Kaede didn't know how she walked back to the town's stronghold. There, she once again encountered the Elite Group. And, of course, Akame.
"Kaede, what happened to you?" Seeing Kaede's somewhat soul-less appearance, Akame couldn't help but run over in worry and hug her.
"Ah, Akame, it's nothing." Kaede tried to force a smile, but in the end, she gave up.
"Go help her wash up." Seeing that Kaede seemed to have washed once but still looked somewhat dirty, Nahash said. And what was with the clothes on her body? Those rags seemed only capable of covering the bare minimum.
"Eh?" Looking at Kaede's state, Akame couldn't help but look at the boys present, finding that Guy already had a lecherous look in his eyes, while Green was adjusting his glasses, the lenses glinting.
Seeing this, Akame hurriedly pulled Kaede into the room.
"I'm fine," Kaede said as Akame helped her undress.
"Sit here and don't move!" Akame got angry seeing her sister's lack of cooperation.
"Ah, okay." Kaede nodded and sat there obediently.
"Sigh..." Akame watched Kaede sit there, but her eyes seemed to drift off somewhere, lacking any spark.
Akame wanted to know what her sister had encountered. She was her most admired older sister; what could have turned her sister into this?
However, the task at hand was to clean her sister's body. Thinking about it, Akame looked at the body that was similar to her own and couldn't help but blush; every time she saw her sister like this, it was like looking at herself, giving her a strange feeling.
Outside, Nahash had already begun his analysis.
"It seems we were one step too late again." Nahash sighed, thinking about how he and Guy had stayed in those mountains for a few days for nothing, feeling a bit speechless.
But they couldn't blame anyone else; who told them their faces had been exposed?
"You mean, Kaede?" Cornelia couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"How many people do you think could push her to this extent? We have a fair idea of Kaede's combat strength, don't we?" Nahash said.
"True." Cornelia nodded. At the very least, she couldn't possibly beat Kaede. Although she was a bit unwilling to admit it, the situation she saw earlier clearly told her the gap between them.
"Tch, so we made another trip for nothing?" Guy said with some dissatisfaction.
"This is for the best. If it wasn't Kaede, then we..." Chikushi thought about it and a trace of relief appeared in her eyes. If she had faced Kaede's opponent, she might have died there, right?
At that moment, the door opened again. The six people's bodies tensed instantly, their hands even touching their weapons, but in the next moment, seeing that the newcomer was their father, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's Akame?" Gozuki asked as he looked at them.
"She's helping her sister clean her body," Guy said, curling his lip.
"Sister?" Gozuki was taken aback for a moment, then reacted. "Kaede?"
"Yes." Guy nodded. "She stole our prey again."
"Is that so?" Gozuki nodded, then took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and said, "Don't complain. In fact, this is better. You might not have been able to handle the assassins from Obergehr."
"Yes, the clothes on Kaede's body were turned to rags," Cornelia said with lingering fear.
"Let's wait for them to come out and ask about the situation properly. It might not be as simple as we imagine," Gozuki said, leaning there.
"Mm." No one objected.
However, after a long time, only Akame came out alone.
"Where's your sister?" Gozuki asked.
"Sister is already asleep," Akame said. "She seemed very exhausted and fell asleep as soon as she lay down."
"I see." Gozuki frowned, looked at Akame's worried expression, and finally gave up the idea of waking Kaede to ask about the situation.
In the room, Kaede lay asleep, but if anyone were beside her, they would see sweat constantly pouring from her forehead.
In the evening, inside the Empire's stronghold, Kaede had already woken up and was sitting before the Elite Group, telling them what she had encountered.
"In other words, you killed one and two escaped?" Gozuki said, frowning.
"Mm." Kaede nodded, looking at the father of the Elite Group. He had a handsome face, just a bit unkempt, with quite a lot of stubble on his chin that hadn't been shaved.
"Do you still remember what they looked like?" Gozuki asked again.
"Is there any paper?" Kaede suddenly asked.
"Yes."
After Cornelia handed Kaede some paper and a pen, Kaede began to draw. Soon, the appearances of the three people emerged on the paper.
"This one has the aura of Obergehr." Kaede pointed at Taeko.
"This one is the Eyes of Obergehr, also the one I finished off." Kaede pointed at Barbara.
"This one seems to possess the Teigu, Gaea Foundation." Kaede pointed at Chelsea.
"Eyes of Obergehr..." Gozuki was stunned, then his eyes suddenly widened. "Barbara!"
"You know her?" Kaede and the Elite Group were all startled by Gozuki's reaction.
"Of course. A legendary assassin, a top-tier assassin. You really killed her?" Gozuki found it hard to believe. Even if he were to kill Barbara, it should be very difficult, and in the end, he might have to rely on Murasame to succeed.
"Yes, I used an abnormal method to barely succeed," Kaede said.
"I see." Gozuki nodded, but he still couldn't help but be amazed. That was Barbara, not some ordinary character. To get her to take the bait was already no simple feat; no matter what method was used, it was something to be proud of!
"That's it. Can I go back to rest now?" Even though she had rested for a day, the fatigue on Kaede's face was still very evident.
"Mm, share a room with Akame. Let Akame take you to rest." Gozuki had asked roughly everything he wanted to and didn't make things difficult for Kaede anymore.
"Then Father, I'll take Sister to rest," Akame said.
"Mm."
"Mm." Nodding, Kaede followed Akame to her room and then lay directly on the bed, her mind completely blank.
After a long while, Akame also lay down and hugged Kaede from behind.
"Sister, what exactly happened?" Akame was somewhat unwilling to see her admired sister turn into this.
"Akame, would you hate me?" Kaede suddenly asked a nonsensical question.
"Eh?" Akame was taken aback, then said without even thinking, "Sister is the person I admire most, how could I hate you? I love you more than anything!"
"I see." Kaede nodded, turned around, and pulled Akame into her arms.
"Sister..." Sensing that Kaede's mood was a bit off, Akame didn't resist. Or rather, she never intended to resist, though a blush unconsciously appeared on her face.
Kaede held her very, very tightly. Her eyes struggled and flickered, but eventually returned to their usual calm.
"As long as this is enough, as long as Akame and Kurome are safe, that's enough."
"Yes, as long as Akame and Kurome are safe..."
"As long as they are safe..."
"Even if I have to kill the whole world..."
"What of it?"
After firmly saying these words in a voice so low that even Akame in her arms couldn't hear, Kaede's eyes flashed strangely, then returned to calm once more.
With that, the girl finally made up her mind and embarked on her own journey!
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