Chapter 158

Nadjeshda smiled.

Once it is determined that the other party is not a like-minded revolutionary, but another ambitious person, then Night Raid is responsible for assassinating the other party, which is why Akame came here.

Although the opponent possessed immense strength, he was merely a countryman living on the border. Having never been to the Empire, she might not recognize the Murasame sword, which was said to kill with a single strike.

After meeting with the receptionist, the two were taken to the Marquis's mansion. Although Necrass had only stayed there for less than a week, she was practically the hostess, and to show her hospitality, she prepared a sumptuous feast.

Of course, the bigger reason was actually to fill Akame's stomach.

The two guests took their seats together, while Necrass finally sat down three minutes after Akame stared at the food and secretly drooled.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, my distinguished guests."

The girl with long Platinum blonde hair had one eye hidden behind her bangs. Her smile looked gentle but gave off a strong sense of power. Based on her first impression, Nadjeshda was already on high alert.

"Don't be shy, this is a feast prepared for you."

Seeing that the two men's gazes were fixed on her, Necrass smiled calmly, her words polite but her tone leaving no room for argument.

At first, she was not quite used to the attitude and way of speaking she was now displaying, but people's habits are terrifying. After only a little over a month in this world, she had already developed a pretty good understanding of it.

This girl is a natural leader; her demeanor and seemingly innate aura are completely unlike those of a country girl from the border region.

"We apologize for our rudeness. We just didn't expect Necrass to be so young."

Nadjeshda gave an embarrassed smile, smoothly brushing aside the earlier scrutiny, and then looked at Akame.

The two exchanged glances, seemingly a superior signaling to a subordinate that the food was ready to eat, but in reality, they were confirming with Akame whether the dish was poisoned.

Akame indicated that the parts in front of them were not poisonous, and that the parts further away were too far to distinguish.

But that's enough.

Feeling a little more at ease, Nadjeshda began to eat with a natural expression.

There was plenty of food on the table, not extravagant enough, but far more than enough to entertain just two guests. As Nadjeshda calmly assessed everything in sight, Necrass spoke up.

"How was it? Our chef's skills."

Chapter Ten: Power is the reason for becoming king.

"It is very different from the capital."

Nadjeshda remained silent for a moment, seemingly savoring the moment, before speaking.

"And the Revolutionary Army?"

"... Perhaps because I've been in the Revolutionary Army for a long time, this tastes very much to my liking."

When faced with Necrass's persistent questioning, Nadjeshda gave her the same smile one would give a like-minded companion.

"Really? But it seems completely different to me."

However, Necrass did not smile as she had expected. No, a smile was indeed on her face, but the oppressive aura that she exuded at all times seemed to reach its peak at this moment, and even seemed to have turned into a tangible weight.

Necrass stabbed the undercooked steak with a fork, and pink juices oozed out of the meat.

Even though her gaze wasn't on them, both Nadjeshda and Akame felt uneasy.

"Nadjeshda, what are you fighting for?"

Necrass withdrew the Magecraft slightly increased the surrounding gravity and looked up to ask.

Feeling much more relaxed, Nadjeshda adjusted her breathing slightly, trying to figure out what kind of answer would gain the other party's temporary approval. However, Necrass, knowing that she didn't intend to tell the truth, sneered, "For the country? What is the country in your eyes?"

"... is the people."

Nadjeshda answered without hesitation.

"That's all? Perhaps that's the right answer, but that's not enough to call it a country. It's just a scattered group gathered together. How is that any different from a tribe of a different ethnic group?"

Necrass's face remained expressionless, but her words caused Nadjeshda to frown.

"So, in Her Excellency Necrass's eyes, what is the nation?"

"Land, politics, people, power, and the one who commands all of these."

Necrass gave her prepared answer, "Let me be blunt. The Revolutionary Army is nothing but a bunch of stray dogs who have lost in political struggles and are no match for the Empire in terms of force. Although the Empire is dead, the Revolutionary Army is just a bunch of lapdogs that gnaw on the corpses of their dead masters. They even need the help of the teeth of stray dogs outside to bite off flesh because their teeth are not sharp enough."

"..."

Her arrogance Nadjeshda frown even more, but she understood the other party's attitude.

Clearly, Necrass had no ill intentions toward them, at least not yet; her questions and answers were more persuasive than interrogative.

After figuring this out, she relaxed a little, and then pondered Necrass's words again, finally understanding what Necrass meant.

She was disdainful of the Revolutionary Army's alliance with foreign ethnic groups and scoffed at the Revolutionary Army's strength and actions.

"Then what makes you different?"

Nadjeshda naturally knew that the Revolutionary Army had its shortcomings, but... what could she do? The only choices were the Empire and the Revolutionary Army. Compared to the even worse Empire, the Revolutionary Army, even with its flaws, was far superior. At least the dedicated members of the Revolutionary Army would check and balance those with impure motives who wanted a share of the spoils, unlike the Empire, where corruption permeated everything and dedicated members couldn't even voice their opinions.

She knew that even if the Revolutionary Army succeeded, it would only turn the empire from dead to alive with tubes inserted, but at least it was alive, wasn't it?

As long as they survive, there is still hope for them, or at least there is a chance of survival.

"An empire that is dead cannot be brought back to life. Unlike rotten branches that only need to be pruned, an empire is rotten from the roots. What we need to do is not to treat it, but to plant a new seed."

"..."

Nadjeshda wasn't surprised by her words; in fact, she had already guessed it. Cute Necrass still didn't answer her question.

"You ask me, what makes me different from those vicious dogs?"

Necrass's voice remained unchanged, still gentle, but it was precisely this attitude, as if it were a trivial matter that made her seem even more confident.

And those confident words were uttered in just two words.

"Strength."

"Strength?"

Nadjeshda thought she would say something like, "I am wiser," "I can create a better country," "I can make the people happier," or "With her around, no official who tries to enrich himself will be allowed to do so."

"That's right."

Necrass nodded. "I've said it before, haven't I? Land, politics, people, power, and the one who commands all of it."

"The most important thing is naturally the being that commands all of this, and second only to that being is power."

Nadjeshda disagreed, arguing that if the order were to be ranked by importance, the people should be above power, and even above the emperor, since this was not a ranking by status, but by importance.

As long as there are people, there will be politics, power, and land. An emperor who rules everything is nothing more than a lone wolf without a pack if he has no people.

In fact, Amber also agreed with Nadjeshda's idea, but the premise was... that it had to be a peaceful and prosperous era, and that Esdeath or herself could not exist in the world.

"Nadjeshda, all the mistakes of the Revolutionary Army stem from a lack of strength."

Necrass calmly stated her point of view. "You should know very well that in this era, it is not the right people who become the winners, but the strong people."

"The Revolutionary Army will never succeed, and even if it does, it will not bring happiness to this country."

As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes. "Or... are you really willing to trust a pack of stray dogs who let wolves into the house?"

Nadjeshda remained silent for a long time.

Because she remembered Esdeath.

What if Esdeath wanted to usurp the Emperor's throne? General Budo would surely be furious and wage an epic war against her.

So what if Esdeath is the final victor? Who can stop her from ascending the throne?

Nadjeshda suddenly awoke to reality. She had never thought of this before, because apart from Esdeath, no one could demonstrate such overwhelming power. She was an exception, a unique case in the world, and she had no ambition to become emperor.

But the Dragon Woman in front of me is completely different.

She has ample ambition and strength. Although she may not be very kind, judging from the situation in the city, Necrass, even if she is not kind, is definitely not the cruel or oppressive type.

But... she had only met Necrass once, which was not enough for her to understand Necrass's character.

Thinking of Necrass's guidance and indulgence, Nadjeshda hesitated for a moment before asking, "Your Excellency... why do you want to become emperor?"

Why?

Necrass laughed, "What do you think? Money? Justice? Power? Unfortunately, although I crave power, I don't crave power itself. I just use power, the most tangible thing, to realize my self-worth."

"Self-worth...?"

"That's right, it's power."

Necrass extended a hand to her, the purple flames on her palm reflected in Nadjeshda's eyes. "With this power, of course you should use it... Yes..."

"Power is the reason for becoming king."

Chapter Eleven: Nadjeshda's Decision.

Power?

Nadjeshda remained outwardly calm, but only she knew the shock she felt inside.

The meal was not very pleasant; it felt more like an ordeal and a form of persuasion than a meal.

Don't get me wrong, Necrass, or rather Amber, doesn't think she has the right to torture Nadjeshda. Limited by her understanding and worldview, she's not sure she could have done anything in Najendan's shoes. The one who truly tortured Nadjeshda was herself.

In the hotel late at night, Nadjeshda lit a cigarette, gazing intently at the streets and alleys below, her eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions.

"BOSS".

A girl with black hair Akame pushed open the door and entered. Looking at Nadjeshda's back, she spoke up with some complicated feelings.

It wasn't just a call to her to come to her senses, but also a way of letting her know that there were no spies outside.

Nadjeshda was pulled back to her senses by the call. In fact, she didn't care about the spies. Before coming here, and even when they were just talking, she thought that Necrass was likely a cold-hearted, ruthless, and cruel ambitious person.

It cannot tolerate any injustice, nor will it allow any overstepping of authority.

But after talking for a whole day, she realized that Necrass was not the person she seemed to be.

Although she is indeed ruthless, cruel, and cold-hearted, she also possesses a kindness that seems to be the complete opposite of all the aforementioned traits.

As she said, she didn't want power to exploit others or to live a more luxurious life. It was simply that the other party possessed this power and wouldn't let it go to waste. What the other party wanted to achieve was not a hegemonic enterprise, but rather her self-worth through possessing this power.

Her hegemony, and everything that followed, was merely a backdrop to her self-worth.

In other words, her words were unvarnished; power was the very reason she became queen.

Nadjeshda had to admit that even she was somewhat impressed by Necrass's strong sense of self. Necrass was power-hungry but not power-hungry. You could tell from the people in her territory that she would not mistreat them. She herself had even said that the people were important.

If you follow her, you might see a different world.

Nadjeshda fell into deep thought once again.

"BOSS..."

Seeing her like this, Akame, unusually, showed a consoling expression. "Are you thinking about what happened this morning?"

"Um."

Nadjeshda nodded, then asked, "What kind of person do you think Necrass is?"

"It's very dangerous."

Akame said without hesitation.

After Necrass entered, she kept her eyes fixed on her intently. It wasn't intentional on her part, but rather because the dangerous cells in Akame's body were reminding her that Akame had never seen anyone with such a strong presence in her entire life.

"I will die before Murasame scratches her."

"As expected..."

Nadjeshda was not surprised by this answer, not because Akame was weak, but because the enemy was no ordinary person.

"However, hearing her words, I felt like I was back then again."

Akame continued.

Then?

Nadjeshda was stunned for a moment, but then realized when that was. It was when the two first met, when Akame came to assassinate her on the orders of the Empire. Akame's words at this moment Nadjeshda to confront her concerns about not having submitted to Necrass.

"Akame..."

Despite being made of machinery, Nadjeshda felt her hand holding the cigarette tremble slightly. "Do you think the new world Necrass spoke of is even possible?"