“No, I don’t think so,” Blayn said.
“Oh?” Chelsea was visibly surprised. “Then what do you think?”
“I think you act this way because you care about them. But the way you express it is a bit... Do you really not mind being hated?” Blayn shared his thoughts.
Chelsea froze for a moment. “So that’s how you see it...”
Her reaction gave her away—Blayn had hit the mark.
She did believe that they were too attached to their fallen comrades. From an assassin’s perspective, that was far from a good thing.
With a soft sigh, Chelsea admitted, “Yeah, I want them to let go of those naive thoughts so they don’t end up like Oarburgh.”
“Do you want me to explain it to them?” Blayn asked.
“No need. If they hate me, so be it. That way, if I die one day, they won’t be sad about it.” Chelsea smiled.
But that smile carried a trace of sorrow.
“...Don’t say such foolish things. You all need to stay alive,” Blayn said firmly.
Chelsea gave a small smile. “That’s easier said than done.”
For an assassin, simply staying alive was a luxury.
She had long accepted the reality that, one day, she might fail a mission and be killed by an enemy.
“But I’m still happy you said that to me.” Chelsea’s smile brightened. “If I could, of course, I’d want to keep living... After all, there are still things I haven’t told you yet.”
...Ah.
Realizing what she had just blurted out, Chelsea snapped back to reality.
It had slipped out unconsciously.
But it was too late to take it back now. Besides, that thickheaded guy probably didn’t catch on anyway.
“Chelsea, you...”
Even though her words were vague, Blayn still sensed something.
His time with Esdeath had made him a little more perceptive about these things—though only slightly.
But before he could dwell on it, a quiet voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
“What are you two doing here?”
It was Kurome.
Somehow, she had appeared behind them without a sound.
In truth, Kurome had followed them from the very beginning, secretly listening to their conversation.
She had been curious about what Blayn and Chelsea were up to in private.
And when their conversation took a turn, the atmosphere growing more and more off, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“It’s nothing. I was just talking to her about that unpleasant matter from earlier,” Blayn explained calmly.
Chelsea felt a pang of disappointment. The mood had been just right—until Kurome interrupted.
…
Then, the group set off.
Blayn, Kurome, and Chelsea traveled together, riding a flying Danger Beast to the secluded residence of former Prime Minister Chouri.
Since Blayn had never been there before, he couldn't teleport directly using Kamui Space.
Curious about his ability, Chelsea asked, “Aren't you able to teleport? Why aren't you using it this time?”
“There’s a cooldown period. I can’t use it repeatedly in a short time,” Blayn casually explained, brushing off the question.
It was a reasonable excuse—after all, plenty of Teigus had usage restrictions.
“I see, that makes sense.” Chelsea accepted the explanation without doubt.
...
After some time, they arrived at Chouri’s secluded residence, located in a small village nestled in the mountains outside the Imperial Capital. The village had only about a dozen or so households.
Though Chouri’s home wasn’t exactly rundown, it was nowhere near the level of a noble’s residence in the capital.
This alone made it clear that Chouri was nothing like the current Prime Minister, Honest.
That said, he was still a former prime minister, so he wasn’t exactly poor.
His residence was well-guarded, with security in place.
After securing their Danger Beast mounts nearby, Blayn and the others approached the entrance of the estate.
“You’re adventurers from the village, right? We happen to be short on three guards for the escort. You’ll do.”
The gate guard didn’t stop them. Instead, he invited them inside.
From his words, it sounded like they were recruiting people to escort Chouri’s convoy.
Blayn simply nodded without saying a word.
Kurome and Chelsea followed behind him in silence.
Just like that, they smoothly blended into the escort team without any issues.
Listening to the idle chatter of the other guards, Blayn learned that while Chouri was once a prime minister, he had long since lost all power. Even the guards in this convoy had been hastily gathered from the village.
Though he had no authority left, he still had enough wealth to hire a group of escorts.
The true powerhouse in the convoy, however, was Chouri’s daughter, Spear, a skilled martial artist from the Imperial Fist Temple. In the Empire, she was considered quite formidable.
Blayn’s lingering doubts were answered—if they were struggling just to put together a group of escorts, it was no wonder he and his team had infiltrated so easily...
...
At that moment, Chouri appeared.
He was an elderly, bald man leaning on a cane. His graying beard and eyebrows made his advanced age apparent.
Dressed in a simple wool coat, he looked like any ordinary old man—far from the image of a former prime minister.
Beside him stood a young girl with a delicate face, a slender figure, and long golden hair.
She carried a spear with a noticeably larger and heavier spearhead than usual.
For someone so young to have trained at the Imperial Fist Temple, she was undoubtedly a prodigy.
“Everyone’s here? Then let’s move out. There could be bandits, raiders, or Danger Beasts along the way. I’ll be counting on all of you.”
Chouri addressed the armed guards around him.
Hiring them was a precaution against the many dangers lurking between here and the Imperial Capital. The journey would be anything but safe.
Amidst the heavily armored escorts, the more casually dressed Blayn, Kurome, and Chelsea stood out.
“Father, are those three part of the escort team as well?”
Spear immediately noticed them.
Bulky armor might be cumbersome, but it provided necessary protection for ordinary people. Those who carried only weapons without any armor were usually either extremely weak—or exceptionally strong.
Which made Spear pay extra attention to them...