The next day.
Mera got up with two black circles under her eyes.
When she woke up, her gaze toward Akuto was more resentful than ever before.
Because—after being knocked out by Akuto for half an hour, she woke up again.
And when she woke, what she saw was two beautiful girls beneath Akuto, their faces displaying expressions of supreme bliss.
Mera's entire being froze.
Damn it! They stole her man!? Absolutely outrageous!
She had already negotiated her terms. Who cuts in halfway like that!?
"Mera? Looks like you slept pretty well last night."
Akuto noticed her dark circles and smiled playfully.
He stood up and walked straight to the Insect Queen.
"Oh? You're not planning on making a move against me, are you?"
Mera's lazy tone carried both a test and a threat.
If Akuto dared to strike at her, she'd show him the consequences.
However—
He only tapped lightly on her chest, and in the next instant, a mass of blue-violet liquid surged out of her body.
That was the special energy Akuto had infused into her, used to restrain her!
But now, he had lifted it!?
"You—what do you mean by this?"
Rather than relief, Mera felt a bad premonition.
Nothing abnormal happens without reason!
She didn't believe Akuto had suddenly gone saintly after one night, magnanimously deciding to let her go.
Wait—was he trying to silence her?
But… no, that didn't make sense either. If he wanted to silence her, why do it so openly, right here in front of everyone?
Her year of comfort under Akuto had dulled her sharp mind. Once smarter even than Esdeath, now she was out of practice.
"If I said I now have the strength to suppress you head-on, and no longer need such tricks… would you believe me?"
Akuto shook his head with a smile.
Then he snapped his fingers, igniting the coals under the breakfast pot.
"Impossible. Just one night, and you improved that much?" Mera was unconvinced.
"Enough thinking. Wash up and come eat breakfast.
Of course, you could try to escape. But I'll catch you personally—and each time I do, I'll spank you hard."
Akuto raised his hand as if already delivering punishment.
"Hmph." Mera snorted lightly, but still went off to wash up.
She didn't run. Instead, she returned obediently and sat down to eat with him.
After breakfast, Akuto unfurled his devil's wings.
As before, he carried Cornelia in his left arm, Cosmina in his right, and Mera clinging to his back.
But unlike before—Cornelia and Cosmina, having experienced last night, no longer blushed shyly. Now, they nestled closer of their own will.
"Tch~"
Mera noticed and clicked her tongue.
"Alright, enough of that. I'm going to speed up."
[Boost!]
The Boosted Gear manifested on Akuto's hand.
Yesterday, the reason he so quickly acted with Cosmina and Cornelia wasn't just lust. It was to unlock his abilities faster.
After obtaining his first ability slot, he had redeemed "Succubus Bloodline."
With that, he quickly raised Cornelia's favorability, unlocking a second slot.
And with the second slot, he redeemed—the Boosted Gear.
It was precisely because he now had the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet that he dared release Mera's restraints.
As long as he bore the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, he was untouchable in the Akame ga Kill world.
Even if other heroines died, with the "Reincarnation Pool" or "Evil Pieces," he could bring them back.
[Welsh Dragon—Balance Breaker!]
[Forbidden Move! Boosted Gear Scale Mail!]
Scarlet armor flared into existence around him.
"Boom!"
Once clad in Scale Mail, Akuto's flying figure blurred into afterimages.
High above the clouds, Mera clung to him, curiosity in her touch as her fingers stroked the red armor.
Yes—this was the one.
This armor's strength even surpassed her secret technique "Insect Chrysalis." Last time, it was with this armor that Akuto captured her.
And since then, she had never seen him use it again.
Didn't he need training to keep from getting rusty?
"Akuto-kun, is that why you freed me—because you've mastered this armor?"
"You could say that~"
"And don't bother testing me. You couldn't beat me normally—let alone in this mode."
As he spoke, Akuto squeezed her thigh hard.
Mera's breath caught. She gave up the thought of probing further.
Perhaps because of his Succubus Bloodline, she didn't reject his touch. Instead, she found herself strangely intrigued.
"So, this is your 'secret art,' then?"
Every Teigu user had one. Mera naturally mistook the Boosted Gear for a Teigu.
"Secret art? No. This isn't that.
Teigu secret arts can only be used briefly. Mine—I could maintain for twelve hours straight, easy."
"I see… then drowning you in a swarm of insects is no longer an option. What a pity."
"Yeah. Truly a pity.
But if you want, you can prepare thoroughly—raise your swarm for a few months. Then challenge me again.
Same terms as last night: if I win, punishment."
"Punish me?"
Mera laughed brightly, covering her lips.
"Akuto-kun, do you really want to conquer me that badly? You must have fallen for me, wanting to vent your lust."
She understood—his goal was to wear down her resistance, to break her spirit bit by bit.
And yet… she couldn't deny her growing interest in him.
Though she couldn't imagine loving him, she admitted: he was the most unique man she had ever seen.
Perhaps—just perhaps—he could achieve a legacy rivaling the First Emperor.
That was Mera's judgment of Akuto.
Outside the capital, they descended.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You've triggered the main story quest—Hospitality of Noble Girl Aria.]
[Quest Grade: Blue]
[Quest Description: Having arrived in the Akame ga Kill world, how could you miss meeting the legendary noble girl Aria, infamous for her two-faced charm?]
[Quest Requirement: Interact deeply with Aria and her family.]
"Aria, huh?" Akuto raised his brows, gazing at the walled Imperial Capital.
Just how many souls were buried within those walls?
He set the three girls down and gave instructions.
"You'll stay at the inn near the capital gate, register properly.
As for me, I'll go set up the teleportation array between here and Anvale City."
The teleportation array was one of many spells he'd learned from the "Nameless Grimoire."
With arrays like Teleportation, Spirit Gathering, Illumination, Rain Calling—his city of Anvale had grown into a rival of entire provinces.
Especially the teleportation arrays. With them, long-distance transport was obsolete, and commerce thrived.
By now, his city alone could rival three major provinces.
Half an hour later, he had finished constructing a fixed teleportation array.
With a flash of blue light, a group of girls emerged.
Leading them was a black-haired beauty—Sayu, his childhood friend.
Under Akuto's training, she had become his proxy, managing Anvale in his absence.
Unlike her innocent counterpart in the original tale, this Sayu bore the aura of a ruler.
But before him, she was still just Sayu.
The moment she appeared, she threw her arms around him.
"Akuto-kun, are you alright? I missed you so much~"
"Mm. Sayu, I missed you too."
With so many girls behind him, he still answered her affectionately.
She blinked in surprise. Normally, he never pushed her away—but neither did he openly return her feelings.
Had he… changed?
Overjoyed, she hugged him even tighter.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]