Here is the thirty-sixth chapter in this story released in accordance with the release schedule. The traitor's identity is known and now it is time to expose it to the other Magic Knight Captains and then capture the boneless ham and Julius has trusted agents in place for that. However, this is just the start as there is still the interrogation and who knows what kind of intel that will yield and what it might mean for the Black Bulls. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and there are no guest reviews that need a response, though I thank you for your support of my work, or questions to answer so I will end this here but I do have a notice to give regarding the current issues on this site and how to at least partially get around them if you don't know already. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate and now onto the notice.
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That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the thirty-sixth chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 36: Intel
Akame and Tatsumi stood on the square rampart that was above the entrance they'd entered a few minutes ago and around the single tower where the Captains' meeting was supposed to take place looking down at the courtyard their senses sharp and alert for what they expected to come. They'd debated where to stand for this, either the rampart or the roof of the tower itself, but clearly Julius had been prepared for this as no one was present in the tower but the Captains while only the prisoners, Julius, Marx, and Asta were in the prison below it though that was beyond their range at the moment.
That made things a hell of a lot easier for the couple as they could stand on the rampart looking down on the courtyard below them, hoods raised and covering their faces the camouflage feature of the cloaks making them practically invisible while they were standing still and against the wall. If they'd been on the roof they may have been noticed, the cloaks only really worked with something right behind them to blend into and with the breeze they'd flutter which could also disrupt the magic. The rampart was better but if the tower had been occupied they might have been noticed, at least as they got into position.
Thankfully it wasn't and so they easily ensconced themselves on it and waited silently and patiently for their target to appear. As they did they sensed the ki of the Captains in the tower, it was strong, which wasn't a surprise given that they were Magic Knight Captains, and a mixed bag with a wide range of feelings that were pretty useful at telling who was who for the most part.
One was desperate and energetic at the same time, that was one the pair didn't recognize, one was Yami so they knew him right away, one was cold but insecure which had to be Charlotte, one was superior meaning Nozel, one had a clear sadistic streak in it which had to be Jack, one was calm as if asleep so likely Dorothy, and one was unidentifiable. Interestingly there were only 7 not 9 ki signatures and while they could understand why there wasn't one for the Crimson Lion Kings with Fuegoleon's current state it was a surprise as to who the other was.
That meant that the missing person was either Rill Boismortier, William Vangeance, or Gueldre Poizot who was their target. They had two signatures of people they didn't know but the slight immaturity in the energetic and desperate one lent credence to the person being younger than the others which meant that it was almost certainly Captain Rill as they knew he was the youngest by almost a decade. That just left the fully unidentified ki source.
Even though they couldn't identify it both Akame and Tatsumi were sure that it had to be Gueldre's to not William's, as the more they focused on it, it fit the expectations from someone with Gueldre's reputation. There was an arrogant streak of pride with a hint of malice and greed in it which you wouldn't expect from the Captain of the Golden Dawn and when an 8th signature entered with a calm, neutral, feeling it only further added to their belief that it was Gueldre and confirmed to them that William was just running late. They were all there and that meant the time was at hand.
Sure enough, not long after the final person arrived, and after an irritation in Yami's ki which only got worse before finally being mollified, they got up and left. They'd been summoned down, likely pissing their Captain off which coupled with the wait and likely some annoying comment from Nozel had gotten him irritated, but now it was only a matter of time before Gueldre was exposed and then they'd be able to act.
"You're first, Tatsumi." Akame said quietly once the Captains' ki had gone underground and disappeared as there was too much stone in the way to sense them that deep underground. "My weapons can't pierce his magic. Not having Murasame directly at my hip is one thing that I kinda miss about this life."
"Not to worry." Tatsumi said as there was a soft, slightly grating, sound as he drew Incursio from its sheath that he had on his lower back due to the cloak so that it was in hand for when he needed to act. "The moment that we sense him I'll act. No doubt he'll cause quite the commotion in his attempt to escape."
"He's a Captain and a wealthy noble, this will cost him everything once he's exposed and that's likely including his life." Akame said. "He'll fight until he's free and can rebuild elsewhere, though he won't make it that far."
"Agreed." Tatsumi said. "And it shouldn't be long. I doubt the Wizard King will keep them waiting once they arrive."
Tatsumi was right as after only 10 or so minutes, they'd fallen back into silence after his last comment, they felt it. They were keeping their senses as alert as possible and right at the edge of the range they could sense for ki given their position and where the Captains were so the moment a ki signature entered their range they knew that Gueldre had been exposed.
Instantly they recognized it as the unidentified one from earlier so they'd been right about it only now it had a slightly panicked and desperate streak in it as it approached them. Even with that, however, it was still briming with confidence, likely because Gueldre expected to escape, and began moving towards them at a fast pace.
"Alright, the moment he's out I'll cut him down from behind." Tatsumi said as he leapt onto the edge of the rampart wall sword in his right hand and to his side as his cloak fluttered around him in a way that Akame couldn't deny looked really cool. "A traitor doesn't deserve the honor of being struck in the front. Plus this way I won't accidentally kill him, well it will be harder at least."
"Agreed, you…" Akame said before she sensed it and leapt up next to Tatsumi her arm out in front of him to stop him from moving. "Wait Tatsumi! Asta's on the traitor's tail."
"Oh so he did get out, good I was hoping he'd get this chance though I was ready just in case." Tatsumi said as blades appeared in the air around Akame. "This is much easier and just what the Wizard King hoped for. Let's let the kid set us up. He'll get all the credit as well which he more than deserves after all he did in Nean."
"Yes, this is perfect and my aim won't miss." Akame said as they sensed Gueldre nearing the exit. "Let's catch us a traitor and learn why he betrayed his Kingdom even if it was almost certainly for money."
Almost as soon as Akame was finished they sensed Gueldre enter the courtyard and could even just about hear him chuckling as he clearly thought that he'd gotten away from the others though they obviously couldn't see him with their eyes. That chuckle ended quickly as a roar came from behind forcing Gueldre to turn towards it.
"Gotcha!"
The roar was of course Asta and as he leapt into the courtyard he slashed up with his great sword to strike Gueldre in the chest to nullify his spell and send the traitorous Captain sliding back a few feet over the stones looking at Asta. As he tried to question it Akame and Tatsumi got a good look at the man.
He was tall, one of the tallest Captains, with a heavyset build, broad chest, thick legs and arms and a spectacularly square head with close cropped, swept back blond hair but for a little cowlick in the center. Overall, the man's appearance reminded the pair of a boneless ham.
Gueldre wore a purple mask over his eyes, a dark purple tunic under some kind of gray waistcoat thing, a similar pant style to Yami's and a sash around his waist. Over his shoulders was a long purply cape and the split tail style of the Purple Orca's robe hung over his chest with the crest of the Squad on clear display. There was no question that it was Gueldre Poizot.
As the pair were examining Gueldre, and Yami was explaining to the other Captains back in the prison how Asta was going to deal with him, well except Rill who had already followed Asta, that Asta was Gueldre's magic's natural enemy, Gueldre himself was questioning how Asta had managed to find and strike him. It showed the arrogance of some that there could be other ways around magic, that it wasn't the be all and end all despite being important in the world but someone like Gueldre wouldn't understand and Asta didn't bother explaining as he pressed his attack on Gueldre righteous fury in his voice.
Naturally Gueldre wasn't going to let him do that, he was still a Magic Knight Captain who was facing a magicless commoner and he created his invisible solders to deal with the brat before him. Well he tried at least.
"…some magicless…ah!" Gueldre began as the first soldier appeared but before more could be created there was a swish through the air and a handless blade slammed into his right palm as he held it up in front of him causing the man to yell in pain.
