Ch 299: Make it loud.

Babara smiled at her own appearance reflected in the small hand mirror. Her purple eyes, inviting lips, and long blonde hair. Most importantly, her perfect, flawless skin, unmarked by age and wrinkles.

It was… intoxicating. Pocketing the mirror and humming a song, she reflected that she should be careful not to develop a narcissistic tendency over her appearance and resumed her travel. She was so close now.

Less than an hour later, she met the first traps. She deliberately triggered one that would alert the Oarburgh family to her presence but passed by the others like a ghost.

As expected, the response arrived promptly, in the form of an old but fit butler with white hair and mustache, and two little girls with the same gray eyes and cyan hair, styled in a short ponytail for one, short pigtails for the other.

They had jumped from the top of one of the nearby ruin, and landed twenty meters from her.

"An intruder. Have you come to play with us?" Asked Loris, taking a long kitchen knife from her back.

Meela also had her knife in hand, but she was frowning. Babara's face was making her pause.

"We can play later if you want, Loris." chuckled Babara. "For now, I must talk to Mera."

She turned to the butler, Daniel, whose expression displayed most unusual shock. And more than a little bit of anger under it.

"I hope you have a good reason for having chosen this particular disguise, Cheslea."

"Eheh." chuckled Babara. "Of course, this is the conclusion you would reach. I would have reacted the same way. But you are wrong, Daniel. Should I prove it to you with a good spar?"

She drew her two kitchen knives and twirled them around her fingers in a gesture that was something of a habit, and Daniel's eyes widened.

"What did I gift you for your twentieth birthday?"

"Four very rare herbs, to be turned into extremely potent poison. Then you confessed your love to me. I turned you down, but you confessed three more times in my following three birthdays before you gave up." gently smiled Babara.

"Are you really Grandma Babara? But…" asked Meela, completely confused.

"…How?" asked Daniel, his voice thick with emotion.

"Careful, Daniel. I taught you to keep your emotion in check, or they would get you killed." reminded Babara. "Before I explain, bring me to Mera. I do not want to have to explain several times, and I want to see her face!"

Without waiting for their approval, she walked forward. Knowing Mera, she would be standing on top of the tallest ruin, likely drinking tea while staring at the monster-infested forest.

Or she would be in bed with one of the girls… Possibly more than one.

"Before you ask, Taeko and Chelsea are fine. It took me a while to find you. Why did Mera decide to come to those ruins?" asked Babara as Daniel and the twins followed her.

She nodded in approval as she watched back and saw that the twins still had their weapons drawn and were ready to act instantly. She would have scolded them severely later if they had dropped their vigilance with just this much. Daniel wasn't armed, but his specialty was unarmed combat to begin with.

"We accepted a mission in the vicinity, and Madam Mera was bored." replied Daniel.

"More like she had run out of pretty girls to seduce around our headquarters, I suspect." chuckled Babara. "And with the news I bring, I expect that she will want to relocate in a hurry."

"Have you heard about an impending attack, Grandma?" asked Loris with an eager expression.

"No. It's something different." smiled Babara. "We have a once in a lifetime opportunity, although it will need to be handled very carefully."

As expected, she found Merraid Oarburgh, the Head of the Oarburgh family, on a rooftop. She was having lunch, sitting on a padded chair beside a small table, in a position that gave her a good view of the forest… and the still warm corpses of several massive Danger Beasts, as big as small buildings.

If Mera's appearance had become known by the public at large, she would without a doubt be considered one of the Empire's most beautiful women. Her long, lustrous black hair and purple eyes would mesmerize most people, as well as her soft yet toned legs were her most appealing features. Her only flaw, at least as far as Mera herself saw herself, were her average breasts.

Standing beside her were her two favorite maids and lovers, Gilberta and Cassandra, who saw her and stared at her. Gilberta had long blonde hair and green eyes, and was fiercely loyal to Mera. Mera had taken her in after Gilberta was abandoned by her family due to her superhuman strength. Considering the states of the corpses behind the building, looking like bombs had exploded inside them, she suspected that they had met their demise at the end of Gilberta's fists.

Cassandra had been found in a circus, due to being born with four fully functional arms. After experiencing ridicule and hostility all her life, Mera had showered her with her love. As a result, Cassandra, too, was ready to lay down her life for Mera's sake.

Mera had collected dozens more women over the years, making them all her maids and training them to what she considered an acceptable standard (which basically meant making them able to fight against a dozen armed soldiers and defeat them unscathed), but they were usually away on various missions.

"Welcome back, Babara." said Mera with a pleasant voice without turning to her. "Will you join me for lunch? The hearts of those manticores really are as tender as the rumors say. the meat is almost melting on my tongue."

"As long as you cook it first. One of these days, all that raw meat will cause you to get a stomach worm or something nastier." grinned Babara. "Long time no see, Gil, Dora. Have you girls been well? Mera isn't working you too hard, right?"

