Esdeath, Akame and Tatsumi did not encounter any enemy on their way back, and by the time they reached the encampment, the battle in the north was over.

To their relief, they found the camp safe and sound as well as the army: it seemed their enemy did not send any 'living dead' on the other front. Thus, Najenda's forces wiped the contingent without any issue.

In all probability, whoever leaded the Northerners assumed Ogre, Taeko, Gensei and the soldiers with them would be enough to destroy the Kingdom's Army with their surprise attack.

When they arrived to the camp, the first thing they asked for was their daughters; but as they wanted to make their report asap, once again, the family found themselves once again in the war council pavilion.

Najenda carefully listened to them while they rested, with Nea and Ryuu carefully –though quite clumsily– bandaging their scratches like two little nurses.

"Dead people brought back to life…" Najenda murmured. "And on top of that, powerful ones. What is that, a shounen manga plot?"

"I was not done" Akame said. "There is worse…"

"Worse? Is that even possible?" Najenda frowned.

"Their weaponry. Ogre had Spectator, but Tatsumi destroyed it by killing him this time. Taeko had Kiriichimonji while Gensei had the Water Dragon Sword."

Najenda closed her eye and cursed.

"You have to be kidding me… you're telling me that the enemy has living dead warriors equipped with Teigus and Shingus?..."

"Shingu? What's that?" Tatsumi asked.

Esdeath, who was hugging Nea, cleared her throat.

"You can consider them as inferior Teigus. An emperor tried to create weapons that would surpass Teigus but failed. The results were the Shingus, powerful yet imperfect weapons. Still, they easily overcome conventional armament."

"Esdeath said it all." Akame showed him her second katana, Kiriichimonji, taken on Taeko's corpse.

"This is the Shingu I wielded during my time in the Elite Seven. Kiriichimonji. Its ability is to inflict wounds that cannot heal."

"Wow… but when you say, cannot heal…

"The wound will never heal, whatever ointment you apply, whatever potion you use. Even if you stitch the wound, the tissue won't repair themselves."

Tatsumi gulped.

(They sure had scary ideas when it came to create weapons…) he thought.

"The sword you used is also a Shingu. The Water Dragon Sword" Akame pointed.

"Oh? A fitting name, for sure…"

The Water Dragon Sword had a scaled pommel, and a reptilian eye on it. Probably a dragon's one, given its name.

"And its ability is?..." Tatsumi asked, even if he already had an idea.

"When you use it, it makes you stronger for three minutes…but it also causes you an incredible pain for a few seconds."

"…as I noticed. You could've told me during the fight, I almost got myself killed."

"I'm very sorry…" Akame lowered her head, guilty at the idea she could've indirectly killed Tatsumi.

Tatsumi, embarrassed, tried to reassure her:

"No, no, I know you wanted to warn me, Akame! Don't take it like that!"

Akame smiled. Then, with a serious tone:

"Since you have only three minutes to fight with this boost, I can only recommend you to be careful. It's a trump card, for sure, but in a certain way, it's also a last resort…"

"Umm… but if the power-up runs out, I only have to use it right after its effects end, don't you think? This way…"

Akame maliciously smirked.

"It's not a bad idea…"

"Right?!"

"…but it'll kill you if you use it in succession."

Tatsumi's enthusiasm vanished and Esdeath sneered.

"…oh. Sounds pretty dangerous…"

"Right? But don't worry, you're not entirely wrong. My leader tried to avoid doing it as much as possible, but he happened to use it consecutively."

"Oh? So how many times can I safely use it this way?"

"From what he told me… Two times is doable but the pain at the activation is worse. And beyond two times in a row, your life's on the line."

Tatsumi nodded and Esdeath barged in.

"I know you'll use it more than once if you feel to, Tatsumi" she sighed. "No, don't even try to deny it. But remember: you're not alone. We're here with you, and if we fight, we'll make sure you don't have to take too much risks."

"Yes. We all know how reckless you are" Akame sighed.

"Me? Reckless? How can you…"

Najenda coughed loudly.

"I remember someone trying to stop a giant robot-like Teigu weighing tens of tons by himself, ending up almost dead… I wonder if this man is in this room."

"Guh…okay, I'll be careful…"

"Good. We still have an important matter to discuss…girls, I have to ask you to leave for a moment…" Najenda gently told Ryuu and Nea.

"No! We stay with Papa and Mamas!" Ryuu protested, while Nea vigorously nodded.

"We're about to have an adult talk" Esdeath said.

"Oh…alright…but you come back as soon as possible, right?!"

"That's a promise."

The two girls left the tent, escorted by a guard.

"…what was that, an adult talk?" Najenda asked.

"Hmm? Just a magic sentence" Esdeath replied. "When we want to be alone, we tell them that, and they obediently leave. Like, when we want to fuc–"

"I got it, I got it."

On Najenda's instance, Akame, Esdeath and Tatsumi described as well as they could their fights and what they noticed about their opponents.

By the time they were done, dawn was here. Akame's stomach was rumbling, and all of them wanted a good bath.

Najenda had bags under her eyes, but lit another cigarette to inspire her, perambulating in front of the long table in the tent.

Meanwhile, Akame, Tatsumi and Esdeath were sitting on chairs, waiting for her to speak her mind.

"Okay. So, let's assume only a Teigu can have the power to raise the dead. I concluded several things with what you told me. If you think I'm wrong or mistaking, do not hesitate to give your opinion. Right?"

She paused and the trio nodded.

"I think this Teigu has a very high cost when it comes to use it and cannot be used at will. Otherwise, our enemy would've raised legions of corpses and dead men, even resurrecting his fallen soldiers. He did not. He only brought back powerful warriors whom he equipped with Teigus and Shingus."

She clenched her fist and crushed her cigarette in her ashtray.

"In that case, it makes sense that Numa Seika is alive, brought back by the Teigu. Someone's controlling him and operating in his shadow. Do you agree?"

"Yes" Esdeath said. "It makes sense."

"Oh, I had forgotten, but I recall now. Ogre shouted something about a 'bitch'… He was talking about some woman. So the enemy is a 'she'" Tatsumi said.

"You could've told me that earlier" Najenda grumbled. "Nothing else? No information? And you sure you heard that?"

"I'm positive. And nope, nothing else…"

"I highly doubt they could have answered anyway".

Akame was massaging her wrist.

"If they are controlled, maybe their owner put them under a condition like 'don't spit any intel about me'… I'd do that personally."

"The same goes for me" Najenda approved. "Well, at least we know it's a woman. Better than nothing I guess."

Najenda grabbed a goblet of water on the table and drank. Her throat was dry as she had spoken for a long time.

"Now, let's talk about this 'Teigu' itself. We know Yatsufusa was able to control corpses. But from your saying, I think this one is different."

"What do you mean?" Tatsumi questioned.

"Your opponents looked truly alive. Not only their bodies, but their words, their personalities… and when you killed them, they died."

"People die when they are killed? Thanks for that lesson, professor" Esdeath mocked.

Akame and Tatsumi couldn't help but smirk to Najenda's irritation.

"Are you done? By the way, this meme's long dead and you have to play the visual novel to understand it."

"What?"

"Nevermind. I don't want to break the fourth wall too much. What I mean is, it's not like your opponents were dead corpses brought back to life. They looked like real people, real living people…with only one life."

Her words made Esdeath, Akame and Tatsumi serious once again.

"You mean... like they were given…another life?" Akame pondered.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind… It's more like this Teigu's abilities are to reproduce life. Not create, reproduce. Bringing back someone, not only the body but also the soul. Not fake life like Yatsufusa, but the true life, the one you lose if you die. So the person brought back can receive orders, but also talk, move without orders, learn… Infinitely better than a dead doll."

"Excepted the fact they're killable" Esdeath objected.

"Yes, but that's a fair price for 'true' life. Normally, bringing back a person's soul would be impossible. It has to be the other side of the coin…that and the price to pay. I cannot imagine the price for bringing someone back…"

Tatsumi cocked his brows.

"But how do you know the price is high? If I recall, Kurome was able to bring back puppets for mere energy…"

"I told you before. If it was so cheap, the enemy would've resurrected his entire army and emptied the cemeteries" Najenda sighed.

"Oh…right…"

"Still there's a lot we don't know. But I think it's safe to assume the enemy still has cards to play… We don't know what are the conditions to bring someone back with this Teigu. So…be prepared. We might face someone we knew. Old foes…even old comrades…"

Noticing she just killed the mood, Najenda coughed to dissipate the unease in the air.

