Chapter Summaries

Mahiro rejected Minister Honest’s effort to recruit him, accepted Ministerial Arms to equip his squad, and prepared the trainees for their final test. As the girls and Nahashu hunted escaped prisoners in the forest, Mahiro secretly followed them and watched their impressive first kills.

• Bill told Mahiro that Minister Honest wanted him to become Deputy Director of the Assassination Department and join his side, but Mahiro refused to pick a side.
• Bill left Mahiro a box of Ministerial Arms, which Mahiro decided to modify into Imperial Arms for the girls.
• A month later, Mahiro began the trainees’ final test: they had to hunt down and kill nearly twenty dangerous prisoners before they escaped the forest.
• The eight trainees entered the forest, while Mahiro secretly followed to watch over them.
• Nahashu, Kurome, Akame, Pony, and Tsukushi performed well against the prisoners, using stealth and combat skills to kill their targets.

Mahiro supervised the squad’s test to kill escaped prisoners, and Cornelia nearly died after trusting a prisoner who tricked her. She passed the assessment despite her mistake, and the chapter ended with the whole squad completing the training.

• Tsukushi took down her first target and worried that she had disgraced Lord Yotsuba, while the others completed their tests adequately.
• Cornelia believed a pleading prisoner and offered to help her, but the woman attacked with a poisoned knife.
• Cornelia overcame the paralysis, killed the prisoner, and collapsed; Mahiro revealed himself and treated her wounds while leaving the poison to teach her a lesson.
• Mahiro explained that the test required them to kill their targets, so Cornelia had not failed, and she thanked him tearfully before washing her clothes.
• The assessment ended with everyone having killed their targets, including Little Silver, who returned with two heads; Cornelia had killed only one.

After completing their assassin training, Mahiro rewarded the squad with enhancement serums and upgraded Imperial Arms before bringing them back to the capital. He accepted a mission to guard Minister Honest’s chosen heir amid the succession struggle, and the chapter ended with the squad meeting the sheltered young prince, who was actually a girl.

• Mahiro praised the squad for killing all forty-one prisoners, then gave them enhancement injections and upgraded Imperial Arms, including Murasame for Akame and Kiriichimonji for Kurome.
• Mahiro brought the squad back to the capital and arranged for them to stay at his residence with Mekime, Remus, and Mine.
• At the Assassination Department, Mahiro accepted Bill’s assignment to protect the young heir Minister Honest intended to put on the throne.
• Two days later, Mahiro led the squad into the palace, where they found the young prince trying to sneak outside and learned that she was a girl.

Mahiro guarded the young imperial princess, secretly recognizing that she was a girl being prepared to rule as a puppet. He kept her occupied with a Rubik’s Cube while overseeing his elite squad, then confronted the girls about their increasingly careless behavior.

• Mahiro introduced himself to the young prince, recognized her as a princess, and accepted her request to become her guard.
• Bill warned Mahiro to discipline Pony and Little Silver after they mocked the prince, then left the courtyard.
• Mahiro promised to take the princess out once she solved a Rubik’s Cube, and she spent the next several days trying to complete it.
• Nahashu urged Mahiro to discipline the squad, and the girls eagerly gathered around him after he had spent several days attending to the princess.
• Mahiro made the girls sit and lectured them for becoming careless and presumptuous despite their limited combat ability.

After the old emperor died, the imperial princess faced an attack by the commander of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps, who sought to eliminate her and undermine Minister Honest. Yotsuba Mahiro refused to hand her over and unleashed his power against the soldiers, leaving the attack’s outcome unresolved.

• Yotsuba Mahiro lectured four girls through the night, and they vowed not to make another mistake.
• Minister Honest’s agents checked on the princess twice before news arrived that the old emperor had died.
• The commander of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps led armed soldiers toward the inner courtyard, while Nahashu and seven others fought to hold them back.
• Yotsuba Mahiro refused the commander’s order to hand over the princess and revealed that he was deputy commander of the Assassination Corps.
• The commander ordered his soldiers to attack, and Yotsuba Mahiro activated Bala and sent thousands of sharp hailstones raining down on them.

Yotsuba Mahiro helped secure the young princess’s rise as emperor, while Minister Honest consolidated power after the failed coup. At the palace, the new emperor appointed Mahiro commander of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps and put him in charge of the Assassination Department, alarming Honest.

