Chapter 135: Young Lady, Do You Realize Your Mistake?
"Hehe, it seems Vice Director Yotsuba has trained the elite squad quite excellently,"
Bald Bill first praised before mentioning those who had accompanied him earlier. "A couple of days ago, over a dozen people from other squads sparred with the elite squad you trained. Even though they took drugs beforehand, not a single one could defeat them. Truly impressive."
No wonder they all still had bruises on their faces—it turned out Bill had organized a fighting tournament while temporarily taking charge in his absence.
Mahiro chuckled and shook his head:
"It's nothing remarkable. Starting today, they'll truly begin learning practical combat skills."
"Relying on those three kids?"
"What, Director Bill has taken a liking to them? But let me make this clear upfront—I absolutely won't hand those children over to you."
Mahiro spoke in a joking tone, but a dangerous glint flashed through his narrowing eyes.
"Hehe, I'm not a fool like Gozuki," Bill laughed awkwardly.
Snatching food from this person's hands?
Wouldn't that be like offending Esdeath—or even worse than offending Esdeath?
Aside from that fool Gozuki, there probably wasn't a second person who would commit such stupidity.
"I wanted to ask you—how much longer until the special training is completed?"
"About a month, just need to conduct the final tests. But I'd recommend continuing consolidation practice after the special training ends. After all, they're still young and have plenty of room for growth."
"A month is acceptable, but we don't have any more time beyond that."
Bill shook his head: "The reason I came here today is to convey Prime Minister Honest's intentions."
"Prime Minister Honest?"
"Yes, the Minister has been paying close attention to both the assassination department's elite squad and you, Vice Director Yotsuba."
Bill said meaningfully: "Prime Minister Honest expressed that he's very pleased you could lead the elite squad's training and achieve such results."
"And so?"
"Therefore, the Minister instructed me to inform you that starting today, you are appointed as Vice Director of the assassination department."
"???"
Mahiro slowly typed several question marks, looking strangely at Bill's bald head.
"Tell me, are you being serious? I'm currently Vice Director of the Imperial City Guard under General Budo. Even though General Budo doesn't participate in court politics, this kind of poaching isn't appropriate, is it?"
"This isn't exactly poaching. The Minister's intention is for you to remain as Vice Director of the Guard while concurrently serving as Vice Director of the assassination department. Moreover, we can support your promotion to Director of the Guard."
"Heh..."
Mahiro couldn't help but let out a scornful laugh upon hearing this. "Trying to make me choose sides, is that it?"
Bill nodded seriously without the slightest attempt at concealment.
"General Esdeath has already reached a cooperation agreement with Prime Minister Honest, so the Minister hopes to form an alliance with you as well."
This was the matter the Minister wanted Bill to convey.
One had to admit, that fat pig Honest certainly knew how to scheme advantageously.
With Esdeath as his trump card externally, and this fat pig already controlling 70% of the discourse power in the imperial court, as long as he could secure his allegiance internally, he could sit securely in the minister's position without a worry.
By then, even General Budo would be unable to do anything about this fat pig.
Unfortunately—
"I'm sorry, but I must decline. I'm not interested in taking sides."
Mahiro rejected the invitation without a moment's hesitation. "Rather than such meaningless and boring matters, you'd be better off providing some equipment support or something. For an assassination squad, everyone is just using ordinary weapons—don't you think that's pretty lame?"
"That's actually another purpose of my visit today."
As he spoke, Bill suddenly waved toward the forest behind him.
"You there, bring that box over!"
No sooner had he spoken than the group of young men and women who had just left returned, carrying a box large enough to hold a person.
Thud!
They placed it right in front of him.
"These are all the Shingu preserved in the empire's collection room. Though they can't compare to Teigu, they're still excellent and refined equipment. You can distribute them to the elite squad members."
"As for your refusal of the invitation, that was within the minister's expectations. The minister's stance is that he can wait, and you may continue serving as deputy head of the assassination department."