"Anyway. I need to think about it and come up with a plan. In the meantime, you can go back to your daughters, eat, bathe, sleep and relax. You deserve it… without you, I don't know how many men would've died in our ranks. Since her plan have been countered, I'm sure the enemy will be on the edge now."

She looked at Esdeath, not believing what she was about to say.

"So…thank you."

"Mine is the pleasure" Esdeath grinned although she was a bit surprised.

"I'll assume your thanks were also directed towards Akame and me" Tatsumi joked.

"Of course. Now go. I'm sure you're craving for some rest…as I am…"

When one thought about 'bath', the first image that would come to mind would obviously be 'hot spring'.

But unfortunately, the encampment located in the north of the country did not possess such wonder. In place of that, the army had set up enormous wooden wash tubes filled with hot water. Of course, to avoid peeking, the male and female bathes were separated with wooden dividers or tents.

However, it would've been quite a problem for the family to bathe with the other soldiers; and to add more trouble, they wanted to bathe all together… Which meant either Tatsumi would have to come in the women's bath, or Akame, Esdeath and their daughters in the men's one.

To remedy the situation, Najenda lent them the superior officers' bath tent, and warned her captains not to come in if they cared about life.

And so, the family happily relaxed amidst the hot water, bubbles and steam. Tatsumi enjoyed to its content the view of his wives' bodies, while Akame and Esdeath brushed Nea and Ryuu's.

They eventually get out, as clean as exhausted and returned to their tent.

On the cots, they found new clothes sent by Najenda to replace the ones they were wearing, used by their journey and the fights.

On top of that, the clothes they were provided were uniforms of the Kingdom's army, with the same color as the former Revolutionary Army: grey coat over a white shirt with a red collar, a black tie, with long trousers for Tatsumi, short ones and high socks for the girls. They also all had received new boots of excellent quality.

Najenda did not include the usual red bandana with a black cross, but all the soldiers did not wear it anyway. However, with their gear, they could easily blend in without being noticed.

Even Ryuu and Nea had uniforms fitting their size, but being children, they could not fool anyone. Still, these were good clothes, and as Tatsumi said, they just looked so cute dressed this way.

"I didn't think I'd wear this uniform someday" Esdeath said, inspecting her outfit under every angle.

"You're taking the words out of my mouth" Tatsumi laughed. "But it suits you. Really."

Esdeath genuinely smiled.

"Thanks."

Tatsumi felt a chill running down his spine. Akame was glaring at him.

"Oh, eh, it suits you too, Akame" he added in a hurry.

Akame lowered her head.

"Thank you…"

(Hey, why're you acting like a maiden? You almost threatened me to get that compliment…) Tatsumi thought.

However, he did not lie. Both his wives were charming in their uniforms. They didn't look like assassins or killers at all.

(These strict and serious uniforms have something erotic…I couldn't say what exactly, but I want to rip them apart and–)

Tatsumi realized he was drooling. It was only normal. He was a man, and he hadn't had an intimate moment with his wives for days.

Even in the bath, they did not do anything 'indecent' because of their daughters' presence… well, truth to be told, Esdeath had tried something but Akame had interfered.

Tatsumi was thinking of a way to get a moment alone with his wives, but all of sudden, Ryuu crossed her arms and stamped her foot on the ground, pouting.

"Papa! Mamas! We need to talk!"

(What's with that seriousness and tone…) Tatsumi thought. (It's like we're the children, the way she's talking…)

"What is it, Ryuu?" Esdeath calmly asked.

She invited her daughters to sit on her lap, but both Nea and Ryuu declined, to their parents' surprise.

They waited for Ryuu to speak, but apparently, the latter did not know where to begin.

"…Papa, Mamas, you are going to fight again, right?"

The question took them aback. For five years old girls, Nea and Ryuu sure were clever.

"Nea and me… we don't want you to!"

"Why, honey?" Esdeath softly asked. "We're fighting to protect you…no, not only you, to protect the entire country."

"We know that!" Ryuu began. "We…we don't…"

"…we don't want you to get hurt…" Nea said with a small voice.

Her words silenced her parents.

"Papa is hurt…"

"It's just a scratch. Could be worse" Tatsumi minimized.

