---(3rd POV)---
*Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh*
3 Sharp sounds on something tearing through the air could be heard on the training field.
It was Akashi who continued his practice and this time he was practicing with leaves.
...Yes, with leaves. At first, when he started practicing with them, he tried to imbue leaves with his energy but they instantly crumbled down into bits. He spent numerous hours trying to figure out the right amount of energy he can imbue leaves with. He discovered that he can't give even a drop more energy or it would turn slightly ineffective or crumble down. He even tried to give just a bit less than ideal and leaves were no longer sharp enough.
Right now, he was throwing those leaves imbued with his energy at the trunk of the tree as if they were normal daggers. Some of them had only their tip buried inside the trunk but most of them were half-buried inside the trunk.
"Still not good enough, huh?" Akashi muttered when he saw a few of those leaves having only their tip buried inside the trunk.
'I still have entire day before I will finally go back to the Capital. I will try to master giving just the right amount of energy even without focusing on it, after all, it's just about muscle memory' Akashi thought with narrowed eyes.
----In the remote town close to the borders with Northern Tribes a few days ago----
"Hm?!" Gozuki's expression changed to serious when he was done reading the message sent by the bird from the Capital.
'Someone is massacring our spies at such a fast pace...if it will continue like this, we will lose large portion of our spies in most of the towns in the surroundings of Mount Hakuba.' Gozuki thought with a dark expression.
"What happened, father?" Najasho as a leader of the group asked first with his stoic expression.
"...Change of plans kids, we are done here and we are moving out to the Mount Hakuba" Gozuki raised his head from the paper with the message just to look at everyone surrounding him and then he said with a serious tone.
"Mount Hakuba? Isn't it that mountain occupied by the bandits?" Greed asked while holding his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"That's right, shrimp" Najasho replied and nodded his head when he noticed that Gozuki was busy thinking about something instead of answering.
"Are we going to get rid of those bandits?" Akame asked with a curious expression but there was a little doubt in her heart. When she heard Akashi speaking those words at Putolu tombs, she threw it aside in the end. However, when she found out those reports in the village where Gai was killed, she showed them to Gozuki but he said that those were what they have found out at the bandits' bases. There was no sign or anything that could be said that it was written by the Imperial officers but she was still feeling uneasy.
Nevertheless, she accepted Gozuki's explanation without asking more questions because she understood that she wouldn't get anything from him. After they returned to the Capital after Gai's death, she started going out, looking for some evidence or documents that could clear her doubts about the entire Empire, however she never found anything and almost was caught prying inside some offices of the high ranking people. Although she never found anything significant, her doubts were slowly growing, maybe her friends were keeping those doubts from rising at much higher speed but at this rate, she would one day discover the real ugly truth about the Empire.
Akame herself thought that everything went unnoticed however Gozuki, who was already paying close attention to Poney, Akame, and Tsukushi due to them hearing Akashi's words has noticed her strange behavior. Although he didn't catch her sneaking out at nights due to being too busy with his own matters and 3 more girls to look out for, he was still able to notice that her behavior was slightly different from others.
"Most likely, I will explain details on the way." Gozuki looked at Akame, for a few seconds observing her before he replied with a neutral tone.
'Bandits targeting our spies specifically? I don't think so...Are those Rebels making counterattack since we started massacring their spies and villages that were trading with foreign countries?' Gozuki thought with narrowed eyes.
Akame's group stopped their current mission of smoking out Rebel spies and instead started their journey towards Mount Hakuba. Although they recently lost 2 of their members, there were still 7 of them with Gil and Natala's help. Both of them were given Shingu of their own. Natala got spear resembling Naginata with the special ability to extend its range.
Gin was given a relatively big one-sided blade with a unique handle. Its handle was already incorporated at the beginning of the blade without any crossguard. Its unique ability lied in its sharpness, the blade was much tougher, sharper and lighter than any other Shingu. Although it couldn't be called special ability, it was strong enough weapon to rival Teigu in its toughness and sharpness. Not just any Teigu would be able to break it even if it constantly attacked the same location over and over, therefore it's also good for defense.
However, at this time, the group still didn't know that they would be attacked from more sides.
----The Capital, Phoenix's Mansion----
*sigh* 'I miss Akashi Nii-sama, I wonder where he is right now...' Kurome released a depressing sigh while thinking to herself. She was currently inside Akashi's office doing some paperwork together with the help of Ichika. Since Akashi had yet to return, the responsibility for those things would fall on his father but Akashi made it clear that Kurome and Ichika have permission. The same thing applies to Aiko in case paperwork includes business things...
"What's the matter, Kurome? Are you missing a young lord?" Ichika asked with a smile when she heard Kurome's depressing sigh.
"Well...yes, General Esdeath told me that she doesn't know the exact time he should return, and even if she knew and told me, it's not like something can't delay him." Kurome raised her head from the paperwork and looked at Ichika's gently smiling face before she replied while focusing back on the paperwork.
"I am sure nothing has happened to young lord. Although it doesn't have to appear like that, but he is actually very cautious and one could even call it cowardly cautious. He is usually making some preparations in case anything bad happened. And he wouldn't fight much stronger opponent unless necessary, that is, if there is any stronger opponent still alive.
"Yeah, you are right. But I can't help it, okay?" Kurome replied while pouting a bit.
"...Haha, you are so cute to worry about young lord so much~!" Ichika immediately took hold of Kurome's pigtails and started playing with them, much to her irritation.
"Stop it, we still have a lot of work before us...?!" Kurome waved her hand behind her to shoo Ichika away but she stopped when she noticed one of the many reports.
[Unusual massacre of Imperial spies. Casualties keep raising in all towns and villages near the Mount Hakuba.]
Kurome continued reading it more carefully since it was one of the more important reports and one that awaken interest in her.
"What's the matter?" Ichika asked when she noticed that Kurome stopped moving so she looked over her shoulder at the report in her hands. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise when she was done reading.
"...Do you think this is the work of Rebels?" Ichika asked when Kurome finally put the report down on the table.
"That is hard to say but this is truly strange. The pace at which those spies are disappearing is simply too fast. There are also no reports on casualties of common people...But one of the most disturbing things is that all found victims are brutally killed. They have numerous holes in them from a gun and some of them have completely crushed bones. There were also a victims that were missing all lower-body bones but later it was discovered that there were bones but all of them were shattered to small fragments." Kurome replied with narrowed eyes while holding her head.
"...Ability to shatter bones to small fragments...That must be Teigu or some Magical Artifact." Ichika muttered with a thoughtful expression.
"Definitely, I doubt they would spend a long time shattering it by constantly striking it with a blunt weapon considering the pace at which those spies are dying. The holes created by bullets were also precisely around their vitals so they must have suffered a lot...So much detailed report...it must be one of our people who sent this." Kurome muttered while staring out of the window while holding her chin with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Kyaa~ You have finally said it! Our people!" Ichika exclaimed with a happy smile while rubbing her cheek against Kurome's cheek.
"Knock it off! This is serious!" Kurome replied with a small blush, slightly embarrassed by Ichika's words.
'If this is so serious...The higher-ups definitely won't let this matter rest, they will try to resolve it as soon as possible. For a matter like this army is completely useless so they will most likely send the assassination unit...Big sis.' Kurome thought with a serious expression and narrowed eyes before realization hit her and her eyes opened wide.
'Should I...? Akashi Nii-sama said that I can act independently and do decision as I see fit but...is it alright for me to leave when there is so much work unfinished? Sure, Ichika is here but...' Kurome thought and a difficult expression appeared on her face.
"You can go" Ichika said which brought Kurome from her thoughts.
"Huh?!" Kurome exclaimed and looked at Ichika with wide-open eyes in surprise and confusion.
"Do you really think I wouldn't be able to tell what you are thinking about with that expression you just showed? If you are worried about your sister then just go, I will take it over from here. I will be more than enough to finish measly paperwork." Ichika said with a gentle smile.
"Ichika...T-Thank you! I won't forget this favor!" Kurome's eyes grew moist before she nodded with a happy smile. She stuffed the report into her pocket and stormed out of the room to get ready for the journey.