Here is the fourth chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. After the excitement of the last chapter it is time to continue on with the aftermath of Akame's failed attempt on Yami's life and what it will mean for her in the long run. The only other thing to add here is that if y'all want to see an Akame ga Clover Zero story to tell Akame's backstory similar to Akame ga Kill Zero only set in this crossover and with OCs for the assassin training guild let me know in reviews and PMs. I am still a long way from that point but if it is something people want then when this story is over whenever that may be and I can begin to work on a prequel for Akame when the time comes though Tatsumi won't really need one as will be seen soon enough. That is all I have for the administrative stuff but there was a guest review that needs a response and a question and answer from the reviews (the other question can't be answered due to spoilers) so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To Guest (guest), thank you for your review and suggestion, I will certainly take it into account. As you will see in this chapter we are still a fair bit away from Akame reaching that point though she certainly wouldn't have much competition for that spot until Asta shows up and it would be in keeping with how she was in Night Raid though she was never one to want leadership but does take it when given. As for Tatsumi, you will have to wait and see with him but his debut in his new life is only a few chapters away so stay tuned for that when the time comes.
Will there be separate and original missions for Tatsumi and Akame? Yes there will be certain missions for them to undertake at times while other canon events are going on or during the 6-month time skip so there will be things that they are doing in addition to the stuff in canon. Some of those events are certainly places where suggested OCs, following my 3 rules for them, could be used though I will preface that any OC in this story is likely to end up like most Akame ga Kill characters which is to say they will last a chapter or two before they are killed so remember that as well.
That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fourth chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 4: Recruitment
As they were underground Akame didn't know how long she'd been in the cell for and couldn't gage it either. It was the day off for the Black Bulls and given what had happened she didn't expect to be moved until after night fell, but as it had been morning when she'd attacked Yami that was likely a whiles away still for her. At least it was clean cell with a wooden cot bed or bench thing and a chamber pot in a corner. It was also designed with strong magic that seemed to be able to adapt as she couldn't bust out with her Blade Magic when she tested it to relieve her boredom and the lock changed on her.
Of course, she didn't have her grimoire so her magic wasn't as strong as normal without the spells there but still it was certainly impressive that the prison could adapt to prevent her be it changing the lock or toughening the bars to withstand the blades she made. It was almost as if someone had full control over it which didn't make sense to Akame but whatever the case it was clear that the Black Bulls had been prepared to deal with temporary prisoners so had this set up. The only annoying thing was the snarling from the cell nearby where Yami kept his beasts.
Still, Akame didn't mind being in the cell and had only tested it out of boredom and certainly been impressed by what had happened as it showed how serious the Black Bulls really were with prisoners. Plus, this was better than the alternative seeing as that was death. She'd been sent on this mission and failed; she'd expected to die not end up with an offer she'd never dreamt of and a chance to get back at the monsters who'd forged her and thus reclaim her life from them.
Somehow all this was familiar to her and Yami himself seemed extremely similar to someone she felt that she'd once known right down to the chain smoking but couldn't place and as she'd never left the sight of handlers who trained her since she'd been sold to them other than during her time in the strong magic region to see if she had what it took it made no sense to her. Regardless, she was fine with this and if it put a target on her back for defecting, well so be it she'd deal with any threat that came her way so that that threat was never a threat to her again.
The only time anyone came down was a few hours after she'd been placed in the cell when Yami came down with food for his beasts and some for her as well. He didn't say anything, and she didn't speak, just nodded a thanks for the food, it was a hunk of cooked meat so her favorite and began eating as Yami left. He'd also left a flagon of water for her that she used to wash down the food. It wasn't enough to satisfy her infamous hunger, but it would do for now while she waited for Yami to sort things out and she couldn't deny it had been some good meat.
Sorting thing out had been exactly what Yami was doing, between shits of course. As a Magic Knight Captain and friend to Julius, Yami had a direct way to contact the Wizard King should he need to. It was to be used only when either the Wizard King had a direct mission for Yami or Yami had something that he felt couldn't go through the normal channels at the Magic Knight Headquarters. This was one such time and given that it was an attempted assassination of a Magic Knight Captain it qualified as something that Julius had to hear directly.
