"Won't we ever come back?"
Hearing Rita's words, the girls looked somewhat reluctant to leave. Though there was nothing here... only an endless sea of trees.
But... they had lived here for six years, and they had even built a home of their own. Now that they were leaving this place for good, they truly couldn't bear to part with it.
"There's no need to be reluctant. Every feast must come to an end. You were only here to train, and now that you've all completed your training, there's no need to stay any longer."
"Don't you still have a home in the Imperial Capital? Life there... is much more comfortable than it is here, isn't it?" Rita smiled as she consoled the reluctant girls. This place had only existed to train them. Now that the task was complete, there was no need to remain.
"Anyway, if there's anything you still want to do here, go do it! We'll return to the Imperial Capital tomorrow."
She wasn't planning to take them back right away. There was no need to rush.
"Yes."
They spent one last night in the sea of trees. Rita assigned them no tasks and even cooked a meal for them herself.
This time, however, Akame and Kurotama helped out beside her.
To satisfy her appetite, Akame had learned cooking from Rita years ago. Though she still couldn't compare to Rita... her skills were already quite good.
Akame usually handled everyone's meals, which made it easier for her... to sneak bites. After all, any dish that passed through Akame's hands would definitely lose half of its contents...
But everyone had long since gotten used to it.
At that moment, Akame worked with Rita while occasionally sneaking a bite. It was rare for her teacher to cook, so