As she absorbed more and more of the memories, the smile on Selene's lips became harder to conceal.
"Leiva, I've got some interesting news for you. It seems that General Najenda has been meeting and collaborating with these rebels, even forging documents. This smells like treason…"
Having obtained the information she needed, Selene waved her hand, covering the corpses with the white cloth again, and stood up, leading Leiva out of the warehouse.
"Miss, do you need your old servant to…" Leiva trailed off, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"No, no… Just send the Shadowkhan Ninjas to keep watch."
"As for everything else... leave it to Honest to deal with. Even though Najenda isn't part of his inner circle, he did personally promote her, so this problem is his to handle."
Walking through the hallway, Selene's smile grew broader, "I can't wait to see what kind of ridiculous performance he'll put on this time..."
"Oh... by the way, where's Alyssa?"
"Lady Alyssa is probably in the kitchen, pestering [Susanoo] to make her food…" Leiva responded somewhat uncertainly.
"Alright, I see." Selene sighed, rubbing her forehead with a bitter smile. "One foodie in the family is enough. Of all the things she could have picked up from me, she had to inherit my love for food… I just don't get it…"
Waving her hand to dismiss Leiva, Selene turned and headed toward the kitchen.
"Leiva, go have someone handle all those materials."
"Yes, Miss!"
...
"Mmm… so tasty!"
Even before reaching the kitchen, Selene could hear Alyssa's happy and satisfied voice.
As a servant pushed open the kitchen door, the scene that greeted Selene made her twitch at the corner of her eye.
Alyssa's way of eating was... quite something to behold.
"Alyssa... did you forget something?" With a smile on her face, Selene slowly sat down opposite Alyssa, who was gnawing on the leg bone of some dangerous creature.
"Mmm… cough, cough, Your Majesty, I completed the mission of rescuing the Imperial Assassination Unit and brought back the bodies of the Oarburgh Assassination Team!"
Alyssa shivered at first, but when she saw it was Selene, she hastily grabbed a napkin from the hand of a maid and began wiping her mouth while she spoke.
"What about the Night Bat Unit?"
"Uh..." Hearing this, Alyssa's movements froze instantly. "I think... I forgot to give them the order to retreat..."
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Along the White Wolf River, smoke and fire filled the air. It wasn't a war, but rather a massacre so terrifying that it made people's hearts tremble!
With all their high-ranking fighters wiped out, the Revolutionary Army soldiers near the White Wolf River stood no chance against the slaughter unleashed by the Night Bat Unit. They had no strength left to resist.
"You monsters! Come... ahhh!"
"Please, spare me, I beg you... ahhh!"
Completely unmoved by any pleas, whether from those fighting to the death or those kneeling to beg for their lives, the Night Bat soldiers carried out Alyssa's order to exterminate all enemies without hesitation.
Blood dripped from their black claws. Their faces, clothes, and even their bat wings were smeared with blood.
In the large makeshift camp of the Revolutionary Army, where Chelsea had previously been messing around near a bonfire, the ground was now littered with corpses.
The grass, trees, wooden tables, tents—everything was soaked in blood. The bodies were horribly mangled, dismemberment being the least gruesome. Some had been struck by the Night Bat soldiers' black energy attacks and had been blown to pieces!
All of this was seen by Chelsea, who had transformed into a wildcat.
Since that thunderous explosion, all the insect-type dangerous creatures the leader had left in the camp had died instantly…
And her teacher, her senior, her comrades, and the leader hadn't returned. That left only one conclusion: they were dead...
Although Chelsea wanted to cry, and she deeply desired revenge, she understood her place. Her ability to fight head-on was so weak that she couldn't even defeat an ordinary Imperial Guard, let alone these black monsters.
She had to endure! She had to wait for the right moment to overthrow this cruel empire!
Suddenly, a wave of black mist rolled in. When Chelsea opened her eyes again, the black-winged monsters had disappeared...
Only blood remained in the camp, with not a single living person left. Chelsea didn't dare return to her human form to check. She fled swiftly in her cat form...
...
"Mmm... Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! I've already disbanded the Night Bat Unit!" Alyssa whimpered, crouching under the dining table with her head in her hands.
Selene couldn't help but shake her head, sighing as she reached out to pat Alyssa on the head. "Why are you crying? I'm not blaming you. I just wanted to remind you."
Pulling Alyssa up in front of her, Selene gently pinched her soft cheeks. "Remember, next time, don't be so forgetful. You need to know how much power you're commanding at any given moment."
"Okay…"
Watching Alyssa's mood lift again, Selene sighed deeply in her heart.
Why does this feel like raising a daughter? Even though Alyssa looks like Bella and has that loyal dog personality, her character seems to resemble Theresa a bit...
Thud, thud, thud—
Just then, Leiva entered the room.
"Miss… Instructor Gozuki from the Imperial Assassination Unit has arrived with his disciples. Would you like to meet them?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? Bring them here to the dining room; they can join us for a meal."
...
Soon enough, amid the sound of approaching footsteps, Leiva led Gozuki and his group into the Duke's mansion dining room.
"General." Meeting Selene again, Gozuki was even more respectful this time.
"Take a seat…" Selene gestured for Gozuki to sit, then looked at the five well-disciplined individuals standing behind him. "Introduce yourselves."
"General Selene, this is our first meeting. I am Cornelia, ranked No. 3 in assassination."
As the strongest remaining member of the elite group, Cornelia stepped forward first, introducing herself with a calm and composed demeanor.
"I'm Poney, ranked No. 4 in assassination."
"I'm Green…"
...
"I'm Akame, ranked No. 7 in assassination." The last to speak was a girl with long black hair and straight bangs, dressed in a white high-collared coat with red trim, wearing gauntlets reminiscent of ancient Japanese armor, and carrying a Japanese katana at her waist.
The main player had arrived. Selene carefully observed her. Akame—just as her name suggested, her eyes were crimson.
However, unlike Selene's blood-red eyes, which had an unsettling, eerie quality, Akame's were like aged red wine, deep and rich in color.
"Your eyes are the same color as mine. So, is that why you're called Akame? Because your eyes are red?"
"With such a simple naming convention, do your relatives also have names based on their eye colors? Like someone with purple eyes being called 'Murasaki,' or someone with black eyes being called 'Black Eyes'?" Selene joked.
Akame, ever direct, replied earnestly, "There's no one named 'Murasaki,' but I do have a sister. Her name is Kurome (Black Eyes)..."
"Akame, mind your manners…"
"It's fine. She's an interesting girl... Take a seat. I noticed you were eyeing the dishes on the table, practically drooling."
As she watched the group awkwardly sit down at the dining table, a thought suddenly occurred to Selene.
"Do you know why the provincial defense forces of the western province watched from the sidelines and ignored your pleas for help?"