Disclaimer: I do not own Hollow Knight or Akame ga Kill. They belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 5:

Kill the Regret

The Capital is a big city, a utopia of sorts that promises safety and a new life within its massive stoned and cemented walls.

But some people don't have the money or lifestyle to sustain themselves in the Capital, with taxes as high as ever, constant culling of innocents, and fear of death looming over them. More than enough rather prefer to build settlements nearest them where their influence is at most, a company of soldiers or a representative living in there.

That is why there are dozens of villages living near the walls of the Capital, and one of them is the oldest of the bunch. That village's name is Aloe.

Aloe is a small bustling village complete with a large library that contains books that were either bought or donated, a city hall where requests from the guilds are being shown and appropriately rewarded, a marketplace where a wide array of fruits and vegetables are haggled at their lowest price and large spiked wooden walls that have held strong for centuries.

Shiro looked at the small settlement with no emotion as it awaited for its companions. He decided to run off faster than them because he wanted to see a settlement that reminded it of Dirtmouth, the small village the Knight often returns to when weary on its travels. It would always talk to Elderbug or attempt to anyway for any new advice, check the wares Sly has on his shop, head to Cornifer's shop and pay his wife a visit for a map he might have missed, and listen to Zote's ramble about his rules on life.

Those memories were significant to the Knight because they reminded him that it has a choice. The role of a Hollow Knight will be forever ending the same way with no hopes of changing it. Before, the Knight would just accept its fate and absorb the Infection in itself to continue the cycle. But now… it felt good about the choice it has made.

It wondered how was Hallownest now that the Radiance is dead?

Shiro heard something behind it and looked back to see the brown human and Lila coming out of the bushes. "Ah, Shiro. How was the sight?" The brown bug asked.

Shiro dropped down from the large boulder it stood on and grabbed a nearby stick to write.

[Small village. Heavy defense. A good place to start.]

"That's great. Aloe was credited for not only having the least amount of casualties than the other villages but also having a strong connection to the capital." The brown bug explained to the Knight.

Shiro muddied its hands through where it wrote and replied. [Interesting. Will take note.]

'... That's it. I'm done with this.'

Alyssa couldn't take it any longer. Any time Shiro wanted to talk to them or reply, he would always write on the dirt and get himself dirty as well. Now was the breaking point since there would be no convenient patch of dirt laying about and she feared Shiro would do something drastic like claw the walls to speak.

When Shiro was about to go, Alyssa stopped the young boy.

"Shiro, I think we should deal with your lack of speech." The white-haired boy looked at Alyssa for a certain amount of time as she continued. "I know you are trying to communicate with us with written language and that's okay on its own. But where your writing is concerning to me and everyone you're gonna meet."

"That's why I'm giving you this." Shiro saw the brown human grab a small book from her bag and presented itself to it. "I don't even know why I bought this thing in the first place but I'm sure it will be of use to you. Take it."

Shiro looked at the brown bug with no emotions but bowed regardless. It accepted the small book and put in its… cloak.

Now that it looked at it, the Knight forgot one important aspect of it and was a complete fool to not check for it. So it quickly called upon the void and materialize itself into its old cloak.

The sudden change did make Alyssa and Lila jump a little but was done quickly as Shiro now had a tattered white cloak around itself. Now that she thought about it, Alyssa did recall a small piece of cloth that hung around Shiro's neck when it was previously a Danger Beast but she didn't know how important that was until it appeared on his neck.

Perhaps a gift from someone?

Anyway, with its cloak back on, Shiro put the small book within and felt it sit there with all the other items it has.

Received The

Notebook

Until you can speak, use the Notebook to converse with the humans in this world.

With this, you can now communicate with the new beings of the land.

"Alright… At least with that, you don't need the ground anymore, right?" Shiro nodded at Alyssa as he pulled out the notebook and a quill to write.

[Yes. Thank you.]

A sigh came out of the girl as this solved one problem. "It was no problem. Now, let's head to Aloe."

{-}

Getting in was pretty easy since the guards there assumed that Shiro, Lila, and Alyssa were traveling to the Capital and headed here to rest. Once inside, Shiro was surprised by the number of humans here.

Compared to Dirtmouth, this place might have been in its prime before. With humans, big and small, running around the stoned streets. Houses as tall as lamp posts were seen along the road with flowers and grass growing at the windows or walls. Stalls lined up a part of the streets with various items placed there, likely stores that sell their wares.

Shiro and Lila widened their eyes as they took the sight in, while Alyssa merely smiled at their reactions. Every time someone new would come to Aloe, they would always be surprised at how jovial this place is compared to the Capital. At least here, people can breathe the air they wanted instead of smelling the stench that was rotting corpses and blood drying.

"Well, we're here now," Alyssa said, bringing Shiro back to reality. "If you want to head to the library then turn right at the intersection up ahead. It's the big building with a large door."

Shiro nodded at the information as he made a mental location to where it was. It can guess what a library is since it paid a visit to the Teacher's Archive where it encountered the Dreamer there. Most likely a place where they store all kinds of information and history.

"But before you head further, let me ask you this." Alyssa then turned to Shiro and Lila and her eyes went serious. "Do you guys have some money on you?"

The Knight tilted its head as to what kind of money it was talking about. The Knight doubt it's Geo since the enemies here don't drop on death and by looking around, it saw people exchanging shiny coins for various products.

"You mean coins?" Lila asked to which Alyssa nodded. "Yes. Guardian took the coins from the Iron Tank when he rescued me from them."

"Eh… OK. Can I see them, Shiro?"

From there, Shiro took out the large pouch of coins from within its cloak and handed it to Alyssa. She counted each coin and its value and made a rough estimate.

"While it may be small, it's a good start. All in all, I'd say you have about… 20,000 coins." Alyssa gave back the pouch to the Knight and stored it in the void. "But still, you should consider getting a job to earn more. You don't wanna starve to death, would you?"

Nearby, Lila's stomach grumbled a bit as she had a small blush on her face. Shiro looked at the region where the sound was coming and had the void imitate it, releasing its own grumbling.

Alyssa giggled at the sight. "Well, I guess I can help you in some cases. Let's go get you some food, and then after I'll get you a job."

Shiro and Lila nodded in response and the trio then headed off to the marketplace where stalls would sell their various products.

{-}

Requests come in by the handful as many people ask for specific things. Depending on what kind it is, you get either handsomely rewarded or cheated by your teammates. So that is why you have to smart about what kind of request you take because it might be your last.

"Hmmm…" That is why Alyssa was analyzing all the different kinds of requests on the boards to see which is suitable for a bunch of 12-year-olds.

She is in a large area with tables and chairs being occupied by burly men with their armor or sultry women smoking their tobacco and promising a 'good time'. This was no other than the city hall, with its own bar for the weary mercenaries.

As Alyssa was looking at the board filled with requests, Shiro and Lila were sitting near each other on an unoccupied table as they waited for her. While they were outside, Alyssa took Lila and got her a whole new look rather than the baggy pants and large shirt from the corpses.

Lila now wore a simple black blouse that covered her belly, a short skirt with black shorts and boots that reached her ankles. Lila said that she didn't want to fight but rather support so Alyssa got her a slingshot and a couple of smooth stones on the road.

Seeing all these dangerous men and their weapons made Lila clutch Shiro like a lifeline as the Knight merely took in the sights of powerful warriors, sans the human who wore little to no clothing.

"Sans" is a shorter word: "Without"

Shortly after 'eating' as Lila and Alyssa describe it, the trio headed to the second largest building in Aloe where they can find requests that reward them. Shiro can understand the meaning behind it as killing certain enemies or finding objects often reward it with money like Lemn.

As they patiently waited for Alyssa to come back, a sharp sound filled its ears as man three-times their size took a seat on their table looking flustered and smelling… something.

"Haaah…. Women as the best…" The man sighed in contempt as Shiro kept his gaze at him. An action the man immediately noticed. "Oi, what'cha lookin' at, brat?"

"..." Shiro didn't reply which only irked the man more. "Oi, I'm talkin' to you!"

"Pl-Please excuse my big brother," Lila spoke timidly to the large man. "He can't speak as well... "

The man merely looked at the young girl and eyes hungrily at her small figure, a perverted smile crept up his face. "Well… I can overlook this, for a price."

Lila gasped in fear as she knew what the man meant. She then shivered behind Shiro and clutched tightly to his cloak. Shiro felt the fear coming off of her and sharpened his gaze at the burly man.

That didn't bode well to their situation as the man now was irritated by the glare. "Who do you think you are, brat?! I am the great swordsman, Gran, who single-handedly defeated a Class 2 Danger Beast!"

Right now, a few people were already looking at them. Shiro can practically feel their eyes staring right at it like an insignificant insect he was. Lila was now even more scared as she gripped even tighter and felt misty in her eyes.

Thankfully… "Alright, I found something!" Alyssa came back to the table, blatantly ignoring Gran and the stares. "This request wants someone to guard their farm for a bit! We should go now."

Shiro nodded as he grabbed Lila by her hand, calming her down, and left with Alyssa. The hall was quiet now, filling it with a tense air as they all looked at Gran, who was in a furious rage.

"That damn brat… No one glares at me like that. No one!"

{-}

"Thank the gods we were able to get out of there without a fight. I leave you for one second and your already picking a fight with a Class B Mercenary." Alyssa groaned as they walked through a worn-out road in a forest. The path they were taking is often used by many people so naturally, there would be some signs of wear from plants.

The trio was making their way to a farm that's connected to another village; the requests states that Horned Rabbits are destroying the farm's crop and wanted someone to either kill the rabbits or stand guard until it's fully harvested.

Alyssa thought it would be a good quest for beginners since they can just stand guard and slay any Horned Rabbits near them. Horned Rabbits are classified as Class 5, Danger Beasts that can be easily killed by civilians. Class 4 is for soldiers and so on.

If there aren't going to be any complications during the quest, then they can get the reward without having to lift a muscle.

"I think I can see the farm ahead!" Lila stated, squinting her eyes.

True to her word, Shiro and Alyssa saw a small clearing of trees, and at the center was a farm complete with a wooden house and a barn.

