Uesugi Ryu placed the Teigu he had obtained onto his head.
It was not exactly stylish, but he did not particularly care.
A Teigu was merely a weapon. As long as it was useful, that was enough.
[Teigu: Gaea Foundation - Spectator. Compatibility: 53%!]
(Compatibility must exceed 50% to equip. Forcibly equipping it may cause severe mental and physical strain.)
(The higher the compatibility, the lower the consumption when using the Teigu. The lower the compatibility, the greater the cost.)
[Equipping......]
[Base Consumption: Mana 28 points/min]
[Greatly enhances the user's observational ability. By observing muscle movement, the user can predict the opponent's next action.]
[Special Skill: Hallucination Vision. Causes the target to experience hallucinations, making the user appear as the person the target cherishes most.]
[Effective on only one target. Consumes 40 Mana. Cannot be used consecutively. Cooldown: 15 minutes.]
The improvement to his perception was considerable, though not outrageous.
After all, Uesugi Ryu's own eyes were already far beyond ordinary.
His compatibility with this Teigu was average at best.
Usable, but only barely.
In an intense battle, the mana consumption would be excessively high.
He had already tried both Pumpkin and Extase as well.
One had a compatibility of only 21%.
The other was even worse, a pitiful 15%.
After testing it for a while, Uesugi Ryu removed the Teigu and let out a troubled sigh.
"Sigh. Everything just eats mana. With Soul Devour, why am I still always so low on MP?"
He lowered his head and examined the Teigu in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
It was just as he had suspected.
Whenever he used a Teigu, he could sense faint fluctuations of the soul.
Though it likely varied by type, functional Teigu with complex abilities probably retained some instinctive consciousness from their Danger Beast materials.
"Danger Beast materials, Orichalcum, and some even contain Philosopher's Stones. There's also soul preservation and severance technology involved."
Uesugi Ryu recalled everything he knew about Teigu.
He remembered that Wild Hunt, the organization founded by the Prime Minister's son, Syura, included an alchemist named Dorothea.
She possessed a Philosopher's Stone, supposedly an all-purpose super-item.
Uesugi Ryu was very interested in so-called alchemy and Philosopher's Stones.
He was equally interested in Syura's space-type Teigu, Dimensional Formation - Shambhala.
"Forget it. Now isn't the time for that."
"Syura shouldn't have returned to the Capital yet. I should focus on improving my endurance first."
There were not many powerful Danger Beasts near the Empire.
Since he had been waiting for Night Raid, Uesugi Ryu had barely explored beyond the Capital.
Now that he had obtained a Teigu, there was no need to stay tied down here for the moment.
As for watching over Sheele, Uesugi Ryu was not worried.
Night Raid was not foolish enough to attempt a rescue while Pumpkin remained in his possession.
After instructing Gore to handle everything at the manor, Uesugi Ryu mounted a horse and prepared to leave the city.
Come to think of it, he had never ridden a horse before.
Cars had been more his style.
But with his current learning ability, mastering horseback riding was trivial.
Mounted on a white steed, Uesugi Ryu slowly made his way toward the city gates.
People along the road occasionally cast him respectful, even fearful, glances.
A lone rider like him was quite rare.
Wealthy merchants and nobles usually traveled in luxurious carriages surrounded by guards.
One look at the quality of his horse and his clothing made it obvious that he was an important figure.
Pedestrians hurriedly moved aside.
As he passed through a plaza, the road suddenly opened up.
There were almost no civilians nearby.
At the center of the square stood thirteen crosses.
The thick stench of blood permeated the area.
Each cross held a person bound by thorny vines.
Men, women, old, young.
Most still clung to life.
Their exposed wounds baked under the scorching sun.
Uesugi Ryu's gaze settled on the third cross.
An elderly man, his eyelids peeled away, stared blankly at the sky with clouded eyes.
Maggots writhed inside the festering brand on his abdomen.
At the far right hung a young girl.
Her eyes were vacant.
She was completely naked, her body covered in bruises.
Several members of the Imperial Police lounged nearby in the shade, joking among themselves.
When they spotted Uesugi Ryu, the squad captain immediately recognized him.
He hurried over with several subordinates, his face full of flattery.
"Lord Uesugi. What brings you out alone today?"
Uesugi Ryu tightened the reins, bringing the horse to a gradual halt.
The captain casually glanced at his men and ordered,
"Terra, Miss. The two of you will accompany Lord Uesugi."
Then he rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously.
"The Capital hasn't been very peaceful lately. You should be careful, my lord."
Uesugi Ryu waved dismissively.
"No need. I'm just out for a ride."
He glanced toward the center of the square and asked casually,
"What's going on over there?"
The captain nodded and lowered his voice.
"That's the Finance Officer Kurokawa's family. They offended a certain important person."
Pride and contempt colored his tone.
"Orders from above. They're to be displayed for two days..."
Uesugi Ryu's expression remained unreadable.
He gently tugged the reins, and the horse began to move forward once more.
"Lord Uesugi..."
The captain sounded hesitant.
"Um, when will the pleasure district reopen?"
"Out of all the places, yours was the most enjoyable..."
Without even glancing at him, Uesugi Ryu replied flatly,
"Those matters are handled by my subordinates. Do your job."
The captain's expression instantly darkened, though he quickly masked it.
He would not dare show displeasure toward Uesugi Ryu.
Instead, a savage grin spread across his face.
"Hmph. I'll have some fun with you lot instead."
With a snort, he signaled to his men.
They immediately understood.
Two officers broke from the group and jogged into the shade.
They picked up several iron buckets and splashed their contents over the prisoners.
A chorus of agonized screams erupted.
The blue liquid was extracted from Mandrake flowers.
Applied to open wounds, it induced unbearable pain.
The young girl's vocal cords had already been torn apart.
Only ragged wheezes escaped her throat, like a broken bellows.
As the prisoners writhed and screamed in agony, the officers burst into unrestrained laughter.
The sounds gradually faded from Uesugi Ryu's ears.
In their place came a suffocating silence.
Hooves struck the stone road in a steady rhythm.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His left hand gripped the reins tightly.
His expression remained utterly blank.
No one could tell what he was thinking.