Tatsumi narrowed his eyes at the sunlight as he stepped out of the inner cabin and onto the deck of the ship. A mild sea breeze tussled his brown hair, and his dark red cloak shifted in the wind.

A handful of smugglers milled about on the deck, a few of them just lounging around while others hauled boxes back and forth or adjusted the ropes attached to the sails. The group had left the Central Country yesterday night, and they were now into the first day of their voyage towards the East.

"We made good time through the night thanks to the winds," Laurent said as he and Wave walked up to Tatsumi. "So far everything is going according to plan."

"Good," Tatsumi replied as he surveyed the vast, blue ocean. "How long until we arrive at the shore?"

"If the wind stays like this, probably only a couple days," the blond smuggler answered.

"... Damn, I forgot how much I missed sailing," Wave said with a smile. "How do you like it, Tatsumi? Not getting seasick, are you?"

The emperor shook his head, though he had to admit that he did feel far more comfortable on land. His last experience on a ship hadn't been very pleasant.

The door to the inner cabin then flung open as Kurome arrived on the deck. She smiled brightly at the trio.

"Good morning!"

"Where were you, Kurome?" Wave asked. "You were up pretty early this morning, but I didn't see you around."

"Breakfast," the girl simply said as she walked off to peer over the railing, captivated by the sapphire waters.

Laurent watched her with curiosity. "I saw her at the mess hall. She sure can eat a lot for such a small figure."

Wave sighed. "Yeah… Between her and Akame, we'll probably run out of supplies much sooner than we anticipated."

Where is Akame, anyway? Tatsumi wondered. He glanced around the deck before he saw her standing alone at the front of the ship.

He left Wave and Laurent and walked over to her. The red-eyed assassin turned around when she heard Tatsumi coming.

"Oh, hello, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi forced a smile. "Good morning. How's the sea looking?"

Her expression remained blank. "It's fine, I guess."

The emperor took a breath of salty sea air, silently marvelling at the peacefulness of the scene. Akame stood next to him, her eyes far away.

"It's not the cruise vacation you imagined, but at least it's something, right?" he said to Akame, trying to cheer her up. He was referring to the trip Akame had mentioned six years ago, though it was obvious that things didn't go as envisioned. Too many people had died.

She gave him a small smile, though it also wasn't genuine. "Yeah."

Tatsumi fidgeted with the wooden railing awkwardly. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So… Where exactly will we be landing? I can't imagine we would dock at a proper port."

"A small cove by the port city of Xanji," Akame said. "That's where we docked last time, at least. It's a fairly hidden place, so we shouldn't have to worry about being spotted."

"How far is it from the capital city?"

Akame looked thoughtful. "About a week and a half if we walk… Maybe quicker. I don't remember all the details."

Tatsumi sighed as he leaned against the railing. "I wish we had a map or something, but it's impossible to get your hands on an accurate one of the Eastern Country."

"I know the general direction, so we shouldn't get too lost," Akame assured him.

Tatsumi nodded. "By the way, is the journey itself dangerous? The actual assassinations are going to be a pain, I know that already, but this whole thing would be a lot easier if we didn't have to worry about outside threats."

Akame brushed the hilt of her sword lightly. "We'll have to watch out for military patrols. Even if we masquerade as regular citizens, there's a chance we could be stopped, searched, or jailed for little or no reason. The government has a tight grip on every aspect of life there."

"Great," the emperor muttered. Hopefully I won't have to use Incursio too much… I have a feeling that things won't turn out well for me if I keep transforming at this pace.

Akame narrowed her red eyes as she looked out at the sea. "What's that?"

Tatsumi snapped himself out of his thoughts and glanced at the small shape in the distance. Is that… Another ship?

The rest of the crew soon noticed the incoming vessel, some of them reaching for the weapons while others just stared in shock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Laurent shouted as he ran up to the front of the ship.

Wave followed closely behind. "Laurent, what the hell is going on? You were supposed to find us a route that wouldn't be patrolled!"

