"What are you so surprised about, Najenda? I told you long ago, didn't I? This man is someone I must subdue no matter what."
Esdeath's ice-blue eyes brimmed with the desire for battle.
Ever since she had memory, her father had drilled the law of survival of the fittest into her.
She loved hunting.
Hunting powerful opponents made her feel fulfilled and happy, and it allowed her to confirm that she stood on the side of the strong.
Up until now, she had only suffered one complete and undeniable defeat.
Not only had she been defeated, she had even been "spared" by the other party.
Without question, it had been a crushing loss.
As she tempered herself in the army, she had grown stronger.
Yet that man had played a role in that too, because after becoming some scholar in the Science Division, he had ended up involved in her training, causing her to become even more familiar with him.
A man that powerful never revealed his abilities, instead disguising himself as a rabbit among weeds.
It was incomprehensible.
The current Esdeath was worlds apart from her past self.
She had even become a general.
And yet no matter what she did, she could not feel satisfied.
No matter how many hunts she carried out or how many enemies she killed, she could not fill the emptiness within her heart.
She understood it.
Only that man.
She had to hunt him down with her own hands before she could fill the emptiness inside herself.
Others might not be able to understand Esdeath's way of thinking, but Najenda's thought process was also rather abnormal, so the two of them were completely speaking past each other.
"Esdeath… I had noticed it before, but you really are quite the carnivorous type!"
"Carnivorous type?"
"It means aggressive."
"Oh, so that's what it means. Heh. Of course. As the hunter, that much is only natural."
Noah shook his head as he listened.
Esdeath was abnormal.
Her strength increased at an extraordinary pace.
Even though she did not possess a god's Falna, her growth rate was more exaggerated than that of most adventurers.
Because Noah had helped her design and revise many training plans, he understood her well.
Compared to training, this battle maniac preferred real combat. In battle, she could rapidly learn whatever was necessary to fight.
However, she was still limited by the development level of this world.
In this world, aside from factors such as Teigu, Shingu, and secret arts, humans themselves did not possess any supernatural nature.
Esdeath was no exception.
Her physical abilities had not yet reached a level that surpassed the limits of humans in this world.
For example, Gareth of the Loki Familia was a Level 6 dwarf.
A single stomp from him was enough to crack the earth. Monster-like ability values of that level were not something one could obtain through training in this world.
"We're about to lead troops together on an expedition to subjugate the northern tribes. I wanted to learn more about you when we last met, and if I miss this chance, who knows when we'll return next."
In Najenda's view, the northern tribes were extremely troublesome enemies.
It would not be strange if this campaign lasted for several months, or even several years.
"I've always been interested in the man Esdeath can't stop thinking about. How about it? Want to go have a few drinks together?"
"..."
Faced with the invitation from the two of them, Noah originally had no reason to refuse.
However, the moment he thought of the shoddy horse-piss liquor served in taverns, a strong resistance welled up inside him.
He tested the waters and asked, "Can I drink fruit juice?"
"Fruit juice?"
"Mm."
Najenda froze for quite a while, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha! That joke is way too funny."
"Heh. Is that so?"
...
In the end, he still followed them to a tavern and accompanied the two of them for a full four or five hours, drinking rotten liquor that Reasoner rated at twelve points.
It also gave him a personal taste of the Empire's wealth gap.
Compared with the liquor served by the Prime Minister or Leims, this commoner liquor was practically gutter water.
Not only did it taste awful, its alcohol content was so low that even getting drunk quickly and escaping was difficult.
"Hah."
The night wind brushed against his face.
As Noah walked, the sound of footsteps around him suddenly increased.
He stopped and looked back.
Six muscular men were staring at him with sinister grins, cracking their knuckles.
"Hey, brat, you've got some nerve—!"
Before the other party could finish his line, Noah casually slapped out.
A black torrent carrying gravity swept them all up directly, flipping them into the air.
"Aaaaargh!"
After a short moment suspended in midair, the screaming men fell to the ground like dumplings dropped into a pot.
Several heavy thuds rang out, and then there was no more movement.
These men had been glaring at him the entire time they were drinking.
Since they had come looking for trouble with hostility that obvious, Noah truly could not be bothered to listen to a bunch of small fries talk.
Judging from their behavior, they were probably the type who often gathered to provoke others and cause trouble.
He would consider this lesson one that would benefit them for life.
If they landed headfirst, there was a sixty-five percent chance of instant death. Aside from that, they had a chance to survive.
If they died, then he would simply call it their own bad luck.
The next day, the corpses of several thugs were discovered, and the law enforcement team quickly arrived to take the bodies away.
When Noah heard that the death count was seven, his expression clearly froze.
'You're kidding, right?'
When a person fell, the part that struck the ground first was usually either the head or the feet, depending on the person's bodily balance.
If the upper body was heavier, the probability of landing headfirst was higher. If the lower body was heavier, the probability of landing feet-first was greater.
First, there was a fifty percent probability, then a sixty-five percent probability after that.
And yet that entire group had been wiped out?
Their luck was far too terrible!
...
"Lord Noah."
The moment he arrived at the underground research facility of the Science Division, Bill called out to him.
Bill silently walked ahead, giving Noah a certain premonition.
The two of them walked all the way to an isolation room.
Noah looked through the glass.
There were three people inside at the moment, all of them expressionless, each occupying one corner of the room.
The people in the isolation room were Kurome, Gin, and Remus.
"Nominally, you are still their commanding officer, so I have to inform you about this. These three survived. As for the others…"
Bill did not continue.
But Noah already understood.
He closed his eyes slightly. He had expected this result to some extent.
A seven-person squad.
Only three remained.
The other four had all died during the mission.
Natala and Wumin had been killed.
Bill looked at the three people in the isolation room and clenched his fists.
Of course, he was not doing so out of grief or anger.
In the eyes of this inhuman scientist, the members of the enhancement unit were nothing more than highly intelligent lab rats.
"Not enough…"
Bill murmured, "Still nowhere near enough. Results at this level don't satisfy me at all!"
Noah secretly sighed inwardly.
The so-called strengthening drugs were actually like an inferior version of the grace elixirs.
They similarly stimulated potential, but because they pursued immediate effects too aggressively, they consumed large amounts of vitality.
They converted vitality into energy, thereby promoting the growth of the body over a short period of time.
Up until now, Bill had only been carrying out light modifications on the members of the enhancement unit. Noah knew that Bill actually had much deeper modification plans.
In other words, surgical modification.
For example, removing pain perception, implanting gears into the human body, and turning the body into something semi-mechanical.
And it was not limited to only those. There were many, many more.
Since the results this time had failed to satisfy him, Bill's methods would likely become even more extreme from now on.
Noah had estimated it before. If an individual underwent deep enhancement, then their combat ability would indeed undergo a dramatic leap.
They might even reach a level not inferior to the members of the elite unit.
But at the same time, that individual would also become extremely unstable.
For example, their dependence on drugs would grow increasingly frequent.
In the end, they might even need medication every thirty minutes, otherwise their mind would collapse.
On top of that, deeply modified bodies required precise maintenance.
Each round of maintenance would demand too much time and manpower, making it impossible to support prolonged high-intensity combat.
There were piles of drawbacks, and the cost could not be recovered at all.
The final and greatest problem was lifespan.
The lifespan of an individual modified by drugs was already, at most, around twenty years.
If deep modification were carried out on top of that, such as mechanizing part of their internal organs, it might cause symptoms like metal poisoning within the modified body, shortening their lifespan even further.
In the end, within just a few short years, a life that had required enormous investment would be completely consumed.
Bill was currently in an agitated state.
Based on Noah's understanding of Bill, once he calmed down, he would realize that those plans were not actually practical.
Compared with him, Noah looked toward the three people on the other side of the glass.
Kurome, Gin, and Remus.
All three of them had extremely gloomy gazes.
After all, companions who had spent every day with them had died right in front of their eyes. It was inevitable that they would feel sorrow or suffer a blow.
And this was precisely the process Gozuki and Bill believed assassins had to experience.
The Empire's assassination unit was never a place for playing games.
In this mission, the seven of them had been assigned to eliminate a bandit group.
The enemy happened to have twice their number, fourteen in total, and every one of them was a vicious desperado.
In the end, Kurome killed four, Gin killed two, and Remus killed two.
The remaining six targets died together with the other four members of the squad.
In actual combat, life and death were often decided in the blink of an eye.
A moment of distraction or a mistake in judgment could cost one's life.
