What met Haruki's eyes was a cluster of seemingly ordinary buildings. At a glance, most people would have mistaken them for simple residential homes—not a tightly secured training facility.
But upon closer inspection, Haruki noticed the doors and windows had been specially reinforced, and there were numerous skilled guards and hidden sentries stationed all around.
Led by Gozuki, Haruki and Nina arrived at one of the larger courtyards. The yard was quiet and mostly empty. It was clear the central area served as a training ground, with various pieces of equipment neatly arranged. The surrounding buildings housed the children who were slated to be sent to the Imperial Capital for enhancement through drug treatments.
As they reached the center, Gozuki gave Haruki a quick nod, then shouted,
"Assemble!"
In an instant, several small figures dashed out of the buildings. Leading the charge was a black-haired, black-eyed girl, followed closely by a silver-haired girl with pale blue eyes. The rest filed in quickly and lined up in formation.
It was obvious they'd gone through many drills like this before.
"Sir, the first girl to arrive is Kurome. She has an assassination rating of 8 and excellent potential. She also has an older sister, Akame, whose rating is 7. I separated them to avoid them affecting each other's performance in training. The silver-haired girl is Gin—her aptitude is a bit lower than Kurome's, but still upper-tier. She trains very hard and has an assassination rating of 10..."
Gozuki introduced the children one by one, like he was presenting merchandise.
Haruki scanned the group, but in the end, his attention settled on Kurome and Gin, standing at the front. There were a few other kids with decent potential, but he didn't plan to take them. Haruki didn't have the time or energy to train too many.
To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about these children yet. But there was one thing he did know—he didn't want anyone else getting close to them. He definitely didn't want some boys falling for the girls over the course of training. Haruki was, by nature, a possessive man.
"These two will stay with me. I won't be leaving this place for a while, so I'll train them personally."
Haruki said calmly to Gozuki.
"Of course, sir—whatever you say."
Gozuki replied quickly, then turned to Kurome and Gin.
"Well? Hurry up and thank the gentleman. Being chosen by him is the kind of blessing you only get once in eight lifetimes. He's even stronger than I am. If you train under him, you'll surely become pillars of the Empire."
"Yes, sir!"
Kurome and Gin responded immediately, their voices sharp with discipline. They were still quite intimidated by their fierce-looking instructor.
Then, both of them looked up at Haruki.
Gozuki's claim that this stranger was even stronger than their instructor clearly piqued their curiosity. In their eyes, Gozuki was unbeatable—they had all seen him take down powerful Danger Beasts with a single strike.
Kurome simply looked on in quiet awe, impressed by Haruki's striking appearance and calm demeanor. Gin, on the other hand, was both amazed and a little disappointed. Her goal had always been to join the elite group of seven, and now it seemed like the instructor had been exaggerating. The man before her didn't look like some legendary warrior. Her dream suddenly felt more distant than ever.
Haruki noticed their reactions but said nothing. The truth would reveal itself in time.
"Gozuki, prepare a house for me and Nina. I'll be training them personally. And from now on, the two girls will live with us."
"Yes, right away."
Gozuki responded without hesitation.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake