Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Alice spoke softly, her gaze already shifting away from her, focusing instead on the makeshift defensive positions being set up—she was establishing sentry posts, erecting barbed wire, and setting up artillery positions. The fact that her current craftsmanship couldn't produce a suitable air force system in the short term was indeed a drawback, but she believed her anti-aircraft array could solve that problem. But before that…

“I’m sorry… I’ll stay here.” Hill shook her head vigorously, a move that was somewhat unexpected.

“I’m very sorry, but Najenda instructed us that, no matter what, at least one of us, Akame or I, must stay by your side to protect you, Miss Alice. If the insects attack and injure you, then everything will be over!”

"Oh?" Alice smiled noncommittally. She had no intention of teasing or manipulating Hill, a girl with naturally captivating eyes. She wasn't worried that he would cause her any extra trouble like Akame had—he was just a heartless person; what subtle emotional changes could he possibly have?

She could easily see through Hill's true nature. This seemingly gentle and kind-hearted girl, who was always apologizing and not good with words, was actually the one in the Night Raid assassin group who truly deserved the title of 'assassin.' In her eyes, the lives of enemies, allies, and even her own were nothing more than weeds on the ground. She was good at nothing but killing because she was born to kill.

She is a true blade; whoever wields her can use her to cut down anything that stands in their way. Whether it's cutting people, cutting iron, chopping mountains, or even committing suicide—the blade doesn't care what it's cutting, nor does it care if it wears out and breaks due to overuse.

Even though this knife is almost completely broken now.

[It's a pity, this knife has become somewhat worn out. She remains indifferent to life, but too much warmth has corrupted her, making her susceptible to the word "comrade." Perhaps she will soon degenerate from 'knife' into an ordinary mortal. If she could live in the sunlight, that would be for the best. However, she is an assassin, and assassins are destined to dwell in the darkness. And when that time comes... if she can no longer even kill well, she is destined for only death... a waste.]

[So, should I give her a push before she's completely useless, and get her back on the 'right path' where I can use her? She's just an unintentional person anyway; even if Patchouli knew, she'd only see her as a convenient tool... Damn it, without Zheng Zha, that muscle-bound brute, holding the line on the front lines, I feel a bit insecure. What I need is a sword that can also double as a meat shield!]

[Fine... I'll just have to make do. Akame was barely a suitable choice to begin with. But... damn it! If Cheng Xiao weren't so unsuitable, would I be racking my brains like this!]

Alice's lips twitched slightly, then curled up into a faint smile. She ignored Hill, who was determined to follow her, and headed towards the town, which was completely surrounded by tens of thousands of skeletal puppets. Her toes paused slightly as she stepped onto the town's ground; a strange discovery excited her somewhat.

The town... is now completely deserted.

The town was eerily quiet. The once-clean stone-paved roads were now covered with the slime and sharp footprints left by some kind of arthropod. Cracks in the stones held congealed blood, the marks not old, yet no tiny creatures dwelling in the shallow layers of the earth were seen foraging for food.

“Those two should return tonight, so it’s necessary to prepare a suitable resting place before then,” Alice said. Besides the working puppets, only Hill was around, making her target clear. “You’re their partner; perhaps you can offer some good advice?”

"I'm sorry... I'm not very good at this..." Hill answered timidly, a faint blush rising on her flustered face. She pointed randomly in a direction, which happened to be the location of a large house built by a wealthy man in the town. "This... something a little bigger would be fine, right?"

"That's it then." Alice picked up the Imperial Arms Shadow Scythe, slung it on her back, and headed straight for the large house. She wasn't afraid of being suddenly attacked by insects, but when she stepped across the threshold, her first step was a little heavier than usual.

Alice's gait remained outwardly unchanged, and Hill, who hurriedly followed, was completely unaware of the faint rumbling from the ground. As she followed Alice into the large house, a tiny tremor arose from afar and then quietly spread toward where they were.

Alice nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad taste, this place is habitable." She looked around, slightly surprised to find that the furnishings in this large house were actually quite nice. Although the original owner probably wouldn't be coming back alive, at least he hadn't made much of a difference to the room's furnishings when he was 'departed'. Carpets, paintings, tea table, flower arrangements—the original owner of this large house clearly had a refined taste. And the two temporary travelers who didn't have to pay rent felt a little satisfied because of this.

A group of puppets silently entered the large house and began tidying up some belongings and setting up a makeshift defense. Hill watched the busy puppets for a few seconds, seemingly intending to go and help.

However, Alice called her back before she could take a step.

“Miss Hill,” Alice asked casually, seemingly unintentionally, “why did you become an assassin?”

Section 48. If you don't have a kitchen knife, make one yourself!

"Why become an assassin...? I'm sorry, I don't know how to answer that question..." Hill pursed her thin lips, looking confused. After several seconds, that confused expression gradually turned into a kind of bewildered frustration.

“Because… I can’t do anything except kill, I can’t… do anything well.” She lowered her head, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. “I tried being a postman, an artist, and a librarian. But in the end…”

She looked at her toes, her voice growing softer and softer.

—The dust on the ground rolled gently.

“A librarian is a good job, and a woman with purple hair is especially suited for it.” Alice glanced at Hill and moved lightly to the middle of the spacious courtyard. She reached out and plucked a blooming violet from the flowerbed that hadn’t been tended to for days. With a few gentle movements of her fingers, she trimmed a few messy leaves and petals, and a small hairpin appeared at her fingertips.

“I’ve reviewed your file, and I saw you reading all sorts of books in the car earlier—you must really enjoy reading. Why didn’t you continue working as a librarian?”

“Because… the capital city raised taxes, and the curator couldn’t afford to pay salaries. After three months of this, he was starving and couldn’t take it anymore…” Hill said weakly, her voice filled with anxiety. “When I was an artist, it was the same… prices were too high, and customers felt my paintings were too craftsman-like and refused to pay. When I applied to the Capital Art Academy, the examiners wouldn’t accept me…”

“I could have continued as a postman, but I was always absent-minded and never met my targets. So two years ago, when the Empire abolished one-third of the post stations across the country, I was kicked out…”

Alice turned her head, her gaze lingering on those pale purple eyes for a full two seconds.

"W-what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" The person being stared at immediately became flustered.

“You really are a promising talent.” Alice’s lips twitched slightly. “If you had a stronger personality and acted more decisively, this empire would certainly not be what it is now. But… it doesn’t matter. Similar circumstances don’t necessarily create similar people.”

She raised her hand and lightly tossed the hairpin into the latter's outstretched hand.

"Judging from what you just said, it's not that you're incapable of doing other things, but rather that you're always interrupted by unexpected events when doing other things. This led you down this path of killing, which is simple in process, clear in result, and can decide life and death with a single stroke without needing too many complex changes. In that case... you really are a born killer."

“Hmm…” Hill replied softly. “Maybe, I really am only suited to be an assassin.”

“To be precise, you’re only suited for simple, one-off jobs that don’t require any complicated planning or coordination.” Alice gently shook her head, denying Hill’s assessment of her. “It’s not that you lack ability, it’s just that you’re unlucky. It’s fate that you’ll run into problems if you do any job for too long, while an assassin… an assassin’s job doesn’t require much time.”

“That’s probably how it is… But assassins always run into trouble and get killed eventually,” Hill replied weakly. Her voice was soft, but her tone clearly showed that she didn’t quite believe Alice’s words—well, it was only a few words made up by a temporary partner, so it was only natural to ignore them.

“Is that so? I don’t really hope that’s the case.” Alice replied with a smile. “You’re now being sent by Ms. Najenda to protect me, which is arguably a medium- to long-term job. If you’re really unlucky and make a mess of things, then I’ll probably be in trouble too.”

"No, no! It won't happen!" Hill waved her hands repeatedly, her pretty face slightly flushed. "I rarely make mistakes when I'm on missions! Very rarely! My companions, basically all of them..."

"Are they all still alive and well?"

"...Several people met with misfortune."

“Oh, that happens all the time… Speaking of which, where do you prefer to live? Upstairs? Downstairs? Inside? By the window? And your companions?” Alice’s tone was flat as she looked away to examine the large house that served as a temporary command post, seemingly reluctant to continue the previous conversation.

However, her decisive end to the conversation only piqued Hill's interest—she stammered and mumbled for a while until Alice asked her a second time, at which point she finally managed to utter the word 'a quieter place'.