• Yotsuba Mahiro wiped out the Guard Corps Chief’s deathsworn soldiers, and Minister Honest arrived with the Four Rakshasa Demons to kill the Chief.
• Minister Honest welcomed the young prince as the new emperor, and his officials acclaimed her as the Empire’s ruler.
• The Empire held the young emperor’s coronation, while Honest had the families and followers of his opponents arrested and publicly executed.
• Minister Honest proposed appointing his relative Iokar as commander of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps, but the young emperor rejected him and named Yotsuba Mahiro instead.
• The young emperor also ordered Yotsuba Mahiro to manage the Assassination Department, demoting its current director to deputy, and Honest reacted with alarm.

After becoming minister of the Imperial Assassination Corps, Yotsuba Mahiro promoted Seryu Ubiquitous and told his elite squad they had graduated and would begin an assassination mission. The chapter ended with Minister Honest proposing that Mahiro lead an operation against the Revolutionary Army, which had moved toward the northwestern border.

• Bill confronted Yotsuba Mahiro about his goals, but Mahiro dismissed his concerns and Bill left without agreeing to report their conversation to Honest.
• Mahiro promoted Seryu Ubiquitous to captain and reassigned duties while the other captains accepted the promotion, hoping the vacant deputy minister position would benefit them.
• Mahiro met with the eight members of his elite squad, congratulated them on graduating from assassin training, and told them they could remove their weights.
• At court, Intelligence Chief Shigong reported that the Revolutionary Army had moved toward the northwestern border to cooperate with local tribes.
• Honest proposed that Mahiro lead the Imperial Assassination Corps in an operation against the Revolutionary Army.

Honest tried to use a mission to restore Bill’s standing, but the little emperor instead sent Yotsuba Mahiro to lead the Assassination Department’s elite squad against Revolutionary Army members disguised as a circus. Mahiro prepared to leave the Imperial Capital with his squad, while Mine tearfully said goodbye and kissed him before he departed.

• Honest objected when the little emperor chose Yotsuba Mahiro over Vice Minister Bill to lead the mission, but Mahiro assured him the Guard and Assassination Department would be managed in his absence.
• The little emperor gave Mahiro intelligence about the Revolutionary Army, and Mahiro recognized the circus members as the targets from the original story.
• Mahiro and the squad changed into casual clothes for the mission, while Little Silver, Cornelia, Pony, and Tsukushi showed off their outfits.
• Mekime and Remus came to the western gate to see Mahiro off, and Mine begged to accompany him before accepting that he had to go.
• Mine kissed Mahiro goodbye, then ran back toward the Imperial Capital as Mahiro watched her go.

Yotsuba Mahiro led his team to Great Plains Town to investigate the Sabatini Troupe, suspected of spying for rebels and foreign tribes. After agreeing to Akame’s request to investigate before killing them, Mahiro planned to intercept the troupe on the road and use nearby bandits as a warm-up for the team.

• Mahiro brought Kurome onto his horse after she struggled to ride, and the group continued toward the northwestern border.
• At Great Plains Town, Mahiro identified the Sabatini Troupe as their target, while Akame argued for investigating before taking action.
• Mahiro agreed to investigate the troupe and said they would leave some targets alive for questioning.
• The team gathered information around town, and Cornelia reported that Sabatini’s performers would leave in two days.
• After Akame watched the troupe perform and remained doubtful, Mahiro chose a road outside town near Hiranami Mountain as their interception point.
• Green warned that bandits, including fierce northern tribesmen, occupied the area, but Mahiro said the team could use them to warm up.

Mahiro and his trained assassins ambushed the Sabatini Traveling Entertainers Troupe after wiping out the Hiranami Gang, then slaughtered the troupe members and captured their captain and a girl for questioning. The chapter ended with the girl defying Mahiro as he asked her name.

• Tsukushi shot the Hiranami Gang's leader, and Mahiro ordered his group to kill the bandits.
• Sabatini's caravan reached a road blocked by the bandits' severed heads, and Mahiro's group confronted the troupe.
• Nahashu killed Amuria, and Little Silver identified the troupe as rebel spies before the troupe members fought back.
• Akame, Nahashu, Little Silver, and the others killed nearly all the troupe members while Mahiro watched.
• Mahiro spared Sabatini and a twin-tailed girl for questioning, seized the girl when she attacked him, and asked her name.

Mahiro learned that the Revolutionary Army had allied with western tribes and sent his team to kill Governor Rakiri while he pursued the defecting General Najenda. He found Najenda fleeing Esdeath in the southwest and faced her as she wondered whether he meant to capture or kill her.

