Asahi sat behind the counter, his fingers repeatedly rubbing his temples.
He had uncovered the report regarding the recent tragedy. Most of the soldiers had been sliced clean in half, and the Governor had been beheaded. Liana suffered the most—she had been skinned alive.
This was absolutely not the work of a common force like bandits; if it were, their numbers would have to be massive. Yet, there were no traces of the attackers at the scene.
Like Najenda, Asahi understood perfectly why those responsible felt so confident in framing Night Raid. Simply put, incidents of this nature were Night Raid's specialty.
Asahi had witnessed Liana fight before; her strength was quite respectable. Subduing her and then skinning her to death was far more difficult than a simple kill. Only Night Raid—or more accurately, Teigu users—could have pulled that off.
"Damn it!"
He cursed under his breath, feeling a stifling frustration with no outlet. The Governor had been a good official—someone who loved the people and worried for the future of this wretched Empire. Asahi could see that in the way the man handled the drug trafficking case and the general atmosphere of that town.
Despite being the top official of the region, his residence wasn't a lavish manor or a grand estate; it was a normal house, hardly different from anyone else's in town. He didn't wear expensive, flamboyant clothes either—just simple, ordinary garments.
If the Governor and Liana had been attacked by mere bandits, Asahi could only have sighed. But he fundamentally could not accept that a Governor was murdered and beheaded while on his way to feed starving citizens, that Liana was skinned to death, and that all those soldiers were slaughtered as a mere consequence of some dog-sh*t political conspiracy.
His fingers tapped against the table, the sound echoing through the silent coffee shop.
"Huh?"
Asahi suddenly turned toward the door.
Bang!
The door burst open. A figure clad in full-body armor rushed in, carrying another person on his back. Asahi moved immediately, discovering that the person being carried was Bulat.
"Brother... Asahi... save him..."
The armored figure began to emit white steam as the armor dissipated, revealing Tatsumi. He collapsed onto the floor.
Asahi hurriedly carried both him and Bulat to the upper floor and pulled out his Multi-purpose Relief Box.
"Please... save... Big Bro... he's... poisoned..."
Tatsumi's voice was faint and broken. It seemed that even uttering a single word took immense effort. Although Asahi had many questions, saving lives was the priority.
"Poisoned. The toxin has seeped into his blood and internal organs. Fortunately, it missed his vitals..."
He felt incredibly lucky that he had exchanged for the Multi-purpose Relief Box; this thing was far too useful. Using it, even though Asahi had never studied medicine, he felt like a doctor snatching a patient's life from the hands of the Grim Reaper.
The healing process was swift, much like when he treated Ieyasu. Because Bulat had an excellent physical foundation and the poison hadn't been in his system for long, the treatment and recovery were much smoother. At the minimum, a week of proper food and rest would see him back to his peak.
However, treating Bulat wasn't the end of it, as there was another "patient": Tatsumi.
In Tatsumi's case, it was quite simple, but Asahi had no way to fully cure it.
The wounds from the battle with Nyau were easily handled. It was only the residual pressure from the Teigu Incursio that couldn't be treated; it was as if the user were subjected to several times the gravity of the outside world to become many times stronger than normal. Tatsumi would have to endure and overcome this pain on his own.
After nearly an hour of writhing, both Bulat and Tatsumi finally woke up. Without Asahi even having to ask, Tatsumi began to recount the entire story from beginning to end. Bulat, sitting beside him, didn't stop him and even added details where necessary.
Asahi had already earned the trust of the Night Raid members, not just by saving Mine and Sheele, but also by the way he guided Tatsumi toward maturity.
Unbeknownst to Asahi, his coffee shop in the capital was like a candle flame in the dark. The members of Night Raid had found solace here; even in a place as dark and corrupt as the capital, a spark of light existed.
The story Tatsumi told started from the meeting and the assignment of missions. Then, he and Bulat paired up for the protection mission on the ship, the elimination of the Three Beasts, and finally, their flight back here.
His current demeanor was like a child recounting getting high marks at school, waiting for praise from a parent.
Tatsumi also explained how he obtained Incursio, then, as if realizing something, he turned hurriedly to Bulat.
"Once we return, I'll give Incursio back!"
"Tatsumi, don't you remember what I said back then? I said I trusted you when I entrusted it to you."
Tatsumi hesitated for a moment, then gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.
"Yes, Big Bro! I will train hard to master Incursio!"
"Haha, remember that! Once I've recovered, I'll give you a Hell-stage training regimen!"
Asahi sat to the side, thinking about the Three Beasts—those under the command of the Great General named Esdeath. It was lucky for them that they died at the hands of Tatsumi and Bulat; otherwise, he would have personally made mincemeat out of the three of them.
The current issue was no longer the Three Beasts, but Esdeath. At the mention of her name, both Tatsumi and Bulat showed extreme apprehension, despite never having met or faced her.
Asahi didn't think they were cowards; it was simply that Esdeath was too powerful. The title of "Strongest in the Capital" was absolutely not a hollow one. Through Bulat's recounting, he could feel the utter coldness and brutality of that woman.
Thud, thud, thud!!
A pounding at the door downstairs rang out, followed by a woman's voice.
"Imperial Guard! We've detected signs of Night Raid in this area. We request the owner open the door for inspection."
The three of them knew exactly what had happened. Tatsumi had left a trail during his journey here. Although it didn't lead directly to the coffee shop, it allowed the Imperial Guard to narrow down that Night Raid was hiding in this sector. They had begun a sweep.
"I'm sorry, Brother Asahi, I—"
"It's fine."
Asahi waved it off and began thinking of a way to hide Bulat and Tatsumi. If an inspection occurred, the guards would likely search thoroughly; they couldn't simply hide under the bed or in a closet, as they would be found immediately.
Tatsumi frowned. While Incursio had an invisibility function, he could currently only maintain it for about a second—it was practically useless. Even if he could stay invisible for long, how would he hide Big Bro Bulat? If either of them were discovered, it wouldn't just affect Night Raid; Asahi would be implicated as well.
The fact that Asahi didn't mind didn't mean Tatsumi and Bulat didn't care. Both felt incredibly guilty.
The pounding at the door grew increasingly urgent, as if it were about to be kicked in. It seemed that if he didn't go down soon, the Imperial Guards would truly break the door down.
"I have a way!"
Before the surprised eyes of Tatsumi and Bulat, something shimmering and ethereal materialized in Asahi's hand.
An Invisibility Cloak. Ever since his stealth and hiding abilities had increased, he hadn't touched it, leaving it tucked away in the System's storage.
"Brother Asahi... is this a Teigu?"
"Wrap it around you and you'll be invisible. If you spread it out, both of you should be able to hide under it. Just do it, there's no time to explain."
Now was not the time for questions. Tatsumi and Bulat hurriedly found a spot to hide. Asahi went downstairs, disheveled his clothes a bit to look like he had just woken up, and opened the door.