When Asura woke up the next morning, Reko and Salume were in her bed. She thought about this for a moment before she remembered why they were there. She'd taught them how to recognize the flow of MP within their bodies, and then they fell asleep together afterward.
She hopped out of bed and saw Iris on the ground. Though she remained tied up, she was snoring away as though she didn't have a care in the world. Her clothes were still ripped up from the whip, but the wounds had closed up. The faint scars would eventually fade in time. If Marx and Lumia hadn't healed her, the grievous injuries would've left permanent scars on her skin.
"Looks like she's pretty thick-skinned," Asura murmured to herself upon seeing Iris mumble something in her sleep. Iris's sword was a short distance away from Iris herself, so Asura picked up the weapon and unsheathed it. "Oh? It's a single-edged sword."
It must have been something Iris used as a precautionary measure so she didn't kill anybody. She could simply knock someone out with the back of it to neutralize them. Asura stared at the sword for a little while before sheathing it.
"Now, then." She approached the bed where Salume and Reko were still asleep. "Wake up, you brats! It's time to wash your faces and eat some breakfast!" she yelled.
The first person to jump awake at Asura's shout was Iris. "Ah, I want breakfast!" She looked around the room, and that was when she remembered that she was tied up. Judging by her glaring at Asura, she also seemed to recall where she was and the situation she was currently in.
"Yeah, we've prepared some food for you as well. I'll untie you, so don't do anything rash. If you try to attack us, I'll give you another whipping."
***
Half an hour after breakfast, the members of Moon Blossom assembled in front of the inn. They were completely decked out in their usual black robes, with daggers hanging from their belts.
Marx and Lumia were the only ones carrying swords on their backs. Marx had a run-of-the-mill single-handed sword whereas Lumia had a large claymore. Jyrki had a hatchet on his belt, a quiver on his back, and a bow in his right hand. Iina carried both a bow and a quiver. Salume and Reko were unarmed because Asura hadn't taught them how to use a weapon yet. However, they both had quivers on their backs, with extra arrows meant for the others to use.
"Are you going to go massacre even more people?" Iris asked irritably. She wasn't tied up anymore and could move on her own. However, Asura had threatened to whip her if she got in the way of their work, so she should be a lot more passive this time.
"That's the plan. Just to remind you, we're honestly here because the military police hired us for a job. All of our killings are legally sanctioned. Think of it as a license to kill." The term reminded her of the spy movies from her past and she laughed a little at that.
"The Arnian military police are...full of pigs..."
"Aren't the people selling drugs worse than them?" Lumia asked, annoyed, when she heard Iris's mutter.
"That's right." Asura nodded. "This is one of the rare occasions where we're acting on the side of justice. Oh? 'On the side of justice'... It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"It doesn't suit you at all, Boss," Marx said with a laugh.
"If anythin', you'd be on the opposite side from justice," Jyrki agreed.
"The biggest villain in history..." Iina nodded.
"Even the worst villain...has the chance to be rehabilitated..."
"Oh? Were those words directed at me, Iris?" Asura shrugged. "Unfortunately, I have no interest in rehabilitation. This is who I am."
"So you don't plan on ever turning over a new leaf?" Iris asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Does she look like she wants to?" Jyrki retorted with a pat on Iris's head.
"Don't treat me like a child." Iris shrugged him off.
"Now then, everyone, let's keep our wits about us. Our opponents are criminals, after all. They may be weaker than soldiers, but unlike the military, they'll do anything they can to survive. Things like honor are worth less than shit to them, ha ha."
The other members of Moon Blossom laughed after Asura did. That was when several members of the Arnian military police ran up to Asura.
"Moon Blossom! Stop the operation!" one of them said breathlessly.
"I'm so glad we made it in time..." another one said, equally out of breath.
"Did something happen?" Asura asked. "Ahh, I suppose it's not anything good."
"Commandant Circie was abducted last night. What they want in return is you, Moon Blossom."
"Didn't I tell the military police to guard her around the clock?" Lumia asked accusingly as she glared at them.
"Our enemies hired the Assassination Alliance to kill all the guards before abducting the commandant," yet another military police member explained.
Their numbers kept growing and it was not long before Asura and the others found themselves surrounded.
"I see. So, are you going to hand us over to them?" Asura asked.
"I'm...truly sorry, but..." a member of the military police said with an awkward expression.
