Several days later. Night Raid Base
When Najenda received the message from the base, she immediately rushed back to Night Raid's main headquarters.
Seeing Bulat, still unconscious from severe frostbite, Najenda sighed softly.
"I've seen the report. This time... can someone tell me exactly what happened?"
"Uh, basically, after the mission three days ago, Bulat sensed a possible Teigu user nearby."
After thinking for a moment, Mine continued, speaking to Najenda.
"We analyzed the intel at the time and figured that Teigu user might have clashed with one of the Empire's Teigu users. So Bulat suggested we go recruit him."
"Originally, we figured we were sending two Teigu users, and with Bulat hiding in the shadows, even if they couldn't win, Bulat could get Lubbock out... but..."
Mine's expression was troubled, and she didn't continue. But seeing the current situation, Najenda already knew the outcome.
"Lubbock, their attitude at the time... how exactly did you get into a fight?"
Lubbock, who had been wondering how to answer, glanced at his comrades and hesitated.
For the past few days, he'd been thinking about what Aaron said that day.
And the more his quick mind turned it over, the more something felt wrong.
The Revolutionary Army rebelled so that people could live happy lives.
But if everything Aaron said was true, it meant the Revolutionary Army had chosen to sacrifice the happiness of some of the people.
If he said this and brought it all to light, Night Raid's entire stance might be shaken.
*Sigh, I'll ask Miss Najenda about it later. For now, I'll just try to gloss over it.*
"I'm not clear on the specifics. Anyway, he has no love for the Revolutionary Army or the Empire. But..."
Glancing at Bulat, Lubbock said to the others:
"Seeing Bulat's terrible state, I'm sure you all get it. The enemy we met this time can control ice."
"Control ice... huh?"
Seeing Bulat's frostbite, Najenda had actually already thought of a certain old colleague.
But after Lubbock brought up this information, she still felt a headache coming on.
The power of ice. For Najenda, it was a nightmare.
It was because of ice powers that she lost her eye and arm. And the demon who took those parts of her body was, without a doubt, a high peak the Revolutionary Army had to overcome.
"Esdeath... That man, could he be related to Esdeath?"
"Demon's Extract. I remember that's the blood-type ice Noble Phantasm that Esdeath drank. If Esdeath extracted some of her blood and gave it to someone, it's possible a certain degree of power could be transferred."
After mentally filling in the blanks with a pile of non-existent information, Najenda spoke to the others with a serious expression.
"He's already proven his strength. And for now, since he doesn't like the Empire or the Revolutionary Army, don't make any moves to attack him."
"We'll continue with our assigned missions step-by-step. After Bulat's injuries have healed a bit, we'll reconsider how to deal with this potential enemy."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
After everyone else had left, Lubbock glanced at Najenda and suddenly asked:
"Miss Najenda, does the Revolutionary Army really have to ally with the foreign tribes?"
"Of course. The Revolutionary Army's military strength isn't enough. To defeat the Empire, we must borrow strength from others."
Lighting her cigarette, Najenda continued speaking to Lubbock.
"Why ask about this all of a sudden?"
"Because the person who injured Bulat this time... his reason for refusing our recruitment was because the Revolutionary Army chose to ally with the foreign tribes. In his eyes, that's no different from 'inviting wolves into your house,' so he refused to join us."
"Hah. Sounds like this enemy isn't exactly a bad person. It's just a shame that excessive idealism can't save this country."
Listening to Lubbock's description, Najenda gave a bitter smile and blew out a ring of smoke.
"The higher-ups know, of course, that this is like 'drinking poison to quench thirst.' But without the military power from the foreign tribes, we have no way of suppressing the Imperial army."
"No matter how corrupt the Empire is, it's still the Empire. And the Revolutionary Army's current strength isn't enough to stop it. If we want to defeat the Empire, the power of the foreign tribes is essential."
"Even if we know they're devils... if it means we can defeat that devil Honest and build this country anew... this is a contract we'll still choose to sign."
"Some people might think we're selling out the country. But if we let Honest continue to run rampant, even more people will be harmed by him."
"As long as we win, once we have enough of a voice, we can still find a way to 'ask' the foreign tribes to leave. So before we win, we'll use this method to borrow their strength—that is what the higher-ups are really thinking."
"Is that... so..."
*Sigh. It's a shame. In the end, Miss Najenda didn't touch on what will happen to the regions invaded by the foreign tribes.*
*She must know this, too, which is why she deliberately skirted the issue and didn't dig any deeper.*
*Even Miss Najenda feels like she's in the wrong... It seems this plan really is terrible.*
*What a headache. Nobody here is an idiot. If everyone else finds out about this, will they start having second thoughts?*
*That guy's choice really wasn't wrong.*
*I still really like everyone in Night Raid, but... compared to joining us, only to be disgusted by the leadership's sickening decisions, it's better to not join either side.*
*That way, even without a safety net, being neutral also means they're more free.*
*But now, there's a problem.*
*Clashes between armies are decided by military strength, but duels between the top powers are decided by the strength of their Teigu users.*
*This guy has the power to change the tide of battle, and he's ended up as a neutral party. So...*
*...what on earth is his goal?*
.........................