Miss Surtr will ignite the world

The head maid of the Einzbern family was far superior in this respect.

However, she's not a professional maid, so there's no need to expect too much.

I didn't see Najendan at lunch; she's probably busy with the upcoming reforms.

They're very proactive, after all, it's their own country.

Surtr felt he needed to work harder. He decided to check out the slums first and then go grind monsters at Mount Fimak later.

Walking down the street, Surtr felt that it was much busier than yesterday, if it was just his imagination. Carriages were constantly heading towards the palace, making the wide streets crowded.

The crowd gathered in twos and threes, discussing something in hushed tones.

"Hey, have you heard? The minister has been assassinated."

"That kind of person was actually assassinated? Really?"

"It's true, notices have already been posted in the square. Those guards are now searching the world for the assassin, and the bounty is a full one hundred million gold coins."

"So many options, they're all tempting!"

"Hey, you traitor! That's a righteous man, and you actually thought of reporting him! Besides, do you think you can handle an assassin who can infiltrate the palace?"

"I was just thinking about it. Who exactly is it that can infiltrate the palace, kill someone, and then escape?"

"I heard it's a woman, red hair, and she's very good at playing with fire."

That's it?

"It's gone."

"Hiss, I don't even know their faces, how am I supposed to find them?"

Surtr, the culprit, listened to the whole story, then silently concealed his presence and went to a deserted alley.

When she reappeared, she had changed her appearance.

He took off his hood, revealing long black hair that fell to his waist. He wore a black inner layer over a large white jacket, shorts, black stockings, and black ankle boots.

At least on the surface, that's how it seems.

Upon arriving at the square, near the entrance, a notice board stood. The crowd jostled, those who could read and those who couldn't, all eager to see what kind of monster the assassin who killed the minister was.

I'm really popular.

Surtr sighed.

Having no intention of squeezing in with them, she found a box to stand on, and through her telescope, she could easily see her wanted poster.

He was a guy whose face was mostly hidden under a hood.

All you can see are her moist lips and perfectly shaped chin.

Standing at a distance, Surtr shook his head.

They didn't even show one percent of her beauty, and they think they can catch her with that?

Unless she herself intends to go in.

Looking at the string of zeros below the wanted poster, Surtr thought that turning himself in might not be such a bad idea.

However, those stingy guys probably won't send her any coins.

Miss Surtr, who had expected to see some abstract art, found it uninteresting and stopped paying attention, jumping off the box to leave. But before she could, a feeling as if she were being watched by a ferocious beast made her stop in her tracks.

Turn around and look in the direction of my gaze.

A figure in ice blue stood outside the crowd, facing her.

"..."

What are you doing here at a time like this, instead of at the palace?

Surtr felt a slight headache and instinctively reached for his sword.

But they quickly stopped.

Esdeath slowly approached, but seemed to have no intention of fighting.

Didn't you recognize her?

After all, she's putting on a facade now.

With that thought in mind, Surtr casually looked away and walked out of the square.

It turned out she was overthinking it.

The gaze behind her never left her, and his footsteps followed her the whole time.

"what."

With a long sigh, Surtr turned around and asked.

"Is there a problem?"

"It seems your intelligence is not as outstanding as your abilities."

Esdeath spoke in a provocative tone, but judging from the other party's calm manner, it seemed that he genuinely believed it.

Was there something wrong with what she just said?

"His Majesty has entrusted me with the task of capturing the assassin. As a general of the Empire, isn't it obvious what I should do when I see a wanted criminal of the Empire?"

Esdeath looked at her curiously, but still had no intention of making a move.

"But you don't seem to be planning to make a move."

Surtr glanced at the other person, turned around, and continued walking.

"I'm not confident I can defeat you quickly. If we fight here, I'm afraid we'll destroy half the city."

Esdeath and Surtr stand side by side.

"You still care about these things?"

Surtr's tone betrayed her surprise as she approached a small ice cream stand and said...

"Give me an ice cream cone, chocolate flavor."