Yeah, I'm not surprised that they feel awkward about this, Asura thought. "We don't mind if you do, but haven't you considered that Circie's already dead? Most organizations move under the assumption that the hostage has been killed, but that's not what you're doing, is it?"
While Asura was talking, Lumia turned on her heel and walked away a few steps.
"'Considered that Circie's already dead'? How can you say such a thing?! How would you feel if it were one of your friends who'd been kidnapped?!" Iris demanded.
"If it were one of my friends, I would obviously move under the assumption that they'd already been killed. That's what everyone else would do." At Asura's words, the rest of Moon Blossom nodded.
"Um, anyway..." a member of the military police said apologetically. "We wish to save Commandant Circie. So..."
"So you plan on sacrificin' us? Why us anyway? They know that we messed up their casino or somethin'?"
"Jyrki, you idiot," Asura said. "It's obviously because Circie wasn't able to last a single night and spilled everything."
"Ah, that makes sense. She was kidnapped, right," Jyrki guffawed.
"It's all right. Let's go with them peacefully. And why not throw them a bone while we're at it? We'll even make plans under the assumption that Circie is still alive!"
"Well, there's no reason to let ourselves be captured unless we go that far," Marx said agreeably. "If our client is dead, then we have no reason to be here. In that case, we could simply defeat all of them and escape."
"And that's that, my military police friends. We'll allow ourselves to be captured. Drop your weapons, everyone. We will be handed over to the Felmafia in exchange for Circie's safe return. We'll massacre them after that. Ultimately, there's no change to our plans."
"I'm sorry, Asura," Lumia said. "I'm going to go ahead." She took a running start and then leaped towards the military police.
"Hey, Lumia, we're in the middle of a mission."
"I have another plan! If you don't like it, then you can punish me for it later!" Lumia leaped onto a military police member's shoulder and, using them like stepping stones, she broke free from the encirclement.
"Huh? How did she move like that? I didn't expect her to be so fleet-footed... That took me by surprise," Iris said, her eyes wide with amazement. "Just who is she?"
"She's our vice captain," Asura replied.
"Yay!" Iina held up her fists in a victory pose. "The vice captain...disobeyed an order... Hee hee... Boss is gonna punish her... Hee hee... Heh heh heh..."
"Oh dear. I apologize, my military police friends. My vice captain has run off. But it shouldn't be a problem, right? The rest of us will allow ourselves to be captured so I hope you'll let her go," Asura said as she held up her hands in surrender.
"Oof, is the vice cap'n for real? I don't wanna punish her... She's so hot that it's kinda hard to go for it..."
"I agree. She remains alluring no matter what's done to her. It's enough to make me waver on my vow of chastity."
"You two are real freaks." Though Asura laughed at them, she had to agree that the sight of Lumia hurt and in pain was quite stimulating. Her sexy looks made it hard to remain calm when she looked up at you with her teary eyes.
"Can I punish the vice captain too?"
"Of course you can, Reko. We're all in this together. Normally, we punish our own by beating them up together. But if you have a suggestion, we can take it into consideration. To tell the truth, punching isn't that effective anymore since everyone's already received training to withstand torture."
Lumia was probably waiting for her chance as soon as the military police surrounded us—her chance to put one over on me.
***
Asura and the rest of Moon Blossom had been completely stripped of their equipment and were gathered in the Nielta branch of the Arnian military police. Since she was a hero and not part of Moon Blossom, Iris wasn't with them.
"I didn't expect them to put us in jail," Marx sighed. "How can they not see that we have no intention of escaping?"
"Oh, don't say that, Marx. Jail isn't so bad. Just enjoy the situation." As she said that, Asura sat down on one of the simple beds.
"Now then, Moon Blossom, I shall take over from here."
A man was standing in front of their jail cell. He had completely hidden away his presence, and not even Asura and the rest of Moon Blossom had noticed his approach. He wasn't very tall, and he was wearing black clothing, complete with a piece of black cloth to hide his face.
"Hello there," Asura said. "Who are you?"
"I'm a member of the Assassination Alliance. We shall act as the proxy to guarantee smooth negotiations between both parties."
"D'you know how lame you sound?" Jyrki sneered. "The feared Assassination Alliance reduced to acting as middlemen for deals? What happened to killin' people, huh?"