Naturally, Julius picked up and Yami was grateful that he was for once actually in the office and not galivanting around the kingdom in disguise as he was wanting to do at times. Sure, that had its benefits and helped make Julius one of the best Wizard Kings in history, but it was still annoying to deal with as he was almost never where you wanted him to be. Thankfully, this time he was in the office and looked serious even before Yami relayed his message about what happened and that he'd caught the assassin who was willing to talk but only to him and Julius.
It seemed that Julius had actually expected this from Yami but wouldn't say more which only meant that the other attacks that Akame had mentioned had already happened. She had said that the other non-noble Captains were targeted as well but it seemed that they had failed, and Julius was glad that Yami had caught her alive so that she could be interrogated.
He wasn't sure about Yami's desire to recruit her as a Black Bull, but he'd given Yami the posting and allowed him to recruit his squad as he saw fit so would trust his judgement but only after they, and his assistant Marx who's magic would be critical for this, interrogated Akame. Naturally Yami agreed and a time was set up to sort this out that night at the special VIP prison when no one was around.
To sweeten the deal to recruit the girl, Yami had always recruited whoever he liked which was why the squad was such an eclectic bunch and he liked Akame after the fight she'd given him, he'd told Julius that she had a unique magic that he'd never experienced or seen before. That got Julius excited, but Yami withheld what it was to toy with his old friend and hung up the transmission call. All that was to do was wait for Finral to get back that evening and they could sort this out tonight.
It took a few more hours but finally, as Yami was reading the paper in the common room and smoking while Charmy and her sheep cooked up more food, Vanessa slept off her latest drinking binge, Grey was being Grey, and Luck was looking for something of Magna's to steal Finral returned. The rest of the squad currently present, all but two members who were on their own missions that Yami didn't really care about, had either yet to return from the day off or were Henry and couldn't move though given Gordon's oddities he could be somewhere around as well.
All that didn't matter to Yami now that Finral was back though. With his ride back he could get this shit sorted and have a new member with interesting magic join his squad.
"Good, you're back, time for a job." Yami said bluntly as Finral stepped out of his spatial portal clearly dejected from a day of being rejected by every lady he tried to proposition for a date. "Come with me."
"Yami, it's still the day off." Finral complained but that was more from his own day than his Captain's orders as a job now meant one of two thing. "But sure, I'll send you to the bar or toilet, which do you need?"
"Neither, come with me." Yami said surprising Finral as he put his paper down and got up to head to the basement though Finral didn't move so Yami had to stop at the door and look back at him with a glare. "I said come on; this is actual work that I need your help with."
"Huh, oh right, um sure." Finral said not wanting to defy his Captain when he was in such a mood and following Yami now confused by what was going on. "This seems serious."
"You could say so, but it could turn out to be very good in the long run." Yami said as he puffed his cigarette and led Finral down to the basement and past the beasts to the cell they had just in case they ever had to hold a prisoner, not that it had ever been used before which confused Finral as to why they were heading towards it now. "I need a transport to the Magic Knight Headquarters, same place I'd go for a Captain's meeting, and right away."
All this was really confusing Finral until they came to the cell and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. For the first time since he'd joined the Black Bulls the cell was occupied, and it was by a strikingly attractive girl of around 16 who was lounging on her back the cot thing in the cell just staring at the ceiling. She had a deadly, serious, beauty to her and if she wasn't in the cell Finral would instantly try to ask her out. However, she was in their cell, so she wasn't a good person and Finral looked to Yami to see that he had an extra bag on his belt that had to contain the girl's grimoire.
"Er, Yami, care to tell me what this is all about?" Finral asked as he looked between his Captain and the raven-haired girl who'd was getting to her feet in the cell now that they were here before she began to approach the bars. "Who is this?"
"For now, no one you need to know about as it is classified by the Wizard King himself." Yami said as his grimoire opened and he cast Dark Restraints to bind the girl in the cell, which she didn't resist at all and just let the Dark Magic pin her arms to her sides. "You ready?"
"I take it that he's willing to see me now." Akame said ignoring the Spatial Mage, she'd seen him in her surveillance and knew he was just here for transportation, so she addressed Yami.
"He is but you'll have to be in the presence of one of his assistants, a Memory Mage who can not only verify your story but also help find information that can be of help to us going forward, stuff even you might not recall." Yami said. "It will be just us though and I know that he trusts Mushroom Head."
"Very well, I guess that makes sense and if it helps speed this up then that's better." Akame said with a nod. "I'm ready to get this over with."
"Finral, portal." Yami barked.
