The human dragon and the half-elf

by Tammazzu

The battle for the capital was coming to an end but Tatsumi will never see it, he closed his eyes waiting for death to come...but to his surprise, he found himself in an unknown land with an unexpected partner, what will happen now?

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hello guys, no long wait this time since I did leave you on a very hard cliffhanger and also got hospitalized so I have time to spare

Before we start, I'll reply to some reviews as usual.

I will start saying this for anyone who asked or will ask in the future, with this chapter no more characters will be added no matter how much you ask, with the last additions I reached my maximum capacity adding more would cause too much mess.

For those who still think I think of Tatsumi as superior to Reinhard...please stop. Every time I see that statement I want to bash my head against the nearest hardest surface. Reinhard is literally hacks, of course he is stronger than Tatsumi but that is META knowledge, Tatsumi does not know that so he will threaten Reinhard if he sees him doing shady stuff (Aka seemingly kidnapping Felt)

Now I will give more specific answers

-To Ego Alter Ego

I'm glad you like the story but don't refrain from telling me what you don't like, I welcome criticism and try to improve if it isn't something that would drastically change the story.

- To Hyakki Yato

Sorry man, I like the KuromexWave ship so rip (I wasn't even aware of the fact that there were TatsumixKurome fans)

Tatsumi knows that fighting Esdeath would have put everyone in danger and he probably still can't win against her so he is following the safest route possible

- To Cavaliere Nero

1) I like LOTR a lot so why not? Also Ancalagon is a cool name on its own.

2) No? As clearly stated both AGK and the Wiki, Esdeath's teigu is literally called Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract which was extracted from a super-class beast, there is no mention of any dragon. It took that spiritual form for a reason which I will not state in the reply section since I rather explain it within the story

3) Muramuse's Spirits is an eagle because it is more fitting for Akame. Crows are usually signs of death but they usually arrive after the deed is accomplished since they are scavengers, on the other hand, Akame is the one doing the killing and she usually goes against very strong opponents, waiting for the perfect occasion to strike after observing her target just like an eagle. The other reason why she does not have a crow is because there is already a Crow spirit that will appear in this chapter and it should be pretty easy to tell who it belongs to.

- to Captain Imaginat

My reply to your reviews are in the previous chapter

This should be all so enjoy

Reinhard's mansion

Akame, unsurprisingly, was inside her room sitting in front of the desk with Murasame carefully placed in front of her. The fearsome sword was out of its sheet and that was because the girl was in the delicate process of cleaning it using gloves, small pieces of cotton and various other tools to keep her from cutting herself. Thorondor was staring at her from the pole that was holding the curtains above the windows not daring to disturb her in such process.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door breaking the religious silence

"Oi Akame! Open up! I'm bored!" Felt shouted "Actually why am I even bothering asking?! This stupid noble etiquette is rubbing off on me!" she said before entering the room and looking at the girl with a puzzled expression "What are you doing?"

"Weapon Maintenance" Akame said looking at her "It's common sense to ask permission to enter someone's room, it's not something strictly related to noble etiquette"

"Yeah yeah whatever" Felt replied getting near her before noticing all the tools that the other girl was using to clean the sword "Eeeeeh? Someone is scared of getting cut?" she said with a smug expression as she moved her index finger to touch the tip of the sword.

Her hand was stopped immediately by Akame's gloved hand, her eyes were cold and dead serious

"H-Hey I was just joking...you are hurting me" Felt muttered as Akame pushed her on the bed amd released her

"Felt" Akame said softening a bit now that the danger passed "That blade has been created with the ability to kill in one cut on the skin"

Felt widened her eyes and paled when she realized how close she was to killing herself "I'm sorry..." she muttered

Akame sighed and pat her head "It's okay, you didn't know" she said walking back to the desk and placing the sword back in its sheet "So are you done with your studies today?"

Felt lighten up a bit "Yep! No knight is going to force me to study anymore!"

"I see then I can't ask you to help me learn a bit of writing" Akame said shrugging

"Hey I didn't say that!" Felt replied "I can help you!"

With that said the two girls sat together and studied together although, the young girl's gaze always fell on either the sword or the spirit eagle that was staring at them without uttering a word both of them had a some sort of scary aura them.

She kept her curiosity at bay as long as she could before she gave in and decided to speak

"Say Akame...are you a knight?" Felt asked calmly

"No" Akame replied rather quickly

"Then what did you do back in your land?" She asked

Akame remained silent "I was a soldier in the beginning...then I was trained to be an assassin" she said calmly watching Felt's reactions

The Royal candidate had visibly recoiled in shock

'Are you sure it's fine telling them?' Thorondor asked Akame

'It's better for them to find out by me than by other means...' Akame replied sighing softly

"Like Elsa?" Felt whispered

Akame shook her head "No, I never killed out of pleasure..nor for money...but I once served very bad people...then I joined the Revolution to help the people"

"Damn...a revolution...thing must have been very ugly for you guys" Felt muttered

"You have no idea Felt" she said patting Felt's head "You feel inprisoned here but compared to what I used to see when a child entered a noble's house...this is paradise" she muttered

"Do you ever feel guilty...? About killing those people?" The royal candidate asked

Akame looked out the window "I wish I wouldn't have killed all those people who were actually trying to make things better but what's the point in dwelling on it? I can't bring them back, I can just...try to use these abilities to make some good"

Felt raised an eyebrow "And you succeded? Did you make your place better?"

A small smile appeared on Akame's lips "Yeah...In the end, we won and things got better"

"Then why are you here?" Felt asked tilting her head "Shouldn't you be retired? Like with and nice house and stuff?"

Akame didn't know how to respond to that, after all, she didn't knew how she got there but there was something that was true "Because the new nation had no place for someone like me...so tied to the old one"

Felt made an angered expression "So what? Thank you for your service now buzz off?!" she shouted

Akame blinked a few times "Well, on the upside, I'm not fearing so bad"

"Still that's just unfair" Felt muttered sighing "This world has so many unfair stuff..."

"Well, theoretically speaking, you are one of the selected few that could do something about it" Akame remarked

"Yeah sure as if those Noble bastards would ever let me become a freaking queen, they don't want to get hanged" Felt replied shrugging "I'm not qualified for something like this so I'll just return to Old Man Rom and get back to work"

"That's fair, the Emperor of our nation was un unqualified kid and he was manipulated by the minister" Akame replied

"Welp, I gotta go back finish my assignments, I don't want Reinhard to scold me" Felt said smirking

Akame frowned "You told me you were done"

"Of course I did, otherwise you would have snitched on me!" She replied sticking her tongue out and getting out of the room

Akame sighed and shook her head before taking out a book from her bag, Rongo Rongo. It still had all the maps of her land and those around it but since she got to Lugnica it had many new blank pages along with a map of the city she currently was in, although it wasn't as detailed as the others. The last page was now blank along with the pages where the Teigus were cataloged.

"You can come in Reinhard" Akame said as the knight entered her room

"So you have noticed huh?" He said with a small smile "Not that I was hiding anyway, I wanted to tell you that dinner was about to be served but I found you two talking and didn't want to interrupt"

"So you were eavesdropping us?" she asked tilting her head

Reinhard cleared his throat "I would never do that...although you weren't exactly speaking with a low volume"

"I was joking" She said calmly "It's better that you heard, I don't have to explain it all again to you"

"Lady Akame, I want to make something clear" Reinhard said serious "Even after hearing about all of that nothing has changed, I can only imagine the hardships you went through and I will help you at the best of my capabilities, you have my word"

"Thank you" Akame said nodding "I really appreciate that"

"If I may I ask, but why did you decide to tell the truth? I don't think many people would have done that" The knight inquired

"I'm a foreign woman that comes from a place no one knows, with no explanation on how she got here, if you were to discover who I am by yourself it would have made things even worse" She replied calmly "And while I appreciate your help, I don't want to cause any trouble for you, if my presence taints your reputation I will leave" she said calmly "also I wouldn't want to cause any problem between Lady Emilia and Lady Felt...after all they are rivals in the Royal Selection"

"It will not come to that and it's not like I am going to tell everyone of your personal matters" Reinhard replied with a reassuring smile "And even if Felt somehow decided to participate in the royal selection, I doubt that she would be hostile in Lady Emilia's and Sir Tatsumi's regards, she has high regards for both them since they saved her from Elsa. Despite my best attempts, you managed also get in her favorite person list just by being Tatsumi's friend"

"I'm sure you're also on that list" Akame replied calmly "She is just a bit stupporn"

"Yeah she is" He replied nodding before eyeing Akame's sword "Were you saying the truth about your sword? or you didn't want Felt to get hurt?"

Akame looked back at Murasame "It's true, even for me it's dangerous to handle it when cleaning it"

"Can I look at it?" Reinhard asked causing her to blink a few times before slowly nodding and grabbing the sword

Akame slowly unsheathed the blade allowing him to have a clear look at it

"As I thought" He said causing Akame to raise an eyebrow "I normally have a good relationship with swords but..."