That brought Asta up short, well that and the one soldier to appear did get in his way and attacked him forcing Asta to block the attack though the force of it pushed him through the entrance of the building they'd just left before he could engage Gueldre. However, the blade had stopped Gueldre's concentration and ended the spell before more troops could be made.
"What the…" Gueldre began shock in his voice as he glanced at the blade in his palm blood running from the wound and pain shooting from it. "How…"
Again before he could finish there was another swishing sound, in fact several sounds as 5 more blades shot down and at him. Each one found their marks and hit his left palm, both elbows and the hollows of his shoulders, lodging in them and ending any function in his arms. Blood ran down his arms and Gueldre stagged back eyes wide and in shock from the pain his arms useless to his sides as Asta dispatched the soldier and looking up to where the blades had come from as he still had enough sense to know they'd come from above. What he saw made the Purple Orca's Captain's eyes go even wider.
Standing on the edge of the rampart were two figures, one male and one female based on their builds, in ankle length, dark gray, cloaks that fluttered in the breeze. One held a one handed sword in his right hand while the other had a swarm of blades around her ready to attack showing that she was the one who'd wounded him. However they didn't. Instead they turned and leapt off the rampart, the blades in the air and in Gueldre himself vanishing as they did.
That confused Gueldre as blood began to really run down his arms and drip onto the paving stones but before he could fathom anything the smiling face of Rill Boismortier appeared before him, paintbrush in hand and magic flowing from it. It was in that moment, blood running down his arms and a fellow Captain before him, that Gueldre knew he'd failed to get away but he still protested even as Rill used his Picture Magic to catch him.
This wasn't a moment too soon as right after he was caught the whole courtyard was destroyed by the other Captains bursting through the ground, some armed with rocks ready to use the physical objects to deal with the now captured former Captain. They had to at least strike a pose after all and any damage could be repaired by commoners after Gueldre was captured.
All of this was missed by Akame and Tatsumi who'd turned and fled the moment they sensed that Rill was about to exit the tower, though they didn't know who he was at the moment, as they'd done their job. Akame had crippled Gueldre and with the pain he was in he wasn't going to go anywhere so he was as good as caught which meant that it was time to fall back to the Wizard King's office and wait there for him rather than deal with the final moments of Gueldre's freedom and the arrival of the other Captains. No doubt there would be more intel to come and on that front the pair weren't wrong at all.
"…so in conclusion Gueldre was beyond corrupt what with the stealing Magic Knight funds, bullying his Squad, and trafficking in illegal artifacts but the icing on the cake was abducting a Guardian Mage and handing him over the to the Eye of the Midnight Sun." Julius said as he summarized what Gueldre had revealed under Marx's spell to Akame and Tatsumi in his office, Yami and Asta who were with them as well had already seen all this before coming on ahead of Julius. "He was persuaded by the treasures they offered him and betrayed his kingdom for simple greed. There is no doubt that that mage is dead now. It was a terrible thing to be betrayed by someone I once fought alongside but it would appear in my haste to get to where I am I made a few mistakes along the way."
The sun was setting outside as Julius spoke showing how long it had been since they'd arrived. Akame and Tatsumi had come here right away and snuck in through the window that had been left open for them though it was often open to allow Julius to escape his paperwork and wander around the Kingdom.
Upon arrival they had taken their cloaks off and just relaxed, chatted, and ate a lunch that Charmy had packed for them just in case though Akame was still hungry. They had no clue what was going on after their work was done and even when Asta and Yami showed up they weren't informed.
They had just been told to wait behind by the Wizard King as Julius had some final questions for the other prisoners but the Black Bulls were to stay in his office. The other Captains had been dismissed after Gueldre's memories had been revealed all talking about the rumors they'd heard, or in Jack's case still complaining about not getting to fight a fellow Captain in true combat, and how disgusted they were by Gueldre's actions both before and after his treason. None of them had realized that one of their number was an imposter but the whole Gueldre situation helped cover Rhya's presence nicely.
Now they had to deal with the fallout of this revelation and how to handle it along with the intel that Julius and Marx gathered from the prisoners before the former finally returned to his office. Now he was here but before that Tatsumi had a question though it was Akame who spoke first.
"Greed is one of the easiest ways to turn someone traitor." Akame said. "Given what you said earlier, it's no wonder he was so easy to bribe so don't hold yourself too responsible for the failure of a man who was easily bought by riches."
"Yes it would appear that Gueldre cared only for money and power in the end." Julius said with a sigh. "He is strong, strong enough to become a Magic Knight Captain, but he is not a Magic Knight in the true sense of wanting to selflessly serve the Kingdom. I've been working on weeding these people out ever since I became the Wizard King a decade ago, Gueldre is just the highest ranked one that I've had to deal with."
"What will happen to him?" Tatsumi asked using what the Wizard King had said to ask the question that he wanted to ask. "Gueldre that is."
"Due to the sensitive nature of the treason as it was by someone of considerable rank we won't make that public which means he won't be executed but his other charges will be made known to the Kingdom and he is looking at a very long time in prison due to the extent of his crimes and his rank as an example needs to be made." Julius said. "The corruption and embezzlement are standard charges and it will really taint the Purple Orcas, not that their reputation isn't already bad enough without this. They're going to need a reliable and true member to step up to the Captaincy that can get them back on track. Thankfully I know who it will be and have already contacted him for a meeting to persuade him to take the role."
"Who?" Tatsumi asked. "Their Squad from what I've heard isn't the best bunch."
"True they have had a fair share of expelled members and bad apples but they do have good members as well and the one I want to take the helm is known as the Kingdom's Ultimate Shield." Julius said. "A true Magic Knight who has shied away from the spotlight but for the sake of his Squad will step into it to get them under control. He's a noble called Kaiser Granvorka. That said there will need to be a quiet, independent, investigation into the Purple Orcas after this to flush out the bad members that Kaiser may miss or let personal bias ignore. I'll send Chelsea and Mine to do that they, they are better at infiltration and subterfuge than you two are."
"No complaints here." Tatsumi said. "Those were never our strong suits."
"Yeah they're better for this than us." Akame agreed. "I'm no good at that kinda stuff."
"I knew you'd agree and I've already sent Marx to contact them for a meeting with me regarding this delicate mission so I expect to meet with them and Kaiser after this though naturally the meetings will be separate." Julius said. "And that brings me to you four and the reason I wanted you all to stay behind beyond giving Akame and Tatsumi a wrap up of what we learned from Gueldre."
"Yeah, what?" Yami asked as he puffed on his latest cigarette.
"While most of what we learned we already knew or suspected, there was a single piece of information that the members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun revealed to us during their questioning after I asked you two to stay behind that was new and needs to be acted on as soon as possible." Julius said as he turned and looked out the window in his office clearly referring to Asta and Yami before turning back to them. "And it's tied to something I found on the day of the attack."
"Come again?" Yami asked. "You've not mentioned this before."
"Yes well there was no reason until now as I didn't have the answers I needed to discuss this before today." Julius said. "But now that I do I will let you in on it as I'm going to need your help with this matter. You see, back on the day of the attack I was not in the Capitol having left after the ceremony."
"We were wondering about that." Tatsumi said.
"But we figured you'd used it to slip away and explore." Akame said. "A fancy reception that was bound to have a bit of action due to who was there is a great way to get past Mushroom Head and leave your duties. After all, who'd expect an attack on the Capitol especially with the barrier in place."
"All true but this time I left for a slightly different reason than mere curiosity." Julius said. "You see I'd long suspected that something was amiss in the Kingdom and the attack on Saussy Village pretty much confirmed it. So I began my own investigation into it and eventually came upon a hideout in the Forsaken Realm were there was a mysterious stone tablet. On it was a carving of some design I'd never seen before with several gems imbedded into it in set locations in the carving indicating that it was some kind of magical ritual."
