Entering a large room, Aura and Mare eventually saw a person sitting in a large seat, watching them curiously. Smoking a cigarette, the boss of Night Raid was a man-like woman, who had a rather unexpressive look.
" Akame ... may I know who these two people are ? "
Being behind the duo, along with the rest of Night Raid, Akame taught Najenda.
" When we were chasing the mercenaries who had discovered the hiding place of our base, we came across these two people. "
" Why not have deleted them? "
" There is something strange about them, boss. " Lubbock explained to her. " First, they killed eight people, all alone! And with the help of a huge wolf. "
" Wolf? Where is he ? "
"Outside ! He is waiting for me very nicely. " Aura assured her. "Don't worry, he's well educated! He won't eat anyone without my permission. "
" Who are you ? " Wanted to know Najenda.
" Honestly, I hope this is the last time I have to show up today! My name is Aura! I am a member of the revolutionary army! Just like Mare! "
" Hello. " The boy said simply.
" Why did you come here? "
" To integrate Night Raid, of course. "
" How did you get here? "
" You should never underestimate our information network. " Aura said, with a mischievous smile.
" Why do you think I would hire you?"
" It's simple ! We are powerful! Your men can surely approve it! They saw us fight against these mercenaries. "
" Why did you join the revolutionary army? "
" To kill the nobles who love to own slaves. " Aura asserted.
Having performed this series of questions and answers, without displaying any emotion on her face, Najenda ended up asking.
" Who can prove to us that you are from the revolutionary army? "
" What? Do you really believe that we would have killed these mercenaries in order to gain your trust and betray you later? "
" You will not be the first to try this strategy. " Narenda asserted. " Are you part of the revolutionary army? Who is your superior? "
" We don't have it. "
" Sorry ? "
" We are not really part of the revolutionary arm. " Aura confessed, smiling broadly, while scratching the back of his head. " Rather, we are self-proclaimed revolutionaries! Hahahaha! "
Hearing it, the assassins around her couldn't guess if she was pretending to be stupid, or if she was stupid.
" You are really very strange. " Mine remarked. " Boss, I refuse to let them stay here. "
" I reassure you, I don't really want it too. " Najenda assured.
Staring at the two twins, she asked categorically.
" Who are you ? "
At that moment, aside from Tatsumi, all the assassins behind the duo pointed their weapons at them. Seeing this, Aura wanted to laugh. Still, remembering Galadriel-sama's instructions, she ends up nudging Mare lightly. Immediately, the latter began to cry out in fear.
" What is happening ? Why are you threatening us? "
Noting that Mare seemed like a very easy-to-talk girl, Najenda spoke to him.
" Self-proclaimed soldiers cannot acquire the power necessary to kill eight trained mercenaries! So tell me the truth! Who are you and who sends you? "
" We have no superior. " Said Mare.
" Tell me the truth ! Nobody joins the revolutionary army on the pretext of wanting to have fun. "
" '' Have fun '', you say? "
Having suddenly stopped smiling, Aura stared at Najenda with a cold stare, while retorting.
" Do you really think we want to be part of Night Raid for fun? "
Clenching her fists, she cried.
" I forbid you to judge us without knowing who we are! You don't know anything about us and our past! You don't know what we've been through! So I forbid you to tell us that kind of thing. "
Immediately, the assassins around her were surprised to see this strange boy, still displaying a broad smile, suddenly begin to speak words with intense rage. For his part, Mare just refrains from applauding, hearing her sister's performance. If he had been there, Pandora's Actor would have cried with pride.
" Yes, I don't know anything about your story. " Najenda admitted, remaining stoic. " And it is precisely because of this that I cannot trust you! Are you really self-proclaimed revolutionaries? In this case, who taught you to fight? "
" Nobody ! "
" Which goal did you learn to fight? "
" To survive ! " Aura replied, articulating his every word.
Thinking back to the history of the elves in her world, Aura continued.
" Our whole village was attacked and we were enslaved! We were sold like objects, treated like dogs, some women were raped, men were beaten and then executed… we had all lost our freedom. "
Hearing him say these words, Mare trembled, while pretending to remember the atrocious things he had been subjected to as a slave.
" To survive in the company of the nobles, we had to become more hardened. " Aura asserted. " We also became stronger so that we could run away! And we have become much more aggressive in order to fight any people who try to capture us again. "
Staring at Najenda, she asked.
'' Do you think I want to kill nobles just for fun? If I want to slaughter them, it is to avenge mine. "
Speaking that last sentence, teeth clenched, Aura had managed to moisten her eyes with tears of anger. She wanted to make everyone believe that the smile she constantly displayed was nothing more than a mask to hide her true feelings. And this seemed to work. Hearing his "past", the assassins lowered their weapons one by one.
