What was this man's background?
Just sensing Kaiser's aura made Najenda's pupils tremble.
An overwhelming sense of danger filled the room.
She knew this feeling well—from the battlefield.
The breath of death.
Najenda was certain even Esdeath couldn't evoke this.
Worse, a mysterious power permeated the air.
Terrifying and immense.
That was what had pinned Leone.
Cold sweat soaked her back.
What kind of monster had Akame brought?
On the other side, Leone struggled to lift her head, forcing a smile uglier than a cry.
"Um, sir, I was wrong earlier. Could you let it go?"
Leone caved instantly.
She knew this man was beyond her.
Kaiser didn't reply, just watching her with a half-smile.
Leone's smile froze.
The pressure didn't increase, but an inexplicable aura choked her.
She looked desperately at Akame.
Sister, control your man—help!
"…"
You brought this on yourself.
She'd tried to stop it.
Akame turned away.
Master wouldn't kill her anyway. A lesson for Leone's impulsiveness wasn't bad.
Leone: "???"
She stared at Akame in disbelief.
Your comrade's like this, and you ignore it?
So that's how you are.
"Ahem." Najenda coughed, signaling Akame.
She didn't know Kaiser and hesitated to speak.
Akame paused, then whispered, "Master, Leone's learned her lesson. Could you…"
Kaiser smiled. "Fine, since my beloved peerage member pleads for her."
"I'll spare her."
The oppressive aura vanished.
"Phew!" Leone slumped like mud on the floor.
"You okay, Leone?" Najenda helped her up, checking her condition.
"I-I'm fine," Leone wiped sweat, drained. "Just exhausted."
With Najenda's support, she sat.
Najenda turned, eyes grave. "Akame, can you explain who this gentleman is?"
Their relationship clearly wasn't simple.
Kaiser dominated completely.
Akame paused, then said, "As you heard, he's my Master."
"Huh?" Leone blinked. "That's not just couple's roleplay…"
"No. He's the one I serve."
The words stunned Leone and Najenda. They exchanged glances, speechless.
They knew Akame's iron will.
Yet she willingly served this man?
Leone pressed anxiously, "Did he force you? Tell us—we'll figure something out."
"Yes," Najenda said resolutely. "We won't let you be humiliated, even if he's too strong."
"…"
Do I really look like a villain?
I'm gentle with pretty girls!
Akame shook her head. "Becoming Master's peerage member was my choice."
"Peerage member?" Najenda asked, puzzled.
"Those who serve devils," Kaiser said with a smile. "Simply put, Akame's a devil now too."
"Huh?" Leone and Najenda froze, minds reeling.
After a beat, Leone said reproachfully, "Akame, this is a joke, right? You and him pranking us?"
"I didn't expect you to joke around."
Akame sighed, no reply.
Flap!
Black wings burst from her back.
Whoosh!
They flapped, devilish aura flooding the room.
Leone and Najenda's pupils shrank, dumbfounded.
Devils?
Real devils.
The stinging wings crashed their brains.
It took ages for Najenda to recover. "Can you explain everything that happened?"
"Yes," Leone nodded vigorously. "From the start—no details skipped."
Their comrade went hunting.
She drank and sang.
And came back a devil.
Too absurd to accept.
"Fine." Akame organized her thoughts and began recounting.
Time passed. The room fell silent.
Leone chugged her drink, sighing. "Never imagined this."
"Even Esdeath became a devil?"
Najenda hesitated. "So the rumored replacement for Minister Honest… is you?"
"Yes." Kaiser blinked. "Any questions?"
"Nothing, just… too much information."
Najenda's gaze complicated.
Devils controlled the Empire.
What now?
Overthrowing it had become a pipe dream?
"Right, how about you two become my peerage members too?"
"Huh?" Leone and Najenda blinked, caught off guard by the offer.
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