Chapter 60

Merad was startled: ⊙ω⊙!

Those words made so much sense she was actually left speechless.

"So as long as you cover our food and lodging, you're willing to come with me?"

However, Merad still seized the key point inside and asked directly.

If she could lure Broly away just by covering food and lodging, then she was naturally willing.

Although these days she had already witnessed the boy's appetite far exceeding that of ordinary people, and he wasn't someone just anyone could afford to support.

But she, Merad, wasn't an ordinary person either; she was an assassin, and moreover the successor to the next Leader of the Assassin Guild, she was willing to take missions to kill and support him.

And this, probably, was what they called love.

When the time came, he would manage the household, she would handle the outside...

Merad thought about the future, and looked at Broly with some anticipation, waiting for the boy's answer.

"Not cover my food and lodging, but cover our food and lodging, that way everyone will follow you."

Broly corrected her words.

"No problem."

Merad didn't hesitate; the others combined didn't eat as much as Broly alone, and since she was willing to support Broly, she didn't mind supporting a few more.

Moreover, these children might not even need her to support them; after these days of observation and getting along, Esdeath needless to say, the others were mostly good seedlings who could be trained into assassins.

For example, Akame and Kurome, those two sisters were top-tier assassin seedlings, their bodies flexible, and when cutting things with knives they were also extremely precise.

And the knives in their hands, if she wasn't mistaken, should be things made from the Teigu Murasame being cut in half and then reforged with new scabbards.

Merad had previously heard from within the Assassin Guild about the Empire collecting children to prepare to train an assassination group.

Combined with the intelligence gathered from some children after joining the team, these people were very likely that batch of children selected by the Empire, but it seemed because of Broly's sake, they had thereby broken free from the Empire's control.

Merad's straightforwardness surprised Broly a bit, but he still asked the little companions for their opinions on whether they wanted their food and lodging covered.

After receiving the reply that everyone wanted to eat free meals, Broly then looked back at the assassin girl: "Miss Merlade, from today we are your subordinates, please take care of us, let us eat and drink well."

Merad: "..."

She really wanted to ask this group of children if they understood what being a subordinate meant, but forgot it.

"As long as I, Merad, have a mouthful to eat, I absolutely won't let everyone go hungry."

Just treat it as keeping them.

Merad's words won the children's favor.

Even including Akame and Kurome, because both girls applauded.

"Wait, we just become someone else's subordinates this easily, is that really okay?"

Main felt it was very strange.

"She covers food and lodging."

Akame was a glutton, she thought it was pretty good, after all looking at what Cassandra did as maid work, it didn't seem like anything difficult either.

After Big Brother leaves, everyone has to stand on their own feet eventually, having a job that covers food and lodging means they won't just sit and eat the mountain empty.

"Esdeath-neesan, you think so too?"

Main asked the ice-blue long-haired girl.

"I don't care, as long as there's food to eat, fights to fight, and a place to sleep, that's enough."

Originally Esdeath had been thinking of joining the Imperial Army, but now it seemed she'd be turning to join the Assassin Guild instead, but that didn't seem bad either.

In their understanding of subordinate work, Esdeath and Akame's views were clearly different; Akame saw Cassandra's maid work, while Esdeath saw assassin work.

And this assassin work was a bit like hunting, except the prey wasn't Danger Beasts or wild beasts, but real, living humans.

Esdeath was passionate about hunting, she didn't reject killing behavior, strictly speaking, she was actually very suitable to be an assassin.

Of course, regarding becoming Merad's subordinate, Esdeath still had some opinions, but now as Broly's property, she would absolutely not refute any of the boy's decisions.

But after Broly leaves this world, a great woman placed between heaven and earth, how could she remain depressed under others for long — that inverted rebellion would be another matter.

Who said subordinates are forever subordinates, this world ultimately speaks with strength, a subordinate with strength directly turning the tables and pressing the master down to bully them is also a perfectly natural thing.

"Then I'll take you to my home, my home is very big, it's a small castle, it can accommodate everyone."

Merad proposed.

"That won't work, not everyone in the team is becoming your subordinate, there are still people who need to go home, we have to send them back first." Broly waved his hand and directly vetoed this new boss's first proposal, completely lacking the self-awareness of a qualified subordinate.

Hmm, things have to be done in order, even if Merad covers food and lodging, they can't just listen to her on everything.

Merad: "..."

"Then where are you going?"

Cassandra asked.

"Borsil City."

Nahashu answered, that was where Green's home was located.

"On the way we'll also pass through the Kathisi Region, that's where our other four companions' homes are, so we'll stay in nearby towns for a while."

Nahashu took out the newly purchased map, pointing at some places on it as he spoke.

"Borsil City, that's a western city near the Imperial Central region, I heard the governor there levies excessive taxes, it's not a good place."

The Assassin Guild 【Alberg】's main area of activity is in the Empire's Western Frontier, so Merad has some understanding of the situation in the major cities of the Western Territory.

Among them some lords practice enlightened benevolent governance, but there are also lords who levy excessive taxes, using any means to amass wealth, they are thoroughly evil policy implementers.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the Assassin Guild; on the contrary, some evil policy implementers are still the Assassin Guild's major clients, able to pay large sums to hire the Guild's assassins to kill.

Not only that, evil policy implementers themselves incur resentment when implementing evil policies, so sometimes there are people whose families are ruined who pool money to buy those evil policy implementers' heads.

For this, the Assassin Guild accepts all comers; it's possible they just finish killing an assassination target, then turn around and because the target gave them a new commission before dying, after taking the money they kill the employer too — doing business on both ends.

Merad briefly explained the situation there, then said to some children who wanted to go home: "Borsil City and the Kathisi Region are both not good places, instead of going back to suffer, you might as well come home with me."

The children who wanted to go home faced each other, and Green stepped forward to speak their inner voice in their place: "The slave traders said we were all sold to them by our parents, but we don't believe this point; we want to go home, to find out the truth inside this, otherwise, we won't be resigned."

In this era, there are many children abandoned by their biological parents, but children who can still go back and investigate the truth after being abandoned — there probably really aren't a few.

Merad had no feeling about this kind of thing, but since Broly wanted to help these little guys return home, she could only let it be.

Honestly, this package of food and lodging as the boss's role truly has no face, but who told her to be the one eagerly currying favor.

However, the only benefit after this showdown and becoming the boss is probably being able to openly require the boy to accompany her in doing something.

Of course, excessively excessive things — with Broly's age he also couldn't do them; moreover, there are still several other girls who have vigilance toward her.

But...

"Broly, spar rear naked choke with me again."

A request for this kind of sparring partner can still be casually raised.

Of course, the premise is that it doesn't clash together with Esdeath's sparring partner request.

And Broly's powerful rear naked choke is precisely what Merad wants.

Suffocating yet with a dangerous pleasure, it makes her sink in deeply.

"Why is it that whenever you practice rear naked choke, you always let me choke you?"

Broly doesn't quite understand.

"Where one fails is where one must climb up; this is me wanting to overcome your rear naked choke."

Merad found such an excuse.

"Okay."

Broly actually believed her words.

"Hey, don't concede, use force, mm, that's it, just like that."

Occasionally rear naked choking the boss is Broly's work content after becoming Merad's subordinate.

Of course, Merad occasionally also experiences others' rear naked chokes, but limited to the other girls in the team.

Main always feels something strange, yet can't say what the problem is.

It's Esdeath who, when required to work, actually choked Merad unconscious.

And after Merad woke up, she not only didn't blame her for heavy hands, but instead gave her a thumbs up.

This is the 'sparring partner' effect she wants.

(Chapter End)