Lan and Wave passed the guard checkpoint without any screening.
As veteran soldiers of the Imperial Capital, they are well-known even in the various district-level Imperial Guard.
" Lin Feng actually made a map for us... It feels a bit unnecessary."
"Although we are very familiar with the terrain, I have never paid attention to their daily routines. I must say, Lin Feng is indeed excessively meticulous and thoughtful."
"According to this, we should go to the East Wing's conference hall. Indeed, aside from the main conference hall, that's the only place Budo appears."
Lan looked at Wave, his face bright and relaxed.
" Wave, I never expected you to make that face at a time like this."
What do you mean by that?
"The target of this operation is General ' Budo,' your former mentor..."
"I don't think he taught me anything... Calling him my mentor is really unnecessary."
Wave closed his eyes.
Indeed, Wave had served under General Budo for a long time.
But Budo did for him was some simple promotion. If that was Syura, then even General Budo would have treated him the same way.
For the sake of a new empire, Wave must have the decisiveness to fight against his former superior.
"You're right. I'll activate my Teigu first, so he can't see my appearance directly. That will be better for both of us."
Thinking of this, Wave sighed again.
"Lan, do you know General Budo's abilities?"
" Budo's abilities... forgive my ignorance."
"He possesses Teigu that can control lightning. Although the preparation time for activating it is lengthy, the electromagnetic field it generates can easily paralyze melee fighters like us."
"Close combat, huh...?"
Lan was deep in thought when she suddenly sensed an unusual noise behind her.
Who is it?
Lan's glance back startled Wave.
Just now, Wave didn't even realize there was someone behind him.
Or perhaps the aura behind him was so familiar that Wave selectively ignored it.
Turning around to look behind him, Wave was taken aback.
Her black hair was parted on both sides, she wore a black sailor uniform and stockings, and a blood-red bow tie was tied into a neat Nagoya collar.
The newcomer was none other than Kurome, the girl who had run away from Lin Feng's villa—the headquarters of a group of patriots—last night.
"Why... why are you here...?"
"Don't be too nervous..."
Kurome stepped forward, but her movements were incredibly gentle; her usual dangerous stance of drawing her katana with her hands behind her back was completely gone.
The knife was tucked into her waistband, and her hands hung limply at her sides, making her appear non-threatening.
Seemingly noticing the unusual nature of the Kurome, Lan and Wave didn't immediately tense up, but instead looked at the girl in front of them.
"I've decided to join you guys!"
"What did you say..."
That's all.
Kurome suddenly laughed.
"If I can't kill my sister anymore, then I'll kill those liars instead!"
"Since we're both working for the empire, I thought about it for a long time last night. I'll use methods I prefer, since it's all for the empire."
Wave looked at Kurome; the heavy dark circles under her eyes, like a blotch of eyeshadow, made her eyes appear even heavier, giving the girl a more alluring quality.
"But I have conditions~"
"Condition..."
"As for the specific conditions, I'll tell you after everything is over."
Kurome spoke, silently following behind the two.
Upon hearing the word 'conditions' from Kurome, Wave's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Only by considering gains and losses could he feel a little closer to the Kurome in front of him. Because this kind of cleverness was the Kurome Wave remembered.
" Lin Feng really does whatever he says... He's so reliable, so--"
"I can't let Lin Feng down either."
Chelsea, transformed into an ant, crawled back through the keyhole.
" Bols... I know this man too well."
When carrying out assassinations of high-ranking Imperial Capital, Bols was a name that was frequently mentioned.
At that time, Bols had not yet risen to his current position; he was merely carrying a fire-based Teigu called ' Purgatory Summoning Gambird'.
Using the seemingly inexhaustible flames within that Teigu, Bols easily accomplished the tasks of burning, sterilizing, and destroying the town, greatly accelerating the Empire's operations. As a result, he gained the attention of the higher-ups.
But at the same time, Bols never considered the root cause of the problems in his work.
With only his wife and daughters in his heart, even if his superiors ordered him to burn down the homes of innocent civilians, Bols would do so without hesitation and without raising any objections.
Therefore, countless people died in the flames of Bols, perhaps simply because a wanted criminal from the Imperial Capital was hiding in that area, and the people were treated this way.
In Chelsea's view, there was absolutely no reason to sympathize with Bols; from the moment she saw that sea of fire that day, Chelsea had mentally prepared herself for what was to come.
She was a witness to that incident.
Just as Chelsea was about to transform back into her original form, she saw a guard walking towards her, so she remained unchanged.
The guard walked towards the meeting room where Bols was and said to him—
"Lord Bols, Lady Esdeath has summoned you. It seems she needs your participation in some search operation."
"Okay, I understand."
As if he knew the arrangements beforehand, Bols responded with great ease.
The guards then quickly left as well.
Seeing that Bols had already gotten up and was preparing to equip himself, Chelsea immediately began to act.
"We absolutely cannot let you join them..."
Bols slung ' Purgatory Summoning Gambirud' over his shoulder, tidied his clothes, and pushed open the conference room door, preparing to head to Esdeath's location, only to find a little girl standing at the door.
She looked to be only five or six years old, dressed in an exquisite Western-style dress, clearly the daughter of a noble family. Perhaps she was the child of some minister who had gotten lost, for her eyes were now brimming with tears.
"Waaaah... Waaaaah!..."
Even their cries and screams were kept to a minimum, a typical result of being raised with aristocratic manners from a young age.
Seeing this little girl reminded Bols of his own daughter.