I have instantly fallen asleep when my body dropped on the bed with my face buried in a pillow.
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"Akashi Nii-sama?! Please wake up!" Kurome's voice woke me up from my slumber while she was gently shaking with my body.
"Hm? What is it? How long have I been asleep?" I slightly opened my right eye and looked at Kurome who was leaning above my bed, trying to wake me up.
"For more than 2 days straight! I was really worried that something happened to you, I couldn't wake you up at all yesterday." Kurome said with a genuine relieved smile and slightly wet eyes.
"No need to worry about me...Anyway, 2 days, huh? I guess I will take 2 more" I muttered and closed my eye once again, trying to fall asleep.
"Akashi Nii-sama?!" Kurome called out to me when she saw me closing my eyes again.
*Grr* Growling sound of hungry stomach resounded in my room and an awkward silence followed afterward.
"...Eh, I guess I could go for breakfast..." I slowly sat up and said while scratching back of my head with an awkward expression.
"Hihi, leave that to me!" Kurome took a step back from my bed and pointed at herself with her thumb while wearing a proud smile.
"Just wait here and I will bring you something!" Kurome said and sprinted toward the door.
"?! Wai-"
*Bam* She already closed the door.
That's Aiko's job...now she is going to complain to me that she has no job. I just hope they won't start fighting over the "privilege" to bring me a meal to my bed.
When Kurome came back with my breakfast I easily devoured it and after eating I had no mood to sleep any longer.
Since I was no longer tired, I might as well start doing something productive...but first of all, hot bath!
I thought with a serious expression while nodding my head with closed eyes.
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"Young lord, you are finally awake! We were really worried. Anyway, those weapons...the word perfect is not enough. I have a feeling that it's almost on the same level as Teigu which is totally crazy!" Ichika immediately ran up to me when she saw me walk out of the bathroom. She brought her face extremely close and started praising her new daggers with stars in her violet eyes
"Ichika...When will you stop calling me Young lord? Can't you just call me by my name or perhaps without the "Young" thing? I get that I am still young but..." I asked her with a helpless expression while taking a step back from her.
"Hehe, but Young lord fits the best since the Young lord has yet to become...a man" Ichika giggled a bit but when she got to the part about me being a man her voice was almost nonexistent.
"But if you really hate it then I can change it, I am sorry" Ichika apologized with a slightly sad expression.
Ugh...
"I don't mind it, if you really like it then use it but I think it would be more convenient to call me just Akashi." I said with a forced smile.
"Alright! I will certainly think about it!" Ichika's eyes brightened when she heard my words and furiously nodded her head.
"Anyway, I am going for a walk outside. Do you and Kurome want to come with me?" I asked while stretching out my arms.
"Of course, it is my duty to protect you as your bodyguard." Ichika instantly nodded and told one of the maids to call Kurome here.
The maid immediately nodded and ran off.
"Do I need to remind you that your main job is no longer being my bodyguard? Heh, right now, you together with Kurome are leaders of our new underground faction." I reminded her with a small smile when I saw how eager she was to go with me.
Our new underground faction turned out to be great plan, no one is yet aware of it since we select our members very carefully and most of them are poor people, they have to just collect rumors and report them to get money, not to mention that they also get free food from us. It doesn't even cost so much how would one imagine.
"I am here, Akashi Nii-sama! Are we going out~?" Kurome arrived while eagerly and firmly holding her new weapon.
"Yes but not in that style...I just wanted to take a walk but you are already old enough and strong enough to go alone or you can go together with Ichika, just don't go too far away." I said with an apologetic smile.
"Oh? I see, no problem at all! I want to accompany Nii-sama instead of going out alone." Kurome looked slightly surprised by my words but she immediately smiled.
"Alright, let's go *yawn*..." I said with a small smile and went toward the stairs leading to the first floor while yawning.
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We were walking around the entire city, looking at what is new and even checking on members of our organization, however, after more than an hour of walking around...
"*Nii-sama...*" Kurome tugged at my sleeve and whispered while looking vigilantly behind us.
"*I know, let's ignore them for now and do as we were doing until now.*" I said with a reassuring smile.
There were indeed 2 hooded figures following us for some time already but I can't sense any hostile aura from them. I will observe their actions more closely and see if there is any pattern or some kind of message they are trying to tell me. Anyway...these figures are kinda small, they look like kids.
"*Hey isn't that Red Devil?*" When we walked past inn, a few guards seated outside started whispering but since they were already pretty drunk, their whispers were normally heard.
"*Who the fuck *hic* are you talking about?*" Another guard asked his friend with a confused expression.
Kurome's and Ichike's face immediately darkened as they narrowed their eyes.
*sigh* How can you get angry from hearing a few words from one drunkard...
I thought and shook my head but still stopped near one stall with the grilled food to eavesdrop for more details.
"*Shut your mouth or you will lose your head! Don't you know our General Esdeath-sama who is nicknamed Ice Queen?*"
"*?! O-Of course I know! But what does it have similar with that Red Devil*" Even the drunkard woke up from his state when he heard about Esdeath and he even shivered a bit.
"*There are rumors that there are 2 at least equally strong Elemental-Teigu users While E-Esdeath-sama is General of the Empire's army, the Red Devil is noble from Phoenix family. There are also rumors that he has that Elemental-Teigu for even longer time than Esdeath-sama. It is actually unknown at what age he was able to tame that Teigu but if we are talking about monsters, we can't exclude him.*" His not so drunk friend explained with a serious expression.
"*?! You kidding...Fuck.*" The drunkard muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
---
Even the 2 hooded figured couldn't help but overhear guards' conversation with their sharp hearing.
"*Hehe, looks like he is a big shot.*"
"*Plus he has a handsome face, hihi. But don't forget why we are here...we have to lead him outside of the city without those cute girls following him.*"
---
"Let's go, there is nothing interesting here anymore." I said with a small smile and walked away from the stall with the grilled food.
The girls immediately followed after me.
After more than 10 minutes of walking, I finally realized that those hooded figures wanted to meet me outside of the town and all alone at that.
They were keeping their distance from me and when I looked at them they always looked towards the direction of the gate, however, when I tried to walk there with the girls by my side, they suddenly walked away as if they lost interest in us.
"Kurome, Ichika, can you go ahead? You can go to practice outside or go back home." I said with a helpless smile.
"Young lord...are you really sure about that?" Ichika immediately asked me with a worried expression and Kurome also nodded her head as if she was agreeing with Ichika's words.
"Yes, don't worry about me and definitely don't follow me, it would only complicate the things." I said with a decisive voice and walked towards the gate while leaving the girls standing in the middle of the street while looking at me with a worried expression.
Glancing back, I saw them release a long sigh and dejectedly walk back towards the mansion.
I am sorry, girls.
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When I walked out of the city, I entered the forest but I didn't go too far away.
I leaned my back against the tree and closed my eyes while waiting for my guests.
"Yahooo!" Two feminine voice resounded right above me.
I opened my right eye and looked up.
"Hellooo! My name is Loris~!" Said a petite girl with gray eyes and cyan hair tied in two pigtails. On the left side of her forehead, she had a star. She introduced herself while hanging from the branch right above me, upside down with her hand showing a V sign right in front of her eye and with stuck-out tongue.
"And mine is Meela~!" Another petite girl with purple eyes and cyan hair tied in ponytail said. On the right side of her forehead, she had a half-moon. she introduced herself the same way as the other girl with the only difference of position of her V sign which was the opposite eye of the other girl.
"Nice to meet you~!" Both of them said aloud in perfect synchronization.
Both of them were wearing a white shirt together with a black dress. They were definitely twin sisters.
Seeing their way of introduction, I couldn't help but look at them weirdly.
"Huh? What's with that lame reaction?!" Meela asked with tilted head to the side and confused expression.
"Yeah, yeah, what's wrong? Our beauty caught your tongue? We won't be angry if that's the case." Loris added and both sisters jumped down, landing right in front of me.
Hearing Loris's words I couldn't help but look at them even more weirdly.
"Hey, but it's improper not to introduce yourself, being struck by our beauty is no excuse! Just because you have a handsome face doesn't mean that you are allowed to be so impolite!" Meela said but Loris joined her in the last sentence and in the end, they ended pressing their index finger at my chest while looking at me with "upset" expression and slightly blushed cheeks.
...What have I gotten myself into now?
"My name is Akashi, what do you want from me?" I said with my hands in my pockets, not being bothered with them poking my chest.
"Babara Oba-chan sent us to look for you~!" Loris said with a smile but she didn't take her finger back from my chest.
"Mhm" Meela nodded numerous times with a big smile.
O-Oba-chan?
I thought while my right eye started twitching a bit.
"I see, is there something she needs?" I changed my tone to a bit friendlier one once I have discovered that they are from Oarburgh clan.
"Actually, she wants you to help them or more like being there with them just in case. We accepted a contract from The Revolutionary Army. They want to get rid of the Imperial assassins that have been doing great damage as of lately." Loris said with a big smile while staring straight into my eyes.
"Loris!" Meela shouted at her sister.
"What? Babara Oba-chan said that he is trustwothy~! And you indeed are, right, Akashi~?!" Loris looked confusedly at her sister before turning her attention at me and asked me with a pleading smile.
"Heh, sure" I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head after seeing their actions.
"Yep~ Yep~ Of course, he is. Did you hear that, Meela?" Loris proudly nodded her head numerous times as if she was right and her sister wrong.
*Smack* Meela facepalmed herself.
"Alright girls, tell me details or we will be standing here until the evening and none of us want that to happen, right?" I said with a small smile.
"What if all of us want that?" Loris muttered.
Her sister and I looked weirdly at her for a moment before Meela started explaining the situation.
...
"See you later, mister Red Devil! Oh, I almost forgot, this is for you!" Meela said while standing on the branch, ready to leave just to remember something. She then threw me a bag with something inside.
When I looked inside I saw...
"Make-up?" I muttered.
"Yes, this one is special! You can change your hair color and also length of your hair. It will last even under the water however you will have to reapply it in a few days once again but this much should be enough for you to get to where Babara Oba-chan will be waiting. Please don't be late for the meeting~!" Meela explained with a smile while holding her hand behind her back and leaning forward.
"Bye~ Bye~ Mister Red Devil!" Loris waved at me and winked at me before leaving with her sister.
...Well, that was something else but with this make-up, I will be able to travel with a completely new identity.