"Right." Finral said deciding it was best to not ask right now as Yami opened the door to the cell and Finral's grimoire hovered up and opened. "Magic Knight Headquarters coming up."
"You're coming as well, stay outside and wait for me." Yami said seriously and all Finral could do was nod as Akame stepped out of the cell and looked at the portal. "Come on, let's go."
With that Yami picked the girl up under one arm just to be sure she didn't trip and walked through it with her before Finral followed and the portal closed behind him. He was confused but he just decided to find a spot in the courtyard and wait, best not to go too far even if it was nighttime as Yami might be angry if he wandered off to find a lovely lady that was looking for a good time.
As for Yami and Akame, he put her down and they walked towards the entrance of the tower that served as part of the Magic Knight Headquarters but was also above the special VIP prison beneath for certain prisoners whose detention needed to be kept secret. Standing in the doorway waiting for them was a short man with ice blue hair cut in a bowl-like fashion wearing a dark blue, high collared uniform and a light blue robe over it with a white fur top.
There was no squad crest on the robe but there was a gold chain in the center and the clasp had a gold star design on it denoting him as a Magic Knight assistant to the Wizard King. This had to be the Memory Mage that Yami had mentioned a moment ago as there wasn't anyone else it could be, and he lacked the imposing presence that Akame would have expected from the Wizard King.
"Ah Captain Yami, glad you could make it at this hour." The man said in a refined voice denoting him as a member of the nobility as Yami and Akame walked up to them. "And she must be your prisoner for interrogation. What is your name, miss? Julius hasn't told me what it is."
"Akame." Akame said simply and left it at that as she didn't have a surname. "I assume you're the one who's going to be conducting the interrogation."
"He is, this is Mushroom Head." Yami said and Akame had to agree that was a perfect description of his haircut.
"Yes I am Mushroom Head, wait no that was rude and impolite." The man said indignantly at that and Akame couldn't help but smirk, it seemed the nickname was somewhat official to the point that the man actually answered to it. "My name is Marx, and it is my honor to serve at the Wizard King's side. I am a Memory Mage so I conduct the interrogations as my spells aren't invasive but will give accurate results so long as there are no magic blocks on your mind."
"I don't think there are any." Akame said with a shrug. "Least I don't remember one being cast but that could just be because of them, who knows. Let's just get this over with. Yami says the Wizard King can be trusted, let's just say I'm not one to trust lightly but I also want out of what I was trained for as I don't want to be in that life so I'm willing to take this leap of faith."
"Understandable, this way then." Marx said turning and leading her and Yami into the building and to a flight od stairs leading down. "We will conduct this in the special prison, I hope you don't mind."
"The less who know about this the better." Akame said as she walked carefully down the steps with Yami behind her as she had her arms bound to her sides though this time he didn't bother carrying her which she was fine with. "They are connected to some nobility from what I have gathered or at least I suspect as much. Given how they seem to have kept this a secret I doubt they're not nobles in some way."
"Despicable." Marx spat as they descended. "We've always suspected that there was some secret assassin or other such illegal guild out there that served the self-interests of some of the noble houses, though from what we've gathered not the royal ones, but until now we haven't caught one of you alive. Usually either the target, often an upstart commoner to them or some rival noble that is in their way, dies or the assassin commits suicide upon failing to kill his or her target. That's what the other two appear to have done at least though this was certainly the most brazen attack to date."
"We were told that if we can't kill our targets then we had to die or else we'd probably be killed upon capture or return." Akame admitted as they reached a door that Marx opened to reveal a bare room with two poles at the far end and a man standing between them with a serious look on his face. "Best way to keep a secret is to take it to the grave but I wasn't going to do that. Thankfully they thought I'd either succeed or Yami would kill me, so they didn't have any precautions for this happening."
"Honestly with that little device you had on you, you probably would have killed your target but I can read ki and I use that rather than mana to detect my opponents so you couldn't hide from me." Yami said again using a term Akame didn't know but kinda wanted to learn about as it had been what had saved Yami from her. "Without it I might have died."
"And I'd like that full story in time but first we have some things to discuss." The man said and as Akame entered the room she got a good view of him and instantly felt his power and authority as he calmly gazed at her. "We finally have one of you alive, so we want answers as to who sent you and who is backing them."
