Two months passed quietly.
During that time, the girls all became well-acquainted with the weapons Haruki had given them. After all, even while training them in the Six Styles, Haruki had made sure to hone their weapon-handling skills as well.
Esdeath had also grown highly proficient with her Teigu. Under Haruki's guidance, she had even learned to use the powerful secret technique from the original series—Mahapadma, which allowed her to freeze all space and time within a certain radius.
At present, she could only use it once a day—not because of extreme physical strain like in the original story, but simply because she hadn't yet mastered it. Haruki was confident that it wouldn't be long before Esdeath could activate it multiple times a day, and with much greater power.
"Esdeath, I heard you're heading out on another expedition?"
Though Haruki spent most of his time at the estate, he wasn't out of touch. As the head of the Imperial Capital's Security Department, important updates were reported to him daily.
"What? Don't tell me you're going to miss me?"
Esdeath teased with a smile.
"Of course I will. Who wouldn't want to keep a gorgeous woman like you by their side?"
Haruki shot back without hesitation. He wasn't wrong either—among the women, Esdeath had the most mature and voluptuous figure, and she was also the boldest and most uninhibited. There were times when Haruki really did hate seeing her leave.
"Alright, jokes aside. The southwestern border's foreign tribes are acting up again—they've teamed up with the Revolutionary Army and launched a rebellion. They've already seized several major towns along the border. The Prime Minister and the little Emperor have ordered Najenda and me to lead the suppression. If all goes well, I'll return as the highest-ranking general under that old mule Budo. I just got my hands on a Teigu, so it'll be the perfect chance to test it out."
As she spoke, a gleam of fanaticism lit up Esdeath's face.
Seeing that look again, Haruki could only sigh. He knew those rebels were in for a brutal time.
He still couldn't quite figure out how Esdeath had developed her sadistic streak, considering she'd spent most of her time in the capital right by his side. But it didn't really matter. He'd always found that part of her character appealing in the original story. Haruki didn't want all the women around him to be the same—so long as Esdeath didn't direct that sadism toward him, he had no complaints.
"Alright, truth is, I wanted to let you know—I'm coming with you on this campaign. And I'm bringing Gin, Nina, Kurome, Tsukushi, Pony, and the Meiki twins along too. I figured it's a good chance to let Kurome reunite with her sister, and Tsukushi and Pony have been missing the rest of the Elite Seven. Besides, after being cooped up in the capital for so long, a little outing will do us good."
Haruki said casually.
"Fine, go ahead. I'll let the Prime Minister and the little Emperor know. But you have to promise me—no interfering. These enemies are all mine."
Esdeath had known Haruki's true identity since the moment they became a couple, so she wasn't worried about his safety. If anything, she was more worried he'd step in and rob her of the chance to fight.
"Alright, alright—I won't get in your way. I've had enough killing for a lifetime already. A thousand years ago was more than enough. Once we arrive, I'll take the others to the assassination unit's training grounds. You won't even notice we're there."
Haruki replied with a helpless shrug.
...
That day, Haruki, Esdeath, Gin, Nina, Kurome, Tsukushi, Pony, the Meiki and Meina sisters, and General Najenda all reined in their horses before the gates of the Imperial Capital. Behind them stretched a massive force—one hundred thousand troops, assembled in tight ranks.
It was the official day of departure for the southwestern campaign.
When Haruki told Kurome, Tsukushi, and Pony that he would be taking them to the assassination unit's base on the southwestern border, the girls were ecstatic. It had been three years since they arrived in the capital, and Kurome missed Akame more with each passing day. Tsukushi and Pony, too, longed to see their former comrades in the assassination unit. But since Haruki had never brought up the topic, none of them had dared to ask.
That night, the girls' excitement hit a peak—and Haruki found himself experiencing firsthand what it meant to be surrounded by beautiful women. Especially when Tsukushi and Pony invited the Meiki and Meina sisters to join them.
Five girls at once—three of them petite and youthful in build, barely thirteen or fourteen—gave Haruki a deeply guilty, almost criminal thrill he couldn't forget.
"General Esdeath, it's about time. Shall we move out?" Najenda said coldly, without even sparing Haruki a glance.
Najenda had been trained by the Conscience Faction within the Empire and harbored a deep hatred for the Prime Minister's clique, which she believed to be the root of the Empire's decay. Unlike her disillusioned counterpart in the original timeline, this version of Najenda still hoped to reform the Empire from within through her own efforts.
She wasn't yet the one-eyed chain-smoking veteran from the source material. Now, she stood tall with shoulder-length white hair, a crisp and sharp military uniform, and the Teigu Pumpkin slung across her back—radiating competence and resolve.
In her eyes, Haruki was nothing more than one of the Prime Minister's loyal cronies, a symbol of entrenched corruption. Whether it was moving into the villa gifted by the Prime Minister, executing (in her view) a fellow Conscience Faction official—the former Minister of Security—on the Prime Minister's orders, or later accepting the title of Minister of Security only to skip court and ignore his duties, everything Haruki did reeked of complicity and elitist arrogance.
And she wasn't alone in thinking this. Many in the capital shared her view, but the Prime Minister's dominance—and Haruki's fearsome show of strength—had left them too intimidated to voice it aloud.
Haruki, of course, knew all this. He just didn't care enough to explain himself. Najenda's disrespect didn't bother him; he simply chatted and joked with the girls by his side. Unfortunately, that only deepened Najenda's distaste for him.
"The time has come. All units—move out!" Esdeath shouted.
The army erupted with a thunderous roar, shaking the very air. The morale was sky-high. With Esdeath and Najenda, two of the Empire's most renowned generals, leading them, the troops were more than ready for battle.
And so, Haruki and his group rode out with the mighty army, heading straight for the Empire's turbulent southwestern frontier.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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