Hearing the younger timbre of Babara's voice, Mera turned, and Babara chuckled at the momentary shock in her expression.

"…Chelsea? No... Explain."

"Chelsea and Taeko are temporarily training with the members of Night Raid. They are both well, as far as I am aware." said Babara as she took a chair on the side and brought it to the table before sitting on it, and she put on the table the two wanted posters in her possession. Mera looked at them with an appreciative gaze.

"Those posters do not do those girls justice, Mera." smiled Babara, knowing exactly what king of thoughts Mera was having. "They are really one-in-ten-thousand beauties, and there are two more equally beautiful young women who escaped the Empire's notice."

"Oh?"

"The mission against the Elite Seven took a strange turn. When the members of Night Raid and we arrived on site, the seven members of the Elite Seven, as well as their leader, one of the Rakshasa Demons, were losing, and losing badly. From what I have seen, the imperials were good, two of them almost reaching Taeko's level, and yet, those four women were handling them like they were just unruly children. The Rakshasa Demon was cut into pieces despite his nearest opponent being about fifteen meters away…"

Babara started a detailed report on what she had seen about the fight that night, including the techniques and abilities used by everyone. Then she told her about the discussion that had followed, about the Demonic Pillars and the Gods, about the miraculous medicine, and the agreement that resulted in Taeko and Chelsea remaining behind.

Thanks to her training as an assassin, Babara had memorized every single word and nuance of her discussion with Miwa, Darkness and the others, and she relayed them perfectly in her tale.

"I would ask you if you thought they told you the truth, but seeing you so young again… It's incredible."

"Right?" chuckled Babara. "It is only when after I became like this that I realized how much I had lost as age crept in."

"…I must meet those women." decided Mera.

"Of course." smiled Babara, not having expected any different outcome. "But I must warn you, Mera. Do not use hypnosis or manipulation with those. From what those girls told me, the gods will likely let it go if their agents decide to leave their service out of their own free will, but if you do something shady, this may trigger a response we cannot afford."

"Of course." smiled Mera. "But I am confident that I can win their hearts. I will show them what true love really is."

Mera had shared her love with many, many girls over the last ten years, and only one had ever resisted her best efforts.

Esdeath.

The two of them had met during a tournament, and they fought each other, developing a mutual respect for their respective strengths. Later that day, Mera and Esdeath had shared a meal, and Mera had tried to push Esdeath down, only to be repelled by Esdeath who only pursued strength and the infliction of pain, and was uninterested in romance. After another short but intense fight, Mera apologized, and they had parted aways on friendly terms.

"Eheh, Gil is going to be NTRed again." chuckled Cassandra, poking Gilberta with one of her elbows.

"Madam Mera is so cruel!" complained Gilberta. But her face only showed arousal.

"Let's pack up, everyone." smiled Mera. "I want us to be on our way to the Revolutionary Army within half an hour.

…

"Where is that magic eye?" suspiciously asked Akame as she squinted at the tie clip.

Today was her turn to get out of the 'Sanctuary', and she looked forward to feeling the wind on her face again, to walk among real trees.

"See that tiny hole covered by a glass cover?" asked Miwa as she pointed at one part of the clip, and Akame nodded. "That's it, and this isn't magic. This is simply advanced technology. Just like those boats using steam engines aren't magic."

"But this place isn't using technology." frowned Akame as she looked back at the house.

"No. The Sanctuary is actual magic." smiled Miwa. "Once you agree to join us, we will teach you how to use it."

Akame didn't bother repeating once again that it wouldn't happen and fixed the clip on her red tie. In truth, she wasn't certain anymore. Five days of watching people from many different villages showing near universal wariness or hidden resentment toward the Empire had already stretched her beliefs near the rupture point.

"Today is a bit special, however." said Bulat. "This afternoon, we'll reach our temporary residence, and Najenda will be waiting for us. You'll have the opportunity to ask her many questions, Akame."

Akame nodded. She wanted to talk with some of the nearby town's inhabitants, to confirm with her own eyes that what she was seeing on the 'television' truly was real, although her discussions with her companions in the cells downstairs every night left little room to doubt anymore. Even Tsukushi and Cornelia, who had been the most attached to Gozuki, were finding it difficult to keep denying it.

But she also wanted to learn more about the Revolutionary Army's goals beyond seizing the capital. Would they really attempt to make things better for the people? Or would they be replacing one tyrant with another?

"Alright, everyone's ready." nodded Miwa.

Akame looked at her companions, and they exchanged a nod. An instant later, she was in a forest, along with Miwa, Nero, Bulat and Chelsea.

"The road is three minutes in that direction." said Miwa as she pointed toward the east. "See you later, Nero."

"Umu!" smiled Nero as they walked away. She would guard the Sanctuary in their absence and move it if necessary.

