So, in the End, It's Just Mana Replenishment, Isn't It?! (4K)

"Ugh!" The Akame's body trembled, as if she had been pierced by a sharp sword on a spiritual level.

"You should also know Boros, right? He used to be one of my Imperial Arms users. He was a member of the Burning Force in the Old Empire and was forced to do many evil deeds he didn't want to do... In terms of the blood on his hands, he probably has no less than you."

However, Boros is now the happiest person, because he can finally end that nightmare and live freely and happily with his family.

... It is precisely because we have experienced darkness that we yearn for light, isn't it?

Akame and Kurome are not a burden to you, nor are they a reason for you to run away. Precisely because you are a remnant of the Old Empire, you have the obligation to actively seek your own happiness and welcome a better future together with everyone!

Otherwise, wouldn't the blood of those patriots who sacrificed themselves for today's hope have been shed in vain?

"...Ugh!" Akame took a deep breath. Her mind was shaken and she had accepted the explanation, but she was at a loss for what to do.

Even so... what should I do?

"Of course I'll stay in the Imperial Palace," Iori thought to herself.

But we can't be so blunt, so Iori smiled and said, "Let's talk about that kind of thing later. Even without a clear goal, isn't taking things as they come a way of life?"

Or, I could just assign you an official position. Don't underestimate yourself; your skills and experience will be useful even in peacetime. As for how to utilize them effectively... that's my problem as the emperor."

The boy's confident and reliable sunny smile instantly dispelled the gloom that had lingered in the girl's heart for so long.

"That's true..."

Akame seemed to be deep in thought. She subconsciously thought that what Iori said made a lot of sense, but she also had a strange sense of unease, as if she had fallen into some kind of trap.

"If you don't go to the countryside to live in seclusion, you'll have to find a house in the Imperial Capital, right?"

"No need, it's the same to continue living in the palace. Anyway, my house is quite big." Iori's lips curled up.

"... Such a suspicious smile. You wouldn't happen to have some ulterior motive, would you?" Akame became wary.

"How could that be? Don't you know what kind of person I am?" Iori said innocently.

Akame nodded; she was indeed very clear about it—so she tightened her grip on the sword.

"Let me make this clear first, I'm not marrying you right now!"

... Although I've decided not to retire, I still don't think I'm a good romantic partner, and I don't feel the need to find one... After all, I don't even know what love is...

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ You really think the worst of me... Am I some kind of lecherous, street-smart villain who likes to force marriage and kidnap people?"

Our relationship is more than just a romantic one. Putting all that aside, we're comrades-in-arms who've been through thick and thin together!

After so many years of friendship, you actually doubt my character?

"Uh..." Akame paused, blinking, "I-I'm sorry!"

"Providing free accommodation for your old friend is nothing, and you should also consider that Kurome needs a quiet place to recuperate. What place is more beautiful than the back garden of the Imperial Palace?"

"Then thank you," Akame lowered her head and smiled tenderly. "It feels like every time we encounter a problem, you can always solve it in just a few words... Looking back, as long as I listen to you, things go very smoothly. Perhaps that's why, even though your words and actions seem so frivolous, they make people feel inexplicably reliable."

Akame looked up at the sunlight, her beautiful face radiating anticipation for the future, even displaying a touch of holiness.

"Thank you again, Iori!"

"... Don't worry about it."

Iori patted her shoulder, flashing a bright smile that revealed her teeth, "As long as you repay me with your body—"

"How interesting. You just stole someone's lips, and now you're going to seduce another girl?"

Although I was already aware of your philandering ways, I never imagined that such an openly and blatant scumbag could exist in this world.

Despite the gentle tone, it sounded like a cold laugh, causing both Iori and Akame to freeze in place.

Oops!

I was so engrossed in the moment that I completely forgot there was someone next to me!

"I don't have any information in my knowledge base to deal with the current situation. It seems that some things can only be understood through personal experience."

Ciel walked between the two and took Iori's hand off Akame's shoulder. She smiled innocently, but Iori felt a little guilty.

