truly felt pleasant.

Koizumi naturally could not avoid feeling that way either. Everyone hoped to be treated with respect by others. It was just that...

Serenity's attitude had been within his expectations. He had guessed as much from the moment she called him "My Master."

Still, Koizumi could not help but feel something strange inside. This really was... forget it. There was no need to say more.

"Tell me about the Imperial Capital's recent situation, especially Seryu and Ouka."

Asking about the Imperial Capital was only incidental. What Koizumi truly wanted to know was the situation involving Seryu and Ouka.

After all, as long as he knew that the Imperial Capital's defenses were strict, that was enough. In the end, it only affected how carefully he needed to handle the infiltration mission.

Besides, Koizumi was not someone who treated missions carelessly. He would take this infiltration very seriously.

Serenity then began explaining the situation in the Imperial Capital that she had investigated.

Although Leone had given them a general explanation before, different people saw different worlds.

Just as a thousand people had a thousand Hamlets, everyone viewed things from different angles. Therefore, what Serenity said about the Imperial Capital was naturally different from Leone's account.

Of course, Koizumi was not all that concerned about the Imperial Capital itself. However, when Serenity mentioned the Imperial Guard, even he was genuinely surprised. He had not expected General Bude to have become the captain of the Imperial Guard.

Back when he had casually fought Reimu, she had said that General Bude was anything but simple.

As for Reimu's claim that General Bude faintly possessed the aura of a Servant, Koizumi did not take it to heart. He would find out sooner or later, so why rush now?

Koizumi had already prepared himself for a prolonged battle in this Singularity anyway.

Back to the point: Serenity claimed that she had not seen Ouka personally. However, judging from the evidence of Ouka's crimes she had gathered, Ouka had most likely already been executed directly by General Bude. Seryu had recently been lost and confused because of this matter.

A confused girl... It looked like Koizumi would have to go over and offer some guidance. Though he was hardly qualified to do so. He was not even from this Singularity, and he seemingly had no right to interfere in any of its affairs.

Still, this matter had been caused by him, so Koizumi felt that he needed to clean it up.

Fine, to put it bluntly, Koizumi was just looking for an excuse to act. Without an excuse, he would not be able to get past his own conscience.

But then again, General Bude had taken control of the Imperial Guard. If the Imperial Guard's personnel had all been purged and replaced, then this infiltration would be a little troublesome.

After all, the Imperial Guard had been completely replaced with General Bude's own troops...

If they suddenly charged into the Imperial Capital tonight, they would likely face a direct attack from the army under General Bude's command. It would not be easy to deal with then, at least in Koizumi's opinion.

Remilia's power was indeed strong, but General Bude's strength clearly would not be weak either.

It looked like he would have to find a way to sneak in...

Then again, if Yukari's gaps were available, there would not be so much trouble...

Bude's Abnormality

"I never thought the Imperial Capital would become this troublesome. General Bude actually led his own troops to take over the Imperial Guard. Sneaking into the Imperial Capital has truly become extremely difficult now. General Bude and Esdeath are both renowned as the Empire's strongest. By my estimate, Esdeath would require ten Imperial Arms users, including Akame, along with an army of a hundred thousand to defeat. Naturally, General Bude would be the same. If General Bude catches you, it will be disastrous. And the army he uses to defend the city is no joke either." Najenda's eyes flickered with deep concern as she listened to Serenity's report.

She knew Serenity had her own special method of entering the Imperial Capital, so she did not ask how she had gotten in.

What worried her now was that General Bude's takeover of the Imperial Guard would create enormous difficulties for Night Raid when carrying out missions. The old Imperial Guard could not be compared to General Bude's troops.

If the old Imperial Guard had been pig teammates, then General Bude's troops were god-tier opponents.

Honestly, once they encountered such god-tier opponents, even Akame would have a hard time escaping.

And General Bude's troops were numerous. Once they resorted to a group assault, it would be truly difficult for Akame to get away.

If even Akame would have such trouble escaping, there was no need to mention the others. Bulat would be somewhat better off.

Bulat was very strong. He was probably Night Raid's strongest close-combat fighter.

The title of Hundred-Man Slayer was no joke. Koizumi wondered how Bulat's close-quarters combat ability compared to Esdeath's... Hm? Wait! Why am I thinking about Esdeath? I've never met her.

Why did the thought of Esdeath inexplicably bring an image of ice-blue hair to mind... Was that Esdeath?

When had I met that woman? Koizumi could not help holding his chin, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.

Whenever that woman appeared in his mind, Koizumi's body would always tremble slightly on instinct.

It felt as though that woman had once brought him extremely painful memories... but he did not dislike her? Did I know that woman? But I had been following Reimu and the others the whole time recently, and I had never lost consciousness.