The blond smuggler grabbed at his hair and grit his teeth. "I don't get it… This route has never been patrolled before! I don't know why they suddenly decided to send a ship this way!"

Tatsumi stared at him incredulously. "Is this what I'm paying you for?"

"Let's all just calm down," the smuggler said as he nervously twisted his Imperial Arms around his finger. "Maybe they'll just leave us alone."

"It doesn't matter. Now that they've seen us, we'll have to eliminate them," Tatsumi insisted. He couldn't afford to have their mission compromised.

Heavy footsteps thudded on the deck behind them, and the four turned to see an angry King Grobent.

"What the hell is going on here? Wait… Is that a ship?!"

"It's just a minor setback," Laurent tried to assure the king, but Tatsumi knew that Grobent would have none of that.

The bearded monarch grabbed the smuggler by the collar. "Listen up, you slimy bastard. If we are spotted by that ship, I will gut you like a fish."

"Woah, woah," Selvien said as he too arrived on the scene. "No need to get violent… Not with each other, at least. All we have to do is sink that ship, right?"

"With what?" Grobent demanded, roughly letting go of Laurent. "I don't see any cannons fitted on this poor excuse for a vessel."

"Sinking it is pointless," Akame interrupted, her tone level. "Even if we destroy the ship, their navy will know something is wrong once the crew fails to report in. We should either board their ship or wait for them to board ours, then kill all of them."

Laurent nodded. "I like that idea."

"How do we know that they won't just sink us as soon as we're in range?" Wave asked. "We may not have cannons, but I am sure they don't have that problem."

Selevien crossed his arms. "Hm… Would they really just sink a ship on sight, though?"

"It's the East. We have no idea what they might do," Tatsumi pointed out. "Wave is right. We need to board their ship and destroy them before they can reach us."

"How?" Laurent questioned. "If we take a rowboat, we might not get there in time. Even if we do, there's a high chance that they have gunners on board that would just shoot us dead before we even reach their ship."

Wave looked uneasy. "I guess I could go. If I use my Imperial Arms, I could fly or swim over in no time."

"That wouldn't be good for your body, Wave," Kurome said as she walked up to the group. The black-eyed girl didn't look particularly panicked about the situation. "We should use that option as a last resort."

"What about you, Tatsumi?" Akame asked him. "Can Incursio still fly?"

The emperor hesitated, but eventually nodded. "... Yeah. I guess I could do it."

"It's settled, then," Grobent said. "Incursio, get over there and destroy them. We will await you here, but don't expect any backup."

"Yeah, whatever," Tatsumi replied as he reached under his cloak and unsheathed the key. The silver blade glistened menacingly in the sunlight.

I guess I have no choice but to use this…

"Innnnncursiooo!"

A vortex of energy surrounded Tatsumi for a split-second before fading, leaving behind a completely different form. The emperor had grown about a foot and a half in height, and he now had the scaly, muscled body of the danger beast known as Tyrant. Two sets of red eyes with black, cross-like irises flashed open, and the dragon let out a savage roar as he unfurled his leathery wings.

The spectators shrunk back in fear, shock, and respect as Tatsumi flapped his wings and took to the air. He soared about in the sky for a bit before turning invisible and heading in the direction of the enemy ship.

As Tatsumi hovered directly above the ship, he could see the Eastern crew chattering animatedly among themselves. They must be wondering where the giant airborne creature they just saw suddenly disappeared to.

The ship itself was not unlike the smugglers' own. The main difference was that it was a bit larger, and, like Wave had thought, there was a single mobile cannon on board, pointed in the direction of Tatsumi's own ship.

The Eastern sailors were all equipped with swords, and many of them had a pistol at their side as well. They wore a dark blue uniform that seemed to be fashioned out of some waterproof material, and the image of a dark orange rising sun adorned their backs. The insignia of the Eastern Empire.

Tatsumi sighed to himself as he mentally prepared to slaughter the crew. He hovered in the air over the ship, still invisible. The Eastern sailors down below had no idea what was about to happen to them.

Destroy them! Feast on their flesh!