As they grew near the tree line, Akame decided to ask about something that had been on her mind for a while.

"Miwa. If you and your friends ever come across another group of imperial assassins… Will you try to kill them, or capture them?"

Miwa turned her head to look at her and smiled.

"Are you perhaps worried that we would kill Kurome?"

Akame froze, her mouth wide open.

"H-How do you know about her?"

"Noah told us a bit about you and your little sister." smiled Miwa. "Don't worry, we intend to capture Kurome. Not, let me rephrase it. We intend to save her. And since we don't want her to hate us any more than necessary, we'll avoid killing any of her companions as well."

"Save her?" asked Akame as she resumed her walk.

"Yes. We may still disagree about whether Gozuki was a good person or not, but from what Noah told us, the members of that second assassination group your sister is part of are treated far worse that you guys have been. First, they have been intensely brainwashed into thinking that they should never betray the Empire. Convincing you guys is already hard as it is. You don't need me to remind you how stubborn you guys are."

"With Kurome and her friends, I'm not sure if our current method will be enough. But we'll still give it a try before we resort to countering their brainwashing by a brainwashing of our own."

Akame winced at the idea.

"What kind of brainwashing would you do?"

"…I think I'll stay silent on the particulars, but what you're imagining right now is likely worse. If we have to resort to that, by the time we are done, Kurome will still be herself. Her relationship with you and her friends will be unchanged. She will simply have become more loyal to Noah than to the Empire. She will be happy."

"When the time comes, I'll count on you to help us and try to convince her, Akame, so that using those methods won't be necessary."

Akame could only nod. Even if she wasn't yet convinced that their version of events was the right one, she would do anything to spare her sister.

"Still, the brainwashing isn't what I was talking about when I said we want to save her. All the members of that group have been given drugs meant to increase their combat power."

"Ah? Those combat drugs?" exclaimed Chelsea.

"You know about it?" asked Miwa.

"Yes. But the Oarburgh family despise those drugs, and their use is forbidden."

"Why?" asked Akame to Chelsea. "Shouldn't you use every means at your disposal to complete your mission?"

Chelsea and Bulat looked at Akame with sympathy.

"Once you start using those drugs, you have to keep taking them every day or you'll have terrible withdrawal symptoms." said Bulat. "And worse, those drugs mess up your insides. You'll die within five to ten years."

"This fits with what Noah told us, yes." nodded Miwa. "Don't worry, Akame. Once we get our hands on your sister and her friends, we'll cure them and completely fix the damage those drugs have done. It will be as if they had never started taking them."

"As for the third reason I said we need to save her, it is simple. Whenever a member of that group is severely injured to the point that their careers as assassins is over, they do not get to retire as the other members of that group are led to believe. Because they know too much."

"Instead, the scientist leading that group injects them with a lethal drug. At least, this one kills them quickly. A quick and relatively painless death is that madman's notion of rewarding them for their service to the Empire."

Akame had become pale. She guessed that the Empire would send more Assassination groups after them. They wouldn't take the disappearance of the Elite Seven lying down, especially after seeing Gozuki's remains.

"Don't worry, Akame." shrugged Miwa. "We'll save your sister, one way or another. You and Kurome will live long lives together, I guarantee it."

Akame knew that Miwa couldn't actually guarantee such a thing, but the absolute confidence in her voice still felt reassuring, and she nodded.

"As for the rest of your original question, if other groups of assassins attack us… Maybe we'll make the effort of capturing a few, if we think they have redeeming qualities or that they aren't aware of the Empire's true nature, but otherwise, we'll just kill them."

"I see."

"So, who do you want to talk to first, Akame?" asked Miwa as she looked at the town in front of them.

"…The innkeepers and bartenders. They should be the best sources of information."

"They usually are." nodded Bulat. "They hear traveling merchants talk among themselves, and merchants follow an honor code to share information, as long as it doesn't directly impact the products that they specialize in."

The four of them entered the town, talked to the guards for a minute to enquire about inns, and headed for the square. As they did, Akame frowned as she noticed that the guards had stared hard at her at for a few seconds, then completely ignored her and kept their eyes on Bulat, Chelsea and Miwa.

After entering the town, they quickly found the first of the three inns they planned to visit. Akame was hoping she would be able to order something to eat as they talked.

But as they reached the inn, she glanced at the nearby signboard used to inform the population living in the area about official proclamations and found two dozen posters. A third were announcement, while the rest were bounties, and…

She paled and froze as she recognized her own portrait, name and description, along with those of her six companions.

"Oh." said Miwa, stopping beside her. "That's… troublesome."

"Why are they putting bounties on us?" asked Akame, reading the description on her bounty.

"Akame. Medium height and build, black hair, red eyes. Spy, Murderer, Traitor. Wanted dead or alive."