"At this moment, aren't you going to say some sweet words to appease me, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"Forehead..."

Iori glanced at Ciel, then at Akame, who looked embarrassed, and suddenly opened her arms, pulling both of them into her embrace amidst gasps from both the older and younger girls.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Berserker..."

"I'm also very ashamed. Things have really developed to this point, which is far beyond my expectations... But as you know, I'm a very sentimental person. It's precisely because I'm so devoted that I can't bear to give up anyone!"

"..."

This sounds strange, but as Iori said, Ciel and Akame really don't care about worldly opinions. A cyborg from a family of Magecraft, a demon sword whose first half of life was spent in killing... it would be illogical for them to care about monogamy.

What they cared about was never any title or status; it was simply their instinct to possess Iori.

But clearly, this man's shamelessness exceeded their expectations...

If he's said something so shameless, don't expect him to sever his ties to love!

Oh well, in a hundred years it'll just be the two of us left anyway— Ciel was the one with the least psychological burden. She quickly adjusted her mindset, feeling Iori's strong arms as she hugged him back.

Akame was still somewhat bewildered. She wanted to resist, but her body felt sick, and she felt weak.

"I think that the most important thing is for the five of us to make a good life together!"

"Um?"

"Ha!"

As soon as he said it, Iori sensed something was wrong. Before he could explain, both girls broke free from his embrace.

What does "five" mean?

"When did the number of people increase again?!"

Ciel calmly calculated. "Even if we include Esdeath, there should only be four people!"

"Iori, although I know nothing about love, I do have a natural talent for female jealousy—it's even more infuriating than having meat stolen from my bowl!"

Iori gave Akame a strange look. "But what if it's your sister who's stealing the meat?"

"... Huh?" Akame was taken aback, then gritted her teeth, "You don't mean you also have feelings for Kurome— "

"What nonsense are you thinking!"

Iori raised her voice to interrupt her, "I know very well how close you and Kurome are, like sisters... So what I mean is, Kurome can live with us in the future, and I will take care of her as my own sister."

"Ah... I see." A warm feeling welled up in Akame's heart. "You've thought of everything. Sorry, I think I got too excited."

"Exactly, they actually doubted my character."

Iori with an air of righteous indignation, "I've never even considered the idea of Sister Complex. Even Harem King has his limits. Don't underestimate me!"

"... Let's assume it's like this for now."

Ciel wasn't as naive as Akame; she could tell at a glance that Iori had ulterior motives, but she didn't care much about Akame's sister and was more concerned about someone else.

"Five people... So, you really did fall for Esdeath!"

That woman is not easy to deal with; she's clearly up to no good.

"..."

Iori tried hard to control her expression, but couldn't help glancing at Ciel:

Actually, you are the one who came...

Chapter 185: In the end, it's just about Replenish Magic! (4K)

[CG included]

You are all my wings!

Category: Art Style

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Art Style Value +4

Note: It's okay, mine are both X's!

——

I got a rather subtle CG, but it's always nice to see it improve the Art Style Value.

Having easily resolved her emotional issues with a few simple tricks, Iori then turned around and discussed the issue of "Shunkō" with Ciel.

The silver-haired girl did not answer Iori immediately, but instead led him to the Audience Hall, which is the "court hall" in the general sense.

In theory, this place is the center of the empire's power, but in reality, the vast majority of government affairs are handled by various official agencies, while important matters are directly submitted to the cabinet. The cabinet's office within the palace is merely a side hall.

As the emperor, Iori preferred to handle documents or summon someone in the cozy atmosphere of his study.

The Audience Hall was only used on important occasions when it was necessary to demonstrate the dignity of the state, but such occasions were only a few times a year.

This situation changed after Iori brought the Greater Holy Grail and the supercomputer. The new "throne" and "Crown" are no longer just ritual props, but also possess unimaginably powerful functions.

Therefore, it was necessary to strengthen the management of the Audience Hall, and the person entrusted with this important responsibility was the Royal Advisor, Ciel von Einzbern.

