Chapter 1: Kill the King
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(Imperial Capital Trading Canals and Port, Imperial year 1024, Day 9, late afternoon, 4:00 PM)
The imperial capital's trading canals and port was almost always the busiest part of the capital, always buzzing with the calls of merchants on their boats and conversations of haggling by the would-be customers, and today was no exception. An abundance of merchant trading boats that each displayed a wide array of merchendise were slowly making their way through the canals, while also calling out to potential customers and clients that walked by the sidelines.
These canals make up the roads and streets of this district and on its sides were several shops and boutiques, where more permanent settlers may sell their wares. Of course, the only was to get around this part of the capital is by taking a boat ride from the ferrymen.
At the port, several large galleon trading ships that were each filled with crew members, who were hefting massive crates full of merchendise, were docked.
As a general rule each trading ship was marked with the owner's insignia to indicate who it belongs to and while some of these ships are owned by large merchant groups or illegal crime syndicates, a vast majority of them were owned by a single indivdual, as indicated by the fact that most of the ships had the same insignia that stood out in the varnished wood.
An intricate golden heart symbol that was decorated by various golden swirls and curves surrounding it, making a very intricate symetrical insignia.
Watching over the flow of events from the dock with an emotionless and calculating look was a young teenage boy with soft girlish features.
He had long unruly Honey-gold blonde hair that flowed in the breeze, royal purple eyes, and pale white skin. He was wearing a golden cloak with the hood down over a gold vest-like garment with intricate purple embroidery that hugged his figure, shorts of the same color with a purple sash tied around his waist, a pair of sturdy brown sandals with several straps and gold fingerless gloves that had the same purple embroidery.
As he watched the unloading of his trading ships, he brought out a large wooden abacus and started fiddling with it, mentally performing several calculations and plans.
It was just the way he was, but he assumed that every other merchant was probably thinking along the same lines.
Granted, not all of them would do so with legal and non-swindling means, like he did.
He shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. He was getting distracted from the task at hand.
"Thinking about the illegality of some merchants' trade will not yield me any profit, gain or benefit whatsoever and is a complete waste of time and effort, I must focus on allocating these supplies for maximum profit and gain." He said to himself emotionlessly in a slightly high pubscent voice, as he focused on his task at hand.
By the time his crew had managed to unload the supplies from the galleon ship, he had calculated the most optimal and profitable trade routes for every individual merchandise he owned.
He also managed to contact the members of his guild who operated the merchant boats, stalls, and boutiques that he owned, as well as, devise detailed individual instructions for each and every one of them.
He was beyond meticulous when it comes to his finances and assets, so he wanted to make sure that he made the most profit out of what he had.
For a boy of his early age, he was unusually successful with finance, since he owned a vast legal trading network with several businesses, merchant boats and trading ships.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw a crew member approach him.
Without looking up from his abacus, he addressed the man with his usual way of greeting.
"How's the business?" He said emotionlessly.
"Lord Arthur, the supplies have all been unloaded onto the docks and are currently being distributed to your various guild members, sir!" Reported a crew with a salute.
He looked up at the dock, where several merchant guild members were loading the crates onto their boats, before looking back to the man in front of him.
It felt a little weird for a teenage boy like him to be called 'Lord' and 'Sir' by a man who was clearly two times older than him.
He mentally sighed, but he knew from experience that telling any of his crew to drop the formalities would be a waste of time and effort. Also, he would have little profit/gain/benefit if he pressed the matter further and it was their choice anyway.
"Very good, there's a feast waiting for all of you in our guild hall. I expect you all to be ready to set sail tomorrow morning at dawn, understood?" He said, while looking at the man, who looked incredibly eager for some reason.
"Yes, Lord Arthur. We'll make sure of that and if I may say so, you are incredibly generous, Lord Arthur and we are grateful for this feast that you're holding for us" said the man gratefully with murmured assessment from the other crew members.
Arthur maintained his emotionless expression as he said this.
