Teigu

They arrived at the Imperial Capital without incident.

Other than running into several bands of bandits along the way, nothing unexpected happened.

Of course, they dealt with every bandit they encountered.

After entering the Imperial Capital, they received a welcoming reception from the residents lining the streets. Esdeath was still immensely popular.

Unexpectedly, they should have immediately gone to meet the Empire's young emperor.

But Minister Honest intercepted them halfway there.

As for the Young Emperor...

"I will explain things to His Majesty later. His Majesty is so sensible that he will surely understand."

That was Ozneth's explanation.

Although Lilith had been mentally prepared before meeting Ozneth again, since she knew he was a huge fat man, only when she actually saw him did she realize that there really were people this fat in the world.

When Ozneth stopped Esdeath and Lilith, a trace of amazement flashed through his eyes before he quickly returned to his smiling expression.

Lilith was slightly surprised as she watched Ozneth instantly return to normal.

Whether it was Esdeath or Lilith, neither lacked charm. Especially when she was standing together with Esdeath.

A sexy mature beauty and an adorable little girl—when Esdeath and Lilith stood together, their head-turning rate was practically one hundred percent. Along the way, they had caused no one knew how many people to walk into walls or pillars. Yet Ozneth had broken free of that distraction so quickly. All that could be said was that he was deeply calculating.

"How rude. Have you never seen a fat man before?"

Ozneth seemed extremely sensitive to stares. Noticing Lilith's gaze, he complained in displeasure.

"Sorry, I've never seen such a strong... fat man."

That's right, strong!

The words "strong" and "fat man" should not have gone together.

But Lilith knew that beneath Ozneth's obese body lay a powerful physique.

And the reason for that was simply because Ozneth was far too afraid of dying!

To live a little longer, Ozneth had specifically trained at Fist Emperor Temple in his youth, forging strong muscles and a powerful body.

"Ahem, as expected of Miss Lilith. You have such a discerning eye."

As he spoke, Ozneth picked up the meat from the plate in front of him and took a huge bite.

That was right. Ozneth's image as a fat man had been built up through eating like this.

Although he had never given up training, there was no longer any way to lose all that fat.

Ozneth, meanwhile, was inwardly shocked. He had fooled countless people with this fat, and almost no one knew that beneath his obese appearance was a powerful body. Yet Lilith had seen through it at a glance.

"Enough small talk. Why did you stop us?"

Esdeath and the others were currently in the imperial palace. The patrolling soldiers passing by all lowered their heads and hurried past when they saw Ozneth.

It seemed Ozneth held considerable authority within the palace.

"Of course, it is to have a proper talk with you two."

"Ladies, standing around is tiring. Why don't we find somewhere to sit down and have a good chat?"

Esdeath glanced at Ozneth and said calmly, "In that case, we shall gladly accept."

"That would be wonderful."

Ozneth was delighted to hear Esdeath agree.

This meant he had a chance of winning Esdeath over!

Then, Ozneth led the two of them into a spacious room.

The three sat down at a table.

Once seated, Lilith unceremoniously began eating the fruit laid out on the table.

Rather than becoming angry at Lilith's behavior, Ozneth asked with a smile, "Miss Lilith, are you interested in these fruits?"

"More or less."

No emotion could be heard in Lilith's calm voice.

But Ozneth was extremely pleased.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, one of Lilith's few hobbies was eating.

Ozneth felt that he had found a kindred spirit.

"Then, Miss Lilith, why not try this meat? It is Dangerous Species meat that I specially had people raise. Its texture is exceptionally tender."

As he spoke, Ozneth had someone bring over a piece of meat.

It was almost identical to the meat placed before Ozneth.

Naturally, Lilith did not stand on ceremony.

When Lilith used her knife and fork to cut off a small piece and put it into her mouth, her eyes lit up.

The meat tasted better than she had expected. Not only was it tender and delicious, but she could barely taste any bloody flavor.

Moreover, it was not overcooked on the outside and raw inside. It seemed the chef who had prepared this meat was a true master.

Seeing Lilith eat so happily, the smile on Ozneth's face became even brighter.

This meant that Lilith, at least, was probably secured.

If Lilith knew what Ozneth was thinking, she would only tell him that he was overthinking it.

Seeing that Lilith was focused on the food and had no intention of speaking with him, Ozneth turned his attention to Esdeath.

The conversation that followed was quite pleasant for both sides.

After exchanging their views, they discovered that they got along even better than they had imagined.

Thus, they hit it off immediately and reached a partnership.

Lilith had no particular objections to the cooperation between Esdeath and Minister Honest.

After all, it did not conflict with her own goals.

Afterward, they followed Esdeath to meet the legendary emperor.

Sure enough, he was a child.

And he listened to Ozneth even more than Lilith had imagined. Whatever Ozneth said, he believed.

Lilith could only marvel. Was this going to be an otherworldly version of "calling a deer a horse"?

Then again, when the creator of Akame ga Kill! made this manga, they seemed to have drawn inspiration from the history of the Celestial Dynasty. Even the maps were somewhat similar.

The first time Lilith saw the Empire's map, she had almost thought she was seeing things.

This trip to the Imperial Capital was not only because Esdeath was interested in the Teigu Ozneth had mentioned, but also so she could receive her appointment.

After all, the position of general was no ordinary post.

After the appointment, Ozneth considerately led Esdeath and Lilith to a secret chamber.

"So this is where the Teigu are stored?"

Esdeath entered the unremarkable secret chamber, her tone somewhat uncertain.

That was because this chamber was completely different from what she had imagined.

Other than the extremely tight security outside, the inside of the chamber looked like a storage room. No one would have imagined that this was where the Empire kept its most important Teigu!

"Of course. I would never deceive you."