"It's creepy to your eyes" Thorondor concluded for him as he landed on Akame's shoulder

"I didn't mean to offend you, mister spirit" Reinhard quickly said

"No offense taken, the fact that you find it creepy means that I don't see you as a possible wielder, Akame, on the other hand, found it beautiful and that is why we are together" The eagle spirit replied

"I see, you are a picky sword" he said smiling tapping on Reid's handle "Just like my friend here"

Akame was about to reply but a familiar smell invaded her senses "Tell me, Reinhard..." she said seriously

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of mood "Yes?"

"What's for dinner?" She asked

"Oh today we bought the finest meat of the city" He replied calmly trying to guess what was her point...which became clear soon enough, he had to hold is laughter in as he saw her entering some sort of trance and drooling "I can take that you must be very hungry" he said getting a nod "Then there's no point in waiting, I'll call Felt, you can go enjoy the meal" he said as she literally ran towards the dining room

He found amazing how Akame could go through many emotions in just a few seconds, he guessed that it was part of her charm, he looked back into the room seeing Rongo Rongo laying on her desk...He looked in the direction where Akame disappeared before slowly walking in and grabbing the book. The Sword Saint easily noticed that it was no ordinary book although its nature was quite the mystery, he admired all the maps that it contained and was amazed by the details of them...although he did not recognize any location and this made him wonder about how far Akame was from her home...he turned a page and was greeted by a drawing, he was quite sure that it was Akame's hand behind the pencil due to the shift in calligraphy.

The drawing depicted a group of people that ranged from a woman with an eyepatch and a strange arm to Tatsumi and someone wearing his armor in his place and below it, there was a text which read 'No records, no medals, no gratitude, our name will never appear in history books, our names will fade into the night, our sacrifices, our battles, everything will turn into echoes of a forgotten past...but I will always remember the people that stood alongside me, my family, The Night Raid'

Reinhard closed and placed the book down, those words probably hid many things and he could use his many abilities to find out what but he already felt guilty enough for having invaded Akame's privacy, he could tell that drawing meant a lot to her and he didn't want to ruin their current friendship that while brief was already highly regarded by him. He understood that the people in that drawing were dear to her and maybe if Tatsumi was here, it could mean that they are also here...but without the names he couldn't do much...unless...

A certain inn of the capital

Mine walked in along with the Old Man Rom, she looked around and mentally sighed, the place wasn't exactly a royal castle but at least it didn't catch anyone's attention.

"This place is managed by a former comrade of mine, he will give us a good price" Rom said chuckling "Go take us some seats at the bar while I speak to him"

"Huh you only think about the booze...you remind me of someone" Mine said as Leone's shenanigans flashed before her eyes. The pink-haired girl walked to the bar and took a seat by the counter as she waited for Rom to return

"This is on the house" The bartender said as a plate with a slice of cake slid in front of Mine causing her to frown "Count it as make thing even after last time"

Mine looked at the bartender before widening her eyes in shock as she saw the smug face of Chelsea in front of her, she rubbed her eyes a couple of times because she was sure seeing dead people right now

"Uhm? Am I too beautiful for your weak eyes?" The other girl asked smirking before getting pinched by Mine "Oi Oi! What are you doing!?"

"Oh shit you're here for real" Mine whispered

"First off, you're supposed to pinch yourself to check if the things you're seeing are real and secondly, I am as real as I can get" Chelsea replied shrugging before noticing Mine's trail of tears "Uhm guys I made her cry what do I do?" she called

"Eh?" Mine whispered

"Oh shit Chelsea! What did you do to her?!" Lubbock said coming running from the kitchen

The sniper stared at him in shock but before saying anything there was a loud bang coming from the bathrooms, Mine got up and went to check that out and what she saw what a Sheele sitting on the floor with a bucket on her head and drenched because of the water she just spilled on herself

"Ouch" Sheele whispered removing the bucket before being pulled into a hug by Mine

"Sheele" she whispered hugging her tightly "You're here...you're alive"

The clumsy woman was not surprised by the hug given the circumstances and gently returned it "Yep, I'm back"

"Damn we got ignored" Lubbock remarked before getting a nudge from Chelsea

"You got ignored, she started crying because she saw me" She remarked smirking "But I think it's normal prioritizing the one who died in order to save you"

"Alright I guess you are right but you don't have to rub salt on my wound!" Lubbock replied facepalming

"I am so going to make fun of her" Chelsea said

"I can hear you! And I will not take shit from someone who got killed" Mine said during her sobs

"Damn roasted" Lubbock said laughing

After a while and a lot of tears, Mine and the others managed to talk normally, the group sat down since no one else was in the inn and so they didn't have to work.

"So...does anyone know how we got here?" Mine asked

"Nope, no idea, we just popped here" Chelsea replied shrugging

"Yeah, we had no idea what to do, where to go, and not knowing the alphabet of this place proved top be a massive pain in the ass" Lubbock said "Fortunately, we followed the our usual protocol and we got hired here, me and Chelsea learned to write and we started gathering info"

"What about you Sheele?" Mine asked

Sheele scratched her cheek "It's a bit hard for me..."

"Oh I see" Mine muttered "I also need to learn that maybe we can do that together?" she proposed getting a vigorous nod from the woman "So, did you learn about Tatsumi?"

"You mean the Heroic Knight who mopped the floor with the evil Bowel Hunter?" Lubbock replied chuckling "Everyone is talking about it...and before you asked we updated Sheele and what happened"

"I see..." Mine replied sighing "Well, out of all of us he is the one who can easily look a knight"

"Well yes, but our covers shouldn't be that flashy" Chelsea remarked "Now everyone will have their eyes on him"

"Well, at least it will be easier for us to track him and I also have a plan" Mine said calmly

"Let me guess, you're going to meet him at the Royal Selection" Chelsea said smirking

"W-Well yes! Is it too complicated for you?!" Mine sputtered angrily "Also how do you know that?"

"Well, I did tell you that we gathered as much intel we could" Lubbock said shrugging

"And we couldn't ignore the current power struggle inside and the fact that soon enough the Royal Candidates were going to meet" Chelsea said "So how is the plan going to work?"

"Rom told me there is a secret passage below the room where the Selection will take place so we'll bust in" Mine said before getting karate-chopped in the head by Chelsea

"Are you stupid or what?" the other girl said "You are going to make things harder for him like that, he is a famous knight to the eye of these people, if a friend of his appears like that his cover will be blown"

"First off, I am not a 'friend of his' I am his damned Girlfriends for fuck's sake!" Mine shouted back, Chelsea remained silent at that although an hint of sadness had flashed in her eyes "Secondly, how do you suggest we get inside?"

"Gracefully" Chalsea replied calmly

Karsten Mansion

Felix was staring at Kurome very intensely, the former Yeager was standing on her own and walking around finally without any support although the healer still have some worries.

"Lady Crush maybe we should let her rest some more" Felix said looking at his master who was standing in front of the door "She can meet up with Tatsumi when he comes here..."

Crush looked at Kurome "It's up to you to decide, I don't mind helping you some more, do you think you can travel like this?"

Kurome looked at her hand and closed it a few times before eyeing Yatsafusa and grabbing its hilt and slowly unsheathing the blade, the action caused Wilhelm, who was standing next to Crush, and Felix to tense up a bit, on the other hand, the Royal Candidate was calm.

'A bit rough on the edges' Kurome thought, her swings weren't sloppy at all and actually would have looked perfect to many swordsmanship teachers.

Wilhelm on the other hand, noticed the very small lack of precision but he had no doubt that it was caused by the girl still recovering and he didn't doubt that she still was deadly.

Kurome put the blade back in its sheath and slowly nodded "Yeah, I can go" she said with a rather positive tone

"Then gather your things, tomorrow you will go with Wilhelm and Feliix" Crush said with a small smile before walking out of the room along with Wilhelm and Felix.

Kurome sighed and was about to walk up the window when she felt something weighing on her shoulder, she looked at it and saw a raven sitting quite comfortably "What the..."

"Oh? You can finally see me?" The raven spoke calmly "about time"

"Who are you?" Kurome asked startled by the sudden talking animal

"You can't tell? You hurt me this way master..." The raven replied staring at the sword in her hands

"Yatsufusa?" Kurome asked

"The spirit within the blade yes" The raven replied

"How come I never saw you back at the Empire?" Kurome asked confused

"Apparently, since we got here I was blessed with this ability...I was here the entire time you were being treated although, it seems that after unsheathing the blade, you were able to see me" It replied calmly

Kurome inspected the weapon "I see...Then should I call you Yatsufusa?"

"I rather not, that is the name of the blade that was my home, I am a different identity"

"I see..." she said sitting down on the bed "Then I have to give you one."

"Please...avoid names that have to do with death, my form is already considered an ill omen and our power is...well, you know about that" The raven said

Kurome was quite surprised by the raven's personality, his voice was calm and collected and his words were picked very carefully, she had no doubt that he was quite smart.

She smiled and nodded and she tried to come up with some names before her mind went back to a conversation she had with Esdeath about a northern tribe that believed in a God that used a pair of ravens as messangers...if she recalled correctly their names were "Huginn? Or maybe Munnin?"