Although the three of them had survived this time, after witnessing such a scene with their own eyes, they would inevitably think.
'He died. Will I be next?'
Such doubts would grow more and more numerous, intensifying over time before eventually leading to numbness.
During testing, Wumin and Natala's scores had been much better than Remus's.
Yet now, the clumsy Remus had survived, while those others had died.
Kurome hugged her knees, her head lowered. Tears seeped bit by bit from the corners of her eyes.
"Big sister… I can't hold on much longer. It's so scary, so scary, so scary. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Big sister, save me…"
Drip.
...
"Mm?"
Inside a hidden stronghold, a girl looked up and only then realized that the dilapidated building was leaking a little rain.
Seeing her space out, her companion asked, "Akame?"
"Ah."
"I'm fine," Akame quickly replied.
But her dazed appearance clearly showed that something was on her mind.
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the beat of her heart.
Because for an instant just now, a powerful palpitation had suddenly passed through her heart.
'Kurome?'
For some reason, Akame suddenly missed the younger sister she had not seen in years. She felt as if she had faintly heard her sister calling out to her.
And she seemed terribly afraid.
'Do I miss Kurome too much? Something like that shouldn't be possible, right?'
Seeing Akame space out again while covering somewhere on her body, Pony smiled and asked, "Let me guess, Akame. You're definitely hungry, aren't you?"
Cornelia chimed in from the side.
"Hehe. That does sound very Akame."
The bespectacled Green was secretly peeking at Akame, not daring to look directly at her. His cheeks flushed red.
Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Nahashu also revealed a faint smile, though he quickly hid it.
He said sternly, "Small fries, after we finish this mission, Father will take us to a luxurious restaurant for something delicious. For now, focus on the mission."
As the leader, as the boss, he had to remain calm even at a time like this and warn everyone.
Although his words were harsh, everyone understood.
He was the best boss.
Ordinarily, he always called them small fries and seemed to belittle them, but in reality, it was because he wanted to shoulder everything alone during difficult moments and carry the heavy responsibilities for everyone.
After everyone shifted their gazes away from Akame, Tsukushi seized the chance to quietly lean beside her ear and ask in a whisper, "Hey, Akame, are you really all right? Are you feeling unwell?"
Akame smiled slightly and was about to say she was fine.
But when she turned her head, she just happened to see two enormous fruits swaying, and was instantly made a little dizzy by the sight.
Something she saw so often in daily life could actually have such a huge impact from a different angle?
'Tsukushi really has it rough…'
"Thank you, Tsukushi. I'm really fine now."
"Is that so? That's good." Tsukushi showed a happy smile.
At the side, Guy and Green were both purified by that sweet smile and instantly turned to stone on the spot.
"Hey, Green, how big do you think Tsukushi is now?" Guy quietly asked the male companion beside him.
The two stared at the steep rise of Tsukushi's chest, each swallowing as their noses began to feel hot.
"D-Don't ask me. I don't know," Green said in a panic, his mind repeating over and over, 'The one I like is Akame,' trying to erase that overwhelming sight from his thoughts.
But the impact was simply too powerful, powerful enough to nearly suppress his will.
"Tch. I think she's at least a G."
"G?!"
Green was shocked by that enormous letter.
Without realizing it, he wanted to confirm it.
His neck began twisting uncontrollably toward Tsukushi, who had no guard up against them.
Morality and reason were making their final struggle.
However, the power of instinct was simply too great. They still began slowly turning without control.
'Damn it!'
'I tried.'
'I really did try!'
'But as a man, I truly can't control myself anymore!'
'Right!'
'The fault isn't mine. It's the fault of the god who created men this way and the world that gave birth to us!'
Green and Guy widened their eyes, intending to look properly.
To look openly and righteously!
And just then, a shadow appeared behind the two of them.
As a veteran simp, Guy knew who it was the moment he smelled her.
"Cornelia—"
Crack.
The blonde girl directly and roughly twisted the two boys' necks, causing their cervical vertebrae to let out a mournful cry.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
"My neck! My neck is broken, broken…"
The two fell to the ground, clutching their necks and howling, their bodies twisting like maggots.
Cornelia showed not the slightest sympathy.
Expressionless, she looked down on them from above and said disdainfully.
"Perverts."
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator