Chapter 128: The Two Who Were Eliminated
Such an inconsequential condition gave Bill no reason to refuse.
And the elite squad was spared from having to inject that uncertain-potency Enhancement Drug.
It was a win-win situation for everyone.
Still, Bill had some concerns.
The four members of the Enhancement Unit were of mixed quality.
For example, that foolish idiot No. 32—despite repeated practice executions, she still needed over a dozen slashes to finish off prisoners, practically torturing them!
This would be fatal in actual combat!
And while Kurome performed excellently, she was sisters with the elite squad's Akame. Gozuki had once said training sisters together could backfire.
But it didn't matter—there were always drugs to control them.
The next day, under the blazing sun.
After briefing Seryu on her upcoming duties, Mahiro leisurely led the Enhancement Unit to the assembly point.
At the gathering spot, everyone had already arrived.
"Kurome!"
"Sister!"
The moment they met, Akame and Kurome embraced tightly, weeping tears of joy.
Three years—a full three years apart—they had endless words to share with each other.
"How touching, a sisterly reunion. But during the upcoming training, you two better work hard. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what might happen."
Just as everyone was moved and the sisters were immersed in their joyful reunion, Mahiro poured cold water on them, instantly snapping them back to reality."
"I understand."
"Yes, Lord Yotsuba!"
Kurome's eyes filled with gratitude—so it was because of the lord's help that she could see her sister again. Lord Yotsuba was truly kind to her.
She secretly resolved to train diligently from now on.
As the elder sister, Akame's reaction appeared somewhat indifferent, but the genuine gratitude shining in her pupils was unmistakable.
"Alright, now it's your turn."
Mahiro turned around, sweeping his gaze over the ten children lined up before him, and spoke calmly.
"You've probably heard already. My name is Yotsuba Mahiro. Starting today, I will be your direct superior responsible for all your affairs. You may address me by my surname or full name, as you prefer."
"Yes, Lord Yotsuba!"
Nine vigorous voices merged into one, with only Poney—who had accused him of killing Gozuki yesterday—responding reluctantly.
This naturally didn't escape Mahiro's notice, but he didn't mind. It was practically insignificant.
If this girl were to truly interfere with his training, he could simply hand her over to Bill for disposal.
As always, he deeply respected others' destinies and choices.
"Good, very spirited. Now begin your self-introductions, starting with the former elite group."
"Lord Yotsuba! My name is Cornelia, assassination rank No. 3, specializing in martial arts."
Just as the blond boy beside her was about to speak, someone else stepped forward first, making him click his tongue in annoyance and retreat.
She was a beautiful girl with waist-length hair.
She possessed smooth, light golden locks and deep blue eyes—at first glance, she somewhat resembled Leone.
Though still young, she exuded an older sisterly, wifely aura, her lovely appearance appearing more mature and resilient than the others.
Her chest wasn't particularly ample, but her straight, well-proportioned long legs were exquisite.
"I... I'm Tsukushi, assassination rank No. 6!" A little lolita with a chestnut-colored bob cut and a childlike face paired with impressive assets timidly stepped forward, seeming somewhat shy, almost like a mascot.
"My name is Akame, assassination rank No. 7," Akame stated calmly.
Last was the single-minded, energetic girl Poney, though her tone wasn't particularly friendly. The others who had just introduced themselves hurriedly stepped forward to explain and plead on her behalf.
Because Gozuki had previously instructed them to call him Father, among them, only the stubborn fool Poney truly regarded herself as Gozuki's biological daughter!
"Hmph, small fry."
Suddenly, the golden-haired boy who had been interrupted earlier snorted coldly, then stepped forward and declared in a cool, proud voice:
"Lord Yotsuba, I am Nahashu, assassination rank No. 1!"
Among these six, the last to speak was a bespectacled boy named Green, rank No. 5.
Next, it was the turn of the four from the Enhancement Unit, proceeding as before.
Aside from Kurome, there was the abundantly blessed Gin, the timid Remus with her disheveled long hair, and Womyn struggling to maintain a cold expression—no changes there.
But it must be said, the girls in this assassination squad were truly beautiful.
Though their features still held some youthfulness, it wasn't hard to imagine them growing into looks that could rival Esdeath's.
Especially Tsukushi and little Gin—their chest sizes could likely compete with Esdeath's. While Cornelia wasn't as endowed, she undoubtedly radiated wifely charm.
Not to mention, Cornelia was unequivocally the big sister figure among them.
"Excellent. Now that we've become acquainted, we'll begin the formal training!"
Upon hearing the words "formal training," everyone immediately composed themselves, standing at attention with serious expressions.
"However, let me be clear from the start—my training will be more rigorous than Gozuki's. If any of you perform unsatisfactorily, the first offense will only warrant some punishment, but the second will bring a severe warning! By the third offense, I will eliminate that person from the group and send them back! Is that understood?!"
