Chapter 141: Pursuing Najenda
"Leader, there's something ahead!"
The massive caravan that had departed from Ohara Town suddenly came to a halt midway.
The carriage horses seemed to have encountered something extremely terrifying, all neighing loudly and suddenly rearing up on their hind legs, nearly throwing the people in the carriages off.
After their hooves landed, they refused to take another step forward!
"What's going on?!"
Leader Sabatini emerged from the carriage to assess the situation, but as soon as he lifted the curtain, an unbearably foul, nauseating stench assaulted him.
The road ahead was stained red with blood soaking into the soil, and even the wind carried a thick, metallic scent of blood.
It formed a stark contrast with their side, like a boundary between the human world and hell.
"...L-Leader, over there..."
Someone tremblingly pointed toward the barricade ahead.
When Leader Sabatini saw it, his pupils contracted sharply, his entire body trembled, and a look of terror appeared on his face.
The obstacle blocking their path was actually a pile of bloody human heads stacked together!
Many people vomited at the sight.
Who could have killed so many people and displayed them here!
"Leader, those heads seem to belong to the bandits who were entrenched in Mount Shiranami..."
"What?!!!"
Sabatini was shocked, immediately sensing that things had taken a bad turn.
He had heard of that bandit group—reportedly composed entirely of fierce northern tribesmen, very strong, to the extent that the Revolutionary Army had repeatedly tried to recruit them but was consistently refused.
But he never expected that the hundred-strong bandit group had been killed and displayed here!
"Turn the carriages around, back to Ohara Town!"
Leader Sabatini issued the command decisively, but it was already too late.
"Hmph, we've been waiting for you for a long time, members of the Sabatini Show Troupe!"
Several figures emerged from the slopes on both sides. They had initially thought it might be an army that had eliminated the bandits, but to their surprise, the ones blocking their way were a group of children who looked only about fourteen or fifteen years old, the oldest no more than sixteen or seventeen.
Everyone couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Why are you blocking our way? Sabatini's performance in Ohara Town has already ended," a pretty woman in her twenties stepped forward and said with a smile.
However, Nahashu suddenly drew his Water Dragon Sword and charged forward first.
He moved so fast that the woman couldn't even see his actions before she felt a chill on her neck, followed by a gush of blood—her carotid artery had been severed, killing her instantly.
Nahashu, standing nearby, casually flicked his sword, cleaning the blood from the blade, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.
"Amuria!!!"
The troupe members screamed the dead woman's name in horror.
They never expected that these children would suddenly erupt into a killing spree!
The man in a top hat, looking like an English gentleman with a cane, trembled as he asked, "You... who exactly are you? This should be our first meeting!"
"Sabatini Troupe, you've been using the Empire's parade performances to gather intelligence for the rebels and foreign tribes. You deserve death."
The remaining members, including Poney, immediately surrounded the carriages.
"You... are you the Empire's assassination squad?"
Coming to this conclusion, the entire Sabatini Troupe turned pale with fear.
"Correct. Our mission is to bury you all," Gin coldly stared at them as he spoke.
"B-Boss, they're just a bunch of teenagers, and we outnumber them. If we fight together, we definitely won't lose to them!"
A bald, burly man snarled viciously.
"Boss, let's fight them with everything we've got!"
The morale of the over thirty people behind him surged, convinced by his logic—they couldn't just sit and wait for death!
"Alright! We made a promise to change this country—how can we die here? Everyone, follow me and break through!"
Hearing their leader's declaration, the other members raised their weapons and joined in shouting—
"The Empire is now utterly corrupt!"
"The people still haven't escaped the suffering of poverty!"
"The greedy parasites obsessed with wealth and power haven't been overthrown yet!"
"Damn the Empire! How can we fall here!!!"
...
"Lord Yotsuba was right after all... They seemed just like ordinary people, but they truly are spies for the rebels!"
Akame murmured softly, her crimson eyes turning cold as she slowly drew Murasame from her waist and charged forward abruptly.
"Target: Sabatini Show Troupe. Annihilate all members!!!"
"Let's go. As Lord Yotsuba instructed, leave only two alive. Kill all the rest of the trash!Nahashu's calm expression instantly shifted to extreme coldness. With a flourish of his Water Dragon Sword, he swung it fiercely, instantly severing two heads.
Although these spies gathered intelligence for the Revolutionary Army and their skills were no worse than ordinary soldiers, they were far inferior to the assassination squad trained by Mahiro.
It was like wolves among sheep—screams echoed one after another.
"Damn the Empire! How dare they... make you children do... such things!"
Sabatini clenched his cane in fury, watching his companions fall one by one, his heart filled with sorrow.
"Enough talk. Die!!!"
Gin excitedly brandished the large blade he had obtained from the bandit leader and charged toward the rebels.