"That's all I have to convey... but there's one other matter. You'll need to put more effort into controlling those children. I've noticed only those six girls have particularly unruly personalities—they actually dared to talk back!"
When mentioning the girls from the elite squad, Bill's tone grew noticeably colder.
"Hm, I understand."
This was completely within his expectations.
He didn't even need to think to know it must have been that idiot Poney who spoke up—after all, the others weren't as blunt and thoughtless as her.
He could only say he had spoiled them over these two years. Not only did their abilities differ from other squads' assassins, but their personalities too.
It could be said that aside from his orders, these girls probably wouldn't listen to anyone. The entire assassination squad was firmly in his grasp.
But—
So what?
This was precisely why he had taken in these girls. He didn't care about their attitude toward others—as long as they remained loyal to him.
However, Bill remained unaware of his inner thoughts. After leaving the box of Shingu behind, he departed with members from other squads.
"Let's see what we have here."
Mahiro didn't bother seeing off the bald department head. Instead, he lifted the box lid and examined its contents.
So-called Shingu were products created when the empire, four hundred years after its founding, attempted to replicate Teigu under the emperor's orders.
Since they could never surpass the original weapons, they only managed to produce inferior imitations. The emperor, viewing this as a disgrace, sarcastically named these weapons "Shingu" and sealed them away.
Although these items were far superior to ordinary weapons, in Mahiro's eyes, they were still trash.
For example, this Thousand-Layer Cloth could manipulate soil and burrow underground, but it consumed the user's stamina excessively. The longer one remained underground, the more dangerous it became.
What damn use was that? Too garbage even for escaping.
Or take this Smash King—a gauntlet-type Shingu that granted the wearer monstrous strength. But if used improperly, it could harm the user too.
Some kind of otherworldly "Seven Injuries Fist"?
Injure the enemy a thousand while damaging yourself eight hundred?
Then there was these Swift Trousers, a cloth Shingu that provided acceleration and enhanced leg strength. The boost wasn't significant, requiring the user to already possess substantial power.
If one already had such power, why would they need this thing anyway?
Among all these Shingu, perhaps only this Kiriichimonji and Water Dragon Sword held any real value.
One can prevent slashed wounds from healing, while the other enhances combat power for three minutes but causes extreme fatigue afterward.
Somewhat useful, but not particularly impressive.
"Forget it, let me make some modifications."
These items served as decent raw materials. He planned to use these imperial arms to create a unique set of Teigu exclusively for himself.
It would be a graduation gift for these girls.
A month's time is neither too short nor too long, and it passed quickly.
In just one month, the girls had formed deep bonds with their little loli mentors, living and training together.
The most obvious example was Poney, who clung to Enju and cried uncontrollably upon hearing they would soon part ways.
Though the others weren't as dramatic, their reluctance was still evident.
"Lord Yotsuba... will we be able to meet again?" Cornelia spoke on behalf of the girls.
"Probably. As long as you stay by my side, we'll eventually reunite."
Mahiro didn't give an absolute answer—after all, who could predict the future?
But for the girls, such a response was enough.
Who else would they follow if not Instructor Yotsuba?
"Alright, since everyone is here, let's begin the final test—a comprehensive evaluation of your training over the years."
The moment they heard this, everyone fell silent and focused.
Even Nahashu, who had been raising an eyebrow disdainfully at the mediocre ones before him, straightened up with seriousness.
As Bill had said, these girls indeed held an attachment to Mahiro—even Nahashu was no exception, his eyes filled with reverence for him.
In truth, such emotions were undesirable for assassins—they were more of a burden.
Because in this line of work, excessive emotion could lead to loss of rationality or impulsive decisions.
It was precisely for this reason that Nahashu always maintained a cold demeanor.
Mahiro understood this well. To help them become independent, he designed this final examination.
"The upcoming test can be described as simple, yet also extremely dangerous—it may even threaten your lives. Be mentally prepared."
Their strength and skills had been honed to the limit; now, it was a test of their resolve.
And the test itself was as straightforward as he described.
In this forest, he had stationed nearly twenty prisoners—each meticulously selected from military prisons as vicious, ruthless criminals.
Every one of them had taken at least a dozen lives.
The elite squad's task was to intercept these prisoners before they escaped the forest—and eliminate them.
They were to return with the prisoners' heads.
Of course, he had given the prisoners the same ultimatum:
If they could escape the forest or kill the assassination squad members, they would regain their freedom.
"Don't worry, Lord Yotsuba... i-it's really easy. We managed to defeat over a dozen members from other assassination squads in one go just a few days ago," Gin murmured.
"Gin, your hands are trembling." Akame said, her eyes turning into dot-like shapes as she looked at the busty girl.
"Du...dummy, don't you know that's trembling from excitement?" Gin looked somewhat flustered, unable to conceal her inner nervousness.
"Don't worry, just act like usual and it'll be fine. We underwent all that special training from Lord Yotsuba precisely for today." The big sister figure Cornelia comforted them.
"That's right, they're no match for us at all." Poney said fearlessly.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you—I gave them weapons. If you're not careful, you could really die!"
"This is different from sparring with the previous assassination squad. These murderers will stop at nothing to fight for even a sliver of survival."
"Always remember—cast aside any mercy in your hearts. They are nothing but your enemies."
"Understood, we'll do our best." Tsukushi said bravely.
"If there are no objections, then let's move out."
Mahiro said with a stern face, his tone icy cold.
There were no blessings, no comfort—completely different from his usual gentleness.
"Yes, Lord Yotsuba!"
They understood the gravity of the situation, and knew well that future high-risk missions would be many times more dangerous than this test.
To ensure they could return alive in the future, they had to treat this academic proficiency test with countless times more seriousness than before!
As for Nahashu, there was no question—he never even considered the possibility of failing.
He had been looking forward to this murder training for a long time.
Afterward, the eight of them each suppressed their presence and disappeared into the forest in different directions.
Without visual confirmation, ordinary people would find it difficult to detect them.
The results of their long stealth training were finally showing.
However, these death row prisoners were also hiding quite well in the forest. While they could have quickly escaped, these were all perverse murderers—how could they pass up such a legal opportunity for cruelty?
But truth be told, this was actually somewhat of Mahiro's personal scheme.
Since he was training assassins anyway, he wanted to cultivate these people as his own foundation. If they were going to fight anyway, why not have them fight for him?
Yet despite his cold words, Mahiro ultimately chose to conceal his presence and follow behind them, silently watching over their safety.
But the results greatly surprised him.
Everyone performed excellently.
Nahashu appeared arrogant and flashy on the surface, but was actually quite meticulous.
Two prisoners hiding in the bushes tried to team up to kill him.
But before they could act, Nahashu discovered them and slit their throats.
The second best performer turned out to be Kurome.
Perhaps because she had received killing training earlier, she was extremely cold-blooded when taking action.
Combining presence concealment with stealth movement through the forest, she would deliver fatal blows to any enemy she encountered.
She had already taken out four or five people in a short time.
Then came Akame and the single-minded Poney, who had each killed three or four people.
Tsukushi wielded a handgun, demonstrating the close-quarters shooting techniques Tina had taught her.
She wasn't as skilled as Mine in long-range sniping, but at close range, she never missed her shots.
"Sc...It's scary ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
After taking down her first person, Tsukushi collapsed to the ground as if all strength had left her.
"But I didn't disgrace Lord Yotsuba, did I?"
Though this was her first time doing such a thing, whenever she recalled her instructor's earnest instructions and daily encouragement, she felt as if she could accomplish anything.
As for the others, their performances were rather ordinary—nothing particularly outstanding, but they managed to pass acceptably.
What surprised Mahiro the most, however, was that the person least expected to have problems ended up having one.
Namely, Cornelia.
She had encountered a female prisoner who was now kneeling pitifully, begging Cornelia to spare her.
"Please, I'm begging you. I was framed—I haven't done anything wrong. I have a young child at home who needs me. I can't die... Please let me go."
The woman spoke through tears, her appearance truly evoking sympathy.
Although Cornelia was the most mature among them and possessed the strongest feminine grace, this very maturity became her downfall—she actually empathized with the woman.
"What an idiot."
Mahiro, observing from the shadows, cursed under his breath.
He had clearly warned her earlier.
Yet he had no intention of revealing himself, choosing instead to continue watching.
He wanted to see what Cornelia would do. Even if she died, it didn't matter—he could always use regeneration magic to revive her. It would serve as a lesson for this fool.
"Alright."
Cornelia sighed softly and said to the woman:
"Come with me. I'll speak with Lord Yotsuba on your behalf. Lord Yotsuba is a very gentle person. If what you say is true, he'll definitely let you leave the forest."
"Thank you, thank you so much."
"It's fine, hurry up and follow."
Cornelia, that fool, actually turned her back to the enemy!
She didn't even notice that after she turned around, a cruel smile appeared on the woman's face as she carefully drew a dagger from behind and crept closer.
"We're about five kilometers from our destination, so we need to speed up—"
Suddenly, a chill ran down Cornelia's spine. She turned her head just in time to see the woman lunging at her with the knife.
Thanks to her swift reflexes, she dodged the strike, but the blade still left a shallow yet distinct cut on her waist.
The faint, stinging pain made Cornelia furrow her brows slightly.
"You..."
"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be so quick, little girl. But my knife is coated with a paralyzing poison—the kind that can even take down a Class-2 Danger Beast. I wonder how long you'll last?"
Sure enough, just as the woman said.
Cornelia felt a slight numbness spreading from the wound.
"Hehe, has it started already? So fast."
"But it's alright, you know. This poison only paralyzes your body, not your brain. You'll get to watch as I peel off your skin inch by inch. How wonderful, hahaha~"
The woman wore a sickening smile as she stepped closer.
She was a notorious serial killer, infamous for her obsession with slowly skinning her victims alive and collecting their hides—especially tender young girls like Cornelia.
She never expected to be caught while committing a crime in the Imperial City.
Thinking she was doomed, she was surprised to encounter such a stroke of luck and such a foolish girl.
Cornelia gritted her teeth, cold sweat trickling down her forehead, her body trembling faintly.
"Oh? Are you scared? Don't worry, there's no need to be afraid. My technique is quite clean and swift—?!!!"
Just as the woman brought the tip of the knife closer to Cornelia, Cornelia suddenly sprang up and punched the woman hard in the abdomen.
The intense pain forced the woman to double over, but before she could recover, the dagger was wrested from her grasp, and a hand clamped around her throat.
"You... how... could you...?!"
The woman's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Cornelia.
How could the poison, which even a Class-2 Danger Beast couldn't resist, have no effect on this girl?!
Perhaps realizing death was near, the woman quickly put on a pitiful act and begged for mercy:
"Please, don't kill me! I know I was wrong, I won't do such things again..."
"I won't fall for the same trick twice."
Cornelia said coldly.
Then, with a sharp twist of her hand, she snapped the woman's neck with a crisp crack.
After tossing the woman's corpse aside, Cornelia leaned against a large tree and slowly sat down.
She gazed bitterly at the sky, forcing her heavy eyelids to stay open, and muttered self-mockingly:
"I really am a fool... I forgot Lord Yotsuba's warning... Doing something like this will surely be marked as a failure, right?"
"Already reflecting on it?"
With the sound, Mahiro slowly emerged from the woods, appearing before Cornelia.
Looking down at the somewhat startled girl, he smiled and asked:
"Girl, do you admit your mistake?"