CHAPTER 18: THE GANG'S ALL HERE

Eight days later, it was time for the mission to commence.

Considering the entire team of nine assassins was tackling this mission, they were utilizing a wagon truck, large enough for all of them to fit in the back. Leone was driving, with Najenda in the passenger seat. That left the others situated in the back.

At some point, Akame came up with an inquiry for Sanfred. "You said before you know who these people are. Do you mean you know what they're like, or do you know their identities?"

Sanfred was leaning back against a stack of hay, dressed in his black and red garments. "I know who they are."

"You told the General?"

"Pretty much," he explained. "Although she knows them as well. This goes back years."

Mine scooted closer to Sanfred, curious to find out more about his past exploits.

He looked down at her for a moment, then resumed his story. "When I first came to this country, I took on many jobs. I ended up working at a munitions factory with another man named Rodrigo Carmenito."

Rod. Mine remembered him, back when she first met Sanfred. She had ended up killing him.

"Eventually, Rod and I decided to team up to make an escape. We stole a bunch of ammunition and eventually sold it for additional supplies. From there, we got recruited by Minister Dorin. He was interested in building funds by selling drugs, and from there he wanted to acquire greater power."

Akame gazed with intrigue. "By power, you mean Imperial Arms?"

"We didn't know what the minister was after," Sanfred explained. "We just worked for him. But things got… heated. He was beginning to get quite demanding, and he wanted to promote us in his corporation. So, we took off."

"You didn't want to keep working for him?" The entire time, Akame was studying his reactions closely.

"I've made my opinions known from the start. I do not like being dragged into political quagmire. It's a messy business. And as you can see, had I remained aligned with Minister Dorin and his schemes, you members of Night Raid would end up coming to kill us all." Sanfred extended his arms back over the hay, relaxing even with the bumpy ride. "Survival is a priority. I've made sure to remember that."

Suddenly, Mine pressed her head against Sanfred's chest, looking up at him with curious eyes. "I'm glad you stopped working for those guys," she said in a sweet tone.

"Aye," he agreed, smiling at her. In response, he brought his hand over and massaged the top of her head.

"Hey," she muttered, reaching for his hand to try and deflect him. "Don't mess up my hair. I'm trying to look good for this mission."

Despite her words, Sanfred just smirked. "There is nothing I could possibly do to make you look anything other than beautiful."

There was a small series of laughs amidst the travelers, causing Mine to blush and growl. "I hate this," she said in a low voice.

"You two are perfect together," Bulat said with a chuckle.

Sanfred looked over at him and tilted his head to the side. "Sometimes, I wonder if I will bleed to death from the thorns of this rose. And yet, I pursue her all the same."

"Do all Spanish people speak so elegantly?" Sheele asked a genuine question.

At that point, Sanfred glanced away evasively. Even he had limits to his cheesiness, especially with Mine covering both her ears and shutting her eyes. "I do not think much of myself in that light," he answered. "But perhaps the two of us have bonded over the shared passion of killing those that are evil."

There were a few cheers in approval from the truck.

"You're telling me," Tatsumi added. "Ever since I first came to Night Raid, I've learned time and again just how horrible people can be out there. In the beginning, it wasn't easy to think about killing them. But now, after all my experiences, I can proudly say that this is worth it."

"I agree," Mine said, hoping to act as though she was participating to get the others to stop picking on her.

Sheele smiled warmly and held her hands together. "For me, it has always been natural. I couldn't do things right. It was like I was always screwing up. But when it came to facing off against evil… I found my calling."

One by one, Night Raid assassins gave their accounts. As Sanfred heard their stories, he started to realize something he had overlooked before. These weren't merely soldiers selected for deadly missions. Instead, they were something far deeper than that. This was a family.

It was in that truck, that night, where Sanfred finally grasped why they were all so loyal to each other.

Despite all the excitement they had, eventually everyone branched off to their own conversations. Mine and Sanfred sat close together, trying to avoid the touchy subjects. She was busy fiddling around with his cuffs, wondering if she could unfasten them.

"Why do you want to undress me so badly?" he asked. "Can it not wait for later?"

"You'll look much more badass with your sleeves rolled up," she explained. "Trust me."

"You think that I do not appear badass?"

"Nope. You look like a doll."

Sanfred's blue eyes widened, in unexpected comical shock. "Have the tables truly turned on me?"

"Yes, they have," she answered, laughing while working even harder on the cuffs. "But fortunately, I won't allow you to fall behind. We're partners now."

Although it took quite a while, eventually Mine fixed the sleeves, revealing the muscular biceps of her boyfriend. However, that also unveiled the scars located by his elbows as well. "It feels like I'm always finding more of these," she pointed out.

"I did receive many."

"But you're so fast now. I can't imagine anyone landing a hit on you."

"Ahem," Akame said from across the truck, although she looked away afterward.

"Aside from her," Sanfred mentioned with a grin.

"You were cut up after fighting those soldiers back in the woods, too," Mine brought up.

He just laughed and shook his head, acting embarrassed. "They were clumsy oafs. Guess I got too cocky with them."

"Cocky huh?" Mine crossed her arms in front of her. "Or… was it because you tried to fight twenty men at once?"

"I did use the word 'cocky,'" he reiterated.

Even so, Mine saw through it. "Don't dodge the truth, Sanfred." Her eyes glimmered as she thought back to that day. It was still fresh in her mind, even though it was months ago. "If those soldiers found me, I would have been as good as dead. You were willing to fight them all off. So… even back then, you saved my life."

With that revelation, Sanfred grew quiet, although he gave a slight nod.

"You really are a good man," she said in a silly voice, massaging his now exposed bicep.

"Everyone, get ready!" Najenda shouted from up front. "We've reached our destination!"

Moments later, the truck began to slow down, until it came to a full stop. One by one, the assassins began to disembark. It was time to go work.