After Cornelia assigned everyone their tasks, the ten of them began to act separately.
Akame and Kurome quickly headed up the mountain. Both could be considered qualified warriors and competent assassins.
The first lesson of training in the Forest Sea had been concealing one's presence. Being too exposed in the perilous Forest Sea was practically suicide. So although their training had been aimed at becoming Valkyries, they had learned stealth skills as well.
But it was broad daylight now, so compared to nighttime... sneaking around was much harder. Using the trees, rocks, and other cover on the mountain, the two swiftly made their way upward.
If she had not obtained her Stigmata, Kurome felt she would not have dared to be so reckless. At the very least, she would have waited until nightfall before taking action.
But after gaining a Stigmata, everything was completely different. The increased movement speed and Honkai energy it provided allowed her to dart swiftly between every piece of cover.
Even if she rushed past ordinary people, unless they paid close attention, they would only think a gust of wind had passed by.
"Kurome, be careful!"
As the two advanced toward the bandits' hideout halfway up the mountain, just as Kurome was about to step over a sparse wooden fence about a meter high, Akame grabbed her.
"What is it, Sister?"
Pulled back by Akame, Kurome stopped and crouched behind a wooden stake again.
"Look at the tops of those fences..."
Akame pointed at the fence ahead, a trace of lingering fear in her voice.
The fence was still far from the bandits' hideout. It was sparsely planted ahead, perhaps to keep out wild beasts or for some other reason. Rather than being arranged in a straight line, the stakes stood irregularly across a stretch several