The trio kept their usual pace until they reached the farm. The land being occupied wasn't big, just right with the house being close to the barn. But one thing did bother Lila and that was the lack of crops here. No matter how she tried, there weren't any patches of land that weren't cultivated. Perhaps this farm deals in livestock?

While Lila was questioning the situation, they made it to the front door of the wooden house and Alyssa knocked on it a few times. "Hello! We're here for your request!"

"..." Silence replied, making Alyssa knock again to get their attention.

After a few seconds of silence, Shiro heard small thumpings near the door and soon it opened. Who opened it was an old man, likely in his late 70's. "...yes?"

"Ah, hello there. My name is Alyssa and we're here for your request. Something about guarding your farm?" She energetically replied.

"... yes." The old man answered softly, feeling too tired. "Come inside."

The old man opened the door fully, letting in the 3 mercenaries into his abode. Inside was simple furniture, a fireplace, a single bookshelf, and a bed at the far side of the house with a window and nightstand.

The three sat down on the sofa while the man sat at the other end.

"My name is Emilio. I'm the owner here of this farm."

"I'm Alyssa and these two are my companions. Lila and Shiro." Lila gave a wave while Shiro nod.

"I see…" Emilio gazed at the two children before him for a second before looking back at Alyssa. "And your here for the request I put up in Aloe?"

"Yes!"

Emilio nodded and sat up. "Then follow me."

The group then headed to the barn just outside as Emilio explained to them the request. "You know how expensive it is to buy land here, especially near the Empire so to pay off my debt, I have to sell all of my crops and livestock stored here. But recently, some Horned Rabbits managed to slip by me and started chewing on the food. Thankfully it was only small nibbles here and there but I fear the rabbits may be bringing a larger Danger Beast here. That is why I want someone to either guard the barn here or find those vermin and wipe them off the face of the earth."

"I see… " Alyssa and Shiro nodded at the information given. "Why would you assume the Horned Rabbits are luring a bigger Danger Beast here?"

"Before I put up the request, I was fed up by how they constantly made their way inside so I rushed off to kill them in the forest." Emilio sighed as the experience afterward made him consider the decision. "I thought it was only rabbits that were hurting me but what I found there changed my mind."

"What do you mean?"

"... Tracks." That made Alyssa get goosebumps crawling on her back. "And big ones too. And they were near my farm."

"Oh no." Lila gasped in horror as she imagined what would happen.

Emilio nodded as he faced the three. "Thankfully, a group of guards will come here and collect my payment the day after, until then I ask that you guard my barn against the Horned Rabbits. I will pay you respectively for that. If you kill the vermin, I'll add in a bonus. Just make sure that the Danger Beast near here doesn't destroy it."

"Hmmm…" Alyssa thought about the request and the danger it would pose. From a strategic standpoint, it would be best to rid the Horned Rabbits to save all the trouble. Meaning the Danger Beast would also go away. If she, Lila, and Shiro were to stand guard here then they can just chase away any rabbits that come close to them.

"OK. We'll stay and guard this place." Alyssa nodded with confirmation. This was going to be Shiro and Lila's first quest and it will be successful.

Emilio nodded in thanks and let them do their own devices, heading back to his house. With the old man gone, Alyssa then addressed the two.

"Alright, now that we've accepted the mission I want to see for myself what kind of Danger Beast Emilio was talking about. Shiro, can you stay here and guard the barn? Remember, kill or chase any Horned Rabbits that come here. It should be easy with your speed."

Shiro nodded, agreeing with the plan. "Lila, why don't you come with me? I can teach you a few things about learning what kind of Danger Beast the tracks may have."

"Y-yes." Lila nodded as well. Now she can help Shiro in identifying specific Danger Beasts.

"Then, Shiro. I leave the barn in your capable hands."

With that, the two women left into the grove of roots, leaving Shiro behind to guard the barn. Shiro thought it would be a good idea to map the location but it doesn't want the Horned Rabbits to get to the barn. So it looked up to where the roof of the barn was located and climbed there with the Mantis Claw.

From there, it sat down on its human legs and jotted down the routes, locations, and the farm here on a piece of paper. Every line, every drawing was to be made as accurate as possible. There will be no shortcut unless the route is blocked and cannot be crossed at all.

Afterward, Shiro took the time it had to check its Nail after some time. Pulling out the Ultimate Weapon, Shiro definitely admired the intricate designs it and the sharpness it brings. Before it had to use the charms to make it longer to use but with this new body, it felt as easy as before. Putting away the Nail, Shiro stood up from its spot and tugged on its newly created cloak. It felt the same as its previous one, with the familiar weight of its items and charms it has on itself.

Speaking of it, Shiro looked around the barn once more and didn't find any disturbances so far. The flaming giant is still above the sky, slowly lowering itself onto the ground so it should not be long before night settles in.

With so much time being given to Shiro, he felt his head getting droopy and his eyelids slowly falling. Perhaps it will rest for a moment until it sensed movement.

Apologies for cutting this short but my brain is also short on ideas at the moment.

Thank you for being so patient with my story and I hope this chapter delivers to your expectations.