A searing pain shot through Tatsumi's head as the words echoed throughout his mind. The emperor shut his red eyes in pain in an effort to dull the ache. Though he tried to block it out, Tatsumi could barely suppress the intense bloodlust that permeated to his very core.

What is wrong with me?... Fuck it, I have to attack now, before Incursio's invisibility wears off.

Tatsumi swooped down towards the deck of the ship, skewering an unsuspecting sailor with his invisible talons. The man was nearly shredded in half, his torso clinging to his waist only through a relatively thin chunk of flesh.

Before the rest of the crew could even react to the surprise attack, Tatsumi crushed another sailor's head with a scaly palm while tossing a third into the ocean with his tail. The remaining sailors watched the grisly scene unfold with panic, many of them screaming in surprise and fear.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"They're all dying!"

"Who's attacking?!"

Tatsumi ignored their frantic cries and continued on his path of carnage. He tore a sailor apart with his claws and then ripped another's head off with his jaws. The warm blood seeped onto his tongue, and Tatsumi felt a disturbing sense of elation as the liquid cascaded down his gullet.

I must have more…!

The invisibility faded, and the few sailors that were still alive gasped in shock at the sudden appearance of a dragon on their ship. Tatsumi took advantage of their surprise and lunged at the nearest one, tearing off a chunk of the man's shoulder with his draconic teeth.

As Tatsumi chewed the flesh, he experienced a high like no other. The taste of blood and meat combined with the man's screams of pain drove him wild, and his mind buzzed with pleasure as he rushed at the next victim.

Within a matter of seconds, all the ship's crew had been completely wiped out. Tatsumi admired his handiwork, his tongue hanging out of his maw as he sniffed at the blood-soaked air. He eyed the freshly-killed corpses with anticipation, and he craned his neck down towards the nearest one.

That's right. Eat your fill.

The dark voice snapped Tatsumi out of his perverse thoughts, and he managed to return to reality. He immediately recoiled from the body, a frown on his scaly face.

… Was I seriously about to eat this corpse?

Unwilling to ponder the question any further, Tatsumi quickly undid the transformation and returned to his human self. His 'real' body was mostly the same as it had been before the transformation, but the stench of blood on his clothes was strong. On top of that, he could still taste the flesh of the Eastern sailor in his mouth.

The emperor scowled to himself as he walked over to the mast of the ship. He began lowering the sails, a sign to his comrades that he had finished the job and that it was now safe to approach the boat.

As he finished his task and waited for his ship to arrive, Tatsumi sat down on a bench, his tired green eyes surveying the bloody scene in front of him. The entire deck had been painted red, and severed limbs and pieces of flesh were strewn about.

Looking at the macabre picture before him, Tatsumi began to wonder if he had made the right choice by coming along on the mission to the East. Though even if I didn't, I'd probably still end up fighting them eventually. I guess the killing never stops.

He sighed to himself again, wondering why he was even thinking about such things. Killing was practically second nature to an assassin like him, and it was pointless to fret over things like morality or justice.

The smuggler's ship finally sailed up next to the now-empty Eastern one, and Tatsumi watched as the crew attached the two vessels with a series of thick ropes. Once that was done, a handful of people exited the first boat and leapt onto the Eastern ship.

Laurent let out a low whistle as he stepped onto the bloody deck. "Nice work, Emperor."

Wave joined the smuggler. "Wow, they didn't seem to have put up much of a fight… Though I can't blame them since they were fighting a dragon of all things! I had no idea you could transform like that, Tatsumi!"

The emperor shrugged as Akame, the two kings, and Kurome joined the group on the new ship. "Incursio has essentially fused with my body, so this is just how my Imperial Arms works."

Kurome observed the dead bodies with morbid curiosity. "It definitely looks like a danger beast came through here, that's for sure."

"I'm going into the inner cabins to check for any survivors," Akame said. "I will also search for maps or anything else that may be useful to our mission."

Laurent nodded. "Good idea. I'll also have my men take some supplies from the lower decks in the meantime. The rest of us will wait for you here."

