Akame ga Kill: Starting with Dual Kamui

Of course, Blayn didn't fully trust Esdeath.

Once someone earned the label of "dangerous," it wasn't easy to remove.

However, Blayn had his own trump card—the Double Kamui.

At the very least, he had no worries about protecting his own life.

So, he didn't fear Esdeath.

"Good. Then we'll spend the night here and head back to the Imperial Capital first thing in the morning," Esdeath said.

Blayn asked, "Since you're a general of the Empire, why are you out here alone?"

"I originally came with a squad of soldiers to hunt a Special-Class Danger Beast, but the intel was wrong. Its strength was far beyond expectations, and during the battle, we also attracted several Class One and Class Two Danger Beasts. In the end, I managed to take down the target, but I was the only survivor," Esdeath explained briefly.

"I see… Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," Blayn apologized.

"It's nothing. It's a bit of a shame, but they were too weak, so they died. That's all."

Esdeath was completely indifferent.

Her deep-rooted belief in survival of the fittest made her regard the deaths of her soldiers as insignificant.

"..."

Blayn remained silent.

There was no point arguing with Esdeath over this topic.

"I'm full now. Could you teach me which parts of these Danger Beasts are valuable?" he asked, shifting the conversation.

"Of course. But you don't know this already?" Esdeath looked slightly surprised.

Given Blayn's earlier display of skill, she had assumed he came from a tribe that hunted Danger Beasts for a living.

Blayn shook his head. "Before my village was destroyed, I rarely dealt with Danger Beasts, so I don't know much about them."

"Hmm. In that case, I'll teach you."

Esdeath stood up, walked to the corpses of the Danger Beasts Blayn had killed, and drew her longsword from the scabbard at her waist.

"First, this Man-Eating Flower. Its valuable part is the golden section in the pistil—it has high pharmaceutical value."

Demonstrating as she spoke, Esdeath used her sword to extract the golden pistil and handed it to Blayn.

As a general, she had a high salary and numerous rewards. Unlike Blayn, she had no need for extra money.

"Next..."

She proceeded to explain and demonstrate how to extract valuable materials from each Danger Beast.

Blayn quickly realized that Esdeath had extensive knowledge in this area.

Curious, he asked, "You seem very experienced with this, and even earlier, when you were grilling fish, you were incredibly skilled. Did you grow up hunting Danger Beasts?"

"Yes. I was born into the Partas Clan, a tribe specialized in hunting Danger Beasts. We've been doing it since childhood," Esdeath explained. "But later, my clan was wiped out by the Northern Tribes. Just like you, I was the only survivor. After hunting every Danger Beast in the region, I got bored and decided to enlist in the Imperial Army."

Her tone remained completely indifferent, as if recounting an insignificant event.

It was as if the annihilation of her entire clan wasn't even worth remembering.

Blayn found her both frightening and somewhat pitiable.

Perhaps it was that experience that shaped her extreme belief in the law of the jungle.

But with such a mindset, she probably wouldn't appreciate his sympathy. In fact, she might find it strange.

"I see..."

For a moment, Blayn didn't know what to say.

"You can sell these materials for money in the Imperial Capital, but don't worry about finances. You'll have a generous salary soon enough," Esdeath added.

As for the remaining Danger Beast corpses, they were of no further use.

Night fell.

Neither Blayn nor Esdeath planned to travel in the dark.

Although Blayn's Mangekyō Sharingan allowed him to see clearly at night, using Intangibility earlier had drained him significantly. Resting was the better option.

Since Esdeath carried nothing but her weapons, both of them simply lay down on the ground to sleep.

But it was still early, and with nothing else to do, they started chatting.

"How old are you? You look young," Esdeath asked.

"Eighteen. You're not much older yourself," Blayn replied.

He didn't mind chatting with Esdeath.

There was nothing else to do, and casual conversation might help him gather useful information.

It also felt natural—he wouldn't come across as having any ulterior motives.

"Then you're two years younger than me," Esdeath noted.

"Twenty? That's impressive. Becoming a general at such a young age is no small feat," Blayn praised.

"There are other generals around my age, actually. One of them is only four or five years older than me," Esdeath said.

The person she was referring to was Najenda.

At this time, Najenda had yet to defect and was still Esdeath's colleague, often accompanying her on military campaigns.

Of course, since Blayn had never even heard of Esdeath before, he certainly didn't know Najenda either.

"You have the potential to become a general too. I hope you'll aim for that as your goal," Esdeath added.

"Me? I guess I could give it a try..."

Blayn kept his answer vague.

For now, he had no clear stance. Since he didn't fully understand this world yet, he could only take things one step at a time.

Esdeath was undoubtedly dangerous, but at least she wasn't hostile toward him. She was worth observing.

Late at night.

When it was time to sleep, both Blayn and Esdeath simply lay on the ground.

Blayn's physical endurance far surpassed that of an ordinary person, and Esdeath was even more resilient. Sleeping outdoors posed no problem for either of them.

However, their sleep wasn't particularly restful.

They had to remain alert in case of sudden Danger Beast attacks.

Blayn also kept his guard up against Esdeath.

At the slightest movement, he would wake instantly.

Fortunately, the night passed without incident.

It wasn't until early morning that a Danger Beast suddenly appeared and disturbed their rest.

Esdeath reacted first, swiftly cutting down the Class Two Danger Beast with just a few strikes.

"Perfect timing. Now that it's morning, we should get going," she said, flicking the blood from her blade before turning to Blayn.

"Alright," Blayn nodded.

With that, the two of them set off toward the Imperial Capital—a city that had thrived for over a thousand years.