"The Empire may be assuming that you guys have turned against Gozuki. They found his body, but none of yours, and very few bloodstains, I think, judging by how the fight went. Not enough blood for a real life and death fight involving at least a dozen individuals."

Akame nodded, but she felt numb. If she and her companions were considered traitors, what would happen to them even if they could free themselves from Miwa and the others? Would the Empire take them back?

…No. The Empire would consider them a risk, unable to decide if they really had been captured and held captives, or were returning as spies... Most likely, they would be considered a liability and killed.

That also explained the guards' behavior at the town's gate. They had recognized her, but decided not to confront her.

"Let's get inside, before we attract attention on ourselves by just standing there." suggested Bulat, and they nodded.

"Welcome, everyone." exclaimed the innkeeper as soon as they entered, a jovial middle-aged man with some beer guts. He suddenly froze as he saw them, but his eyes weren't fixed on Akame.

"Sir Bulat! it is so nice to see you!"

"…Ah! I recognize you!" replied Bulat. "The father of that poor girl that was… but weren't you living in that village south of here? Or am I remembering incorrectly? And I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name."

"I do not mind." nodded the innkeeper. "I am Bertan. I moved here a year after… but let's not talk here, please follow me in the back room."

Akame glanced at Bulat as they followed the innkeeper, and he shrugged.

"We regularly take action on behalf of those who have been victimized by criminals. One imperial officer had his way with his daughter while she was trying to clean his room. We verified the information. Leone heard him brag about it in a bar to his fellow soldiers. So, we killed him, as well as the soldiers who praised him for it."

"I see. Do you always verify the claims before you act?" asked Miwa.

"Of course. Occasionally, some people try to use us to settle scores, or free some seats they want to occupy. That's why we always need to make sure."

Bertan nodded with a smile, and took a good look at Miwa and Akame. "I have seen your bounties as well. You must have done something significant to piss off the empire. Do you want drinks or food? It's on me."

"I think Akame wouldn't say no to a second breakfast, and I wouldn't mind a small beer." grinned Bulat.

Akame nodded.

"Beer for me too, please." smiled Chelsea.

"I'd like a cup of water, please." nodded Miwa. "We mostly came for information."

"I'll be back in a few minutes with your orders and lock the door, and we can chat." nodded Bertan before leaving the room.

"No, we didn't arrange for this man to be there." smiled Miwa, anticipating Akame's objection.

"I wasn't suggesting it." replied Akame defensively.

She took a seat and sighed. "…I do not think you guys are lying."

"Progress!" cheered Miwa, taking the seat facing her.

"That doesn't mean I agree to join you. I am only acknowledging that there are bad people in the Imperial army, and that not everything Night Raid did was unjustified."

"Yes… Akame, have you met the members of that second group your sister is part of? How many of them should we expect to join you guys in the basement?"

"I never met them, and I haven't seen Kurome since we were separated." replied Kurome.

"I understand… Hopefully, by the time we meet them, you and your six companions will have become more than prisoners."

After a few minutes, Bertan returned, holding a tray, and put in front of Akame a large plate filled with eggs, sausages, crispy bacon and oats. He also gave Miwa, Cheslea and Bulat the drinks they had requested, then sat down.

"What do you wish to know?" asked Bertan.

"First, what are the latest news about the empire?" asked Bulat.

For a few minutes, Bertan spoke about things they had already heard from other people the previous days, and a few others that Akame didn't think were relevant to her quandary. Until Bertan mentioned something really new.

"… And the barbarian invasion on the northern border has been stopped. More like crushed, according to the merchant who told me about it. They say General Esdeath and some of her troops are going to return to the capital."

"She's bad news." frowned Bulat.

Akame had heard things about Esdeath. She had never known defeat, even when vastly outnumbered. Many assassins had tried to kill her, only to be brutally killed, or worse, taken alive to suffer a prolonged and agonizing death.

"Even the Oarburgh family won't accept any contract against Esdeath, or a target she is protecting." nodded Chelsea. "The Prime Minister would be long dead if not for her."

"Even when she is far away from the Prime Minister?" asked Akame.

"Killing that fat pig wouldn't be that hard when she isn't there, but Esdeath would pursue the responsible party to the ends of the world. She wants a justification to fight strong opponents." shrugged Bulat. "And if she wound up directly controlling the Empire…"

"That wouldn't be a great outcome." nodded Miwa. "Are there any other news about the Empire, the army's movements, or the Revolutionary Army?"

"I am not in contact with the Revolutionary Army. As for anything that might be useful to you or them… I can't think of anything to add… wait, there's one thing. Three days ago, I heard some whispers about the neighboring town, and the young Countess, Aria Zenith. Rumors that imply that some shady things might be happening over at the Zenith estate. But I don't know if they are true."

"What rumors?"

"It seems that the Countess is often seen inviting young men and women who stop in the town on their way to the capital. The Countess invites them to spend a night in her estate before their go on their way… The town's people where happy to have such a caring Countess. But the thing is, while she was seen bringing vagrants to her home many times, no one has seen those vagrants leave the next day, and people are starting to notice."