Akame cautiously glanced around the narrow hallway. The inner cabin of the Eastern ship was remarkably similar to her own ship's interior, consisting primarily of a series of hallways lined with small cabins for the sailors on either side.

The red-eyed assassin slowly moved towards the first door on the left. With controlled patience, Akame twisted the doorknob and opened the door, revealing an empty space with nothing but a bed, a small nightstand, a toilet, and a sink.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Akame left the small cabin and moved to check the other rooms. As she made her way down the hallway and found empty room after empty room, she began to think of Tatsumi.

I had no idea that his bond with Incursio had grown so strong… The fact that he is now capable of transforming fully into the Tyrant danger beast is incredible.

Though Akame was impressed by Tatsumi's new ability, she also found it a bit disturbing to watch her friend transform into a monster. The image of the mangled bodies of the Eastern sailors flashed across her mind, and she wondered if the Tatsumi from six years ago would have been able to kill in such a brutal manner.

I guess he really has changed…

She felt a pang of regret course through her. While she was busy running away from her problems, Tatsumi, Leone, and Najenda were the ones who had to stay behind and clean up the mess that the Revolution had made, and it was evident that the task had taken a heavy toll on all three of them.

Still, there was a reason why Akame left on that day six years ago. After losing all her friends in the Elite Seven and then seeing almost all her comrades in Night Raid die, Akame found that she couldn't handle anymore of the emotional pain. Though she had been trained to counter those feelings, there comes a certain point where the human mind can only take so much stress.

In an effort to save herself from more pain, she had tried to cut off all remaining ties with others. However, soon after she did so and fled to the East, she knew that she had made a mistake. Despite her attempts to forget about Night Raid, she found that she was unable to stop thinking about her former comrades.

After her long journey had ended and she had returned to the Central Country, Akame came to the realization that she should value the bonds she had instead of attempting to bury them. She only hoped that it wasn't too late now to do so.

Once she had finished searching all of the crew cabins, Akame made her way towards the back of the ship where the captain's quarters should be. She had seen a corpse with a long, dark blue coat and an extravagant hat lying dead on the main deck, so she assumed that Tatsumi had already killed the captain. Nevertheless, it was very possible that the captain's quarters contained some important documents that could be useful to them.

Akame approached the door and moved to open it. To her surprise, she was met with resistance as she tried to turn the doorknob.

It's locked... Is someone in there, or did the captain just lock it from the outside as a precaution when he spotted our ship?

The assassin frowned as she stared at the locked door. She didn't have anything she could use as a lockpick, and she was fairly certain that even if she did, the person inside would be able to tell that someone was trying to pick open the door.

Assuming there even is someone in there.

Akame decided that her best option was to simply force the door open. If no one was in there, then it wouldn't matter how she opened the door. If someone was waiting inside, then at the very least the sudden entrance would give them less time to react.

The red-eyed girl put one hand on Murasame's hilt as she flexed her right leg in preparation. With a swift kick, Akame kicked open the door with a bang, breaking the lock and nearly sending the wooden door flying off its hinges.

Her sword came sliding out of its sheath as she noticed a figure crouched in the corner of the room. It was a boy that appeared to be in his teens, and he had short black hair and glasses. He was dressed in the same uniform as the other Eastern sailors.

"P-please don't hurt me!" the boy cried as he trembled in the corner. "D-don't feed me to that m-monster! I'm just the cabin boy!"

Akame regarded the boy with cool, red eyes. She noticed that the cabin boy had a pistol on his belt, though he made no attempt to reach for it.

I can't let him go free, that's for sure… Though I suppose we could keep him as a prisoner. We can definitely afford it since we're taking extra supplies from this ship, and he might be a good source of information.

"Put your weapon on the desk and go and stand in that corner," she ordered, her voice cold and impersonal. "If you even make one threatening move, I'll kill you."

The boy whimpered as he did as he was told. Now that the cabin boy was out of the way, Akame was free to survey the room for anything useful. Surprisingly, the captain did not seem to have much of value in his office. Aside from a few personal effects, the captain only possessed the most barebones of items required for commandeering a ship.

