At the palace.
Honest's expression was ugly as he viciously tore into the steak in his hand.
He had called Syura back to help him, yet the brat had immediately caused trouble upon returning.
He did not care that Syura had brought this upon himself.
What truly irritated him was that it had affected his relationship with Esdeath.
This was a sensitive time, and his influence was steadily shrinking.
Anyone associated with him had become a prime target for Night Raid.
On top of that, there was the troublesome Chouri. More and more people were beginning to waver.
While they were not ready to defect to Chouri's camp immediately, they were certainly no longer willing to work for Honest.
The door opened, and Stylish emerged in his white lab coat.
"Doctor, how is he?"
Stylish shook his head, his expression somewhat peculiar.
"His life isn't in danger, but the injuries down there are quite severe."
"Even normal urination will be a problem. Recovery is essentially impossible."
Though Stylish's Teigu, Hands of God, was powerful, it could not create something out of nothing.
Hands of God greatly enhanced the dexterity of his fingers, making it an excellent support-type Teigu.
If something had merely been broken, Stylish could at least try to piece it back together with his skill.
But when it had been turned into paste, there was simply nothing to be done.
A trace of regret flashed across Honest's face, but it quickly disappeared.
He said calmly,
"That idiot Syura. If there's no way to fix it, I suppose I'll just have another son."
Stylish stroked the stubble on his chin, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
"I do have an interesting idea, but let's wait until Syura wakes up."
Dorothea looked somewhat surprised by how little Honest seemed to care about his son's future happiness.
Normally, seeing a favored heir reduced to such a state would enrage anyone.
Dorothea had spent some time with Syura before.
Though their relationship had been purely mutually beneficial, there was at least a bit of friendship there.
She spoke up.
"Stylish and I can look into it. There may still be some hope."
Dorothea was actually more skilled in reconstructive techniques.
At the very least, trying would repay a small part of what she owed Syura.
Stylish, however, had little interest in the matter.
He answered halfheartedly,
"A transplant or modification? Sounds troublesome."
From a purely rational perspective, it was only the loss of one organ.
Not exactly vital.
Of course, that also had something to do with Stylish being gay.
He had no personal need for it, after all.
He would rather spend the time researching new techniques.
Stylish was already eager to integrate alchemy into his modified soldier corps.
Honest said nothing more.
Once he had confirmed that Syura was not in mortal danger, he simply left.
If one expendable son was ruined, he could always cultivate another.
It was of little consequence.
........
"Mr. Uesugi, we truly cannot thank you enough!"
"You are our family's..."
As Bols spoke, he started to kneel deeply.
"Onii-chan, thank you!"
Logue and Kijie followed suit.
Uesugi Ryu precisely blocked Bols's knee with the toe of his boot, preventing him from kneeling.
It was not false modesty.
There was simply no need.
Uesugi Ryu did not particularly enjoy having people kneel before him.
This incident had conveniently given him the chance to seriously injure Syura, making the future acquisition of Shambhala much more secure.
"You don't need to do that, Bols."
"The Jaegers exist to maintain order. As Vice-Captain, how could I possibly ignore something like this?"
Bols looked up at Uesugi Ryu.
Unable to insist any further, he reluctantly gave up.
Uesugi Ryu chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Esdeath would have done the same."
Bols let out a long breath and said no more.
Words of gratitude alone were meaningless.
Logue threw herself into Uesugi Ryu's arms.
Looking up at him with her blue eyes full of admiration, she said,
"Daddy told me Onii-chan made that bad guy unable to do bad things ever again. Onii-chan is amazing!"
Uesugi Ryu gently rubbed Logue's head.
"Of course. Thanks to you, I was able to get there in time. You were very brave too, Logue."
Hearing his praise, Logue beamed happily.
Wave looked at Uesugi Ryu with obvious admiration.
"Mr. Uesugi really is strong."
"The Captain said my martial skill is already nearing mastery, but compared to you, I'm still far too weak."
"How do you usually train, Mr. Uesugi?"
The moment he asked, everyone present became curious.
Uesugi Ryu coughed lightly and answered with a perfectly straight face.
"It's simple. Talent and hard work are enough."
In other words, he had said absolutely nothing useful.
Wave laughed awkwardly and nodded despite himself.
Seeing that he had successfully bluffed his way through, Uesugi Ryu immediately changed the subject and looked at Bols.
"When Syura returned, he brought several subordinates with him. They are likely criminals he recruited during his travels."
"While retaliation is unlikely, it is still something to be cautious about."
"Bols, why not stay at my estate for a while? Security there is much better."
Bols hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Deep down, he swore that he would repay Uesugi Ryu's kindness someday.
Every member of Wild Hunt was rotten to the core.
They were either murderers, rapists, or worse.
There was not a single decent person among them.
Now that Bols also had a grudge against Syura, he would certainly be of help when the time came to eliminate Wild Hunt.
Uesugi Ryu was, naturally, also making a deliberate investment.
He planned to establish his own organization eventually.
Winning people's loyalty now could only benefit him.
Kurome munched on a biscuit, her eyes curving into a smile.
"Mr. Uesugi is really kind."
At that moment, a crisp system notification suddenly rang out.
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained a Teigu user: Bols - Rubicante]
(Recruitment Condition: The target acknowledges your ideals or character and is willing to do most things for you.)
[Side Quest: Collect Teigu / Recruit Teigu Users. Progress: 4/24]
[Rewards will automatically unlock at certain milestones: 4, 10, 18, 24]
[Quest Reward Obtained: 1 Normal Attribute Point, 1 Teigu Fusion Attempt (Can fuse four Teigu into one)]
Uesugi Ryu glanced at the system panel, delight flashing through his eyes.
He had not expected such an unexpected reward.
"Teigu Fusion?"
Most of the Teigu currently in his possession were accessory-type items.
Black Marlin was a ring.
Observer was essentially a telescope.
Both were useful to him personally and unsuitable for fusion.
Uesugi Ryu thought to himself,
"If I use this fusion opportunity to create a biological-type Teigu, it should prove extremely useful..."