• Mahiro killed Natalia and used his Demon Eye to make Captain Sabatini reveal Rakiri's support for the Revolutionary Army, its alliance with western tribes, and a general's plan to defect in the southwest.
• Mahiro assigned Nahashu, Tsukushi, Cornelia, Pony, Little Silver, Akame, and Kurome to kill Rakiri without him, then sent Budo a letter for the young Emperor.
• Mahiro flew toward the southwestern border to meet the defecting general, whom he identified as Najenda.
• Najenda escaped Esdeath after losing her right eye and hid in ruins while waiting for Revolutionary Army reinforcements.
• Mahiro appeared before Najenda, told her he had sent Esdeath away, and listened as she asked to speak before he decided whether to capture or kill her.

Yotsuba Mahiro rejected Najenda’s appeal to join the Revolutionary Army and accused it of betraying the Empire, then seized her Imperial Arm and used it against her rescuers. After Najenda and the Revolutionary Army cavalry retreated, an ice-blue figure emerged from the ruins to speak with Mahiro.

• Najenda urged Yotsuba Mahiro to oppose Minister Honest and join the Revolutionary Army, but he mocked her and accused the rebels of conspiring with foreign tribes and offering them Imperial territory.
• Mahiro demanded that Najenda hand over Romantic Artillery: Pumpkin; when she refused and aimed it at him, he tore away her right arm and took the Imperial Arm.
• Revolutionary Army cavalry arrived to rescue Najenda, but Mahiro fired Pumpkin and blasted half of the thousand charging cavalrymen before the weapon broke down.
• Mahiro threw Najenda toward the surviving cavalry, who carried her away, and Pumpkin returned to its undamaged state in his hand.
• An ice-blue figure emerged from the shadows beneath the ruins and addressed Mahiro.

After Esdeath let Yotsuba Mahiro leave, he secretly followed Nahashu’s team as they infiltrated Lelang City to gather intelligence on Governor Rakiri. When a soldier harassed Tsukushi, Mahiro intervened and decided to act against the governor’s forces himself.

• Esdeath confronted Yotsuba Mahiro about letting Najenda escape, then watched him fly off and vowed to catch him next time.
• Nahashu’s team reached Lelang City and split up to infiltrate Governor Rakiri’s castle and learn when he would leave the city.
• Akame ate the kitchen’s meat and was sent to clean the stables, while Pony became too absorbed in a knife-skills contest with the head chef to gather intelligence.
• Kurome and Little Silver learned that Rakiri planned to go hunting soon, while Tsukushi was harassed by a soldier who offered to make her the governor’s concubine.
• Yotsuba Mahiro appeared, killed the soldier, comforted Tsukushi, and told her he would take revenge as he turned toward the castle.

Yotsuba Mahiro killed Lelang City Governor Rakiri after Rakiri’s soldiers harassed Tsukushi, then warned his team that northern tribes and the Revolutionary Army were mobilizing against them. Meanwhile, Chelsea, Taeko, and their instructor reached a forest meeting point to join mercenaries for an operation against the Imperial Assassination Corps, where the mercenaries immediately insulted them.

• Yotsuba Mahiro’s power turned the castle’s guards and soldiers to ash, and Cornelia realized he was angry on Tsukushi’s behalf.
• Mahiro confronted Rakiri as he prepared to flee, caught and crushed Rakiri’s bullet, then killed him by throwing the metal disc through his head.
• At the safehouse, Mahiro praised his team and told them that northern tribes and the Revolutionary Army were preparing a new challenge, likely involving professional assassins.
• Chelsea, Taeko, and their instructor traveled for days to meet mercenaries who would help them target the Imperial Assassination Corps.
• The mercenary leader mocked Chelsea and Taeko and made a crude remark about their abilities in bed.

Yotsuba Mahiro suspected the intelligence about the rebels was a trap, and he led his group onto the White Wave River to draw out their attackers. As the rebel fleet surrounded their ship, Nahashu vanished to begin the fight.

• Barbara introduced herself as an Oarburgh assassin and warned the Tengu Party mercenaries not to underestimate her or Taeko.
• Nahashu reported that the group had reached the White Wave River, and Mahiro suspected the rebels’ plans had been leaked to lure them into a trap.
• Mahiro’s group rested by the river while the girls caught fish, then he bought a large ship and took them onto the water after the expected crossing time passed.
• A rebel fleet appeared at night, and Chelsea transformed into a goshawk to scout ahead from Barbara’s boat.
• The rebels surrounded Mahiro’s ship with more than a hundred armed fighters, and Nahashu disappeared as the confrontation began.

