Chapter 41: There Are as Many Truths as There Are Standpoints
Late at night.
The members of Night Raid were discussing the intelligence they had gathered on Kobayashi.
Under everyone's gaze, the dazed Sheele thought for a long time before finally saying, "He likes to read history books. I don't know if that counts as useful information."
"That is very good information. You did well, Sheele."
Najenda nodded, then looked at Bulat. "I hear you had a good long spar with him today. What's your impression of him?"
"He's amazing! And very talented!"
Bulat gave him high praise, saying with some excitement, "Although he's still inexperienced, he's an incredibly fast learner. He is very much in need of proper training."
"Oh? He's talented in combat as well?"
This was a surprise to Najenda. The combat power of a Teigu goes without saying. The only weakness of a humanoid Teigu is likely its master. If Kobayashi himself was also strong, then the combination would not be a simple 1+1=2.
"Very useful information. I'll be counting on you to train him more in the future, Bulat."
"Yes! I will train him well!"
...One could only hope he was talking about combat and not other things.
"Lubbock... let's just skip you."
"Hey! Don't look down on me!"
Lubbock immediately became anxious.
Najenda said, puzzled, "But I heard that after Leone taught you a lesson, you didn't spend much time with him?"
"But I still found out a lot, okay?"
Lubbock paused, organized his thoughts, and said, "He should be a person who takes promises very seriously; he will definitely do what he says he will. But he's a bit of a pushover and rarely refuses even our unreasonable requests. Also, he's Neutral Good. He's not for or against order and acts only according to his own conscience. To win him over, we should be able to guide him effectively by appealing to that conscience."
"Oooohhhhhh!!!" xN
Hearing Lubbock's report, the members of Night Raid couldn't help but applaud.
"As expected of Lubbock, so reliable."
"Hmph, but of course!"
The praised Lubbock proudly wiped his nose, simultaneously glancing at Najenda on the main seat.
He wanted praise from the person he liked.
Najenda didn't disappoint him, praising him with, "Well done, Lubbock."
"Hehehe."
Lubbock revealed the proud yet shy smile of a young boy.
"Next..."
"Me, me!"
Leone raised her right hand high, and with a very serious face, as if she had discovered a great secret, she said, "Kobayashi can hold his liquor very well. I'm no match for him."
"...What kind of information is that?"
"There are very few people who can outdrink me! Isn't that a huge secret?"
"How could it be?"
Najenda sighed and facepalmed. She shouldn't have had any expectations for Leone. Lubbock, although not always serious, could sometimes bring a little surprise. Leone, on the other hand, was purely there to cause trouble.
Next.
"Listen to me, Boss! I bought him so many new clothes, and he still wouldn't budge! Don't you think he's being unreasonable?!"
Mine, who had been holding her grievances in all day, could finally complain. She vented to Najenda about how bad Kobayashi was, all because he had been dismissive of the clothes she bought.
Her unreasonable complaints gave Najenda a headache.
"So, the large amount of funds you applied for was to satisfy your own shopping addiction while incidentally buying some clothes for Kobayashi?"
"W-well... no, it's not like I could take him out."
Mine defended herself in a small voice. Unfortunately, Najenda knew her personality well and wouldn't listen to her excuses. She decided on the spot that half of her payment from every mission would be deducted as compensation for the money she had spent, which only made Mine's resentment towards Kobayashi grow stronger.
Finally.
"Akame, what do you think of Kobayashi?"
"He's amazing at catching fish!"
"Hmm?"
"Kobayashi is amazing at catching fish! He just blows a whistle, and the fish jump onto the shore in schools! If I could learn that trick, I would never have to worry about not being able to catch fish again! So, Boss, we absolutely cannot let him go!"
The glint of a foodie shone in Akame's eyes.
Najenda rubbed her temples. She had thought Akame could be of some use in winning Kobayashi over, but hadn't she been won over by him instead?
But to be able to grasp Akame's weakness... that man has some skills.
"Achoo—!"
Kobayashi let out a loud sneeze.
Are Aqua and the others talking about me? Or is it a bit cold on this mountaintop tonight?
At this moment, Kobayashi was on the hill behind the base. Because Najenda had said she had important intelligence to discuss, and since he hadn't joined Night Raid, he couldn't participate. He had no choice but to take a walk on the back hill.
Just as he reached the side of a cliff, he saw two piles of stones with a bouquet of flowers placed on them.
"These are the graves of my childhood friends, Ieyasu and Sayo."
A somewhat sad voice came from behind him.
Tatsumi slowly approached, stopped at Kobayashi's side, and began to speak. "The three of us were separated by bandits on our way to the Capital. By the time I found them, they had already been imprisoned and tortured by a filthy noble until they were unrecognizable, and they died in humiliation. In the beginning, we just wanted to earn money to save our village. Why did it turn out like this?"
The gnashing anger and sorrow in his voice were extremely infectious.
Kobayashi patted his shoulder and comforted him, "It's not your fault. It's the Capital's fault."
"So I've decided! I'm going to be an assassin! I'm going to eliminate all the parasites in the Capital! I'm going to defeat the root of all this, the corrupt Prime Minister! How about it? With such a noble ideal, don't you want to join us, Mr. Kobayashi?!"
Tatsumi was full of passion, and his aura was very strong.
Kobayashi's hand stopped.
"What, are you here to persuade me too? I thought you weren't showing up because you weren't going to get involved."
"I didn't want to at first, because I don't want to force anyone."
"Then..."
"But the Boss, Big Bro, Big Sis Leone, Akame, and even Sheele and Mine have high expectations of you. So I thought I'd give it a try and see if I can get you to join us."
"Becoming an assassin..."
Kobayashi looked up at the bright moon and let out an ambiguous sigh.
After a moment.
Kobayashi suddenly asked, "Tatsumi, do you think of yourself as an assassin?"
"...I think I am."
After completing many missions with Night Raid and killing so many people, Tatsumi felt that he should be an assassin by now.
"That's fair. You have seen blood, after all."
Kobayashi suddenly turned his head, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "But, Tatsumi, you can't save the Empire by being an assassin."
"...Eh?"
"Tatsumi, your ultimate goal is to defeat the Prime Minister, right? But that's just the beginning. Have you thought about what happens after?"
Without the Prime Minister, the existing order would collapse, and the country would surely fall into chaos. Furthermore, due to the Empire's long years of strength and oppression, other countries have long wanted to rise up. Without the Prime Minister, they would definitely start a war.
With internal worries and external threats, and the smoke of war rising from all directions, who would save the innocent commoners then?
Although the Empire is the sole superpower in this world, there is still the Western Kingdom that could rival it. And the Southern Islands and the Northern Tundra, while relatively behind, are still forces to be reckoned with. Once the Empire shows weakness, they will surely take advantage of the chaos.
Tatsumi, however, said, "What about the Revolutionary Army? As long as we get rid of the Prime Minister, the Revolutionary Army will stabilize the country, right?"
"And who can guarantee that the Revolutionary Army are the good guys?"
"...Eh?"
Humans are truly simple creatures. When people agree with one thing, they will unconsciously criticize its opposite. Similarly, when people criticize one thing, they will unconsciously agree with its opposite.
There are as many truths in the world as there are standpoints.
Night Raid's aspiration is to eliminate evil, but the Revolutionary Army might just be a group of invaders acting under a false pretext.
"And that is the truth of why I refuse to join Night Raid."
(End of chapter)
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We cross the 300 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 400 power stone, good luck guys.
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Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter