(Raymus' POV)
"Dear Emiko,
So far, I have made significant progress in rebuilding the brotherhood here in the Empire. Deep underneath a tavern called the Eagle Nest, there is an abandoned rebel hideout from centuries ago. I plan to rebuild it and make it into the new headquarters for the Imperial branch. It's going to take some time to rebuild it into a functional hideout, so I'm going to spend some more time living with Night Raid for a while. Until the day I move, I'll be doing some investing in order to pay for expenses.
Sincerely, Raymus"
"Hoo-ah! Glad to be back in the Capital!" Leone expressed happily as she and I walked through the streets. "Thanks again for lowering my notoriety."
"Right, well, I hope you can do so yourself in the future." I said. "Do you know what to do?"
"Yeah, yeah. Tear off wanted posters, bribe public speakers, and kill political liars. It's not exactly a science." Leone said. "So what are we doing out here?"
"We're here to help the new hideout. And seeing that Tatsumi is off with Akame to investigate a serial killer, I'll need someone else as my partner. And as I'm sure you know, you volunteered."
"Well, how could I resist?" Leone asked. "So how are we going to fix up that underground base you found?"
"First, we'll need to send some coin to the Eagle Nest. We can use it to fund the rebuilding." I explained. "Now, I can't pay out of pocket, and as Najenda put it, the revolutionary army can't afford to help. So I'll have to resort to investing in renovated businesses."
"Well, look who's a good financier." Leone said.
"It's very simple really." I said. "As I'm sure you're aware, there are a lot of closed businesses around the city."
"Yeah, I kinda did. Too bad. My favorite tailor shop was among them."
"Well, they need a bit of coin to get their business started again." I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a heavy bag full of cash. "This should just be enough to rebuild one shop and invest in it. In exchange for my support, the shop will send money to me regularly. Today, it's just one shop. But over time, I can rebuild three more and the income value will grow over time."
"Sounds like you're aiming to be the richest man in the Empire." Leone gave an impressed smile.
"Well, either way, soon enough, we'll have enough money to bring the hideout back to full capacity. Now, we'll just need to find the most essential business I can afford."
I looked around, and to be honest, there were more closed shops than I had expected. Bookshops. Blacksmiths. Art galleries. Even underground entrances which could be convenient in the future. They were all boarded up and lifeless.
I continued searching until one boarded up shop closed my eye. There was an old sign sticking out that read "Doctor". At the front was a sad man with dark skin, a balding head, and a full beard. The sight of that made me make up my mind.
"That'll do." I said.
"What? The doctor office?" Leone asked.
"You never know when we might need medicine or poison." I explained.
"Poison? From a doctor?"
"It's only lethal in large doses." I walked over to the man in front of the shop and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Hello, sir. Is this your place?"
"It was." The man said. "I was its doctor, but I fell behind on my payments."
"Well, thankfully for you, we're here to help." I said. I pulled out my bag of coins to show the doctor. "I would like to help renovate this shop and invest in your work?"
The doctor looked at me with a surprised look. "Are you serious?"
"He's dead serious, man." Leone said.
At first, the doctor cracked a small smile, but that smile faded and returned to its original frown. "Look, you seem like nice people and I appreciate you trying to help, but I'm afraid that's impossible."
I lowered the coin pouch and looked confusingly at the doctor. "What? Why?"
"It's them." The doctor pointed to the distance. The place itself couldn't be seen, but there was a tall tower that reached higher than most of the buildings. "The military. They decide what happens to closed down shops."
"I don't understand." Leone said.
"Right. I'll explain." The doctor cleared his throat. "You see, with the military getting more and more power, they've established a base in every district in the Capital. The captains in these bases control the businesses around these parts. Should a shop ever go out of business, it's meant to stay closed until the captains decide to remake it, which is never. You can give me all the gold in the world, but if I reopen my medical shop, I'm going to get arrested."
I scowled and put my pouch away. "I understand. Thanks for the clearing up."
As I walked away from the medical shop, Leone followed me. "Well, this explains a lot. Shops close down, and the military is too lazy to do anything about it. What do we do now?"
"It's easy." I said. "We just need to make sure those bases are out of the picture."
Leone looked surprised at me. "Come again?"
"It's simple." I said. "The doctor said that the captains control all the businesses. If they are ever removed, the shops are free to reopen."
Leone cracked out a slight chuckle. "I like the way you think. And since the captains aren't doing anything to help the people, they can be called guilty, so we have grounds to kill them. So you wanna go kill that captain with me now?"
"Actually, I think it'll be easier if only one of us goes." I said.
"Aw, really?" Leone asked with a frown.