Some like Mine were still suspicious, but understood the pain of the two twins nonetheless. For Tatsumi, having heard new misdeeds from the nobles of the capital, he almost began to whisper.
" These assholes don't deserve to live. "
Hearing her words, thanks to her over-developed hearing, Mare suddenly ended up on her knees in front of Najenda. Then he cried out.
" Please hire us as a Night Raid member! You will not regret it ! I assure you. "
For his part, Aura remained staring at Najenda. Compared to his brother, his pride kept him from kneeling down in front of a human. Still, Najenda didn't seem to care about this detail. She even completely ignored Mare. She was just staring at the emotions in Aura's gaze.
Finally, she cried out.
" I want to see your skills. "
" Hum? "
" A 2 VS 2 fight! You two against two of my members! I want to watch you and see your famous technical prowess! And then I will tell you whether or not I would hire you. "
" It suits me perfectly. "
Hearing this, Tatsumi moved closer to Lubbock, before noticing.
" Me, I didn't have to fight. "
" If she wants to see them fight, that means the boss is always wary of them. "
" Hum ? "
" When she doesn't trust people, Najenda makes them fight against us! And usually, if they are spies, they always try to take an opportunity to kill us during combat! It's kind of a test to see if we can really trust them. "
Despite his whispers, the two twins heard their conversation and smiled inwardly.
" Oh, nature! You who are so magnificent! Why is everyone attacking you by destroying your forests and hunting your animals? Oh, what a tragedy. "
While walking in the forest, Pandora's Actor was using what he saw to list many sentences, which he accompanied with theatrical gestures. Badly hiding his anger, hearing him speak all the time, Narberal finally confessed.
" He manages to make me regret Tatsumi's presence. "
" Me, I find his words quite poetic. " Said Galadriel. " It changes from the constant silence that there is always when we are just the two of us! You don't seem to like talking to me very much, Narberal. "
Blushing with shame, the Pleiades turned their faces away a little, before stammering.
" I ... I don't want to bore you and waste my time with unimportant words. "
" Narberal ... sometimes I tell myself that being a little influenced by Regina could be a good thing. "
" Why ? " Wanted to know Narberal, fearing that Regina had become her mistress's favorite pleiad.
Keeping silence, CZ walked close to Galadriel.
" CZ ... You either, you're not very talkative. " Galadriel remarked. " Are you at least happy to be with us? "
" Walking by your side fills me with joy, Galadriel-sama. " CZ assured, while fixing her.
From her sparkling gaze, Galadriel noticed that she was being honest. However, just like Narberal, CZ was not used to smiling. The demon found that a shame, since she was sure that CZ must be really lovely if she got into the habit of smiling.
Suddenly stopping, Pandora metamorphosed in an instant, to resume her Gazef appearance. Seeing him do it, the three women behind him stopped immediately, while understanding the reason for his gesture. Almost immediately, about ten people came out of the forest to stand in front of them.
Thinking first of all to deal with bandits, Galadriel could not hide his surprise when she saw only old people or very young adolescents. All the small group were dressed in rags, and were armed with shovels or pitchforks.
"They are far from having the profile of bandits. "
" Who are you ? " Roared an old man. " You are the companions of those damn bandits, aren't you? "
" Sorry ? "
" Get out of here right away! Otherwise we will show you how farmers know how to use their shovels. "
"Peasants ? "
" Are these the bandits that we must exterminate? " Narberal asked.
" I think rather that it was the villagers who hired us. " Pandora retorted. " Come on gentlemen, don't you see our accoutrements? We're here to help. "
" You don't seem to be soldiers. "
" It is true ! We are more like mercenaries. "
" Tsssss. " Said a man, looking angry. " There are about twelve bandits and only four people came to fight them! Suffice to say that it is lost in advance. "
"Thank you trust ! "
" You are the villagers of the attacked village? " Galadriel wondered. " May I know what you are doing here? "
" We, old people and children, have been kicked out of our homes! The bandits went to our village to take control! They killed several men and reduced the others, as well as the women to slaves! Currently they spend their days drinking and eating our stock of food, while ransacking our fields and our homes! And since the army refuses to come to our aid, we are obliged to undergo that, and to wait for them to go away on their own. "
" I see ! And so, to sum it all up, our job is to get rid of all the bandits that attacked you, right? "
" Um ... yes ! But sincerely, I doubt that… "
" It will be done. " Assured Galadriel, overtaking the group of peasants. " Stay here. "
" What ? But … ? "
The other three fighters followed their mistress, without showing the slightest fear. Yet Galadriel suddenly stops. Turning around, she cried.
