Chapter 36: A Naive Amateur Can Be Very Tempting
Kobayashi was only interested in the Teigu. In his mind, the ideal situation would be to join as a mercenary. The Revolutionary Army would provide the Teigu, and he would do the work.
But it was impossible for the Revolutionary Army to give up a game-changing superweapon like a Teigu, and Kobayashi didn't have the overwhelming strength to make them willing to use a Teigu as a bargaining chip.
After thinking it over, the only option was to play dumb and refuse to commit.
"Can you let me hear your reasons?"
Najenda didn't want to give up. She wanted to satisfy Kobayashi's demands as much as possible.
"Because there's no future in it."
Faced with her question, Kobayashi gave an answer that was unexpected yet perfectly reasonable.
"Being a shady assassin, how can that be as satisfying as being an official? Whether it's money or power, being an official is better in every way, isn't it?"
His style was that of a simple country bumpkin. Who doesn't like to be flattered and fawned upon? And who likes to be a wanted fugitive, hiding everywhere?
If it weren't for the fact that his two childhood friends had been tortured to death and he himself had almost been murdered by a noble, a hot-blooded young man like Tatsumi, who had not yet witnessed the darkness of the Capital, would surely have made the same choice as Kobayashi. After all, even the corrupt Empire was much stronger than the foreign tribes cowering beyond its borders.
Najenda tried to tempt him again. "In that case, after we succeed in overthrowing the Empire's rule, I promise to grant you the position of Great General. What do you think?"
Although she was overstepping her authority a bit, Kobayashi had the corresponding potential and talent. As long as he accumulated enough merits for the Revolutionary Army to see, making a promise on credit wasn't a big deal.
Unfortunately, Kobayashi didn't fall for it at all.
He pouted and said, "That's only after you succeed, isn't it? And who can guarantee that you will succeed in overthrowing the Empire? Who can guarantee that I won't die before that day comes?"
Who doesn't know how to make pie-in-the-sky promises? He wasn't buying it!
Besides, he had no interest in being a Great General in this world. If it were in the world of Konosuba, that would be another story.
Najenda just found him difficult to handle.
The meaning Kobayashi was expressing was already very clear: if you want him to join, you have to offer a tangible reward, and it has to be of equal value to being an official. But right now, the Revolutionary Army was struggling, and even their Night Raid had little funding and often had to take other missions just to get a good meal. How could they possibly have the means to agree to his conditions?
She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to persuade him.
In the end, she could only resort to intimidation. "You should think carefully. If you don't agree, although we won't kill you, you will certainly be imprisoned. Are you okay with having your personal freedom restricted?"
"That's still better than losing my life as an assassin, right?" Kobayashi absolutely would not yield.
"You'll be required to clean the base," Najenda continued to provoke him. "You clearly have the talent to be a general, yet now you can only be a cleaner at the base. Having talent but nowhere to display it, don't you feel frustrated?"
"How could I! I love cleaning!"
He transmigrated and is disgusted by the idea of being an assassin, but he doesn't mind being a janitor? What kind of brain circuit is that?!
...Most people would probably think that.
But what Kobayashi was actually indicating was that he would not place his bet easily, at least not until he saw some hope of overthrowing the Empire's corrupt rule.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Najenda had to give up for the time being.
She looked at the sky, saw that it was getting late, and said, "It's late today. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Let Akame take you to pick a room to rest."
She then said to the expressionless Akame, "I'll leave it to you, Akame."
"Okay," Akame nodded and said to Kobayashi, "Follow me."
With that, she led him away.
Watching him leave, Najenda rested her chin on her hands, seemingly deep in thought.
Leone stepped forward and asked, "Boss, should I..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but she drew her hand across her neck, and her meaning was clear.
—She wanted to forcibly take his Teigu!
Don't be fooled by Leone's usual carefree, kind, and enthusiastic "big sister" appearance. In truth, there was no shortage of darkness in her heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have tricked Tatsumi when he first came to the city.
In fact, there was no shortage of darkness in anyone's heart here. If necessary, they would definitely make a move.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Najenda shook her head decisively, rejecting the idea.
"That young man is a rare piece of unpolished jade. To be honest, if possible, I really want to win him over to join Night Raid."
"Wow! This is the first time I've seen the Boss have such a high opinion of a young man."
Leone let out a cry of ambiguous surprise, but then asked strangely, "Although I also acknowledge that young man's intelligence, he's just one Teigu user. If we all go at him, won't we be able to make him submit obediently?"
"Leone, I remember telling you that although Teigu are of different types, their strengths are roughly the same, right?"
Najenda sighed and scolded helplessly, "That young man wasn't afraid even when facing so many Teigu users. He clearly has something to back him up. Can't you see something so simple?"
"Is that so? Ahahaha..."
The blonde lioness beastman scratched her head awkwardly.
But it was precisely because Leone was a bit of a blockhead that Najenda was even more interested in Kobayashi.
Teigu users were rare, but a Teigu user like Kobayashi, who was quick-witted, bold yet careful, and calm and rational, was even rarer.
His only flaw was that he wasn't easy to fool.
But that was also a good thing. People like him were usually strong-willed. Once won over, they would serve the organization with all their heart. And at that time, whether it was in terms of strength or intelligence, he could bring about a huge, all-around improvement.
Since he hadn't been assimilated by the Capital's corruption, she had to do her best to keep him, no matter what.
She would absolutely not give up on this talent!
...If that's what Najenda was thinking, then the personal image Kobayashi had crafted from the beginning was a success.
To be courted, one must have corresponding talent. And for someone to be as provocative as Kobayashi without making the other party angry, one must have even greater talent.
Being a Teigu user was just the prerequisite to pique their interest. He himself was the real reason they were willing to show goodwill and patiently try to win him over.
A naive amateur who was inexperienced in the ways of the world was very tempting to them.
Most importantly, although Kobayashi hadn't yielded on the surface, he had still left a little room for maneuver. Otherwise, they would have absolutely done things like murdering him for his Teigu or eliminating a potential rival's asset in advance.
--- On the other side ---
Akame led Kobayashi to a room and said to him, "This is your room."
Then, she made a move to leave.
"Wait."
Kobayashi took the initiative to stop her.
Akame turned her head and asked with a blank expression, "Is there something else?"
"Your name is Akame, right?"
Under her puzzled gaze, Kobayashi said something strange. "Do you believe in gravity? Just like how Teigu users attract each other, there is also gravity between people. I've come to believe that."
"What are you talking about?"
Akame tilted her head, her face full of confusion.
The same cool, detached tone of voice and the similarly cute, confused expression gave Kobayashi a sense of phantom vision.
"It's nothing. Just think of it as me rambling."
"Mmm."
Akame nodded and turned to leave.
"Akame!"
"What is it now?"
"Goodnight."
"...Goodnight."
After saying goodnight, Kobayashi pushed the door open and walked into the room.
And Akame, who had been in a hurry to leave, lingered outside the room for a moment before turning away.
(End of an book)