"Ok and why are you telling us this?" Yami asked.
"Because that hideout was where the surviving attackers retreated to after they fled the Capitol." Julius said and suddenly things began to click into place for the quartet of Black Bulls. "They got there as I was inside so I hid and then appeared to them to ask about the tablet but they wouldn't answer so I used my Time Magic to capture them so that we could chat with them back in the Capitol. Thank you Akame and Tatsumi by the way, you killed two and captured one in the attack so I could capture all of them with ease."
"Your welcome." Tatsumi said as Akame nodded. "But I presume you were interrupted seeing as we weren't informed by any other captures that day."
"Yes that Light Mage, Licht it seems, appeared on the tablet and attacked me so I attacked right back." Julius said. "He was fast so I only grazed him but he freed his people in that instance and with no one to interrogate I returned to the Capitol to deal with the aftermath of the attack and see if we had any captives who could explain the tablet."
"So that's why the light bastard said you were the other person who could beat him." Yami said recalling his fight with the Light Mage and the injury he'd shown Yami. "And why he had a wounded hand from you. That explains a lot."
"Precisely and now that we've dispelled the protection magic on the captives we have the answers that I was seeking." Julius said. "They call the gems in the tablet Magic Stones and they believe that gathering them will allow them to be reborn into what they call their 'true forms' which have close ties the mana which will give them immense power, likely that on the level of the Light Mage and Third Eye so my theory about it being a magical ritual was right. That was the main reason for their attack as Fuegoleon wore one of those stones around his neck so they used the attack as cover to get it."
"Bastards." Asta said grinding his teeth. "All that just for a stone."
"They think they'll be reborn?" Yami asked. "You sure they're not just delusional from reading too many of those fantasy novels. I mean we have two reborn here and they're very different so we know what rebirth looks like."
"Yeah we aren't from this world originally." Tatsumi said. "We died in our old world and were reborn here with magic and a way to access our memories if a condition was met."
"Though why would they have Seryu and Kurome on their side?" Akame asked. "They are also reborn like we are. Unless they help persuade others that it is real, that could be it."
"Seryu is loyal to the Diamond Kingdom and has always had a twisted perception of justice so she was swayed to their cause because she could use them to get 'justice' on the Clover Kingdom, that was clear." Tatsumi said. "Kurome, I don't know now that we've learned their motivation."
"Agreed and we can't know for certain if this is true or not as there could be other kinds of rebirth and reincarnation out there, you two and the others from your world are just one example albeit the only one we know for sure about." Julius said. "That said their belief in this, at least in the case of the two we captured, is very real to the point that they're zealots for their cause so it's convinced me that we need stop them from getting all the stones no matter the cost."
"Alright and?" Yami asked. "How do we do that?"
"Based on the tablet and the fact that Fuegoleon's stone was taken there are four left for them to retrieve." Julius said. "Our captives appear to know the location of one of the remaining 4 however that is it. It would seem that as an added level of security they have not been told about all the remaining locations. That or they just don't know but my gut tells me that the Light Mage and his three key officers do know and are keeping it compartmentalized just in case someone gets caught like those two did, but for various reasons haven't gone after them yet and given the location of the one we do know I feel like my view is correct on this."
"Alright and where's that?" Yami asked.
"The Underwater Temple." Julius said which got no reaction from the 4 Black Bulls. "It's in one of the Strong Magic Regions located far to the south and deep in the ocean."
"Of course, that makes total sense." Asta said. "But, er, what are those again? Strong Magic Regions that is."
"If you're not going to use this thing then I'll crush it for you." Yami said grabbing Asta's skull as he began to complain. "We've discussed them before."
"We have?" Asta asked. "When?"
"Back when I told you how I ended up in the Black Bulls." Akame said as Asta continued to protest fully on Yami's side for this while Akame and Tatsumi ignored his protests. "I was forced to survive in one before I got my grimoire as part of the weeding process to see who was strongest and would thus make the best assassins. It's what forged me in a lot of ways before I got my memories back. It's also why I know the Mana Zone technique, I had to learn it to survive."