"None of you understand. None of you have ever beheld how terrifying she is, or have witnessed her divinity, her beauty, or her strength." The assassin spoke as if he was deep in the throes of rapture.
"Ha, I see," Asura said. "God defanged you, didn't she? I assume she's operating under the identity of Jeanne Autun Lala? That's why you're cleaning up after Felmafia's shit. Am I wrong?"
"Defanged? That barely even scratches the surface. We sent multiple assassins to kill her, but none of them ever returned. On top of that, several of our operatives were so affected by her divinity that they decided to join her side. We pursued her for years before we finally decided to give up."
"You gave up?!" Jyrki exclaimed, mouth agape.
"After that, she came to us and presented us with two choices: death or obedience. Only one thought entered my mind when I saw her divinity with my own two eyes. I wanted her to step on me."
"What?" Asura and the other members of Moon Blossom said in unison, unsure of how to react.
"I want her to punish me! I want her to call me a naughty boy! Those were the desires that welled up from deep within me! She speaks on behalf of God and she acts on behalf of God! She is a human with the essence of the divine! She has divinity—no, she is God herself!" The assassin was getting more and more heated with every word. "I'm not the only one who thought that. Everyone else did as well. When we confessed our feelings to her, Mistress Jeanne looked a little troubled. She looked soooo cute! So cute and so holy! We're nothing more than Mistress Jeanne's slaves! I swore servitude within seconds of seeing her!!!"
"Hey, Jyrki," Asura whispered. "Is the Assassination Alliance a group of people who hang out and have weekly game nights or something?"
"Nah. People used to be pretty scared of 'em..."
"Jeanne is almost thirty years old. Shouldn't you describe her as 'beautiful' rather than 'cute'?" Marx, ever the Jeanne fan, asked solemnly.
"You idiot! Mistress Jeanne could be a hundred years old and she'd still be adorable! I know this for a fact! In any case, none of us saw Mistress Jeanne after that and we don't even know her current whereabouts. However! Everything we do is for Mistress Jeanne!"
"Okay, okay, I got it. So, what's going to happen next?" Asura asked.
"Hmm? I still haven't finished extolling Mistress Jeanne's virtues, but all right. I'm going to ask all of you to move to another location where we will exchange Commandant Circie for the members of Moon Blossom. After that, the members of the Felmafia will beat you all to a pulp. The end. Are there any questions?"
"Nope, not really. Get on with it."
***
Lumia was making her way through an underground tunnel. Thanks to the evenly spaced torches that were lit upon the walls, it wasn't dark at all. She was impressed that they'd managed to build something like this under the church. After walking for a little bit, she saw an extravagant door, guarded by two men.
"Who are you?!" one of them demanded as he unsheathed his sword. The other guard also readied his own weapon.
"I would like you to relay a message to Little God. Tell him that Jeanne Autun Lala has arrived," Lumia said calmly.
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about, woman?! There's no way Mistress Jeanne would ever show her face at a branch as shabby as this one. Hey, let's drag her inside and have some fun with her!"
"Yeah! Now that I take a closer look at her, she's hot. Little God will enjoy her."
"Divine Retribution." Without a moment's hesitation, an angel of death descended from the heavens at Lumia's command. The avatar of destruction had pure-white wings and skin so pale that it almost looked translucent, and wielded a giant sword in her hands. "I presume that you must recognize the angel of death."
The two men were entranced by the angel's beauty, but they immediately snapped back to attention.
"I s-sincerely apologize, Mistress Jeanne! Please forgive us! Please!!!"
"We never imagined that you would show up at a place such as this, Mistress Jeanne!!!"
The two men prostrated themselves onto the ground, grinding their foreheads into the floor of the tunnel as they begged for forgiveness.
"Hey, what's going on out there? Why's it so lo—" A man stuck his head out from behind the door and then froze. "Th-The angel of death? Don't tell me... Mistress Jeanne?!"
"Is Pietro, the Little God, here?"
"Yeah... I mean, yes, that's me, Mistress Jeanne!" the man from behind the door said. "Please come in, come in!" After he said that, he retreated back into the room. "Hey, prepare the finest tea that we have! Hurry up! Don't forget snacks! Hurry the hell up! Do you want me to kill you?!" Then, the man opened the door completely.
Lumia smiled gently, and then she walked inside the Felmafia's Arnian branch.