Fate: Kill

Chapter 9

Investigation and information were key to any kind of reconnaissance. Anxious as Leone was to verify the state of her friend and colleague, her years of experience forced her to truly consider her plan of action.
P

ulling her hood further down over her face, she obscured her facial features further while deciding to temporarily make a retreat.
She left in the same direction that she had came.
She wasn't worried about Berkins waiting for her because it was more likely that the man had already fled and thought of her as dead. It was clear that the man hadn't wanted to pay her, nor did he seem the type to personally investigate a fortified location.
Expectedly, she arrived back to a deserted camp.
Her horse though was still around, tethered around a sturdy tree with a chain rather than a rope. It was a good call on Leone's part. Walking up to her horse, she ran a finger over the chain links and clicked her tongue thoughtfully. She could see signs of tampering from the grating of a sword over the metal, but as if the vandal had grown frustrated, the signs soon disappeared altogether.
It was likely that Berkins had ordered for the procurement of anything valuable before leaving, and that included her horse. Fortunately, she had thought ahead.
Of the baggage that had previously been on her horse, all that was left were empty sacks unskillfully torn open when some idiot was unable to undo a knot.
Disregarding the empty sacks on her horse, she went directly to a spot just a few feet away from where she'd tied the tether. The dirt there was of lighter coloration than the surrounding gravel, and that was simply because she'd hastily dug up the location to bury her actual belongings.
Sifting through the supplies she carried on her person, she pulled out a retractable trowel. It was a necessity for travelling out in the wilderness. Out in the open, food would spoil under direct sunlight. Wrapping food and up and leaving it buried beneath the ground was a natural method of preservation. In any case, she didn't just bury her provisions.
She absently wiped a small sheen of sweat from her brows with the back of her hand. In front of her was a hole that was around a meter deep, and at the center were two moderately sized pouches.
One of the pouches contained food, while the other was the one that she prioritized.
Wasting no more time, she directly picked up both pouches, stored the food away, and began untethering her horse before mounting it.
Pulling on the reins, she urged her mount into a slow trot while skimming through the contents of her second pouch. It contained all the information that she'd collected about the area in the past few days, and even had the mission details of her current assignment.
The paper soon began to crumple in her hands.
Bastards. She gritted her teeth while looking over and over again at the intelligence reports from the Revolutionary Army detailed over five months ago.
'Threat level: Neutral. No signs of harmful dangers. Only a single obscure settlement. Remote and backwater. No cause for concern.'
A map had been included in the reports and it showed no signs whatsoever of a massive wall of steel in the vicinity. Moreover, she couldn't see anything close to a settlement which meant that it had to have had been located on the opposite side of the wall.
She shuddered and tightly closed her eyes for a moment.
If she went in unprepared, what were her chances of both finding Akame and getting out?
None.
All of those hunters that she'd seen, carried a Teigu. What's worse was that she couldn't verify if the Teigu's were limited solely to those hunters.
When hunting, it was never a viable strategy to hunt in large groups. It attracted the attention of animals and there was no getting away from leaving traces behind, prompting Danger Beasts to grow cautious.
Not all Danger Beasts or animals were mindless. The trails left behind, and the scent of blood in the air would be clear warnings to them of some kind of danger.
Of all the hunting groups Leone had ever seen in her life, few were comprised of all of a country or town's strongest warriors. Which meant to say, that there was a likely chance that there were far more people with Teigu behind those walls than she was comfortable about assuming.
She swallowed audibly, but maintained a tense vigilance of her surroundings.
The first thing that she needed to do was get some sort of idea about what she was facing, and for that, at least she still had something to rely on.
The information that she'd deemed useless were the papers given to her by the scouts of the Revolutionary Army, however, that wasn't all that she had on hand.
Lubbock, another colleague of hers who'd grown similarly worried about Akame's situation had worked overtime to procure logistic and trade reports regarding the movement of people and commodities throughout the area.
He had nothing substantial in regards to the Town of Calla that was stationed directly behind the steel walls, but everything else, Lubbock had been able to accurately detail.
Just because one had no information of a location did not mean that it was impossible to not get a basic understanding.
Her eyes thoroughly skimmed the contents of Lubbock's investigation and soon narrowed before she folded the papers away and tucked them into an inner pocket in her cloak.
Food.
People.
Resources.
Those were the three words and main emphasis of scrutinization in Lubbock's analysis.
Two months prior, the amount of food in the lands surrounding the steel wall suffered an advanced drought that spread everywhere. The other villages several hundreds of miles away from the capital of the Empire were in a state of crippling famine. People were dying of starvation, and even those with money could not find enough to eat.
This led to a simple conclusion.
Mass migrations, the movements of people as a result of the dire circumstances.
People from all kinds of trades and professions would leave their homes and look for work elsewhere to support their families and friends. Warriors, mercenaries, tradesmen, it didn't matter what sort of profession an individual possessed, it was literal movement of human resources.
Leone had already seen many similar cases throughout the Empire, but almost all of them ended up with remote or isolated villages sending young folk to the Empire's Capital for work. Naturally, the villages suffering from famine in the area around the steel walls should have had a similar conclusion, but everything was different.
In the report that Lubbock had made, there was evidently, a glaring 'hole' in the space where villages should have had been sending the Empire cheap labour. This 'hole' stretched across the entirety of the southern region near the borders of Wakoku.
To put the image into perspective, consider a pie in a circular tin with a triangular piece cut out leading towards the center. The centre represents the 'Empire' while the remaining pieces of 'pie' represent the youths that the outside villages sent for work into the Capital. The missing triangular piece of the pie represents the oddity of the region around the steel walls.
If these people that were looking for work did not go to the Empire as a means to save their villages and towns, then where did they go?
A hint of trepidation began to well up from within her.
She stared at the steel walls just over the horizon in a daze.
Just what exactly did Akame get herself into?
Above all, Leone desperately wanted to make sure that Akame was safe. In her line of work, it was hard to determine when a simple 'goodbye' or 'take care' would be the last words one would say to a friend.
Hopefully that wasn't the case.
She didn't want to accept it.
Not Akame. She was too strong to just be written off as dead.
Leone thought deeply into the single warning that Lubbock had given her in his analysis.
'Don't be reckless. I've seen similar patterns to this before.'
Indeed. Assuming that the missing youth sent from villages in the southern region were truly migrating toward the town located behind the steel walls, then that could only mean that Calla had enough food to support a large population.
Large populations meant the gathering of resources, skills, and talents. It also meant expansion.
Yet what could all this mean?
The Empire was already caught up in a Civil War against the Revolutionary Army much like the states of Wakoku. It was like a third power was suddenly rising from out of nowhere.
The thought caught her to stiffen, but she couldn't just base everything on assumption alone. She needed facts and evidence, something that she would later realize wasn't exactly difficult to obtain.
She forcibly stopped the trotting of her horse.
In front of her was a moderate-sized group of people equipped with varying states of luggage. Some were in rags, while others were slightly better off, carrying with them spare feather pillows and daily necessities.
She silently assessed the group and came to the stunning conclusion that they were migrants.
Judging from the direction that they were walking towards; they were heading directly to those ominous steel walls in the distance.
She pursed her lips almost subconsciously.
She understood that what existed right in front of her was a chance to garner information, but was it worth the risk? What if those hunters were acquainted with these people?
Rationally speaking though, it was unlikely. If they were truly just migrants and vagabonds pursing a better life, then it was surely their first time in the location.
Now came the bigger question, just what motivated them to move towards the steel walls?
The time to act had come.
Composing herself, she cut off the restraints of her horse and set it free into the wild. She had considered tethering it again, but she didn't know how long she'd be gone and she didn't want to starve the poor animal.
Urgent matters dealt with; Leone undid the knot that secured her cloak over her shoulders. If she wanted to blend in and get information from the migrants, then keeping her appearance concealed was counter productive. Not to mention, that she'd probably stand out.
With the bindings unfastened, her cloak gradually slid down form her shoulders, reveling her appearance beneath.
She was a beauty of a woman, with mid-length sunshine bright yellow hair that resembled something of mane in its sheer density. Most of it was combed to fall just behind her head, but her bangs fell lower on either side of her face. Her pants were of a baggy white with the waist area left completely open to reveal a black streamlined sports bloomer. Her torso itself was hardly concealed. Only a simple band of cloth was used to support her ample bosom, and even then, it looked like it was under heavy strain. Her naval region was left entirely exposed, while arm warmers attached to gold coloured armlets were placed around her biceps.
She looked nothing like an average Assassin, but that in itself may have had been part of the disguise.
She'd infiltrate, investigate, then send a report depending on the situation. Perhaps she'd call in some more allies.
She soon put on the most unassuming smile that she could muster, and swiftly made her way towards the group of travelers.
"Hello!" She called out cheerfully upon being sighted.
Rather than be cautious of her, the people showed no signs of hostility or suspicion. Instead, they smiled in return almost as if they weren't in the middle of a food crisis.
"Ah, here comes another one," an old man spoke up with a grin. He was smoking on a lit pipe which he held by his mouth using his teeth. "You're probably going to ask to join in, aren't you? Well go ahead, we all welcome you."
Leone closed her mouth in stupefaction.
W-What in the world was going on?
Crime rates were rampant throughout the Empire which meant that most travelers were weary of others. In this time of crisis and drought, this was the likeliest time to have a run-in with bandits or thieves.
Why didn't they show even a little bit of doubt?
The situation felt disconcerting, but at the very least, it moved along in the direction of her plans.
Whistling to herself, she moved away form the old man that had spoken to her, and looked for a younger target to converse with. A man would probably be the easiest, but the fact that she had to stay covert in this operation meant that she couldn't just swindle the man then run away with the information that she needed.
What she was looking to do was to both gather information pre-emptively from the convoy of migrants, and then camouflage with the migrants to gain access passed the steel walls.
With that in mind, she soon decided on a better target.
A woman who was travelling on her own, and didn't seem too cautious of conversation. From attire, she was probably one of the better off people from the villages around the steel walls. Still, no matter how well off one was, without food, commodities were worth nothing.
"Sorry if my question's a little sudden, but what exactly is going on here?" Leone probed lightly as soon as she got the woman's attention. She come off as open and carefree as this was the best tactic when conversing with a stranger.
"Oh, you must not have heard yet," the woman was very responsive, a hand pulling back a lock of hair which had grown damp and stuck to her forehead because of sweat. "The recent famine has been hard on everyone in the area, but there's been word that shelter could be found behind the steel walls."
"Shelter?" Leone was somewhat baffled. "Even if they provide shelter, food is what's important right now."
"Exactly!" The woman readily agreed. "If not for a shortage of food in my home village, I would not have had taken the time to come. Anyway, the rumours are that there's an absurd amount of food in the village behind the steel walls because of some massive Danger Beasts providing plenty of meat. Moreover, the people there are said to be exceedingly kind and accepting of other people's circumstances."
"Oh? Do you mind elaborating?" Leone was starting to grow curious. "From how ominous those steel walls look, I though they were some sort of military fortification?"
The woman shrugged as if saying 'how could I know when I've never been there?'
It was a fair point, but Leone didn't exactly have anything to lose by asking.
A moment later, the woman gathered her thoughts and responded.
"My friend sent me a letter revealing her intentions to permanently live in the town called Calla inside if she passes the application test. I trust my friend's judgement, so therefore, it must be a good place. She even sent me this strange white bar thing that she called 'soap,' but I have no idea how to use it even though my friend said it's essential to beauty."
Saying that, the woman creased her brows and fell into deep thought.
Leone herself felt like pulling her hair out.
The only useful information that she'd gleamed from the woman was that the town of Calla was providing aid to all its neighboring towns and villages. More than that, the fact that Calla was providing aid meant that it was definitely being unaffected by the famine and was in a state of prosperity to the point that something like 'soap' could be sent around.
"Do none of you worry about this being any kind of trick," she crossed her arms beneath her chest and began to frown. A rumour that was too good to believe in was almost always false.
Still, Leone didn't think that the woman would be so affected by her words.
The woman's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"We know," she spoke solemnly. "None of us here are fools, but anything is better than the capital. None of the villagers ever come back from there. Hard as it is to believe in the rumours of this town called Calla, its better than sinking into despair as the pangs of hunger slowly eat you alive. Either that, or you fall into depravity and commit the sin of harming those around you. None of us wish to be forced into that kind of outcome."
The woman straightened her back and adamantly looked ahead, doubts and fears unable to be seen.
For a moment, Leone was taken aback.
"My friend is there. She assured me over and over again to come. I have hope." She motioned towards the rest of the people in the group. "We have hope. So therefore, we press onward. Isn't that the same with you?"
'Isn't that the same with you?'
The words echoed in Leone's head, her gaze shifting downward. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand what these people were feeling. She too was once the same. Only that what she found at the end of her 'hope' was not salvation.
'What did it matter if a child from the slums died anyway?'
Her lips subconsciously began to quiver.
In some deeper part of herself, she was strongly disagreeing with what the woman had said. After all, if hope truly had the ability to change her life and the world for the better, then why hadn't she been saved when she had needed it the most? No, it didn't even matter about her! Why had the rest been unable to be saved?
Her hands balled into fists so tightly that her nails were starting to dig into her skin, however, the cheerful expression on Leone's face hardly shifted.
"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right," she laughed awkwardly to alleviate the odd tension in the air.
The woman just shrugged and thought nothing much of it, but as soon as the woman turned away, Leone's face abruptly blanked before resuming a natural smile.
She called out to other people in the group, but roughly got the same information that she'd obtained from the woman already.
Hope.
Eagerness.
Anticipation.
Everyone was of the same mind.
Leone was still skeptical. Expectation was bound to be met with disappointment. That was how this shitty world worked.
Soon enough, the entrance of the steel walls came within line of sight.
Leone inwardly calmed herself, and made sure that nothing about her looked suspicious. She was a member of Night Raid that wasn't currently depicted on the wanted posters so as long as she was careful, no one should be cautious of her.
There were guards of some sort stationed at a checkpoint located in front of the entrance of the steel walls.
People were already line up at the front, and besides getting asked a couple questions, they were directly allowed in without any other hassle. For her part, Leone was a hundred percent confident that the guards would have had demanded an entry fee, but the reality before her was utterly different.
Leone blinked in sheer disbelief.
What kind of inspection process was this? Wasn't this just free entry?
Either the guards were fully confident in apprehending suspicious individuals, or they were just fools.
Leone thought it was the latter option. How could anyone so naïve be able to live in this world of corruption. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, but for now, it suited her plans just perfectly. She passed the checkpoint screening area and entered the inner confines of the steel wall.
A dirt road had been built leading to what looked like a prospering town in the distance.
Homes were built on either side of the roads, and even from where she was standing, Leone could see an extensive irrigation system that was allowing the agriculture of the fields around her to blossom. It was no wonder that this place wasn't suffering from drought. There was a natural river that was supplying water.
Leone's eyes soon narrowed while staring at the river.
It wasn't easy to notice, but most of the ground around the river was made form a solid type of bedrock. How was it that the bedrock appeared to have had been dug up like regular soil?
It was a mystery in her mind, but perhaps it had something to do with the Teigus that she'd seen in the Hunters possessions.
Regardless, she'd just verified that the town of Calla did indeed exist behind the steel walls, which meant to say that Akame had to be around here somewhere.
Akame last report mentioned that she'd successfully established a hide-out near Calla. Knowing Akame, it would have to be in a hidden location without a high population. Unfortunately, no matter where Leone looked, most of the trees and uninhabited areas within the steel walls had been plowed and made flat to allow for the building of new homes.
Even if Akame did make a hide out, it was probably discovered by now.
The target of Leone's search would have to be elsewhere. In the meantime, she couldn't stay with the migrant group for any longer. It was time to get to work.
Moving away from the group that she'd travelled with; she entered the town of Calla and immediately began searching for a certain type of establishment. It was a place to drink alcohol and laugh the day's stress away. It was also a place where the most information could be acquired from a loose tongue.
This establishment was naturally a bar. Low and behold, she soon found one such establishment, took a seat, and ordered a drink by the counter.
She sat be herself, a hand idly swirling the mug of cold beer in her grip.
Her ears perked now and again and she acted as if she was getting drunk, but in reality, she was just focusing.
The best part about a bar, was that she didn't have to initiate conversation to get any information. Sometimes, the best strategy was to just listen.
The two talking by the far corner for example had nothing but praise for Calla. Apparently the Young Lord of this town had personally hunted a Danger Beast for the hungry citizens of other towns to eats.
Personally, Leone thought was bullshit.
Her eyes were half-lidded as she glugged down another gulp of beer.
The town is great.
The town is wonderful.
A true haven.
Yada-yada, all those words were the flapping of lips with no credibility. She'd have to see it first to believe, and more than that, her doubts were too heavy for her to be convinced so easily.
There was no such person who would go out of their way to help out a stranger. They didn't exist. Not in the world that she'd grown used to living within.
She smacked her mug of beer on the counter while wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
What were they playing at here? She was convinced that the people who were full of praise for the town were paid actors utilized to lower the guards of the new migrants. She wouldn't be fooled by them.
Surely if she waited long enough, they'd show their true colours.
Regardless, none of them spoke anything of Night Raid's famous assassin Akame getting apprehended in town. That in itself was a good sign. If Akame really was caught, there was no way that the civilians wouldn't at least gossip about the topic. That was simply how notorious Akame's reputation was.
"A refill!" She called out drunkenly to the bar tender.
The bar tender glanced at her before opening a brand-new keg and pouring the beer to the brim of her mug. "Now that's what I'm talking about," she complimented with a grin.
She took the mug into her hand, placed her lips over the edge, and downed the whole drink in go.
Placing her arms in front of her, she then pretended to slowly pass out while leaning her forehead on the groove of her bent elbow.
Now, no matter how long she stayed in the bar, there shouldn't be anyone suspicious of her.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty by the time someone of importance seemed to walk in.
Leone's senses heightened as she strained her ears to listen, a single eye subtly opening to inspect the bar's newest patrons. She momentarily stilled in surprise.
It was the group of hunters from before.
"C'mon Selka, one drink," The hunter nearest to the girl named Selka placed a hand over Selka's shoulder and led her to a place near the back of the bar.
"I told you, I don't drink. Father says it dampens the senses." Leone could hear Selka's flat response.
"Even after we caught such a big Danger Beast? It's time to celebrate!" The hunter continued to insist.
"Waiter, I'd like to order milk," Selka completely ignored the words of the other hunter, but apparently grew flustered at another Hunter's response.
"What if Shirou ever asked you out for a drink and you couldn't even down a single mug?"
"…"
Hmm, interesting.
Leone peaked a single eye open to see the woman named Selka in a fluster. She tried to look tough and indifferent on the surface, but she was surprisingly easy to goad. Her eyes kept shifting between decisiveness and indecisiveness until her resistance finally crumbled.
"O-One cup then, only one!"
"That's the spirit, you'll make a fine woman in the future. Your future husband would be honoured to have you!" The other hunters immediately showered Selka in praise.
"Y-You really think so? I'm not like the other girls who look far prettier than me, a-and my abs might be too toned. What if he likes softer and frailer girls? H-Hypothetically I mean. O-Obviously its not me who wants to know, but another friend of mine."
This woman, did she not understand how to hide her thoughts?
Leone's lips nearly perked up in amusement. Fortunately, she was able to restrain herself lest she break her current camouflage.
"This and that are different questions, aren't they Selka? Shouldn't you first beat that woman whose been staying near Shirou before helping out this friend of yours?" Another Hunter spoke up heartily.
Selka suddenly grew resolved at the reminder. "I'll beat her next time. I was just careless in the last duel."
"Careful now, that's overconfidence. In the future if you end up unable to beat her and she decides to take Shirou for herself, what would your friend do?"
Selka crossed her arms solemnly.
"I'll listen to the other girl's advice and tell my friend to directly 'bed him.' As I'm not exactly sure what that means because my father refused to tell me, I'll have to rely on you guys to help-Hey why did you all turn away from me? A-Are you actually laughing at such a serious topic? Stop! At least tell me what I said wrong!"
Leone felt her chest heave up and down but she had to endure. She had to hold back the laughter threatening to spill out of her mouth. This Selka girl really was one-of-a-kind.
"Sure, thing milady," the other hunters quickly composed themselves under Selka's glare. "But before doing anything like 'bedding' we believe its better that you focus on your current objective. Oh, and do remember to be careful of that sword. She may be using the blunt end during your spars, but I heard that even one cut can be fatal."
That warning sounded awfully familiar.
Leone felt her senses heightening. This was a clue. A big one. A lead that she couldn't just let go of.
Selka nodded solemnly to her fellow hunters' words and remained silent for the rest of the time she stayed in the bar mostly because she got the sense that her fellow hunters were teasing her.
As for Leone, her eyes never once left Selka and the other Hunters.
Therefore, when Selka and the other Hunters stood up to leave, she decided to follow suit.
She promptly stood up and motioned towards the bar tender for her bill, but paused when the bar tender only smiled at her.
"How much do I need to pay?" She inquired in slight confusion.
"No need," the bar tender smiled kind-heartedly. It was an expression that had no sentiments of malice nor deceit, but was instead done out of thoughtfulness for the sake of others. "It's been hard on many because of the recent famine so this bar and many other establishments in town temporarily don't have a set price for out products. We simply ask that you pay what you can. Even if you give nothing, were already understanding of the situation."
What?
For a moment, Leone doubted if what she was hearing was real.
Pay what you can? What sort of concept was this?
Not only did it rely entirely on the charitability of the customer, but from a business perspective, it was ruinous unless one was able to make back the money put into an establishment.
Did people like this actually exist?
It was hard for her to swallow.
"You must be joking, seriously, how much was the beer so I can be on my way?" Leone spoke frankly, already pulling out a bag of coins by her waist. The sound of the coins jingling was enough to draw attention, but different from the capital, everyone around seemed disinterested. She felt like butterflies were forming in her stomach from how unused she was to the sudden change in world views.
The bar tender shook his head once more.
"It really is free," the man insisted. "The times are hard so please pay me what you will. Calla has more than enough resources to accommodate due to the Young Lord and the Townspeople's efforts."
The man was serious.
Leone didn't know what to make of it, other than just to react with a long silence.
This kind of empathy.
Shadows briefly clouded her eyes over.
This kind of place.
She was stunned. She couldn't form words nor find it within herself to try. In the end, all she got out was a single question. "Why?"
Why were the people that she'd experienced dealing with in the past so different from the people that she met in this town? Why was the contrast so big?
Her past was not something that she was very comfortable sharing with anyone. Deplorable and wretched were the only words that she could use to describe people then, and over the years, her opinion had hardly changed. So, stop.
Stop looking so earnest for a stranger's sake.
She couldn't keep eye-contact with the waiter and promptly turned her head to the side just as the man began to answer.
"It's not wrong to help others. Especially someone who shares a past occupation of mine." In that moment, the bar tender moved with a poise and experience that did not suit a common waiter, but a trained spy operative.
It caught Leone of guard, but before she could raise her alertness level, the man continued.
"You seem to be a person of many stories, much like myself and the others in this town, but let me be the first to inform you that none of what you 'were' or 'did' in the past matters here. 'Calla' is the flower of new beginnings." The man smiled good naturedly. "So, ease up a bit. No matter how trained you are, there's bound to be one or two people in this town that will be able to notice you. From one person whose worked in the same occupation before, take this as a tip, but natural is best."
Leone nodded stiffly, her eyes darting left and right and assessing the prospects of an escape, but there were far too many people.
"You aren't turning me in?" She stared at the waiter, her body tensing up in preparation to flee.
The bar tender simply shrugged with a sincere expression on his face. "Lies and deception, are you not sick of the words? Calla is different, and soon enough you'll understand for yourself. Maybe then I could offer to treat you to a drink, but for now, don't let me keep you."
He pointed to where Selka and the other hunters were just about to turn the farthest corner. "You wanted to follow them, didn't you? If you stay any longer, you'll lose sight of them."
"…" She didn't respond even though she knew that the waiter was right.
She moved to leave, and sure enough, the bar tender gave no signs of trying to stop or expose her. Inwardly, it was a heavy blow.
This sort of place actually existed?
That was the only thought in her mind, her lips pursing.
If, just if it wasn't the Revolutionary Army that had found her, and she found this sort of place, what would she have had done?
She forcibly quelled her doubts. This simply wasn't the time.
If she was discovered this easily, then what did it mean for Akame?
Her senses returned to her. Even in her past while growing up in the slums of the Capital, she'd always been the one to take care of the other children around her. She was the older sister, and that was why she had a duty to keep those she held dear safe from harm.
Wasn't that why she had chosen to gain strength?
Enough. It was enough. She didn't want to talk to anyone else anymore.
Calla itself appeared to be a trap. She convinced herself of this reasoning.
I-It was too ideal. Too compassionate in a world where a man or a woman would sooner turn on their children rather than face a heavier burden.
Stop thinking about it.
Don't think about it.
Focus on the mission.
She drilled the three sentences into her head, and soon returned to a state of professionalism. Still, if one looked closely, one could see the traces of doubts, disbelief, and denial present within her eyes.
It was only made worse when she passingly verified the waiter's words out of spite to prove the man to be just another liar.
It was the wrong decision.
While following discreetly behind Selka and the other hunters, Leone could hear her teeth gritting together in her mouth while her mind basically just blanked. Anywhere that she looked on either side of the street, people were smiling, and genuinely interacting with one another. People bought food and supplies for little more than a single piece of copper, and even then, she noticed that the vendors didn't even bat an eye to the few who had nothing to give.
It was only when one was at the lowest point in their lives that they could see how the world truly was, and in this case, it was a far cry from the capital.
If everyone in the Empire had the personality of the people in Calla, then would there have had even been a Civil War or Revolutionary Army?
She grimaced, but still maintained her pace.
How many times had she just hoped in the past for a single person in the capital to come up to her and the other children in the slums and ask a simple 'are you okay' without any ulterior motives?
She would have had smiled in the past despite her circumstances and responded that life would eventually get better knowing that there was at least a person who cared. However, her expectations were never answered and were instead met by the hands of those who would abuse the people of the slums for sport.
It was disgusting.
Following behind Selka, Leone felt her shoulder's tremble as her attention heightened for a single instance.
"Are you okay?" A villager of Calla passed a destitute child on the street. One of the many children that had just arrived from the mid-sized caravan of migrants Leone had infiltrated with.
The child looked confused, but began sniffling when the man broke apart the bread he had in his hands and offered half.
"It's not much, but take this for now. Life's been hard right? But with the efforts of the Young Lord and the rest of the people in town, life will get better after we help each other out."
No. Stop this.
For a moment, Leone subconsciously tried to block her ears, but she couldn't get rid of the scene that she'd just witnessed.
The urge to just start laughing bitterly nearly overwhelmed her.
She bit down on her lips and looked away.
Focus.
Focus.
She put all the thoughts distracting her out of her mind.
If she had been so easily noticed, then Akame must have been seen too. In which case, Leone had to face the prospect that Akame might be in the midst of detainment. The people in Calla didn't seem as if they'd kill unless Akame killed one of their own first, but Akame would only attempt to kill her target. Therefore, Akame should be safe considering that Edwin was not a local of Calla and had been a person running from the Capital.
Thinking up to this point, Leone continued to maintain a safe following distance from Selka and the other hunters. As they were strong, they probably didn't just function as a group to hunt for food, but to enforce order as well. Something like a policing force. After all, other than the hunters, no one else Leone had seen carried something as imposing as a Teigu. Perhaps if she followed them, they'd lead her to some sort of detainment facility? Besides, she was interested in who this opponent that Selka wanted to beat was.
Time passed on at a slow crawl, and it was only after Leone got a good look at the people around her that she noticed a peculiarity.
The attire that Selka and the others wore didn't exactly match the fashion trends in the Empire.
This revelation gave Leone a jolt.
The tribes of Wakoku.
Following after Selka, Leone was led to a part of Calla that was inhabited by a stark diversity of people. Some were clearly locals of the Empire, while others wore exotic clothing and apparel, making it obvious that they were from elsewhere. Wakoku was the only answer, and judging from the unique differences in accessories, more than just a single tribe from the warring states of Wakoku had taken up residence in the town. Selka and the others for example were lightly dressed in hunted furs, showing off their toned bodies, while other people were entirely covered from head to toe.
In the end, just what was this place? More importantly, what was it trying to do?
The more Leone discovered of Calla, the more questions she inevitably had.
For someone as experienced as her, letting her guard down or getting distracted was almost impossible in any special assignment, but this time was different. She'd already been discovered, but her apprehender just let her go without any questions asked?
Ridiculous.
She was feeling out of her depth already, and coupled with the things that she'd seen in the town, she was soon caught in a daze while her legs just blindly carried her forward. Akame was her only objective and driving force, so for the time being, she needed to get herself together.
