Your Excellency, You're Strong, but My Style Surpasses Yours!

"I don't have that kind of idea!" Akame immediately retorted. "Training her or anything... I wouldn't treat Kurome like that. As long as she can break free from the Empire's control, that's enough."

But I hope you do have that kind of idea... Iori stroked his chin.

A Sister Complex really was immoral. As a true gentleman, Iori would never commit such shameless, bottomless behavior.

But!

If Iori did not take the initiative, and the tsundere younger sister who could not bear to leave her older sister insisted on coming along... then Iori could only reluctantly accept.

After all, he was a responsible good man.

Sigh! Let Iori suffer a little; let Kurome bear the blame!

—Of course, that was only a beautiful fantasy for now. Forget a Sister Complex—he had not even won over Akame alone yet.

"By the way, your dowry maid—ah, no, your dear little sister?"

Iori asked curiously, "Didn't you bring her with you?"

"I did, but her medication intake has recently been restricted. Her physical and mental condition is unstable, and I was worried something might happen, so I didn't bring her downstairs."

Akame glanced toward the second floor of the inn. "My companion is watching over her in the room. Nothing will happen."

"You were willing to entrust your most important sister to someone else... There can't be many companions you trust that much, right?"

"That's right. You should have heard her name too."

Akame hesitated. "Kurome's condition is already very bad. I'll take the antidote upstairs now... My companion will come find you later, but you don't need to feel pressured. If you don't want to talk, you can just leave.

"I'll remember this kindness forever. No matter when you come to me for help, I will never refuse!"

Iori had wanted to tease her a little more, but Akame hurried upstairs with the things before he could speak. It seemed her sister's condition truly could not wait.

After a while, just as Akame had said, a woman came downstairs with short silver hair, her right eye covered by a black band, and her right arm replaced with a mechanical prosthesis.

She had a tall, curvaceous figure. Even a man's suit could not conceal her charm, while her face possessed both heroic spirit and allure, enough to make people overlook her missing limbs.

As he watched her approach, Iori showed a look of unsurprised realization. It was indeed her—the Empire's traitorous general, Nadjeta!

She had once been an outstanding general and a powerful Imperial Arm user. However, when she decided to defect, she had been pursued by the Empire's Strongest. Not only had she lost two Imperial Arm users under her command, but she had also been crippled in one arm and one eye.

But that did not mean she was incompetent. On the contrary, simply escaping alive from the pursuit of that "Empire's Strongest" was already an incredible achievement!

Now, although Nadjeta no longer possessed her former combat strength, her talent as a general had not vanished. She still held an important post in the Revolutionary Army, traveling everywhere to recruit powerful individuals... It was obvious what she wanted from Iori without asking.

"There's no need to introduce yourself. This isn't the sort of place where secrets can be kept."

Iori had no intention of probing her or speaking in riddles. He bluntly said, "I have no intention of joining the Revolutionary Army, and no one can give me orders. But if it's cooperation that benefits both sides, then I'm very interested."

"Oh? Benefits both sides?"

Nadjeta had seen all sorts of storms. She did not mind Iori's distant attitude in the slightest, calmly taking a seat as she asked with curiosity, "Such as?"

"Such as... Chief Minister Honest has a son named Shira. They say that brat is even more vicious than his father. Sooner or later, he'll become your great enemy, and I'm very interested in him—or rather, in what he has."

Iori smiled faintly. "If you can provide me with information on Shira, I can carry out one hunt for free."

I Don't Eat Beef.jpg

This world did not contain only the Empire. A thousand years ago, the First Emperor unified the richest central region of the continent and drove the foreign tribes into impoverished lands with harsher environments.

The Western Kingdom, the Southern Isles, the Northern Tundra, and the most mysterious Eastern Island Nation.

Although the Empire was the strongest power, it could not ignore threats from these four sides. For a thousand years, it had pursued a policy of loose control over the foreign tribes. Yet in recent decades, repeated upheavals among the Empire's ruling class had stirred the surrounding tribal forces into action. The Empire's military strength had not weakened, however, so it could still forcibly suppress their rebellions.

Especially that female general known as the Empire's Strongest. Over the past few years, she had slaughtered the foreign tribes until everyone feared her. Though she was only twenty years old, her vicious reputation was already enough to stop children from crying at night.