" By the way, my name is Galadriel! Try to remember my name. "
" What ? "
Drinking a bottle of alcohol, a man ended up throwing it away, as soon as it was empty. Bending down in time, a woman heard the bottle smash against a wall just above her.
" Another, stupid slave. " The man ordered her.
Being able only to nod, the young woman hurried to bring him more alcohol. Around them several bandits were shouting or drinking alcohol, while they took advantage of the resources of the village they had just controlled.
" Stealing a village, there is nothing easier. "
" It's certain ! And since the army never comes to the aid of the peasants, we are sure that we can loot everything without being arrested. "
" And the farmers can count on us to steal everything from them! HAHAHAHA! "
Sneering, the bandits directed their gazes to a group of people in chains, none other than captured peasants. The men of the village had many wounds on their faces, while the bandits amused themselves by bumping them in order to let off steam. As for women, they played the role of waitresses, as well as companion.
Unfortunately, even though they were docile with the bandits, neither of them were aware of sudden death. Indeed, being completely dead drunk, the leader of the bandits had seen a woman pass near him, while bringing food to another man.
Suddenly pulling out his gun, the chief aimed at the woman and shot her in the back. The poor victim was dead before he touched the ground.
" Hey! My meat! " Cried a soldier, walking towards the corpse. " Chief, why did you kill him? She was serving me. "
" She was red. " The chef remarked. " I hate redheads, -hic. "
Then turning around, he took awkward steps as he walked towards his horse.
" Take the rest of the food and let's go! In the end, this place really has nothing of interest to give us, -hic. "
Getting ready to seize the reins of his mount, the man suddenly heard the animal start to neigh in fear.
" Hum? " He wondered.
Hearing footsteps, he finally saw three people approaching the village. Two women, one in armor, as well as a rather imposing man. Believing, at the beginning, that they were part of his band, the leader of the bandits finally exclaimed.
" Guys ! There are mercenaries. "
Stopping the party, the bandits turned their heads towards the trio, before grabbing their weapons. Far from being scared by this small detail, Galadriel continued to advance. Then, finally stopping, she took off her helmet.
" I am speaking to all the bandits in this town! If I am here, it is to capture you! Therefore, if you allow yourself to be captured without resistance, you will be taken to a prison in the capital. "
Then smiling maliciously, she added.
" If you refuse to capitulate, I would be forced to let you know a punishment much worse than prison. "
Drunk dead, like its leader, a bandit advanced towards the trio, staggering. Laughing stupidly, he finally pointed a gun at the Empress's face.
" What are you talking about stupidity? Don't you know a woman always has to learn to shut her mouth when she's in the presence of a group of men, bitch? "
Far too drunk, he didn't notice the many veins of anger that appear on the faces of Pandora's Actor and Narberal. Continuing to sneer, he put his arm around Galadriel's shoulders, while continuing to point his gun at her face.
" Hey, you look cute to me! Why don't you take off your armor and come with me to show you that I'm a real man? "
" Immediately remove this gun from my head. " Caladriel ordered him
" He ? "
" If you keep aiming your gun at my head, you will die. "
'' What are you talking about, stupid woman? Learn to shut up otherwise I'll put my dick in your mouth for… "
His head suddenly exploded and the rest of his body fell at Galadriel's feet. Seeing this, several peasants began to cry out in fear, while the bandits stood still and frightened.
Sitting on a branch in the forest, CZ was looking for her gun with which she had just killed the ugly pig who had dared to touch her mistress. Still not seeing her, the bandits believed Galadriel was the one who had killed their companion.
" Bitch. " Cried six bandits, running towards her. " We're going to kill you. "
Standing still, Galadriel simply let Narberal take three steps forward, before covering his hand with electricity. Then with a single movement of his arms, Narberal sent a lightning spell, which struck the men. Not even having time to scream in pain, they were turned into piles of ash. Black smoke immediately filled the area, and Galadriel thought it smelled of grilled meat.
"I suddenly want to eat meat on the barbecue! "
" What was that ? " A bandit frightened.
" Tei… Teigu! This girl must have a teigu. "
" Hahaha! Perfect ! "
Suddenly two bandits arrived, pushing a large wooden cannon, which they pointed at the trio.
"We're going to kill you with this, and then we can get hold of your weapons!"