This man had to be Julius Novachrono, the 28th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom and Akame knew that not just because of the fancy red robe that came to his mid calves and was edged with white fur, though why It only had one sleeve on the right arm Akame had no idea, or the medals on the white fur front of the robe. No, it was the man's bearing, the way he held himself with such poise and confidence that gave it away. He even looked regal with short blond hair and a handsome face though the star shaped tattoo over his left eye did kind of ruin it.
"I take it you are the Wizard King, thank you for meeting me on such short notice, I hope that you aren't corrupt like the nobles who fund the people who made me." Akame said calmly.
"I am and you must be Akame." Julius said walking up to her and then suddenly he was in her face with stars in his eyes and a dorky smile on his face that really took Akame back and startled her as it was the last thing she'd expected. "Yami said you had a unique magic he'd never heard of before, let along faced, so what is it? Please tell me?"
"Um sir, this is not how you behave with a prisoner." Marx pointed out. "She may be willing to help but she's still technically a prisoner."
"Relax Mushroom Head." Yami said with a puff on his cigarette. "It might help put her at ease to see this side of him."
"It actually does, it makes him less imposing in a way." Akame said still startled but recovering a bit as she looked at Yami. "Um…is he always like this?"
"Julius is the strongest Mage in the Clover Kingdom and a kind man but he's also a massive magic nerd." Yami said with a sigh. "My Dark Magic intrigued him, it was how we met and forged our friendship, so best to quickly indulge him. I didn't tell him your magic to toy with him and make him want to see you sooner, but I guess now is as good a time as ever to tell him."
"Yes very annoying of you Yami." Julius said looking over to Yami before back to Akame. "So please tell me what your magic is? I love learning about new magics."
"Oh um, ok, my magical attribute is Blade." Akame said, if she wasn't bound and about to be interrogated she'd find this situation comical and not slightly unnerving given the rank of the man before her. "So, I use Blade Magic, mostly Blade Creation Magic at this point but I have a lot of empty pages in my grimoire."
"Blade Magic?" Julius asked his eyes stars again and his voice eager to learn more. "I've never heard of that kind of magic before. Sword Magic sure, though that is only in the histories of the First Wizard King as he knew a Sword Magic wielder who was a close personal friend, but Blade Magic, that's new to me. How does it work?"
"Basically, I can create bladed weapons with it and use them either by hand or in the form of projectile spells that I can control." Akame said. "Without my grimoire I can just make the blades and alter their sharpness, but my grimoire allows me to maximize my abilities with spells that create specific bladed weapons. Pretty much any weapon with a sharp edge is within my abilities as far as I know, and I can change how sharp they are. I can also clean and sharpen any forged bladed weapon with my magic, but I can't repair them. Due to the nature of my magic all my current spells are offensive magic spells, and my primary spell creates a katana which I am naturally gifted in using, before my training that is."
"Fascinating, it's just as I'd expect from that attribute but to actually hear about it is another thing." Julius said before he looked to Yami. "And I've never heard of another person using a katana or even seeing another one other than the one you had custom made. Is she from your homeland as well?"
"Nope, Clover Kingdom." Yami said shaking his head. "It's just what she's trained on for some reason. It was as much a surprise to me as anyone else when I faced it."
"It's hard to explain but it feels like I already know how to use one." Akame said but even she didn't fully understand it. "When the handlers were training me to be an assassin they deduced, from the survival period, that I'd be best with a bladed weapon as that was what my magic was, so they decided to train me on them before I got my grimoire. I was given a choice from the selection that they had, and the katana just called to me the moment I saw it, so I used it, and it was like second nature to me. Captain Yami was able to block all my strikes though."
"She's gifted in it for sure." Yami said trying not to think of how much Akame reminded him of his sister Ichika in a lot of ways as he didn't dwell on that part of his life that he left behind so long ago. "But not on my level at the moment."
"Right then please, Akame, tell me of you past and mission." Julius said. "And your attempt on Yami's life. After that Marx will use his magic to confirm it all and see your memories to help in our investigation. It will also ensure that you can't lie to us, but we are going to hear from you first as a way to see your conviction to helping us out."
"I understand but there is one thing I want to know first." Akame said and Julius nodded, it was a fair request after all. "What happened to the other two assassins? All of us had mana blocking items on us so they should have succeeded."