Mahiro's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough to shake all the children present, especially Remus whose legs had already begun trembling uncontrollably.
"Lord Yotsuba, you make perfect sense. Our elite group has no need for weak small fry," the blond boy Nahashu agreed in a cold tone.
His gaze swept over his companions nearby, though it was unclear whether he looked down upon their current performance or their capabilities.
Having stood out among hundreds since childhood, he had only one goal—to claim the true No.1 position!
"I-I suppose I need to work harder too," the busty loli Tsukushi murmured quietly.
Among the ten, only Remus looked pale, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands.
Truth be told, among these ten, she was the weakest—her assassination ranking placed beyond the top thirty, even inferior to Womyn!
Then, with a sweep of his hand, Mahiro caused ten weighted vests to materialize out of thin air, falling to the ground.
Their subtle weight made the vests sink deep into the soil.
"Put these on, then I'll take you to the special training forest!"
These vests were prepared in advance, each weighing approximately fifteen kilograms.
For those like Kurome who had received physical enhancements through injections, this was completely within their tolerance range. As for the elite group, having heard they underwent Danger Beast hunting training, there was no need for concern either.
"So... so heavy!"
Kurome was the first to pick up and put on a vest, but the sudden weight made her stumble, nearly falling.
She looked toward Akame and asked with concern, "Sister, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I can hold on!"
Even after receiving injections, Akame's physical condition was slightly better than Kurome's. After all, three years ago, it was Akame who supported Kurome all the way through the selection process and even secured the No. 7 ranking.
She had also survived in the wild for three years, consuming the meat of many Danger Beasts.
The others quickly put on their vests as well, though their expressions varied.
"Hmm, you're quite fast. Before training begins, let me ask: none of you have eaten lunch, right?"
They glanced at each other and then shook their heads one after another.
No one had eaten.
Their daily meals were strictly controlled, and they weren't allowed to eat without permission.
"Good. Now, training begins. The target is the eastern forest 30 kilometers outside the Imperial City! The last person to arrive gets no dinner, and the second-to-last only gets to clean up my leftovers! Let's go!"
!!!
This punishment made all of them widen their eyes in shock.
Especially the sisters Akame and Kurome—upon hearing that the last one would get no dinner, their eyes practically turned green with hunger!
"Hmph, first place belongs to me!"
Nahashu sneered coldly at his dozen or so companions. This kind of training was far more interesting than Gozuki's previous drills.
Though Gozuki went through the motions, he only trained them to hunt Danger Beasts—how utterly boring.
Cornelia, the big sister of the girls' group, pouted cutely.
Lord Yotsuba's training is indeed harsh, but the effects of this special training should be good, right? I hope no one goes hungry.
As for the competitive Gin, her eyes were filled with fighting spirit, even though she was burdened with two massive, heavy assets larger than the other girls'. Running with them bouncing around was truly uncomfortable.
Really, if she wasn't careful, they'd just grow this big.
The weakest, Remus, was on the verge of tears. For someone ranked in the thirties, this was really difficult!
As they ran ahead, Mahiro followed at the back, observing the whole way.
A 30-kilometer weighted cross-country run might sound like a lot, but for the physical conditioning of people in this world, it wasn't particularly hard.
At the very least, if it were Esdeath training them, she'd probably start by increasing the weight to at least 30 kilograms and extend the distance to around 70 kilometers.
This wasn't wild speculation—that woman truly showed no mercy in training.
That said, the ten of them started at a pretty ideal pace, but by around five kilometers, they had already begun to slow down.
By ten kilometers, someone started falling behind. Remus took the lead in lagging—she had been struggling to keep up from the start and, as expected, was the first to drop out.
It seemed her talent was just too poor. With her holding them back, the others could rest easy.
The second-to-last was the bespectacled Womyn, whose stamina was almost as bad as Remus's. She couldn't hold on for the full distance either, dropping out at around 17 kilometers.
Mahiro had no choice but to carry both of them, planning to remove them from the training group.
But the others' performance was truly impressive.
A 30-kilometer cross-country run with 15 kilograms of weight, and they completed it in just over two hours.
Their special training location was a waterfall valley within the eastern forest, surrounded by perilous woods and thick undergrowth!
The forest was practically teeming with various Danger Beasts, including even first-class Danger Beasts like the Earth Dragon!
The first to arrive was undoubtedly Nahashu, but the second one shocked everyone—it was actually Akame! It seemed she had pushed herself to the limit for the sake of food.
The third was the seemingly frail bespectacled boy, Green.
Regardless of assassination rank, boys naturally had an inherent advantage in physical stamina.
The last to arrive was the unyielding girl Gin, while the second-to-last was the somewhat careless Poney.
Given Poney's abilities, she shouldn't have been behind Tsukushi at all, as she was naturally skilled in running. However, she deliberately used this childish method to get back at Mahiro.
And so, it ended up like this.
Under these circumstances, Mahiro naturally showed no mercy and announced the results of the initial training.
"Eh? Why am I being treated unfairly? Didn't those two fail to complete the training?" Poney complained, pointing at Remus and Womyn.
Gin also looked at Mahiro with a puzzled expression, wondering why she had been inexplicably ranked last.
"It's simple. They were eliminated and are no longer part of our elite group. If they can't even complete such a basic special training session, they would only hold us back in the more advanced training."
No one had heard about this before!
The others were shocked by this explanation but had nothing to say in response.
It was true—if they couldn't even handle such a simple weighted cross-country training, they wouldn't be able to endure the subsequent training.
However, the faces of Remus and Womyn turned pale and bloodless.
They were suddenly filled with despair, bitterly regretting why they hadn't persevered until the end. What kind of punishment would they face upon returning to the assassination department?
They didn't dare to think about it.
"Lord Yotsuba, then... what will you do with them? Y-You're not going to kill them, are you?" Cornelia, acting as the big sister, stepped forward and asked softly.
After all, Guy had been eliminated because he lost his talent as an assassin.
Although she had only known these two girls for a few hours, she didn't want them to lose their lives over this.
"They lack the talent to be assassins. If they stay in the assassination department, they will only throw their lives away for nothing. There's no need for you to worry—I will personally arrange their futures."
Mahiro planned to send these two girls to his home and hand them over to Mine for management.
Although the household had already hired quite a few maids, they were still short-handed, with many positions left unfilled.
While these two girls lacked assassin talent, their physical skills were decent overall. If nothing else, they could serve as house guards.
If they performed well, it wouldn't be out of the question to inject them with the original Enhancement Drug to improve their physical condition.
As for Bald Bill, if he were to handle them, he would undoubtedly just kill them outright, which would be a terrible waste. Even if Mahiro kept them for himself, Bill probably wouldn't say anything.
"That's great... Thank you, Lord Yotsuba."
Cornelia bowed deeply to him. Kurome, who had been biting her lips, relaxed her expression, as she too had been worried about her companions' safety.
As expected, LOrd Yotsuba is different from that ruthless minister...
Gurgle~
As soon as they relaxed, everyone's stomachs began to rumble.
Among them, Tsukushi shyly covered her belly, her cheeks instantly flushing with a cute crimson.
After all, they hadn't eaten since last night until now in the afternoon, and they had just undergone high-intensity special training that drained their physical strength, leaving them almost too weak to stand.
This level of exhaustion would probably be unbearable even for adults.
"Hungry, aren't you? Though it's still a bit early, that's fine. Let's prepare dinner now."
Even as he said this, everyone exchanged glances—what were they going to eat?
There was nothing around them.
But the next moment, Mahiro suddenly waved his hand, and a massive Earth Dragon was tossed in front of them.
He had happened to come across it on the way, so he hunted it to serve as a meal for these children.
The moment the boys and girls saw the Earth Dragon, their eyes practically glowed green with hunger as they stared eagerly at their instructor.
The experience of going hungry had likely only existed in their vague childhood memories.
Since almost all of them came from impoverished families, they had been sold to the Imperial City.
But after being taken in by the Empire for training—though the methods were brutal and merciless—their lives had indeed improved, at least sparing them from hunger.
"Don't worry, it'll be ready soon."
As he spoke, a long crimson-sheathed blade suddenly appeared at Mahiro's waist.
The moment they saw that sword, the elite group members' pupils contracted sharply—it was Gozuki's personal blade, Murasame!
In the next instant, the blade flashed.
The enormous Earth Dragon was instantly sliced into countless pieces, divided into portions of varying sizes based on edible parts.
The Murasame blade was quite interesting—for living creatures, its cursed poison could kill them instantly.
But for inanimate objects, it had no effect and wouldn't leave any residual curse.
"Nahashu, as the top performer, you have the right to choose your portion of food first."
"Yes, Lord Mahiro!"
Nahashu responded obediently and respectfully, standing before the pile of meat and selecting the largest piece, savoring the glory of being number one with narrowed eyes.
Akame bit her index finger, watching helplessly as the piece she liked was taken by Nahashu, feeling extremely frustrated.
If only she had been a little faster back then...
So Akame had to settle for the second-best option, choosing the second largest piece of meat.
Mahiro could only shake his head helplessly at this—it seemed these children only knew that bigger pieces were better, unaware of which parts were the most delicious.
But then again, after such intense physical exertion, how could they care about such things? Filling their stomachs was the priority!