"I want matcha with vanilla."

Esdeath's voice came from the side, and she responded at the same time.

"After all, he is a general. I will not deliberately destroy them, but I will not deliberately protect them either, unless necessary."

"Then why are you still following me? You can't arrest me anyway."

Surtr was puzzled.

"I'm very curious about your abilities. Inhuman physical attributes, fire, healing, space, even the defensive power of the clothes you're wearing is comparable to a defensive armor-type Imperial Armor. Now you have an illusion as well. Even I couldn't use so many Imperial Arms at the same time."

Esdeath reached out and pinched Surtr's sleeve.

There was absolutely no trace of touching the actual object; instead, a smooth texture could be felt in places that were completely out of sight, suggesting that it was merely a visual effect.

It's not particularly powerful, but it's more than enough to deal with ordinary people.

Esdeath has few hobbies; aside from torture, she only enjoys fighting.

The combination of Demonic Essence and Superpower Burst makes her stand out from the crowd.

But the variety of techniques Surtr displayed, which were different from those of ordinary Teigu users, still intrigued her greatly.

"I've heard that the leader of the Anning Path can use some special abilities without the aid of Imperial Arms. Are you perhaps someone similar to him?"

Because of her working relationship with the minister, Esdeath still knew some secret information.

For example, the leader of Anning Road is a hybrid of a human and a dangerous species.

She suspected that Surtr in front of her was the same.

"I didn't use a Teigu, but my situation is completely different from theirs. Give up, you can't learn my methods."

Surtr slapped away the groping hand that was pulling at her skirt.

She wouldn't mind talking to the other person about magic, but even she herself didn't understand it, let alone teach others.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer; I'll observe on my own."

This woman openly uttered statements that sounded like those of a stalker.

"Oh well, whatever."

With a sigh, Surtr took the ice cream cone and paid for it.

Two portions.

"Thank you."

They were quite polite.

Surtr pursed her lips, looking at Esdeath with curiosity about how this girl was going to eat ice cream while wearing a mask.

Okay, nothing special, it's just that the mask on my face was moved to the side of my head.

"Will it still be effective if you wear it like this?"

"you guess."

Without a definite answer, Esdeath gave a flawless smile.

Never mind, she didn't intend to do anything anyway.

Shrug, Surtr left the stall, Esdeath followed a step behind and asked.

Where are you going next?

"Slums".

Akame ga Kill! Chapter Sixteen: Doing Charity

Slam, a slum, is located in the southern part of the capital.

As one of the most common locations in Western fantasy works, almost every protagonist has to visit this place.

Miss Surtr was no exception.

Of course, she didn't come here on a whim.

The little boys scavenging for trash made her realize the enormous opportunities hidden in the slums.

In places where even survival requires an immense effort, a single loaf of bread can yield raw gems.

This is far simpler than tasks like becoming a wise ruler or saving an empire.

For her now, it's just a matter of moving her fingers.

Just thinking about those adorable raw gems makes even the slightly smelly air feel fresher.

Okay, actually no.

It still smells terrible.

Slums are places like this.

The streets were filled with homeless people, garbage was piled up haphazardly, and shacks made of iron plates or wood were everywhere. Poor construction had left the ground riddled with potholes of varying depths, into which sewage had accumulated.

The stench of garbage mingled with the smells of food from nearby stalls, creating an indescribable odor.

Unemployed poor people wander along the roadside, and ragged children huddle in corners.

Crossing just a narrow alley felt like stepping into another world.

Moreover, as the empire became corrupt, more and more people flowed into the slums, making the already crowded city even narrower.

Chaos is the dominant theme here.

As he walked down the street, Surtr noticed that many eyes were being cast his way.

Some are aboveboard, while others hide in the shadows.

Their gazes were filled with rejection and fear, and their glamorous attire seemed completely out of place in this setting.

In places like this, guys like them, who look like they're from wealthy families, are no different from easy prey to skilled workers.

Unfortunately, no foolish thief dared to try his luck upstairs.

The reason is...