Chapter 6

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Enjoy reading.

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For the fifth day now, Seru and I have been walking around the city, all day long. And the thing is that the girl, as one of the most talented, is simply not given assignments, because of the soon to be selected candidates for the Esdes squad. Personally, I didn't see any logic in that. After all, assignments are a great way to prove yourself, and get attention when you're selected! However... these rules are the same in every world.....

By the way, I thoroughly got to know the owner of my favourite cafe, which turns out to be called "Tasty Paradise", under the name of Haiso Ronimi. I even decided to tie him to me with a mental channel, so that in case of anything, I would have a place to hide in the capital.

As he said, I was already on the list of "regulars" here, and almost all the staff knew me by sight. I was amused by this system, but I did not object.

So, I was waiting for Seria at Tasty Paradise as usual, while drinking a cup of coffee, when Leone landed at my table.

- Hi Kaneki! - smiling, she waved her hand at the metamorph.

- Good morning to you too. - I said, smiling back. - What brings you here?

- A mission. - Leone waved her hands. - and I've come to ask you to work as a Ghoul again. An order from the boss himself! - and she put her index finger up in the air. - and Cher, Mein and I are going to go kill someone else.

- So... Who's the client? - I asked phlegmatically, taking another sip of coffee... Still very tasty... I went to an expensive restaurant once... the coffee there was terrible.

- VI! I knew you'd say yes! - Leone exclaimed happily, but then she got serious. - There are several customers. Drug dealers who poison young girls. Red Fountain Quarter, number 15. Can you handle it?

- I'm good. - I nodded - I'm actually waiting here for a girl, so could you... - I pointed with my eyes to the exit.

- Ohhhh!!! So our Kaneki has a girlfriend!!!! - Leone started giggling.

- No, it's a relationship to further spy on the Empire. - I seriously told the truth.

- Er, some big shot in the army? - The metamorph slanted her head in bewilderment.

- Mm-hmm. And now... - I again pointed with my eyes at the small wicket overlooking the main street.

- Yes, yes, I'm on my way. Knowing you, I doubt you'll get caught.... but be careful.  - Leone said more seriously, immediately getting up and heading towards the exit.

***

I ripped another piece of meat out of the drug dealer's stomach and into my mouth. After looking at the picturesque scene of bloodied guards and unconscious girls, I left the building, heading straight for the river.

After washing my hands and mask, I stuffed the latter into the inside pocket of my jacket and headed towards our hotel, where the girls should be now.

Upon arrival, however, I didn't find the girls. Scanning the area, I spotted them approaching here, and then I laid down on one of the beds and waited for the girls to arrive.

Just a couple of minutes later, the aforementioned maidens entered the room, greeting me with dumbfounded looks.

- Yo. - Without opening my eyes, I waved at them. - mission accomplished.

- We already know..." Leone said.

- Why are you lying on my bed? - Maine sniffed menacingly.

Smiling, I jerked up from my seat.

- I understand you had an easy time?

- Mm-hmm. Some of the villagers burned your work, and as a result, all the guards rushed in, making our target almost unprotected. - Main smirked, putting her rifle case next to the bed.

- In that case, I'll be going. You two get some rest. - I smiled, jumping out of the window, going to cut out some squad of guards.

***

I was in a great mood this morning. Two massacres in one night, that's something. And the coffee this time, it was delicious.

Anyway, there was nothing to stop me from going to the local library, which I'd promised myself I'd visit when I joined the Night Raid.

The library was present in the capital, so I went there without thinking long. When I entered the building, I saw huge shelves filled with books, as well as a small grandmother, who was apparently a librarian.

- Do you want something, young man? - she asked kindly.

- Hello, I would like books on teigu, the history of their creation. - I replied in the same polite manner.

- Ooh, quite a frequent request. I'll bring them to you right away. - smiled and waddled briskly towards the shelves.

After waiting for about a minute, I got what I wanted, and then went deeper into reading.

So, teigu are mysterious and extremely powerful weapons. They are rare, and only the strongest of warriors, can wield them well. Some of them have the appearance of equipment or weapons, while others, may be living beings. It is possible that magic was used to create them. Well actually it's true, magic was used to create them, something I see with my magical sight all the time.

The first Teigu I was interested in was the Demon God Manifestation: Demon Extract. This is one of the 48 Teigu created by the First Emperor, with the ability to control ice. It is currently owned by the General of the Esdes Imperial Army.

Teigu was created from the blood of a dangerous ultra-class beast that had the ability to control ice. Teigu remained in the Empire, and several people tried to use Teigu, however, they went insane from the voices they began to hear. General Esdes, through her strength and stamina was able to subdue this Teigu.

***

All in all, this turned out to be quite informative. I didn't read about already known to me teigu, as I know more than enough about their capabilities without this book.