"A wooden cannon? " Galadriel wondered. " Now that I think about it, it was with this material that the very first guns were created! They are less powerful than metal cannons, but much easier to transport! "
Seizing a terracotta ball, a bandit incorporated it into the cannon and another seized a rope connected to the cannon, before firing on it. The gesture caused an explosion inside the cannon, which sent the ball flying towards the trio.
Standing still, Galadriel this time allowed Pandora to take a step forward. Still in Gazef's form, Pandora's Actor just positioned a arm in front of him and managed to stop the ball in the palm of his hand.
With their mouths wide open, the bandits thought they were in the middle of a dream. Even though he had a teigu, it was impossible for someone to do it with such ease.
" It's yours. " Pandora's Actor remarked, throwing the cannonball.
Being twice as fast as before, the projectile penetrated inside the barrel, which caused a violent explosion, which was the bandits around it.
Screaming in fear, some bandits backed away.
" He stopped a cannonball in one hand. "
" My God ! These guys are not human! We are going to be massacred. "
" Let's run away. "
Abandoning their weapons, most of the bandits began to flee. Still still, Galadriel smirked, as she heard the sounds of banging behind her back. Aiming at the fugitives, CZ was quick to pierce their abdomens with his projectiles.
Suffice to say that more than three quarters of the bandits were killed, while Galadriel had not made a single movement. It was both annoying how weak these bandits were, but also very satisfying to watch them get slaughtered.
A cry from a woman, however, made her turn her head. Having gripped a woman's arm, the bandit leader had positioned the blade of his saber under her throat, while shouting.
" If you move, I'll kill her. "
Immediately, the other six still alive bandits positioned themselves around their leader, noting that his plan was their only chance to leave this village alive. Honestly, Galadriel didn't care whether or not he killed the hostage. However, thinking of his reputation, if she ever let him kill this woman, the demon finally ends up walking towards the bandit leader.
" Don't move. " He ordered.
Stopping, Galadriel smirked, before concentrating some of his magical power. Then, a strange shock wave struck all the bandits and peasants around the Empress. Eyes turned back, everyone finally collapsed to the ground, plunging the village into deep silence.
Noting that his mistress had handled the situation perfectly, Pandora's Actor asked.
" You made them lose consciousness ? "
" Yes ! Thanks to this, the hostages have nothing and we can take care of the bandits. "
Displaying a hideous smile, she declared.
" And I know what to do with it. "
Opening their eyes, the peasants woke up one by one. At first surprised to find that they were on the ground, they straightened up while remembering what had just happened. However, they were surprised to find that all the bandits had disappeared, and had been replaced by old people and children.
Having returned to the village to find out if Galadriel had managed to decimate the bandits, the exiles were surprised to see the rest of the villagers on the ground. But there was no sign of the bandits other than the pieces of the destroyed cannon.
No one could tell what had just happened. The bandits seemed to have all been killed by superhuman force and no one knew who the people who had just saved them really were. Yet an old man finally asserts.
"This woman… her name was Galadriel, wasn't she?"
" Indeed. " Cried a female voice.
Surprised, everyone looked up at a roof of a house. Standing there, Galadriel observed the whole village, while declaring.
" You have nothing more to fear! Me and my companions, we got rid of all the bandits who terrorized you! They will never bother you again. "
Hearing this surprised a lot of people. Then finally, cries of joy were heard. No matter how, that person in front of them had managed to put an end to the nightmare they have been enduring for a while.
" We are free. "
Immediately, there were cries, hugs, dance steps… the villagers were happy. For her part, seeing this, Galadriel was about to leave when she heard.
" How to thank you? "
Being on his knees, an old man informed her.
" Galadriel-san, if it were up to me, I would like to offer you a sumptuous reward for saving us! Unfortunately, we… "
" I don't want to be paid. "
" What? "
" I don't see why I should ask for money to save people! Save your money! You need it much more than I do to repair your village! I just want one thing… "
Raising her arm in the air, she ordered.
" Never forget my name and make it known! My name is Galadriel. "
With these words, she left, under dumbfounded looks. Then a voice began to whisper.
" Galadriel… "
Continuing to walk away from the village, Galadriel could hear his name start to cry louder and louder.
" GALADRIEL-SAN! GALADRIEL-SAN! GALADRIEL-SAN! "
Even when Galadriel joined her three companions, she could hear the cries of the villagers.
" The Empress of Nazarick has new fans. " Pandora's Actor remarked, resuming his usual figure.
" Humans are only good for that. " Narberal remarked.
Nodding in agreement, CZ was cleaning his guns.
