The night air was cold, and the Night Raid was moving according to Najenda's plan. Pairs were dispatched to eliminate the emerging monsters. However, Lubbock was far from pleased. With a team full of beautiful girls, why on earth was he stuck with another guy?
"Quit whining and take it up with the Boss. You think I wanted this?" Tatsumi retorted, his own irritation showing.
Lubbock scanned the dark surroundings. "Are you sure there aren't any Capital soldiers lurking around?"
"What's there to be afraid of? Enemies don't just fall from the sky," Tatsumi said dismissively.
"Honestly, cowardice is a vital element for an assassin's survival. Najenda said so herself."
Tatsumi nodded, but then he stopped and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. There was something that had been bothering him for a while.
"Wait a second. We all call her 'Boss,' so why do you call her 'Sister Najenda'?"
"Uh... well... you see..."
Caught off guard, Lubbock fumbled for a moment before regaining his composure. He sighed and began to recount his past—the bond between him and Najenda.
"We've known each other since she was still in the Imperial Military. Back home, I was the fourth son of a wealthy merchant family. Since I was a kid, I had everything I wanted. Life was so easy it became boring..."
"Liar. Sounds like you're bragging," Tatsumi interrupted.
"Shut up! The touching part is coming, listen carefully!" Lubbock snapped. "It stayed that way until Najenda was stationed where I lived. It was... love at first sight. After that, I enlisted in the army just to be a soldier under her command."
"So that's why you joined Night Raid..."
"You could say it's my love for her. Before leaving the Capital, I even doctored my records to say I died in action. And yet, to this day, I still haven't made a move. Well? Are you moved to tears?"
Lubbock leaned against a rock wall, hand over his face in a dramatic pose of sorrow. Tatsumi walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lubbock... first of all, stop peeking at the girls while they bathe!!"
"Huh?!!"
The somber mood shattered instantly. Lubbock jumped up, and the two began bickering loudly as they trekked further.
"Having a crush and admiring naked girls are two completely different things!! What are you even talking about?!"
"And that is exactly why you haven't made any progress with her!"
"Hmph... just you wait. One day, I'll make her fall for me."
By coincidence, they had reached Mount Fake—the very place where Tatsumi had previously escaped from Esdeath. After a long trek without spotting a single monster, Lubbock had set his wire traps, but nothing had been caught yet.
"If it's clear here, I'll head to the summit to scout," Tatsumi suggested.
"Alright, be careful. If you run into trouble, don't try to be a hero; we fight together."
Tatsumi nodded, drew his sword to summon Incursio, and leaped up the rocky ledges, vanishing toward the peak. The summit was more desolate than he imagined. No signs of life, no danger. Tatsumi deactivated his armor. Are the monsters all asleep?
He was wrong. There was one "monster" remaining, hovering hundreds of meters above the mountain. Esdeath sat atop a winged Danger Beast, gazing at the full moon with a rare, distant look in her eyes. Usually, her patrols were about blood and conquest, but tonight, she seemed lost in thought.
"The reason I've become so strange... is all because of you, Tatsumi."
A vision of Tatsumi's smile crossed her mind, and she let out a soft laugh. But then, her sharp eyes caught a silhouette moving on the peak below. She commanded her beast to dive.
"You're unlucky. You've caught me in a bad mood."
Esdeath leaped from the beast. Tatsumi spun around, startled by a sudden impact behind him.
"What... what was that?"
He expected a monster ambush. But as the dust settled, he saw a familiar military uniform and flowing blue hair. At that moment, Tatsumi would have much preferred a monster.
"You'll be facing me. I think I'll use you to test some new torture methods..."
Esdeath drew her rapier, but then she froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Tatsumi..."
The person before her wasn't an enemy—it was the boy she had been desperately searching for. Esdeath's face flushed a deep pink, while Tatsumi began to spiral into a panic. Why is she here?!
He remembered his words to Lubbock: "Enemies don't just fall from the sky." And yet, here she was. Was the universe playing a cruel joke on him?
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
The awkward silence was broken by a low growl. Several bizarre, red-eyed monsters crawled out from the shadows. Tatsumi almost wanted to cry with relief. Maybe I can use them as a distraction to—
SHING!
With a cold flick of her blade, Esdeath reduced the monsters to bloody chunks in an instant. One creature, still half-alive, crawled toward her, only to have its head crushed under her heel. She ground her foot down, her killing intent radiating like a freezing blizzard.
"Don't get in my way."
This time... even if I had wings, I wouldn't be able to escape... Tatsumi thought, sweating bullets.
Esdeath turned back to Tatsumi, her expression shifting to one of incredible gentleness—if you ignored the gore at her feet.
"So, this isn't a dream... I've waited so long for the day we'd meet again, Tatsumi!"
The Narrow Path
Elsewhere, Lubbock grew alert. Cross Tail was vibrating frantically. Someone was moving through his traps at an impossible speed.
"An intruder from the foot of the mountain? What kind of insane speed is this?! This isn't normal!"
"I'll hide and let them pass. Tatsumi hasn't come back yet... I hope he's okay."
The mysterious hooded figure who had been stalking Seryu was now flying across the cliffs. His target: the summit.
"I can smell him. This is Tatsumi's scent. How dare you run away... I've been so lonely."
Back on the peak, Esdeath pulled Tatsumi into a tight embrace. The softness was comforting, but the sheer pressure of her presence was terrifying. It was a classic "carrot and stick" sensation.
"Wh-why are you here?" Tatsumi stammered.
"I received a mission to eliminate the beasts harassing the outskirts of the Capital. But... what are you doing here?"
Esdeath's eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. One wrong answer and it was over.
"Could you... let go of me first?"
"No."
"But we're too close. I can't think straight..."
"Forget it. I won't let you run away again."
Knowing he couldn't win with force yet, Tatsumi gently pulled back, keeping his hand near the hilt of his sword to look natural.
"I heard there were dangerous monsters around here lately, so I came to hunt them."
"So you're doing the same as me? Then, Tatsumi... have you joined the Rebels yet?"
"Not... not yet. But I won't give up. I'm training myself."
It wasn't a total lie. Tatsumi had been training relentlessly since his escape. Esdeath looked into his eyes, searching for a hint of deception.