Yet even in such circumstances, there were still people who dared challenge the Empire's authority.

They were the foreign tribes occupying the Northern Tundra. Their people were fierce and warlike, and under the leadership of their prince, they had traded victories with the Empire through many clashes. They could even be said to hold the advantage.

They had not yet formally declared war on the Empire, but after years of military preparation, they had already gathered three or four hundred thousand troops along the border. It would not be surprising if they raised an army at any time.

This had left the Empire's northern provinces extremely tense. From the provincial capital to the border towns, nearly everyone knew winter was coming, spending each deep, dark night in apprehension.

Oooooo—Oooooo—Oooooo—

This was another unsettling night. The moody goddess of blizzards had descended upon the northern frontier. The biting wind was not merely blowing—it charged at every traveler like cavalry. Bare branches shrieked in the gale like the howls of unknown Dangerous Species. The endless white snowfield seemed boundless in the darkness, making one feel as if they had reached the end of the world.

A group of four rode with their luggage atop pack beasts as sluggish as the earth itself, struggling through snow half a meter deep amid the storm.

Even though every one of them possessed extraordinary abilities and was no ordinary traveler, they still fell short when facing the might of heaven and earth.

The leader was especially irritated.

He possessed an immensely powerful Imperial Arm capable of instantly transporting him over vast distances, but its restriction was that he could only move to locations marked in advance.

And since it was his first time going to the Northern Tundra, he had no choice but to travel there honestly on foot. It was unbearably frustrating.

"Your Excellency Shira!"

At that moment, one of his subordinates shouted, "There's light ahead! We found that town!"

"Oh, oh, oh! I see it too. Great—I thought we'd gotten lost."

"Hurry, hurry! I'm freezing to death!"

The group of four led by Shira, the minister's son, perked up and vigorously urged their already exhausted pack beasts onward. As the light ahead gradually drew closer, they discovered it was a two-story watchtower built to guide travelers, with someone assigned to tend the fire.

The guards merely questioned the four briefly before allowing them through. In weather like this, with only four people, they could not possibly be bandits or foreign tribal scouts. They appeared to be travelers, so the guards warmly pointed them toward the town's only inn.

They arrived at the inn, settled the pack beasts in the stable, and knocked on the front door. The man who opened it was a simple, rugged middle-aged man with the typical appearance of a northerner. He seemed to have a bit of foreign tribal blood as well.

"What is it? Need a room?"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, bring us some hot food first. We're about to freeze stiff." Shira smiled somewhat exaggeratedly.

"Honestly..."

The innkeeper did not seem willing to open for business in this weather, but seeing that the group had nowhere else to go, he let them inside.

There were clearly no other customers in the inn. Only three cloaked figures sat around a table, looking rather mysterious.

Could they be foreign tribal spies? Shira narrowed his eyes at them.

But it had nothing to do with him. Did the combat strength of their group of four need to fear a mere few tribesmen?

It would be fine if those three cloaked men behaved themselves. If they dared make any suspicious moves, they would kill them outright!

Confident in their skills and boldness, Shira's group of four chose a table in the center of the hall without hesitation. Once they removed their cloaks and coats, each revealed their true appearance, their distinct styles making even the innkeeper pause.

Shira himself was a young man with brown skin, messy white hair, a muscular physique, and a cruel, unruly air on his face.

His three subordinates were a young man with sinister eyes, a mature beauty with a frivolous expression, and a middle-aged warrior with an aloof bearing.

The warrior in particular was dressed in a manner the innkeeper had never seen before... But then again—

"You're wearing far too little! Even indoors, that won't do!"

Other than the warrior, Shira and the other two were dressed quite... fashionably. They looked as though they had run out of some indecent Bal Masqué. Both men exposed broad swathes of chest muscle, while the woman was practically dressed in something like lingerie.

This greatly shocked the northerner, who had lived among ice and snow since childhood. "Aren't southerners afraid of the cold?"

"It's fine. This much is nothing." Shira waved a hand, smiling as though he were very gentle, though inwardly he was extremely impatient with the innkeeper's concern.

"More importantly, hurry up and bring us food—"

"You're from a big city, aren't you?"

The innkeeper suddenly looked quite curious. "At least nobody in the north dresses like that... Don't tell me you're from the imperial capital?"

"Uh... You got half of it right. I'm from the imperial capital." Shira pointed at himself.

With his usual temperament, the innkeeper would already have earned himself a death sentence for interrupting him. But the blizzard had not stopped, and he could only remain in this town... At the very least, he would wait until after he had eaten before killing him.

"But why travel all the way to the north... Oh, oh, I understand. Life in the imperial capital must be awful, right?"

The innkeeper actually wore an expression that said, I understand, making Shira want to laugh.

The beautiful woman beside him became interested instead. "Why would it be awful? I'm from the Western Kingdom. I haven't been to the imperial capital, but shouldn't it be the most prosperous place?"

"You're not from the Empire? No wonder you don't know."

The innkeeper gave a "heh," then turned to retrieve a wine jug, cups, and a small stove for warming wine from behind the counter. As he lit the fire, he said indignantly, "Isn't it because the imperial capital is under the minister's control now? He's made everyone hate him!"

"The minister? Which minister?"

"Who else could it be? Prime Minister Honest, Masamune Dog Minister! Who knows how many people hate him to death!"

"Oh? Dog Minister?" Shira grinned. Firelight cast his shadow onto the wall, making it look like some beast opening a blood-red maw full of fangs.

"But I heard he was a pillar of the Empire."

The others traveling with him also instinctively looked toward him, every expression full of amusement.

"Isn't Honest just a dog minister, a dog noble?"

The innkeeper noticed nothing strange and continued cursing, "That dog minister's son Shira is an even bigger bastard! A beast among beasts!"

"Heh heh..."

The brown-skinned youth smiled even more happily. "A beast among beasts? Haha, what, do you have a grudge against him?"

"Yes! My cousin and her husband used to teach in the imperial capital. If Shira, that bastard, hadn't slaughtered innocent people, how could my cousin's husband have died? If he hadn't allowed his men to commit atrocities, how could those students have been tortured to death?"

The innkeeper raised his head. "Look, that's my cousin. With no one to rely on, she could only come stay with me."

Everyone turned to look. A long-haired woman with delicate features and plain clothing was slowly walking downstairs from the second floor with a puzzled expression. The closer she came toward Shira's group, the more uncertain and alarmed her gaze became. In the end, terror filled her face, and her legs began to tremble faintly.

"Yo, your cousin is pretty cute~"

Shira narrowed his eyes, revealing the fierce glint of a predator. He had already begun calculating how he would ravage this woman later.

Come to think of it, he did have some impression of that face. He seemed to have seen her in the imperial capital before... But he had killed too many people to remember which one had been her husband.

What a pity. Otherwise, if he found the husband's grave and ravaged his wife before it, letting the wronged spirit watch helplessly as the murderer who had killed him indulged himself, it would surely feel even better~

Well, he could use this cousin's head instead later.

"I'm telling you, that bastard minister and his beastly son will definitely go to hell after they die, never to be reborn!

"That beast Shira had better not have a son in the future. If he does, the kid will definitely be born without an asshole!"

"Cousin... These guests are..." The woman cautiously approached, her voice trembling as she asked.

"Oh, just travelers passing through. Don't stand around either—come help see what they need."

As he spoke, the innkeeper seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh, right, you must be hungry, right? I'll make you a pot of noodles. A cow just fell to its death the day before yesterday, so you're in luck. I'll make braised beef noodles for you!"

"Sure~ Go easy on the cilantro. I don't like it."

"Got it!"

The innkeeper quickly headed into the kitchen behind the curtain to cook. His cousin, who had been asked to help, stood where she was in fear.

But Shira merely said, "Come here," and her entire body trembled as she shakily walked to the table.

"Mmm~ Not a bad body~"

Shira and the other sinister-looking young man leered at her from head to toe, but they did not make a move immediately. In their eyes, the game was not over yet. Prey tasted best when enjoyed at the end.

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"The son of Prime Minister Honest... Shira." The cousin drew a deep breath, as though gathering her courage, with a trace of hatred in her voice.

"Since you know who I am, then you should know I won't let you go, right?" Shira teased.

The others chuckled as well, delighted by the woman's trapped, helpless appearance.

"Ugh!"

The cousin seemed to have fallen into despair. "Why? Why do you do this? Is killing people fun?!"

"Do you need a reason to kill?"

Shira instead spoke as if it were only natural. "What matters most is that I'm having fun!"