Lin Feng got up especially early that day.
Whenever something major happened, Lin Feng found it very difficult to fall asleep.
And it was not Captain Ogre he was thinking about, but Seryu.
Over several months of duty, Lin Feng and Seryu had developed some degree of affection as colleagues.
He wondered whether Seryu could withstand the pressure this time, and whether she would do anything out of line because of the truth about Ogre.
Arriving at the station, Lin Feng began greeting people as usual before he even saw anyone.
"Wave, working just as hard today, huh?"
Sure enough, the blue-haired young man, Wave, poked his head out with a relaxed smile, though his stance remained as precise as ever.
He had never slacked off in his daily horse stance training. Beads of sweat had already appeared on Wave's face. To manage that in such low temperatures-who knew how much weight he was wearing that day?
"The commanding officer of District Thirteen died due to certain circumstances." Whenever anyone asked where Captain Ogre was, that was all Lin Feng said in response.
Seryu had taken leave, and everyone looked stunned when they heard the news of Captain Ogre's death.
After submitting evidence that Ogre had framed others and conducted private dealings, Lin Feng publicly announced that Ogre had been killed by an assassin organization. Following leads in the transaction records, he also found the subordinates who had fled after helping the oil merchant Jamal carry his money chest, and obtained their statements.
The two young men spoke frankly and soon admitted to their dealings with Ogre. Of course, behind the scenes, Lin Feng had guaranteed their personal safety.
With that, Lin Feng had given both Night Raid and the imperial military an account of what had happened.
Unfortunately, the families of those Ogre had harmed could not see his corpse. That was probably the only regret.
During Captain Ogre's tenure, Seryu had remained part of his compatibility program for a biological Teigu, so Lin Feng had been responsible for most of the tax collection work.
As a result, Lin Feng had also built up considerable prestige in the Imperial Guard.
In the end, with everyone's endorsement, Lin Feng, who already did not need to attend daily basic training, simply stayed in Ogre's office and handled miscellaneous duties in his place.
Before long, Lin Feng met all sorts of people. Some dressed plainly and kept a low profile, while others wore suits and polished shoes, taking care with their appearance-
These were presumably the wealthy merchants and officials Ogre had dealt with every day.
Whether they were the fortunate few or powerful people who had genuinely fought their way to the top, they represented a tiny fraction of this world's population. Lin Feng knew he could not take his interactions with these people too much to heart.
A week quickly passed.
That morning, Lin Feng was sitting in Ogre's office as usual when an immensely burly man clad entirely in armor walked straight in.
He entered without a word of greeting. Unlike the merchants and local power players who normally visited, this muscular man treated the station like his own backyard.
Moreover, Lin Feng could sense a powerful aura emanating from him.
It was not killing intent, merely a manifestation of immense power leaking out.
"Where's Ogre? Why are you sitting here? I don't think I've seen you before."
"Captain Ogre died in the line of duty. I'm filling in for him until the new captain takes office."
"Died in the line of duty? How did he die?"
The man before him seemed to find nothing surprising about Ogre's death. Lin Feng judged that he must be someone out of the ordinary.
"After committing crimes of framing others and accepting bribes, he was assassinated by a spontaneously formed civilian organization."
"Do you have evidence for these claims?"
"The evidence... is here."
This moment was precisely why Lin Feng had asked Akame for that evidence.
The corrupt empire had no institutions such as judges or courts, all because the power of those in authority had expanded without limit.
To quickly win someone's trust, one way was through strength, and the other was through evidence.
"I see..."
The burly man went through the photographs, transaction slips, and bewildering array of reports in front of Lin Feng, then continued his questions:
"How did you establish that an assassin organization killed him? Do you have a confession or witnesses?"
"People working for the merchant who gave him a cut have already confessed, and there are also witnesses among those he framed. As for who killed him, I'm not too sure. This is all the information I've collected."
Lin Feng delivered his prepared lines without the slightest deviation.
"If you want to know who killed him, you'll have to question the people who confessed. They were reportedly present at the time."
"Hmm... understood. What's your name?"
"I'm Lin Feng, a member of the Imperial Guard. If you need anything, you can come find me in this room at any time. I'll be here until the new captain takes office."
"Hmm, I think that answers all my questions."
With that, the burly man headed out the door.
"Phew..."
For some reason, the man's aura put Lin Feng under some pressure. As though affected by some kind of electromagnetic waves, Lin Feng kept feeling that his fingers were numb and difficult to move.
Lin Feng stepped outside to stretch his limbs, only to see the burly man speaking with the blue-haired young man, Wave.
"Wave, starting today, you'll transfer to the imperial palace in the capital and serve under my command."
"But... General Budo, how could I possibly..."
"That young man handling Captain Ogre's work seems quite efficient. There should be no problem leaving the administration to him."
"As for you, you were my subordinate to begin with. Keeping your talent for combat hidden all this time isn't necessarily a good thing."
Having said that, the burly man strode away, every step carrying an air of authority.
Once he was far away, Lin Feng approached Wave to speak to him.
"He's-that man is-a general of the empire?"
"Yes..."
Lin Feng could not tell what expression Wave wore. It seemed like reluctant resignation, yet also a kind of acceptance and relief.
"He's General Budo, whose fame rivals Great General Esdeath's. He's an experienced, politically seasoned conservative... His position in the empire is second only to the emperor and Minister Honest. He also used to be the highest-ranking superior in my district and gave me combat instruction a few times..."
"Why would someone that important come to our impoverished district?"
"This is internal information. Originally, only Captain Ogre and I were supposed to know."
Wave said calmly:
"Recently, Great General Esdeath went north to subjugate the rebelling foreign tribes... With our strongest military force away, Great General Budo has taken Great General Esdeath's place in inspecting the various towns and districts, checking whether any officials are drawing their salaries without doing their jobs, or holding positions beyond their abilities."