Inside the palace.
Honest lightly tapped his fingers on the long table.
He raised his head and looked at Esdeath sitting across from him.
"Bolic already has the Four Rakshasa Demons on his side, so there shouldn't be any problems for now."
"Why not send Uesugi Ryu to Jellalck as reinforcement and strengthen the defenses there?"
Esdeath felt somewhat conflicted at this moment. The distribution of combat power was a problem.
She actually wanted to keep Uesugi Ryu here to accompany her in hunting down the bandits outside the capital.
It was rare to encounter someone with decent strength.
Esdeath was looking forward to a hearty and satisfying battle.
Previously outside the capital, Uesugi Ryu had shown excellent reconnaissance ability.
He could help her catch the enemy's trail.
But none of the other Jaegers could stand on their own.
The enemy had deliberately exposed their movements, and the reinforcements might be ambushed on the way.
There had to be someone powerful to lead them, and at the moment, Uesugi Ryu was the most suitable candidate.
Esdeath picked up her fork.
The fork pierced the steak and struck the porcelain plate, making a crisp sound.
Although she felt somewhat displeased, there was no helping it.
Esdeath slowly brought the steak into her mouth and nodded slightly.
"Alright."
"But if my people haven't arrived yet and Bolic is already dead, then there's nothing we can do."
Night Raid's combat strength was currently a mystery.
Akame, Sheele, Najenda, and others whose identities had already been exposed had not appeared.
In the current passive situation, the probability of Night Raid successfully assassinating Bolic was actually quite high.
Honest grabbed a lobster.
With a light squeeze, the lobster's hard shell instantly shattered.
He stuffed the snow-white meat into his mouth.
"It doesn't matter. If those foolish commoners really dare to riot, then it's time to eliminate the rebel army."
A cold glint flashed in Esdeath's eyes.
She rested her chin on one hand while cutting the appetizing steak with her knife.
"That works too. Although hunting is fun, I still prefer war!"
Knock. Knock.
Urgent knocking sounded, and a guard-like figure hurried in.
He knelt on one knee behind Honest and spoke with urgency.
"Minister Honest, Young Master Syura has been assassinated!"
The lobster meat in Honest's hand fell onto the table.
A trace of shock appeared on his face.
The palace was heavily guarded, and there were barriers set up using Teigu.
There were flying Danger Beasts in the sky, and General Budo led the Imperial Guard to stand watch day and night.
With this level of defense.
Without an insider's cooperation, it would be extremely difficult for an assassin to get in.
Not to mention the target was Syura, who possessed the space-type Teigu Shambhala.
Hearing this news, even Esdeath was somewhat startled.
But she didn't care about Syura's life or death. If Shambhala had been stolen, that would be troublesome.
Honest subconsciously thought it was Budo who made a move, but after thinking it over, he ruled out that possibility.
There was no need for Budo to kill Syura. That would only intensify the conflict between the two factions.
After eliminating Kaku, Budo had almost stopped taking action.
After all, if pushed too far, the Minister and Esdeath would truly dare to start a civil war.
Since then, Budo had only been secretly providing some military support to Chouri.
There was no time to think too much. Honest and Esdeath quickly stood up and rushed toward Syura's residence.
....
"The assassin disguised himself as the Minister and deceived you and the guards along the way."
"And then killed Syura?"
Budo frowned tightly, looking down at Izou in front of him.
Izou's expression was grim. He had chased in the direction where the assassin disappeared.
On the way, he encountered Budo and was almost mistaken for the assassin and captured.
But it wasn't really General Budo's fault.
Izou was covered in blood, and he didn't look like a good person at all.
The fact that Budo didn't strike him down on the spot.
Was because Izou explained the situation quickly and clearly.
Budo stood at the entrance of Syura's residence and did not go inside.
Things were different now. There was already a rift between Budo and the Minister.
If he rashly entered, he would be suspected of tampering with the scene.
There were many people who held grudges against Syura. The most recent one was Uesugi Ryu, who had seriously injured him.
Budo's chest was filled with anger. To think someone would dare act so brazenly under his guard.
If Syura could be assassinated today, the Emperor could be assassinated tomorrow.
"It seems we need to increase the guard deployment. Arrogant rebels!"
Just as Budo was thinking, an Imperial Guard at the side suddenly reminded him.
"General Budo, the Jaegers have arrived."
Budo turned to look.
