After returning to the base, they spent two leisurely days. That day, Boss called a meeting early in the morning: they needed to enter the city to exchange intelligence. They had also heard that Esdeath was holding a tournament. Lin Ran's heart jolted. Had the tournament to find a husband already started?
Tatsumi volunteered, offering to enter the tournament himself so they could figure out what Esdeath was planning.
"Akame, you could go have a look too. You might see your little sister."
"Huh? You know my sister?"
"Yes. I met her before I met you."
"Is she doing all right?"
"She's doing pretty well. You know she's strong too. Don't worry. Next time I see her, I'll persuade her for you."
Akame said nothing. She knew this would be no easy task. Kurome's convictions differed from hers. She had tried to persuade her back then too, but all she had received in return was her hatred.
"System, do you have any insanely delicious candy?"
Lin Ran spent a thousand Origin Points buying some candy that did not exist in this world to use as bait for Kurome. This time, the System earned 990 Origin Points off Lin Ran with tears in its eyes!
Once Akame had quietly slipped into the imperial capital, Lin Ran took human form and walked openly to the vicinity of the palace.
"Candy for sale! The most delicious candy in the world!" A voice reached Kurome's ears inside the palace. Her hand paused as she reached for some candy. What had she just heard? The most delicious candy in the world?
Kurome glanced at Wave beside her and noticed that he did not seem to have heard the voice. But she could not worry about that now. In any case, she was very confident in her own strength.
Lin Ran sat on the ground, with some exquisitely packaged candy laid out before him, quietly waiting for someone destined to take the bait.
Before long, a short-haired loli walked over. The fish had taken the bait!
"Big brother, how much is your candy?" Kurome asked indistinctly, a piece of candy in her mouth.
"I invented this candy myself. You can't buy it anywhere else. But since you're such a cute little girl, I can give you two boxes for free. Why don't you try it first?"
Smiling, Lin Ran handed her two boxes of candy. Kurome eagerly opened one and took a curious bite.
Speechless, Lin Ran demonstrated how to unwrap the candy. Kurome followed his example and tore the wrapper off a piece. The moment the candy entered her mouth, Lin Ran felt as though her eyes were practically turning into stars. This candy was far too delicious! For a severe candy addict like her, it was nothing short of a sacred medicine!
"Well? Delicious, isn't it?"
"It's delicious! So delicious! Big brother, can you sell me all this candy?"
"No. I can only give you two boxes."
"I have money! I can give you lots of money!" Kurome tossed out a bag of coins. Lin Ran merely smiled and shook his head. With a wave of his hand, all the candy disappeared.
"All right, I should get going." Lin Ran stood up, patted his backside, and prepared to leave.
"You can leave! But leave the candy behind!" Kurome suddenly seemed like a different person as she spoke coldly.
"Even if I gave you all the candy, what would that accomplish? Sooner or later, you'd finish it. When that happened, how would it be any different from now?"
"That's true. Then you're not allowed to leave, or I'll kill you!"
"You can't kill me. I'm stronger than you, after all. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to try!"
Kurome did not answer and attacked him directly instead. She did not use her Teigu either. It seemed she was afraid of hacking Lin Ran to death, leaving no one to make candy for her.
Lin Ran caught her fist effortlessly. Startled, Kurome clenched her left hand into a fist and attacked with that too. Lin Ran pinned her down outright. The disparity in their strength was far too great; no matter how hard Kurome struggled, she could not break free of his hands.
"Believe me now? I told you, you're no match for me."
"Let me go if you've got the guts! Let's fight again!" Kurome shouted defiantly. Lin Ran obliged, kicking her in the backside and sending her sprawling on the ground.
Kurome climbed to her feet, her face full of anger. With a beckoning motion, the Teigu March of the Dead appeared in her hand. Without hesitation, she slashed at Lin Ran, though she did not aim for a vital spot.
Under Kurome's incredulous gaze, Lin Ran caught the blade between two fingers. Even with all her strength, Kurome could not pull her Teigu back.
Lin Ran gave a wickedly charming smile and exerted force through his hand, pulling Kurome straight across his lap before bringing his palm down hard on her backside.
"You-you dare!"
"Why wouldn't I? You attacked first, so naturally, you have to face the consequences."
Lin Ran spanked her several times, noticing that Kurome's struggles were growing weaker and weaker. In the end, she actually fell silent. Lin Ran turned to look at her flushed face, somewhat taken aback. Was she embarrassed?
He gave her a few more pats, savoring the delicate feel beneath his hand, then let her go and looked her over with a satisfied expression.
"Since you're so pitiful, I'll give you another two boxes! I've got something to do, so I'll be off!" Lin Ran left two boxes of candy behind and vanished right before her eyes the next moment.
Kurome was startled. This man was so mysterious, and now he had even disappeared on the spot!
After he returned inside Divine Abyss, Akame was still curious about what Lin Ran had gone off to do. Lin Ran did not explain, planning to give her a surprise at the end.
As expected, with the blessing of his protagonist halo, Tatsumi successfully caught Esdeath's eye. As for Xiaobi, he had been left at the base.
Lin Ran also saw the legendary strongest fighter in the Empire for the first time. She looked like a mature beauty in whom elegance and madness coexisted.
Akame let out a breath. Entering the imperial capital during the day really was a hassle, like sneaking around as a thief. If she could not leap across roofs and run along walls, she would never enter the imperial capital during daylight.
After returning to the base, Akame began preparing dinner again. Bored with nothing to do, Lin Ran shot straight into the clouds and soared above the mountain range, only stopping once he was tired of flying.
Seeing Divine Abyss wobble back through the air looking half-dead, Akame gave the blade an exasperated pat and cradled it in her arms.
At dinner that evening, everyone learned that Esdeath had taken Tatsumi into the palace. They were all a little worried, except for Lin Ran. He knew Tatsumi had gone in to enjoy himself.
Akame placed Divine Abyss on her lap and called to it twice. Getting no response, she guessed that Divine Abyss was probably tired from flying earlier and was resting now. In truth, Lin Ran was fast asleep inside Divine Abyss.
In the early hours, Lin Ran was up and about again, and it just so happened that he could take human form once more. He transformed and immediately wrapped his arms around Akame's slender body. Akame jolted awake, then rolled her eyes at him when she realized it was Lin Ran.
Lin Ran chuckled, and his hands began to wander. In the end, amid Akame's startled cries, he was kicked off the bed. Lin Ran did not mind and eagerly clambered back into bed, though he behaved much better this time.
He gathered Akame into his arms. Akame put up a token struggle twice, then buried her head against Lin Ran's neck and drifted peacefully to sleep.
Lin Ran could not help feeling a little reflective. Since he had chosen Akame, he had to take responsibility for her, and there was Sheele too. This world was being eaten away by that strange energy. Before he left, he had to find out what was going on.