Chapter 25: Chapter 25: The Revolutionary Army
"Become my disciple?"
Blayn was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Seryu to make such a request.
"Is that... not allowed...?" Seryu asked softly.
"It's not that I can't, but I honestly don't have much to teach you. If you don't mind that, then I have no objections," Blayn replied frankly.
His strength came from the Double Kamui and the system's enhancements, so he felt he had nothing to teach Seryu. What was he supposed to do—teach her how to allocate skill points?
But Seryu didn't care in the slightest. She immediately declared, "Then from now on, I'll call you Master!"
"Hmm..." Blayn nodded slightly. At that moment, his attention turned to the small dog beside Seryu, which let out a satisfied burp. Ogre had likely ended up as this creature's meal.
"Seryu, this is...?" Blayn asked.
"Oh, right! I should introduce you, Master. This is Koro, my new partner—I just met him today," Seryu said, picking up Koro.
"He's cute, but he looks a bit different from an ordinary dog."
Blayn had an instinctive feeling that Koro was no ordinary creature.
"That's because he's a Teigu! Apparently, he's called Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires, but that name's too much of a mouthful, so I just call him Koro," Seryu explained.
"A Teigu, huh?" Blayn was a bit surprised.
This was his first time encountering a biological Teigu.
So far, he had seen weapon-type Teigu, blood-type Teigu, and now, a biological Teigu. There were likely even more varieties.
Speaking of which, he had nearly forgotten—he should make time to study ancient records on Teigu and their abilities. That way, if he ever faced an enemy Teigu user, he wouldn't be caught off guard by their special abilities.
"Chirp~!" Koro let out a cheerful noise.
"Looks like Koro can sense Master's righteous heart—he really likes you!" Seryu said happily.
"..."
Blayn had a different theory—Koro was probably just influenced by Seryu's enthusiasm rather than sensing any so-called "righteous heart" in him.
With the death of Ogre, the former captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force, Blayn was appointed as his successor.
As for Seryu and Koro, who had killed Ogre, neither faced any punishment.
Seryu was an important Teigu user, and Ogre himself had been a highly controversial figure. After his death, not a single person spoke up for him.
The citizens, on the other hand, cheered—after all, they had suffered under Ogre for far too long. He had committed countless atrocities against the common people.
Blayn and Seryu continued their duties in the Imperial Capital Security Force.
Blayn's daily routine consisted of handling various affairs, sparring with Seryu, and studying books on Teigu in the library.
In a spacious training ground, Blayn and Seryu were once again engaged in a sparring session—hand-to-hand combat.
Seryu relied on these sessions to improve her martial arts skills.
She was growing stronger, but she still couldn't surpass Blayn. His Mangekyō Sharingan was simply too broken. Even without using techniques like Intangibility, the heightened perception granted by his Mangekyō already gave him an overwhelming advantage.
After today's training session, Seryu sat on the ground, gulping down water. "Thanks for your help again today, Master! I'll work even harder!"
"Don't push yourself too hard. Moderation is important," Blayn advised.
"I know, but I still want to grow stronger as soon as possible—otherwise, I won't be able to eliminate evil," Seryu said firmly.
"Here we go again... Didn't we already talk about this?" Blayn sighed. "Anyway, what's the next 'evil' you plan to eliminate?"
"I took what you said to heart, Master. I've been thinking about it these past few days. Different crimes deserve different punishments, but I still don't fully understand where the lines should be drawn. That's why I'll need to ask for your guidance from time to time."
Ever since Blayn had spoken to her about justice and morality, Seryu had been contemplating it daily. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized—her master was right.
"Good. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime," Blayn nodded.
It seemed that his words hadn't gone to waste—Seryu had genuinely listened.
"As for the evil I want to eradicate, of course, it's the Revolutionary Army rebels and the foreign tribes. Especially the assassination group Night Raid, which has suddenly become active in the capital—I think they're the greatest evil," Seryu said with conviction.
"The Revolutionary Army... It's not so easy to label them as purely good or evil. You should give that some serious thought," Blayn said thoughtfully.
Anyone familiar with history knew that the rise and fall of feudal dynasties followed an almost inevitable cycle.
The fact that Teigu had existed for over a thousand years meant that the Empire itself had also endured for that long—a remarkable feat.
Given the current state of affairs, the Empire was already deep in a classic period of corruption and decay. The emergence of a revolutionary force was only natural—there was no simple "justice" or "evil" to assign here.
One regime would fall, another would rise, and history would repeat itself...
Seryu frowned. "But the Revolutionary Army—"
Blayn interrupted, shaking his head. "Actually, from what I've seen, most of the Revolutionary Army's members are impoverished civilians who have suffered under the Empire. And the official who was assassinated by Night Raid two days ago? He appeared to be a just and upright man, but in reality, he had dealings with Ogre—he was a corrupt official."
Blayn continued, "Of course, we can't take things at face value. Whether it's your perspective or mine, let's hold off on making final judgments for now. We'll see things with our own eyes first, then decide."
Seryu nodded obediently. "Understood. I really should consult with you more often, Master—I still have so much to learn."
"As for the foreign tribes, that depends on the situation," Blayn said. "In most cases, they're invaders—pillaging, slaughtering, and seizing land. That's hardly justifiable. No matter how much turmoil exists within the Empire, foreign forces have no right to interfere."
He recalled that Esdeath's entire tribe had been massacred by the invading Northern Tribes—there was no need to debate whether they were justified or not.
From his perspective, it wasn't a matter of justice or evil. If one's homeland was invaded, retaliation was a given—no matter the distance, enemies had to be eliminated.
"I see… I heard that General Esdeath recently led a campaign against the foreign tribes. And after that, General Najenda defected—taking a group of rebels and joining the Revolutionary Army. But General Esdeath hunted down all of the rebels… Only Najenda managed to escape with the help of the Revolutionary Army," Seryu recalled.
Blayn mused, "I'm guessing she saw something during the campaign against the foreign tribes."
After all, Esdeath was ruthless—she showed no mercy to her enemies.
Najenda had likely witnessed something during the war that she simply couldn't accept.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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