Uesugi Ryu walked at the front of the group, with the rest of the Jaegers following behind him.
As he approached, Uesugi Ryu pretended not to know anything and asked.
"What happened?"
Izou stared at Uesugi Ryu. The suspicion on him was considerable.
His Adam's apple moved as he spoke in a low voice.
"Young Master Syura is dead."
Uesugi Ryu revealed a faint smile of schadenfreude.
"Is that so. What a pity."
None of the three factions present had good relations.
Uesugi Ryu and the Wild Hunt represented by Izou were at odds.
Budo disliked everyone.
For a moment, no one went in. They all stayed at the entrance, staring at each other.
Budo and Uesugi Ryu were both avoiding suspicion, while Izou stayed at the door watching them.
BolS and Wave exchanged glances.
The corners of their mouths couldn't help but rise slightly.
If the atmosphere weren't so serious, they would have already laughed out loud.
Kurome held a foxtail grass and teased Koro at the side.
Seemingly amused by Koro's comical appearance, she let out a soft laugh without restraint.
Seeing this, Budo couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although internal discord among political enemies was a good thing.
He couldn't help but feel worried about the future of the Empire.
The Teigu users were all acting on their own, united in appearance but divided at heart.
Wasn't the Empire itself the same?
Soon, Esdeath and Honest arrived.
Seeing this, General Budo had no intention of staying any longer.
He said seriously.
"Since you've arrived, I'll leave this matter to you."
"I failed in my duty and allowed the assassin to enter. I will go and plead guilty before His Majesty."
After speaking, Budo left with the Imperial Guard.
Esdeath narrowed her eyes and gave Uesugi Ryu a deep look.
She had an inexplicable feeling that this matter might be related to him.
Facing Esdeath's scrutiny, Uesugi Ryu remained calm.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
Seryu, Kurome, and the others had no suspicion toward Uesugi Ryu. After all, Stylish had been with him the whole time.
Uesugi Ryu had a perfect alibi and had no opportunity to commit the crime.
Honest stepped into the courtyard and said to Esdeath.
"The Jaegers will wait outside. General Esdeath."
Esdeath withdrew her gaze and followed Honest inside.
Izou followed closely behind.
A pungent smell of blood filled the air. Syura's room was covered in blood.
Shoes stepping on the floor made squelching sounds.
Honest glanced at the mangled corpse on the ground.
The body was severely damaged, with almost no identifiable features left.
Honest remained silent for less than three seconds before his expression quickly returned to normal.
Ever since Syura became a eunuch, Honest had already valued him much less.
Now that he was dead, it wasn't particularly heartbreaking.
Esdeath stepped forward and carefully examined the traces left at the scene.
"A severed hand? Judging from this trace, he was probably trying to use his Teigu to defend himself."
Honest frowned. He understood his own son.
Syura was likely trying to use Shambhala to teleport away, but before he could, one of his hands was cut off.
Honest's expression became unpleasant.
"Foolish son. Shambhala has probably been stolen."
After saying that, Honest looked at Izou behind him.
Izou immediately recounted everything he had seen.
"A shapeshifting ability. It should be the power of some Teigu."
"Then Young Master Syura was restrained by a water prison, and finally..."
At this point, Izou's expression darkened.
Even for someone known as a killer, he had rarely seen such a gruesome death.
Syura had a good relationship with him, so Izou felt some sadness at his death.
When Esdeath heard about the water, she immediately realized something.
But she felt that something was off. Black Marlin couldn't generate water out of thin air.
Where did this water come from?
At that moment, Esdeath suddenly noticed a bucket.
The dark yellow liquid at the bottom came into her sight.
The pungent smell of blood masked the stench of urine.
After realizing what it was, a look of disgust flashed across Esdeath's face.
Honest was still deep in thought. His expression turned somewhat ferocious.
"Is it Black Marlin? Then perhaps it was Night Raid!"
Just as he turned to look at Esdeath, she was no longer in the room.
"General Esdeath?"
Esdeath stood not far from the doorway.
She somewhat impatiently rubbed her boot, then raised her head and responded.
"What a troublesome situation."
"Before they find a Teigu user capable of using Shambhala, we must act quickly."
A powerful assassin organization combined with a teleportation-type Teigu like Shambhala would be extremely terrifying.
Honest nodded.
"That's true."
Esdeath did not linger. After speaking, she strode away.