"We'll investigate this right away." said Miwa, standing. "You're fine with it, Akame?"

"Of course." said Akame. She looked down at her still half-full plate with a look of regret, and Bertan laughed.

"I'll give you a piece of bread. You can put your breakfast inside and eat it on the way."

…

"The guards have recognized me." said Akame as soon as they left the town, her stuffed bread already eaten.

"Yes, they did." smiled Bulat.

"Shouldn't we retreat before they call for reinforcements?" asked Akame, confused.

"They are the town's guard, not the Army." shrugged Bulat. "As long as we don't cause trouble, they will leave us alone.

"But the bounties…" protested Akame, and Bulat chuckled.

"Akame, let's assume for a moment that one of the guards or people from the town reports us for the bounty. What do you think will happen next?"

"Well, they will get the bounty. It's a pretty sizable one, too. They could live in luxury for a year or two."

"Or more likely, they will get killed, or framed and thrown in jail, and the Army soldiers will keep the money for themselves." said Cheslea.

Akame frowned. Now that Chelsea had pointed it out, she could see it happening.

"Even if they don't, and the informant receives the money and walks away, they will gain the animosity of just about everyone who silently supports us." said Bulat. "They will have to sleep with an open eye, and with the public security being what is it, the possibility of being robbed is fairly high… And if that doesn't happen, the agents of the Revolutionary Army are going to be hunting them, to set an example."

"In another nation, a less corrupt one, those posters would have been a real threat." continued Bulat. "But in the Empire, they have the opposite effect. People speak more freely with us when they know we fight for their sake."

"I understand…" nodded Akame. "But isn't that going to be a problem, if the Empire put bounties on their own spies to make people think they are speaking to members of the Revolutionary Army?"

"You're right." nodded Bulat. "And we had worried about that possibility when we saw Miwa's and Darkness's bounties popping out of nowhere. At least until we heard about a bunch of nobles and important figures being found dead. Thankfully, it seems the Empire hasn't gotten that idea yet."

Akame nodded again.

"Should we regroup with Okita first before starting this investigation?"

"She's already on her way."

"How?" frowned Akame. "I know they listened to our discussion, but I haven't seen you receive a message from Okita."

"With magic." smiled Miwa. "Nero and I share a special bond, and we can speak to each other without needing any tool. She came out of the Sanctuary to tell Okita about our intentions, and Okita is on the move."

"I'm already here, actually." came Okita's voice behind her, and Akame almost jumped out of her skin, her hand grasping for her missing sword by reflex. Nero was beside her and grinned at her reaction.

"You can even become invisible?" exclaimed Bulat with a raised eyebrow, trying to locate Okita.

"I can. Take the Sanctuary, Miwa. I'll go ahead and investigate that estate."

Miwa extended her hand, and she felt the weight of the artifact before it became visible.

"I would wish you luck, but you don't need it, Okita." smiled Miwa as the pocketed the Sanctuary.

"You're right, I don't. See you later." replied Okita. Akame still couldn't see her, but she could hear the smile and confidence in her voice.

It was almost two hours later, when they were about to reach the large town under the influence of the Zenith family, that Akame heard Okita's voice again.

"We need to find a back alley to discuss what to do. The rumors are confirmed. One victim is still alive, but she's in bad shape."

Miwa nodded, and they increased their pace, their expressions grim.

Akame saw the guards at the gate squint at her before ignoring her.

She walked deeper into the town before finding a side street, then a narrow back alley, and Okita became visible once again. And her eyes were so cold…

Seeing her expression, even Akame, who was used to killing, gulped.

"I started by searching the main building, but there were no obvious signs pointing to criminal acts." said Okita with cold fury in her voice. "Then I found, this."

In Okita's left hand was a thick journal with a brown leather cover.

"What is it?" asked Miwa, taking the book and opening it.

"A diary of what they did to their victims. The daughter, the father, the mother, all three of them are monsters. After reading a few excepts, I moved to the small stone cabin with a steel door in the back garden. The room inside is underground and much larger than the exterior suggests, and it's a torture room. I counted twelve mutilated bodies, and one girl who is still alive, but missing her right leg."

"Those bastards." hissed Chelsea.

Miwa nodded, and Nero suddenly appeared beside them.

"Okita, please lead us to the estate, then go ahead to the back garden and insure the girl's safety. I want to enter by the front door, and make it loud. I do not want any of them to escape."

"Understood…" nodded Okita, before hesitating. "…about the daughter, do we give her the Bad Girl treatment, like that nazi?"

"…Do you think she qualifies?"

"Yes. She's old enough."

"…We'll let the girl we're about to save decide. I will explain to her in detail what this entails, and she'll make the decision." said Miwa.

"Umu. We'll capture her for now." nodded Nero.

"Let's go, then." suggested Miwa, and Okita took the lead.

"What is this Bad Girl treatment?" asked Chelsea.

"You don't want to know the detail. Let's just say that if the girl decides in favor of this, instead of a painful but quick death, the countess's daughter will experience relentless humiliation and eternal servitude."

"I'm not sure I approve." frowned Cheslea.

"Your approval isn't required." curtly said Nero. She had caught a glimpse of the diary's content, reading the words of a person clearly enjoying herself as she wrote about screams and pincers, and was in a murderous mood as well.

Chelsea wisely kept silent, even if she didn't appreciate Nero's words. She sighed, thinking that Nero wasn't wrong. She wasn't involved in this matter.

"Bulat, Chelsea, Akame, I won't mind if you do not want to follow us, you know? Maybe you don't want the public to make the connection between what is going to happen and you guys."

"It's fine." shrugged Bulat. "I'd have preferred for it to happen at night. Less risk of getting innocent people involved and killed by mistake. Those guards will have rifles after all, and bullets can miss and hit someone else. Still, if you don't kill the daughter, you're going to put her into the sanctuary, right? It'll be a problem if the public starts thinking we are in the kidnapping business."

"Of course." nodded Miwa.

They came into view of the Zenith estate, a large mansion in the middle of a big garden. The front entrance to the garden was guarded by two men armed with rifles. The guards saw them approaching and stiffened as they felt the hostility none of them was trying to hide.

"Nero." simply said Miwa before they could point their rifles at them.

"Umu!" said Nero as she used Shunpo, appearing between the two guards and decapitating the one on her left. The other one flinched and tried to aim at her but was bisected at the waist by Nero's return slash. Nero's third slash was directed at the gate, and she destroyed its lock. She kicked it open and waited for Miwa and the others.

Akame glanced at the dying soldier as they passed him by. He was more concerned with trying to gather his spilled guts than his rifle, but she still kicked it away, just in case.

There was a commotion at the mansion's entrance, with two more guards having noticed the estate's doors being kicked in by a woman holding a red sword, its blade dripping with blood. They screamed in alarm and opened fire with their rifles, before two light swords piercing their throats silenced them forever.

It took less than thirty seconds to locate and kill the count and his wife, twelve more guards, and subdue the daughter, an eighteen or so girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in an elegant white and blue outfit. Miwa shackled her hands behind her back, ignoring her screams, and dragged her with them as they headed for small stone building on the back, looking barely larger than a shed. Anyone would assume it to be a space for storing gardening tools.

The steel door had been slashed open, and Akame's stomach revulsed as she took a good look inside.

This, was Hell.

The door gave access to a wooden ladder reaching the real floor of the room, about six meters under ground level. A room about fifteen meters wide and twenty meters long, filled with torture implements.

And mutilated corpses.

A shelf full of glass jars, each of them containing a severed head and filled with fluid. Chains dangling from the ceiling, half of them ending with butcher hooks. Several large cages. A rack. A chair with metal spikes.

Akame forced herself to ignore the details and focus on the sobbing, naked girl with long black hair in Okita's arms.

"Bring her here, Okita. Good job." said Miwa with a tightly controlled voice.

Okita nodded and reached them in a single jump. She and the girl disappeared inside the sanctuary, where Darkness was waiting to provide healing.

"We're done here." sighed Miwa after the daughter also disappeared inside the sanctuary.

"Are we going to do something about the corpses?" asked Chelsea.

"We'll inform the town's citizens and pay them to bury them." said Miwa, turning away.

When they returned to the estate's entrance, a few people were hiding in the side-streets. Miwa gestured to one of them, asking him to come closer. After a short hesitation, the man approached.

"We have visited justice upon the criminals of the Zenith family." declared Miwa loudly, making sure more of the people hiding heard her clearly. "You will find evidence of their crimes in their back garden."

She took a pouch full of silver coins and gave it to the man. "And this money is to be shared between the people who will bury the bodies."

The man nodded numbly and some people, understanding that they weren't in danger, also gathered closer, and Miwa and the others walked away.

…

It was slightly past noon when Miwa and the others left the road and entered the Sanctuary again.

"Welcome back, Miwa-sama." said Fal.

"Thank you. Are you okay? Your face is pale."

"We saw part of that torture room, in the television… and that poor girl..."

"I see" sighed Miwa before turning to the other members of the Elite seven, as well as Darkness. Gai, Green, Poney and the others were kept shackled whenever they were out of their cells, with at least two Agents and the other members of Night Raid and Oarburgh keeping an eye on them at all times. Well, most of the time, since only Darkness had remained inside this time.

"I healed Sayo." said Darkness. "She's in one of the rooms upstairs with Okita."

"Thank you. I'll go check on her." nodded Miwa, walking toward the house.

Akame and Chelsea remained behind to discuss the morning's event with their friends.

Miwa knocked on doors until she got an answer, and entered, finding Okita with an arm around Sayo's shoulders. The girls was now wearing a long black skirt and white shirt.

"Your name is Sayo, right?" said Miwa with a gentle voice as she sat near them. "I am Miwa. Miwa Kasumi. It's nice to meet you, even if the circumstances are anything but."

"Y-Yes, thank you so much, for saving me." said Sayo in a shaky voice.

"You will be safe from now on, Sayo. I promise you that. You can choose a room in this house, and we'll provide you with food and clothes. There are three other girls that we saved from perverts as well, and they live here to. You may have caught a glimpse of them outside."

"What do you want, in return?" asked Sayo.

Miwa blinked at this question for a moment, before she understood. Sayo had believed the sweet words of those people, and suffered terribly for it. She probably didn't trust in people's goodwill anymore, and Miwa couldn't blame her for it. If Miwa wanted for Sayo to trust them, she should show some self-interest.

"We want your loyalty. In return for saving you and providing for you, you will serve us as a maid and disciple for three years. During that time, we will teach you how to defend yourself, and we will not require you to do anything violent or that would harm others. After your service is over, you will have the choice to leave with some money or renew your contract."

Sayo's eyes glazed over as she mulled it for a few seconds, then she stared at both Okita and Miwa.

"It's a good offer, Sayo." nodded Okita with a smile. "You have seen how powerful I am.  If you agree, I promise you that three years from now, you will easily be able to emulate me."

Sayo contemplated for a few more seconds, then nodded.

"Good. Welcome to our family, Sayo. Now, there is another thing we must discuss, and I want your opinion on it. It is about the daughter of the Zenith family."

Sayo's face instantly contorted in mixed fear and anger.

"We haven't killed her yet. We have three options to deal with her, Sayo. I can kill her. I can let you kill her, if you want to do it yourself. Or, if you think a quick death is not adequate compensation for her crimes, we can let her live, but not as a human. One way or another, her life as a human is over. We can let her live as an animal, or as a thing, and force her to work to repay the evil she has done."

"Which option would you prefer?"

"Treat her, as an animal?" asked Sayo, and Miwa nodded. Sayo slowly lowered her head and touched her long black hair.

"…She called me and my friend livestock. She said that she could do anything she wanted to us, because we were just peasants and livestock… She was jealous of my hair, because hers aren't as straight and easy to comb." Sayo's voice broke near the end, and she looked up at Miwa with eyes full of sorrow and fury.

"If you make her an animal, will you let me punish her? Please, I need it. Even just once."

Miwa nodded. "Yes. We can let you participate in her reformation. But within limits. We do not want you to indulge in revenge so much that you would lose yourself in it and start to become a sadist like her. As far as violence goes, we will at most let you whip her, and we believe in humiliation as a reforming tool more than physical pain. Would you like to have her crawling at your feet, and beg to lick your boots? To use her body as a seat? She will be kept bound at all times, and one of us will be there to keep an eye on things."

"yes, please! I want revenge, and killing her is too easy." said Sayo.

Miwa nodded. "Do you feel up to going outside? I don't think you have been properly introduced to the people outside. But it's fine if you need some more time."

"I'd like a bit more time to calm my nerves, please."

"Yes. How about I ask the three girls I mentioned to visit you in a while? They have experienced some of what you did."

Sayo nodded, and Okita stood.

"I'll give you some time as well. But I'll come back if you need me. Just ask anyone. You only have friends here."

"…Only friends? Some of the people outside were shackled." remarqued Sayo.

"Yes. It's complicated. They are enemies we captured, but they aren't bad people. They believed they were working for the sake of the Empire's citizens, but their good intentions were exploited. Even if we haven't yet convinced them that what they were manipulated by evil men, they still see you and other victims of abuse as the people they want to protect."

Once out of the room, Okita sent a strange look at Miwa.

"Why did you decide to make it loud? We could easily have infiltrated the estate, killed them, and disappeared without so many people seeing our faces. Was it to make the imperials believe Akame is one of us and corner her?"

"We need to leave breadcrumbs behind us, if we want Kurome's group to find us. I didn't think about how it might impact Akame until we were on our way." shrugged Miwa.

"I see." nodded Okita.

…

In the end, they all ate lunch together, then Akame, Miwa, Chelsea, Okita, Bulat and Leone came out and headed toward the village where Najenda was waiting for them. They reached it shortly after the sun had set on the horizon. The hideout was a large house in the middle of a sizable patch of land, surrounded by 2.5 meters tall stone walls for privacy. Bulat was the first to enter and call out for Najenda.

"Over there." replied Najenda.

She was in the back garden, where a campfire was burning. Najenda was grilling some meat.

