__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:That kind of thinking is completely wrong! What you're doing is nothing but helping the tyrants!
[Ice Witch]:???
[Shepherd]:Maybe she doesn't even know what that idiom means?
[Shepherd]:I mean, with how the Empire is, regular folks probably never had a chance to go to school.
[Ice Witch]:I may not know the idiom, but I can tell you were mocking me. That's no different from those useless Imperial officials who only know how to argue with words.
[Old Mage]:Not just stubborn in character, but stubborn in temper too. I doubt logic will work on someone like her.
[Poison Island]:Miss Frieren looks kind of mad right now.
[Blizzard from Hell]:Well, can you blame her? Knowing there are still people out there willing to side with the Empire... who wouldn't be furious after seeing how normal people live under that system?
[Shut-in Angel]:The Empire's nothing but oppression. Ordinary people crushed by capital, no hope in sight. The only way to "make it" is by selling your soul to the system. Damn... this is Cyberpunk 2077—no, Cyberpunk 1077!
[Bad Woman]:No matter the world, ordinary people rarely live fairly. Sometimes, drastic reform is the only answer.
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:Miss Makima, you're not seriously thinking about using Gabriel's Trumpet of Destruction again, are you?
[Bad Woman]:The thought crossed my mind. But after what you all told me last time, I reflected on it. Starting everything over from scratch isn't the best solution.
[Ice Witch]:You're outsiders, yet you care this much about my world. Don't tell me you're planning to invade the Empire like the foreign tribes.
[Shepherd]:We're just saying what any sane person would. Even if we did nothing, the Empire's doomed to fall eventually.
[Ice Witch]:You mean because of those rebels and Night Raid? If it weren't for their main force staying hidden, I would've wiped them all out already. Still, thanks to the anime's plot, finding them is a lot easier. In that sense, I should thank you.
Even through the dimensional barrier, Rosen could picture Esdeath's bloodthirsty smile.
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:Crap! If that's true, won't the whole ending get messed up?!
Night Raid's greatest strength was never their power, but their ability to remain hidden. In the original story, when Esdeath returned to the capital, Najenda—their leader and once Esdeath's fellow general—chose to lay low, knowing just how terrifying Esdeath really was.
At minimum, it would take fifty thousand elite soldiers and a host of Imperial Arms users to have even a chance at defeating her.
She was an army unto herself.
[Shut-in Angel]:Oh no, this is bad! Why didn't I think of this before uploading the anime?!!
Gabriel was filled with regret.
Up until now, everyone who joined the chat had been "good people," so she'd let her guard down.
She knew who Esdeath was, of course, but because of her popularity, she hadn't thought twice about the fact that Esdeath was the main antagonist.
[Shut-in Angel]:Seriously, why did we invite a villain into the group? Wouldn't it have been better to bring in Akame or Leone instead?
[Shepherd]:Too late for regrets now.
[Blizzard from Hell]:Even if the chat assigns us a mission, we can't just barge into a new member's world. We need their permission first.
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:So we're stuck in a dead loop?! Shocked.jpg
[Ice Witch]:I don't get it. The Empire's problems have nothing to do with you, so why insist on caring?
[Shepherd]:Because people want to change tragedies. When a story is too grim, audiences naturally wonder how things could have gone differently. And under Imperial rule, life for ordinary citizens is pure misery. With a corrupt minister and a useless boy-emperor, it's only natural to want to fix some of those tragedies.
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:Yeah, I just don't want to see Night Raid's members die. They're good people.
[Ice Witch]:So your idea is to improve the people's lives and stop those assassins from dying? To help the rebels overthrow the Empire?
[Shepherd]:Not just that. Among those who don't deserve to die... is you too, Esdeath.
[Shepherd]:Think about it. The Empire isn't worth your loyalty. Compare its people to your old tribe that was wiped out by foreigners—are they really that different? Of course, I know you'll argue the rebels were the cause of it all.
[Ice Witch]:And?
[Shepherd]:I actually agree with you. The rebels' cause might be just, but allying with foreign tribes was a huge mistake. Your tribe's destruction is largely their fault. That's why I can't side with them either.
Esdeath paused, a hint of doubt creeping in.
What was with this guy's logic?
He didn't support the Empire. He opposed the rebels. And he was calling her the crazy one?
Wasn't he the one who was actually insane?
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]:Huh? Lord Rosen, you don't like the rebels?
[Shepherd]:They're not saints. Just the fact they let foreign tribes rampage along the borders is unforgivable.
[Shepherd]:That said, most of their rank-and-file are just oppressed commoners, and their resolve is admirable.
[Ice Witch]:So what's your point?
[Shepherd]:The real root of the Empire's rot is the Minister and his cronies. The Empire itself isn't the problem—it's the policies. So my suggestion is simple: eliminate the people who make the policies.
[Shepherd]:The organization has already decided: the Minister and the boy-emperor go to the gallows. After that... you'll be the new Empress.
[Ice Witch]:???
Esdeath had expected Rosen to throw some weak arguments at her.
Instead, he said that.
This otherworlder really was out of his mind.
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________