Nahashu and Yotsuba Mahiro’s group wiped out the Tengu Party’s ships, while Barbara, Taeko, and Chelsea escaped and identified the group’s leaders. Barbara concluded that the harmless-looking Yotsuba Mahiro was their target, the head of the Imperial Assassination Corps.

• Nahashu killed the lead captain and ordered the girls to attack, and Pony, Cornelia, Akame, Kurome, and Tsukushi helped destroy the Tengu Party’s forces.
• Barbara stopped Taeko from joining the battle and escaped with her, while Chelsea watched the fighting from the sky in eagle form.
• Mahiro noticed the eagle but let Chelsea fly away, and Cornelia reported that a small boat had been left empty nearby.
• Chelsea returned to Barbara and Taeko, transformed into the appearances of Nahashu and Mahiro, and described the pressure Mahiro had put her under.
• Barbara recognized Mahiro as their likely target, the head of the Imperial Assassination Corps, surprising Chelsea and Taeko with his youth.

After defeating the Tengu Party, Mahiro brought the girls to a hot spring inn, where Barbara and Taeko watched them and planned their next move. The girls relaxed at the inn, and Cornelia ended the night alone in the hot spring, unaware of what might happen next.

• Chelsea suggested that the Revolutionary Army investigate the people in Mahiro’s portrait, while Taeko prepared to attack them next time.
• Mahiro took Tsukushi, Cornelia, and the others to a hot spring hotel after their victory at White Wave River.
• Barbara and Taeko recognized Mahiro’s group at the hotel and discussed their careful restraint, while Nahashu and Green remained away as backup.
• Mahiro told the girls to act like ordinary children, stay together, and avoid reckless actions while he planned their next move.
• The girls enjoyed the hot springs, teased Tsukushi, and talked about Mahiro’s preferences.
• Unable to sleep, Cornelia left her room late at night and went to soak alone in the hot spring.

Cornelia shared a late-night hot spring with Yotsuba Mahiro and met the traveler Taeko, claiming Mahiro was her boyfriend. Afterward, Cornelia confessed that she liked him and asked to fulfill a girlfriend’s duties, leaving Mahiro to respond.

• Yotsuba Mahiro entered the women’s hot spring by mistake and joined Cornelia, who recalled how he had taken in and cared for her and the other former Assassination Department girls.
• Taeko arrived, questioned why a man was in the women’s bath, and accepted Cornelia’s claim that Mahiro was her boyfriend.
• Cornelia and Taeko chatted in the spring and became friendly while Cornelia concealed her identity with invented stories.
• In the corridor, Mahiro reassured Cornelia that he understood her lie and complimented her as a girlfriend.
• Cornelia embraced Mahiro, confessed that she liked him, and asked him to let her fulfill a girlfriend’s duties that night.

Barbara and her apprentices learned that the Revolutionary Army wanted them to kill Yotsuba Mahiro, and Barbara began plotting to use Taeko’s connection with Cornelia. Meanwhile, Mahiro’s companions continued their hot spring vacation, which ended with Cornelia secretly joining Mahiro and Little Silver in bed.

• Chelsea told Barbara and Taeko that Najenda had reached Revolutionary Army headquarters and that the army wanted them to eliminate Yotsuba Mahiro.
• Barbara inferred that someone inside the Empire had supplied the intelligence and assigned Taeko to cultivate her acquaintance with Cornelia while keeping Chelsea close.
• Taeko revealed that Mahiro was dating Cornelia, and Cornelia began spending more time with Taeko during the vacation.
• That night, Pony and Little Silver wrestled over a place beside Mahiro until he pulled Little Silver into his arms.
• Little Silver flirted with Mahiro beneath the blanket, and Cornelia secretly touched him while telling him not to stop or Little Silver would notice.

Chelsea disguised herself as Cornelia to approach Yotsuba Mahiro and assassinate him, but he kept her drinking until she became intoxicated and began to see through her act. The chapter ended with Mahiro removing his robe and confronting her, leaving Chelsea trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation.

• Mahiro spent the night with Cornelia and the others, while Little Silver and Cornelia struggled to sleep and the cream puffs were eaten by a husky.
• At breakfast, Akame, Tsukushi, and Kurome asked Mahiro to spend a night in their room, and he agreed.
• Taeko arrived and took Cornelia away for a private conversation, while Mahiro watched and treated the meeting as a test of Cornelia.
• Chelsea, disguised as Cornelia, returned to Mahiro and tried to conceal her identity, but he made her drink bowl after bowl of wine.
• Mahiro asked Chelsea what Taeko had told her, then removed his robe and approached her as she grew too intoxicated to escape.