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Akame and the others watched Kaito and Ace, who had suddenly appeared, with wary expressions.
"Who exactly are you, and why are you here?" Leone asked Kaito seriously.
"Why does everyone I meet for the first time always ask that?" Kaito complained, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Kaito-sama, isn't that a perfectly normal thing to ask when meeting strangers for the first time?" Ace replied speechlessly. There was clearly nothing wrong with their reaction.
"Uh... when you put it that way, I guess you've got a point. Ahem... anyway, we were just passing by."
"And we brought those two here. Just think of us as helpful bystanders." Kaito nodded seriously as if convincing himself.
"But your subordinates kidnapped us..." Sayo muttered softly, remembering everything that had happened over the past few days.
"Hey, little girl, if my subordinates hadn't taken you two away, you'd be inside that warehouse right now."
"You really don't know what's good for you."
Hearing Kaito's words, Sayo glanced toward the warehouse and immediately trembled.
She suddenly realized he was right.
Even though she and Ieyasu had technically been kidnapped, neither of them had been hurt or abused. Instead, they had eaten delicious barbecue unlike anything they had ever tasted before.
Thinking about that, she unconsciously glanced at Ace behind Kaito.
Kaito noticed her gaze and instantly grinned.
'Oh-ho? Sounds like there's a story there.'
"U-Uh... I'm very sorry, I spoke out of turn. Thank you very much for taking care of us these past few days." Sayo's face instantly turned red as she hurriedly bowed alongside Ieyasu.
"Heh heh, that's more like it. I hate people who take advantage of others and still resent them afterward."
"Usually, when I meet people like that, I just crush them to death. Heh heh."
Everyone present shivered at Kaito's smiling words.
This guy was definitely not a good person.
And he was definitely not simple either.
"Since you and your companions don't seem to have anything else to do, we'll be leaving now. The Security Force should arrive soon." Seeing that Kaito did not appear hostile, Night Raid decided it was better not to linger.
"Oh dear, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I still have something to say."
The moment Kaito finished speaking, Ace and the others vanished instantly, reappearing around Night Raid and surrounding them.
"What is the meaning of this, sir?" Bulat asked grimly while staring at Ace and the others.
"No special reason. I just wanted to ask whether you'd like to join me."
Akame and the others had expected Kaito to accuse them of being assassins and claim he wanted to eliminate them.
Or perhaps ask to cooperate with them.
They never expected him to start recruiting them immediately.
"We don't even know what faction you belong to! How could we possibly join you?!" Mine shouted while raising her Teigu, [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin], at Kaito.
"Impudent!!!"
Mine's actions instantly ignited Katakuri's fury.
In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Mine.
"So fast! When did he get there?!"
"Mine! [Cross Tail]!"
Lubbock immediately unleashed the Teigu, [Infinite Uses: Cross Tail].
Clang!
"Impossible!"
Katakuri did not even turn around.
With one hand, he casually caught the nearly invisible razor-sharp thread while continuing to stare coldly at Mine.
Then, with a slight tug, Lubbock was violently dragged through the air.
Boom!
"Cough cough... Pfft!"
Lubbock struggled to rise from the rubble as blood spilled uncontrollably from his mouth.
The other Night Raid members immediately cried out and attacked Katakuri together.
"Lubbock!"
"Damn it! [Demon Armor: Incursio]!"
"[Cutter of Creation: Extase]!"
"[Roman Artillery: Pumpkin]!"
Katakuri completely ignored the incoming attacks.
Instead, he reached out and grabbed Mine by the neck, lifting her into the air.
Clang!
Clang!
"Impossible!"
"T-This..."
Bulat and the others stared in shock at the emotionless Katakuri holding Mine aloft.
None of their attacks had managed to harm him in the slightest.
They could not even scratch his skin.
"Alright, Katakuri, let her go." Kaito watched Katakuri, who was enduring the Teigu attacks without even flinching, and smiled faintly.
"But Kaito-sama, this brat actually dared to..."
"Heh heh, what kind of superior would stoop to arguing with a little brat?"
Only after hearing Kaito's words did Katakuri finally release Mine.
The moment she hit the ground, Mine collapsed while gasping desperately for air.
"Cough cough cough... Huff... Huff..."
"Are you still planning to point your weapons at my subordinates?" Kaito narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Akame and the others.
Hearing that, the members of Night Raid quickly lowered their weapons and rushed over to check Mine's condition.
"Wow, Katakuri's really ruthless. No mercy at all for girls," Ace teased from the side.
"Hmph. She dared point a weapon at Kaito-sama. Not killing her on the spot was already merciful enough," Rob Lucci replied expressionlessly.
"Uh... I think I understand now why Souei paired you two together."
'I almost forgot. This guy doesn't know how to cherish women either.'
"Can we finally talk properly now?"
"Little girl, remember this. Don't casually show hostility toward people you don't fully understand."
"Otherwise, people really do die."
Kaito lectured Mine like an experienced elder.
Perhaps because he had spent too long as a teacher, Kaito had gradually developed the habit of lecturing people whenever he had the chance.
"You probably don't know which faction we belong to, do you?" Leone asked seriously after confirming Mine was unharmed.
"I do know. The Revolutionary Army, right? Following them has no future."
"Your final outcome will only be this: once you've served your purpose, you'll be discarded."
Kaito spoke confidently as if he had already seen the ending.
"Impossible!"
"T-This..."
Unlike the somewhat naive Mine and the naturally air-headed Sheele, the others had witnessed the darkness of reality.
What Kaito said was entirely possible.
But in a world where people could only choose the lesser evil, the Revolutionary Army was already the best option available to them.
As for what would happen after the revolution succeeded?
They did not even know whether they could overthrow the Empire in the first place, so how could they worry about the future afterward?
"We are assassins fighting for the sake of the entire nation. The future doesn't matter. As long as the Empire can be overthrown, I can sacrifice my life at any time," Bulat declared seriously while refuting Kaito.
"Heh heh, just because you want to die doesn't mean everyone else wants to die. Isn't that right, little girl Mine?" Kaito looked toward Mine, whose expression had darkened after hearing his words...