Chapter 112

The return countdown entered its final 8 hours; Broly and the others packed their things and prepared to leave the Imperial Capital.

Hill walked along with the group — no need to invite her in advance to become a wife — but Leone wanted to stay, so Broly prepared to go find her.

However, before Broly could go find Leone, Leone came to them on her own carrying luggage, looking rather embarrassed: "Can I leave together with you all?"

"Didn't you say you were staying in the Imperial Capital?"

Main asked in surprise.

"That was the original plan, but..."

Leone was somewhat worried, but thinking of what Broly had done the day before yesterday, she told Akame and the others about how she herself had killed a noble in broad daylight on the street.

"Eh, when did that happen?"

"It was yesterday. Several spoiled nobles were galloping horses wildly through the slum streets; what's more, those hateful bastards deliberately drove their horses, competing to see who could trample more roadside children to death.

I couldn't stand watching, and having obtained the belt's power, on impulse I transformed and beat those pieces of trash bastards to death.

Now I'm afraid of implicating the neighbors, so I have no choice but to run; hmm, can you take me with you?"

"So that's how it is. Don't worry, we can take you along."

"Thank you."

Leone gave her thanks, and the departing group thus gained another member.

And Leone was somewhat surprised to see Hill was also there.

The two girls of about the same age told each other their circumstances, and Leone only felt the twists of fate were wondrous.

Leone's sudden change of mind and willingness to come along made Broly very happy; all his little partners were together, able to look out for each other, which put him more at ease.

"Are you all ready?"

Once out of the Imperial Capital, Broly asked.

"Ready."

"Then, we're taking off!"

The reins were severed, the horses gained their freedom, and the specially made large carriage compartment was hoisted directly onto the boy's shoulder.

All along the way it was because they weren't in a rush; now that they were about to be sent back, Broly prepared to go see what Main's home was like.

If her home was no good, Broly would take advantage of the time still left in this world to help Akame and the others find a new home.

The conical carriage door was shut; outside the reinforced glass windows clouds flew rapidly backward — Broly flew very steadily, but everyone inside the compartment was still very excited.

Aside from Leone, who was somewhat shocked that she was currently flying in the sky, the others had actually all been told in advance the method of this return to the Western Territory.

"We're flying! Aren't you all shocked?"

Leone asked.

"Uh, Broly-san told us in advance."

The children got excited for a while, then returned to normal.

"Want to play Old Maid?"

Akame even took out playing cards and asked.

【Terrible at it but loves to play!】

Looking at her, Leone formed this evaluation in her heart.

And unsurprisingly, with Leone not deliberately losing, Akame consecutively sat in the "jail" three times.

The reason there was no fourth jail term was because, on the premise of guaranteeing the carriage wouldn't disintegrate, Broly had already flown back to the Great Western Territory, arriving above the location Main had told him.

Below lay a huge basin; at the edge of the basin valley stood a Western-style castle.

The castle was rustic yet luxurious — this was precisely Main's home, and at the same time the headquarters of the Assassin Guild 【Oberg】.

"Daniel, don't be nervous, it's me, I'm back."

The carriage compartment opened; Main jumped down from midair first, fine threads spreading out beneath her feet to form a cushioned landing point.

After a series of cushioned descents, she stood before a man in a suit with somewhat graying hair.

"Miss Merlade, what on earth is this performance? And that thing in your hand — is it a Teigu?"

Seeing an unidentified flying object approaching from the sky, Daniel had brought the maids out to prepare for battle, but never expected the flying object to be a carriage compartment, and the one coming out of it to be Merlade herself.

"Rather than a Teigu, I'd prefer to call it a love token."

Main touched Cross Tail, yet said exactly that.

"Eh?"

Hearing this, the butler-like man widened his eyes.

"Merlade, cut the nonsense — that's no love token!"

Esdeath bluntly refuted her words. Broly brought the large carriage compartment down; because of Main's words just now, the assassins and combat maids here didn't treat the people emerging from the compartment as invaders.

"We're here to work. Main said she'd cover our food and lodging."

Akame and the others came before Daniel and said this to the butler-like man.

"Miss Merlade, this is?"

"What they say is correct. I did indeed promise them a job with room and board included."

"But this is Oberg's headquarters!" the man reminded.

"No need to worry. The people I've brought this time are all geniuses at being assassins."

"Hey, we didn't come to be assassins."

"I know. I'm just making it clear to my household butler that you all are qualified to be workers here."

An Assassin Guild headquarters built in the wild; ordinarily the maids here also need to deal with Danger Beasts that might attack this castle, so they all need some strength.

"Look at what they're holding in their hands — those are all Teigu."

Main added.

"Merad, it's been half a year. How did you turn into a kid who likes to spout big talk?"

At this moment, a cloaked woman with some wrinkles on her face, yet whose youthful charm could still be discerned, walked over and asked with narrowed eyes.

"Barbara, you know me. I never lie."

In terms of relations, Barbara is her aunt.

But the Assassin Guild only looks at strength, and doesn't care much for other relations.

So, they all address each other directly by name.

"Oh, is that so? Then let me have my disciple test those kids you brought. No problem, right?"

Barbara spoke these words.

A young girl walked out from beside her, looking at Akame and the others.

"This counts as an entry test. Which of you is up?"

Merad shrugged and asked Akame and the others.

"Also, Mio is my aunt's prized disciple. She has received professional assassin training since infancy. Don't you all look down on her just because her age is similar to yours."

"Rest assured. Since they're people you recruited from outside, I naturally won't let Mio strike too hard. Hmph, at least one life can be preserved."

Barbara looked at the kids her niece worriedly brought over and said just this one sentence.

She was very confident in her disciple's strength, but the scene that followed left her staring dumbfounded.

"Thunder God Roar!"

"Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Turret Barrage!"

The group of kids Merad brought, though their strength was not as great as her disciple's, each unexpectedly truly had a Teigu on hand.

Relying purely on the power of their equipment, they pressed her disciple to the ground and rubbed her face in it repeatedly; only a few whose Teigu capabilities were not strong were subdued by Mio.

"So many Teigu. Where did you get them? Could it be that during these days you went missing, you ran off and robbed the Empire's armory?"

Barbara was quite suspicious.

"Barbara, your eyes are sharp. One guess and you're right."

Merad admitted it directly, and when asked how she did it, this assassin girl laughed heartily, hugged Broly's arm, and introduced him to her aunt.

"All this is thanks to my husband. It was him — with his formidable strength he intruded into the Imperial Palace and forcibly bought their Teigu from the Empire."

Merad's words had just fallen when she was berated by Esdeath, Main, and the others: "Don't randomly give yourself the identity of a wife with wings!"

The scene was a chaotic mess, making Barbara's eye corners twitch. She decided to temporarily ignore Merad and turned her gaze to the young man: "Young man, do you mind lending this old body a hand?"

"Sure."

Broly nodded, not refusing. He took the woman's "lend a hand" phrasing as an entry test. Although he had to return to Wanpa Star tonight, to prop up the scene for Akame and the others, Broly decided to show some real skill.

This thought stemmed from information that suddenly surfaced in his consciousness: "Seven years old this year. Afraid his little partners would be workplace bullied. So he, as the big brother, had to strike first to gain the upper hand, and give the other old-timers in this workplace a show of force!" "Young man, don't be too nervous. This old body will hold back."

Barbara saw the boy's dead-serious expression and thought he was nervous, so she said this line.

"Okay, I'll hold back too."

He said he'd hold back, but Broly's opening move was a big one.

Barbara didn't even have time to react; an energy beam passed right by her head.

A rumbling sound suddenly rang out behind her.

Turning back, she saw that in the distant mountain range, within her field of view, those great mountains all had a massive breach appear in their midsections.

Some of the mountains with breaches — their side remnants unable to support the peaks above — collapsed entirely.

Viewed from afar, the mountains' collapse speed wasn't very fast, but by the time the largest peak hit the ground and this side could clearly feel the vibration, only a dozen or so seconds had passed.

Barbara swallowed her saliva, looking toward Merad who was being berated by a group of girls over there. She really wanted to ask her niece one question: Just what kind of monster did the other party abduct back from where?

"Does my test count as passed?"

Broly stepped ahead and posed the question.

"Of course."

Barbara's throat was a bit dry. She strongly suspected that if she said he didn't pass, the monster before her might just use the terrifying move that blasted through the mountain range on her.

(Chapter End)