"I don't want it to be worse!" Ryuu protested.

"We want to go home…" Nea pleaded.

Tatsumi silently shook his head.

"We can't. We have to fight."

"If you fight, don't let us alone! Let us come with you! Mama trained us, we can help you!"

"No. You won't come. You will stay here and wait for us" Esdeath firmly declared.

She knew her daughters were strong, but not strong enough and not emotionally ready for the horrors of the battlefield.

"But, Mama!"

"Don't 'but' me. It's an adult business. You children have nothing to do with it. If you come, you'll be in danger. And even if it's to protect someone, I don't want you to kill people… not when your parents are here to protect you."

Esdeath's words were absolute.

"Ryuu, Nea, I'm sorry. But in a few days, it'll be over… I hope. We'll come back to our house. It's just…we can't leave for now. So, I know you're bored here, I know it's not enticing…but please, bear with it a few more days. In a few more days, we'll be done and we'll be together once again."

Seeing their father being so honest and caring, Nea and Ryuu hesitated.

"…you promise it, Papa?" Nea asked.

"I promise you."

"if you lie…" Ryuu began.

"…cut the tip of a finger, I know" Tatsumi sighed.

Nea and Ryuu began to joyfully and loudly rejoice.

Esdeath leaned towards Tatsumi and whispered to his ear:

"A few days? We don't know what's going on, so your promise is quite risky…"

"I know, but I had to soothe them…"

"Ha ha. I hope you're prepared for the consequences."

"…"

Despite all this, Tatsumi was happy for having calmed his daughters. He was more surprised by their notion of 'good' and 'evil'. Their logic was pure and simple…as well as dangerous.

One day, he'd need to teach them that properly. About fairness, justice and virtue. The things he had fought for.

"Enough talking! Since it's almost noon, let's have lunch!" Akame clapped her hands.

The family obediently followed Akame who was leading the march, en route to plumber the food reserves of the army.

Once they got supplies they wanted, the family headed back to its tent. Concluding that a fire inside the tent would be a bad idea, they decided to cook in front of the latter.

Tatsumi, Nea and Ryuu lit a campfire, and while the father was fueling it, the daughters went to observe Esdeath and Akame cooking.

The food provided by the army was not very tasty, but thanks to Esdeath's savoir faire, they managed to considerably improve their meal.

She found numerous edible and aromatic plants to add some flavor and managed to create an original dish, helped by Akame.

Finally, they ate in the tent, since Akame, Tatsumi and Nea were sensible to the cold.

Once satiated, they lazed around, cleaned the dishes and spent time inside the camp like a family, as if they were on a green class, without any news from Najenda.

Rumors were exchanged all around the encampment, but no battle happened at all.

When bedtime came, Tatsumi once again slept in the same bed as Akame and Esdeath –or to be precise, they grouped up their cots to make a big one–.

The next morning, they barely had finished their toilet and breakfast that a soldier came to inform them they were summoned in Najenda's pavilion.

Akame, Esdeath and Tatsumi entrusted the guard of Ryuu and Nea to an officer –whom Esdeath threatened the same way she did with Najenda– and departed.

They found the General having breakfast on the long table, alone. When she saw their clothing, she smiled over her cup of coffee.

"Suits you."

"Hello, Najenda. Slept well? Oh, me? Yes, sure thing, thanks" Esdeath ironized.

"What's with you?" Najenda frowned.

"Well, this is only courtesy to salute someone" Esdeath replied with humor.

Najenda was lost. She gazed at Tatsumi.

"She's not in a good mood since in my sleep, I hugged Akame and not her…" he whispered.

"…Seriously, she's just jealous?"

Najenda sighed and shook her head slowly.

"Anyway. I called you for a good reason."

She casted aside her achieved breakfast.

"As I told you before, the Northerners are not ready for an attrition war. Due to our positions, they have not been able to do foraging. Most likely, they'll starve to death sooner or later. The wisest strategy would be to keep pressing them on, slowly asphyxiating their supplies and men."

Esdeath nodded in agreement.

"That's what we should do. That's what they expect us to do. Which is why we'll do the exact opposite. We'll strike them now, and we'll strike them hard."

She pointed at the Northerners' encampment on the map.

"We'll kill Numa Seika along with the one raising the dead and end this once and for all."