The curved, wide blade resembled Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu.
Even without any formal weapon training, Gin could wield the crude, rugged blade skillfully through brute force alone. Combined with the power of Thousand-Layer Garment to manipulate earth, he could even rival Kurome's killing speed.
Poney and Cornelia were at the biggest disadvantage. Specializing in martial arts, they could only take down one person at a time, and often had their targets stolen by Tsukushi's gunfire.
Mahiro didn't lift a finger throughout the entire fight, his gaze profound as he watched the battle unfold, the corners of his mouth twitching incessantly.
He had originally intended to capture two alive to try using hypnotic magic to extract their identities, but never expected these people would voluntarily reveal their backgrounds.
Are they really this foolish?
If they had just kept their mouths shut a little longer, they might not have died so quickly.
"Whatever, it makes no difference. There's still other information to extract anyway."
Soon after, the battle concluded. The area around the carriage was littered with corpses, with only the troupe leader and a girl with twin tails tied at the back of her head remaining alive among the thirty-plus troupe members.
"Why... why not just kill us outright?"
Having witnessed all his companions perish, Sabatini knelt on the ground in anguish.
The comrades he had spent years gathering, all sharing the same ideals—wiped out just like that by the empire's spy unit...
"The reason I'm not killing you isn't because you don't deserve death, but because you still possess information I want."
A voice completely different from before drifted through the air, causing the grief-stricken Sabatini to slowly lift his head. Reflected in his lenses was the figure of the young man who hadn't made a move until now.
Surrounding that young man were the assassins who had slaughtered the troupe members.
It didn't take much thought to realize this youth was the one leading this assassination squad.
"You imperial dog, I'll kill you!!!"
The girl's face twisted ferociously as she recklessly charged toward Mahiro, as if determined to take him down with her!
Even with her hands bound, she used her teeth as weapons, desperate to tear a chunk of flesh from Mahiro.
But how could it be that easy.
"—Ghk!"
Mahiro simply reached out and effortlessly seized the girl by the throat, gradually lifting her until her feet left the ground. She struggled frantically, like a fish stranded on shore.
"Hmm, not bad looking. What's your name?"
Mahiro carefully examined the girl held in his grasp, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face.
Though in this context, his smile seemed downright villainous.
Hearing Mahiro's question, the other girls' hearts immediately sank.
Could Lord Yotsuba be interested in this woman?
When we haven't even received Lord Yotsuba's affection yet!
Who was it that left such a troublesome captive alive!
The girls' gazes swept around at their companions, until finally, under their collective pressure, Green timidly raised his hand.
It was him.
He immediately suffered the girls' death glares, intense enough to nearly kill him on the spot.
"Spit! Don't think you'll get anything out of me, you imperial dog! No matter what you do to me, I'll never yield!"
"Tch, I have no interest in used goods like you."
Faced with the girl's defiant declaration, Mahiro couldn't help but sneer, then slightly tightened his grip.
Crack!
With that sound, the girl's body instantly went limp.
He casually tossed the remaining corpse aside, but before it even hit the ground, it disintegrated into dust that scattered with the breeze.
"Natalia!!!"
Leader Sabatini cried out in anguish, his eyes clouding over with the grayness of despair.
It's over... everything is completely over...
"Now, I ask, you answer. Understood?"
Mahiro crouched before the sole remaining Sabatini. Though Sabatini initially intended to refuse, the moment he lifted his head and met those pitch-black pupils, he seemed completely captured by the fleeting glimmer within them.
From that point onward, no matter what Mahiro asked, Sabatini answered without reservation.
Although "Magic Eyes" were merely ordinary optical-vibration hypnosis magic, when wielded by the Yotsuba family—experts in mental interference—their effects remained terrifying.
From Sabatini's testimony, Mahiro learned that the Revolutionary Army's supporter in the northwest was the governor of Tsukinami City, a man named Rakiri.
He remembered that fellow.
Not exactly a member of the righteous faction—more like the same breed as Prime Minister Honest.
Having chosen the wrong side, he found himself unable to maintain footing in the Empire and consequently turned to embrace the Revolutionary Army.
In contrast, the Empire's righteous faction would rather resign and return to farming, or be killed by the minister, than join the so-called Revolutionary Army.
Moreover, recruiting Rakiri, the governor of Tsukinami City, wasn't enough. The Revolutionary Army had also collaborated with foreign tribes along the western border through their connections to jointly oppose the Empire.
The price was that, upon the Empire's collapse, the western borderlands would be partitioned for these foreign tribes to govern.
From this, it becomes clear what kind of individuals the higher-ups and behind-the-scenes supporters of the Revolutionary Army truly are.
However, aside from this, Mahiro also learned another crucial piece of information from Sabatini: a portion of the rebel forces had gathered in the southwestern direction.
An Imperial General was planning to defect from the Empire and required the Revolutionary Army's assistance and support.
"It's astonishing. An Imperial General would actually collaborate with the rebels?"
Nahashu and the others furrowed their brows.
The severity of this matter had already exceeded their capabilities.
After all, that was an Imperial General—top-tier in both strength and intellect. They lacked the confidence to confront such a figure, even if their own abilities were sufficient.
"It's quite normal; they must have been swayed by persuasion. The Empire has persisted for over a thousand years, and there are indeed some issues, so many people can't stand it anymore."
Mahiro explained nonchalantly, as if it were of no concern to him.
"Lord Yotsuba, are the rebels planning to collaborate simultaneously with the northern and western foreign tribes? If they encircle from three sides, the Empire's situation could become very dangerous," Tsukushi said, blinking her large eyes.
"Whether it's dangerous or not isn't for us to decide. Don't forget the purpose of our assassination unit—we're only responsible for eliminating threats within the Empire. Matters on the surface aren't our concern."
"Yes, Lord Yotsuba!"
The group nodded, indicating their understanding.
"So, Lord Yotsuba, what should we do next?" Cornelia asked.
"Well, next, I need you to complete a mission—head to the northern border of the Empire and kill Rakiri, the governor of Tsukinami City. This time, I won't be accompanying you, so you'll have to rely on yourselves."
After all, fledglings must eventually face the vast sky on their own.
Although they had performed excellently in previous missions, it was time for them to leave his side and complete a task independently.
Only then could their flaws be revealed.
"No problem! Leave Rakiri to us!"
Poney was the first to respond, followed closely by Gin and the others.
Even Akame and Kurome nodded seriously.
Only Cornelia asked the most critical question.
"Then... Lord Yotsuba, what about you? What will you do next?"
Hearing this, Mahiro grinned and smiled. "Naturally, I'm going to meet this General who plans to defect from the Empire."
Advancing toward the southwestern border to rendezvous with a defecting Imperial General—with such blatantly obvious conditions, even an idiot could guess who it was.
After all, only two Generals were dispatched to suppress the southwestern border.
Could it be Esdeath?
That was impossible. Esdeath loved war and despised foreign tribes. Even without knowing the original story, her personality alone made it clear it couldn't be her.
So, it had to be Najenda, without a doubt.
And Najenda happened to possess something he wanted.
Thus, Mahiro wrote a detailed letter explaining the situation and had Green deliver it to General Budo, who would then pass it to the young Emperor. After that, he parted ways with the elite group here, soaring into the sky alone and swiftly heading toward the southwestern border.
"Tch, if only I had the Teigu 'Shangri-La' in my hands."
Mahiro couldn't help but complain as he raced across the sky.
Northwest and southwest—though only one character differed between them, the distance separating them was vast, even farther than the journey to the Imperial City.
After all, the Empire's territory was extremely expansive, making it the largest country in this world.
Yet at this moment, within the ruined forests of the southwestern border, a woman was staggering as she fled, covering her eye as if being pursued by some Danger Beast.
Her originally braided white long hair had come loose, flowing behind her with each step, while traces of crimson seeped through the gaps between her fingers.
As she ran, she discarded pieces of her armor into the surrounding ruins, until all that remained besides her casual clothes under the armor was a strangely shaped spear.
The woman was injured.
To be precise, her entire right eye had been taken from her.
Several hundred meters behind her, a woman in military uniform pursued at a leisurely pace, her high heels sinking into the soil.
Beneath the veil of her ice-blue hair, that exquisitely beautiful face wore the terrifying smile one only shows during a hunt.
"...Esdeath...!"
The fleeing woman used her remaining eye to check on her pursuer's position, though whether from rage or pain, she couldn't help grinding her teeth.
Indeed, this was Najenda—the general who had defected from the southwestern border.
The Empire's corruption and Esdeath's cruel methods had driven her to despair, leading her to turn to the Revolutionary Army.
Unfortunately, Esdeath had discovered her during this process.
In the end, she only managed to escape Esdeath's grasp at the cost of an eye, thanks to her adjutant's covering fire.
But she knew perfectly well that Esdeath hadn't been serious.
It was merely playful hunting to her.
Now, seeing that she had slipped from Esdeath's sight, she ducked into some ruins to hide.
Hoping to wait here until Revolutionary Army reinforcements arrived.
While also praying that hiding here would keep her undiscovered by that terrifying woman, Esdeath.
And surprisingly, her prayers seemed to have been answered.
Those footsteps capable of crushing any enemy's courage had truly disappeared!
Until a cheerful male voice came from above her.
"Yo, I'm guessing you must be General Najenda, right?"