"Well, thankfully they didn't." Julius said. "Their targets were Jack the Ripper, a commoner with Severing Magic that leads the Green Praying Mantis Squad and Dorothy Unsworth, a former member of the Forest of Witches with Dream Magic who leads the Coral Peacocks. In both cases the Captains had squad members adapt at trap, illusion, or alert magic that allowed them to find the assassins before they could attack which likely the assassins didn't know about. The one that went after Jack, well when he was out matched he chose to put his body in the way of one of his Death Slices."
"Ouch." Yami said with a wince at the thought. "Those things can cut through a mountain when skinny bones gets all super sadist freaky with them. Hell, once his desire to slash gets so intense there really isn't anything he can't cut with his magic."
"Yes it wasn't pretty." Julius said. "As for the other one, Dorothy caught him by transporting him to her Glamor World, but he opted to fall asleep and die there before she could get any information out of him with, as she describes it, a spot of light torture whatever that means. Both are dead but you aren't Akame which already tells us something about you."
"I was told that Yami would just execute me if he caught me, but they expected me to succeed or die regardless." Akame said. "I was the best they had trained apparently and Yami was the top of the targets. That and they felt that his magic was the worst of the three against mine."
"I can see that." Julius said. "Jack's Severing Magic would slice up your blades to pieces and the range of Dorothy's Dream Magic is impressive. Well, thankfully you were caught alive so please tell us your story now."
"Of course." Akame said and she began to tell her tale, after all she had nothing left to lose so she may as well spill all and see what happened to her.
It took a several for Akame to tell her whole story, it was a long one, but she told all of it from her being sold by her parents to the organization that trained her, an act that was illegal in and of itself in the Clover Kingdom, through her training in the strong magic region before she was old enough to receive her grimoire and how she was one of the few survivors, and all the way to her final years of training. She spared nothing and told them of all she'd been trained to do though she did admit that while she'd never killed a human as far as she knew part of her felt like she had and knew that she'd be able to do so.
Normally that would have shocked most people, but Julius was no stranger to the need to kill, he'd ended countless lives on the battlefield and knew that he'd do so again if need be and given his magic it wasn't hard to do. Yami likewise had no problems with killing when necessary though he'd always properly honor his foe's body afterwards. Marx was more squeamish on that front, however, but he understood his work as well so dealt with it.
All that actually helped relax Akame. She did admit that she'd kill for the job but only to find a way out, otherwise she'd only do so if it was what was required of her or necessary at the time though she did say that if it came to it she'd probably take the killing blow over knocking a foe out. That could be attributed to her magic as well however as it wasn't exactly one conducive for much else even if she could control the sharpness of her blades. She still had space in her grimoire though, something Julius was eager to see, so she may learn a more restrained spells in time.
It was frankly a shocking confession as her ordeal horrified the Wizard King because it was something that he'd let happen on his watch, first as a Magic Knight as he'd been one since before Akame was born, then later as the Captain of the Grey Deer Squad and now as the Wizard King. This assassination school was abhorrent to him. It took unwanted kids in by buying them, an act of slavery which was illegal, and made them fend for themselves in a strong magic region so that only the strong survived like Akame.
That ordeal alone forged the survivors into killers and stripped them of any childhood that they might have. That said Akame seemed to feel like she'd already done this before, something that made no sense to anyone present, and as such she'd adapted easier. Only her knowledge of the corruption, that it was wrong, and some inexplicable feeling she had that even she couldn't articulate had allowed her to keep her mind and play the handlers and trainers so that she wasn't a puppet of them like they thought she was. That had been just what Julius needed to finally out and end this ring and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Akame finished her tale with her fight with Yami, an impressive one as she got him to actually use his spells on her despite her age thus showing her potential as a warrior. Yami too helped her with his own recollections of the fight. All in all, it was one hell of a tale, but Akame had been serious and deadpan the entire time which made Julius believe her but of course he had to be certain of it just to be sure.
"Thank you for telling me all of that." Julius said when Akame ended with how she'd lost her fight to Yami and agreed to this because she really had nothing to lose now. "While I do trust you, I must be certain, so I am going to ask Marx to cast a spell on you. It will reveal your true memories and you will answer all questions that are asked of you truthfully while under its compulsion. This will also allow us to see the memories so we can begin hunting down this group, a task I am sure Yami will undertake personally as this is something that world require the more, shall we say, unique talents of the Black Bulls."