"You do know the technique, I thought so, so cool!" Julius said stars in his eyes as he chuckled at the interaction before quickly getting serious. "Anyway, Asta, Strong Magic Regions are, as the name suggests, areas of great magical power. Due to this there are various magical phenomena that occur in them making them difficult to access and hard to survive in though if you can manage it and immerse yourself in the mana you can learn things like Mana Zone and get a lot stronger. While it's not the one that Akame would have been put in, one such region is the Underwater Temple."
"Yeah mine was the area between Clover and Spade though we were taken further along so we could have accessed Diamond as well if I recall." Akame said. "Hard to weed out the weak underwater, too many will die that way and they wanted at least a few to survive."
"I figured as much." Julius said. "For reference, you can think of the dungeon that you, Yuno, and the others conquered the other day as a beginner's version of this place."
"Wait so it's even more dangerous than that?" Asta asked his eyes wide. "That place was pretty dangerous with all the traps we had to deal with and that's not including fighting those guys from the Diamond Kingdom."
"Yes." Julius said simply. "It's going to be a lot more dangerous than that."
"Alright so all we have to do then is get there before the Eye of the Midnight Sun does and take the Magic Stone before they can, right?" Yami asked. "Or have I misread what you want."
"That's right and I believe that you, the Black Bulls, are the best people for this mission." Julius said. "You are unique amongst Magic Knight Squads because of the number of its members unfettered by family or social standing."
"Well yeah I'm a foreigner, we've got two convicted criminals and the rest are almost all commoners." Yami said. "Even the two nobles we do have in the Squad are effectively exiles from the nobility, well royalty in Noelle's case, because they're disgraces to their families so they're not tied to that either. That's not including the two former nobles in the Squad."
"Precisely and as there may still be traitors among the Magic Knights this lack of familial or social connections is a benefit to us." Julius said. "So, will you do it Yami?"
"You're the Wizard King so if you want something done just tell us to do it and we'll do it." Yami pointed out. "And if you're worried about connections I certainly don't have a lot holding me back. Hell, even that Light Mage was willing to let me go because I'm a foreigner so not guilty for the past crimes of this Kingdom like everyone else is."
"Yes justice for the crimes of the past passed on the present and people who are not at fault for the actions of their ancestors." Julius said. "It's a classic way to justify it though seeing as we've not gotten much better in terms of how we treat others it's not as unreasonably as it should be, unfortunately."
"Tell me about it." Yami said. "Even after getting my grimoire they didn't see me as any less of a foreigner despite the fact that I can use the magic here just fine and use the same tool like they could rather than a scroll like they do back in my homeland. I had no connections and expected to be alone for the rest of my life until some suspicious guy claiming to be a Magic Knight Captain rushed up to me on the beach with stars in his eyes and offered to buy me dinner in exchange for seeing my Dark Magic up close. Been stuck with ya since then."
At that Yami took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke as the others stared at him. They all knew that he wasn't from this continent, though Asta had only learned that recently, but none of them knew that it had been the Wizard King who had been Yami's benefactor here.
Of course the thing Yami left out, the thing he'd told no one not even the Wizard King, was why he'd actually left the Land of the Sun and why he couldn't go back there. It was better this way and allowed Ichika to grow up without their bastard of an old man and under the benefaction and guidance of a man just like Julius, which had helped Yami warm up to Julius as well once he got to know the man who'd become the 28th Wizard King. If it meant that Ichika would hate him for the rest of her life and blame him for the massacre her father had forced her to commit then so be it, it was better than her knowing the truth of that fateful night.
"I'll use all the power I've got along with the strength of the Squad that I've formed to prove that you're not wrong about me and the trust you've given me despite me not being from this continent let alone this Kingdom." Yami said as he raise his hand and gave Julius the Magic Knight salute showing just how deep his respect for the Wizard King truly was, something that even Julius noted as it wasn't every day that Yami saluted. "I will show you that you've not made any mistakes."
"Thank you Yami, I'm counting on you and the Black Bulls to accomplish this." Julius said smiling at the salute. "And Asta…"
"Yes sir!" Asta said saluting as well though it was a stiff and hasty salute that wasn't well done.
"I'm starting to think that it may have been fate that you joined Yami's Squad." Julius said. "Though it seems fateful for all members given what Akame and Tatsumi alone have accomplished since joining the Black Bulls."
"I was fortunate to be selected to kill him." Akame said simply. "It saved me from that life a lot sooner than I had hoped for."
"And I got a little too brutal in my entrance exam." Tatsumi said. "Not that I minded as that bitch deserved it and more, which she's now gotten."
"For you two this really does seem to be fate that you ended up in the same Squad and under Yami's leadership but right now it is Asta who is the fated one." Julius said. "Because some Strong Magic Regions have powerful mana forcefields that prevent outsiders from entering and the Underwater Temple is one of the regions with such a forcefield. I doubt that anyone would be able to get in without your Anti-Magic. Plus your experience battling with the Eye of the Midnight Sun will serve you well I'm sure, all of you in fact. I'm counting on you too."
"Yes sir!" Asta said loudly as he slammed his hand into his chest in another, correct, salute before going pale and falling to the ground with a wail and rolling all over it in pain.
"That's a first, never seen someone injure themselves giving a salute." Yami said looking down at Asta as he complained and rolled around the floor. "That takes effort."
"He's certainly a funny one." Julius said with a chuckle. "I can see why you accepted him, Yami."
"Wizard King." Akame said seriously though her mouth was quirking up as she tried not to smile at Asta's impressive self-injure while Tatsumi just chuckled at it not bothering to be restrained. "A question for this mission."
"Yes Akame." Julius said turning to her. "Ask away."
"What are the rules of engagement sir." Akame said and that snapped Tatsumi to it as well and he stopped laughing at Asta to pay attention to the Wizard King's response. "Should we face the Eye of the Midnight Sun there that is."
"They are a terrorist group waging war on the Clover Kingdom." Julius said seriously as Asta continued to roll on the ground though now all of them were ignoring him and his complaints. "You are authorized to use any level of force you deem appropriate in neutralizing the threat."
"You realize that means lethal with those two." Yami said tilting his head to the couple. "They tend to opt for that before anything else."
"I do but I don't want them to hold back if it means saving others." Julius said. "So lethal force is authorized on this mission. That said, if they do attack I'd like at least one alive to see if they know more about the other stones or other plans of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. If you can grab a member of the Third Eye member alive all the better but again the lives of your squadmates are more important than the those of the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"Understood." Akame and Tatsumi said in unison saluting as well though not as stupidly as Asta did.
"One more thing." Julius said looking back to Yami. "There are strong currents around the Underwater Temple which are only navigable during the full moon when they are at their weakest so you can't approach it until then. That said, you'll still need a powerful and strong Water Mage to get to the barrier."
"Well it's a good thing we recruited one at the same time as Asta." Yami said as Asta finally finished writhing in pain. "And we've got a bit of time for Noelle to master a spell that will do just that."
"Excellent then you're dismissed." Julius said. "Go and get that Magic Stone."
Yami, Akame, and Tatsumi all nodded and saluted once more before they turned and left with Yami picking up Asta as he did. On the way out of the now repaired courtyard Yami noted how stiff Asta was so the comic relief got nervous sometimes and while Asta denied it he confessed that he'd never had some he looked up to like the Wizard King actually expect anything like this before, or anyone for that matter.
That got him a hard slap in the back from Yami and a reminder that he was let into the squad because Yami thought he could manage it and told him to keep working hard. Akame and Tatsumi also complemented Asta for his work and how the Squad was already getting stronger thanks to him which he smiled at as they left the area and called Finral for a portal back to the hideout to report the news.
