Chapter 156: Famous in the Imperial Capital
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The next day, another wanted poster appeared on the walls of the imperial capital.
At the same time, a rumor quickly spread throughout the city:
The man on the wanted list had broken into the palace the previous night, caused a huge commotion, killed hundreds of people, and nearly succeeded in assassinating the Emperor.
In the end, General Budo, one of the two strongest generals in the empire, had to intervene but failed to stop the assassin.
Some reports claimed the assassin looked like a spider, with eight legs protruding from his back, suggesting he was a hybrid of a dangerous species and a human.
Kurome smiled and said playfully, "Aoki, are you really planning to massacre the palace?"
"I'm not insane" Aoki replied, sounding exasperated.
This was just one of the many ridiculous rumors that had gone viral.
Another rumor said that Aoki had broken into the palace because he was outraged by the corruption of the ministers and was planning a massacre. They even fabricated a tragic backstory where his family had been torn apart, and his relatives killed due to ministerial persecution.
The story was so convincing that even Aoki almost believed it himself.
The palace housed tens of thousands of people, most of whom were ordinary folk scraping by. Only someone crazy would want to massacre them all.
Aoki quickly shrugged off the thought.
Let them believe what they want!
What does a wanted poster for that useless boss have to do with me?
"Let's go back," Aoki said, turning to walk in the direction they had come from.
He had just come out to clear his head, but there were more important matters to attend to.
Kurome glanced at the wanted posters plastered on the wall.
There were posters of Aoki, her sister, and the other members of Night Raid—but not one of her.
Maybe they still hadn't realized she was in the capital.
…
Leone had just entered the imperial capital when she noticed something odd about the atmosphere. A quick look around and she figured out what was going on.
"He broke into the palace at night and escaped? I didn't think there were people that bold in the world," she muttered as she wandered through the streets, marveling at the audacity of it all.
Some people speculated that the assassin might be a member of Night Raid.
As a member herself, she could confidently say they weren't that crazy.
The palace was a veritable den of wolves and tigers. Even if all of Night Raid's forces were mobilized for an attack, there was a high chance they wouldn't make it back alive.
Leone paused, thinking.
"I wonder why he broke into the palace?"
She didn't believe the outrageous rumors about a bloodbath, but some of the reports seemed more plausible—like the idea of an assassination attempt on the emperor and ministers.
That would align with Night Raid's goals.
"If we can meet this guy, we might be able to recruit him into Night Raid."
Leone stretched, her well-defined curves briefly visible, and then a bright smile lit up her face.
"Forget it, forget it. I don't want to think about it anymore. Let's go have a drink with Aoki. I wonder if they've left yet."
Leone jogged the rest of the way, easily reaching the door of the hotel.
"Leone!" The guard at the door greeted her with a smile. "Don't worry, the boss isn't here right now."
Leone grinned and playfully wrapped her arm around the guard's neck. "Sadie, you're on duty today, huh? Two guests came last night, a man and a woman—both with black hair. Which room did they stay in?"
"Leone, you know I can't disclose guest information," the guard replied, trying to keep his professionalism.
"Oh, stop it!" Leone lightly punched him in the stomach. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. They're my friends—I just want to have a drink with them!"
The guard rubbed his stomach and gave her the room number, adding a reminder: "We agreed—no trouble. If you cause trouble, I'll lose my job."
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Leone waved dismissively and ran into the hotel. Along the way, many people greeted her, as if she had friends all over the city.
"This is it!" She stopped at a door, raised her hands, and knocked enthusiastically.
"Aoki! Aoki! Are you in there? It's me, Leone!"
Crunch!
The door creaked open, revealing a slender girl with short black hair and delicate features.
"Kurome" Leone blurted out, momentarily stunned.
"Come in," Kurome nodded slightly.
After learning that Leone was a companion of her sister, Kurome found her much more likable.
"Wait a minute, isn't this Aoki's room?" Leone blinked in surprise. "Sadie only mentioned one number… Are they staying in the same room?"
Leone took a deep breath.
Big news!
The relationship between these two is much closer than she had thought!
Akame would definitely be shocked when she hears this, right?
Oh man.
I can't wait to see Akame's reaction, she thought excitedly.
But first things first—drinking!
Leone crossed her arms behind her head and followed Kurome into the room. The moment she stepped inside, she spotted Aoki and broke into a bright smile.
"Hehehe, Aoki, I came to hang out with you guys!"
Aoki gestured toward the wine jar on the table. "It's ready."
"Wow!" Leone squealed and dashed over to the jar, inhaling deeply through her nose with an intoxicated expression on her face.
She spun around, slinging her arm over Aoki's shoulders. "Hehehe, I declare you my best friend from today onward!"
"A jar of wine a day as a friendship fee, huh?" Aoki glanced at her but didn't seem to mind.
He had expected this from Leone.
Leone laughed heartily.
Without hesitation, she popped the lid off, grabbed a cup from the table, poured herself a large bowl of wine, and downed it in one gulp.
"Hahaha, this is the life! Drinking in the middle of the day feels amazing!"
Aoki, on the other hand, drank more modestly.
Kurome, meanwhile, held her cup and sipped slowly. She hadn't been fond of alcohol before—she even kind of hated it—but now that she couldn't indulge in snacks, she found herself warming up to the taste of wine.
After a few rounds of drinking, Leone grinned and said, "By the way, Aoki, have you seen the new wanted poster?"
Aoki nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.
"Of course, I've seen it."
"That guy is crazy powerful!" Leone shook her head in amazement.
Aoki chuckled. "Someone daring enough to break into the palace at night… Life in the imperial capital really is thrilling!"
"I also heard there's a killer organization called Night Raid that's been stirring up a bloody storm, terrifying the entire capital," Aoki added.
Leone laughed. "Hahaha! Yeah, there's definitely a group like that, but their targets seem to be the corrupt scum among the empire's officials. They're not as scary as the rumors make them out to be."
"So, are they the good guys?" Aoki asked, amused.
Leone didn't hesitate. "Good guys? Not a chance! How can there be such a thing as a 'good' assassin?"
Kurome sipped her wine, her eyes flashing with something unspoken.
They seemed to be talking about something distant, but in reality, the very people they were discussing were all in this room together.
I wonder how Leone will react when she finds out the truth.
"Hehehe, let's stop talking about assassins. Let's drink!" Leone cheered, grabbing the jar and filling her cup to the brim once again.
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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