"It would be wiser to ensure that all of you are capable of acting at your full capacities, before you set sail, as it would not only increase your overall efficiency, but save time and money as well, which would, ultimately, lead to more opportunities for expanding my trade network and selling these items for the most profit. In other words, I'm doing this because it is the most optimal and profitable course of action." Arthur clarified with an emotionless tone, which only caused the crew members to laugh and shake their heads in exasperation knowingly.
Evidently, this isn't the first time they've encountered this response, but they didn't seem to mind either way.
"Be that as it may, we are very gratefully" the crew member repeated.
"Mhm" Arthur only nodded, before the crew all headed to their guild hall.
It was definitely odd for a teenage boy to have his own trading guild and guild hall, but, in his opinion, it was the most convenient way for him to gather and/or meet up with all of the people that were under his employ.
Since it also served as a place that attracted would-be customer, as well as, potential new employees and workers, it was a solid investment, in his opinion.
He shook his head again, he's dawdled long enough, he still needed to meet with a client, who hired him as their invesment adviser and treasurer.
With that thought in mind, he walked over to the docks. His merchants took a moment to greet him cheerfully as they distributed the items according to his specific instructions.
He approached a small yet sizeable plain wooden chest with wheels, before propping it up and proceeded to drag it behind him as he made his way towards his client's home.
...
(Aria's mansion, Imperial year 1024, Day 9, 6:00 PM)
It was a rather long walk from the trading canals and port, but Arthur finally arrived at the mansion of his client. He had only become their treasurer yesterday afternoon, but it was imperative that he showed them results, since it was his principle to do so.
As for why he didn't rent a carriage or wagon, well, he was quite a cheapskate when it came to spending money on things that would yield him little gain.
At any rate, the guards, who were clad in their white uniforms appeared to have noticed his presence and promptly opened the gate.
Looking unfazed and unbothered by his long walk to arrive at his current location, Arthur simply started approaching the mansion with a steady stride, dragging the wooden chest behind him.
Entering the mansion, Arthur made his way into the living room, where he was greeted by the sight of his client, his wife, and his daughter, who all sat collectively on one big sofa on the right side of the room, while two of their guards stood behind them.
"Arthur, great timing we were just talking about you, have a seat" he gestured to the single seat to his right.
As he walked forward, while dragging the chest, he caught sight of three additional individuals on the sofa across the client and his family.
There was a girl with black eyes, straight black hair and pale white skin, who was wearing a pale lilac kimono style dress that was tied with a purple obi, which had large sleeves that was separated from the rest of the dress. She also had a white flower accessory on her hair.
Another one had similar features, black hair and black eyes, but had slightly tanned skin. He wore a martial arts headband on his head, a thick brown winter jacket, and black pants.
The last one had coffee-brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was wearing a slight tan sweater over a white long-sleeved shirt. He also had brown vambraces and black pants.
He took his seat as offered, before diverting his eyes to the client and his family with the same emotionless look.
"I am here to report the current status, as well as, present the results of your investment after 24 hours" Arthur said emotionlessly as he looked at the client.
The man simply chuckled, along with his wife. "Straight to point as usual, I see"
"I seldom engage in small talk, unless it is beneficial or profitable to some degree." Arthur responded emotionlessly.
"Ah yes, I see that you prefer not to waste time, then" said the client good-naturedly. When Arthur offered no response, the client continued. "Have our recent financial endeavors been successful?"
"Your alloted capital of 1000 gold coins for investments has increased twentyfold in the last 24 hours. Ultimately, the result of today's investment ventures presents that your alloted capital currently consists of 20,000 gold coins" Arthur said emotionlessly, before dropping the wooden chest flat on the ground, making a clanging sound of thousands of golden coins clattering against each other.
However, the client's family and guards were too busy helping the man, since he had choked on his own tea during the first half of the sentence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the unnamed trio gaping at him with wide eyes, but he paid no mind to either side, opting to simply wait patiently in the sidelines.
