Chapter 151: Leone
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"Don't run!"
"Leone, pay back the money you owe to our big brother!"
"Stop!"
...
There was a commotion.
Aoki and Kurome, who were strolling through the streets, paused and turned to see what was happening.
On the street, a group of people were chasing someone, yelling angrily. Their target was a beautiful woman with long golden hair, wearing revealing clothes and exuding a wild, untamed energy.
Kurome subtly stepped forward, positioning herself protectively in front of Aoki.
Aoki patted her shoulder, signaling her to stay calm, his gaze resting on the blonde woman with a hint of recognition.
"I mentioned we'd eventually run into members of the Night Raid, but I didn't expect it to be this soon," Aoki thought to himself.
The woman was Leone, a member of the Night Raid and the user of the Teigu, The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle. Her bold and untamed personality perfectly matched the nature of her imperial weapon.
However, there was a danger to using an imperial weapon for too long. It could begin to corrupt its wielder, especially transformation-type Teigu like Leone's Lionelle, which posed even more risks than armor-type Teigu like the Demon's Haunt.
Aoki wondered if Leone had already begun to feel its corrupting influence.
"Hahaha!"
Leone laughed as she ran at full speed.
Growing up in the slums, she knew the streets like the back of her hand. The men chasing her had no chance of catching up.
Suddenly, Leone froze mid-step.
Two people had appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
But that wasn't what caught her attention.
It was the girl.
"She looks a lot like Akame. I remember Akame has a younger sister," Leone thought, her mind racing.
A wide grin spread across Leone's face. "Wow, wow, wow! Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
She yelled and charged directly at them.
Kurome glanced at Aoki.
Aoki gave a subtle shake of his head.
After a brief hesitation, kurome lowered her hand, which had been ready to summon her Yatsufusa.
Leone was obviously rushing toward them on purpose. As a top assassin, there was no way she hadn't noticed them.
However, since Aoki signaled that it was fine, Kurome decided to wait and see.
"Gotcha!"
Leone grabbed them both, exclaiming, "Well, it looks like I've got no choice! Now that we've met, I'll have to take you with me!"
With one arm wrapped around Aoki and the other around Kurome, Leone charged ahead, laughing as she turned down several streets, finally slipping into a quiet, empty alleyway.
Once sure she had lost her pursuers, Leone set Aoki and Kurome down, placed her hands on her hips, and let out a triumphant laugh.
"Hahaha! Finally lost them!"
Kurome silently studied Leone.
She could tell that, despite Leone's carefree demeanor, she remained constantly alert.
"What did you do to get involved with those guys?" Aoki asked.
"I just lost a little money gambling. Those guys are such sore losers!" Leone waved her hand dismissively, then grinned again. "Sorry for dragging you into this. I'll buy you both a drink to make up for it!"
"Do you even have money?" Aoki asked.
Leone's expression fell.
She had completely forgotten.
Even though Night Raid paid her a decent salary, Leone had a habit of spending all her money as soon as she got it.
Not that it mattered much—Night Raid provided food and lodging, so she never had to worry about starving.
"Meeting by chance is fate. I'll treat you this time," Aoki said with a wave of his hand.
Suddenly, a large wine jar appeared in his palm.
Leone's nose twitched as she caught the scent, a look of surprise lighting up her face.
Later, in a small, secluded courtyard...
Aoki, Kurome, and Leone sat on the ground.
With a splash, clear wine flowed from the jar, quickly filling their cups.
Leone eagerly grabbed her cup, took a big gulp, wiped her mouth, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah! Now that's good wine!"
Aoki smiled and introduced himself. "My name's Aoki, and this is my friend, Kurome."
Leone's eyes narrowed slightly, but then she laughed it off as if nothing had happened. "I'm Leone, hehe. Come on, let's drink to celebrate our new friendship!"
Kurome ignored their banter, picked up her cup, took a sip, and immediately wrinkled her small, pretty face.
Is this wine? It tastes awful! Wait...
Suddenly, she remembered—Aoki had mentioned she could no longer taste food and could only survive by drinking blood. So why could she taste this?
After Leone finished off an entire jar of wine, she stood up to leave.
"Hehehe, it's getting late, so I should head out! I had a great time today. Where are you staying? I'll visit you guys later!"
"We just arrived in the capital and don't have a fixed place yet. We're planning to find a hotel soon," Aoki replied.
Leone threw her arm around his shoulders and said, "Well, let me recommend one. Good value for money, and it's definitely safe!"
"Alright," Aoki agreed without hesitation.
Leone, though not connected to the upper-class, lived comfortably among the lower class and knew the area well. With her help, Aoki figured he'd save time looking for a place to stay.
Of course, he'd also need to be careful not to get swindled. Leone had a reputation for being mischievous. She had once even deceived Tatsumi, who was new to the capital and as naive as a lamb.
Leone led them to a relatively bustling street on the outskirts of the capital.
"Here we are!" Leone said, hands on her hips. "Just mention my name, and you'll—"
"Get a discount?" Aoki interrupted, glancing up at the building.
It appeared to be a decent hotel from the outside, and so far, Aoki hadn't noticed anything suspicious.
Leone grinned. "Nope. Mention my name, and trouble will find you, so don't do it!"
"Leone!" a loud voice suddenly bellowed from above. A middle-aged man poked his head out of the second-floor window, his face contorted with anger as he glared at her.
"Hahaha, I'm out of here. Good luck!" Leone laughed and dashed off.
The man hurried downstairs, panting as he looked around. "Where is she? Where did Leone go?"
"She's gone," Aoki replied calmly.
"That damn girl!" the man cursed under his breath, before taking a deep breath and calming down. "Are you two planning to stay at the hotel?"
Aoki nodded. "Yes."
"You were brought here by Leone, weren't you?" the man said with a knowing smile. "Let me guess, she told you not to mention her name or you'd get into trouble, right?"
Aoki nodded. "She did. Is there some sort of conflict between you and Leone?"
The man waved it off. "Nah, no real conflict. She just beat me up once, that's all."
Aoki: "…"
"But don't worry, I won't hold that against you!" the man promised, patting his chest. "I treat all my guests fairly."
Aoki didn't seem too concerned as he followed the man into the hotel. Whether the man had bad intentions or not didn't matter much to him. Even if the man tried something, Aoki knew he could handle it easily.
As they were about to enter, Aoki paused and glanced at the wall next to the entrance.
There were several wanted posters pinned up, featuring one man and three women.
"That's a criminal group in the capital called Night Raid," the man explained. "They're infamous for their nighttime assassinations. Be careful if you go out at night."
"We're just ordinary people. They wouldn't target us, right?" Aoki asked.
"That's true," the man nodded.
Kurome, however, was fixated on the posters, especially the one at the top. It was her sister's wanted poster.
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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