As a result of this case, Ogre, the current captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force, found himself in deep trouble.
Aria's family had exposed him in court, implicating him in sheltering them from justice.
"That brat acted so fast! And that damn kid Seryu was with him too!"
Since some officials in the court were also colluding with Ogre, he quickly learned the details of the situation and knew that Blayn and Seryu were responsible.
His expression was dark and grim. While he had a way to suppress this problem, it would be troublesome to execute.
At the very least, he could buy himself some time.
And within that time, he had to make both of them disappear.
Otherwise, he would never have peace of mind. Leaving them alive would only lead to future consequences.
In fact, Ogre had already devised a plan—now, he just needed to put it into action.
That damn brat Seryu was eager to get stronger, wasn't she? Then he would lure her into participating in the Teigu experiment. So far, every single test subject had died—without exception—after being devoured by the Teigu's power.
Getting rid of Seryu would be the easiest.
As for Blayn, he was a trickier problem. After all, he had ties to General Esdeath. One wrong move, and he could end up in an irreversible situation.
But no matter what, Blayn had to die.
At that moment, Blayn and Seryu had already left the courtroom and were on their way back to the Imperial Capital Security Force headquarters.
"Seryu, when you killed those people earlier, did you feel even a little uncomfortable?"
Blayn suddenly asked.
"Not at all! Eliminating those evil scum was refreshing!"
Seryu's expression lit up with a twisted excitement, her cheeks flushing slightly as if relishing the memory of the slaughter.
Blayn fell silent.
Seryu really has a problem.
Her obsession with "justice" and "evil" had reached near-delusional levels.
Much like Esdeath's extreme "survival of the fittest" ideology, Seryu possessed an equally distorted sense of justice.
To her, no matter the severity of a person's crimes, all wrongdoers deserved the same punishment—death. She carried out executions with ruthless efficiency, believing that any trace of evil warranted immediate extermination.
This kind of decisiveness wasn't inherently right or wrong, but it certainly couldn't be called "justice."
To Blayn, killing—regardless of the justification—had nothing to do with justice.
He had no qualms about eliminating his enemies, but he would never claim righteousness as his motive.
Seryu's most dangerous trait was that her definition of "evil" was entirely subjective. If she ever lost her ability to discern right from wrong, she would spiral into an even darker, more twisted path.
In truth, absolute "justice" and "evil" rarely existed in this world. That made Seryu's mindset all the more dangerous.
Blayn figured he should try to guide her in the right direction if he ever got the chance—before she went too far.
For now, though, lecturing her would be pointless. Someone as extreme as Seryu wouldn't be swayed by logic alone.
"By the way, Vice Captain Blayn, back in the courtroom... your conversation with that girl..."
Seryu hesitated slightly, then frowned. "A person as vile as her—what's cute about that?"
She hadn't spoken too bluntly, but just thinking about Aria's face filled her with disgust.
"One thing has nothing to do with the other. Her appearance is indeed cute, but inside, she's twisted and rotten to the core," Blayn replied calmly. "What I said back there was simply in the hope that she'd recognize her own sins while rotting in a dungeon."
If possible, he wanted Aria to at least understand what she had done wrong.
Unlike her parents, who had gone to their executions without the slightest remorse—still believing those they killed were nothing more than "livestock"—Aria had been sentenced to life in prison. She still had a chance at redemption.
"Then... am I not as cute as her...?"
Seryu suddenly muttered in a barely audible voice.
She seemed a bit embarrassed, her face tinged with a faint blush.
Blayn blinked in surprise before chuckling. "Seryu is, of course, very cute. But when you're butchering people and leaving behind a mess of severed limbs... not so much."
"That can't be helped! Those people were tainted with evil!"
Seryu pouted, looking somewhat wronged.
Blayn didn't press the conversation further. Changing her mindset wouldn't happen overnight.
Blayn and Seryu didn't always operate together.
As a vice captain, Blayn had a relatively easy workload. Seryu, on the other hand, was frequently assigned patrol duties.
Ogre took advantage of this and sent someone to lure her in.
As for Blayn, he just had to wait for the right moment when he left headquarters.
"You must be Seryu of the Imperial Capital Security Force, correct?"
A well-dressed man approached Seryu as she patrolled the streets.
"Yes, I am Seryu of the Imperial Capital Security Force. May I ask what this is about? Do you need assistance with something?"
She greeted him with a friendly smile.
"I'm a staff member of an experimental facility directly under the royal family. We've selected you to participate in a Teigu experiment, so I've come to find you."
The man explained his purpose.
"Teigu experiment?"
Seryu's eyes instantly lit up with interest. "You mean those legendary, incredibly powerful Teigu?"
"That's right. This one is called 'Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires.' It hasn't found a suitable wielder yet, but we believe you have a high chance of compatibility."
The man smiled—though there was something off about it. Not that Seryu noticed.
"Really?!"
She was ecstatic.
She had always wanted greater power to enforce justice, and Teigu were known as the strongest weapons in existence.
There was no way she'd let this opportunity slip away.
"I'll do it!"
"Excellent. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Seryu. If you're ready, please come with me now."
Without hesitation, Seryu followed him.
Elsewhere, Blayn finally had a reason to leave headquarters.
He had received a tip-off from a civilian and was on his way to investigate.
But halfway there, he suddenly sensed something.
Someone was tailing him.
No—several people.
Whoever they were, they were skilled. Their movements were subtle, their presence well-hidden. This wasn't something an ordinary person could pull off.
Assassins?
Blayn deliberately changed course, heading toward an isolated alley with little foot traffic.
Then, he abruptly stopped and spoke in a calm, indifferent tone:
"Come out, you sneaky rats."
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on Patreon.
(40 Chapters Ahead)