The Two Who Were Eliminated (Continued)

Because Gozuki had previously instructed them to call him "Dad," among them, only Bonnie, that stubborn fool, truly considered herself Gozuki's biological daughter!

"Hmph, trash."

Suddenly, the blonde girl who had been prevented from speaking earlier snorted coldly, then stepped forward and said in a cold and proud voice:

"Yotsuba Clan, my name is Nahashu, and I'm ranked No. 1 in assassination!"

Among these six people, the bespectacled man who spoke last was named Green, and he was ranked No. 5.

Next up were the four members of the enhanced group, just like before.

Aside from her Kurome, which are an ominous sign, Gin, with her disheveled long hair and timid Remus, and Mekime, who tries her best to maintain a cold expression, remain unchanged.

But it must be said, the girls in this assassination squad are really quite beautiful.

Although she still looks a bit young, it's easy to see that she'll be just as beautiful as Esdeath when she grows up.

Especially Tsukushi and Little Silver, whose bust sizes are probably comparable to Esdeath's, while Cornelia, although not as large, is definitely full of wifely charm.

Not to mention that Cornelia is undoubtedly the leader among these people.

"Very good, now that we've gotten to know each other, let's begin the formal training!"

Upon hearing the words "formal training," everyone immediately composed themselves and became alert.

"However, let me make this clear upfront: my training is much stricter Gozuki's. If you fail to perform properly, you'll only receive some punishment the first time, but a serious warning the second time! If it's the third time, I'll eliminate him from the group! Understand?!"

Yotsuba Mahiro's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to shake the hearts of all the children present, especially Remus, whose legs were already trembling uncontrollably.

"Yotsuba Clan, you're absolutely right. Our elite team doesn't need weaklings," the blond boy Nahashu agreed in a cold tone.

His gaze swept over his companions, whether he looked down on their current performance or abilities was unclear.

Having stood out from hundreds of people since childhood, he has only one goal: to become the true No. 1!

"Looks like... I guess I need to work harder too," the burly loli Tsukushi muttered softly.

Of the ten, only Remus's pretty face was a little pale, and she nervously kept tugging at the hem of her clothes.

In fact, among these ten people, she was the weakest. Her assassination level ranked in the thirties or lower, and she was even inferior to Mekime!

Then, Yotsuba Mahiro waved his hand, and ten vests appeared out of thin air and landed on the ground.

However, the subtle weight caused these vests to sink deep into the mud.

"Put these on, and then I'll take you to the special training forest!"

These vests were prepared in advance by him, and each one weighed about thirty pounds.

For Kurome and the others, whose bodies had been enhanced by the injections, it was entirely within their tolerance range. As for the Elite Group, they had reportedly undergone training to hunt dangerous species, so there was no need to worry about them at all.

"It's... it's so heavy!"

Kurome was the first to pick up the vest and put it on, but the sudden weight made her unsteady on her feet and she almost fell.

She looked at Akame and asked with concern, "Sister, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I can manage!"

Even though she had been injected with the drug, Akame's physical condition was still several points stronger than Kurome's. After all, three years ago, Akame had been supporting Kurome all the way through the selection process and even managed to achieve a No. 7 ranking.

It then survived in the wild for three years, consuming the meat of many dangerous species.

Everyone else had also put on their vests, but their expressions were all quite different.

"Hmm, you're moving pretty fast. Before we start training, let me ask you, none of you have had lunch, have you?"

The group looked at each other, then shook their heads.

None of them ate.

Their diet is strictly controlled; they are not allowed to eat without permission.

"Very good, then training begins. Target: the Eastern Forest, thirty kilometers outside Imperial Capital! The last person to arrive is not allowed to eat dinner, and the second to last will have to clean up my leftovers! Let's go!"

!!!

This punishment left them all wide-eyed.

Especially the sisters Akame and Kurome, their eyes practically turned green with envy when they heard that the last-place winner wouldn't get dinner!

"Hmph, first place belongs to me!"

Nahashu looked at his dozen or so companions and sneered. This training was much more interesting than Gozuki's previous training.

Although Gozuki seemed quite capable, all he could do was train them to hunt dangerous species; it was utterly boring.

Cornelia, the leader of the girls' group, gave a cute pout.

Yotsuba Clan- sama's training is indeed very rigorous, but the special training should be very effective. I hope everyone doesn't go hungry.

As for the competitive Little Silver, her eyes were filled with fighting spirit, even though she was carrying two huge, heavier lumps of flesh that were much larger than those of the other girls, and it was really uncomfortable to run around with them on her back.

Honestly, they've grown this big without me even noticing.

The weakest one, Remus, was almost in tears. It was really difficult for her, who was ranked in the thirties!

They ran ahead, while Mahiro followed at the back, observing the surroundings.

Thirty kilometers of cross-country running with a load may sound like a lot, but it's not actually that difficult for the human body in this world.

At the very least, if Esdeath were to train them, she would first increase the weight to 60 kilograms, and then the distance would probably be around 70 kilometers.

This isn't just wild speculation; that woman truly shows no mercy when it comes to training.

However, while the ten people's speed was quite ideal at the beginning, they started to slow down after about five kilometers.

At the 10km mark, some people started to fall behind. Remus, who was determined to take the lead, was already struggling to keep up, and unsurprisingly, she was the first to drop out.

It seems her talent is really terrible; with her dragging everyone down, the others can rest easy.