"Basically, it's dirty work to route out corruption so why not have the worst of the worst squad of misfits who have few if any major family ties and who do more damage than good deal with it." Yami said with a puff of his latest cigarette. "It is what we are here for after all so of course I'll take care of this. Those bastards tried to kill me, it's personal now."
"Excellent, thank you Yami." Julius said.
"If possible I would like to help." Akame said. "I know that a lot is dependent on what comes next but if I am allowed to join the Black Bulls then my aid could be vital to this, and I swear by my sword that I won't hesitate if need be."
"That will be up to Yami and of course as you said dependent on what is about to come." Julius said deciding not to question the end of Akame's statement before looking at Marx. "Marx, if you will."
"Right." Marx said as he raised his hand to hold it level with Akame's head and his grimoire opened to a page. "Memory Exchange Magic: Memoire Absolue."
Instantly Akame went into a trance like state as a light blue dome appeared over her head. From the top of the dome a line of blue light shot up and branched off in several places revealing her memories. It all looked normal except…
"Um Mushroom Head, what's that?" Yami asked quietly as he pointed to something at the top of the memory tree the spell created which didn't look like it should compared to the rest of the spell. "That's not supposed to be there, right?"
What Yami was pointing at was a branch right by the top of the tree thing which meant that it had to be an old memory and that unlike the others that wasn't the same color as the spell. Instead of the light blue of the spell in general, that part of it was a foggy grey and seemed to be moving as if the memories there were obscured by something. It had a series of small cracks in it letting some light out but otherwise it was as if Akame had a set of memories blocked or obscured for some reason.
"I'm not sure." Marx said confused by it as well as it had never happened before, and he'd cast this spell plenty of times before. "Memory protecting spells usually prevent Memoire Absolue from even activating, that is something else. It's as if those specific memories and just those ones have been blocked but they're right at the top where the older memories are, so it makes no sense to me."
"Could she just be repressing them?" Julius asked fascinated by it because to him it had to be magic.
"No, Memoire Absolue shows true memories so even if the person was repressing or trying to obfuscate them she couldn't while under this spell." Marx said shaking his head. "Whatever that it, it isn't magic but something else, something possibly beyond our comprehension to cause that given its location and what it is doing. There are cracks in it however, likely allowing out feelings or cruder memories that aren't rooted in the mind so something like muscle memory. Remember, Akame did say that she had these odd feelings and skills that she couldn't explain, likely they come from whatever that is."
"Fascinating." Julius said his eyes stars as he looked at the memory block. "So, if it bursts?"
"Likely she'll get those memories back but as I can't access them I don't think magic will break it." Marx said. "If something could nullify magic maybe that would work but that has never been discovered as far as we know. Magic is key to the world so no magic would be abnormal and anti-magic, while theoretical, has never been observed."
"Still, anything is possible in a world like ours." Julius said thinking on all that he'd seen over the years and while he'd never seen anti-magic he didn't doubt that it was out there somewhere. "But enough of that, we should get to the questions."
"Right." Marx said looking to Akame who was still in the trance that his spell put people in. "Now, Akame, do you understand me?"
"Yes." Akame said dully.
"Good." Marx said glad to see that the spell in general worked. "First off, do you know that part of your memories are blocked by something?"
"No." Akame said.
"Interesting, well best to leave it for now but we should let her know so that if she does access them one day she can tell us." Marx said to which both Julius and Yami nodded. "Now, Akame, was all that you said true about your past?"
"Yes." Akame said and the memories of her experiences began to appear in the bubble things showing the three men all she'd been through.
It was tough to watch but they did and noted all of it as best they could. They saw her sale to the trainers, who the trainers were by face though none were known to the three men, the strong magic region that Akame had been dumped in to survive, and her training after she'd shown that she did survive it.
They saw all of it and were able to learn a lot form it, enough that they could probably pin down the area on the forsaken realm that was being used for the training of these assassins. Yami had more than enough to go on to begin his investigation that was for sure. With this confirmed they just had a few more questions for Akame.
"Do you mean any harm to Captain Yami of the Black Bulls?" Marx asked. "Beyond the attempted assassination of Captain Yami that is."
"No." Akame said simply. "It was just a job I was sent on, one that I failed. I hold no actual hostility to Captain Yami of the Black Bulls."
"Do you want to return to your life as an assassin?" Marx asked.
"No, I want out." Akame said. "I don't like the corruption; I want to stop it, but I have no way to so at the moment, so I am stuck in this life."
