Uesugi Ryu's estate.
Clang clang. The sound of metal scraping echoed through the room.
Mephisto lay sprawled across the soft carpet, its massive wings spread over the floor.
Chelsea held a longsword in her right hand and a rag in her left as she cleaned and groomed Mephisto's feathers.
She used the sword to separate tangled feathers before wiping away the dirt on them with the cloth.
Chelsea wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing heavily.
"Huff huff... huff huff..."
This was seriously exhausting work. She glared resentfully at the giant crow resting with its eyes closed.
"Wasn't everyone supposed to gather for a meeting? Why am I here grooming your feathers?"
Mephisto opened one eye and looked at the panting Chelsea with amusement.
It could clean and groom its own feathers in just a few minutes. It simply enjoyed the pleasure of bullying cute girls.
Back in the Tokyo Ghoul world, it had always teased the Yasuhisa sisters. After coming here, having no one to mess with had become unbearably boring.
The maids in the estate naturally treated Mephisto with utmost respect and didn't dare offend it at all. Teasing them wasn't fun.
Mephisto opened its beak and slightly shifted one wing.
Beneath the blue-black feathers with their metallic sheen, a makeup case rested quietly.
Chelsea's eyes widened instantly.
She had never expected her Teigu to be hidden beneath Mephisto's wing.
A trace of amusement flashed through Mephisto's eyes as it spoke in a low voice.
"Miss Chelsea, you wouldn't want me to hand your Teigu over to Ryu-bro, would you?"
"When that happens, whether you'll be able to get it back will be another matter entirely."
The veins on Chelsea's forehead twitched unconsciously. She curved her brows into an obedient smile.
"Uh...... being able to groom Lord Mephisto's feathers is my honor."
As she spoke, she enthusiastically raised the rag in her hand and continued wiping the feathers.
Mephisto chuckled twice and said with ill intent written all over its face.
"That's more like it. I just happen to be missing a little maid. Why don't you work under me from now on?"
Chelsea truly felt uneasy around this crow that was intelligent to an eerie degree.
Especially those crow eyes. Whenever it stared at her, she felt as though her entire body had been seen through.
She forced a helpless smile while trying to change the subject.
"Has Lord Uesugi Ryu mentioned any arrangements regarding Night Raid?"
Mephisto answered casually.
"Pretty simple. Probably the same as the Jaegers."
It shook its wings and stood up.
Holding Chelsea's Teigu in its beak, it glanced sideways at her.
"But someone like you is probably useless now. You won't be absorbed."
"After all, when dealing with those foreign tribes and the like, we can just crush them head-on."
A thoughtful look flashed through Chelsea's eyes upon hearing that. She specialized in behind-the-scenes assassinations and intelligence gathering.
If Night Raid became special police like the Jaegers afterward, she really would have no role to play.
Stealth assassinations and elusive movements. Come to think of it, the crow before her was terrifyingly capable in assassination as well.
Chelsea's pupils widened slightly as she suddenly realized something.
Mephisto turned around and looked down at Chelsea.
"From now on, intelligence operations will be handled by yours truly. You understand what I mean, right?"
The intelligence department was an essential component of any organization. Whether internally or externally, it was critically important.
Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army's current situation was honestly awkward. They were basically rebels subdued through Uesugi Ryu's overwhelming force.
In the future, it would probably be difficult for them to gain any strong voice within the Empire.
If she joined the intelligence department, she'd at least be able to find ways to improve her comrades' situation.
Not to mention that this crow was Uesugi Ryu's pet. It could practically be considered the one closest to him.
Chelsea thought of many things, though in reality only two or three seconds had passed.
She took a deep breath, slightly bowed, and spoke solemnly to the Mephisto before her.
"Lord Mephisto."
Mephisto nodded in satisfaction before immediately adding.
"From now on, you should call me Lord Dogshukin."
Chelsea's mouth twitched. She truly could not accept such an unbelievably embarrassing and bizarre title.
But since she had already taken that step, how could she give up here?
She gritted her teeth and parted her lips, preparing to speak when suddenly.
The dense shadows beneath her feet expanded continuously. The massive crow had approached her.
"Dogshukin..."
Something seemed to have been placed on top of her head. Chelsea froze briefly, her words stopping midway.
Mephisto had placed Gaia Foundation on top of Chelsea's head.
Chelsea held the Teigu on her head while looking up.
Mephisto winked at the dazed Chelsea and teased her.
"Just kidding, Miss Lollipop."
"Stick with me and you'll have all the lollipops you want. They'll definitely be ten thousand times better than the cheap stuff you used to eat!"
After saying that, Mephisto walked to the balcony, spread its wings, and flew outside.
Chelsea held the Teigu on her head, standing there in a daze.
Several seconds later, she took the Teigu off her head.
Pressing lightly against the edge of the Teigu with her finger, Chelsea looked somewhat incredulous.
"They really returned it to me that easily?"
She only said that in her heart. If she actually said it out loud.
That foul-mouthed crow would probably immediately say: "If you don't want it, then give it back!"
Even though Mephisto seemed to have already left.
Who knew whether that elusive crow was hiding in the shadows and secretly watching?
Chelsea let out a long sigh and gently opened the makeup case.
Besides the cosmetics that had originally been inside, there was also an exquisitely wrapped lollipop?
It should be a lollipop, right? The packaging was completely different from the lollipops Chelsea had eaten before.
Looking at the lollipop in her hand, a trace of emotion flashed through her eyes before she lowered her head and laughed softly twice.
"Haha... I guess it's a blessing in disguise. My future boss seems fairly easy to get along with."
............
The top floor of the estate.
Uesugi Ryu sat on the sofa with his hands supporting his chin.
Five Teigu were lined up on the coffee table before him. From left to right they were:
One Cut Killer: Murasame, Dual Blades: Vanisher, Shamshir: Wind Blade Sword, the twin battle axes Belvaac, and the bizarre Adyus.
A katana, scissors, a sword, axes, and a scythe.
The forms of the five Teigu were all fundamentally different.
Not having a suitable weapon had troubled Uesugi Ryu for a long time.
Soon he would battle Esdeath decisively. Any increase in his chances of victory was a good thing.
Uesugi Ryu felt that defeating Esdeath with his current strength alone wouldn't be a problem.
But what he wanted was absolute superiority, to completely subdue the unruly Esdeath!
The Teigu fusion opportunity he had obtained earlier had a maximum limit of four Teigu.
Uesugi Ryu's gaze moved constantly among the five Teigu as contemplation flashed through his eyes.
Murasame and Vanisher absolutely had to be kept. If Shamshir was added in, then the final form of the Teigu would probably become either a katana or a sword.
Uesugi Ryu himself actually preferred using large long-handled weapons.
He reached out and picked up the Wind Blade Sword from the coffee table, speaking softly.
"Then let's go with this......"