"We protect the people with an unzipped fly."
"Don't make me beat you up, Lubbock!!"
Tatsumi angrily shook Lubbock back and forth. But Leone still had no intention of letting him go.
"You forgot to zip your fly for the sake of the people, didn't you?"
"Sis!!! You too??!!"
"Tatsumi, don't be shy. I actually support showing it off. Very... much... support..."
"Big Bro!!!"
Najenda smiled at the scene and turned to Chelsea, who was standing beside her.
"That's just how they are. I'm sorry if it causes you any trouble, Chelsea."
"It's fine, but I'm still worried. Tatsumi's kindness—I'm afraid it might cost him his life one day."
The incident of Tatsumi's unzipped fly came to an end. Everyone straightened themselves up, and Tatsumi became more serious. The upcoming news was surely related to Brother Asahi.
"As you all know, although Asahi did not join Night Raid and does not belong to any faction, he is an important ally to us. Recently, he was discovered sneaking near the central palace area."
Akame placed a hand on his shoulder. Tatsumi nodded; he hadn't lost his composure yet.
"According to reports from our spy inside the palace, Asahi was indeed attacked and wounded, but... he vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Not the kind of vanishing you're thinking of. It was as if he disappeared into thin air. They only saw Asahi fall into a purple ring of light and vanish."
"Furthermore, the Jaegers increased their search efforts in the following days, even raiding his coffee shop. This news is highly likely to be true."
...
In a place far to the east of the capital.
Sitting in a carriage, Asahi hadn't expected to be sent so far. However, as he tried to recall the details of when he fell into that ring of light, he realized that being brought here was partly due to him.
That ring of light was likely a trap intentionally laid out by someone waiting for him to enter, but it had been disrupted, throwing Asahi out into the middle of a desolate wilderness.
The climate in the east was the complete opposite of the north. It was hot and dry, with a terrain mostly comprised of rocky mountains and deserts. The clothing styles were also different from the northern regions he had traveled through. More than half the people here had tanned skin due to the sun, wearing cloth wraps that covered their entire bodies, leaving only their eyes or face exposed to avoid sunburn and dehydration.
Most notably, the Empire's influence here was very weak, yet the Empire had no reason to wage war. This was because a vast majority of the population followed a religious organization called "The Path of Peace."
The name itself expressed the religious group's style: a firm belief in doing good deeds to receive rewards. Because of this, the capital could only remain cautious and could not intervene.
It sounded like a good organization, but Asahi was a bit sensitive to the word "cult," so he wasn't sure about anything.
Incidentally, the carriage he was in also belonged to The Path of Peace. These followers believed that the more good deeds they did, the greater the reward, so they hadn't hesitated to give him a ride.
After traveling for several hours, Asahi and the followers arrived at a large city. The houses here were built of earth over frames, absorbing heat well in this climate. The area around the city was covered by many intricate rock formations.
The city was very lively, with crowds of people rushing back and forth and stalls as dense as mushrooms after rain. After bidding farewell to the Path of Peace followers, Asahi intended to stop at a stand to buy some food. Three days without proper food or water made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, as he was about to reach into his pocket to pay, Asahi realized that when he was teleported here, he hadn't brought anything with him.
"Damn, I've gotten too used to spending money. This is bad."
He smiled awkwardly and put the food back on the shelf. The vendor wasn't annoyed but asked in a friendly manner.
"You look like a traveler from afar, don't you? And you have nothing on you?"
"That's right. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but my luggage was all lost. I have nothing of value on me."
"That's a shame. In that case, you can go to the headquarters of The Path of Peace. They help people in difficult circumstances a lot."
"I see, thanks."
"Don't mention it."
He sighed. Fortunately, the people here were quite hospitable. Although he didn't want to, Asahi was forced to "freeload" off this religious organization for a while. He planned to earn some money to rent a carriage and return to the capital.
Under the guidance of some locals, Asahi was led to the headquarters of The Path of Peace. This religious group did indeed offer help to those in dire straits; many of those helped were so grateful they joined the cult immediately.
Besides receiving help, they also served free meals, and it was almost mealtime.
Asahi felt a bit out of place eating among the throngs of followers, but what could he do? He was hungry. He just ate, ignoring the weird feeling.
Today's meal was presided over by the advisor to the head of The Path of Peace, Borick.
"Dear followers, let us pray and hope that happiness will come to us. Always remember to do good deeds. The more good deeds, the higher the reward!"
Borick was a middle-aged man with tanned skin and a full beard. He had a kind face as he looked at everyone, but for some reason, Asahi didn't like this guy much because his expression seemed... fake.
The meal began, but as Asahi took his first spoonful, he noticed a very slight bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. He frowned. Could it be grit in the food?
Looking around, no one else showed any signs of a problem. Asahi suddenly remembered that his sense of taste—or rather, all five of his senses—had been comprehensively enhanced along with his body. His perceptions were many times sharper than a normal person's. It was understandable that he noticed while those around him didn't.
Asahi hesitated to continue eating, suddenly feeling something stirring in his body. His nervous system began to muddle, his vision blurred slightly, and hallucinations appeared. He was horrified—this was exactly the same symptom as the girls in the capital's red-light district when they were high on drugs.
Could it be...
Asahi glanced toward Borick in the distance, who was still smiling gently. His eyes were sharp to the extreme. He didn't expect an organization with such a good appearance and reputation to mix drugs into the food.
"I can't stay. I have to deal with the drugs in my system first."
Asahi left quietly. Because there were so many people, his departure didn't attract any attention.
He ducked into an empty alley, took out his multi-purpose rescue box, and began the process of filtering the drugs from his body.