When Run arrived at the conference room, he saw that almost everyone—aside from Esdeath—bore some degree of injuries and bruises.
"...?"
He hesitated, holding back his words, and said nothing until after he'd taken a seat. Finally, he spoke up.
"General Esdeath, wasn't I supposed to be the one handling this handover?"
"You worked late into the night yesterday—there's nothing wrong with getting a little more rest." Esdeath crossed her legs leisurely, her bloodstained shoe tipping up and down with the motion.
Run sighed and gave up on persuading her. With outsiders present, it was better not to air the Jaegers' internal affairs for others' amusement. Besides, Esdeath's concern for him did warm his heart a little.
So, he shifted his gaze to Wave.
The young man's face was still shadowed with gloom, making Run hold back the stern inquiry he'd intended to voice.
Ever since Wave had left the capital with General Esdeath, every time they met again he'd looked like this.
But being captured shouldn't have shaken him this deeply. Run had asked Bols to check on him, but the only answer he got was that Wave himself didn't want to talk about it.
It was only after learning more about this city that Run understood why Wave wore that expression—as if his very faith had crumbled.
Every darkness festering in the Empire could trace its origin or prototype here: smuggling, gambling, drugs, slavery, exploitation.
The Capital was nothing less than a colossal den of corruption.
If Run's guess was right, after the blow of his comrades' capture, Wave must have encountered something else here.
The thought brought a pang of heartache and helplessness.
Though Run wanted to change the Empire from within, he knew it wouldn't happen overnight. Wave had come here from the countryside, never having faced its dark underbelly.
He took pride in being an Imperial soldier, believing he was doing righteous work. Confronted with all this filth, it was only natural his honest heart would be wounded.
He sighed inwardly. Still, he had to ask.
"Wave, what happened here?"
"These guys disrespected General Esdeath and attacked her first." Wave stated it plainly.
Good. With that fact established, Run could pressure these outsiders without reservation.
"If I recall, you are the recently formed squad, Wild Hunt," Run said, his tone devoid of warmth. "Care to explain why you chose to provoke a conflict with us upon arriving here?"
Faced with his question, Syura didn't even bother to respond. Every part of his body ached fiercely, yet the two who'd beaten him were practically unscathed.
Having rarely suffered defeat in his life, he felt profoundly unbalanced—burning to retaliate immediately, yet aware of the considerable gap in strength between them.
Even all six of them together couldn't retaliate, let alone win. Esdeath alone could take them all down.
Unless…
Remembering the dragon girl, the one his father feared, who would soon arrive here, Syura formed a plan, a cold smile curling his lips.
A disobedient dog, and a dog that dared turn on its master—here was the chance to take both out at once.
Even if he couldn't eliminate both, at the very least he could get rid of that damned woman, Esdeath.
As for who would protect the Empire if Esdeath died? He wasn't worried in the slightest.
When he'd told his father he was coming here, the refusal hadn't been particularly firm. It was clear his father already viewed Esdeath as expendable.
If she could be discarded, that meant she wasn't all that important. And his father was confident that even without Esdeath, they could wipe out the rebels.
Having heard of the invincible, supreme Teigu, Syura felt no panic at all.
Seeing Syura not only fail to respond but also drift off into thought, Run's already cold expression darkened completely.
"Don't trouble yourself with these minor matters, Run." Esdeath, however, waved a hand, cutting off what he was about to say.
"Now that we've met, let's all get some proper rest. After all, we each have our own duties to attend to."
Her words made Run's expression ease slightly.
So the General didn't consider these people comrades or allies.
That settled it.
Run had no inclination to lecture those who didn't matter. The gloom on his face instantly gave way to a smile.
"My apologies. Everyone here seems rather injured—please head to the infirmary for treatment. Dr. Stylish happens to be there. Wave, could you show them the way?"
Since they weren't on their side, his choice was to let them face their own fate.
Having said that, he turned to Esdeath. "General, do you have any plans for what comes next?"
"Oh, the usual. Don't worry about it." Esdeath knew that her recent solo excursions to amass strength without a word had left Run on edge, afraid he'd lose contact with her if he blinked.
Only after everyone else had left the room did Run continue. "General, I've gathered everything you asked me to collect over this period."
He thought of the dark supply chains, the stolen goods, and the list of involved personnel he'd uncovered these past few days. A flicker of killing intent passed through his eyes before he quickly concealed it.
Run had a favorable impression of Esdeath, but not of the Empire—otherwise he wouldn't be trying to change it.
Yet Esdeath was the Empire's General. Even if he held grievances against the Empire, it wasn't appropriate to show them in front of her.
"As expected of you."
Esdeath never hesitated to praise her subordinates' competence.
"Might I ask… what is your purpose in collecting all this, General Esdeath?"
"Hmm~" She let out a soft hum, her tone casual. "It's hardly a purpose. Just… an insurance policy."
"Insurance?"
Esdeath didn't elaborate.
The scope of this insurance was actually quite narrow. It was something she'd only use if, after a life-or-death battle with Eblana, she lost but didn't die.
She anticipated that once Eblana's path reached its end, all these parasites of the former Empire would become targets she'd need to root out and eliminate.
Of course, she hadn't gathered these materials to surrender or curry favor. If she lost but survived, she believed Eblana would inevitably put her to use.
Just as she herself would keep Eblana securely contained if the roles were reversed.
The real purpose of these materials was to have a list—something to keep herself from utter boredom in the peaceful, dull world to come. Otherwise, having nothing to do might very well drive her mad.
But…
That was assuming it would ever actually come in handy.
Three days passed in a flash. Eblana had completed her war preparations, and the members of Night Raid had recovered to peak condition.
Except for Chelsea, who stayed behind to guard the base as she wasn't a front-line fighter, every member of Night Raid would take to the battlefield this time. And they wouldn't be alone.
Seeing Kurome standing beside Akame, Eblana felt a surge of satisfaction. Then she ordered the horns blown, signaling their departure from the city.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.