We're all adults here—this isn't just a ga.
If neither side is willing to compromise, a battle is inevitable.
Chelsea really didn’t want to end up as an enemy of Blayn and the others if there was any way to avoid it.
With these thoughts weighing on her mind, she found herself caring less about what had just happened between Kuro and Esdeath.
After thinking it over, Chelsea decided it would be best to talk to Blayn directly.
A mont later, she suddenly spoke up. “Blayn, after we overthrow Pri Minister Honest... I guess that makes us enemies, doesn’t it?”
Blayn fell silent for a mont upon hearing that.
“...Yeah, I suppose so. I won’t compromise on this.”
“Well, I was thinking... if possible, I’d like to try convincing Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army,” Chelsea said.
Personally, she had no real objection to Akatsuki’s ideals.
The main reason she had joined the Revolutionary Army in the first place was her deep disgust for the Empire’s corruption.
As long as they could eliminate the source of that corruption—Pri Minister Honest—it didn’t really matter whether the Empire was overthrown or reford from within.
She believed most people in the Revolutionary Army could be reasoned with on that point.
“Even though we’re not at that stage yet, it’s definitely sothing we need to plan for,” Blayn said thoughtfully.
The Revolutionary Army had no shortage of talented individuals, many of whom could play a key role in rebuilding the Empire.
If they could be persuaded, that would be ideal. But if not, then force might be the only option.
After a brief pause, Blayn ca up with a preliminary idea.
“How about this? When the ti cos, we stage a little show. But it’ll require your cooperation—it’s up to you.”
Blayn then shared his rough plan with Chelsea, thinking he’d also bring it up with Najenda and the others when the opportunity arose.
…
Imperial Capital, Royal Palace.
Esdeath stood before Pri Minister Honest.
She still rembered Blayn’s words and hadn’t acted recklessly, even though she was confident she could crush the minister beneath her heel at any mont.
Her deanor remained unchanged, showing no signs of suspicion. Honest, oblivious to her true allegiance, casually held a loaf of bread in one hand and a list in the other, completely unaware that his most trusted ally had already turned against him.
“Esdeath, I barely managed to find four of the six Teigu Users you wanted. The only ones I could gather were either low-ranking or eccentric. Don’t bla —I really did my best,” Honest said helplessly, glancing at the short list of nas.
The reason for this was simple: in the original tiline, Seryu and Kuro would have been part of the Jaegers, but Blayn had already taken them under his wing. As a result, the squad, which was supposed to consist of six mbers, had been reduced to just four.
The Empire had a limited number of Teigu Users to begin with, and nearly half of the Teigus had either fallen into the hands of the Revolutionary Army or ended up outside the country. Finding two more capable recruits was practically impossible.
But Esdeath didn’t care. She no longer needed to fight Night Raid, so it made no difference to her.
“Four will do. That’s more than enough to deal with those Night Raid thieves,” she said indifferently. “Besides, I have stronger forces at my disposal now, apart from the Three Beasts. It won’t be a problem.”
“Ah, you an Blayn? With you handling things, I have nothing to worry about.”
Honest imdiately assud Blayn was part of the Jaegers as well.
He had already heard about Saikyuu’s death at the hands of Esdeath and Blayn, but it didn’t concern him. After all, as long as Esdeath was in control, everything was fine.
“That’s right,” Esdeath nodded slightly.
Honest remained completely unaware that things were the exact opposite—Blayn wasn’t joining the Jaegers. Esdeath, on the other hand, had beco a mber of Akatsuki.
Even as she took the list and left the palace, Honest suspected nothing.
“I wonder what kind of people these new Teigu Users are. Might as well have a little fun with them,” Esdeath thought as she walked away, utterly unconcerned.
...
After returning, Esdeath imdiately reported everything to Blayn.
“Four Teigu Users—that’s not bad at all,” Blayn said, satisfied.
Then a thought struck him. Based on Honest’s words... if Kuro and Seryu hadn’t been influenced by him, they would have been the Jaegers’ fifth and sixth mbers.
“They should be arriving soon, probably in the next couple of days. You’ll get a chance to et them then,” Esdeath said.
“Alright. Speaking of which, do you want to et the rest of Night Raid?” Blayn suddenly suggested.
He realized this was the perfect opportunity to take Esdeath to their base.
After all, he had boasted before that he would handle Esdeath on his own—and now he had.
More importantly, he needed to discuss the plan he had in mind with Night Raid, and having Esdeath under his control was the perfect bargaining chip.
“Sure, if I rember correctly, Najenda is with Night Raid, right? This should be interesting,” Esdeath said, suddenly intrigued.
To her, Najenda was nothing more than "naive Najenda."
Toying with her was entertaining—that was the only reason she had spared Najenda’s life before. Otherwise, losing an eye and an arm would have been the least of her worries.
“Yes, Najenda is our leader now,” Chelsea chid in.
“Oh? So you’re with Night Raid, not Akatsuki?” Esdeath said, slightly surprised.
She had assud both of the won following Blayn were part of Akatsuki.
“Well, it doesn’t really make much of a difference. Whether I’m with Akatsuki or Night Raid, my owner is still my owner~,” Chelsea said playfully.
Blayn sighed. “Can you not say things that are so easy to misinterpret?”
“Hehe~”
Chelsea stuck out her tongue mischievously, clearly having no intention of changing her ways.
With nothing pressing left to handle in the Imperial Capital, Esdeath followed Blayn to the Night Raid base.
anwhile, Aka and Mine had received word that their mission was over and were on their way back.
But there was a problem—Blayn hadn’t told Najenda in advance that he was bringing Esdeath with him.
Which ant, as far as Night Raid was concerned... Esdeath was about to show up completely unannounced.
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