Chapter 84: Chelsea’s Welcoming Gift

Although Najenda thought the chances of Blayn defeating Esdeath were slim, his confidence made it hard to completely rule out the possibility.

Her top priority was taking down Prime Minister Honest. As long as that goal was achieved, she didn't mind whether it was through internal reform or outright revolution.

"Alright," Blayn nodded slightly.

He didn't want to antagonize Night Raid either. After all, once Honest's regime collapsed, a lot of positions would need to be filled. Many members of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army were originally officials or military officers of the Empire, making them the most suitable candidates.

Since Blayn and Najenda had already stated their positions, Mine had nothing more to say. Still, she couldn't shake her annoyance toward him.

Seeing Mine sulking, Sheele reached out and patted her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't touch my head. I'm not a kid," Mine grumbled.

Sheele quickly withdrew his hand, flustered. "S-Sorry! I didn't know you didn't like that."

"It's… it's fine. No need to apologize. I'm just not used to it," Mine muttered, now feeling like she had to reassure Sheele instead.

"Even if we don't completely agree on ideals, we can still work together. For now, we all share the same enemy—Honest's regime."

At that moment, Leone, who had been sitting on Blayn's other side, leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Besides, Night Raid has so many cute girls. Don't you have any thoughts about that? This is a great opportunity, you know?"

"...I'll pass."

Blayn was speechless. Given what he'd just said, he was sure he had already annoyed most of Night Raid. The fact that Leone was still joking with him probably just came down to her personality.

"Blayn. That's your name, right?"

Suddenly, Akame addressed him.

"Hm?" Blayn responded with a hint of confusion.

"I want to talk to you about Kurome. You've spent some time with her in the Imperial Assassination Unit, so you should know how she's doing," Akame said directly. "She believes that fulfilling the Empire's missions and fighting for her comrades is her purpose in life. With that mindset, she's trapped in an endless cycle of battle, constantly suffering from the side effects of the drugs they force on her."

"That's why I want to save her—to free her from that suffering. As her sister, it's the least I can do."

"I just hope you won't interfere with our duel to the death. I believe Kurome feels the same way."

Akame rarely spoke so much at once, which showed just how much she cared about her sister.

Blayn, however, looked at her in confusion. "What are you even talking about? Kurome isn't part of the Imperial Assassination Unit anymore. There's no reason for you to fight her to the death."

"What…? Kurome left the Imperial Assassination Unit?"

Akame's eyes widened in shock.

She had spent days trying to convince Kurome to leave, but even as her closest sister, she hadn't been able to persuade her.

Yet this boy named Blayn had succeeded?

The revelation left her both stunned and a little unsettled.

"Yeah. Kurome and the entire Assassination Unit left the Empire with me. You could say the Imperial Assassination Unit doesn't even exist anymore."

Blayn explained it simply.

"How…? How did you get Kurome to go with you?"

Akame was particularly fixated on this and wanted to understand why.

"I put an end to the brainwashing sessions they were forced to undergo, weakened the Empire's influence over them, and shifted their ideology from within—all without directly violating their ingrained sense of loyalty to the Empire. That's pretty much it," Blayn said casually.

It wasn't exactly a secret.

"I see…"

Akame now understood.

However, another question quickly surfaced in her mind. "By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Kurome? Are you her lover?"

She stared directly at Blayn, clearly eager to hear his answer.

"No wonder Akame is like this—she really cares about Kurome," Leone sighed.

"We've all heard that Kurome is nearly impossible to convince. Honestly, you're incredible for managing to take not just her, but the entire Assassination Unit with you," Najenda remarked, unable to hide her admiration.

This was undoubtedly good news for them. The Empire's Assassination Unit had been completely turned around—what was once an enemy force had essentially become an ally.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Blayn's organization and the Revolutionary Army had at least one thing in common: they both wanted to overthrow Honest's regime.

At the very least, he wouldn't stand in their way when it came to eliminating Prime Minister Honest.

"No, Kurome and I aren't in that kind of relationship," Blayn said, dismissing Akame's assumption with ease.

Since it wasn't true, his denial came naturally.

"I see. Thanks for clearing that up," Akame said, visibly relieved.

She then continued, "Also, when do you think I'll be able to see Kurome?"

"I'll ask her when I get back and let you know," Blayn replied.

"Alright," Akame nodded, looking forward to reuniting with her sister.

"So, all the former members of the Assassination Unit are in your organization now? You must really care about them," Chelsea commented from beside him.

"I couldn't just abandon them," Blayn answered.

"For now, there's nothing urgent. If you're in a hurry, you can head back first," Najenda said. "But if not, since you're already here, why not stay for lunch?"

"I wouldn't want to impose..."

Blayn wasn't in a rush, but he also didn't want to trouble them.

"Why so polite? Don't you want to taste a beautiful girl's cooking? Akame's personally making lunch," Leone teased.

"Yeah, Akame's cooking is delicious," Bulat added, giving a thumbs-up.

Blayn had no reason to doubt that. When she was in the Assassination Unit, she had always been the one cooking for the elite team.

Faced with their enthusiasm, he hesitated briefly before nodding. "Alright..."

Mine didn't voice any objections. Since Najenda had already come to an understanding with Blayn and their goal remained the same—to take down Honest—she had nothing more to say.

With that settled, they prepared to eat at the stone table while Akame handled the cooking inside the cabin.

Ingredients weren't a problem—there were plenty of Danger Beasts roaming around.

As Akame and Sheele left to hunt, Chelsea, still seated next to Blayn, wasn't idle either.

"It's a shame you didn't join Night Raid, but at least we're not enemies anymore. Here, consider this an official welcoming gift."

She took out a lollipop, still in its wrapper, and handed it to him.

Blayn blinked in mild surprise. He hadn't expected Chelsea to offer him a lollipop.

Seeing his reaction, Chelsea smirked and seized the chance to tease him.

"What's wrong? Or were you hoping for the one in my mouth instead?"

(40 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake