273 Chapter 272

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"General Esdeath, you've done well in suppressing the North," said the young Emperor, following the Minister's instructions, rewarding General Esdeath who had returned to the Capital.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll distribute this reward among the soldiers guarding the North so that everyone can feel the grace of the Empire."

Kneeling on one knee was a beautiful woman in white military uniform with silver-blue hair. Underneath her beauty, however, lay a sadistic and bloodthirsty nature. 

She was Esdeath, a warrior as famous as General Budou and the youngest and strongest General in the Empire. Minister Honest allowed this dangerous individual back to the political center of the Empire because he knew Esdeath had no interest in politics or power. Her only desires were winning wars and crushing enemies. Under his rule, she could act violently without restraint, aligning their interests.

Esdeath then declared in front of the Emperor her intention to eradicate 'Night Raid.' When the Emperor asked if she desired any other reward, she unexpectedly expressed a wish to experience love, almost shattering the worldview of both the Emperor and the Minister. 

Regardless of how fearsome she was, she was still a woman at heart.

Shortly after, Najenda gathered everyone. "Bad news, Esdeath has returned to the Capital," she announced, causing a serious and tense reaction among the group, except for one.

Najenda's gaze lingered on Abel, trying to discern his true thoughts, but to no avail. "Leone, head to the Capital immediately and track Esdeath's movements."

"Got it, leave it to me!" Leone replied, full of enthusiasm, unaware of Esdeath's terrifying power and contemplating a direct assassination.

Najenda then issued several orders, mainly to suspend assassination missions to avoid falling into the Empire's traps again.

After the meeting, Najenda called Abel aside. "My intuition as a woman tells me you don't plan to act with us anymore."

"I'm a man of little patience. Now that Esdeath is back in the Capital, I naturally want to meet the Empire's strongest," Abel replied.

Najenda, serious, said, "I'm not trying to stop you, nor do I understand your grudge against Esdeath. But I know her well. To defeat her, you'd need at least 50,000 elite soldiers and over 10 Imperial Arms users. And that's a conservative estimate. The real situation might require more manpower."

"I don't want you to act rashly. Give me some time, will you?"

Abel looked into her sincere eyes. They shared a common enemy. If they wanted to overthrow the Empire, Esdeath had to be eliminated, which required perfect timing and planning. Acting impulsively could lead to a high failure rate and many deaths. If Abel belonged to this world, he might agree to her plan, but he didn't. His time in this world was limited; he couldn't afford to wait.

So he had to decline her good intentions. "I'll take down Esdeath. The rest is up to you." With a smile, Abel turned and walked away.

Najenda didn't try to stop Abel, knowing she couldn't persuade him. After Abel left, the others emerged from the room, fully armed.

"You all..."

"If Abel really can defeat Esdeath, it might be our best chance to storm the palace and kill the Minister."

"If Abel fails, maybe we can still save him."

"Abel is so strong, I believe we can succeed!" Tazmi said confidently.

"I'm going too, I owe him my life," a weak Sheele added.

"This is ridiculous!" Najenda was furious.

In a busy street of the Capital, Esdeath sat alone under a gazebo at a diner, enjoying ice cream and tea. On the rooftop opposite, Leone stealthily observed her target, realizing the danger of her solitary appearance.

"She's luring assassins out," Leone thought, noticing the ominous aura around Esdeath. "Attacking her now is naive."

Reluctantly following her instincts, Leone retreated.

Esdeath, sensing the disappearance of the presence, felt disappointed. "Pity, they didn't fall for it. I wanted to try a new interrogation method." However, she was soon distracted by a handsome man sitting beside her.

"Excuse me, are you General Esdeath?" Abel asked politely.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Just making sure. Wouldn't want to kill the wrong person."

"Are you from 'Night Raid'?"

"Sort of. I don't share their noble ideals. I was just killing time waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? To seek revenge?"

"Revenge? No, no. I just want to kill you, nothing more."

"Challenging me without any reason? Seems you have more guts than the one who ran away." Esdeath stood up, discarding her unfinished ice cream. "Let's go somewhere quieter. If you amuse me, maybe I'll grant you a dignified death."

"Let's see if you can keep that confidence later," Abel shrugged, following her.

The two, confident in their strength, walked towards the outskirts of the Capital.

"This place has a nice view, perfect for a final resting place, and no one will disturb us."