Before Najenda could further think about the deeper meaning behind Uesugi Ryu's words.
A gust of wind blew past, followed by the sound of somewhat heavy footsteps.
A black-furred gorilla-type Special-Class Danger Beast, Apeman, walked over in this direction.
Kurome was sitting on one side of Apeman's shoulder.
On the other side was Sheele, tied up like a purple caterpillar. She was currently unconscious.
Facing the group's combined assault, Sheele alone naturally had no ability to resist.
Suzuka and the others followed behind as well.
Kurome looked at Najenda beside Uesugi Ryu and lightly curled her lips.
"Mr. Uesugi."
Uesugi Ryu slightly nodded and raised his eyes to glance at Sheele on Apeman's shoulder.
Sheele's glasses had long since disappeared somewhere, and her qipao was stained with quite a bit of blood.
At the moment, bound tightly by ropes, the purple qipao clung closely to her body.
A strange look flashed through Uesugi Ryu's eyes.
He wondered which genius had tied her up like this.
At a single glance, Uesugi Ryu could not help but think of a certain island nation's style of bondage.
There was no need to ask who tied the ropes anymore.
Kurome belonged to the assassination unit, and assassins did not leave survivors, so naturally they knew nothing about rope techniques.
Ran was a gentleman, so he would not have such a bizarre hobby either.
Suzuka secretly sized up Uesugi Ryu. After noticing his gaze.
She grinned and nudged Mez beside her with her elbow.
But Mez had no mind to pay attention to her. The boy who had wounded her earlier was not here.
Looking at Sheele's appearance, Najenda subconsciously frowned.
Seeing her companion humiliated before her eyes made her feel somewhat angry.
The earlier disturbance had been extremely loud and could be said to have awakened most of Jellalck.
As the managers of this place, the Path of Peace naturally responded very quickly.
"Lord Leader!"
"Lord Leader has arrived, we're saved!!!"
Cheers like tidal waves rang out.
The man surrounded at the center had a gentle appearance.
There was a golden cross-shaped mark on his forehead that made him look very reassuring.
After briefly calming the civilians, the man directed his gaze toward where Uesugi Ryu and the others were.
Uesugi Ryu was also curiously observing this Danger Beast hybrid.
The Path of Peace's leader possessed the ability of prophecy, and that ability came from the Danger Beast bloodline within him.
Danger Beasts with prophetic abilities were extremely rare, and Uesugi Ryu was rather interested in him.
Someday, he could find that unknown "father or mother" of his and kill it.
Maybe he would gain some unexpected rewards.
Feeling somewhat curious, Uesugi Ryu openly activated Observer without any concealment.
Their gazes collided in midair.
Those brilliant golden eyes reflected into the Path of Peace leader's vision.
An intense feeling of discomfort and being watched surfaced within him.
Yet the handsome young man still showed no change in expression.
He still carried a warm smile on his face as he walked straight over.
"You saved so many civilians. Thank you very much. May I know your name?"
Uesugi Ryu knew perfectly well that this entire mess had been caused by him.
But this also suited his purposes perfectly, so he immediately replied in a righteous tone.
"Lord Leader is too polite. This is simply our duty."
The two of them began exchanging pleasantries here, and Kurome impatiently curled her lips.
The remaining two Night Raid members still had not been captured.
She did not know why Uesugi Ryu looked completely unconcerned.
Najenda lowered her eyes, feeling somewhat uneasy inside.
The uprising of the Path of Peace was an important part of the plan.
Bolic had been the stumbling block obstructing this plan, and now he had already been killed.
It was only a matter of time before the Path of Peace rebelled. Although the losses were somewhat severe, the final objective had basically still been achieved.
The reason Najenda chose Leone and the others to carry out this mission.
Was because she had already considered the worst possible outcome.
Bulat and Akame were still alive. They were Night Raid's final two trump cards.
As long as those two remained, the Revolutionary Army would not fall into a completely disadvantaged state regarding top-tier combat strength.
Uesugi Ryu acted strangely, as though he possessed the ability to foresee the future.
At this moment, Najenda was somewhat afraid that he might see through the Revolutionary Army's objective in coming here.
Whether several people were captured or not was inconsequential.
But if the plan were exposed, then this mission would truly be a failure.
Uesugi Ryu glanced at Najenda from the corner of his eye, then signaled to Kurome and the others.
Kurome immediately understood and promptly restrained Najenda as well.
Uesugi Ryu casually pointed at Najenda and Sheele.
"The assassin rebels are running rampant. Lord Leader should also be careful."
The leader nodded and lightly sighed while holding one hand upright before himself.
"I understand."
"You all have worked hard. I still need to calm the civilians, so I shall take my leave first."
"After handling the aftermath, the Great Cathedral of the Path of Peace welcomes all of you."
After saying that, he prepared to leave.
Uesugi Ryu neither agreed nor disagreed and casually said.
"Being able to visit the Great Cathedral would also be my honor."
"The Path of Peace protects this region, allowing the people to live peacefully and work happily."
"His Majesty has praised it greatly and has repeatedly wished to meet Lord Leader."
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at each other.
Although they were somewhat surprised by Uesugi Ryu's words, they all assumed it was Minister Honest's orders.
The little emperor was merely a puppet. At this point, His Majesty equaled Honest.
The Path of Peace leader's wide robes had not even begun to sway before he immediately stopped.
A look of understanding flashed through his blue-violet pupils, as though he was not surprised by this at all.
He revealed an apologetic expression and declined.
"Many thanks for His Majesty's favor. However, the affairs within the religion are too busy, making it inconvenient for me to leave. My sincerest apologies."
Najenda was startled by Uesugi Ryu's words, and her heartbeat involuntarily sped up.
The Path of Peace almost entirely existed because of the leader's own abilities and personal charisma.
Once the leader was gone, they would likely become leaderless.
The future joint uprising would become impossible to even speak of.
However, despite her inner tension, Najenda's expression still did not reveal the slightest abnormality.
Hearing this refusal, Uesugi Ryu did not say much more.
"Lord Leader need not refuse so quickly. Tomorrow, we will naturally arrive as promised."
The leader nodded, then hurriedly left the place.
Esdeath and Honest had not issued any such orders.
Bringing the Path of Peace leader back to the Imperial Capital was merely one of Uesugi Ryu's personal ideas.
Playing around day after day while only dealing with the same few Night Raid members was honestly getting somewhat boring.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, its pale moonlight scattering across the uneven ground.
Uesugi Ryu raised his head to look at the moonlight, then sighed somewhat emotionally.
"A full moon. Quite nice weather."
Retracting his gaze, Uesugi Ryu swept his eyes over everyone and gave an order.
"Mez, Suzuka, Kurome. The three of you stay behind and await orders. Also, go find Thorn and bring him back."
Kurome nodded.
Suzuka exhaled a breath of hot air for some unknown reason.
Mez wanted to participate in the upcoming operation, and she opened her mouth to speak.
But after seeing the unquestionable look in Uesugi Ryu's eyes, she abandoned the thought.
"Why? We're clearly equals in rank. The Four Rakshasa Demons are not under his command either."
"Every time I want to disobey his orders, every time I just can't say it out loud."
"How strange..."
Uesugi Ryu let out a whistle.
The sharp whistle rang out, and in less than half a minute.
The pterosaur that had previously been kicked into the ground by him immediately flew back over in a fawning manner.
Uesugi Ryu lightly leaped onto the pterosaur's head, then looked down at Ran below.
"Ran, bring this prisoner and act together with me."
Ran walked over to Najenda's side and looked at her somewhat vigilantly.
Then he spread his wings and stood atop the dragon's back while carrying Najenda.
With a slight movement of Uesugi Ryu's boots, the pterosaur spread its wings and flew into the distance.
Kurome raised her slender fingers and gently brushed aside the hair blown by the fierce wind.
Her gaze remained heavy as she looked toward the sky.