Cornelia opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by people, all staring at her like they'd seen a ghost.
"What's going on? Wasn't I dead? I remember… having a dream."
As she recalled confessing her feelings to Haruki right at the end, her face flushed.
"Good thing it was just a dream. That would've been so embarrassing."
The thought brought her some relief—but also a hint of disappointment. When she first woke up, the elite seven had instantly gathered around her, blocking her view. Because of that, she didn't notice Haruki standing just a short distance away.
"Huh? My injuries?"
Hadn't she been badly hurt? She clearly remembered the intense pain. So why did her body feel better than ever? Confused, Cornelia raised her hands and waved them gently. No discomfort at all.
Then, to everyone's shock, the mature beauty did something completely unexpected.
She had been seriously wounded—her body wrapped head to toe in blood-soaked bandages. But upon realizing her arms moved freely now, Cornelia abruptly tore off the crimson-stained bandages before anyone could stop her. After all, in the original story, Cornelia was the most skilled in close combat among the girls, and her Shingu, Crushing King, was designed to enhance physical power.
Of course, she was still wearing underwear beneath the bandages.
What stunned everyone was that her body, which should have been covered in wounds, now showed no signs of injury—just a few fading bruises. Her smooth, slender waist stood in sharp contrast to the frail figure she had been moments ago.
Just then, Haruki suddenly stepped forward from behind the others, a garment appearing in his hand as if from nowhere.
He draped it over Cornelia's shoulders and said,
"You just confessed your feelings to me, and I've decided to accept. That makes you my woman now. I'm not about to let everyone else see you like this."
Cornelia froze on the spot. The moment she heard his words, her face turned scarlet. She mumbled quietly, a silly smile spreading across her face.
"Wait… So that wasn't a dream? And Haruki actually said yes... Hehe…"
"No one ever said it was a dream! Still, I gotta say—you were pretty bold."
With Haruki's follow-up, Cornelia's face turned even redder, almost as if she were bleeding from embarrassment. The color was nearly as vivid as the blood-soaked bandages she had just ripped off.
But to Haruki, her bashfulness had a charm of its own. Just imagine—a mature beauty like her revealing such pure, flustered shyness. It was hard not to find that captivating.
…
While everyone on Haruki's side was gathered around Cornelia, another group was discussing information related to Haruki and the others.
"Chelsea, are you sure you saw a young man with blue hair, red eyes, and wearing a black robe embroidered with a white phoenix?"
In a village not far from Haruki's location, an elderly woman, who appeared to be around sixty years old, asked a young woman wearing headphones, standing nearby.
This elderly woman was named Babara Oarburgh, a prominent figure in the Assassin Society. Despite her age, she was incredibly powerful.
The girl she had just questioned was named Chelsea. At that moment, Chelsea was bent over, panting heavily, clearly exhausted from some intense physical activity. Despite her fatigue, she still had a lollipop in her mouth. Yes, Chelsea was the giant eagle that had been trailing Haruki earlier. She had used her Teigu, Phantasmagoria: Gaea Foundation, to transform into a giant eagle and soar through the skies. However, given Chelsea's poor stamina, she was completely drained after returning.
Standing next to Babara Oarburgh was another woman, tall with a long ponytail. Her name was Taeko, an assassin who had been trained by Babara since childhood. Among her peers, Taeko stood out as exceptionally skilled. Of course, the people around Haruki didn't count in this comparison.
The three of them—master and disciples—were indeed the ones targeting the Empire's Assassination Unit. They were skilled assassins from the renowned Assassin Society, a powerful organization within the Empire. While the Assassin Society boasted hundreds of elite killers, only a select few, the most exceptional, carried the name of Oarburgh. Babara Oarburgh was one of them.
A few days ago, the Assassin Society had joined forces with the Revolutionary Army, and Babara and her companions were tasked with eliminating the Empire's Assassination Unit's ace—Gozuki and his group.
It was important to note that while an assassin might not contribute much on the front lines, if deployed to assassinate a local leader, the damage could be catastrophic. This mission was crucial to the Revolutionary Army, which was why the Assassin Society had sent Babara Oarburgh and even ordered military assistance.
"Old woman, are you sure you're not suffering from dementia? I've told you so many times, I didn't make a mistake. Besides the person you mentioned, there were several beautiful girls who looked very strong. They moved incredibly fast in that kind of terrain."
Chelsea panted as she replied to Babara.
Hearing Chelsea's confirmation, Babara muttered to herself, "This doesn't add up. How did he end up here? He should have been with the army."
"Master, what's wrong? Do you know this person?" Taeko, who had been standing nearby, asked, noticing Babara's murmurs.
"According to Chelsea's description, this person should be Haruki, the head of the Imperial Capital Security Department, an important official in the Empire. From the information our spies gathered a few days ago, he should have been with Esdeath and Najenda, the two Imperial generals, in the army. I didn't expect him to come out on his own."
Babara responded, then turned to Chelsea, saying, "Chelsea, go to the allied headquarters immediately and ask them to send a 30,000-strong army to assist us. You need to explain the situation here. The Security Minister holds a crucial position in the Imperial Capital. If we manage to capture him, it will definitely make the Empire's military hesitate before acting against us."
"Ah? Old woman, can't I get some rest? This is pure torture."
Chelsea protested as soon as Babara assigned her another task after her tiring mission.
"Chelsea, stop being impulsive. Only your Teigu can get the message to headquarters in the shortest time. This is an urgent military matter, and we can't afford any delays."
Babara scolded her sternly.
"Fine, I'll go right away."
Chelsea, understanding the urgency of the situation, stopped protesting. She immediately activated her Teigu to transform into the giant eagle once again and flew off in the direction she was instructed.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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