But the history of creation disappointed me very much. There is not much information, but a lot of guesses. I finished it in a couple of hours, after which I decided to go for a wander around the city.

However, while walking in the middle of the street, I noticed something strange.

The people on the street started to part quickly, which left me a little perplexed... and then I saw HER.

That flawless, soft blue hair... Those deep blue eyes... The figure... And the look of contempt for the people around her... And the uniform of a general on top of that... Esdes... I knew from the city's stories that she was a fierce beauty, but like this....

Meanwhile, the people around me had already parted, and the girl's gaze slowly shifted to me. I, fortunately, had time to drive my pleasure far away, leaving only a bit of curiosity and excitement in my gaze. As I slowly stepped aside, I caught a glimpse of surprise and interest in Esdes's emophone, but nothing changed on the northerner's face, and she slowly, albeit reluctantly, shifted her gaze to the others.

I noticed that the wind blew, and the people outside shivered with cold. After watching the girl leave for a while, I headed to the hotel where the girls were supposed to be sitting.

***

- Damn...," Najenda scolded. - She's already in the capital. I was expecting her to arrive only in a couple of days....

In the canon she was summoned for a night raid, but this was an interesting, unknown beast... And it was quite strong. Naturally, the huntress was eager to hunt and rushed to the capital...

- Leone, you'll watch her. Kaneki will go with you, so that if anything happens, you'll at least have a chance to escape. Especially in the event of a fight, which must be avoided, Kaneki's power over fire will be very effective against Esdes. - Najenda said thoughtfully. And after a little thought she added: - By the way, a small period of cold weather is coming soon, so don't forget to buy cloaks.

- Boss, do you think that Kaneki, even with Leone's help, will be able to handle Esdes? - Mein asked sceptically.

I was rather ghostly about that possibility. Judging by her power, which I saw with my magical vision, we're about equal in magic power, but my kagune and regeneration... but my spells are one-offs, and Esdes can create ice wherever she wants, so if you fight her, you have a 50% chance of winning. Actually, I'd say 40%.

- Oh..." Najenda sighed. - That's impossible. But I'm sure Kaneki can at least hold Esdes off so that Leone can escape, and I don't think he'll have any trouble escaping... Kaneki? - She turned to me.

- No problem. - I nodded.

After the meeting, I went to the storeroom where there were several cloaks. However, I didn't like the quality or colour of the cloaks, so I decided to buy a normal cloak in the capital. Fortunately, I had plenty of money, for I had been saving up for the missions for months now, unused.

However, on my way to my safe, I ran into Akame.

- Is everything alright? - I asked, seeing the rather strange look on her face.

- Do you... really have a chance of surviving a fight with Esdes? - The girl asked anxiously.

- I do. Najenda underestimated my abilities a bit, since I haven't demonstrated the full power of my fire teigu yet. - I smiled. - So you can rest easy. Why are you always so worried about me, by the way?

- I... just..." Akame hesitated.

- Are you in love? - I teased the girl.

The quip wasn't appreciated.

"SLEEP."

Akame blushed terribly, which for her usual coldness was not typical, turned around and skidded round the corner, hurriedly tapping her footsteps on the floor, getting farther and farther away.

I rubbed my cheek, burning from the slap, and couldn't keep the stupid smile off my face. I think I'm beginning to understand why Zank's illusion, turned out to be Akame's....

After grabbing the gold, Leone and I met up in the courtyard and headed back to the capital.

***

I glanced at the cloaks in the shop, which immediately discouraged me from going there. I'd rather go to the tailor to order, like I'd done in Fiore.

In fact, it seemed to be cold outside. Almost all the townspeople were wearing warm clothes, and even Leone had decided to put on a cloak. I don't care, I don't feel cold because of my magic, but I still need to buy a cloak so that I don't stand out from the crowd.

Leone at the moment went to the rooftops, to watch Esdes, who by the way was now racing around the city, destroying, inexplicably discovered, secret meetings of revolutionaries.

I did not wish to watch this action, and as a result I went to get my cloak. When I reached the tailor's shop, I finally thought about the design I wanted. A plain black cloak, with fiery stripes along the bottom edge to harmonise with my trousers.

As I opened the door, I heard the unaccustomed jingle of bells above my head, which was the first time I had encountered them in this world.

The shop turned out to be quite large, combining both a workshop and a stand for customers. Behind the latter was a man of about 30 years of age, which at the moment, smiled at me friendly.

- Welcome to our shop! Would you like to buy or order something? - The man began obligingly.

- Hello, I want to place an order for a cloak. - I answered, while looking at the ready-made options.

- Great! One-colour? Or can I offer you a catalogue of patterns?