Iori granted her considerable authority, allowing her to freely select people from among the guards and ladies-in-waiting. Now she has about twenty "Inner Court Special Service" under her command, who, after being trained by Ciel, are specifically responsible for the daily maintenance of the Greater Holy Grail.

According to Ciel, these tasks should have been done by puppets or androids. While living people are more flexible, they are not as loyal as familiars.

No one in Akame ga Kill!! possesses knowledge of the Magecraft system, so naturally they cannot usurp the authority of the Greater Holy Grail. However, Ciel adheres to the principle of extreme caution, leaving no hidden dangers for the future.

Therefore, she had to carefully select her subordinates, and each of them was given certain psychological suggestions to ensure that there were no problems before she imparted certain basic knowledge to them so that they could be competent in maintaining the Greater Holy Grail.

Her meticulousness was consistent, not only in selecting subordinates but also in implementing Iori's "Leyline Modification Plan," where she repeatedly simulated and verified the process before taking action. Therefore, although progress was slow, no major problems arose.

It was after reading her report that Iori realized he had underestimated the difficulty of the matter and overlooked many details.

For example, the efficiency of the Greater Holy Grail and the thinness of the Empire's Ley Line... To put it more vividly, making the Greater Holy Grail the central hub of the entire Empire's ley lines is like using a magnet to collect iron filings from an entire pond.

Therefore, the scope of this plan expanded from the entire empire to the Imperial Capital —of course, this was only the first phase.

The complete plan is to first cultivate a high-level ley line, then gradually transform the smaller ley lines, ultimately forming a "All Rivers Flow into the Sea" trend.

For example, altering the course of Ley Line can have a significant impact on geography and climate... This is extremely prone to triggering a butterfly effect, thus requiring even greater caution. And since issues involving ley lines inevitably involve civil engineering projects, even after the "Crown's" calculations provide feasible solutions, sufficient manpower and resources are needed to implement them step by step.

Iori had only recently taken office and the situation was gradually stabilizing, but productivity had not yet fully recovered, so it was not advisable to undertake large-scale construction projects, and related actions would inevitably have to be postponed.

In short, this plan is trending towards becoming a "century-long project," and even with the assistance of supercomputers, the objective conditions cannot be changed.

Unless Iori can obtain some high-concentration magical resources that don't exist in "Akame ga Kill!," such as Legacy Crystal or Saint Graph... After all, he has both the Greater Holy Grail and a computer, so theoretically he can complete most of the work quickly as long as he has enough magical power.

In addition, there is an emergency method:

"As creations of the Third Magic, we possess inexhaustible magical power and are the perpetual motion machine of the Mystic Side, perfectly suited to serve as fuel for the core of Magic Furnace."

In fact, I often go inside the Greater Holy Grail to 'recharge' it, and even sleep inside, which greatly reduces the time required for the project.

Ciel spoke calmly, and as a Magecraft, she didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was doing, but Iori found it strange.

"But even if the magic problem is solved, we must also consider the impact of the rerouting of the ley lines on the local environment. We will need to make constant fine-tuning over a long period of time to maintain the balance of nature—it's a tough task."

"We have unlimited lifespans, so there's no rush," Iori comforted her. "I never expected to achieve it all at once, so don't push yourself too hard. Let's just take it one step at a time."

"... That's true." Ciel nodded.

In fact, if one were to disregard the cost, it would be possible to transform the entire empire in a short period of time using the Greater Holy Grail.

Just like the Singularity in Type-Moon, the masterminds only need to obtain a Holy Grail to create a crisis that could destroy the world, while the resources that Iori and Ciel have combined far exceed those mass-produced Holy Grail.

However, doing so would disregard the chain reaction, would absolutely distort the lives of ordinary people, and could even lead to a city-wide massacre-level crisis...

Although Iori didn't want to be some kind of saintly emperor, she also didn't have the thick skin of Emperor Yang of Sui. She simply couldn't bring herself to do something as heartless as treating all things as straw dogs.

"This big plan can't be rushed, but thankfully it won't affect other things."

After discussing it with Iori, Ciel finally revealed her reason for bringing him here. She had already dismissed everyone around her, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.