Now if only she hadn't bumped into a person by accident, she could have had saved herself the trouble of falling on top of him.
She groaned for a moment, and clicked her tongue in self reproach, but more than that, she suddenly felt an ill premonition.
That Selka girl that she'd been following; right now, that girl who had looked so innocent while being teased by her fellow hunters had an expression so cold that it was chilling. In fact, for the slightest of moments, a trace of killing intent violently exploded outwards before forcibly being quelled.
Selka was stiff, her lips thinned, and eyes narrowed so sharply that the other hunters around her took a step away. She didn't know it, but she was sulking.
Selka wasn't a woman that was easily angered or impulsive, but right now, she thought she finally understood the words of her mother before her mother had gotten married with her father.
'It is not beasts that we should fear that take away our man's lives during a hunt, but the cunningness of other women instead.'
Leone felt that she'd somehow stepped across a certain line that she shouldn't have. Selka may look sleek and frail, but this was the same girl that Leone had seen single-handedly lift up a Danger beast with a single arm.
Right now, that same girl was glaring with a blank face, and Leone was quick to understand why.
She'd heard the other Hunters in the bar teasing Selka about some boy that she liked but failed to be truthful about, and right now, Leone was accidently smothering some unfortunate lad beneath her with her breasts after falling on him.
Given the reaction Selka was giving her, Leone could hazard a guess as to whom she'd just bumped and tripped over.
She glanced down with her eyes, only to hear the muffled noise of a man suffocating between the groove of her breasts, arms flailing in an attempt to push her off, but oddly sensitive to just where he could get leverage on her. It would have had been cute at any other time for such a respectful man to exist, but right now, Leone could tell that Selka's gaze was growing more and more rigid.
That was the face of a person who was debating whether or not she should inflict harm.
Leone had bumped into a person in the middle of the street, making her the center of attention, made worse because Selka directly got involved.
Leone knew that she had to act fast.
"Sorry, sorry my mistake, I got lost and tripped was all," she pushed away from the person beneath her and raised her hands up in a placating gesture.
Looking down at the man she'd tripped over, he seemed to be someone of importance. The villagers around were clearly all respectful of him, and the people from Wakoku even went as far as to lower their heads and offer small gifts. She made quick note of this fact and considered interrogating the man for information later on regarding Akame's wherabouts. However, right now, she had to deal with the matter at hand.
The man she'd tripped over was slowly regaining colour to his face, but if anything, he didn't seem to hold a grudge of any kind.
"I'm alright, I'm alright," the man repeated sheepishly. "No need to worry about me."
"Shirou," Selka directly blocked Leone's line of sight.
For a second, Leone could have had sworn that she heard a growl near her ears.
Selka securitized Leone up and down before slowly nodding.
"You said you were lost?" The tone of Selka's voice was far different to when she'd called out Shirou's name.
No wonder the Hunters teased her if she was this easy to read.
Leone's lip twitched, but she soon got her mind on track. "Yes," she admitted.
The expression on Selka's face loosened for a moment, before she eventually nodded. "Judging from your attire, you must be one of the people participating in the town garrison recruitment."
"Yes?" Leone didn't know what Selka was talking about and responded too quickly in her haste.
"Good, you seem strong." Selka was entirely relying on her intuition as a Hunter.
"Okay?" Leone tried to inch away with her feet, but before she even had a chance to do anything, Selka was already next to her and clasping her by the hand.
"We still have time to make it, so follow me." Selka was frank in her words and actions.
W-Wait what?
Selka directly began leading Leone away.
Ah, wait no! This wasn't supposed to be happening!
Leone tried to talk her way out of the situation, but it felt more like Selka was ignoring her out of pettiness. Smiling awkwardly, Leone could only resign herself to her fate. There was no way that she'd be able to act recklessly in Calla. There were just too many professionals around, and besides, she still hadn't found Akame yet.
Watching the two leave, a shadowed figure descended to stand by Shirou's side.
Shirou glanced up at the woman next to him.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"No." Saying that the woman stared back in the direction that Leone had left from and swallowed inaudibly.
Anxiousness.
Hesitation.
Doubt.
It was palpable, all of it summed up in only two words that could hardly be believed in.
"Nothing's wrong."