“Do you want a quieter room? That doesn’t really fit the assassin’s style, and it’s a bit too difficult… But if we do some soundproofing on the walls here, installing a soundproofing panel should solve the problem.” Alice pursed her lips, thought for a couple of seconds, and then snapped her fingers—immediately, a large portion of the suspended puppets surrounding the two of them left to make soundproofing panels the same color as the walls and prepare the gluing tools.

They worked quickly, transforming ordinary logs and paint into remarkably effective soundproofing panels in just a few moments. As they wielded hammers and chisels, making noise while modifying the lounge according to Hill's needs, Alice frowned and stepped away from the noisiest area.

"This shouldn't take long, at most ten minutes to resolve the issue." Alice nodded with slight satisfaction as she watched the rapid progress of the project.

"Um... it's okay if you don't mind me too much..." Hill's voice was still weak.

“Hmm, do you have any other opinions?” Alice tilted her head. “This little project won’t require much manpower, consider it a small act of kindness from me. Of course, if you feel it’s unnecessary, you can take them down now, no problem.”

"I'm so sorry!"

Hill turned her head slightly, a little uneasy, but a warmth stirred within her—her gaze lowered, sweeping across the smooth tips of Alice's tall boots and her little blue and white dress adorned with lace. Her gaze continued to drift away, then past the shadows cast by the leaves in the evening sunset—those sparse, delicate shadows trembling gently.

There was no wind, yet the shadows of the trees trembled.

Hill's mind was still blank the moment she realized it, but her body reacted before she could.

Her hand instinctively grasped the massive scissor-like Imperial Arms, Ecstasy, strapped to her back. The next instant, the ground in all directions exploded!

There was no wind, yet the shadows swayed. And what was truly swaying was the ground! The earth's strata! The roots of plants anchored in the earth, and something crawling underground! And they had now reached their intended destination.

Those are insects!

Emerging suddenly from the ground, these insects, humanoid in form but clad in white exoskeletons and carrying several sharp claws, appeared in six numbers and swiftly pounced on their target the instant they appeared!

"Miss Arya!" Hill even forgot to address Alice by her 'alias', gripping the sturdy, enormous scissors tightly as she swiftly lunged towards her protected person. Her movements were rapid and decisive; in an instant, she reached the monstrous insect closest to Alice, her 'Soul-Stealing' blade snapping open, slicing straight at the insect's claws that were swinging towards Alice!

'Clang—! ! ! ! '

The Imperial Arms's blade clashed with the monstrous insect's claws, and a series of bursts of fire erupted from the point of contact! Sparks flew, the claws snapped, and Hill involuntarily staggered backward!

These are killer insects specializing in close combat and assassination! Their sole purpose is to assassinate enemy commanders!

Hill nearly screamed. She wanted to warn Alice about the killer insects' fighting abilities, but her poor communication skills prevented her from articulating the information in the fewest possible sentences. She could only try her best to steady herself, regaining her stance while letting out a low, warning shout.

"--careful!"

The black giant scythe rose up at the sound, and Hill saw the sparse tree shadows on the ground suddenly wriggle. Then, the steps of the six killer insects suddenly stopped, and they all stopped in mid-air for 0.2 seconds, like moths that had fallen into amber!

0.2 seconds, 200 milliseconds.

For some, it's just a moment, but for others, it's a long time.

For Alice, that 0.2-second gap was enough for her to issue an order, commanding the few remaining puppets who had previously protected her, though most of them had been reassigned to build soundproofing barriers, to pick up their weapons!

Open fire!

Gunshots rang out like raindrops, instantly blasting the six killer insects that had been bound for a moment into a spray of fluids. Their blood was a corrosive dark green, instantly emitting acrid white smoke upon hitting the ground—and their bodies continued to swell!

They're going to self-destruct!

Alice swung her scythe fiercely, and the small group of dangling puppets that remained not far from her leaped out as if equipped with jet engines, colliding and squeezing to block the two ladies. The next moment, fire, a mixture of shattered bone fragments and bio-plasma, erupted from the bodies of the six killer insects!

'boom--!!!'

The sturdy shells of the String Golems were as fragile as paper under the bombardment of bone fragments and high-temperature plasma. They rapidly crumbled and melted in an instant, their armor, internal skeleton, and transmission mechanisms all destroyed, turning into even smaller fragments. The ensuing blast wave then enveloped them, turning them into one of the dangerous components of the shockwave!