Once he finally recovered, the client spoke with a sheepish smile. "Forgive me, Arthur, I'm afraid your declaration caught me a little off guard"
"Understandable"
"I suppose, they don't call you a golden boy just because of your choice of clothing, huh?" The client said casually, while chuckling happily.
"That is correct"
"I knew you had to be well-versed in the ways of finance and trade, since you own a multitude of merchant boats, boutiques, and stalls in the imperial capital's trading, 10 galleon trading ships, and your own guild and guild hall, but still...this is quite impressive"
"Underestimating my versatility in handling and/or dealing with matters related to finances, commerce, and trade is unwise" Arthur replied emotionlessly.
"I'll be sure to remember that" said the client, while chuckling, before looking at the trio across him and slapping his forehead in realization. "Agh, I almost forgot. Sayo, Ieyasu, Tatsumi, this is the boy I was talking about, this is Arthur. Arthur, this is Sayo, Ieyasu, and Tatsumi"
The three then bowed their heads at him respectfully.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" Sayo spoke in behalf of her friends.
From the looks of things, I'd say that they're the same age as me and judging by the fact that they're here and that they don't seem well aquainted with the client or his family. I'd say that they're guests and they're probably from the country and got scammed, if they're staying here and not at a nearby inn. Arthur thought to himself.
"Likewise" Arthur replied emotionlessly, before turning to the client. "Might I ask what you were talking about prior to my arrival and why I am supposedly the subject of said conversation?"
"Ah yes, well you see, I was just telling them about how I hired you to be my treasurer and investment adviser and, as you can see..." The client gestured to the chest at Arthur's feet, while addressing the three. "He's quite skilled and well-verse and that my story does do him justice. I also told them that you'd probably be willing to hire them for some job or another"
Without looking at the three who was looking at him hopeful eyes, he said "That I am" before turning to them. "I'd like to hear more about what occurred prior to how you got here, if you wouldn't mind" Arthur said emotionlessly, before turning to the trio, who began retelling their story.
From the reason why they left the village in the first place...
So, they did come from the country as I assumed. I can't give them a job as merchants or clerks, since they still don't know the inner working of the capital's trade and commerce and would likely be scammed one way or another. Thought Arthur as he listened with closed eyes.
...to their encounter with the bandits in the forest...
Two swordsmen and an archer, huh? Judging from their story, they must be quite skilled as well, being able to fend off a gang of bandits, if their story is to be believed, that is. I could give them a job guarding shipments and deliveries around the capital and at the trading ships or maybe have them teach the crew on ship either way their help would work well to fend off against potential pirate attacks. Not that any pirates have dared attack any of my ships, but one can never be too careful.
...to their encounter with the earth dragon...
A class 1 danger beast, huh? They really are skilled, then. I'd say that these three are diamonds in the rough, if their story has any semblance of truth to it. I suppose it's merely luck that I ran into them now, while they're looking for jobs. I could use expert hands when guarding shipments and deliveries.
...to their arrival in the capital and how they lost all their money...
As Sayo retold how her friends managed to lose all of their money because of some busty blonde (glaring at the cowering duo the whole time), Arthur facepalmed in a dignified manner, before shaking his head.
"At least, I know that I can't trust either of you with any alloted sum of money meant for trade and investments" Arthur said emotionlessly, before looking up at them. "However, I could use people with skills like yours. If you were able to best a class 1 danger beast, then you must be skilled with your individual weapons. I'd like to offer you three jobs as guards for shipments and deliveries"
"We accept!" The trio said eagerly and excitedly and Arthur simply nodded.
"Then from this moment on you are officially guards under my employ and are official members of my guild, Lion Heart. We will discuss the details of the job, as well as, your first assignment tomorrow." Arthur said in his usual deadpan tone, seemingly unaffected by the looks of gratitude they were giving him.
"Splendid, now how about we celebrate over dinner, I'm sure you're all quite famished" the client said, before heading into the dining room, along with his family.
Sayo, Ieyasu, and Tatsumi were about to follow, when Arthur suddenly stopped them by grabbing Sayo's shoulder.
They both looked back at their new employer, only to see him looking at them seriously. They didn't know what to make of the sight, until he spoke.
"Don't eat anything that I push away and only eat the same food that I do" He said emotionlessly.
With that he started walking into the dining room, leaving the trio completely puzzled by the instructions.
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Sayo didn't really know what to make of their new employer's words, but something told her that they should follow his instructions.
It wasn't just because he was their new and that they felt obliged to do as he instructed, though.
So far, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were scammed out of their life savings. As far as they knew there were a lot more people in the capital would take advantage of them or do something worse than simply scamming them.
It was better that they heed the advice of someone who has been in the capital for longer than 7 hours.
"Let's go" she said to her friends, before they all started walking towards the dining room.
Needless to say, the dining room, like everything else in this mansion looked especially grand and elegant.
The table alone was almost as long as the living room they had just exited and on its sides were a multitude of plush chairs.
Aria's father sat at the head of the table and on his left and right was his wife and daughter respectively.
The trio of friends were about to take the seats near them, so as to maintain within polite hearing range, but Arthur grabbed Sayo's shoulder to stop her.
She looked back at him questioningly and so did the rest of her friends.
"Something wrong?" She asked in concern. She really had no idea how to address him, since she's never really been hired by someone who's the same age as her.
"..." He stared in front of him distantly with an emotionless expression, before pulling out a chair on the right side of the table and gesturing to it with one hand.
Sayo blushed a bit at the gesture. She wasn't really used to being treated like this, but took rhe offer nonetheless with a polite bow and quiet thank you.
He took the seat to her right, which nearly blocked her from view of the family, considering the distance between them. Tatsumi and Ieyasu fumed slightly, while shooting daggers at their new boss, before taking the seats to Sayo's left.
The maids arrived with a cart filled with an assortment of food that looked too beautifully prepared to eat. Tatsumi and Ieyasu almost felt bad for eating it.
"Please help yourselves, emperor knows we wouldn't be able to finish this by ourselves" the man chuckled mirthfully.
At that the dinner went on normally, small talk here and there and Arthur would even occasionally ask about the food that was served, mostly about the ingredients and their supplier, but other than that nothing seemed to be out of place.
Nevertheless, Sayo observed Arthur discreetyly and carefully. They warned them for a reason, so they needed to be careful.
The small talk stopped when they all started focusing on their respective meals.
Heeding their employer's warning, Sayo only ate the food that Arthur was eating, but so far, he hasn't pushed anything away.
She nudged her friends and gestured with her head to Arthur, who was currently eating what looked like some kind of meat dish.
The two raised their eyebrows at her, before she gestured with her head to Arthur again.
They looked again at the honey-gold haired boy and saw that he had pushed away the tea and bread and that he was subtly shaking his head while make eye contact out of the corner of his eye.
Oblivious to the reason behind the gesture, the two boys simply opted to stay away from the bread and tea.
Sayo, on the other hand, had a feeling that they had narrowly dodged a bullet right now.
...
After dinner, Aria's mother tried to put them in separate rooms for the night, saying that they had more than enough room and that they wouldn't want to disturb their right to privacy.
Before the trio of friends could utter a word, however, Arthur spoke up.
"We'll all stay in the same room tonight, I'd like to discuss the details of their job in private" Arthur said in an emotionless tone, but the way he said it...gave the impression that this wasn't open for negotiation.
Aria's mother agreed reluctantly and the four of them started walking to their designated room.
Ieyasu shot a suspicious look at their new employer the whole walk, while Tatsumi just glanced at him warily. Arthur didn't so much as flinch at their suspicion nor did he utter a single word during the whole walk.
When they arrived in front of the door to their room, Arthur silently opened it and walked in.
Once inside, Arthur simply sat down on the bed with an emotionless expression on his face, ignoring the varying degrees of questioning he was receiving from the newest members of his guild.
"Ask." He said emotionlessly when he turned to face them.
