Haruki, Esdeath, and Gin spent two days in the Ice Phoenix clan's territory. During that time, Haruki had Yuki handle all the clan's internal affairs, both big and small.
Although she had lived for thousands of years, Yuki had never settled down. According to her, none of the men caught her eye—and besides, everyone in the clan was too weak. In a race of Danger Beasts, strength is the only standard for choosing a mate.
With no family ties, managing the clan's affairs was straightforward for Yuki. She simply informed a few of the clan members who had reached the level of Super-Class Danger Beasts that she was leaving, and handed over the position of clan leader to the strongest Ice Phoenix—Esdeath's contract beast. Thanks to the contract rings Haruki had given Esdeath and Gin, their beasts could appear at their side anytime, so there was no need to bring the Ice Phoenixes along.
There was, however, a rather amusing incident during this time.
Since Gin and his contract beast had only just formed their bond, they were still unfamiliar with each other. Coincidentally, Gin's contract beast was one of the youngest Super-Class Danger Beasts in the Ice Phoenix clan—and also the most energetic.
When Yuki climbed the snowy mountain where this Ice Phoenix lived to inform her of the departure and the change in leadership, the young beast mistook Yuki for Gin. After all, in the world of Akame ga Kill, the idea of a Danger Beast taking on human form was unheard of.
But the beast turned out to be rather hot-headed. She refused to believe Yuki, claiming that her contract partner had come to deceive her so soon, and shouted that she would teach Yuki a lesson. Though Yuki was gentle by nature, she was no pushover. After years as the clan leader and ruler of the northern lands, she wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
In the end, Yuki revealed her true form and gave the beast a thorough beating, leaving her traumatized. From that day on, every time she saw Gin, she would nervously double-check his identity first.
Before leaving, Haruki generously left behind a stockpile of cultivation resources suitable for Danger Beasts. He also promised to bring Yuki back for visits and told them to train hard—he'd have need of them someday.
After that, things went smoothly. Haruki used Vimana to return Esdeath to the northern border of the Empire, back to the city from which he had taken her. The war was still ongoing there, and Haruki couldn't keep a commanding officer away for too long. Plus, Esdeath was eager to test out her new contract beast on the battlefield.
Once Esdeath was back on the front lines, Haruki didn't linger. After all, he had seen plenty of battlefields a millennium ago. The thought of slaughtering foreign soldiers, who might as well be defenseless in his eyes, held no appeal. So, with Gin and Yuki in tow, he headed straight south aboard Vimana toward the Imperial Capital.
Yuki had always been fascinated by the shimmering golden vehicle Haruki used, but until now she hadn't been able to interact with it—she hadn't yet taken on human form, and Vimana didn't even have one of her feathers. Now transformed, Yuki spent the journey bouncing around the ship, asking all sorts of bizarre and amusing questions, a stark contrast to Gin, who stood quietly to the side. The two looked identical, making the scene even more comical to Haruki.
At the time, Haruki was curious how the other girls would react when they saw Yuki. He had a strong hunch that Yuki and Chelsea would get along famously.
With Yuki's cheerful laughter filling the air, time passed quickly. Before they knew it, they had arrived back at the Imperial Capital.
As Haruki had guessed, Yuki's sudden appearance gave the girls quite a shock. At first, they thought Haruki had found Gin's long-lost twin sister.
But things didn't quite go the way Haruki had expected.
When Yuki introduced herself, the girls were instantly stunned. Gin, Kurome, Tsukushi, and Pony had all met Ice Phoenix Yuki before and already had a good impression of her. Her innocent, childlike personality quickly won over the rest as well, and before long, they were chatting like old friends, pulling each other away to talk elsewhere—leaving Gin behind.
"Hey, looks like I've become the odd one out. Gin, you're the only one still here with me."
Haruki didn't sound the least bit upset. He was just teasing.
"By the way, anything happen in the Imperial Capital while I was gone?"
He turned to Taeko, who was pouring him tea. At this point, Taeko wasn't just the head maid of Haruki's household—she also helped manage information from the Security Department.
"Nothing major," Taeko replied flatly. "There were a few assassinations in the capital over the past few days. The targets were mostly wealthy merchants or officials. One of them was Captain Ogre from the Security Force."
"Any idea who's behind it?"
Haruki asked, though it was more for confirmation than curiosity.
"It's a group called Night Raid. They left their emblem at each crime scene. So far, we've identified four of them—Najenda, a former general of the Empire; Bulat, a former soldier; and two others, Sheele and Leone."
"I see… looks like I'll have to drop by the Security Department."
Haruki said it almost to himself, asking no further questions.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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