Chapter 70: Sheele’s Promise

Blayn was just short of outright saying, "Let me have all the experience points for myself."

But if he had, Sheele and Mine might have actually understood.

After all, in the world of Akame ga Kill, the concept existed. One of Esdeath's Three Beasts, for instance, constantly rambled about "experience points."

"Tch, as if we'd even want to help you," Mine huffed.

"Okay," Sheele, however, responded cheerfully, showing no complaints.

As they followed Blayn, Sheele took the initiative to speak. "I don't think I've introduced myself yet. My name is Sheele."

Blayn didn't actually know their names.

He could tell they were Night Raid members because he recognized Pumpkin in Mine's hands.

During his previous encounter with Night Raid, he hadn't gotten a good look at Sheele or Mine. Back then, aside from Akame, the entire team had kept their faces hidden under hoods.

But Mine's Pumpkin was unforgettable. Last time, she had fired a shot at both him and Kurome.

Blayn found it a bit odd that Sheele was being so proactive, even introducing herself so openly.

Is she trying to recruit me? He wondered.

"Well, since you already know who I am, I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Blayn," he responded politely to Sheele's friendliness.

Mine, however, seemed unwilling to introduce herself and remained silent.

Blayn didn't mind. In fact, her attitude seemed completely reasonable to him.

...

[Ding! The Host has hunted a Class One Danger Beast and received 10 System Points!]

[Ding! The Host has hunted a Class Two Danger Beast and received 5 System Points!]

[...]

Since all the Danger Beasts he encountered next were low-tier, Blayn didn't even need to use the Gunbai Uchiwa's reflection ability—he could just swing it and take them down effortlessly.

After casually killing a few, he had accumulated enough System Points—plus a little extra.

[System Points: 64]

[Ding! The Host has redeemed Crimson Night Blade ×1, deducting 50 System Points!]

The redeemed Crimson Night Blade was stored in the system's inventory rather than appearing directly in Blayn's hands.

There was no need for him to take it out just yet.

"Alright, I'm done," Blayn said to Sheele.

"Good. Then let's talk here," Sheele replied.

Blayn gave a slight nod.

"The last time we were in the Imperial Capital, you didn't seem hostile toward us, did you?" Sheele got straight to the point.

"Well, since your targets are corrupt officials who deserve to be executed, I don't see any reason to consider you my enemies," Blayn answered bluntly.

There was no one else around, so he had no problem being honest.

"So that's how you see it…"

Although Najenda had long believed that Blayn was a rare, upright official within the Empire, Sheele was still a little surprised to hear him openly express his views on Night Raid.

She continued, "In that case, you should understand our goal—to overthrow the Empire's tyranny and bring true happiness to the people."

"I understand," Blayn nodded.

Hearing this, Sheele smiled brightly, feeling hopeful that they might actually win him over.

"If possible, we'd like you to join us."

She wasted no time extending the invitation.

Blayn had originally planned to refuse outright, but seeing Sheele's innocent and expectant smile, he hesitated for a moment.

Instead of a blunt rejection, he responded more tactfully, "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have my own matters to take care of, so I can't join you."

"Is that so...? Alright…"

Sheele's smile stiffened slightly.

Mine was also a bit surprised at how decisively Blayn refused, but when she thought about it, it wasn't unexpected.

She remained composed and said, "Sheele, just let it go. Turning against the Empire takes an enormous amount of courage—and comes with a lot of trouble."

When Akame left the Imperial Assassination Unit to join the Revolutionary Army, it had caused a massive upheaval.

Blayn didn't intend to explain further. After all, his plan to establish the Akatsuki Organization was still in the works.

"Well… I just hope you won't reject us so quickly. I'm not great at explaining things, but if our boss speaks with you, she'll be able to lay everything out much more clearly."

Sheele wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"I won't say no to a conversation, but let me make it clear—I'll probably still refuse in the end," Blayn stated directly.

If what Sheele said was true, and the leader of Night Raid could provide him with valuable information, then he figured it was worth listening.

"Mhm, you can decide then." Sheele nodded.

"Do as you like," Mine said coldly.

After realizing Blayn had no intention of joining them, she was even less willing to introduce herself, and her attitude turned noticeably colder.

"Three days from now, same time, same place. We'll be waiting here for you," Sheele said, setting a meeting time.

She had carefully calculated the timing—the messenger from the Revolutionary Army headquarters would need time to reach Night Raid's base, and they also needed to prepare properly. If they wanted to recruit someone as important as Blayn, they couldn't afford to be careless.

Sheele blamed herself for his rejection, thinking she had been too hasty. She hadn't explained enough before attempting to recruit him so abruptly.

If it had been Najenda handling this, she surely would've done a much better job. That thought only made Sheele more frustrated with herself.

"Alright. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way," Blayn said, preparing to leave.

"No, nothing else," Sheele nodded.

"Then, see you."

With that, Blayn turned and walked away.

Once he was out of Sheele and Mine's sight, he used Kamui to shift into his personal dimension. The next moment, he teleported back to the Imperial Assassination Unit's base.

...

As soon as he arrived, the first thing he saw was Seryu, Kurome, and the others locked in a standoff with a group of unknown individuals.

At this moment, Blayn had yet to remove his white mask, and the Gunbai Uchiwa was still strapped to his back.

His sudden appearance caught the strangers off guard, leaving them momentarily stunned.

Even the members of the Assassination Unit hesitated for a second before realizing the masked figure was actually Blayn.

"Who are you?"

The unfamiliar individuals immediately grew wary, their leader stepping forward to confront Blayn.

The man at the front wore a hawk-beaked mask, and his right forearm was fitted with a strange device that resembled a remote control—likely some kind of Teigu.

Among them, more than three were suspected Teigu Users.

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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