Blayn and Ogre exchanged a few pleasantries, keeping the conversation friendly.
There wasn’t much to talk about, and after so formalities, their discussion ca to an end.
After leaving Ogre’s office, Seryu continued leading Blayn around to et the other mbers of the force.
As they turned a corner, voices drifted over from the other side, out of sight.
"Is that idiot Seryu still going on about ‘justice’ all the ti?"
"Yeah, she’s been like that since day one. She’s almost twenty now, isn’t she? And she’s still this naive."
"She really has no idea what the Imperial Capital Security Force actually does. Then again, she’s an out-of-town recruit, and you guys dump all the grunt work on her. She doesn’t even get to join us for the fun stuff."
"Hey, keep your voice down. You never know who might be listening..."
Hearing this, Seryu abruptly stopped in her tracks.
"Seryu..." Blayn’s voice carried a hint of concern.
"I-I’m fine," she said, lifting her head with a forced smile.
Blayn remained silent.
As a newcor with average strength, Seryu was an easy target for bullying. It was likely that even escorting him today was a task soone had dumped on her.
But he was also curious—what exactly did they an by "fun stuff"? Without hesitation, he stepped forward and asked, "What was that interesting thing you were talking about just now?"
"Who’s there?!"
The group of soldiers imdiately spun around.
They saw Seryu standing there, accompanied by an unfamiliar young man. However, sothing about him seed oddly familiar—like they had seen him sowhere before.
The one with spiky hair was the first to realize. He suddenly recalled a certain portrait, and this guy’s face, especially his distinct eyes, matched it.
And he was with Seryu.
Plus, no outsider could just waltz into the Security Force’s headquarters.
Which ant...
"Vice Captain Blayn!"
The man quickly straightened up and saluted.
The others, realizing what was happening, followed suit.
As for Blayn’s question, none of them dared to answer.
Blayn didn’t press them. He figured that, given so ti, he’d find out for himself what the Security Force was really up to.
Instead, he continued, "By the way, do you guys make a habit of picking on Seryu?"
Cold sweat imdiately ford on their foreheads.
"N-No! I’ve never done anything like that!"
So shook their heads frantically.
Others looked guilty, avoiding eye contact.
"It better stay that way," Blayn said casually.
He hadn’t actually done anything to them, but the ssage was clear. From now on, they’d think twice before ssing with Seryu—even badmouthing her in private would co with risks.
Seryu, realizing that Blayn was standing up for her, was visibly surprised.
For a mont, she simply stared at him, stunned.
Then, gratitude welled up in her heart.
Ever since she arrived in the Imperial Capital, this was the first ti soone had treated her with such kindness.
Afterward, she continued leading Blayn through the Security Force headquarters.
As they walked, she suddenly said, "Vice Captain Blayn, you’re such a kind and gentle person."
"I wouldn’t say that. I just thought they were going too far, so I reminded them," Blayn replied.
He didn’t see his actions as anything special—just what any decent person would do.
"No, my intuition is very sharp. Vice Captain Blayn is definitely a just and righteous person. I should learn from you," Seryu said, her tone filled with conviction.
Blayn noticed how stubborn she seed about this and decided to change the subject.
"By the way, how did you and the others recognize so quickly? You already have a portrait of ?"
He was genuinely curious. This was his first ti eting the Security Force mbers, and technology in this world wasn’t advanced enough for caras to exist.
Yet Seryu had recognized him instantly, and so had those soldiers.
"Yeah! General Esdeath gave us a portrait. I happen to have it right now," Seryu replied.
"She actually had one made? Let see."
Seryu nodded and pulled a rolled-up piece of parchnt from her uniform, handing it to him.
Blayn unrolled it and was imdiately stunned.
The artwork was... abstract.
To put it bluntly, it was only slightly better than a child’s doodle. The only truly recognizable features were his blood-red eyes and the rough depiction of Double Kamui.
The portrait was crude, but the facial features were sowhat similar. With his distinct Mangekyō Sharingan, it wasn’t hard to identify him from it.
"Who drew this?" Blayn asked, though he already had a strong suspicion.
"No idea. I just know that General Esdeath had it sent over," Seryu said.
"Got it."
Yeah, it had to be Esdeath’s "masterpiece."
He never would have expected soone as dominant and powerful as her to be... absolutely terrible at drawing.
Not that he planned on saying anything about it.
After settling into his role at the Security Force, Blayn went to see Ogre again.
He had unfinished business.
"Captain Ogre, are you aware of a noble family that lures in outsiders and kills them?" Blayn asked directly.
"Oh yeah, now that you ntion it, they haven’t paid their protection fee this month. About ti we sent soone to remind them," Ogre said nonchalantly.
Blayn’s brow furrowed. "Protection fee? You know they prey on innocent people, and you’re protecting them?"
"Of course. Who cares about so country bumpkins? As long as we’re getting paid, what’s the problem?"
Ogre grinned. "That noble pays us a hefty sum every month to indulge in their little hobbies. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet deal, don’t you think?"
Blayn was silent for a mont.
Then, standing up, he said in a cold voice, "Too bad. I’m dealing with them—soon."
Ogre froze, taking a second to process what he had just heard.
Then his eyes widened in shock.
"Wha— You’re joking, right?!"
"I don’t joke about things like this."
With that, Blayn turned and walked away.
Ogre sat there, his expression darkening.
This brat didn’t take the Ogre seriously at all.
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