"I like the first" The raven replied standing on her chest "I don't know what it means but it seems friendly enough with the whole 'Hug' part"

"It means 'thought' in the language of a tribe that Esdeath fought..." Kurome said before raising an eyebrow "Don't tell me you are a cuddly type"

The raven cleared its throat "What if I am? Am I not worthy of affection after serving you with all my strength for so long?"

Kurome chuckled and scratched to top of Huginn's head "There there, you have been a very good raven"

"Don't patronize me" he said although leaning its head against her hand "But don't stop"

Kurome chuckled and kept scratching her new-old companion...

Roswaal's mansion, evening

Tatsumi was sitting at the table of the dining room Roswaal used for celebrations, next to him there was Esdeath who was all smiles and giggles, the situation was beyond unreal.

"I propose a tooooooooast!" Roswaal said raising his wine "To the kniiiiiiiight that gave us a fun new celeeeeeeebration and the arrival of a new frieeeeeend!" he said smirking

Emilia who was very visibly drunk raised her glass "Yay...to Esdeath...ehehehe"

Rem was also drunk but, unlike Emilia, she wasn't happy...since she drank she had been glaring daggers at Esdeath since she announced that she...was one of his women...just recalling that conversation caused him immense pain and embarrassment...

Earlier

"Not here" Tatsumi said leading Esdeath away from the festival into the forest causing quite a few people to wonder what was going on

He stood in front of Esdeath with his arms crossed, Ancalagon on his shoulder, staring at her in the eyes. His mind was plagued by images of Esdeath defeating Akame and killing everyone, grief was already settling inside his heart but he will not show her that, he needed to be strong around her

"Esdeath..." Tatsumi said coldly

Esdeath, on the other hand, had a relaxed posture and a smile on her face, the small knight named Arthas was also standing on her shoulder, her heart was overjoyed by seeing Tatsumi again but...she forced herself to not do anything...drastic since she knew about the seriousness of the situation and she also had time to reflect upon their relationship and came to a certain conclusion...

"Tatsumi" Esdeath said happily

"Are you here to finish what you started?" Tatsumi asked tensing up ready to deploy Incursio at any given moment

"What?" She replied sounding genuinely confused by that

"You are here meaning that the others didn't manage to kill you..." He muttered cautiously

"Tatsumi...Akame killed me" She stated calmly as she unbuttoned her jacket, an action that in normal circumstances would have made Tatsumi turn red, with her upper body completely exposed Tatsumi saw the scar of a giant slash crossing her chest, the symbols of Murasame's curse surrounding the scar "See? She did her job"

"Then how...?" He muttered

"I hoped you could answer that question...you also have died to Akame's sword in that battle" Esdeath replied putting the jacket back on

"Do you also remember...?" Tatsumi started muttering

"Different paths?" She concluded for him "My dreams and memories show me events that contradicted each other or that are totally missing"

Tatsumi nodded and sighed "So what do you want?"

"I wish to be with you" Esdeath stated with absolute resolution "There is nothing between us now, no Empire no Revolution, we can stand at each other's side without anyone having something to say against it"

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes "I already told you that I love someone else"

Those words hurt more than Murasame's blade but Esdeath was not going to be defeated not without fighting "Tell Tatsumi...You never loved me?"

'Tell her to go fuck herself partner' Ancalagon said before remaining shocked 'You gotta be fucking with me'

Tatsumi clenched his fists "When you first took me in...I thought that maybe I could have convinced you to join us...I wouldn't have minded being together...but it didn''t take long for me to understand that you were never going to change"

"That limitation is no longer here, we are free Tatsumi, we don't have to obey no one" Esdeath shot back

"But you are still the sadist general of the Empire, someone who loves war and inflicting pain to everyone" He countered "I can't even imagine being able to love someone like that"

Esdeath was surprisingly calm at that "I can't change who I am...I enjoy war and I enjoy inflicting pain...but I also love you and my last moments back in the Empire weren't filled with thoughts of death and pain...I could only think about you and regret not having you by my side" she calmly said "I was given a second chance in this place and I don't want to waste it, I cannot simply erase that part of me that you despise nor pretend to be a good person but what I can do is redirecting those skills, I will not harm anyone you don't wish me to harm, I will not wage war if that goes against your desires, I swear it on the feelings that I have for you...all I ask is to give me a chance, I don't mind being your second woman as long as I have you by my side, I will be happy" she said bowing her head

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to in shock but he refused to show her that, had death changed her this much? Could her word be trusted? If she pushed her away now, would she really leave? If so, what would happen if she was hired by someone with bad intentions?

He sighed mentally, Esdeath was many things...but she was no liar and there was something he knew for sure, she loved him...and he knew how strong those feelings were. They were no longer in the Empire, there was no reason for them to fight and she technically paid for what she has done...maybe this could be the occasion to make Esdeath...a better person, he didn't think he could redeem her...war, pain and destruction were in her veins but even those could be used for good...

He clenched his hands "This is your last chance" he muttered "If what you just said is true then...I wouldn't mind staying with you" he said seeing a smile forming on her face "But there's not going to be a third chance, if you break this...pledge, it will be over between us"

Esdeath nodded "I will not, I swear it"

He stretched his arm out towards her "I know that this is a hard choice for you and it's not fair that you're the only one trying to make it work, I will also try to"

"It's not a hard choice..." She said gently grabbing his hand

Tatsumi prepared for one of her usual moves but instead, she gently and carefully hugged him resting her head on his shoulder, he was immensely surprised by seeing Esdeath giving such a loving hug, he couldn't not return the gesture and so he gently wrapped his arms around her.

Back to the present

And so after the festival ended, everyone wanted to proclaim to have Esdeath but she disqualified for using her powers so in the end Petra won with her snow bunny since it was cute, well made and simple...a close second was the giant highly detailed Wolgarm which didn't arrive first because it was deemed too scary and it was 'too soon' according to the village chief and Roswaal.

Petra enjoyed her free flight on Ancalagon and she was kind enough to share the ride with her friends.

"Sooooo if I maaaaay ask Lady Esdeath" Roswaal said making his wine spin inside his glass "Hooooow did you meet Sir Tatsumiiiiiii?"

Esdeath smiled genuinely "At the time I was looking for someone to love...I've been fighting for most of my life and I wished to have something else to rely on" Esdeath started explaining

Tatsumi was calm, he had explained to her that he told them about what the empire did and she said she will handle it...though for some reason he had a bad feeling.

"At the same time we were looking for someone to join my new squad and so I organized a tournament...what I didn't expect was that I found both, Tatsumi had won both the tournament and my heart and he both became a member of the Imperial Guard and my lover" She said causing Tatsumi to choke on his drink

Rem widened her eyes and seemingly was about to say something but Ram stopped her.

Emilia, on the other hand, even though she was drunk she frowned "Waaaait a second...wasn't the Empire...bad?" she said through her hiccups

"Riiiiiight, I heard that he was a knight of the Revolutioooooon" Roswaal said definitely interested in the matter

"He was both" She said calmly "He infiltrated our ranks...although" she said grabbing his arm "he didn't expect for us to become lovers...and so in the end he convinced me to join"

"Ooooooh I seeeeee" Roswaal said nodding "But, aren't those who served the Empire considered eeeeevil?"

Esdeath nodded "Indeed but I was too focused on fighting the invading forces in the north so I didn't know what was going on in the capital"

'That is a big fat lie right there' Ancalagon said mentally sighing as he ate his Wolgarm steak 'On a better note, this thing is delicious'

'There are some semblances of truths in her words...' Tatsumi replied also sighing mentally before also taking a bite out of his steak ?holy shit this is delicious, Akame would go crazy for something like this'

"To think that our knight had such inteeeeresting story, we are really luuuuucky" Roswaal said

"To think that a seemingly decorated knight like you would eat demonic beast meat" Ram muttered

"You don't eat them?" Esdeath asked raising an eyebrow "We used to eat the dangerous beasts we killed back in the empire"

"I guuuueeeeess different cultures have different custoooooms" Roswaal said

Suddenly Rem grabbed Tatsumi sleeve "Tatsumi Tatsumi Tatsumi!"

He blinked a few times "yes Rem?"

"It's unfaaaaiiiiir" she said in a rather high tone "I thought you were singleeeee! Now you have multiple lovers!"

"Yeaaaaah that was a shock" Puck agreed chuckling before widening his eyes "THAT IS WHY YOU WANTED TO MARRY MY DAUGHTER!"

Esdeath eyed Tatsumi

"Kyyyaaaa Tatsumi you womanizer!" Emilia said chuckling

"It's normal for the Nobles of our land to have multiple women, after all, they needed them to produce a lot of heirs" Esdeath explained although she was a little bothered by the idea of comparing Tatsumi to one of those slime nobles, it was true that many of them had lots of concubines and wives...although most of them did it only to have fun in bed.

Tatsumi was red out of embarrassment and couldn't bear to say anything, he wouldn't even dare to look at Ram, he knew she was judging him very hard and he doubted he could reply if she was to throw some shade at him for this.

