Once Esdeath had achieved what she came for, she returned to her usual decisive self and left without wasting another moment.
The instant the door closed behind her, Taeko's strength gave out and she collapsed into Noah's arms.
"I-I'm sorry, Senpai. That woman's presence was just... overwhelming."
Feeling the warmth of Noah's chest, a faint blush spread across her pale skin.
Noah knew she had kept every muscle in her body tense the entire time.
More than that... he took one of her hands.
"Senpai..." Taeko murmured, seeming reluctant to let him see it.
When Noah gently opened her fingers, her soft palm was covered in blood.
It was obvious what she had done.
To keep fear from making her body stiff and unresponsive, she had dug her nails into her own skin and used the pain to force her nerves to remain sharp.
Noah lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her room.
Physical injuries could be healed with formulas and recovery potions, but the mental exhaustion Esdeath had caused would require proper rest.
"You did well, Taeko. Get some sleep."
He laid her on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and brushed the loose hair away from her face.
Then he held her wounded hand and began chanting quietly.
"Now... distant song of the forest, ancient melody of life."
"Grant your healing mercy to the one who calls upon you.
"Noah Heal."
After the short chant, a soft green glow enveloped Taeko's palm.
It remained there for several seconds, and when the light faded, the wounds had disappeared as though they had never existed.
The warmth of the healing magic seemed to ease the tension in her heart. Before long, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
The spell belonged to Ryuu, the elf from the Astraea Familia.
It was not particularly advanced healing magic, but it was more than enough for minor external wounds.
...
After quietly closing Taeko's door, Noah returned to the living room and glanced toward the balcony out of habit.
A small bird was perched there.
He walked over and held out one finger. The bird studied it for a moment before hopping onto it happily.
Noah stroked the soft feathers on its chest, then removed the message tied to its leg.
"A report from Guy."
He unfolded the letter to see what Guy had written.
The boy began by complaining at length about why he had not been assigned any assassination work.
He had also included a list of members of the Imperial Guard who had been abusing their authority lately.
There were one hundred and sixteen names.
'Does that muscle-brain want to slaughter the entire Imperial Guard?'
With Guy's strength, it was not impossible.
Noah would not necessarily object to those people being removed either, but if Guy actually went through with it, he would become an enemy of the Empire.
"It seems he's finally begun judging this world by his own will."
Flames appeared from nowhere and wrapped around the letter, reducing it to ash in moments.
'Sorry, Guy. You'll have to keep thinking about this one yourself.'
...
One week later, Noah followed the address Esdeath had given him and arrived at the Imperial Palace.
"The Jaegers' meeting room is certainly tucked away in an inconvenient corner."
He stopped in front of the designated room.
"This should be it."
Noah could already sense two people inside, but he still knocked out of courtesy.
Neither of the occupants seemed willing to open the door.
He could clearly feel their presence. Were they really this unfriendly?
Just as he was about to enter on his own, one of them finally began moving. The man took two steps, stopped, took another three, then hesitated again.
Noah quickly ran out of patience and pushed the door open himself.
The indecisive man had apparently been standing just behind it.
Noah startled him so badly that he froze in place like a statue.
"Ah! I-I was just about to open it. Ha... hahaha."
He was a young man dressed in plain, unfashionable clothes, and he smelled strongly of fish.
He had probably come from a rural coastal town.
He did not seem particularly shy, so Noah could not understand why he had taken so long to answer the door.
Then he looked at the other person.
A large man sat at the table with his upper body completely bare.
Thick muscle covered his body, and a hood concealed his entire head. It resembled the masks worn by interrogators in the Imperial Capital's main prison.
Noah walked around the fisherman, pulled out a chair at the conference table, and sat down.
"I'm Noah, from the Science Division."
Realizing he had apparently made a poor first impression, the fisherman looked desperate to explain himself.
He really had intended to open the door!
The problem was that the strange masked man had frightened him so badly that he had been afraid to make any sudden movements.
The masked man himself had entered without knocking, which made him seem even more threatening.
Fortunately, the newcomer appeared normal.
He could not waste the opportunity to introduce himself.
"Um, I-I'm Wave, a soldier in the Imperial Navy!"
The young man hurried over and took the seat beside Noah, bringing the smell of fish with him.
"Sorry about earlier. I was a little nervous.... It's my first time in the Imperial Capital, and I don't really understand how people interact here..."
"Nice to meet you, Wave," Noah replied calmly.
"Um..."
The masked man suddenly spoke.
Wave jumped at the unfamiliar voice.
Despite the man's huge and intimidating appearance, his tone and posture were surprisingly timid.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you. My name is Bols, from the Incineration Squad. My work rarely gives me a chance to speak with people, so I'm not very good at this sort of thing..."
After talking for a while, Noah gained a general understanding of both men.
Wave served in the Imperial Navy, where he fought aquatic Danger Beasts and pirates.
After violating military discipline, he had been worked relentlessly and assigned the most difficult and dangerous missions.
Those experiences had made him exceptionally capable, but promotion had become little more than a distant dream.
Bols, meanwhile, had offended a superior after making a mistake during a mission.
The Incineration Squad's job was to completely burn designated people or objects until nothing remained but ash.
Both men were Teigu users and seemed decent enough, but neither was well suited to the Empire as it currently existed.
As a result, instead of being valued, they had been sidelined and left struggling to make ends meet.
Bang!
The door was suddenly thrown open.
"Excuse us!"
A bright young woman entered with a cheerful smile.
"I'm Seryu, and I serve under this gentleman!"
She abruptly pulled out a handful of flower petals and scattered them across the entrance.
Then she dropped to one knee as though welcoming an important dignitary.
"Everything is ready. Please come in, Dr. Stylish!"
"..."
Noah's eye twitched.
Had she really just said Dr. Stylish?
That man had been summoned too?
The sharp tapping of leather shoes against the floor confirmed the answer.
Dr. Stylish entered with the same refined yet unsettling appearance as always, one hand against his cheek and his other hand raised with delicate fingers.
"A man must always care about his first impression... Hm?"
Halfway through his entrance, he noticed Noah sitting quietly and keeping a low profile at the table.
His sudden silence confused everyone else.
Wave, in particular, wondered why another strange person had arrived.
Was this some kind of meeting exclusively for eccentrics?