Chapter 29: External Wife

"Damn it, that bastard responsible for purchasing the children actually dared to embezzle even this money?!"

By the time night fell, only six children came out, two of whom had broken limbs, having escaped relying on survival instinct and willpower; the bald man Bill was furious — they had agreed on carefully selected promising seedlings, and this was the result?

The only explanation was that the money that should have been spent was embezzled by the logistics officer responsible for purchasing the children; of course, embezzlement in the now corrupt Empire is merely a commonplace occurrence, with high officials and high nobles enjoying the filial offerings of low officials and low nobles.

In this Empire where the wind of corruption prevails, a person wanting to advance cannot rely on ability alone; they must have money to pay tribute to superiors.

Similarly, wanting to live a good life, squeezing money from the common people, engaging in extortion and bribery in various official matters, is the clearest path.

But it is precisely because of this situation that the Empire has become this moribund state, with various forces frequently rising in rebellion across the land, and those dissatisfied with the Empire's current state pushing the waves to assist the surge, intending to overthrow the Empire.

Under this very situation, the Intelligence Agency planned to form an assassination squad to suppress the chaos in various places and kill those ambitious men hiding in the dark.

When selecting suitable children, they unexpectedly encountered the Empire's internal corruption itself; how could Bill, responsible for this matter, not be angry.

"They dare to take any money; why don't those guys sell the rope they'd hang themselves with to the Empire's enemies?"

"Lord Bill, there really are people who sold it; not only did they sell the rope, they sold weapons and armor too — you forgot that guy who trafficked army supplies a while back, he was hanged by us in Kato City's square."

The deputy officer at the side reminded him with a sentence; Bill's face stiffened, he glared viciously at the deputy officer, then said in a flustered rage: "Bring the communication device, I'll have the logistics side chop off the heads of those anti-Empire elements who dared embezzle the Intelligence Agency's money!"

The deputy officer quickly brought the communicator; Bill dialed it, the Imperial Army officer receiving the communication at the forest outskirts changed expression, and immediately went to a tent.

Inside the tent, the young officer who had beheaded a boy in the daytime was thrusting atop a girl with lifeless eyes; upon seeing his superior arrive, this man even invited the other to join.

Then, Bang! A bullet hole appeared on this guy's forehead.

"Go ransack this guy's home; daring to embezzle the Intelligence Agency's money, he damn well deserves to die."

The Imperial Army officer said viciously, casually killing the girl under the corpse as well.

What the truth of the matter is doesn't matter; what matters is that the matter of deploying the children was botched.

Someone always has to step forward to bear the brunt of Lord Bill's anger.

For him, this superior, to bear it would be inappropriate; having his confidant help bear it, he also couldn't bear to let that happen.

Just recently a guy from a declined aristocratic family enlisted; although this person is quite good at handling affairs and very respectful to him, there's no other way, is there? The Imperial Army officer now only hopes this ruined household's home still has some nails, that the scraped-out oil and water can appease Lord Bill's anger.

"Now, those six children, do you want them?"

At the forest center, Bill vented some anger, calmed his good mood, then asked Gozuki.

"You found me to be an instructor, surely not because you want me to train some useless trash, right?"

Gozuki retorted; he had already looked at the children who ran out — not mentioning the two with injuries and severed limbs, the remaining four intact ones also didn't look like they had very high assassin aptitude; although compared to ordinary people they were already not bad, what he wanted here were elites.

"Then we can only wait for the next batch of children to be purchased and put in."

"How much longer."

"Ten days half a month is definitely needed."

"Then we just keep waiting foolishly in this forest?"

"The forest at night is more dangerous; if you want to go back, wait until tomorrow and take the flying dangerous species."

"Can only do it this way."

Gozuki had a face of displeasure, but there was no choice.

"Hey, you there, go sprinkle the mixed dangerous species blood around; I don't want to wake up at night and have to fight attacking dangerous species."

Around the clearing cleared at the forest center, a large amount of different types of dangerous species blood was sprayed; this mixed blood scent can make dangerous species with intelligence higher than ordinary beasts feel apprehension, and they won't easily come over to this area.

Because in the eyes of dangerous species, the mixed fresh blood scent represents only one thing: that in the area possessing this scent, there may have appeared one or multiple omnivorous apex hunters.

For example, right now, in the southwest of the Gifnora Sea Tree Forest, a clearing blasted out by energy bullets, near the river here, lies a pile of dangerous species corpses that have become ingredients, and the complex bloody scent they emit makes many dangerous species active at night not dare to easily approach.

Of course, there are also foolishly bold dangerous species that come over wanting to eat something, but the outcome is they also fall and become part of the ingredients.

"Everyone cut the meat pieces smaller, that way they'll cook through easier."

Broly had gathered seventy-odd children; after arriving at the man-made rest area, they quickly helped Broly process the ingredients.

Some found branches, some made fire, some cut meat, some found wild vegetables, even some mushrooms were picked by someone.

The logistics officer responsible for purchasing this batch of children did not embezzle; these children forced to participate in the assassin selection indeed each had their own abilities.

"Broly-san, your meat."

The boy named Nahashu, after roasting a ground lizard meat skewer, hungry as he was did not choose to eat it himself, but holding the roasted meat on a branch came to Broly's side, handing the meat skewer he roasted to the boy.

During the days of wandering as an orphan, Nahashu would occasionally band together with other wandering children to survive; teams banding together like this were no different from wolf packs in the wild — the leader always had to eat the first bite of meat to prove his leading position. When Nahashu first started wandering he didn't understand, but after taking a beating he understood this principle.

Although Broly did not express any intention of becoming their leader, the rescued children indeed treated him — powerful in strength, able to casually kill dangerous species — as the core of this temporarily assembled team.

"You're a good person."

Suddenly fed food by Nahashu, Broly was somewhat surprised, but did not refuse, gave the other a good person card, and unceremoniously accepted the roasted meat in his hand.

With Nahashu setting the example, the other children seemed to have some realization too, coming forward one after another to queue and hand over their own roasted items.

"This is the large-horned deer meat I roasted."

"This is the amphisbaena tail I roasted."

"This is the wild vegetable marsh crab soup I stewed."

"This is a raw roasted bear paw made with the mud-wrapped chicken method."

"These are the mushrooms I picked, colorful and very pretty, definitely delicious too."

Among them was mixed a strange thing.

"Idiot, that's a poisonous mushroom, don't hand strange food to Broly-san!"

The girl named Pony, the string of poisonous mushrooms in her hand was directly thrown away.

"My mushrooms!"

The girl raised her hand watching her poisonous mushrooms fly out and fall into the river, with a face of 【Broly-san won't eat so I'll eat them myself】 expression.

This person's poison resistance is not bad, possibly related to her finding and eating weird fungi since childhood, but not eating herself to death.

"You are all good people!"

Broly didn't expect there to be so many good people in this world, one after another coming to hand him food.

Although most of this is meat roasted from prey he hunted, the meat processed by others' hands does not belong to him.

Because he said he would share food with those who helped carry things, so that should belong to them, but these people are willing to share their own food with him.

Broly is very moved; even if only Akame and Kurome are Crystal Palace recognized capturable wives, he is now willing to treat this group of people who feed him as his external wives in this world.

"Do you know, handing over the first mouthful of food is our rule for pledging to a big bro; after pledging to a big bro, you can be covered by the big bro; those guys who want to compete with us for restaurant kitchen waste, if they haven't pledged to another big bro, they can't compete with us for food."

"I see, no wonder I couldn't beat others in the city before."

A formerly lone wandering child, revealing a look of sudden realization.

"Then Luosang, did you used to have a big bro?"

Another child asked.

"Of course, otherwise how could I have so much meat."

The child who spoke of pledging to a big bro lifted his clothes, revealing a layer of shriveled little stomach.

Compared to other even more emaciated children, he counts as fat.

"Then you're here, where is your former big bro now?"

"Dead."

"Eh?"

"When we were fooling around in the city, my big bro accidentally bumped into a passing noble, and was whipped to death by that noble's guards with a horsewhip.

Without a big bro, we couldn't beat others, so I sold myself to slave traders, just wanting to scrape a meal, didn't expect to be sold to this kind of place, as food for Danger Beasts."

The little fatty spoke with a face full of bitterness, yet he actually possesses monstrous strength; the mud-wrapped chicken method raw roasted bear paw was given to Broly by him, and at the same time, he was the one who carried the wild bear corpse beaten to death by Broly as main force personnel to here.

"But now I have a new big bro again; Broly-san looks extremely powerful at a glance; those Danger Beasts were easily solved by him; one thinks even city nobles couldn't easily kill him; following him, I'll definitely eat my fill."

Little fatty Luosang looked at Broly by the other campfire, with a look of having met a good big bro and intending to stick with him, making the surrounding children indicate one after another that they also want to follow a good big bro who can lead them to eat their fill.

A group of children chewing meat, talking with people of similar age also sold here, after understanding each other's past hard lives, their recognition of the newly pledged big bro rose in a straight line.

Among this there is both the reason of being rescued, and the reason of the other party willing to share food with them, letting them eat meat.

They fed Broly, but Broly didn't also feed them.

(Chapter End)