- No. I need a monochrome, light, black, leather cloak with a pattern on the bottom edge in the form of flames, like on my trousers. - I pointed to the pattern.

The man looked at the pattern for a while, scribbling something on a piece of paper.

When he finished, he clapped his hands happily.

- Thank you, such orders are quite rare, this order will cost 5000 imperial gold. - he said happily.

I silently threw the amount on the table. The sum was not insignificant, but it wasn't too much. And they probably charge a fair price for leather work.

When I ordered the item, I realised how inexperienced Fiore tailors were. I was promised the item I wanted in two hours. 2 HOURS! In Fiora, with pumped magic, it took them 24 hours(!) to create a cloak with an even simpler design. Oh...

After thinking about what to do with that time, I thought... and decided to do something wild. Namely, attacking a Tokyo kuroken in the daytime. I remember Leone saying that if possible, we should eliminate a certain sadistic man and his guards....

***

I watched the crowd being pushed around by a clearly interested Esdes. I hadn't actually killed them in the alley, but in the sadist's house, having dragged his body and the bodies of his guards here. Deciding to take a closer look, I headed towards the crowd, which at the moment was completely silent, trying to hear every word Esdes said, which was almost impossible. Not for me with my hearing, however.

- Attacked in the middle of the day... how interesting. An intelligent, incredibly strong slug, human sized... Definitely something new. Oh, it's so beautiful! - whispered the girl, smiling excitedly.

I couldn't help but put my hand to my face. I'm still considered a slug here... What a shame... I'll have to nail someone in front of several witnesses, in the guise of a demon....

I looked at my watch and smiled. Two hours had just passed, and I could go get my cloak. After a glance at the back of Esdes' head, who didn't turn to the crowd, I went to the shop to get my cloak, which still needs to be enchanted... But it will be much faster... After all, it's one single cloth, not a set of five items....

By the way, on the way, I noticed that the number of citizens on the streets has decreased. The news of the day's attack had already spread, and people went home under various pretexts.

***

I burned a rather large hole in the cloak, then sent mana into it. The purchase immediately began to regenerate, cleansing itself of the crumbs I'd poured on it.

- The enchantment was successful, your skill level has increased to 63... - I involuntarily remembered a certain rpg from Earth.

Putting on my cloak, I headed outside again, where it was now snowing very lightly. Leone was still following Esdes, so it was time for me to join in. However, unlike the same lioness, I have much more skill in this field.

! On Kaneki's return journey to the capital from the asylum. !

Esdes was overjoyed. In a huge amount of time, the Tokyo kuroken is the only one who could interest her. However, parallel to that, she had a few more desires.

She wished to know what love was. Though she had asked the Emperor for it, candidates were still elusive, giving Esdes the realisation that she could only find her love on her own.

But in addition to that, she met a young boy who also interested her. White hair... his very movements spoke of strength and confidence in his superiority. And the look... although there was the excitement so familiar to the girl, but still... there was something else... Incomprehensible, but causing her to understand this guy....

Maybe she should check him out and take him on as a gamekeeper.

Kaneki!

After a couple of days, the cold started to recede. No, it was still quite cold outside, judging by the residents, but the temperature was slowly changing to positive, which made me very happy.

However, Leone and I had to take a break, because Labbak came to us with wild cries about the massacre of influential aristocrats, and the murderer is scattering leaflets of the Night Raid at the scene of the crime, which is also very bad for us.

I remember it was that trio of Esdes' subordinates who ended up killing Bulat. Personally, I am ready to raise all my limbs in agreement with this option, and perhaps even deliberately allow his death...

***

- The victims were all good people who had nothing in common with the Prime Minister. In other words, they threatened his power. - Najenda sighed. - The Prime Minister gets rid of his enemies. And wants all the blame to fall on the night raid.

- Maybe it's a decoy? - Bulat suggested. - to lure us into a trap?

- 'Yes, that's possible...' the woman sighed. - But I want you to know. All those killed were outstanding people... they opposed the Prime Minister... and had nothing to do with the revolutionary army. They only cared about their country. Such people will be needed in the creation of the new state. We cannot allow more casualties among them! - Najenda said coldly. - We will teach these fools who appropriated our name... the code of assassins!!!! There are only 2 potential victims who are planning to leave the capital soon. So the search is narrowed down... Since we don't know their numbers, you'll go in pairs. Lubbock, you go with Akame. - Najenda waved her hand. The boy almost made a stand, then continued to absorb Najenda's every word. I had somehow forgotten that he was in love with her... - Kaneki... you will be paired with Bulat and no objections are accepted! - the woman exclaimed, pointing her finger at me.

I grimaced and nodded.

- I like to work alone, but since it's a direct order... - I spread my hands.

- Exactly," the woman confirmed. - Your client will go to the outskirts of the capital. Riyusen's ship.