Shirou had been waiting outside the bookstore for quite some time, but no one showed up to open it. It looked almost as if the store had permanently shut down.
Perhaps Lubbock feared that someone like Seryu would suddenly appear, accidentally destroying his shop and endangering his life.
Shirou sighed helplessly and turned away.
One less place to gather information about the Empire.
He genuinely enjoyed Lubbock's little smuggled tidbits; they always proved invaluable.
Aside from the bookstore, Shirou had visited many other places, but compared to learning about the Empire, most people were more concerned with their own survival.
They couldn't eat properly, couldn't sleep well, and lived uncertain of when death might find them.
They understood the corruption of the Empire, yet no one dared openly discuss it.
One careless comment might cost you your head.
Even in taverns, the only thing people dared whisper about was Night Raid's brutality.
In this empire, openly praising Night Raid's actions was tantamount to declaring you had grown tired of life.
Under the Empire's oppressive rule, Shirou had gathered hardly any useful intelligence.
"A new assignment has arrived."
Liver skillfully approached Shirou on the street, tapping his shoulder and whispering into his ear.
At this point, Shirou could be considered the unofficial fourth member of the Three Beasts.
Through framing loyal officials, hastening the Empire's deterioration, and Nyau's incapacitating music, Esdeath's plans proceeded swiftly and smoothly.
Shirou had neither the time nor the means to judge accurately.
Within the residences of these officials, numerous horrific and infuriating crimes had been staged.
All these atrocities were the Three Beasts' daytime handiwork.
Only to avoid detection by Night Raid did their assassinations typically occur at night.
The Empire's reinforcements were never swift enough—by the time they arrived, they could only clean up the corpses.
Liver wasn't strong enough to fight a one-on-five battle anyway.
Shirou could only obtain information about their targets directly from Liver. There was no other source of verification.
It wasn't like someone on the street would suddenly tell him that Liver's assassination target was actually a loyal minister, patriotic and genuinely concerned for the people.
Such a thing was impossible.
And even if Shirou witnessed the atrocities himself, he had no way to verify anything. Victims were already deeply unconscious from Nyau intensifying his Teigu's effects to prevent accidents.
Even if they awoke from pain, they would be too weak to speak, only capable of staring helplessly at their killers.
Typical officials possessed almost no combat abilities. Once debilitated, they couldn't recover quickly.
Yet most of these targets were genuine scum; Liver was careful to mix in only a small fraction of truly innocent targets.
Shirou could only try his utmost to spare those who weren't targets, ensuring their survival.
Liver wouldn't fake an entire estate's corruption merely to slaughter everyone.
Even Daidara restrained his bloodlust, knowing he couldn't defeat Shirou Emiya. If he tried, Shirou would undoubtedly stop him.
Besides the man from last night, Shirou had never personally killed anyone.
Shirou had judged that man as genuinely murderous—not from Liver's description but from the dying women whose eyes were filled with unmistakable hatred.
But here, Shirou saw only corpses strewn about. Even as his veins bulged, he suppressed the rage in his heart.
He didn't possess the ability to effortlessly judge another's morality.
Even loyal ministers didn't necessarily have clean hands or pure intentions. For the sake of the Empire, they likely committed countless hidden crimes.
Shirou had never taken anyone's side.
He could understand certain actions, yet he refused to approve of them.
Just as he understood cruelty toward enemies on a battlefield but never endorsed war itself.
As for how killing these vile men would impact the Empire?
Hah! Scum like this were countless within the Empire.
Night Raid's primary targets had always been higher-ups. Killing low-level parasites would never truly change things.
Instead, such actions might actually empower the true masterminds behind the Empire.
Every time Shirou returned to the inn after a mission, the Three Beasts quickly spread rumors. The Empire controlled public opinion, something Night Raid couldn't match.
Shirou was illiterate, and Liver never disclosed names or addresses of their targets.
Thus, in taverns, Shirou overheard talk of Night Raid killing so-and-so. He never realized those were actually Liver's targets.
Weren't similar conversations common in taverns even before their missions?
Even Shirou, involved in these actions, believed the deeds were Night Raid's doing—let alone the common people.
Compared to their original plan of only assassinating loyal officials, the Three Beasts' new strategy made the public more readily accept that Night Raid was responsible.
Since the Three Beasts killed not only loyal ministers but also corrupt officials, people thought these killings were the result of Night Raid's faulty judgment, breeding unease.
Suddenly facing these indiscriminate killings, people hesitated to discreetly submit tasks to Night Raid.
"Why today? Why daytime?" Shirou asked Liver aloud. Nighttime outings had always been routine, and daylight assassinations seemed recklessly bold.
"He usually stays within the palace, rarely returning home. We can't act in the palace. Today is his first day out in a long time. If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll get another."
Liver lied effortlessly, so convincingly that even Shirou found nothing suspicious in his explanation.
On the surface, Liver and the others appeared dedicated to eradicating the Empire's corruption. But openly storming the palace would directly threaten the Empire itself.
If they could brazenly enter the palace to kill, wouldn't that mean they could kill the Emperor whenever they wished?
Hence, Shirou found no reason to question further.
"So, where is he now?"
"On a boat—"
...
Shirou, feeling uncomfortable in the formal suit he wore, glanced around the luxurious vessel. Liver had dressed him formally so they could blend in.
"Such extravagance… How much wealth and labor were wasted on this?"
Seeing even the window frames gilded in gold, Shirou couldn't help but lament bitterly. So much drained from the common people—all for mere pleasure.