"Stop."

The Shadow Scythe swung again, accompanied by Alice's calm words. Almost visibly, the shockwave of the fragments that was heading towards the two of them paused for a moment in mid-air. That one moment was more than enough for Hill to unfold 'Soul Ecstasy' into a shield, flying backward with Alice while holding 'Soul Ecstasy' in front of her.

What followed was a series of muffled thuds, like raindrops pounding on the ground!

Hill had to be thankful that the bio-plasma would easily dissipate in the air in the absence of magnetic confinement. She should also be thankful that the fire and heat released during the plasma dissipation were enough to easily destroy any toxic organisms that were still within the realm of mortal matter!

She felt a powerful shockwave hit her face, followed by an unbearable heat. Even the Imperial Arm 'Soul-Destroying', whose defensive capabilities far outweighed its offensive ones, became scalding hot the moment it made contact with the impact. Her slender hands, which were supporting 'Soul-Destroying', felt a sharp pain; the surface layer of skin immediately corroded and turned charred black under the intense heat!

"Ugh—" the girl groaned, but her hands, supporting her 'soulful' form, remained unshaken. She and Alice were thrown backwards for sixteen or seventeen meters by the oncoming hot wind, and when they finally regained their footing, even their arms began to emit a burnt, pungent smell!

With a loud thud, the Imperial Arm "Soul-Shattering Strike" crashed heavily to the ground. The outer, defensive side was covered in burn marks and craters from the impact of shrapnel. Clearly, even if this Imperial Arm could still be used in the future, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

Hill opened her mouth, but the words she intended to utter turned into a spit-out pool of dark red blood—the intense heat of the explosion had injured her limbs, while the shockwave before the heat had damaged her internal organs. She wanted to stand up, but the burning sensation in her internal organs and hands prevented her from moving at all.

She could only let out a muffled groan, slightly pained. With great effort, she lifted her eyelids, only managing a small sigh of relief when she saw that her protected person was unharmed. She tried to open her mouth, about to say something to Alice, but Alice's attention was drawn to her. Alice frowned, took a sealed medicine bottle from her pocket, and came to her side.

"Don't move or speak, I have medicine here." Alice opened the medicine bottle, and the medicine poured onto Hill's hands immediately brought a cool sensation to her fingers. Large patches of necrotic skin dried and fell off, and the excruciating pain instantly turned into a tingling sensation—it was obvious without much thought that the medicine had repaired the burns on her hands, and what followed was the process of flesh and blood regeneration.

Hill relaxed, letting Alice take out another vial of potion and drink it herself, then gave her a slightly grateful glance. But that one glance was enough to make her eyes widen in shock!

It was an insect, a warrior insect that gradually solidified from its transparent form, much larger and stronger than the six that had died. Taking advantage of the moment when one of the two was severely injured and the puppet guards were almost entirely wiped out, it stealthily crept up behind Alice, and now its massive claws were reaping the fruits of its slaughter!

This is the killer insects' true trump card. The previous six insects were merely bait and cannon fodder; this one is the real killing blow. And since it's a killing blow, it won't give the attacker any chance to resist!

Its claws fell, but Alice, who was applying medicine to herself, was completely unaware! If nothing unexpected happened, this claw would be enough to tear both of them to shreds, and the possibility of escape would be almost nonexistent.

Hill felt her breath catch in her throat. Her vision went black, and a wave of regret and fear washed over her.

Regret stems from hating one's own weakness. If only one were stronger, this predicament wouldn't exist.

The fear, however, is the fear that Alice's earlier words might be true.

If she hadn't said she wanted a quiet place, most of the puppet guards wouldn't have been redeployed. If she hadn't been so weak that she was covered in wounds, the vigilant Alice might have noticed the giant insect.

I am nothing but a jinx, destined to fail. And my failure was inevitable... no, it had already dragged my companions into it long ago.

Her eyes dimmed, and although her body had recovered, her heart began to waver. However, whatever she thought or planned to do was irrelevant to the sharp claw that had already touched the back of Alice's neck and was about to sever the girl's head.

She suddenly noticed a blank look in Alice's eyes.

....................................

I didn't expect the Hellsong reference to be so easy to spot; I thought not many people would recognize it...

Chapter 49: I am the kitchen knife!