"If allowed to join the Black Bulls, would you serve them loyally?" Marx asked.
"Yes." Akame said. "Captain Yami is like someone I once knew; I know that I can trust him, but I can't say why I know that. If allowed to join I will serve him loyally and protect him and the squad. I always protect my friends."
"Good." Marx said though they all noted that when she mentioned someone she knew once the grey area throbbed, and a little light leaked out of one of the cracks implying that whoever that person was the memory of them was in that part of her memory. "And the Clover Kingdom? Will you serve it?"
"As a whole, no." Akame said bluntly in her trance. "The corruption and rot is too deep. I will serve those who seek to end it though, that was once my mission I believe, and I will do it again."
"If I was to use this spell on the Wizard King and he was to confirm he was trying to make the kingdom better for all and route out corruption, would you serve him?" Marx asked while Julius and Yami noted that again the grey block throbbed when she mentioned that ending corruption had been her mission once before.
"Yes." Akame said. "But only through Yami and the Black Bulls because I trust him to do the right thing."
"Very well." Marx said as he ended the spell causing Akame to blink and shake her head as she came too after that odd experience that she'd just been through. "Julius, if you will allow me to use it on you to confirm your intentions as our Wizard King."
"Of course, though please just keep it to that line of questions." Julius said with a nod.
"Naturally." Marx said as Akame recovered, she knew what had happened, but it had been as if she'd been watching herself speak, it was a weird experience to say the least. "Memory Exchange Magic: Memoire Absolue."
This time Marx used it on the Wizard King, and he fell into the trance with the dome and memory tree above him. Yami really wanted to abuse this and ask Julius some really embarrassing questions, but he respected Julius too much to do so.
"Julius, are you corrupt?" Marx asked.
"No, I abhor corruption." Julius said in the same monotone that Akame had just used. "I saw it all as I rose through the ranks of the Magic Knights and hated it, but it was the death of the first commoner to become a Magic Knight, murdered by his own squad mates, which made me realize what I had to do to end it. I had to amass power to change the system from within to make it better for all."
"This assassin guild, will you rid it and punish those behind it regardless of station?" Marx asked.
"Without hesitation." Julius said. "Those who are responsible for this will face the maximum punishment possible even if it means execution."
"Akame, does this satisfy you?" Marx said turning to Akame who was staring in shock at the Wizard King, the fact that he'd agreed to confirm this under Marx's spell said a lot for his character and that was before she'd heard what he'd said, and she knew from her very recent experience that it was all true. "Can you trust the Wizard King?"
"End the spell and release my bindings." Akame said looking from Marx to Yami. "Between all of you I am no threat, especially without my grimoire, and I want to give my answer freely."
"She's got a point." Yami said. "She couldn't be a threat to us but release Julius first."
"Agreed." Marx said ending the spell on Julius who blinked and grinned at experiencing it, he was a strange man indeed.
"Is Akame satisfied?" Julius asked.
"One sec." Yami replied dispelling his Dark Restraints but staying on edge just in case.
Akame stretched her arms, those restraints weren't fun, but she'd accepted the need for them given the circumstances and needed to get some feeling back. Then she turned to face the Wizard King and before him and the two men present fell to one knee and bowed her head, her long hair falling around her and to the floor.
"Wizard King." Akame said looking at the floor as she knelt before him. "You spoke the truth under that spell just as I did, I know that you cannot fight its magic. If you continue to honor your word and help out all of the Clover Kingdom, help end the corruption and inequalities that plague this land then, if you allow me, I will humbly serve you as a Magic Knight. My grimoire and my blades are yours and Captain Yami's to command in the pursuit of this goal, I swear this on my sword Murasame. Please, allow me to serve the people of the kingdom properly and not as a tool for the corrupt elite but rather put my skills to ending that corruption however you best see fit."
"I think that's her answer." Yami said a little surprised by it as he looked to Julius but she also didn't know the Magic Knight salute so that could explain the genuflection she was currently giving. "She seems satisfied with your responses under Mushroom Head's spell at least."
"Akame, um do you have a last name?" Julius asked and she shook her head. "Ok then Akame, please rise so that I can render my judgement on you. You know that you committed a crime when you tried to kill Captain Yami so I must pass judgement on that."
"Of course, and I will accept the penalty you see fit." Akame said as she rose and looked at the Wizard King.
"Because of your help, your words, and the truths that Marx showed through his spell, along with the word of Yami and the trust I have in him and his decision I will render the following judgement." Julius said, it was his plan all along so long as what Akame said was true and she harbored no ill will to them which they'd just proven that she didn't. "While I cannot immediately pardon you, I can issue a suspended sentence of 5 years to you, and it will be suspended so long as you spend that time in service to the Clover Kingdom as a member of the Black Bulls and aid when I need it to end corruption. You will be under standard probation rules so you can't mess up but after a year I will review your actions to determine if you can be pardoned early, is that good?"
"Thank you Wizard King." Akame said with a smile. "I accept your terms and will behave myself as a member of the Black Bulls. It will be an honor to serve someone truly committed to equality and justice."
"Very well then that is it." Julius said. "Well other than to tell you that you have a block in your memory."
"A block?" Akame asked confused.
"When I cast my spell on you, it shows true memories." Marx explained. "But part of the tree it creates was obscured though there are cracks in it that let out feelings or something like that. I've never encountered it before, and it doesn't seem to be made of magic, so I don't know what it is. Over time we will monitor it and if it breaks please inform us right away."
"That's actually a must." Julius said seriously. "We don't know what it is so if it does burst, and you regain your memories we should be informed right away."
"Huh, well if that is the case then it would explain some things." Akame said. "And ok, if I regain my memories I will tell you and Captain Yami."
It was a little concerning to Akame, but it would explain her odd feelings at times, like the ones she had about Yami and that warmth she had that she was certain was some form of love for someone in particular but as she'd never been in love she wasn't sure, as well as her natural skills and will to survive. Hopefully in time she'd access it but for now, she had some immediate things to deal with.
"Well, welcome to the Black Bulls." Yami said with a grin, Akame was going to make a fine addition to the squad, he was sure of it. "Here's your grimoire back."
"Thank you." Akame said as Yami handed her her grimoire and she held it for a moment, Julius looking at it with stars in his eyes as he reached out for a closer look, before she put it in her satchel as she wanted it back on her now that she could have it again.
"And this is yours now." Yami said producing a Black Bulls robe that he had on him for just such a moment and pulling it over Akame's head. "Welcome to the Black Bulls, the worst Magic Knight Squad out there."
"I'll wear this with pride." Akame said as she smiled looking down at her new black robe with gold trim, the clasp at her right shoulder so the gap in the robe fell over her right breast, pushed aside by it a bit as she wasn't small in that department, while the bull's head logo was clear on her left breast. "I won't let you down boss."
"Yami has good judge of character, so I am sure you won't." Julius said before getting serious. "And it goes without saying that what happened here is currently classified. Only the four of us will know for now though Yami can tell the rest of the Black Bulls about the assassination attempt and your recruitment to them as you will be tasked with hunting down and rounding up these assassins and their handlers. Bring the latter in alive at least, at least the important ones that is, as Marx and I have plenty of questions for them."
"Of course." Yami said standing to attention to give Julius the salute of the Magic Knights, Akame mimicking it a second later though she'd need some instructions to get it right. "If that is all…"
"It is, I've kept you long enough." Julius said with a smile. "Return to base, I'll personally send instructions once Marx and I have reviewed Akame's memories in depth and have a location for you to focus your investigation on."
"I look forward to it." Yami said with a grin ready to show those bastards that had tried to kill him why he was a Squad Captain. "Akame, let's go meet the rest of the Black Bulls, they should all be back. Just gotta remember where I parked my ride."
Akame just nodded and smiled as Yami led her out of the room. She finally began to feel like she was on the right path. There were still plenty of nagging things to deal with but for the first time she felt like she was on track to finding what they were, and she'd broken free of her past life while making some new allies. Things were looking up for her at last. Now it was time to meet the Black Bulls properly, she wondered what they'd be like.
Well, there it is, Akame has given her report, shown her truthfulness and seen what the Wizard King is like and now she's a Black Bull with some conditions of course. We also know what is going on in her head and I am sure y'all know what's behind that block so all that's left is for it to break but all in good time. Next up it's time for Akame to meet the current Black Bulls so basically everyone but Nacht, Zora, Asta, Noelle, and Nero as they're either off doing their own thing or still haven't gotten their grimoire yet as we are still about 2 years ahead of the first episode of Black Clover. That is all I have for you however so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked it 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