All of this was watched from the window by Julius who smiled at the sight below him. He was certain that the Black Bulls could handle this but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be a smooth mission. Still, he had faith and couldn't wait to see how it went when they returned from it, hopefully with a Magic Stone for him.
"Sir." Marx said as he appeared in a white plain of magic next to Julius interrupting his thoughts and getting his attention. "Both Kaiser Granvorka and the Coral Peacock girls have arrived. I've put Kaiser in the waiting room and brough the girls up while making sure that they didn't cross paths as I feel like you'd want to see them first."
"You know me too well, thank you Marx." Julius said smiling as he turned to look at his friend and aide. "Send them in right away. I want them on their mission before I talk with Kaiser. As much as I trust he'll right the ship with the Purple Orcas I want this independent assurance as I've heard some troubling rumors about some of them, especially that Saint of Beautiful Ice guy who is likely to be their next Vice Captain."
"Yes sir." Marx said and his projection vanished.
A moment later the door opened and two girls in Coral Peacock robes walked in as Julius turned to them smiling at Mine and Chelsea, the other two reborn who he knew had their memories back and who aided him in extremely delicate missions as they were close with Akame and Tatsumi. He was pleased to see that neither looked confused as the door closed with Mine as serious as ever and Chelsea smiling with one of her lollipops in her mouth but her demeanor was all business.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Julius said as the girls came to a stop before him as the door closed behind them. "But certain revelations have exposed a deep rot of corruption in a Magic Knight Squad, one that led all the way to the top of it, so I need you two to use your considerable talents and skills to assist me in removing it roots and all."
"Of course sir." Mine said.
"Given that you've asked for us it's a subtler mission than what Tatsumi and Akame would undertake." Chelsea said. "What do you need from us?"
"I knew I could count on you two." Julius said. "Now as you know this is classified top secret but you two have clearance to know. Earlier today it was revealed that Gueldre Poizot, the Captain of the Purple Orcas, was the traitor who's actions allowed for the recent attack on the Capitol and in the process of interrogating him for that we've learned that the Squad as a whole may be corrupted as well. While I have a strong and trustworthy replacement for him there is more to do which is where you two come in. What I want from you is…"
At that Julius began to lay out the mission for them as the girls listened, asked some questions regarding it and if they'd have to kill anyone which they didn't, and then when they were satisfied they accepted it. When they did Chelsea used her magic to conceal them, she truly was some of the strongest Transformation Mages that Julius had ever seen, before they slipped off to the side to quietly observe while Julius called in Kaiser to persuade him to take the Captaincy of the Purple Orcas.
All the while Julius couldn't help but think of Yami and the Black Bulls and their own mission but he had faith in them and that they'd see it through. That was the good thing about having trustworthy and skilled Captains, Julius knew he was in good hands and as Kaiser entered he was ready to set that up with the Purple Orcas as he turned his attention fully to sorting out that issue leaving the Underwater Temple and the mission in Yami's capable hands.
Not even Julius knew what was going to be in store for the Black Bulls when they got to the Undersea Temple. However, as the day drew to a close with the Clover Kingdom one step closer to an inevitable confrontation that would shake the foundations of the very Kingdom.
I think that's a good place to leave the chapter off, a nice wrap up to the two part traitor arc and a set up for what is to come along with a little extra work in cleaning up the Purple Orcas. There really isn't much more to say, this was a straightforward chapter showing how adding Akame and Tatsumi to the equation made the take down of Gueldre easier while the other reborn who are known to Julius to have recovered their memories also get a little moment and involvement that could have long term implications. That is all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this chapter off here. If you like my story then please follow, favorite, review, PM, etc. it is all appreciated and helps me get better and stay motivated to keep producing more content and any questions asked I will do my best to answer both privately and at the start of the next chapter. Until next time.
Stringdog