" Pandora's Actor! Narberal! CZ! You did a great job! "
'' It was nothing, my lady! Narberal asserted! They were just weak. "
" Myyyyyy lady! Know that we are the ones who thank you for taking us with us. "
Turning his back, to take a mysterious pause, he lowered his cap a little, before finishing.
"Your presence alone would have defeated these humans, right?"
" No matter if this is true or not! I would much rather do a mission with all of you, rather than do it alone. "
Looking at each of her companions, she noticed.
" We are a team! And never would I denigrate the usefulness of any of you! You are all my precious companions. "
Immediately, both Narberal and CZ blushed, as Pandora's Actor ran a hand over his face, as the latter began to be covered in tears.
" Lady-sama! Your words warm my body. "
Then, wiping away his tears with a quick flick of his arm, he asked.
" What are we doing now ? "
" We are going to return to the capital to prove our success! Let's not forget that we want to become a recognized team of mercenaries! But first … "
Smiling mournfully, she noticed.
" I must first take a tour of Nazarick. "
Opening his eyes, the bandit leader noticed that he was in a dark room.
" What … ? Where am I ? "
" Chef, are you there? " A voice asked next to him.
" Dkiso? Who else is there? "
" We are seven in all! The others were massacred in the village. "
" Damn it! Where are we ? And who are these monsters that attacked us? "
" Are we the monsters ? "
Having appeared in the room, Galadriel was floating above the ground, his arms crossed and a mocking smile.
" It's you who attacked this village and kill these people! You are the monsters. "
" You killed my men. "
" I gave you the opportunity to get arrested without suffering any harm! But you have been so reckless that it has ruined you. "
" Bitch! I order you to get us out of here! And where are we, damn it? "
" In my lair. "
Starting to glow, an area of the room lit up a creature that came out of the ground. Dressed in a crown and a royal cloak, the newcomer was nothing but a giant cockroach.
" What is this monster? "
" My name is Kyouhukou and you are at my place. "
Then bending over, the cockroach cried out.
" Galadriel-sama, seeing you here is the greatest honor you can give me! I am very sorry for the deplorable condition of this room! If ever knew of your visit, I would have had this place cleaned from top to bottom. "
" No problem ! I must admit to admiring the fact that you are so successful at taking care of thousands of children! Me, I could never! By the way, I just have a few treats for them. "
Making a magic circle appear, she brought out a dozen corpses which fell to the ground. Recognizing his former companions, the bandit leader took a step back. It was then that he heard a crunch under his foot. Looking down, he suddenly had the feeling that the ground seemed to move under his feet.
" But that … ? "
" Thank you for everything, Galadriel-sama. " Thanked her Kyouhukou. " Rest assured that my children will appreciate this gift at its true value. "
Then, in an instant, the ground turned into a huge wave that crashed into the corpses. Paralyzed with fear, the soldiers still alive found that the huge wave was made up of thousands of cockroaches. Covering the corpses, the insects began to devour them. Muscles, blood, organs, skin… all organic parts were eaten. Even the bones.
In all fairness, even Galadriel struggled to see this kind of vile spectacle. And again, usually, it was living humans who were being devoured here. Losing a little height, she floated close to the leader of the bandits and noticed.
" This is your punishment for all the crimes you have committed. "
Seeming to come to his senses, the man suddenly put a hand on his back and pulled out a knife, which was hidden under his clothes.
" Go to hell, bitch. " He roared, slapping her in the face.
Not having moved, Galadriel was hit by the weapon. Yet she had no injuries. She hadn't even blinked. It was as if the man had hit her without using any force.
" But that … ? "
" Oh, you remind me that I have something to do before I leave. "
" That … ? "
" Do you understand, of all your gang, you were the only one whose face was known! Therefore, to prove that I defeated you, I had the order to bring your head back to the capital. "
Before the bandit leader could understand her words, his head suddenly found itself parted from the rest of his body.
Grabbing it, Galadriel examined it for a few seconds, before asserting.
" Perfect ! That's all I needed! I am leaving. "
Seeing her leave, the men still alive begged her.
" Wait! Don't leave us here! Not with these things. "
" Take us far from here! Pity ! "
" We will become your slaves! Promised! "
Turning to them, Galadriel simply declared.
" It's tempting ... but no! I have no intention of teaming up with guys like you! Kyouhukou, do whatever you want with them. "
She then teleported. Paralyzed by being alone in the room, the bandits eventually heard strange noises behind them. Turning around, they cried out in fright as they saw a tide of cockroaches swoop down on them.
Power level :
Esdeath : 51
Bulat : 38
Akame : 35
Tatsumi : 26