Seeing Haruki's unusual reaction, the Prime Minister assumed it was out of concern that Najenda's betrayal might pose a threat to Esdeath's safety.
But Haruki scoffed at the thought. He had no such concerns. With Esdeath now wielding the Teigu Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract, even before obtaining it, Haruki had never believed anyone could endanger her.
He understood that the only reason Najenda had survived was due to Esdeath's peculiar habit—deliberately letting her opponents live just to prolong the thrill of battle. Had she truly intended to kill Najenda, no number of reinforcements could have saved her. Najenda would be long dead by now.
Of course, Haruki had no interest in explaining all that to the Prime Minister.
"Oh? Then, Prime Minister, if Najenda has rebelled, what exactly do you need from me?"
Haruki asked flatly.
"Well, you see, Najenda was one of the generals the Empire had heavily invested in grooming. Like General Esdeath, she commanded great respect in the military. Her defection is not only a massive blow to the Empire's prestige but also serves to embolden the Revolutionary Army. We cannot allow this situation to continue..."
As the Prime Minister went on about the political consequences of Najenda's defection, Haruki's patience wore thin. People like him could ramble endlessly about the simplest issue.
"Spare me the speech, Prime Minister. Just tell me what you want. I'm not interested in any of that."
Haruki cut him off.
Realizing Haruki's growing impatience, the Prime Minister got to the point.
"We've discovered Najenda's current hiding place and have already sent several teams of assassins to eliminate her. However, due to the heavy protection she now receives from the Revolutionary Army, all attempts have failed. I've run out of options, which is why I'm here to ask if Lord Haruki would be willing to send someone from your side to carry out this mission."
He knew full well the women around Haruki were all top-tier fighters, so he came to make the request.
Truth be told, if it weren't for the overwhelming pressure from the rest of the court and his own inability to resolve the matter, the Prime Minister would never have dared trouble Haruki. He usually bent over backward just to curry favor with him, let alone make any demands.
After a moment's thought, Haruki replied, "Alright, I'll send Akame. But I'm not promising any results."
He gave his answer calmly.
Haruki, fully aware of the original story's events, knew Akame had been the one sent to assassinate Najenda—and had ended up defecting after being persuaded by her. That was exactly why he agreed to send her.
First, he didn't want the storyline to deviate too far from the source material. If someone else went and actually killed Najenda, everything would spiral out of his control. Second, even if Akame did still defect, Haruki was confident he could change her tragic fate from the original.
"No problem at all. As long as Lord Haruki is involved, that's enough."
Like the rest of the court, the Prime Minister knew Haruki's influence in the Capital was immense. Even if his chosen assassin failed, no one would dare blame him.
...
And so, the next day, per Haruki's instruction, Akame and Kurome said their farewells and set off to assassinate Najenda. It's worth noting that before returning to the Capital, Haruki had already retrieved the Teigu One-Cut Killer: Murasame from Gozuki—so Akame now wielded it once more.
After Akame's departure, Haruki's life returned to its familiar, laid-back rhythm. By day, he guided the women through their training. By night, when time allowed, he spent it enjoying the company of a few select women (you can guess what that means).
The only real difference from before was Chelsea and Taeko. Since their return to the Capital, Haruki had been regularly training the two of them.
But Taeko had become completely submissive, obeying his every command without resistance. It made things feel dull to Haruki. In contrast, he found himself increasingly entertained by the spirited and outspoken Chelsea, and took particular pleasure in "training" her now.
"Hey, Chelsea, how's that outfit feel?"
In one of the large rooms of Haruki's mansion where everyone was resting, Haruki lounged on the sofa, casually eyeing Chelsea and Taeko, both dressed in maid uniforms. With a mischievous grin, he teased Chelsea, knowing full well that saying the same to Taeko would get no reaction.
Sure enough, Chelsea erupted.
"Ugh, you bastard! How could you make me wear something like this?!"
With cat ears on her head, a classic black-and-white maid outfit, thigh-high stockings, and a matching black-and-white collar around her neck, Chelsea was the very image of "cute and humiliating." Her ears flushed red as she stood there, feeling like this was the most embarrassing moment of her entire life.
Haruki watched her squirm, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction, while casually commenting to the others nearby. As Chelsea continued to protest, he raised an eyebrow and feigned seriousness.
"Chelsea, is that any way for a maid to behave? Is this how you treat your master?"
A vein throbbed on Chelsea's forehead as she clenched her fists, trying hard to suppress her rage in the face of Haruki's deliberate provocation.
"Don't lose it, don't lose it… If I explode now, who knows what kind of twisted punishment this pervert will come up with next..."
Forcing a stiff smile, Chelsea gritted her teeth and asked, "Master, what are your instructions?"
Of course, she knew exactly what Haruki was after. He loved seeing her in this kind of state—angry, humiliated, but having no choice but to play along. And every time he ordered her around, it just made her more furious.
Haruki stroked his chin thoughtfully, then said, "Hmm… Maid, go serve everyone their food. After that, clean this room top to bottom! Oh, and when they're done eating, you're doing the dishes too."
"What?! You've got tons of maids in this place! Why am I the one stuck doing all of this? And this room's huge! I'll be cleaning forever!"
Chelsea protested loudly.
But Haruki, pretending to ponder seriously, replied with something that nearly made her explode.
"You're right… This room is pretty big. It must be exhausting for the other maids to keep it clean. Since you're so eager and helpful, let's just put you in charge of cleaning it from now on."
"Hahaha!"
That did it. The girls nearby, who had been holding back their laughter the whole time, burst out laughing.
Taeko, standing off to the side, saw Chelsea about to argue again and quickly grabbed her hand. This had to stop—any more protests and the entire mansion's chores might end up on the two of them. That thought alone made Taeko shudder.
...
Time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
There had been no news from Akame the entire time. Kurome was growing anxious and had considered going to check on her more than once.
Then today, a message arrived from the Prime Minister.
Akame had failed in her attempt to assassinate Najenda—and after being persuaded by her, had defected to the Revolutionary Army.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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