Chapter 168: Night Raid's Comeback Rescue Operation
"Master, why are you standing outside in such cold weather?"
Winter had arrived unnoticed, with snow drifting beyond the window.
After standing by the window for a while, Mine brought out a woolen blanket and tiptoed to drape it over Mahiro in the courtyard.
Over the years, Mine's once slightly childish demeanor had matured into elegance. Especially with her signature pink twin-tails or single ponytail now let down, gathered into a strand falling before her chest, she resembled a gentle, petite wife.
Coupled with the refined grace she'd cultured in her movements, she seemed like the lady of this mansion.
"Thank you. I'm waiting for someone."
Mahiro adjusted the blanket, patted Mine's head with a faint smile, then turned his gaze back toward the gate.
Soon, a carriage appeared in view.
It approached slowly from the distance, eventually stopping before the main gate.
An elderly man with white hair stepped down, his aged face carved with the marks of time.
Following him was a golden-haired young lady.
Seeing them, Mahiro immediately went forward to greet them.
"I've been expecting you both."
"...?"
The old man furrowed his brows slightly, unable to recall this exceptionally handsome youth who appeared around his daughter's age.
But the golden-haired girl behind him covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
She had never seen such a handsome young man before!
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yotsuba Mahiro, former Vice-Captain of the Imperial City Guard, currently serving as Minister of the Imperial Secret Security Department."
"So it's you!"
The old man suddenly understood, finally remembering this young man.
He was the one personally appointed by the Little Emperor after his succession.
"In other words, those people are also your subordinates?"
The old man's gaze shifted to the squad following behind the carriage.
Mahiro nodded in acknowledgment. "Correct. They are the assassination unit under my command."
Perhaps due to hearing the term "assassination squad," displeasure flickered across the old man's face, making him swallow his words of gratitude as he stated bluntly, "Then Minister Yotsuba, for what purpose have you invited this old man here?"
"Regarding that matter, perhaps we should discuss it in detail after moving inside."
Mahiro smiled and ushered the two, along with their attendants, into his home.
This old man was the former minister Chouri from the imperial court, and his daughter Spear.
Previously, due to Honest's unscrupulous methods of climbing the ranks and consolidating power, this conscientious minister had been marginalized and ultimately left the court in disappointment.
But witnessing the common people's worsening suffering within the Empire, he wished to return to court and fight against that Prime Minister Honest to the end!
Unbeknownst to him, this news had reached Honest's ears in advance.
Causing that fat pig Honest to entertain improper thoughts, planning to eliminate the elder minister Chouri under the guise of Night Raid.
But Mahiro had intervened, rescuing Chouri and his daughter, and bringing them to his mansion.
He intended to have them stay temporarily in the new building next to the mansion.
After all, it would be truly regrettable for such a well-intentioned patriot to die so pointlessly.
As for the Revolutionary Army, just as he had said, there was no movement whatsoever—they had no intention of rescuing the Empire's conscience-driven ministers.
Moreover.
His actions went far beyond just that. It wasn't merely about saving a few officials from the conscience faction; he also carried out assassinations against bureaucrats of the Honest faction.
Imitating Honest's methods, they spread Night Raid leaflets everywhere.
Although their actions caused significant trouble for the Jaegers, who were tasked with pursuing Night Raid, General Esdeath had no interest in getting involved in their conflicts.
Instead, while investigating Night Raid's movements, she often took Mahiro along to hunt Danger Beasts in her free time.
In her own way, it was a form of dating with Mahiro.
However, the successive assassinations between him and Prime Minister Honest had thrown the officials of the Imperial City into a state of panic.
Almost everyone was too terrified to sleep, fearing a sudden attack by Night Raid.
This series of actions infuriated Prime Minister Honest to no end!
...
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! That damned brat!!! I never provoked him, so why is he coming after me!!!"
With a crash, Honest kicked over the dining table in front of him.
His eyes bulged with rage, nearly popping out like a frog's.
In just two short months, all of his assassination attempts had failed miserably. Not only that, but he had also lost Ibara and Sten from the Four Rakshasa Demons, along with dozens of other elite fighters!
More than half of the bureaucrats in his faction had already been killed!
It was a complete slaughter to stop slaughter—a race to see who could kill faster!
"ADJAD!"
A light chuckle came from the side.
It was the cold-hearted Queen, General Esdeath, laughing, her beautiful cheeks blooming like snow lotuses.
"Esdeath, what are you laughing at?" Honest asked angrily.
"I'm merely laughing at your foolishness, Prime Minister Honest. You know you're no match for him, yet you keep stirring up trouble, only to end up venting your helpless rage here."
"Hmph, it's not just me who has failed, is it? General Esdeath, didn't you also lose to that brat?"
Honest grabbed a piece of meat from a plate on another table and tore into it.
This piece of meat was entirely different in color and shape from the usual steak—it was genuine human flesh!
Ever since devouring Syura, Honest had become utterly obsessed with the taste—tender, smooth, and unforgettable.
"Heh, but even if I'm unwilling, I can openly admit my weakness. What about you, Prime Minister?"
"Hmph, admit defeat to that brat? Never!" Honest viciously chewed on the strip of meat.
It was as if the meat in his hand had been sliced from Mahiro himself.
To be honest, in Honest's eyes, Mahiro's political tactics were child's play—utterly unrefined.
But that extraordinary martial prowess forced him to remain constantly vigilant, even tormented.
No matter what schemes he devised to deal with him, Mahiro could easily dismantle them. Such talent—why couldn't it be used for his own benefit?
The emergence of Mahiro and his conflict with the Prime Minister might be beneficial for the Empire, but it was disastrous for Honest himself, as it significantly eroded his authority.
Having grown accustomed to wielding power over court officials for over twenty years, how could Honest possibly tolerate this? Let alone bowing to some brat!
No matter what methods he had to employ, Honest was absolutely determined to eliminate Mahiro!
However, the assassination incidents stirred up throughout the city by the impostor Night Raid eventually reached the ears of the real Night Raid.
Having remained inactive during this period, and with Tatsumi and Lubbock having ventured into the Imperial City without authorization to gather intelligence on Esdeath, they had not left their base since.
Today, spread across the table before them were over twenty Night Raid leaflets, all uniformly marked with the words:
Night Raid Delivers Divine Punishment
Seated at the head of the table, Najenda rested her chin on her hands, her expression grave and silent.
The others remained equally wordless.
They had also heard about the recent events in the Imperial City.
Multiple assassinations of officials had occurred, yet the targets seemed to follow no discernible pattern or logic, as if the killings were random—both good and bad individuals were targeted.
It felt as though two factions were engaged in a killing competition.
"At first glance, it's obvious these are forgeries, clearly intended to frame our Night Raid and tarnish our reputation!" Lubbock broke the silence first, picking up one of the crude counterfeit leaflets before tossing it back onto the table.
"Yes, that's one aspect, but more importantly, two different factions are using our name to wage a covert battle," Najenda pointed out incisively.
She had even deduced who these two factions might be. In the entire Imperial City, only two factions would dare to act so boldly.
The assassination faction led by Mahiro and the corruption faction headed by Prime Minister Honest.
"Then, Boss, what should we do next?! Although... although I don't understand political factions, I can't forgive them for using our Night Raid's reputation to commit evil deeds!" Tatsumi exclaimed indignantly.
"You're right, Tatsumi, but for now, we have no choice but to let these people act freely."
"Why?! Are we really going to let them do as they please?!"
Just as Tatsumi was about to ask this, Najenda spoke again to explain:
"Reinforcements sent by the Revolutionary Army are already on their way and should arrive today, so we have a more important task at hand."
"What task?"
"The rescue operation for Leone and Sheele!"
While it was crucial to teach those church impostors who misused their organization's name what it truly meant to be assassins, replenishing their combat strength was even more urgent at the moment.
With only a few members left, they couldn't sustain any operations!
Upon hearing this, both Tatsumi and Lubbock gasped sharply.
Everyone knew that Leone and Sheele had been captured but not executed, and they had even identified the location where they were being held.
The problem is, how to rescue them?
What truly shocked them was the location where these two were imprisoned.
They were actually held captive within Mahiro's mansion!
That place was no less treacherous than the imperial palace, according to past intelligence from Leone.
Although there weren't any guards stationed in the mansion, the maids there were incredibly strong and not to be trifled with!
Each of them wielded strange and unusual weapons. While not as powerful as Teigu, they could still catch people off guard.
Not to mention the three head maids at the top.
The seemingly delicate Womyn and Remus were formerly from the Assassination Unit. Though they were eliminated from it, their skills were still quite remarkable.
But the strongest was Mahiro's personal maid—Mine.
With exceptional shooting skills and anatomical knowledge even the elite members of the Assassination Unit couldn't surpass.
She also possessed the Teigu Roman Artillery: Pumpkin.
Just hearing "Pumpkin" made Najenda's shoulder ache faintly, and a wry smile touched her lips.
That Teigu originally belonged to her. Mahiro had forcibly taken it along with her right arm, only to end up giving it to his maid as a gift...