"T-the captain kept something in that bottom drawer over there," the boy suddenly said, pointing at the desk. "It might be important, I don't know!"

Akame narrowed her eyes at the cabin boy. This could be some sort of trap. Either that or he's trying to curry favor with his new captors.

"Don't move," she told the boy as she gingerly began opening the drawer.

To her relief, nothing out of the ordinary happened when the drawer slid open. Inside was a rolled up piece of parchment, and Akame slowly undid the binding and found what appeared to be a map.

Her red eyes widened. This is… This is a map of the East's Imperial Palace!

Before she could even begin to wonder why a random ship's captain had a map of the palace in his quarters, the boy lunged at the desk and grabbed his pistol.

"I never disobey orders! You'll never take me alive!" the sailor shouted as he pointed the gun at Akame.

Despite the surprising turn of events, Akame kept her cool. Before the boy could fire a single shot, the assassin swung her sword and cleanly chopped his hand off, the appendage and the pistol clattering onto the floor. The boy was unable to even utter a cry of pain before Murasame's poison consumed him.

Fool, she thought as she eyed the dead boy. I would have let him live if he hadn't attacked me. Was he given specific orders not to be captured alive? Does that mean that this crew knew that they would encounter us?

Akame looked at the map again, then at the body. I should share this with the rest of the group.

Akame walked back up towards the main deck. When she entered into the sunlight again, she found the same group waiting, though a couple smugglers now milled around on the deck as they hauled supplies back to the other ship.

"Find anything useful?" Wave inquired.

She held up the map. "It's a map of the Eastern Country's Imperial Palace."

"What?" Tatsumi asked as he stood up excitedly. "You found that on this ship?"

Akame nodded as she handed the map over to him. "There was also one last sailor down there. He pointed the map out to me and then tried to attack me, so I had to kill him."

"Sounds like he wanted you to find it," Kurome said as she watched Tatsumi and the other two kings study the map intently.

Akame hadn't thought of that possibility. "I assumed he told me about it in order to distract me and create an opening… But he also could have achieved that without pointing out the map specifically."

"Now why would he want you to find that map…?" Wave asked, his blue eyes thoughtful. "Maybe it's a trap. It could be a fake."

"That's the most likely possibility," Tatsumi interjected. "The map itself doesn't look fake or anything, but I don't see any other reason why an ordinary ship would be carrying a map of the Imperial Palace, especially since the place is shrouded in secrecy."

"The sailor also said that he was 'ordered' not to be taken alive," Akame said. "It seems to me that the East knew we were coming and deliberately sent this ship our way. This further points to the possibility that this map is a trap."

"Based on that information, it's quite obviously a trap," Laurent said. "... But what if it isn't? I mean, if the map is a fake, then this whole scenario is set up terribly by the East. Even based on the limited information we have, we were able to deduce with almost one-hundred percent certainty that this map is leading us into a trap. Surely the East would have expected that we come to this conclusion, right? It's not as if they're stupid."

Selevien nodded. "He has a point. It's like the East isn't even trying to fool us. They left clues everywhere."

Grobent shook his head. "That's all well and good, but what are you trying to say, then? If the East expected us to realize that this is a fake map, then what was the point of even planting it on the ship? Are you saying that the map is actually real?"

"I'm confused," Wave said with a frown.

Akame's red eyes lit up in realization. "Actually… It's more likely that this is the real map."

"What? Why would they deliver the real map right into our hands?" Grobent asked.

"Ah, I see," Tatsumi said as he nodded. "The East knew that we would realize that the map was fake, and they also knew that we would figure out that the clues pointing towards it being a fake were too obvious."

"Okay, so if they knew all that, then they would assume that we would think it is real, right?" Wave summed up. "So if they knew that as well, then how can it be a real map? It has to be fake!"

"Exactly," Tatsumi said, further confusing the former Jaeger.

Wave frowned. "So… It's fake?"

"No, it's real," Akame answered as Tatsumi nodded in agreement.

Wave's jaw dropped. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, I'm lost, so I'm just going to leave now," Laurent conceded as he began walking off. "Just tell me when you guys get this straightened out."

"Listen up, stupid Wave," Kurome began. "The map is real. The East planted the map on their ship, knowing we would find it and think that it's fake. However, they also knew that we would realize that the clues pointing toward the map being a fake were incredibly obvious, leading us to believe that the map is in fact a real map. Following me so far?"

Wave nodded dumbly.

"Good. So, now the East believes that we think the map is real. Since they know that we will assume the map to be real, they should have planted a fake map on the ship, right?"

"Right…" Wave said.

"Wrong," Kurome said. "They assumed that despite the evidence, we would still end up thinking the map is fake."

"What… But why?"

"Because of what the sailor Akame killed said," Tatsumi interrupted. "If you recall, the sailor said that he wouldn't be taken alive. He was given specific orders not to be taken alive, precisely because the East does not want us to interrogate any of their crew members for information. Based on the sailor's last words, we know that the East values its secrecy and therefore would never risk handing a real map of the palace to the enemy."

Wave nodded slowly. "I see… That makes sense. So why are we assuming the map is real, then? Everything you just said points to it being a fake."

"Think about that, Wave," Kurome chided. "Why would the sailor shout that he was given specific orders not to be taken alive? Why would he verbally convey that to us?"

Wave was silent for a moment before his eyes grew wide with realization. "... Because he was ordered to say it! The East wanted us to hear him say that so we would think the map is fake!"

"I was beginning to think you'd never get it," Kurome said.

"I see now," Wave nodded. "If we had assumed the map is fake like they thought we would, we would have thrown it away and looked for a 'real' map when we got inside the country. However, if we thought the actual map was a fake, we would also assume that all further copies of the actual map we encountered would also be fake, preventing us from ever getting our hands on an accurate copy of the palace map. Smart."

"Glad we all understand now," Tatsumi said. "However, one last question remains: how did the East know we would be coming down this route?"

The group looked at each other uneasily, as they all knew what the only possible conclusion would be.

Tatsumi's green eyes hardened.

"... There is a traitor among us."

General Rublon took a sip of the oddly-colored wine before nodding in approval.

"See? Told you it was good," General Nuba said from across the table.

"That's actually from the Eastern Country?" General Lyseyle asked, her pink eyes wide.

"Yup."

The three generals were currently seated around the main table in the emperor's private dining hall. Four days had passed since General Rublon had joined Generals Nuba and Lyseyle at the Imperial Palace, and all four of those days had passed by rather uneventfully.

Outside of training and standard practice drills, the generals were forced to find unconventional methods of entertaining themselves. Right now they were having a sort of taste testing competition with the food items they brought back from their travels.

"Where'd you get it?" Rublon asked as he eyed the liquid. "How do you know whoever you bought it from didn't just say it was from the East?"

"Hey, you tasted it yourself. Does that taste like any wine our country could have made?"

Rublon shrugged. "I guess not."

"So, what's your entry?" the dark-skinned general asked, leaning across the table. "You better have brought something good."

General Rublon sighed as he pulled out a plastic bag from his pocket. He dropped it on the table. Inside was a brown, gelatinous slab.

The two female generals stared at the object with disgust.

"What the hell is that?" Nuba demanded.

"It's supposed to be a delicacy from the Southern Country," Rublon explained, slightly embarrassed at his entry.

General Lyseyle looked horrified. "Yeah… But what is it?"

"Who knows. Try it, it might just end up being good."

"There's no way in hell I'm trying that!" Nuba declared. "Alright, Maroc, you finished last. I think it's safe to say that my wine gets first place while Pirria's exotic cheese gets second."

Rublon crossed his arms as he looked down at his entry. "Come on, you guys didn't even give it a chance!"

The sound of a throat being cleared caused the three generals to turn around. Prime Minister Elcurus stood in the doorway.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," the blue-haired man said as he reached into his robes and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "An urgent message has come for you, General Rublon."

The young general took the paper and unfurled it, his eyes brimming with curiosity. However, his expression quickly changed to one of shock once he finished reading it.

"What!" he declared. "This isn't possible! There must be some mistake!"

"What does it say?" Nuba asked excitedly.

Pirra peeked over Rublon's shoulder, reading the message before the black-haired general could pull away.

"Wow, the Path of Peace has taken over Leedston?" she said with surprise.

"The Path of Peace?" Nuba repeated, her golden eyes wide with disbelief. "You mean that group of religious nuts?"

"It appears we underestimated their resolve," Elcurus cut in, his tone serious. "General Rublon, you will need to leave immediately in order to remedy this problem."

Rublon clutched the paper angrily. "But how… How did they of all people defeat the Imperial Garrison that was stationed there! They have no army!"

"Evidently, they do," Nuba pointed out. "You messed up big, Maroc."

General Lyseyle shook her head disapprovingly. "Not good."

Rublon frowned. "Alright, shut up and stop complaining. I'll take care of this quickly."

The gray-eyed general then stormed out of the room, his hands balled into fists and his jaw tight.

"Damn, he looked pissed," Nuba observed after Rublon left.

"I would be too if that happened in my sector," Pirria pointed out.

Elcurus sighed. "This comes at such an inopportune time. The good news is that General Esdeath has finally returned."

Nuba snorted as she leaned back in her chair. "That's what passes for good news nowadays?"

"Well, she is on our side now," Lyseyle pointed out. "At least she can replace General Rublon's presence here at the Palace."

"She's not on anyone's side," the silver-haired general retorted. "If it strikes her fancy, she'll turn on us in a flash."

"Be that as it may," Elcurus interrupted. "She is still an esteemed Imperial General, just as you two are. So please, try to get along."

Esdeath smirked as she looked up at the gateway to the Imperial Palace. Home at last.

The rest of her army was busy reporting in at their respective barracks, but she figured that she should alert the Prime Minister to her arrival before she did anything else. The blue-haired general straightened her cap as she strode into the palace.

As Esdeath walked into the lavish castle, she noticed General Rublon stomping away in the opposite direction. The black-haired general did not even stop to greet her as he marched past, which she thought was strange. Though she wasn't exactly well-liked by the new military and governmental officials, General Rublon had always been nothing but polite to her.

Something is clearly bothering him, she decided as she continued into the palace.

She passed by the throne room, which was currently empty save for a pair of Imperial Guards. She smiled to herself as she imagined Tatsumi sitting on the throne. Oh, Tatsumi… I wonder where you are right now.

Seeing as Minister Elcurus was not in the throne room, Esdeath guessed that he was most likely in his office.

On the other hand, it is about dinner time. Perhaps he is in the dining hall.

Since she was closer to the emperor's dining hall, Esdeath decided to check there first.

She climbed a set of stairs before arriving at the double oaken doors. Just as she was about to enter, the doors flung open and Minister Elcurus emerged from within. The Prime Minister's blue eyes widened in surprise as he saw her.

"Oh, General Esdeath! We were just discussing your arrival."

"Were you?" Esdeath replied. "Where is General Rublon going?"

"Well, there was a small problem in the Southern Sector. Apparently the Path of Peace has staged an armed rebellion, so General Rublon has gone to put it down."

Esdeath grinned. "I see. Does he need reinforcements?"

Elcurus shook his head. "He will be fine on his own. You are needed here."

The blue-haired general frowned. "Fine… At any rate, the situation with the Western River has been resolved. I made sure that the Western patrols around the river knew that Central citizens would be allowed to utilize the waterway."

"Er, good job, I suppose," Elcurus replied, a bit worried about what she meant by 'made sure.' "Well, thank you for reporting to me. You are free to move about the palace grounds until your assignment has changed."

The Minister then left hastily. Esdeath glanced at his retreating figure with disdain. I can see why Tatsumi doesn't like him… Still, he's a vast improvement over Honest.

The icy general decided to head into the dining hall. She hadn't eaten anything since morning, and now that she had reported in, there wasn't much left for her to do.