Rem...had a strange determined expression on her face "Are there limitations? Isn't Tatsumi a commoner from a village?" she said getting close enough to Esdeath to give Tatsumi anxiety

"None that I am aware of" Esdeath replied sipping her wine "And Tatsumi stopped being a commoner the moment I took him with me and since the revolution won his social status increased exponentially

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow at that, I guess being a member of the Yagers even if for a short amount of time came with a higher social status especially since Esdeath was the leader...although he was pretty sure that Night Raid didn't give any social status after the end of the war...

"Wait does this mean Tatsumi has lots of heirs?" Rem asked

"No I don't" Tatsumi said shaking his head "But I didn't try to have one, the war ended recently, I barely had time for those kinds of activities"

"Barely?" Esdeath whispered to herself mostly

'You're walking on thin ice' Ancalagon told his partner chuckling to himself

"It's too bad that by tomorrow everyone's sculptures will be goneee! We had so much fun making them!" Emilia said changing the subject entirely "Even Beatrice built one, right Bea?... eh? Where did she go?"

Tatsumi blinked a few times before looking around and seeing that Beatrice was outside standing in front of the rails of the balcony, he got up and started walking towards the door of the balcony

"Tatsumi where you going?" Emilia and Rem said at the unison

"I need some fresh air, I'll be right back" he said as he turned around and walked into the balcony, Rem and Emilia tried to follow him but there was some ice blocking them

"It was fun today" The knight said leaning on the railing "wasn't it?"

Betty remained silent for a few moments "I suppose it was a nice change of pace" she huffed

"And yet you sound disappointed" He remarked

"Umph! You sure are arrogant" she said shaking her head before puffing her cheeks "...I had fun, I suppose"

"I'm glad" Tatsumi said looking at all the ice statues in the courtyard "Everyone had fun, especially Preta, Ancalagon told me that she had a blast flying"

"Hmmm so that lizard is capable of being nice?" She replied causing Tatsumi to chuckle "What's so funny?"

"Uhm It's just I think you two enjoy each other's company" He replied smiling cheekily

"You must have serious brain damage if you think that, I suppose" Betty replied crossing her arms "Why would I ever enjoy the company of that molester lizard?"

"Uhm because he keeps you company in your ivory tower?" He shot back

"I have no idea of what you are talking about I suppose!" She replied

"Batsumi what are you doing?" suddenly Ram, who was carrying both Rem and Emilia, said approaching along with Esdeath

"Just some talk with Betty here" He said shrugging "Today was fun and looks like we were blessed with a beautiful starry sky as a cherry on top"

Everyone looked up "Hiiiii Miss Star!" The drunk Emilia cheered looking up to the sky

"Wow, you are easily impressed" Ram said looking at Tatsumi

"What can I say? I just like the stars" Tatsumi said chuckling

"I agree, the stars always guided everyone towards home or unexplored territory" Esdeath said placing herself next to Tatsumi

"And they are also symbols of hope!" Puck added as he floated over Emilia while being inside a cup of tea

Suddenly a small light placed itself on Emilia's cheek which caused her to open her eyes and smile "Look! It's full of snow spirits!" she said ecstatically as the entire place was lit up by hundreds of small lights which made for a beautiful spectacle.

Tatsumi noticed Beatrice's awe and patted her "Should we repeat this next time?" he asked as puffed her cheeks

"I...wouldn't mind...I suppose" she mumbled

The Kngiht felt his hand being squeezed and looked at his left seeing Esdeath smiling as she looked at the lights, he didn't say anything since there was no need to and simply returned to look at the lights

After a few moments Puck chuckled "Well then! With the mana I have left, let's share some of this snow with the people at the capital!" he proclaimed as he gathered his magic into a ball above himself and fired it in the direction of the capital

At the capital

Kurome had prepared the things for tomorrow's journey and was now lying in bed reading a book

"Look look!" Huginn called her as he jumped in front of the window "Snow!"

Kurome raised an eyebrow as she looked outside and smiled as she got up and pat his head "You seem to be excited for something we saw a lot" she remarked

"I was a sword back then! Can we go outside! I want to feel it on my feathers!" The spirit replied

Kurome nodded "Sure"

As soon as she said that Ferris stormed in with Crush behind him "Kurome! We're going outside with the snow want to come?" he shouted excited

She turned around and nodded as Huginn got on her shoulder

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

At the pub

Mine and her friends were sharing the room like the old times, she felt quite happy to reunite with them, at the moment they were playing cards and making jokes

"Oh Mine!" Lubbock said excitedly as a quite big spider crawled on his shoulders "Do you have one of these?"

Mine widened her eyes horrified "NO I DON'T HAVE A GIANT UGLY SPIDER!" she shouted

"Rude" The spider said "And I have a name you know?"

"The spider talks?" Mine whispered

"It's the spirit of Cross Tail" Lubbock explained "Apparently, they are a common thing here, I named her Shelob!"

"Yeah, apparently we all woke up with the spirits of our teigus" Sheele said as she marched to Extanse which was leaning against the wall in its sheath.

The woman unsheathed it and then tapped on the panda engraved on it causing it to yawn and then come out as a small panda with pink spots instead of black ones "uhmm so sleepy" it said

"I named her Mei" Sheele said giggling "She is very cute isn't she?"

Mine nodded and looked at Chelsea who simply brought her hand to her hair as a small butterfly climbed on her fingers "This is Gaia" she said smiling

"Greetings" The butterfly said bowing a bit

"So do you have a spirit?" Lubbock asked

Mine looked away embarrassed and nodded as she tapped on her shoulder but nothing happened which caused her to roll her eyes "The area is clear" she said incredibly annoyed

"Roger that, moving away from cover" someone said as a small person in pink Hitech armor emerged from the freckles of her dress wielding a miniature sniper rifle, on her visor the face of a jack-o-lantern was engraved

"Everyone, this is Sparta" Mine announced as the small soldier saluted them with the military salute

Chelsea kept her laughter in "To be honest...your teigu always felt out of place in the hands of a pinky like you"

"Shut up before I shoot you" Mine muttered

"Oh, it's snowing" Sheele suddenly commented stopping the two

The group looked outside the window

"Strange, I didn't see any cloud today" Lubbock said

Mine smiled sweetly "I like snow..."

"Is it because you confessed to Tatsumi in a snowy day?" Chelsea said smirking

Mine immediately blushed "WHAT DO YOU KNOW? WEREN'T YOU DEAD?!"

"Lubbock told me" Chelsea replied smirking before turning into a cat and getting away from Mine's tackle

"LUBBOCKKKKKK YOU TRAITOOOOOR!"

In the streets of the capital

"Oh it's snowing" The knight Julius said as he looked up

"Uhmmm maybe it's a good omen!" Anastasia said smiling

"Why? Is it not normal?" Wave asked as he walked beside Leone with his hands in his pockets

"Nope, not at this time of the year" The Royal candidate replied with a chuckle

"It seems to be magical in nature" Julius said causing Leone's years to perk up

"Is it dangerous?" She asked

"No quite the opposite" The knight replied

"Uhm good, I like this breeze" Wave remarked taking a deep breath

"You say that because you are well covered" Leone joked before Mimi climbed on top of her

"Mimi will keep you warm Big Sis!" she cheered before purring as she got patted by the blonde woman

Reinhard's house

Akame, Felt and Reinhard were sitting at the dinner table, both girls eating like ravenous beasts which amused the Sword Saint to no end despite his attempts to have Felt behave, he perked up his head and looked outside before smiling "Seems like someone sent us a gift"

Akame looked out the window and saw the snow

"Few people can pull something like this off but if I had to say who it's probably Puck, Emilia's spirit" Reinhard added

Akame looked at him "Tatsumi's employer?" she asked getting a nod

She stared at the snow for a few seconds, feeling a warm sensation in her heart, despite not being Tatsumi's direct act, this snow made her feel closer to her friend and so a smile crossed her face "It's nice" she muttered

The Sword Saint saw her smile and also smiled "Yeah indeed"

"Meh, I don't like snow, back in the slums it was a curse, fortunately I had Old man Rom's place which had a fireplace...I hope he has a place to stay now that...the warehouse burned down" she said also stopping eating

Reinhard pat her head "I'm sure he is fine, a person like him would never let some snow take him down" he said as Felt nodded and returned to eat...

Back at Roswaal's mansion

Once everyone got tired, they all starting heading back to their rooms...which scared a certain knight to death.

'You fucked up, y'know right?' Ancalagon said chuckling

'Last time we slept together I couldn't even sleep' Tatsumi said remembering how tired he was when Esdeath used him as a pillow

'I think that being tired will be the last of your problems...I worry more about your ability to walk' the dragon replied

Tatsumi widened his eyes 'You mean...'

Ancalagon looked at him as if he was a soldier who was about to go in suicide charge 'I don't know if your body can handle it...hopefully, you will adapt in order to survive...'

'you gotta be kidding me' Tatsumi said looking at the dragon

'Nope, she did mop the floor with us back in the capital' he replied before rolling his eyes 'come on, you already did it with the pink banshee, you can do it!'

'Mine is Mine! You can't compare her to Esdeath' Tatsumi said before sighing 'Hopefully I will be alive tomorrow...'

'Don't bother to scream, I saw Ram giving everyone noise-canceling snow earmuffs, she probably caught wind of what was gonna happen, I will be sleeping with Betty, Good Luck!' it said before darting away

Tatsumi took a deep breath and went in and the first thing he saw was Esdeath's neatly folded uniform and then he saw...her, wearing only her shirt sitting on her knees on the bed.

He slowly made his way to his side of the bed and sat down, he then turned to face her prepared for everything at this point.

She smiled and slowly laid her head on the pillow surprising the man who, cautiously, did the same now staring at her "You don't want...?"

"I remembered that the last time you didn't want" she said calmly

"I see" He said calmly nodding "...Then Goodnight"

She smiled "Goodnight Tatsumi" she said turning off the lights...

The next day

Tatsumi woke up early in the morning and he wasn't much surprised when he saw Esdeath also awake, after all, they were both hardened veterans and once you get used to waking up early, it would take a while for them to lose that habit.

The Empire's Strongest was still in the bed, her back leaning on the headboard of the bed as she read a book, she eyed him and smiled "Good morning"

He raised himself and got up "Morning"

"Rem is waiting for you outside" Esdeath said calmly "I assume that is normal?"

Tatsumi nodded "Yeah, we usually start the morning together, after all, we are both workers here"

"Right, I also have to seek employment" She said calmly "You said you become Emilia's knight, what does that mean?"

"Well basically I am her bodyguard and supporter for the Royal Election for what I understand" He explained calmly

"I see, is there any need for a general?" She said with a little chuckle

"From what I understand you can have an entire army so I don't think you'll have a hard time getting a job...although this place is different...You can-"

"Can't kill the opposition? Torture them?" She concluded for him getting a nod "I am used to the Imperial Etiquette and I already did some research this place...I will limit myself to only retaliate if needed...and I think Emilia will need someone to help her, I know what her appearance means and I think there will not be any shortage of enemies"

"Yeah I thought so too..." he replied sighing

"I am not speaking only about assassins" Esdeath clarified causing him to raise an eyebrow "I am sure that there will be someone who will worship her"

Tatsumi understood what she meant and nodded "The Witch Cult"

"Oh? You already know them?" She asked

He shook his head "Not by personal experience, Rem's village was destroyed by them"

Esdeath nodded in understanding and got up and dressed "Well, until I manage to talk to Emilia, do you mind If I help you?"

"No I don't" he said before a smirk appeared on his face "Actually, I do have a job for you"

She raised an eyebrow interested "What is it?"

"You'll see" He replied...

The rest of the morning went as usual for the exception of Rem staring at Esdeath most of the time and the Ice General following the knight around in his patrols and then to the village...

"Everyone!" Tatsumi shouted causing his his students to stare at him "So far I trained you like I was trained...which is good training but might not be fitting for all of you...so from now on, it will be Lady Esdeath to train you, she trained troops back in my land so she'll have a good care of you...although I have to warn you, she is not as nice as I am"

Esdeath looks at Tatsumi with a surprised expression but smirks as she places herself next to him and takes a good look at the people in front of her "Do I have to make them soldiers?" she whispered to Tatsumi

"No, just teach them to defend themselves" He replied getting a nod

"Very well" She replied nodding before crossing her arms "One I will be done with you, you will be able to keep your families safe and neutralize any threat if needed, I will not be kind to you nor have mercy but once we're done you'll be grateful for it" she announced.

With that said, Tatsumi walked away towards Rem who, as usual, was looking at him from far away "I almost feel bad for them"

"Is Lady Esdeath that severe?" The maid asked a bit worried

He nodded "Well yes but she also trained one of the greatest armies of my land but I told her to go easy on them since they are not soldiers" he explained to her as he stretched a bit "As much as I want to, I am not a teacher so it's good that she's here, she will bring the best out of each of them"

"I think you are a great teacher" Rem said with a rather secure tone

Tatsumi scratched the back of his head "Well thanks"

The two watched the villagers being trained by Esdeath which was quite the comedy show, they already struggled a bit with Tatsumi's training but now they looked like they were about to faint.

The training lasted a few hours before Esdeath clapped her hands together "Well done, I'm going to be honest, I thought some of you would have given up by now but you are strong although this is just the beginning, tomorrow your bodies will hurt like hell but that will not be an excuse for you to skip tomorrow's training"

"Uhm actually..." Rem said causing the general to look at her "Tomorrow both Tatsumi and you will be needed at the mansion, Roswaal asked me to tell you this, he will explain why at lunch..."

"Looks like you were saved" Esdeath joked while walking to the two of them as the villagers sighed in relief "So what's this about?"

"I do not know, Lord Roswaal said it was important" The maid replied

"Well, let's go back then" Tatsumi said as the other two nodded as together went back to the mansion

They returned just in time for the lunch, Emilia and the others were already sitting at the table, Rem took her place next to her sister and Tatsumi sat right across from Roswaal while Esdeath sat to his right

"Roswaal, I heard you had some news for us" Tatsumi said as Roswaal slipped a letter from his sleeve "What's that?"

"It's a leeeeeetteeeeer from Lady Karsten" Roswaal said smiling "Tomorrooooooow her knight will cooooome here to tell us the date of Royal Selection"

"Oh I see" Tatsumi said nodding

"Buuuuuut I aaaalsoooo have something for yoooooouu" Roswaal said slipping another two letters from his other sleeve "This oooooooone is for yooooou" he said sliding the letter to him "You are quiteeeee famous already"

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow as he opened the letter and started to read it

'Dear Sir Tatsumi

I am Crusch Karsten, I write this letter to inform you that in the recent days, my knight, Felix Argyle, has come across a young woman named Kurome, her conditions were critical to put it kindly, it took us quite a while to remove all the toxins within her body but now she has made a full recovery, this letter should have come with the letter announcing the arrival of my knight due to tomorrow, Kurome will be there as well, she wanted to be reunited with someone she knew and your recent actions made it easier to track you. Do not worry about the cost of the treatment, there will be none.

Respectfully, Crush Karnsten'

He brought his hand to his mouth as he looked at Esdeath who frowned a bit before opening the second which had a different sigil than the previous one.

'Dear Sir Tatsumi

I finally managed to contact you! Despite being the famous dragon knight that defeated the Bowel Hunter getting this letter to you was harder than anticipated, well better late than never! I am Anastasia Hoshin and me and my mercenaries stumbled upon two friends of yours named Wave and Leone, I will not lie, I am a greedy person and tried with all of my forces to get them to join me but they rejected me every time I asked them...Oh well, guess you'll owe a favor now! I will wait for you at the inn I left at the bottom of the letter with your friends! can't wait to meet you!

Sincerely, Anastasia Hoshin'

Tatsumi checked the name of the inn and slowly closed the letter

Emilia and Rem had a worried look "Is something wrong?"

"No no" He replied shaking his head "Other friends of mine, Lady Karsten saved one of them and tomorrow will arrive along with her knight while Lady Hoshin met with two other friends and invited me to an inn to meet"

"Isn't that a good a good news?" Emilia asked although her expression was a bit worried probably due to having two of her rivals sending letters to Tatsumi and that's not counting Lady Barielle's visit

"One of them being saved means that whoever this person might be was in a situation that required saving, I suppose" Betty said taking a sip from her glass

"Who are them?" Esdeath asked

"Kurome is the one coming tomorrow and Wave and Leone are the other two" Tatsumi muttered

Esdeath blinked a few times before smiling "So Kurome and Wave are alive...I'm glad to hear that"

"Oh myyyyyyyyy, if you two thought that these two were deeeeeead her situation must have been nightmaaaarish" Roswaal commented seemingly amused

Tatsumi got up "I have to talk to you" he said looking at Esdeath who silently nodded and got up as well "Sorry for our bad manners but this can't wait"

"I-It's okay!" Emilia said shaking her head

"I'll keep your meals warm" Rem added with a serious expression

Tatsumi nodded and left the room with Esdeath going outside in the courtyard, when they were far enough they stopped

'Welp this is going to be a hell of a mess' Ancalgon said through his mental link reappearing on the Tatsumi's shoulder

'Oh look who decided to show up again, bored of tormenting Betty?' The knight asked

'Nope but I thought you needed backup just in case' The dragon replied as Tatsumi sighed

"Tatsumi" Esdeath said crossing her arms "Why is Kurome's and Wave's return causing you trouble? If they try anything I'll order them to stand down"

"No, they will not attempt anything, Esdeath" Tatsumi said shaking his head "Because they didn't die fighting us"

Esdeath raised an eyebrow

"She challenged Akame in a duel but then Wave intervened" He explained her "And convinced her to desert the empire and go away together as lovers...to find a way to purify her from those drugs they forced on her and to be happy together" as he said this the image of Akame stabbing Kurome flashed before his eyes but he dismissed it

Esdeath blinked a few times and remained silent, probably processing the information "So you are worried of what will happen when they see me?"