Thinking of this, Najenda didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Alright, it's about time. Let's go welcome our new members."
Unwilling to dwell on the matter further, Najenda changed her train of thought and stood up to greet the newcomers.
In a densely wooded area, amidst falling snowflakes high in the sky, a giant manta ray circled overhead.
That was the special-class Danger Beast Air Manta, a transport-specialized Danger Beast tamed and raised by the Revolutionary Army.
On Air Manta's back rode two people.
Suddenly, as if responding to some call, Air Manta dove toward the ground. Its flapping wings stirred up massive gusts that flattened surrounding trees before it landed steadily.
The two riders jumped down from its back.
One was a man—tall and imposing at two meters tall, carrying a strange weapon resembling a barbell.
The other was wrapped in a heavy cloak.
But when that person removed their hood, Akame froze slightly, realizing the other was looking directly at her?
Had they met before?
"Long time no see, Akame!"
Just as Akame was wondering where she'd seen this orange-haired girl, the girl cheered and threw herself at Akame, nuzzling against her gently.
"Mmm~ After all these years, Akame-chan is still as adorable as ever."
The girl lifted Akame's long hair to admire it properly, making Akame blush with shyness.
She had a lollipop in her mouth, headphones on her head, wore a uniform-like top with a plaid pleated skirt below, revealing slender, delicate legs beneath the hem, clad in black ankle socks and leather shoes.
Honestly, this outfit didn't match anyone in Akame's memory.
"Eh? Akame-chan, don't you remember me?"
The girl blinked, seeming to notice her confusion, and said with some astonishment, "That's really harsh. It's only been a few years since we last met. Back then, you helped that despicable demon Mahiro tie me up."
"You're... Chelsea?!" Akame widened her eyes slightly as she recalled that memory.
"That's right, it's Chelsea. Let's put our past grievances aside and get along well as fellow assassins."
Akame remained silent, staring at her with dead-fish eyes. She still remembered that Chelsea hadn't looked like this back then—she had used her Teigu to disguise herself as Cora-nee. How could she have recognized her under those circumstances?
Moreover, who would have thought that a former enemy, an assassin from Oarburgh, would become a teammate? Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
"Oh? I didn't expect you two to know each other, Chelsea," Najenda remarked, studying the two with amusement.
"Mm-hmm."
Chelsea nodded and said, "It was about a few years ago. My instructor, senior sister, and I were on a mission, and I accidentally got captured by that despicable demon Mahiro. He even did some really awful things to me. If Akame and the others hadn't burst into the room in time, I probably would have suffered even more torment and never would have escaped from that demon's clutches. (Sobbing)"
Chelsea seemed to have become more lively compared to previous years. She could vividly describe even those painful memories, and by the end, she was on the verge of tears, her voice choked with emotion.
"Oh, right, right. Here, take this."
Noticing that Akame didn't seem to react much, Chelsea fished out a lollipop from her person and handed it to her.
Upon seeing the lollipop, Akame's eyes instantly lit up, and she snatched it eagerly.
"Welcome aboard! Please take care of me from now on!"
Hey, hey, where's your dignity? Is this really okay?
Lubbock and Tatsumi watched in speechless disbelief as Akame was so easily bribed with a mere lollipop snack. The two of them didn't even know where to begin with their complaints.
Besides, was this seemingly beautiful young lady really cut out to be an assassin? Compared to her, the other guy—who was even taller and more imposing than Bulat—seemed more like a bodyguard or something.
Unfortunately, that guy wasn't human. He was a Teigu named The Speed of Lightning: Susanoo. Najenda had acquired this Teigu when she went to seek reinforcements from the Revolutionary Army some time ago, awakening it from its long slumber. Since she needed to move ahead at the time, she didn't bring Susanoo along but had him follow Chelsea as part of the support team. It also made the number of reinforcements look a bit more substantial.
"Alright, that's enough chit-chat! Next, we will commence Night Raid's first mission since our return—the operation to rescue our trapped members, Leone and Sheele!"
"Our target this time is the residence of the Imperial City's Secret Guard Captain, Yotsuba Mahiro. The mission is extremely dangerous, so everyone must be cautious!"
Upon hearing the name Mahiro, Chelsea immediately shifted her attention from Akame and looked toward Najenda.
Who would have thought that after several years, upon her reappearance, her first mission would be to take action against this old friend!
How truly thrilling...
It's about time to settle all the grudges and grievances from the past, you devil!
The scars of pain and the marks of pleasure left on her—even to this day, Chelsea remembers them vividly...