"It's a military base full of guards. Stealth is crucial in taking one of them out, and one prowler is more silent than one."
Leone pouted until her face lit up. She changed into a devilish grin and returned back to me. "All right, Raymus. I'll go and kill that captain for you. But in return, you'll have to do something for me."
I was skeptical when she said it. "Okay. What is it?"
Leone chuckled. "I'll keep it to myself for now. Let's just call it… a favor."
"Um… all right." I said with uncertainty in my tone. Still, I knew that Leone wouldn't harm me, so it couldn't be that bad. "You know what to do. And when you're done, light the tower on fire so everyone will know the base is out of commission. I'll meet you back here when you're done."
"Got it." Leone winked before running to the direction of the garrison tower.
I figured it would be some time before Leone could finish the job, so I decided to pass the time by exploring around the district. I walked for five minutes looking at the streets. Mostly, it seems normal, but I could feel the dread and despair coming from everywhere.
As I passed an open alleyway, I stopped when I heard a grunting sound. I followed the alley to a dark, square area. When I looked left, I saw three men in military armor. They stood above a beaten man with bruises all over his face. One of the guards threw a foot that dug straight into the defenseless man's stomach.
"Maybe this will teach you to go after a lady that's already mine." One of the guards hissed.
"She's… not yours…" the victim said weakly. "She… made her choice…" The guard stomped his hand making him yell.
"No! She's mine! I'll have her smooth, creamy body even if I have to…"
I stopped the guard by grabbing the back of his head and forcing it right to the wall. His face was all busted up upon impact exploding with blood. His other guards raised their lances at me, but they meant nothing to me. One of them tried to lunge his spear at me, but I deflected it with my metal arm and countered with a left cross. The other guard attempted to stab me too, but I grabbed his spear to stop it and kicked him to the wall. The impact knocked him out. I then turned to the third guard and swung the end of the spear to his head taking him unconscious.
With all three guards down, I checked on the man and helped him up. He staggered up to his feet, but he managed to find his balance. He looked at me with thankful eyes.
"Thank you, my good man! Thank you!"
"No thanks needed." I said. "I was just doing what anyone else would do."
"No one else would." The man said. "This is the third time Harmel attacked me over Momoka, and nobody lifted a finger. I told him she barely knew he existed, but he didn't care. He just wanted her body."
"Sounds like you and Momoka need to leave." I advised.
"We can't. We don't have the means to leave the capital." The man said. "If only I could take care of those men like you did."
That's when it hit me. This man had as much distrust for the Empire as anyone would. If he did, I expect any citizen would. He just needed the opportunity, and I was willing to give it to him.
"What if you could?" I asked getting the man's attention. "What is your name?"
"Uh… Erik."
"Tell me, Erik," I whispered, "What if I could help you get the power to protect yourself and Momoka? Make it so that the Empire never hurts you again?"
Erik looked at me slightly interested before whispering back. "Are you with the revolutionary army?"
"No, but I am an ally of theirs. I am in the process of building something that will be a great help to clean the empire of all its corruption, all the way to the top. Mind you, killing will be involved, but no innocent blood will be spilled. With that in mind, do you think you can commit?"
At first, Erik looked uneasy. The idea of killing seemed to be a new, scary concept to him. But after he relaxed himself, he looked back at me with assurance. "Yes."
"Good. Then go home to your wife and lay low. When the time comes, I'll send word to you and other potential recruits with instructions on where to go. We will begin your training then and there. The liberation has begun."
Erik shook my hand proudly and headed off. I was left alone in the alleyway with nothing but the unconscious guards to keep me company. I basked in the idea that I found a new recruit for the Assassins.
Just then, something triggered in my head. Something startled me making me more aware of my surroundings. I looked left, right, front, and behind me, but I didn't see anything wrong. That's when it dawned on me. The strange feeling could be found above.
I looked up and saw that I was right. Up on the rooftops, a thin figure shined in the sunlight. I couldn't see their face until they came down. This person dropped down from high above and landed perfectly in front of me. I got a good look at her and already knew this girl was trouble.
This was a young girl who was probably in her teens, but despite her youthful appearance, she wore professional military armor, so I already realized that she was a soldier. She wore her auburn hair into a really long ponytail. Attached to her was a leash that restrained what appeared to be a weird-looking dog standing on its hind legs.
The girl looked at me with her amber eyes. "It looks like my justice sensor was on point. Don't think I didn't see what you just did."
I shook a little. Just by looking at her, I could feel how dangerous and strong she was. "And… what did you see?"
"You… performed justice admirably!"
I dropped my guard in confusion. "What?"
"These wolves in sheep's clothing, of course." The girl said with a smile. She pointed at the guards I took out. "My justice sensor lead me here and I saw these crooks beating on that helpless citizen. I was about to intervene when you stepped up. Truly, you are an ally of justice just like me!"
"Uh… Thanks, I guess." I said. I didn't know where this was going, but I was willing to roll with it.
The girl then stood up straight and saluted with pride. "My name is Seryu Ubiquitous of the Capital Garrison!" She then picked up the little weird dog in her arms. "And this is my Teigu, Hekatonkheires! But I just call him Koro. Don't worry. He's harmless to the innocent."
"That's a Teigu?" I asked.
"Yep. Teigus come in all shapes and sizes. In some cases, they can even be alive just like Koro." Seryu said. "But silly me. I didn't even ask for your name."
"Oh. My name's Raymus."
"Well, Raymus, it's good to meet another ally of justice! Not only did you take out those bad guys, but you also consoled that citizen. I don't know exactly what you said, but it's clear you made him feel better."
"Thanks." I said to Seryu. I then looked back at the guards who stirred in their unconscious state. "What's going to happen to them?"
Seryu looked back. "Well, these guys abused their power on the innocent. I will handle them accordingly. You can just go on and live to bring justice another…"
BOOM!
The echoing sound of an explosion interrupted us. Loud gasps were heard in the street and I followed. Seryu went with me dragging her dog with her.
When I exited the street, I looked into the direction of the explosion. Much to my relief, it was the military tower. Seeing it ablaze meant that Leone had done her work. Though, when I turned to Seryu, it looked like she didn't share my sentiment.
"My justice sensor is ringing like crazy!" she said grasping at both sides of her head. "Clearly, this must be the work of en evildoer! Raymus, you continue with your day! Will handle this?" Without another word, Seryu rushed to the direction of the burning tower. I was sure that by the time she gets there, Leone would be long gone, so I knew where to go.
I made it back in front of the doctor shop the same time as Leone did. "Is it done?"
"Who do you think you're asking?" Leone asked brushing her hands together. "Took care of that chump like he was nothing."
"Good." I said. I decided to tell her about the guards, the new recruit, and Seryu later. For now, I had work to do.
I turned back to the doctor who still stared at the smoking tower in disbelief. He turned to me as soon as I approached.
"Crazy thing to see, yeah?" I asked.
"I suppose." The doctor said giving me a knowing look. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that."
I shrugged feigning ignorance. "Who can say?"
"Well, here's what I say." The doctor said before cracking a smile. "If you're still looking to invest, we can start talking business right now."
"Once we were done, I told him to send any income he could raise over to the Eagle Nest. It may not be a lot now, but with some more pay from future jobs, we can purchase more reopenings, and we can add more income to fund the reconstruction of the Assassins."
Najenda looked stoic after I gave her my report. "I see. Well, you can reopen any business in the district you just freed, but if you wish to reopen any more in other districts…"
"I understand. I have to destroy the military bases controlling that area first." I said. "I'll take care of that. And not only that, but I gained a new recruit for the Order."
"A random civilian you saved." Najenda said. "You sure that's a good idea? He is a bystander."
"Erik is merely the first to demonstrate that there is some resistance within the citizenship of the Empire." I explained. "Many great assassins came from much lower than him. Hell, I don't even know where I came from."
"I see your point." Najenda said. "Which reminds me, I've reached out to the Revolutionary Army, and they've agreed to send someone to join your Order. And you're in luck, because she wields a Teigu. She should be here any day now."
"Thank you, ma'am." I said.
"Well, if there's no other business, you're free to rest your rugged head."
With nothing more than a nod, I took my leave and headed to the direction of my room. Only, I didn't make it there. Right when I was halfway there, a door I passed by opened up and a hand grabbed my shirt pulling me into the room.
The bedroom was mostly dark with nothing but the moonlight shining through the windows lighting it up. Once I recomposed myself, I turned to see who it was that dragged me in there. I recognized the busty, golden-haired figure to be no one other than Leone. But what really caught my eye was the fact that she wore nothing but black underwear on. I admit that it had me blushing.
"Leone, what are you doing?" I asked out of shock.
"Remember that favor you owed me from earlier?" she asked as she slowly stepped closer to me. "Well, I'm cashing it in." She stopped when her breasts were pressed against my chest making me blush. She giggled at my expression.
"Um… Are you sure? I mean, I'm not opposed, but…"
"Then this is it." Leone said. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me in closer. "You've got that killer instinct, you have quite a commanding presence, and you're not that bad looking. Can't we try this out for just one night?" She blinked her eyes continuously drawing me in.
"Oh, what the hell?" I answered before taking Leone's lips onto my own. We moved on over to the bed, and I admit, it was a very memorable night.