Thinking back on everything that had happened recently, nothing seemed strange. If he had suffered amnesia at some point, then there would definitely be problems in his memories.

Yet there was nothing wrong with those memories. So he had not lost his memory, had he?

Koizumi scratched his head. Besides, neither Reimu nor Hata no Kokoro had noticed anything. It could not be that everyone had lost their memories together, could it?

With a bitter laugh in his heart, Koizumi shook his head. How could that be possible? Everyone losing their memories together...

Koizumi turned his gaze back to Najenda and slowly asked what he wanted to know.

"Najenda, what do you plan to do next? I don't mind going to the Imperial Capital, since I already have something to do there. But Akame and Chelsea are no longer suited to coming with me, are they? You know I can fly, and I can fight while flying. Chelsea can transform into a flying creature, so there's no need to worry about her. But Akame can't. If the city gates are locked, wouldn't Akame be unable to leave? Even if I can carry Akame while flying, if we're intercepted, it would be difficult for me to fight back!" Koizumi's meaning was very clear: he only needed to carry out the mission by himself.

Even if he brought someone along, it had to be someone reliable. He could still protect someone like Chelsea when necessary. There was no need to keep Serenity, Reimu, or Hata no Kokoro nearby either. If danger arose, he could simply use a Command Seal.

By the way, Koizumi truly intended to look for Seryu. He had heard that the Imperial Guard had not even been allowed to sleep recently, so Seryu had not gone home and had been staying at the Imperial Guard's base. Therefore, if Koizumi wanted to find Seryu, he only needed to go to the Imperial Guard's base. As for where the base was, Serenity knew, and she had told him.

Koizumi could only call it inhumane. Even if you wanted to exploit your subordinates, there should be limits. They were not even allowed to sleep.

Though it was understandable. After all, even people from places like the Peaceful Path Sect had infiltrated the Imperial Capital.

The Empire's level of concern over this matter was obvious from the fact that General Bude had personally intervened with the Imperial Guard.

"I understand what you mean. It is simply strange that General Bude has personally intervened with the Imperial Guard."

As she spoke, Najenda could not help frowning, her eyes filled with confusion.

It was as though there were some unsolvable doubt in her heart. Feeling that emotion beside her, Koizumi frowned slightly as well.

"What's wrong? Is there some problem with General Bude? Let me make this clear first: Serenity is quite capable at gathering intelligence. At the very least, there won't be any mistake in this matter. So if you're questioning the reliability of the intelligence, then forget it."

Koizumi spoke calmly, preventing Najenda from harboring any unnecessary doubts about the information Serenity had given him.

It was impossible for a Servant capable of fitting the Assassin class to be outdone in her specialty. Of course, if the other side was also a Servant, then being outdone would be normal. But they were not Servants!

Besides, Serenity had approached Seryu, not General Bude. Koizumi knew Seryu very well.

After all, he had spent about a day with Seryu, and Reimu and Hata no Kokoro knew her as well. It could not be that Seryu was actually a Servant and Koizumi, Reimu, and Hata no Kokoro had all misjudged her. That possibility was far too low.

"You are not from the Empire, so you don't know this. General Bude's ancestors left behind a family commandment: no one from their family could participate in political affairs under any circumstances. They were only responsible for commanding the military and going on campaigns. The Imperial Guard was entirely staffed by people arranged by the Prime Minister. But this time, General Bude personally dealt with those people. The evidence of their crimes was found by General Bude's subordinates, and General Bude personally punished each of them. This already proves that General Bude has interfered in political affairs!"

Najenda looked gravely at Koizumi and began explaining what was wrong with the situation.

"If General Bude had participated in political affairs, the Empire would not have decayed to this state. At the very least, the Prime Minister could not have completely controlled the court. General Bude has always been uncompromising. If not for his family's commandment, he would have killed the Prime Minister long ago!"

Understanding immediately flashed through Koizumi's eyes. So that was how it was...

Then again, could General Bude really have some kind of problem? Reimu had previously said that he faintly carried the aura of a Servant. Could it be... that General Bude was connected to the source of the distortion?

It looked like he needed to meet General Bude...

Before the Mission

"Hey! Don't keep us waiting too long... Otherwise, I'll blast you first!"

Mine looked at Koizumi with some displeasure on her face. Perhaps she was unhappy because she had to be on the same team as him and had to follow his orders... That was perfectly normal.

Mine was a tsundere. Koizumi understood that very well, so he tried not to provoke her. Tsunderes had terrible tempers.

After all, they had to carry out a mission together. It would be better to get along with her as much as possible.

The ones accompanying Koizumi on this mission were Mine, Sheele, Akame, and Chelsea.

Akame and Chelsea had originally been assigned to carry out this mission with Koizumi. They intended to finish what needed to be done, while Mine and Sheele had been temporarily added by Najenda to help Koizumi withdraw from the Imperial Capital.