Esdeath brought Tatsumi to Noah and asked him to help the boy wake up sooner.
Noah agreed, though he told her to wait outside.
That gave him some time alone with Tatsumi.
"Hey, kid. Wake up."
Noah took a soft feather he had found and brushed it beneath Tatsumi's nose.
After a few strokes, the boy's face tightened uncomfortably.
"Achoo!"
Tatsumi sneezed violently and sat upright all at once.
"Ah! That hurts!"
He cried out and opened his eyes wide.
After staring blankly for a moment, he muttered, "Where am I?"
The ceiling above him was frighteningly high. Tatsumi quickly looked around, and the moment he saw Noah, he recoiled.
"Waaah! Why are you here?"
He reached for his sword, only to discover that it was no longer hanging at his waist.
"Where's my weapon?"
Seeing that he was too panicked to listen, Noah increased the gravity around him and pressed him firmly against the bed.
Tatsumi could not even lift a finger.
"Calm down. This is one of the Jaegers' rooms. You can think of it as Esdeath's territory. Your identity has not been exposed."
Noah began chanting quietly, and Noah Heal soon removed the injuries covering Tatsumi's body.
"My wounds...?"
Tatsumi stared in amazement.
Was this another Teigu ability?
It was incredible!
Even Tatsumi understood what healing like this meant in battle.
If one side possessed such an ability, they would have an enormous advantage and could recover from injuries that would normally end a fight.
Once the treatment was complete, Noah snapped his fingers and released the gravitational restraint.
This time, Tatsumi did not act impulsively. He carefully moved his arms and legs, checking his body.
"My injuries really are gone..."
Remembering how wildly he had reacted upon waking, Tatsumi looked somewhat embarrassed.
He had completely lost his composure.
"Mr. Noah... thank you for helping me."
Noah explained what had happened after the match.
By the time he finished, Tatsumi looked as though his mind had almost stopped working.
"The strongest general in the Empire... likes me?"
This was far too ridiculous!
Had he known this would happen, he would not have punched Syura.
No.
Had he known, he would never have entered the tournament at all.
What was he supposed to do now?
His companions were probably worried sick.
What if they tried to rescue him?
This was the Imperial Palace. They could easily place themselves in terrible danger!
"Wait, Mr. Noah." Tatsumi's expression suddenly darkened. "You said Esdeath is right outside?"
Noah nodded.
Tatsumi went pale.
"Then she heard everything I just said, didn't she?"
He was finished.
Completely finished!
"It's fine. Our voices can't leave this room. You can think of it as another Teigu ability," Noah said quietly.
Another Teigu?
Again?
But had the healing ability not also come from a Teigu?
Did this man possess more than one?
Akame had clearly said that a person could normally use only a single Teigu.
Tatsumi became even more confused.
"You probably won't be able to leave for a while, but you aren't in danger," Noah continued as he stood. "For now, pretend you're a young man who came to the Imperial Capital to join the army. I'll tell Akame about your situation."
Tatsumi swallowed, trying to settle his nerves.
"Um... if you're willing to help me, why won't you join us? You know the Empire is wrong too, don't you?"
Noah had no interest in explaining his position to a boy he barely knew.
"The sound barrier has already been removed."
That single sentence made Tatsumi wish he could sew his mouth shut.
Noah opened the door and allowed Esdeath inside.
The moment she saw Tatsumi awake and fully healed, her expression immediately brightened.
Noah walked past her toward the door.
'Enjoy being Esdeath's new plaything, kid. Now she'll finally leave me alone.'
A faint smile touched his face.
What he failed to notice was that Esdeath's attention was not entirely fixed on the foolish boy she had just brought back.
Her gaze followed Noah's back for several seconds as he walked away.
Just before he stepped through the doorway, she called out without quite knowing why.
"Noah?"
"Hm?"
Noah turned back toward her.
"No, it's nothing. Thank you for your help." Esdeath frowned slightly, unsure why she had called out to him in the first place.
She sat down beside Tatsumi, who immediately shrank into the corner of the sofa and began trembling.
"You don't need to be so wary. How are your injuries?" Esdeath asked with genuine concern, reaching out to touch his face.
"They're already healed. Mr. Noah used some kind of healing ability on me." Tatsumi pointed toward Noah.
"Oh?" Esdeath narrowed her eyes. "You can heal other people too?"
Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to her, she stood up.
"In that case, come with me."
After taking a few steps, she turned back and grabbed Tatsumi as well.
"You're coming too."
"..."
...
The three of them entered a brightly lit room.
A feminine-looking young man lay unconscious on the bed and Noah recognized him immediately.
It was Nyau, the remaining member of the Three Beasts.
"Can you heal him?" Esdeath asked.
Noah used Appraisal on him.
[Nyau]
・Human
・Male
・Condition: Severely injured and paralyzed
The blow Noah had given him had clearly done serious damage. He still wondered how Nyau had managed to stand up and escape in that condition.
Then he remembered the enhancement drugs.
Since Liver and Daidara had both carried them, Nyau probably had some as well.
He must have forced his body to move with the drug and fled, only for the side effects to worsen his original injuries.
Now he could not even regain consciousness.
"I'll try."
Noah had not expected to end up treating someone he had crippled himself.
Noah Heal could not repair shattered bones, so he would need a recovery potion instead.
After receiving treatment, Nyau gradually began to wake.
The moment his awareness returned, he suddenly screamed.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Spare me!"
"Please spare me!"
"Don't eat me!"
"Don't eat me!"
Nyau sat up on his knees, clutching his head and begging some unseen presence for mercy without daring to look up.
Tatsumi stared at him, deeply unsettled.
'What happened to this guy?'
Nyau looked as though his courage had been completely broken.
Esdeath grabbed him by the collar and slapped him across the face.
"Pathetic. Are you awake now?"
"L-Lady Esdeath?"
The moment Nyau recognized her, he clung to her presence as though he had finally found something safe.
"Tell me everything that happened."
Under Esdeath's pressure, Nyau temporarily forgot his fear and described the failed assassination of Chouri, including how Liver and Daidara had been killed.
"A giant biological-type Teigu..."
Esdeath's first thought was the Empire's own biological Teigu, Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires.
However, she quickly rejected that possibility.
The giant Nyau described did not resemble a dog at all. Its entire body was black, and none of its features matched Hekatonkheires.
Besides, there was more than one biological-type Teigu in existence.
Hekatonkheires alone should not have been capable of overwhelming the Three Beasts so completely either.
"Hmph! Those two were simply too weak. Still, anyone who killed my subordinates may be connected to Night Raid."
Esdeath gave Nyau his next order.
"You'll be going to the Grand Canal. I've received reliable information that traitors who sold out the Empire will be meeting members of Night Raid there. Nyau, this is your chance to redeem yourself. Don't disappoint me again."
"Y-yes, Lady Esdeath."