"Welcome back" grinned Najenda as she nodded to Bulat and Leone, then smiled at the others. "Your message told me you were bringing friends, but I don't see the one named Darkness. I hope nothing bad happened to her."

"A pleasure to meet you, Najenda." said Miwa with a polite bow. "I am Miwa Kasumi. Darkness is very close, but she's busy keeping an eye on our 'guests'."

"Guests?"

"Eheh." laughed Leone. "Najenda, you allowed us to invite Miwa and Darkness if we judged they would be a good fit, but we may have gotten way more than we bargained for!"

"Ahem." said Miwa with a fake cough. "Cheslea told us you already met her. This is Okita Souji, the greatest swordmaster I know of, and Akame, of the Elite Seven."

"Elite Seven?" asked Najenda with a raised eyebrow after Okita and Akame both nodded to her. "It seems your message was very incomplete, Bulat. You wrote that the Elite Seven had been defeated, and I saw the poster, but… Are the other Elite Seven the 'guests' you mentioned?"

"I'll admit I wanted to see your face when you heard about this." grinned Bulat. "Yes, all of the Elite Seven were captured."

"Ahem." said Miwa again, taking the Sanctuary from her spatial ring. "Maybe it would be better if we continued this conversation with the others being present, since they are listening but cannot talk."

Bulat and Leone nodded.

Seconds later, Okita was the only one near the campfire. She gently set the Sanctuary on the ground beside her, sat on the thick wooden log near the fire, and decided to help herself with the grilled meat. If Najenda objected, she could always ask Darkness to make her some food.

…

"…I am going to join them." decided Akame.

She braced herself, expecting her companions to be shocked and furious. To be labeled a traitor. But the reactions she received were both better, and worse.

Poney glanced at her, then sighed. Tsukushi and Cornelia had turned away from her. Gai, Green and Najasho just stared at her.

"They are the ones who killed our father, Akame." finally said Cornelia. "Even if they are right about the Empire, even if Najenda is honest about everything she told us, I can't forgive them that easily."

Poney and Tsukushi both nodded.

"I understand." nodded Akame sadly. She had always been a little more distant with Gozuki, mainly because she remembered that he had been the one to separate her from Kurome. But he had treated her well, and she still had a hard time thinking of him as the monster Miwa had described.

"…Akame is right." said Green, surprising everyone. "This isn't just about us, and we do not have to like them to cooperate with them. The people of the Empire need us, and we are useless if we just sit there."

"Even after seeing… this? Good people do not keep torture devices in their basement." said Najasho, pointing toward the other part of the basement that had been hastily converted into a torture room. If Akame pressed her face close to the bars of the cell and looked over there, she would be able to catch a glimpse of Aria Zenith. The sadistic girl was covered from the top of her head to the tip of her toes by a strange black, shiny material that clung to her body like a second skin, but also wore a black leather hood without holes for the eyes or mouth, a corset, and boots forcing her to walk on her toes. Not that she was doing any walking, as many leather straps kept her firmly seated on a stout wooden chair.

The girl had grunted, screamed and struggled a lot at first, but she had tired herself out and was now passively waiting.

"I would have killed her directly." shrugged Akame. "But even their torture tools seem… almost comfortable. This dungeon doesn't have anything with spikes or blades on it, and most of the torture devices are padded. Does that even count as torture?"

"Are you going to join them as well, Green?" asked Gai.

"Probably." sighed Green. "Think about it, Gai. For the past week and setting aside this encounter with the Zenith family that was entirely due to chance, they have done nothing except accompany us while we talked to citizens. Before they captured us, they were busy killing criminals in the streets of the capital and dealing with corrupt people. Which begs the question: How many criminals would have been dealt with by now, if we were helping them instead of holding them back?"

"But they could be manipulating us, we don't know if those villagers aren't sympathizers from the…" started Cora, before being cut off by Green.

"Oh come on, Cora… We've seen too much to still cling to this explanation."

Cora really wanted to protest, but the words didn't come out. Deep inside, she knew. When it had been her turn out of the sanctuary, she has observed the people she talked to very carefully, and deliberately chosen people at random, a woman busy washing her clothes by the river, a pair of kids playing with a ball, and so on…

And she hadn't found any sign of duplicity. Only the same wariness towards the Empire.

Cora sighed and lowered her head, resting her forehead against her knees.

"I know it's painful it is to admit that we have been used to kill decent people. Maybe Gozuki was lied to as well." said Green with a gentler tone. "But what Najenda told us about the Revolutionary Army's plans for the future… she has convinced me."

Cornelia didn't reply.

"…I still hate Miwa." slowly said Poney, breaking the heavy silence and looking at her companions in turn. "I don't know if I will ever forgive her. But Father asked us to help the people. He made it our only purpose. He trained us for it. If we do not do it, it will be like we killed him a second time. I will join them too, as long as they keep making sure those they go after deserve it."

Akame and Poney shared a glance, and they nodded at each other.