Tatsumi slowly nodded

Esdeath created a chair made of ice and brought her hand to her mouth "you know, when I received the news that they had died I didn't grieve them because they weren't strong enough to survive...but I missed them" she slowly started saying "But now that you tell me this...I think Kurome was stronger than me"

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to frown as he waited for her to elaborate further

"She saw the one she loved and gave up everything to be with him, despite what could have happened if I or the Empire found out..." she said with a bittersweet smile "Something that I wasn't able to do...so once she arrives here, I'll ask her to teach me a couple of things about love"

Tatsumi sighed in relief at that "I'm glad you think this"

"It's...hard to think like this and I don't think I'll ever be able to be someone like you or Najenda and there is still a part of me that tells me to just go all out...especially on that clown...reminds me of Champ" She admitted

"Oh for all I care you can do that since it was also my first thought but wait for solid proof of something fishy before doing anything" He said chuckling

"That man is off" Suddenly Arthas spoke as his helmet poked out of Esdeath's hair "I don't like him being around my mistress, say the word and I will kill it for you"

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow "Oh I almost forgot about you" he said looking at the small helmet "You usually don't come out as much as Ancalagon"

"I come out only is my mistress orders me to" He replied

"Aren't you supposed to be a demon?" Ancalagon asked

"I am but my mistress proved herself to be a worthy master and so this appearance fits me best" Arthas replied

Esdeath patted his helmet with her finger "He is very loyal"

"I can see that" Tatsumi said nodding "Let's go back now, I am a bit hungry"

She nodded and together went back to the dining room where the others were surprisingly waiting for them, they sat down and Tatsumi made an awkward smile

"You didn't have to wait for us" he said

"Whyyyyyyy? You are paaaaaaart of this plaaaaace after all" Roswaal said "I keeept the food hooooot"

Emilia nodded "Yeah, we were worried, I hope you sorted out the problem"

"We did, thank you for your consideration" Esdeath said taking a sip of wine

"That's goooood to heeeear" Roswaal said looking at her "I heard you wanteeeed to talk to me"

"Indeed" she replied with a small nod "I would like to join you in the effort to make Lady Emilia Queen"

"Eh?" Emilia gasped

"Uhmm a knight a general! By the end of the week we'll have an entire royal guard!" Puck joked although he still was not sure about Esdeath, she was definitely dangerous, he could tell that much

"It would be beneficial for you" Roswaal said now using his serious tone "Your rivals are surrounded by trusted soldiers, Anastasia Hoshin has his mercenaries, Crush Karsten her soldiers and Priscilla has many people around her...You'll need all the help you can get"

"Hey you talk as if I am not here" Puck said

"You are here but there are times where you need to recharge" Roswaal said calmly

Emilia looked at Esdeath "well...I'll be in your care then"

Esdeath bowed her head a bit "Speaking of Royal Guards, the person who is coming tomorrow, Kurome, is also an excellent swordswoman probably she will join us too"

"And at Reinhard's house there's her sister, Akame, the best swordswoman I know" Tatsumi added calmly

"Oh my" Roswaal said amused "It looks like finally your luck is showing up Lady Emilia"

Emilia looked down embarrassed "I-I guess"

"So General Esdeath, do you have any suggestions to improve Emilia's reputation?" Roswaal asked smiling

Esdeath gave him a nod causing Tatsumi to raise an eyebrow "Since there's still a bit of time I can prepare something other than this I wish to find a couple of winged dragons"

"Winged Dragons?" Emilia asked frowning

"Uhm? What use do you have for such untamable beasts?" Betty asked

"When I was in Miss Barielle's house I had the occasion of learning that someone in Vollachia was able to tame them, I tamed myself many beasts back in my land and I am quite confident I can do the same here"

"But why?" Roswaal said

"We lack quantity" Esdeath replied calmly rubbing her finger on the edges of her glass "Even if we recruit Kurome and Akame we'll be 10 including Puck and Beatrice, which means that we need the Quality. From what I understand, we are the least favorite from the General Public's perspective and from the political spectrum and looked down on despite having powerful members between our ranks"

Tatsumi blinked a few times but he realized that Esdeath, due to her time in the Empire, knew a lot about politics...her help went beyond her strength, her tactical mind will be extremely useful.

"This is why we need to send a clear message, we will prove our strength and our willingness to fight for throne, not literally mind you, we'll march into the capital with our heads up" The General explained "Hence why the Winged Dragons, if we show up riding those beasts that are considered untamable, we'll already prove that we're nothing to scoff at"

"And you think you can do in this a couple of days?" Roswaal asked

"Hours at best" Esdeath said smirking

"Uhm you have quite the ego, I suppose" Betty commented

"But anyway that's just the beginning" Esdeath said looking at Emilia "What's your plan for getting the favor of the people?"

"E-Eh?" Emilia said gasping at the sudden question "W-Well I wish for Equal rights between demi-humans and humans..."

"That's it?" Esdeath asked raising an eyebrow

"Hey! Equal Rights are not an easy thing to achieve!" Puck protested

"No they are not but it only can be achieved after you become Queen" Esdeath remarked "What are you going to do to earn the people's trust?"

Emilia remained silent

"You begin in disadvantage, you need to do something to earn the people's favor" The general said "Like eliminating the Witch Cult"

Silence fell in the room, Tatsumi stared at Esdeath in shock, that was the elephant in the room and she just kicked it

"E-Eh?" Emilia whispered

"Once your identity is revealed they will start to pop up and when that happens the blame will be shifted to you" Esdeath explained calmly "That is why you have to make your position on the matter clear and that is not counting that the people whose lives were destroyed by the cult, although don't think it will an immediate thing, after all, you are the representation of the cult's object of worship but once you actually start taking down the cult more will join"

Emilia seemed to be quite shaken up

"Well that's only if you want to, you're the one in charge" Esdeath concluded sipping her wine

Emilia looked at Roswaal and Tatsumi silently asking their thoughts on the matter

"Weeeell it's undeniableeeeee that you reputation is quiiiiiite loooow" Roswaal said nodding "And that thoooose people will certainly noticeeee youuuuu"

Tatsumi mentally frowned, Roswaal wasn't using his serious tone anymore maybe he doesn't take the Witch cult seriously?

Tatsumi cleared his throat as Emilia focused on him "The witch cult is certainly a problem that needs to be taken care of, they can't be allowed to roam the kingdom destroying villages as offerings" he said looking at the two maids "And there are many people who probably suffered because of them and still seek revenge...and we are probably the smallest faction within the Royal Selection...if you ask me...then I agree with General Esdeath, it would be good for your image and for the kingdom as a whole"

"And for the matter, me and Tatsumi are familiar with cults so you can count on us to help you dealing with them" Esdeath added

"Don't worry, me and Lia are unstoppable together" Puck guaranteed with a thumb up

Esdeath frowned "And Emilia alone?"

"I am good at punching...although I follow my instincts more than anything" Emilia admitted

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow "You're without magic if somehow you end up separated by Puck?" he asked getting a nod "This could be problematic"

"Hoooow soooo?" Roswaal asked

"If someone knew of this weakness they could create a situation where she wouldn't be able to rely on Puck...and instinctual combat can take you so far..." Tatsumi explained

"I can train her" Esdeath said calmly "In the morning I'll train the villagers and the in the afternoon I could train you"

"I don't think that's necessary..." Emilia muttered

"It is not of course, but being seen as a leader doesn't hurt, a leader is worthy of respect and trust" Esdeath shot back

"You don't have to do it" Tatsumi suddenly said not liking the situation, it reminded him how the Honest manipulated the child emperor

Emilia slowly nodded "I know but she is right...when we can start?" she asked

"Depends on when the Royal Selection is" Esdeath replied before looking at Roswaal "So, do you know where we can find those winged dragons?"

"uhm perhaps you miiiiiiiight find a nest of thoooooooose up in the mountains" Roswaal said calmly shrugging

Esdeath nodded "Then We'll start immediately" Esdeath said nodding

"We?" Tatsumi asked

Esdeath looked at him "You don't want to?"

He scratched his cheek "Well, I am kind of curious so why not?" he said before looking at the others "Do you mind if I go away for a while? I swear we'll be back for tomorrow's meeting"

"For dinner" Esdeath said calmly chuckling "I would suggest you to prepare some space for our dragons"

"Oooooh myyyyyyy" Roswaal said laughing "I don't haaaaave any prooooblems!"

Emilia nodded "Get one for me!" she said before chuckling "I am joking"

"I'll patiently wait for you here Tatsumi!" Rem declared as Ram rolled her eyes

"None of them are allowed in the library! I will not as patient as I am with your lizard to them, I suppose" Betty said puffing her checks

With that they all had lunch finally and when they were done both Tatsumi and Esdeath left the mansion, Tatsumi put on his armor to fly while Esdeath created pieces of ice around her ankles to do the same. They both flew away directed towards the mountains

"A nest needs to be fed so it's better for us to look for mountains near forests" Tatsumi said as Esdeath nodded

"And it must be big enough for all the dragons" Esdeath added observing the various peaks before noticing movement on top of one of them "There!" she said smirking madly charging towards it, Tatsumi following her close behind.