The second to last was the bespectacled girl, Mekime. Her stamina was almost the same as Remus's, and she couldn't finish the race, falling behind around the 17-kilometer mark.

Yotsuba Mahiro had no choice but to carry the two of them on his back, intending to remove them from the training team.

But the performances of the others were truly impressive.

The 30-kilometer off-road race, with a 30-pound load, was completed in just over two hours.

Their special training location is a waterfall valley in the Eastern Forest, surrounded by treacherous forests and thickets!

The forest is teeming with all sorts of dangerous species, including even the level-one dangerous species Earth Dragon!

The first to arrive was undoubtedly Nahashu, but the second to surprise everyone was Akame! It seems they really went all out for food.

The third is the seemingly frail-looking, bespectacled man, Green.

Regardless of the assassination level, boys still have a natural advantage in terms of physical strength.

The last to arrive was the defiant young girl, Little Silver, while the second to last was the somewhat nonchalant Pony.

Pony's skill level was actually not at all behind Tsukushi, because she was naturally good at running. It was just that she wanted to get back at Yotsuba Mahiro in this childish way.

So that's how it ended up like this.

Since that's the case, Mahiro naturally wouldn't hold back and announced the results of the first training session.

"Hey, why should I get such unfair treatment? Didn't those two not finish their training?" Pony pointed at Remus and Mekime with dissatisfaction.

Little Silver looked at Yotsuba Mahiro with the same puzzled expression, wondering why he was ranked last for no reason.

"It's simple. They were eliminated, so they're no longer considered members of our Elite Group. If they can't even complete this simple training, the ones who will participate in the later training will only drag us down."

I've never heard of that before!

The group was shocked by this explanation, but they were speechless.

That's true. If they can't even complete this simple weighted cross-country training, they simply won't be able to handle the training that follows.

But Remus and Mekime's pretty faces were deathly pale.

A sudden wave of despair washed over them. They bitterly regretted not persevering to the end, wondering what punishment they would face if they returned to confront the Assassination Department.

I dare not think about it.

"Yotsuba Clan, then... then what are you going to do with them? No, you're not going to kill them, are you?" Cornelia, as the leader, stepped forward and asked softly.

It's worth noting that Guy was eliminated precisely because he lost his assassin's talent.

Although she had only known the two girls for a few hours, she didn't want them to lose their lives because of it.

"They don't have the talent for assassination. If they continue to stay in the Assassination Department, they'll only be throwing their lives away. You don't need to worry about them; I'll arrange their future myself."

Mine Mahiro to leave the two girls at his home and let Mine take care of them.

Although the household has hired quite a few maids, there are still not enough people, and there are vacancies in many places.

Although these two girls don't have the talent of assassins, they are generally quite capable; if all else fails, they could serve as guards.

If they perform well, giving them an injection of the original enhancement potion to improve their physique wouldn't be out of the question.

As for Bald Bill, handing him over would just mean he'd be killed anyway, which would be such a waste. Even if I kept him, he probably wouldn't say anything.

"That's wonderful... Thank you, Yotsuba Clan- sama."

Cornelia bowed deeply to him, and the little Kurome loosened her bitten lips, equally worried about the safety of her companion.

As expected, Yotsuba Clan- sama is different from that heartless department head...

Glug~

As soon as everyone relaxed, their stomachs started rumbling.

Tsukushi shyly covered her stomach, her cheeks instantly flushing a lovely blush.

After all, they hadn't eaten anything since last night until this afternoon, and they had just undergone intense physical training, leaving them almost too weak to even stand.

Even an adult would probably find it difficult to withstand this level of exertion.

"Are you hungry? It's still a bit early, but that's okay, let's prepare dinner now."

Even so, everyone looked at each other, wondering what they were going to eat.

There was nothing around.

But the next second, Mahiro suddenly waved his hand, and a huge Earth Dragon was thrown in front of them.

He happened to encounter it on the road, so he hunted it down to serve as food for these children.

The moment the boys and girls saw the Earth Dragon, their eyes practically glowed green, and they stared longingly at their instructor.

The experience of going hungry probably only exists in their vague childhood memories.

They were sold to the Imperial Capital because almost all of them came from poor families.

But since being raised by the Empire, although the methods used were extremely cruel and ruthless, their lives have indeed improved; at least they no longer experience hunger.

"Don't worry, it'll be ready soon."

Mahiro spoke, a sword with a long vermilion sheath suddenly appeared at his waist.

The moment they saw the knife, the pupils of the Elite Group shrank. It was Gozuki's sword— Murasame!

The next moment, the blade flashed.

The enormous Earth Dragon was instantly cut into countless pieces, divided into portions of varying sizes according to the edible parts.

The Murasame sword is actually quite interesting; its cursed poison can kill any living being directly.

However, it has no effect on inanimate objects, and leaves no trace of curse poison.

"Nahashu, as the number one, you are entitled to choose your food first."

"Yes, Mahiro!"

Nahashu obediently and respectfully responded, stood in front of the pile of meat and selected the largest piece, squinting as he enjoyed the glory of being number one.

Akame bit her index finger, watching helplessly as Nahashu picked out the piece she liked, feeling incredibly annoyed.

If only I had acted faster back then...

Therefore, Akame had no choice but to settle for second best and opted for the second largest piece of meat.

Mahiro could only shake his head helplessly. It seemed that these children only knew that the bigger the meat chunks, the better, but they didn't know which parts were the most delicious.

That makes sense, though. After expending so much energy, they couldn't care less about such things; filling their stomachs was the priority!