Around nine the next morning, everyone was ready. Led by Haruki, the group set off toward the city where Esdeath, Najenda, and the imperial army were stationed.
Haruki had woken up early to prepare a hearty breakfast for all the girls. Naturally, he also made some for Gozuki and his group. After all, Gozuki was Pony's father—Haruki's future father-in-law—so he certainly couldn't treat him poorly.
During breakfast, all the girls had flushed cheeks. Not just Cornelia and Akame, who were experiencing this for the first time—even the others who had already been with Haruki were visibly shy. After all, it was the first time they had all done something like that together.
The most adorable reaction came from Akame. When she entered Haruki's room the day before, she realized her sister had tricked her—there was no food inside at all. But while getting in was easy, getting out wasn't. Kurome pinned Akame down on the bed and started coaxing her, persuading her with sweet words and emotional appeals—saying how good Haruki's cooking was, how pleasurable that kind of thing felt, and finally playing the emotional card: "Don't you like Kurome anymore? Don't you want to stay with Kurome forever?" In the end, Akame was persuaded. Reluctant but not resisting, she went along with it.
But enough of that.
At the moment, Haruki and his group were traveling on the backs of two enormous, lizard-like Danger Beasts. Haruki and the girls rode one, while Gozuki, Najasho, Green, and Guy rode the other.
The roads around the small town were mostly dense forest, making travel on horseback slower than walking. Plus, since it had been the first time for Akame and Cornelia, it wasn't ideal for them to walk long distances. So Haruki made use of what was nearby, selecting two of the larger Danger Beasts from the forest. After taming them, he used them as mounts.
He had come across them while they were fighting—likely over a mate. Once Haruki released a bit of his aura, the two beasts immediately lowered their heads and laid flat on the ground, obedient as kittens.
When he brought them back, Gozuki and his group weren't too shocked. By now, they were used to the unusual things that happened around Haruki. Though these Danger Beasts looked huge, they weren't especially powerful. While Gozuki couldn't frighten them into submission like Haruki, he could have taken them down with a proper fight.
After traveling for most of the day, it was around six in the evening, and dusk was settling in.
It had to be said—the world of "Akame ga Kill" was stunningly pristine. The air was clean, the setting sun bathed the horizon in blood-red light, painting the clouds crimson. The sky darkened gradually, with a cool breeze drifting by.
You'd never guess what Haruki and the others were doing at that moment. From afar, smoke was visibly rising from the back of the Danger Beast carrying Haruki's group. That's right—smoke.
This Danger Beast was massive, with a broad back flat enough to stand on comfortably. And now, there was a grill set up on it. The girls were gathered behind the grill, roasting meat. Don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't the beast's own meat. The meat came from Kurome's Storage Ring. As a true foodie, Kurome had stocked her ring with all kinds of food the moment she got it—including plenty of beef.
In stark contrast, Gozuki's group sat quietly on the other beast's back, doing nothing but meditating. Unlike Haruki and his crew, they hadn't brought anything with them. Seeing Najasho, Green, and Guy casting envious glances at the other side, Gozuki tried to maintain his dignity as an instructor by saying, "If you want to grow stronger, you have to seize every moment to train." But all he got in return were looks of unanimous contempt, as if they were saying, "Look at the guy over there—he's no stronger than us."
Gozuki had no comeback and could only smile bitterly.
Just then, Haruki, who was grilling meat with the girls, suddenly frowned. But a moment later, a faint, intriguing smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Without saying a word, he rejoined the barbecue.
At the same time, not far ahead, a dense army was visible—numbering in the tens of thousands.
At the front stood a burly man in a general's uniform, an old woman, and two young women. It was Babara's assassin group.
"Chelsea, is everything set?" Babara asked Chelsea, who wore headphones and sucked on a lollipop.
"No problem," Chelsea answered confidently. "The twenty thousand troops in the rear have already closed in. With the ten thousand we have here, there's no way he's escaping."
"Good. This really was effortless. I didn't think we'd catch such a big fish—the Minister of Security himself—and even nab the elite assassins who got away last time." Babara sneered coldly.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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