Chapter 152: Exploring the Imperial Palace at Night
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Leone left the imperial capital under the cover of night and headed north, eventually arriving at a forested mountain. Following the familiar mountain path, she soon spotted the base.
"Leone, you're back."
Najenda looked up from her work, noticing Leone's drunken state. With a sigh, she said, "Leone, why did you drink so much again?"
Leone grinned. "I made a new friend today. He treated me to some really good wine, and for free! It was too rare an opportunity to pass up."
Najenda didn't press further. She knew that while Leone could be reckless, she rarely made critical mistakes.
Leone glanced around. "Boss, where's Akame?"
"Akame? She's probably in the kitchen," Najenda replied.
No sooner had she spoken than a girl with long black hair, red eyes, and a delicate face appeared, holding a large piece of meat.
"Leone, you're back" Akame greeted.
Leone pulled her into a hug, laughing. "Hehehe, Akame"
Akame pushed Leone's face away, wincing. "You reek of alcohol. It's strong!"
"Hmm~," Leone purred, rubbing her cheek against Akame's face. "Akame, I met a girl today named Kurome!"
"Kurome?" Akame's expression darkened slightly.
Najenda also turned her attention to Leone. As someone who had recruited Akame into the Revolutionary Army, she was well aware of Akame's past—and Kurome was not just any random girl.
Leone's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Yeah, she's about fifteen or sixteen, with short black hair and a slender figure. She looks a lot like you, Akame. She was carrying a blade, and her aura was... dangerous."
"It's her—Kurome," Akame confirmed quietly. After a pause, she added, "She's back in the imperial capital. I wonder why... a new mission?"
Leone nodded. "By the way, Kurome is with a man named Aoki. They seem pretty close. Hehehe, Aoki seems like an ordinary guy, but he's very generous."
"Aoki?" Akame frowned, thinking for a moment before shaking her head. "I've never heard of him."
Najenda, still suspicious, asked, "Generous, huh? Leone, this new friend who treated you to drinks—was it this man named Aoki?"
Leone grinned. "That's right. But Boss, I wasn't just drinking! I was gathering information too!"
"Are you sure Aoki's just an ordinary person?" Najenda asked. "Kurome is a member of the Imperial Assassin Corps. It's hard to believe that someone so close to her would be just a regular guy."
Leone scratched her chin, thinking. "Well, I didn't sense any danger from him. And when I interacted with him, nothing seemed off."
Akame stared out the window, her red eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Kurome..." she murmured.
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At the same time, Kurome stood by another window, gazing at the bright moon. She whispered softly, "I wonder what sister is doing right now."
Aoki, sitting on the bed, chuckled. "Maybe she's eating meat."
Kurome turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "At this time? She should've finished dinner by now, right?"
Aoki smirked. "Why can't she still be eating meat after dinner?"
Kurome's lips twitched into a smile. "For most people, that'd be overeating. But my sister definitely could."
After a brief silence, Kurome asked, "By the way, that woman earlier—she's no ordinary person, is she?"
Aoki shook his head. "She's an teigu user."
Kurome nodded in understanding. "I figured as much. An Teigu user."
There are only forty-eights teigu's in existence, and some have been lost over time. The chance of encountering an teigu user is extremely rare.
"Moreover, she's also a member of Night Raid," Aoki added.
Kurome froze for a moment before realizing the implications.
"Night Raid? Isn't that the organization my sister belongs to?"
Aoki nodded. "Yes."
Kurome took a deep breath.
"So, she's my sister's comrade."
Aoki continued, "She probably informed Akame about us. You might see your sister soon."
Kurome's eyes sparkled with anticipation. The day she had longed for was arriving much sooner than she had expected.
Her sister would surely be surprised to see her again, right?
Aoki glanced out the window and stood up. "It's almost time. I should get going. If anything happens, use the space mark I gave you."
"Be careful," Kurome cautioned.
She knew what Aoki was about to do. It was a dangerous mission—some might even call it reckless.
But with Aoki's power, he should be safe.
"Don't worry," Aoki reassured her. He took one last look outside before his figure suddenly vanished, reappearing a hundred meters in the air.
Whoosh!
His enormous bat-like wings unfurled as he soared into the night, transforming into a black shadow that sped toward the palace.
"I remember the activation device for the Shikoutazer is at the palace's highest point," Aoki thought to himself, eyes locked on the distance.
With his keen eyesight and powerful dark vision, he could immediately spot the towering imperial palace.
It wasn't just the tallest structure in the palace; it was the tallest point in the entire imperial capital.
However, the Shikoutazer wasn't housed within the palace itself.
The Shikoutazer stood over two hundred meters tall, far too large for any room to contain. But Aoki was still intent on investigating.
If it was the starting point, surely there had to be some connection, right? Perhaps he could track down the Shikoutazer directly from there.
As Aoki raced through the sky, he encountered no obstacles and quickly arrived above the imperial palace.
The palace grounds spanned a massive area, with numerous buildings and chambers. He had no idea what each one was for, but the structure at the highest point was hard to miss.
After observing for a short while, Aoki flapped his wings and dived downward.
He hadn't gotten far, though, when two black shadows shot up from below. One resembled a giant eagle, while the other looked like a western dragon. Both were over ten meters long and radiated an overwhelming presence.
"Dangerous beasts?" Aoki paused midair.
He vaguely recalled that the Empire possessed Teigu's that could control dangerous species.
More than two, in fact.
He sensed even more dangerous creatures lurking below.
There was no point in wasting time with them.
Aoki glanced up, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
The two beasts looked around in confusion, circling the sky before gradually returning to their posts near the palace.
From a safe distance, Aoki observed the scene before shifting his gaze to the palace.
The main gates were closed, with no windows in sight. Four guards stood watch outside, making it impossible for him to sneak in unnoticed.
"Looks like I'll have to force my way in," Aoki smirked as his body began to transform.
In an instant, he became a handsome young man with a pale face, plum-red eyes, and an elegant shirt.
After becoming the Demon King, he had gained an additional ability—not useful in combat but invaluable for infiltrating human society: complete mimicry.
It wasn't as flawless as Chelsea's Gaia Foundation, but it would suffice.
With a swift motion, Aoki appeared at the palace gates.
The guards, taken aback, stared at him in shock, their expressions rapidly shifting to alarm.
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T/N: There is a Patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early chapters.
Patreon link:- Patreon.com/ANelite
And also:
Imperial weapon = Teigu
Teigu = Imperial weapon