Esdeath's Favor

But strangely enough...

Since Yotsuba Mahiro jumped in, apart from the initial ripples, there has been no further movement, nor any trace of blood from being torn apart by carnivorous fish in the lake.

It was as if my whole body turned into stone and sank to the bottom of a lake.

"Damn it, can't he swim?!"

Seeing the bizarre scene before her, Esdeath was startled, then realized that this was a sign of drowning!

I don't know why it didn't float to the surface.

Without saying a word, Esdeath immediately took off her military cap and boots, preparing to jump into the lake to save the person.

Although the training is extremely rigorous, Esdeath will ensure their lives are not in danger. She actually cares deeply for her subordinates. Just like yesterday's safety measures, although they were full of wicked humor, if danger were to occur, she would definitely protect them by pulling the chains to save them.

If their injuries or deaths are caused by her own mistakes, rather than by their lack of effort in training, then Esdeath will take full responsibility.

However, just as she was about to jump into the lake, bubbles suddenly appeared in the center of the lake.

Starting with just one or two, the number gradually increased to a large extent, and then the entire calm lake surface began to tremble.

It was bubbling and releasing a lot of steam, as if it were being boiled.

Gradually, a whirlpool formed, creating air currents that stretched towards the bottom of the lake.

Countless dangerous carnivorous fish, deep red in color, emerged from the lake, clearly already cooked.

You can even clearly see that beneath the dark, deep lake, a reddish-orange glow is now emanating.

"Muspelheim"

Yotsuba Mahiro walked at the bottom of the lake, radiating extreme light and heat like a fire god. The extreme heat evaporated the surrounding area into a vacuum, and the azure arcs of electricity spread across the lake bottom, leaving behind streaks of lava-like crimson.

It even formed a scorching giant storm that shot straight into the sky, suffocating the people on the lakeside.

The fierce wind felt like a hot knife scraping against their cheeks.

It's hot.

Even from this distance, they couldn't help but sweat profusely, partly because of the terrifying scene before them that they would never forget, and partly because the pervasive steam was almost scorching them.

Even the ultimate firepower among Imperial Arms—Purgatory Suicide Rubigand—couldn't compare, right?

Esdeath alone let the gale whip her long, icy blue hair around.

Her gaze, fixed on the bottom of the lake, shimmered with an unusual light, like a little girl who had found her beloved doll... no, if it were Esdeath, it would be more accurate to say that she had found a toy that could satisfy her desires!

And so, what was originally a swimming training session was turned into an underwater race walk by Yotsuba Mahiro, and by the time he walked back from the other side, the lake water had completely evaporated.

Hero!

This is an absolute hero!

The five people on the shore were so moved they almost cried.

For their sake, Yotsuba Mahiro didn't hesitate to reveal his trump card, deliberately evaporating the lake water to exempt them from training.

These five people were practically begging to be taken along, practically kneeling down and begging for their help.

Actually, it's just because Yotsuba Mahiro can't swim.

Otherwise, why would you just lie on a beach chair and sleep all the time while on vacation at the beach?

So this time, he simply evaporated all the lake water, thus completing the training.

"Are you a Teigu user?"

Mahiro jumped ashore from the bottom of the lake, Esdeath, barefoot, stepped onto the soft but slightly warm soil and came to him.

"I hope so."

Mahiro shrugged.

He wasn't lying, Esdeath could tell, because he didn't smell of lying.

But the look in her eyes as she Yotsuba Mahiro showed even greater satisfaction; she couldn't wait to take him into her possession.

The reason is simple: Esdeath herself doesn't understand Teigu and looks down on the so-called Teigu, which she sees as nothing more than a means of becoming stronger through external objects, and not a proper path.

But personal ability is different; it's a skill that can be honed through years of accumulation.

Therefore, she was very satisfied with what Yotsuba Mahiro had shown her, and after learning that it wasn't an Imperial Arms.

Only...

"General Esdeath, why did you take your shoes off?"

He looked down at Esdeath's delicate feet, her toes as round and pink as pearls, her skin a pale white, as she trod on the mud.

It's unimaginable that these are the feet of a female general who has fought in battles for many years; they are even more delicate than those of nobles.

"Oh? You really like my feet?"

Esdeath noticed his unwavering gaze, and her tone became more teasing.

"Yes, I like it very much."

Mahiro answered very frankly.

Such flawless jade feet are a rare sight indeed.

Simply put, Esdeath has two legs, and I just happen to have one mouth.

I am Naruto Uzumaki's brother, Saito Uzumaki.

"Hehe, then become my pet. As long as you stay by my side, you can admire these feet anytime."

"Oh? Then let's forget about it."

Just as he had just given a straightforward answer, his refusal was also decisive.

Putting aside whether he has a habit of becoming someone else's pet, he would never give up the whole forest for Esdeath, after all, there are so many girls waiting for him.

Secondly, conquering Esdeath's territory requires so much effort.

Just beat her up.

Conquer her with your strength.

But Esdeath didn't seem to care about his answer, and simply said with a smile, "It's alright, I can give you time to think it over."

As she spoke, she bent down to pick up her boots from the ground, cleaned the mud off her delicate feet, and then slowly put them on, before putting her military cap back on.

She remained as dashing and natural as ever, her long blue hair flowing down her back like a cape.

Although I knew the woman didn't do it on purpose, the way he pretended to put on his shoes was honestly quite alluring.

She exudes femininity to the extreme.

Even her chest, which hasn't yet reached its ultimate form, looks exceptionally heavy due to the angle, emphasizing a round and full shape.

Because of him, the training for the remaining five people turned into traversing a dense forest.

Although there are still dangers along the way, it is much safer than swimming in that lake.

However, in the days that followed, Esdeath seemed to give him special treatment.

Their training was completely separated from the others, and their training was no longer as life-threatening as before.

On the contrary, Yotsuba Mahiro's situation turned into a complete hellish ordeal.

Like catching dangerous species with bare hands.

Moreover, the levels have become increasingly higher, from the initial level two to level one, and then to special level.

They were just short of capturing those super-dangerous species, as well as those legendary super-species that were the source of the Imperial Arms.

Each time, Esdeath was extremely satisfied, even to the point that he had the illusion that he was on a date with this woman.

After all, given Esdeath's sadistic personality, it seems that her only date activity is capturing dangerous species.

I remember doing this with Tatsumi in the original work...

However, even if he's easy to win over, it can't be that easy, and he doesn't have an innocent smile at all; instead, he's copied Maya Yotsuba's smile perfectly.

Yotsuba Mahiro should put aside this foolish idea for now. If he wants to win over Esdeath, he at least needs to defeat her in combat once.

On the other hand, the remaining five people didn't fare so well after losing his help.

Every time, I was covered in wounds.

The most serious one was this time, when Esdeath and he captured a Level 1 Dangerous Beast and had these people deal with it, just like that time in the arena.

As a result, these people were bitten and wounded all over their bodies by the dangerous species. In the end, it was Yotsuba Mahiro action and killed the dangerous species, thus saving their lives.

"Waaah, this time it looks like I've been bitten by a dog."

As the only doctor in the Imperial Capital Military Department, Dr. Fashion couldn't help but cover his mouth and gasp in surprise when he saw the miserable state of these people.

Ever since Mahiro changed her gender, Dr. Fashion has completely identified herself as a woman, a bespectacled girl wearing a white coat.

And her feminine aura grew stronger, and she walked with a seductive and alluring gait, exuding a bitchy and scheming air.

"Do you have a problem with that being caused by me?"

As soon as Esdeath's authoritative voice fell, Dr. Fashion immediately shut his mouth obediently.

We can't afford to mess with them.

They then examined their wounds and carefully bandaged them with bandages and medicine powder.

"General Esdeath, their injuries are quite severe this time. I'm afraid they won't be able to continue training for at least ten days to two weeks."

After the bandaging was completed, Dr. Fashion gave this result, which greatly disappointed Esdeath.

"Do you really need ten days of rest? You're useless... But whatever, your training ends here for now. Focus on recovering, and report to the army when you're healed. I'll assign you duties."

Although they did not meet Esdeath's expectations, Esdeath was still satisfied with them. At least they had persevered for so long and deserved appropriate rewards.

When they heard these words, even though they were lying in hospital beds, their eyes lit up slightly.

This is with Lady Esdeath's approval!

The suffering I've endured these past few days has not been in vain!

Even Nyau, who was as young as a girl, almost burst into tears.

That's wonderful!

Dr. Fashion, however, rolled his eyes slightly.

What kind of training methods did this sadistic queen use to turn them into this? Except for that little girl, every single man looks so muscular; it's such a waste!

However, she then seemed to remember something and turned to Mahiro, reminding him of something:

"Oh, Mahiro, your appointment letter has arrived! It's for the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps. Honestly... why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could have arranged a celebration for you."

Dr. Fashion's expression was melancholic, while Esdeath frowned.

"Appointment letter for the Deputy Minister of the Security Force?"

"Oh yes, Mahiro is about to be promoted to vice minister of the Imperial Capital Guard Corps, the same position as you, Vice General Esdeath," Dr. Fashion said with a smile.

The five people in the hospital beds all looked surprised.

One reason is that Yotsuba Mahiro dared to leave the training team without Esdeath's knowledge.

On the other hand, I didn't expect him to be promoted so quickly!

How much money and how many connections would that cost!

However, Esdeath lowered her head, her face grim, and stepped forward, grabbing Dr. Fashion's collar, demanding in a deep voice, "Explain yourself clearly."

"This... this has nothing to do with me. Mahiro was originally the captain of the security force; his training at the military headquarters was just a formality... and besides, it was the security force commander's decision..."

"Of course I know that!"

Faced with Esdeath's impending outburst, Dr. Fashion broke out in a cold sweat.

I was so scared...

That's why I say I hate women, they're so rude!

Esdeath casually tossed Dr. Fashion aside, her fierce eyes turning to Mahiro, and she asked sternly, "Yotsuba Mahiro, why are you leaving me without my permission!"

Although Esdeath said something that could be easily misunderstood, no one thought there was anything ambiguous about it. The others who trained together had already seen that Lady Esdeath had a crush on Yotsuba Mahiro.

Moreover, even if they gain favor because of their abilities, they have nothing to be jealous of.