When she entered the room, she was greeted with the sight of Generals Lyseyle and Nuba.

"Oh, you're back already?" General Nuba stated. "Elcurus wasn't kidding when he said you were close by."

Lyseyle smiled politely at Esdeath, but the blue-haired general knew that the gesture contained no warmth.

"I heard there is trouble in the South," Esdeath said. "Why are the three of us sitting in the palace?"

Nuba shrugged. "Don't ask me. It's the Minister's orders."

"I'm sure Rublon can handle himself," Lyseyle said. "It would probably be overkill to send more than one army."

"Overkill isn't a bad thing," Esdeath replied with a savage grin.

Nuba sighed. "Sit down, Esdeath. You're violent when you're hungry."

The ice general frowned but sat down at the table. She gave an inquisitive glance to the blob of brown in a plastic bag that rested on the surface of the table.

"That's something General Rublon brought back from the South," Lyseyle told her. "He says it's a delicacy, but you probably don't want to eat it."

Esdeath scowled in disgust as she pushed the bag away. "So… The three of us are just going to sit in the palace like housewives while Rublon and the Emperor are out fighting?"

"To be honest, I feel the same way as you," Nuba replied as she took a sip of her wine. "However, there is nothing we can do about it. Rublon has to clean up his own mess, and the Emperor specifically wanted to go alone."

"He's not alone, though. I heard that Akame of Night Raid returned and went with him," Esdeath said, her tone cold.

"Ah, that's right. You two are mortal enemies, aren't you?" Nuba asked with a teasing smile. "Well, you better learn to play nice. You guys are on the same side now."

Esdeath smirked. "I didn't say anything about her being my enemy… Though I would love to fight her again if I had the chance."

The doors to the hall swung open, revealing two figures. An old man wearing a long, dark blue robe and a blond knight entered.

"Well, if it isn't General Esdeath," the old man said with a bright smile. "I have always wanted to meet you."

Esdeath regarded the two with her cool, blue eyes. "Who are you?"

"Ah, yes. I am King Alerec of the Northern Country, and this is my personal guard, Lord Elderrn. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The ice general raised an eyebrow. "King of the Northern Country? What are you doing here, then?"

"Oh, right, no one told you," Pirria Lyseyle said to Esdeath. "King Alerec will be staying here until we receive word of the Emperor's safe departure."

"Is that necessary?" Esdeath surveyed the two Northerners. Her former tribe had been wiped out by a raiding party from the Northern Country, and though she had no desire for revenge, she still felt a sense of discomfort at being near the two.

Alerec chuckled. "Probably not, but it would put my mind at ease to know that my kingly companions have embarked on their journey. If I can't go myself, the least I can do is make sure that things go smoothly up until they are outside of the continent."

Esdeath then turned her cold gaze to the long-haired knight. Lord Elderrn returned her look with a blank stare, his golden eyes devoid of any discernible emotion.

The blue-haired general smirked to herself. This one is dangerous, I can tell.

"And your concern requires you to stay in our castle?" Esdeath asked the Northern King. "It seems to me that you may have other motives."

Generals Nuba and Lyseyle wore expressions of shock at Esdeath's implication, but King Alerec merely smiled. His blue eyes flashed briefly.

"I assure you, I am but a feeble old man," he said, his teeth showing as his grin grew wider. "I wouldn't be able to hurt a fly."

The tension in the air was almost palpable, and a pregnant pause followed the king's words. However, the moment was broken when Esdeath rose from her seat.

"I suppose I'm not that hungry after all," the ice general said as she straightened her cap. She smiled viciously. "Feel free to stay as long as you like, King Alerec."

As Esdeath brushed past the Northerners and exited the dining hall, her smile grew wider.

I don't know what's going on here… But I like it.

A/N:

- The pace of the story should start to pick up significantly after this chapter... Not sure if I can say the same for the pace of the updates, but I suppose we will see about that.

- Also, looking back on it, I may have made that whole map scenario a bit too complex...