When she landed, she created a small crater while Tatsumi landed gently, it didn't take a while for them to notice that they had landed right in the middle of the nest causing many Winged Dragons to growl at them. Each creature was wildly different in size and colors, with horns and spikes on various parts of their bodies but one among them stood out, it was bigger than everyone else, with the pair of giant horns sprouting from its head along with a quite big pair of wings from its back

Esdeath prepared herself with a smirk but then noticed that the beast was not looking at her but at Tatsumi. it roared at him and started dragging its feet on the ground and spreading its wings assuming a dominant position

"First of all!" Ancalagon shouted "You watch your fucking mouth!"

"What? You understand him?" Tatsumi asked raising an eyebrow

"Of course I can! He is calling you a coward since you hide yourself in this form" Ancalagon replied angrily "Oi! You dumbfuck! You have no saying on how my partner chooses to look!" he shouted at the dragon who roared again "ALRIGHT THAT'S IT! YOU WANT TO DO THE ALPHA?! I WILL SHOW YOU A REAL ALPHA! TATSUMI! SHOW HIM!"

Tatsumi simply took his stance and...

"NO!" Ancalagon replied shaking his head "GO FULL DRAGON!"

"Wait what?" Tatsumi asked raising an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to draw it to you? Transform into my dragon form! like in the capital! And show this rude bastard who's the boss around here!" The Spirit Dragon replied

Tatsumi widened his eyes and looked at his hands "How?"

"Just remember how your body felt when you were like that and do the same thing you usually do to go in armor mode!" Ancalagon said

Tatsumi slowly nodded and looked at Esdeath who simply walked away from him a bit to give him some space, the woman was genuinely impatient to see what will happen

The knight grabbed Neuntote and took a deep breath before raising it up in the air and stabbing it to the ground will all of his strength "INCURSIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

A massive pillar of steam appeared out of nowhere as Tatsumi's warcry turned into an earth-shaking deafening roar, a shadow started appearing behind the steam growing bigger with each second that passed, it was bigger than a carriage but it grew bigger than a three-story building and still growing...then the steam disappeared revealing Tatsumi's colossal dragon form, his armored body vaguely resembled his armor although it was darker its main colors being gray, black and red but what stand out the most were the words of Murasame's curse which sprouted out from the center of his chest. He stretched his wings and flapped them a couple of times to get the feeling of them although he failed to realize that with each flap he sent a powerful gust of wind that had forced the winged dragon and even Esdeath to brace themselves.

"AH!" Anacalagon said standing on top of Tatsumi's head "NOW WHO IS THE ALPHA HUH?!"

Esdeath had a huge smile on her face "Wonderful" she whispered

The winged dragon hissed and immediately flew in the sky extremely fast

"Is this dude for real?!" Ancalagon said "Tatsumi fight for dominance!"

"Wait for what?" Tatsumi growled

"The Alpha commands the nest! If you win there will be no need for Ice Queen to 'train them'" Ancalagon shouted

Tatsumi sighed and nodded scanning the skies looking for the dragon that had taken off, when his insects kicked in and he spun around and literally slapped away the charging dragon which crashed down leaving a small crater, it quickly got up again and was about to take off again but Tatsumi didn't let him as he breathed fire above it and encircled it.

Tatsumi didn't want to fight it unless necessary, these creatures were meant to be their future partners and he rather have a relationship of mutual respect rather than one based on fear. He stepped into the ring of fire and placed himself in front of it completely eclipsing it.

The winged dragon stared at him growling but ultimately cornered although this was the most dangerous moment.

"I do not wish to fight you" Tatsumi growled "I only seek your aid"

The other creature hissed and Ancalgon floated in front of the knight "I'll translate that 'We will not be anyone's pets'"

"And I am not looking for ones" Tatsumi said shaking his gigantic head "I am looking for comrades"

The creature growled a bit and Ancalagon cleared his throat "He said 'The woman who accompanied you doesn't seem to think it like that, I can feel her intentions'

"That woman is with me yes, she wants you because we need you and she is willing to do anything to reach our objective" Tatsumi said nodding "But I wish to reach a peaceful solution"

It hissed and roared "'We rather be all skinned alive than deal with the likes of you! NOW FIGHT ME AND PROVE YOU'RE TRUE DRAGON'" Ancalagon translated before Tatsumi literally punched the winged dragon down hitting directly on top of its head causing it to fall down and crack the ground, he then pressed his hand on its body and waited for it to get up again but it never did

It whined under his armored claws "'Do it, this is our kin's way...'"

Tatsumi lifted it and looked directly into its eyes "I am a dragon but I was once man, you are defeated and I won, spilling more blood is not needed nor what I want, I am looking for companions which I can trust, you will not be treated as pets but as the noble creatures you are, you will have a large space to live in and will still be free, the only thing I ask is to help those who can't cross the sky with your wings"

The winged dragon remained silent before it deeply sighed "'You're the winner...your words are our command"

Roswaal's mansion

Emilia was in her room studying or at least trying to since she had spent the last few hours re-reading the same page over and over again not remembering what she just read

"Are you worried Lia?" Puck suddenly said popping out of her hair

The half-elf jumped on her feet "What? Absolutely! Everything is fine! I just getting distracted!"

"By the thoughts that something regarding Tatsumi and Esdeath?" Puck replied chuckling

"...!" she stared at him pouting "W-Well, he is my knight and she is my general it's normal for a queen to worry about those around her! I read it somewhere here!" she said flailing a book around

"Oh you already consider yourself a queen?" the spirit said smugly causing her to turn crimson red "that's good, you'll need some of that confidence"

Emilia looked to the ground and sighed "It's just that...it feels so real now"

Puck nodded "Of course it does, so far you had me and Roswaal helping you with the Selection but now you have a proper knight and even a general...and a scary one at that"

"You don't like Esdeath?" Emilia asked raising an eyebrow

"I mean...even her name would put someone on edge" Puck said shrugging "But her aura is truly the frightening thing, one can tell that many met their end when confronting her"

"You are scared?" she asked

"No of course because I trust Tatsumi's word" Puck replied nodding

"You trust him that much?" Emilia asked

Puck brought his paws to his chin "More like I can tell he's not the backstabber type and we both share our concerns for Roswaal"

"Tatssumi doesn't trust Roswaal?" Emilia asked confused

"Nope, nor does Esdeath, and I can even think that they barely trust you for entirely different reasons" Puck said

Emilia was about to ask when she remembered her conversation with him "Because we are nobles and nobles back in his land were evil?"

Puck nodded "They barely trust us out of habit rather than actual concern"

Emilia frowned "What I can do to earn that trust?"

The spirit shrugged "I don't know but no matter what I'll be on your side"

Suddenly a loud thud caught their attention "It must be them!" The half-Elf said rushing outside only to find a rather...bizarre situation.

On the roof and the courtyard of the mansion there were many winged dragons getting comfortable and nesting, in the middle of them all there was a massive one that seemed to be talking with Esdeath. The Half-Elf cautiously walked towards the two and sheepishly approached her general "E-Esdeath...where's Tatsumi?"

"I am here" Suddenly the immense dragon growled causing her to widen her eyes in shock "Yeah I am also not used to it"

"You...You are a dragon!" Emilia said almost falling on her back as she tried to rise her head to look at him in the eyes

"Why so surprised? He was one even back at the warehouse" Ancalagon said as it descended Tatsumi's massive body

"B-But this is totally different!" Emilia squeaked "That one looked like an armor! This is a big dragon!"

Ancalagon smugly smirked "He could get bigger if only he just slurped some of the mana around here! But despite me telling him he just refuses!"

"Because there is no need to I am already big enough" Tatsumi replied looking at Emilia "Will this cause you problems at the Selection?"

"Aaaaaaabsolutelyyyyy nooooooot!" Suddenly the owner of the mansion showed up followed by his maids and Beatrice "aaaaactually, thiiiiiis is going to beeeee quite theeeeee booooster! A Royal Candidate whose knight is a fuuuuulllll fllleeeeedgeeeed draaaaaaagon? Peeeeeeople are gooooing toooo love iiiiit!"

"A candidate with a dragon knight and a dragonic air force" Esdeath said gesturing the dragons around them

"Riiiiiight, I am surprised by how you manaaaaaged to taaaaame them all" The magician said

"I didn't" Esdeath said shaking her head "The nest had an alpha, Tatsumi beat him fairly and became the new alpha"

"These dragons are not pets" Tatsumi immediately clarified "They are our new companions and must be treated with respect...and food...possibly of demonic beasts, they said it's tasty"

Roswaal nodded "Buuuuut oooooof cooooourse! We areeeeee neeeever out of Demonic Beasts in these laaaaands!" he said chuckling before looking at Tatsumi "I would suggest you to return to your human form, we need to keep this side of yours as a surprise" and with that being said he marched away

Beatrice looked around "Well, now there's no hope for tranquility to come back Hmpf!" she said also turning around

"Tatsumi you are amazing!" Rem said in awe

Ram on the other hand looked depressed "With all these dragons around there will be more work to do, thank you Batsumi" she said before following Roswaal

Emilia looked around feeling a bit...overwhelmed, it was a lot to take in at once. She looked at Tatsumi and sighed a bit "Well...Now what do we do?"