Ieyasu was the first to voice out his suspicion. "Why did you insist that we all stay in one room? Are you planning something with Say-"
"It's for your own safety. You three are far too inexperienced and naive to see that these people aren't who they appear to be and as your guild master, it is my responsibility to ensure that none of you are harmed" Arthur interrupted emotionlessly with his default deadpan expression.
"What do you mean by 'these aren't who they appear to be'?" Sayo asked warily and concernedly, feeling anxious at the answer that she might receive.
"There's a reason why these people willingly invite complete strangers into their house and I suspect that the reason isn't because they're good samaritans" Arthur replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Tatsumi asked in a slight shout as he got to his feet, a motion that Ieyasu also took.
"I'm saying that this family is far from innocent and that you three just narrowly dodged a bullet tonight, so to speak"
Tatsumi was about to retort to that, but he was immediately cut off.
"Get some sleep. I have a feeling that you're all about to see what I mean later tonight." He said before turning his back and proceeding to lay down on his bed. He turned to them again slightly. "Then you might realize just how naive you are to take this family's offer to stay the night"
With that said, there was silence. Ieyasu and Tatsumi wanted to argue and retort, but they didn't really have any argument to that. It's true that they were still inexperienced when it came to the imperial capital, the fact that they were scammed out of their life savings was a testament to that.
Also, they couldn't really deny that they were starting to question the family's motives of letting they, complete strangers, stay at their house. They must have some sort of gain or something.
And as for the warning...
You're all about to see what I mean later tonight.
...they had a strong premonition that something bad was going to happen tonight.
...
(Aria's mansion, later that night, 12:00 MN)
Arthur's eyes opened, before he slowly sat up and looked at the door distantly
Bloodlust...he thought, before he silently got up from his bed.
He glanced at the newest members of his guild and saw that they were still fast asleep and from the looks of things, they probably wouldn't wake up for a few more minutes.
The could either be really good or really bad depending on who was the one emitting such bloodlust.
Nonetheless, he was the only one that could protect them from whoever was out there.
Deciding that it was best to find out exactly who the bloodlust was in order to determine the most optimal route, he stood up, walked out of the room and looked out of the nearest window, which gave him a full view of the blood red moon, as well as, five figures who stood on a platform of barely visible wires.
"I suppose my suspicions weren't unfounded if Night Raid is here" Arthur said emotionlessly, completely unperturbed by the fact that there were assassins in the mansion.
Either way, Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu would probably be safe, since they couldn't possibly be the targets, unless, of course, they got in the way of their assassination.
Arthur watched as two of them dropped down from the platform, the one with the armor and the one he saw on numerous wanted posters, Akame.
The guards approached the night raid members warily and Arthur did nothing more than watch with an emotionless expression on his face.
They must be more naive than I thought, if these guards think they have a chance. Arthur thought as he watched one guard charge at them.
He sighed before his eyes widened, when Akame slashed his throat open.
Admirable speed and agility. Arthur commended, before watching another guard get skewered by the armor-wearing man.
Clearly, they were using imperial arms, as well.
Either way, this doesn't concern him. If these assassins were anything like what he thought they were based on what he had managed to gather about their past targets, then the newest members of his guild don't have to worry about getting themselves killed.
As long as they stay out of the way, that is.
As the final guard was shot in the head, Arthur moved away from the window and started walking towards the treasury. With the client dead, he won't need his return-on-investment.
I'm certain that the trio would be fine. They may be naive, but surely they are not so foolish as to think that they can hold their own against assassins, much less, survive.
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Well, here you all have my second attempt at an Akame Ga Kill story, since the first one is more or less a failure. Also the title is simply a reference to my OC's name (King Arthur). He has no royal blood whatsoever.
Also for this fic, exect a bit more complex heist-themed assassinations that involve infiltration and several complex plans. Because no offense or anything, I think the anime's assassinations were a bit...to straightforward and simple.
Next time, we'll see the confrontation between Akame and Arthur, as well as the quartet's inauguration into night raid.