Akame ga Kill: True Revolution
By: Terrence Noran
Chapter 28: Kill the Story
"What?", asked Esdeath, who was absolutely baffled at his question. Was he thinking that she was a traitor? That's very insulting to both her pride and her loyalty as a general.
"I'm just asking you out of concern. Do you remember what I said at our spar at the arena?", Tatsuya mentioned.
"Yes, but none of them showed they were traitors. None of them at all!"
"But, you never looked at Tatsumi, did you? You never thought that he might be an enemy? You never thought that he might be part of Night Raid? If you think that I'm stupid, well, you're wrong. But, you're in luck, the information I received personally showed that Tatsumi was completely innocent the entire time, but you might be hiding someone from Night Raid. So, who is it?"
"I...don't know what you're talking about. I am loyal to this empire! Why are you questioning me as if I'm some traitor?!"
"Because it's the most loyal ones that defect. Look at Naji for example. Before becoming a general, she was one of those kinds of soldiers who were blindly loyal to the empire. Whatever atrocities they did or already done, she would be loyal to them no matter what. But, when I left to travel the world and when she became a general, she wisened up...if you could call it that. She then defected to the Revolutionary Army and formed her own silly crew of teigu users."
"And, what do I care about Najenda's story?"
"Because it could happen to you. Someday, you might see something that you don't like, and I will say it as an if, you will decide that you have to leave."
"I'm far too loyal to defect now. I've sworn full allegiance to both the Emperor and the Prime Minister, and I will defeat any or all those who would dare to harm either one, even if they were my comrades...or even Tatsumi."
'I'll fix that...' "Do you want me to tell you a story?"
"Like some sort of fable from a children's book?"
"Well, no. Do you know about the story of "The Brave Soldier"?"
"I've heard of that from some of my men, even Seryu and Wave know of it. I, myself, do not know what the story was or even heard of it much. I hear it was popular for a lot of recruits and some higher ranking soldiers."
"Not surprising that it became popular. The story garnered respect for the fact that it's oh so "heroic" and all the sappy shit they describe it...and how much it represented the will of the Empire."
"Oh, so let's hear it then."
"Let me entertain you with the tale:
The Brave Soldier
Once there was a soldier who was well-known for his cowardice and his rather, weak stature. He was bullied by others and was told that he was not only a disappointment but also a disgrace towards the army he was recruited in. They have always said that he has no right to serve in the army and that he should save himself the effort by getting shot by an enemy or killing himself.
But, what the man possessed was the very reason why he would never betray the army he served in, and that defining factor was going to be tested during his time.
One day, a typical mission out to recover a lost relic ended in a disaster when the recovery team was ambushed by the opposing natives who despised the kingdom the army works for. The soldier, along with a respectable leader and 150 others were dispatched to investigate the incident and as an added bonus, secure the relic.
Once they arrived at their destination and secured the relic, like the missing recovery team, they were ambushed the natives. They managed to fight them back and retreated to a small house, which they later use as their impromptu base.
But, it didn't last long.
Suddenly, the natives came back in full force and surrounded the area with sheer numbers of armed warriors, who were all ready to kill the small group. The army, although frightened by the overwhelming forces, finally fought back and protected the relic. They would never allow the natives to take back what is theirs.
As the battle raged on, and their numbers were whittling down, the men grew scared at the increasing odds they were facing, and even the leader himself wanted to surrender due to his own men getting killed one after the other, even though they were taking down more of the natives.
Out of nowhere, the cowardly soldier started to show his true self and gave an inspiring speech and gave away his true motive of why he never betray them: he was loyal to the army and that he could never back away from his duty as a soldier because they will never lose, and have never lost. The rest of the army were invigorated by his speech and continued fighting. The cowardly soldier then stood alongside the men who belittled him, bullied him, hated him, laughed at him, and disrespected him, and fought against the natives.
After a long while, reinforcements arrived and defeated the last remaining natives who have survived the defense. When they checked the area, the brave soldier stood tall with the relic in hand, and secured the victory for the entire kingdom.
With his return to the kingdom, they congratulated him and promoted him to a higher rank, in which he accepted without question. He then set up his own army so they could learn his way of loyalty.
Such was the story of his legacy.
"And to this day, any soldier, no matter how cowardly, how weak, or how scared they are, they will be tested in a test of courage. The end."
"So, the lesson was "Every weak man has a hidden strength". Were you trying to tell me that?"
"No, but nice try. It's more of "Duty First, Feelings Later". For duty gives rise to unwavering loyalty and unyielding service. Whatever you feel will be dealt later, because when they get in your way, they will cost you. I will not report you of "questionable duties", but learn of this lesson and I'll see you in training tomorrow."
As he left the room, he whispered, "After all, it's what I would've done."
A/N: Done with this chapter. I do apologize for update part though. I was busy with personal business along with editing a few things in my fanfics. About the story of "The Brave Soldier", keep this story in mind...it will reveal something later. I have nothing much to say with this short chapter, which is mostly dialogue between Esdeath and Tatsuya. Oh, if you're wondering about the deal last chapter, the flashback is what really happened as Tatsuya was telling a pointless, nonsensical story about a moldy sandwich...I think? Let's not think any mental images of that. So, what do you guys think? Read, Review, Critic, and Comment without bullshit. Have fun and enjoy.
I don't own Akame ga Kill, only my OCs.