"Well I want you to meet someone" Tatsumi said walking among the dragons gesturing her to follow

"I'll make them a nice place to stay" Esdeath said getting a nod from Tatsumi

Emilia followed curiously Tatsumi, becoming a little nervous once they got pretty far away from the mansion and the winged dragons. He then stopped all of a sudden stopped and pointed onward. The half-elf followed the pointed direction and widened her eyes when she spotted an all-white winged dragon nesting isolated from the others.

"As you may have noticed, she is isolated from the others, her albinism causes preys to spot her before she could get the jump on them. She has to hunt by herself because the other groups of dragons don't want her to ruin their hunts" He explained calmly "I tried to gain her trust but she doesn't budge"

"So you thought I could do it?" Emilia asked looking at him

"yes, winged dragons are really proud creatures and it's hard to gain their trust" Tatsumi said "But she is particularly wary due to her condition"

"You seem to know a lot of these things..." Emilia muttered

"Not really, Ancalagon explained it to me" Tatsumi said

"Why me?" Emilia asked

"I feel like you two are kindred spirits" He explained as Emilia slowly nodded "Leave Puck here though"

Puck poked his head out of Emilia's hair "I have to protect my daughter!"

"There is no danger, despite not trusting me, that dragon still respects my status as Alpha" Tatsumi replied "And I know that you tend to scare off other beings"

At that Ancalagon appeared on Tatsumi's shoulder with a grin on his face

"Damn snitch!" The spirit sighed and came out "Alright alright but if something happens I'll hold you accountable for it!"

Emilia gulped and looked at the dragons that had been staring at them warily since they got there. She cautiously walked towards it, the dragon widened its eyes slightly at her and slowly got up.

"H-Hello" Emilia greeting the creature not daring to make sudden movements "I'm Emilia"

'What do you think of it?' Tatsumi asked Ancalagon looking at the interaction

'She's smelling Emilia' Ancalagon replied yawning

'Literally or some sort of...?' Tatsumi asked

'She seeing what jìkind of person she is' Ancalagon clarified

Suddenly, the dragon started circling around Emilia who froze in place looking at Tatsumi seeking advice for the current situation

'It's fine' Ancalagon anticipated Tatsumi's question

The knight gestured Emilia to stay still and let the dragon do it's thing

The dragon sat next to Emilia and wrapped her with one of her wings.

'Oh' Ancalagon said

''oh'? What's going on?' Tatsumi asked

'She sees Emilia like a cub' Ancalagon explained 'Well, it's not too far off from the truth...'

'You give Emilia too little credit' Tatsumi said shaking his head before looking at Emilia "It looks like she likes you"

"Really?!" Emilia said lifting gently the dragon's wing to look at Tatsumi

"Yep, she thinks you are a cub" He explained her

"Heh?!" Emilia said blushing a bit

"My daughter's cuteness wins once again!" Puck said crossing his arms

"Finally Emilia will have a Good Responsible parent" Ancalagon said cheekily "Another proof that dragons rule!"

"Shut up stupid Lizard!" Puck said

"uhmmm" Emilia mumbled "What now?" She asked

Tatsumi didn't reply and simply turned around and walked away "See you at the Mansion!"

"EH?! TATSUMI! WAIT!"

And with that, the knight flew back to the mansion and waited at its entrance for quite a while, Rem came out of the building and raised an eyebrow when she spotted him staring at the sky

"Tatsumi?" She called "What are you doing?"

"Waiting" He replied smirking

Rem tilted her head "For what?"

He gestured the sky with his head "For that"

Rem raised her head and scanned the sky until she spotted a white dot in the sky coming closer and closer accompanied by a strange sound that got stronger as the dot came closer. she then realized that the dot was a dragon and after a while, she spotted Emilia on the dragon's back. The maid started taking a few steps closer to Tatsumi right before the creature landed next to them.

Emilia was clinging to the dragon's back with all of her strength, she had kept her eyes closed the entire flight and slowly opened them when she realized that she was on the ground. She cautiosly got off, her body was shaking a bit "T-Tatsumi...you are so mean"

"What? I didn't do anything" He replied chuckling "Come on let's go inside, dinner is waiting for us"

The next day

Kurome looked outside of the carriage, for a lot of time the small window only showed trees and even more trees, although she had to admit that when she was a bit in awe when she passed in front of the Flugel Tree. Now she was looking at a small village which reminded her of the outskirts of the capital, the carriage kept moving until a giant mansion appeared. It didn't take too long to reach it and the carriage parked in front of the main door.

"Well this is our stop" Felix said smirking as he opened the door and got off soon followed by Kurome "Eh?"

The entire place was to the brim with winged dragons and all of them had their eyes glued to them

"Weeeelcome!" The owner of the mansion greeted them

Kurome felt her stomach twist when she laid eyes on the man...he was a clown and that only reminded her of Champ...certainly not good memories. She then looked at the people around him, two maids one with blue hair and the other with pink ones. The dragons didn't seem to bother her much

'They don't like us huh?' Huggin said not daring to move from the girl's shoulder.

"Oh my we are being greeted by Emilia's knight himself?" Felix said giggling

"Nooooo of course" Roswaal said shaking his head "I'm noooot her knight"

"What?" Felix said tilting his head

"There has beeeeeeeen a changeeee" Roswaal said looking at Kurome "You must be his friend...interesting" he muttered before turning around "Follooooow me"

Felix looked at Wilhelm and nodded as one of the maids showed the old man where to put the carriage. Kurome and Felix followed Roswaal until he stopped in front of the door and gestured them to go inside.

Felix went in and Kurome did the same only for her blood to freeze in place once she looked at the people inside. There was a white-haired girl which she guessed was Lady Emilia, she immediately spot Tatsumi which would put her at ease in normal circumstances but then she saw Esdeath and fear gripped her heart

'Oh this is bad...really bad' Huggin said knowing that he wasn't the only spirit in the room.

The assassin remained silent surprising Felix who had expected a more interesting reaction out of her.

"Uhm don't you want to greet them?" he whispered to her

Kurome smiled "Your duty first" she whispered back

Felix nodded and sat down across from Emilia "Greeting Lady Emilia! Long time no see!"

Emilia smiled "Yeah, how have you been? Was the journey a good one?"

"Indeed it was! And me and Lady Crush are in a good health" Felix said as Rem brought some tea and various snacks which Felix and Kurome accepted gladly "I see you have a new knight...and collaborator" he said calmly

Emilia nodded "Yes, this is the knight who will be alongside me during the Election Tatsumi" she gestured Tatsumi

The former assassin bowed his head slightly "Pleasured to meet you"

Emilia then gestured the person next to her "And this is my General, Esdeath"

'Scary! WHO THE HELL CALLS THEIR DAUGHTER ESDEATH?' Felix thought looking at the woman who didn't do or say anything

"I see I see, it's nice to meet you all too" Felix said taking a sip of tea "Now, should we go to the point?"

Emilia nodded and Crush's knight told her that the Royal Selection will take place in two days at the Royal Castle.

"Thank you very much" Emilia said nodding

"One last thing!" Felix said raising his finger and pointing at Kurome "I would like to do a checkup on her when you get to the capital! If I hadn't found her she would have been dead!"

Emilia blinked a few times "And how much would it cost?"

"Kurome already paid for it" Felix said calmly

"I see..." Emilia muttered "Is this all?"

Felix nodded happily "Yep! Now I have to go after we also have to prepare for the royal selection! See you soon nya!" he said getting up and marching to the door before leaving "Kurome! Take care of yourself or I'll get angry!" he added getting a nod from Kurome.

Silence fell inside the room, Emilia felt very awkward as her gaze darted between Esdeath, Tatsumi and Kurome

"Lady Emilia" Esdeath said causing a shiver to run down Emilia's spine "Can you leave us alone?"

Emilia nodded and left the room and Esdeath started moving towards Kurome causing the girl to look at Tatsumi panicked.

Huggin placed himself in front of Kurome glaring daggers at the General but he was tackled by Arthas

Kurome placed her hand on Murasame ready to go down in a fight

"Kurome" Esdeath said spreading her arms and hugging her before she could react "I am happy to see you again"

The girl looked at Tatsumi who smiled at her "I explained her everything, you don't have to worry"

Esdeath nodded "Indeed and you have nothing to fear from me, I understand why you did what you did" she guaranteed her as Arthas released Huggin and pat his head

Tatsumi smiled and walked out of the room, he wasn't very close to Kurome but he was sure that everything was fine...

He found Emilia waiting for them outside of the room, she immediately turned to face him and smiled "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine" he guaranteed her before looking outside the window to see Felix''s carriage leave the mansion

Inside the carriage

"So Felix...what do you think?" Wilhelm asked the knight

"Lady Emilia has started to gather very powerful people...The Selection is going to be interesting" Felix replied

The old man nodded "I see...maybe we shouldn't have helped her with Kurome?"

Felix giggled "What are you saying old man! We can't kidnap people like that nya!"

The knight returned serious 'Also I have the feeling that Kurome will not be the last addition to Emilia's supporters...'