Chapter 69: Sheele and Mine

"We've been discovered?"

Mine found it hard to believe. How could he be so perceptive?

Her finger, which had been about to pull the trigger of Pumpkin, hesitated for a moment.

Luckily, that moment of hesitation meant she didn't fire. If she had, Blayn would have undoubtedly used the Gunbai Uchiwa to deflect the energy wave right back at them.

"Wait... how are you so sure he's not our enemy—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Mine suddenly noticed something familiar about the masked man's right eye...

That scarlet hue, that unmistakable pattern—it was too distinctive.

"That's Blayn's eye. Even with the mask, I'm almost certain it's him," Sheele explained.

Blayn's current appearance was completely different from what they remembered. Not only was he wearing a white mask, but he had also swapped out his previous dual swords for the Gunbai Uchiwa.

If not for his uniquely recognizable eyes, they wouldn't have realized who he was.

Mine nodded. "I noticed it too. What's he doing here? And why is he dressed so weirdly?"

"Maybe he's hunting Danger Beasts like us. I'm going down to say hi."

With that, Sheele prepared to jump down from the tree.

"Wait! We don't even know why he's here. Isn't this a bit reckless?" Mine quickly warned.

"It's fine. Didn't Akame already say he doesn't mean us any harm?" Sheele replied. "Besides, I heard that the Revolutionary Army's spy returned safely with good news. Doesn't that mean Blayn might actually become our ally?"

"Fine…" Mine sighed.

She lowered Pumpkin, sensing that even though Blayn had noticed them, he showed no intent to attack.

Sheele was the first to leap down. Despite her airheaded demeanor, she was incredibly agile, landing smoothly before walking toward Blayn with the Cutter of Creation strapped to her back.

After a brief hesitation, Mine followed behind her.

"Excuse me... you're Blayn, right?" Sheele asked to confirm.

"So, you recognized me. Are you two here for training as well?" Blayn responded in a neutral yet friendly tone.

Sheele gave a small nod. "Yes. So, you're training here too?"

"Something like that. Just happened to run into you," Blayn replied casually.

To an outsider, their conversation might have seemed like a reunion between old friends. Nothing about it suggested a confrontation between sworn enemies—Night Raid and the Empire's Assassination Unit.

"You're really not here to attack us?"

Mine, who had been standing behind Sheele, now stepped forward with a questioning gaze.

"Of course not. Once I'm done hunting Danger Beasts, I'll be on my way. No need to worry about me," Blayn stated bluntly.

He hadn't expected to run into Night Raid members here either.

Hearing his response, Mine started to think she might have been overreacting. Maybe he really was just hunting Danger Beasts and had unknowingly strayed close to their base.

"Alright then, suit yourself. But seriously, what's with the weird getup?"

She finally couldn't hold back from commenting on his mask.

Why wear a mask at all? It just made him look even more suspicious—like he was here to attack them.

"Personal preference."

Blayn couldn't be bothered to explain and had no intention of taking off the white mask.

Without it, he wouldn't be able to use the Gunbai Uchiwa properly. Plus, it provided an all-around stat boost.

Using the fan didn't drain him much either—certainly not as much as the dual Kamui technique.

At most, it just required a bit of strength and took a slight toll on his stamina.

"..."

Mine couldn't understand this so-called hobby.

It definitely looked intimidating—she had to admit it had a certain oppressive aura. If she hadn't recognized Blayn, the eerie mystery of that white mask would have made her even more nervous.

"If you don't mind, could we talk for a bit?"

Sheele spoke sincerely to Blayn.

Mine immediately realized what she was implying and whispered, "Sheele, you're not seriously planning to bring that up with him, are you…?"

Sheele gave a small nod. "It's rare to meet him alone. Wouldn't it be a waste to let the chance slip by? Besides fighting, I want to do something that can actually help everyone."

The Imperial Assassination Unit usually worked in groups, making it difficult to find an opportunity to talk to Blayn alone.

If they wanted to recruit him into the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid, they had to do it one-on-one. The other members of the Assassination Unit were still openly hostile toward Night Raid, meaning Blayn was the only one they could approach.

Another big reason was that Sheele was hopeless when it came to anything outside of combat.

She genuinely wanted to help, but more often than not, she made things worse—like that one time she accidentally threw Mine into the washing machine along with the laundry.

She had always wanted to find her own value. Being a Night Raid assassin had given her a purpose, but if she could do more, she absolutely wanted to try.

"You're not wrong, but he's still part of the Empire's Assassination Unit. We should be careful," Mine said, though she didn't try to stop Sheele.

"I will be," Sheele assured her with a smile.

"I don't mind, but I need to hunt a few more Danger Beasts first. It won't take long. If you're willing to wait, go ahead," Blayn said bluntly.

He had no idea what they wanted to talk about, but he was sure it wasn't as important as acquiring the Crimson Night Blade. Earning enough System Points for the exchange was his top priority.

"No problem, I'll wait," Sheele agreed without hesitation.

Mine wasn't thrilled about Blayn's attitude—making them wait like this—but since Sheele had already agreed, she didn't argue.

Blayn then continued his hunt for Danger Beasts, with Sheele and Mine following along.

"By the way, isn't your eye technically a Teigu? How are you even handling two at once?" Mine suddenly asked.

"No comment."

Blayn thought for a moment but chose not to explain, since it involved Double Kamui.

"What's with that attitude…" Mine muttered, feeling her irritation build.

"Alright, alright, asking personal stuff like that probably isn't fair," Sheele tried to smooth things over.

Blayn, however, turned to them seriously and said, "Let's get one thing straight—don't try to compete with me for the Danger Beasts."

(40 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake