"The forces within the Empire are too powerful. I once thought that too, but..."
"Is that so? Then let me fulfill the ambition you once had."
Hearing Lin Feng's resolute words, Akame gave up on trying to recruit him.
"Anyway, thank you. Thank you for saving Tatsumi."
"No need to thank us. We'll meet again, won't we?"
Seeing that things were settled, Lin Feng walked calmly toward the police station.
When Lin Feng's figure disappeared into the dim, crimson night, Akame and Tatsumi both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tatsumi, did you see how he killed Zanku?"
"I don't know... he turned into something like a puddle of shadow, and then he crushed Zanku's neck..."
Tatsumi still couldn't believe the way Lin Feng had fought. As someone from the countryside, his understanding of combat had, until now, remained at the level of heroes fighting evil dragons.
"I've seen some of his strength before. He's truly unfathomable... if he becomes our enemy someday, the consequences would be unthinkable."
"If his standing grows, he could very well become our enemy in the future."
Tatsumi and Akame seemed to feel a trace of uncertainty about the future, sighing repeatedly in the dark.
The frozen, snow-covered north.
More precisely, inside a military carriage on the frontier road, along the boundary between the savage tribes of the northern frontier and the imperial capital's territory.
Dozens of well-equipped, armored soldiers held rifles aimed at a stark-naked man.
This naked man had a powerful build. Whether his lats, triceps, or abdomen, the incredibly developed muscles all over his body made him look millions of times stronger than those soldiers.
He was Numa Seika, the strongest man in the history of the northern frontier's ethnic minorities.
As a prince of the northern foreign tribes, this man was known as the "Hero of the North." He possessed terrifying strategic and combat abilities, and had once overrun the Empire's border defenses, creating a national defense crisis.
Yet this powerful prince now knelt on the ground with his hair disheveled, licking a woman's shoe like a stray dog!
The young woman sat in an elevated seat with her long legs crossed, letting the prince lick her white military boot, and even felt somewhat bored.
Her long, silver-blue hair spilled over the seat's armrests. Snow-white lashes framed her azure eyes, and her skin was as white as the first snow, proof of her northern origins.
"Lower your guns. There's no need to be so nervous over an animal."
This young woman-Esdeath-seemed long accustomed to such things.
As Esdeath breathed, a thick layer of frost formed from both sides of the carriage's seat, completely encasing the prince's hands and legs.
Amid the bitter cold, only the prince's constantly licking tongue retained a little lingering warmth.
Growing somewhat impatient with the prince licking away like a pig or dog, Esdeath suddenly lashed out sideways with her left leg.
Under that tremendous force, the sole of her high-heeled boot instantly sent the prince's blood gushing, yet he still searched everywhere for the top of Esdeath's boot so he could keep licking, like a puppy that had lost its meaty bone.
"About how much longer until we reach the imperial palace in the capital?"
"Reporting, Lady Esdeath... barring any unforeseen circumstances, another three days and two nights..."
"Even though this is the finest carriage... is it because almost no one died this time, so the horses are exhausted beyond endurance?"
Not long ago, the Empire's great general, Esdeath, known as the Ice Queen, had traveled to the Empire's north to subjugate the northern foreign tribes that invaded every year.
This powerful savage tribe, which had previously given the Empire considerable headaches, was completely wiped out within mere weeks of Esdeath's arrival.
Even their prince had been captured alive by Esdeath and treated like livestock and a slave, and every last bit of this had been accomplished by Esdeath alone.
Endless war and the torment of prisoners of war, both physical and mental, were this Ice Queen's sole reason for existence.
Once, no one had believed that this slender young woman of only twenty possessed such tremendous power.
But everyone who questioned her had been turned into an ice sculpture by her own hands. Such was Esdeath, the Empire's great general.
The imperial capital, inside the imperial palace.
"Lord Honest, the great general will be back soon."
Hearing this news from the intelligence officer, Honest's face filled with delight.
The name Esdeath was nothing less than a symbol of power!
"About how much longer?"
"Based on the distance, and when she last contacted us to say she was setting out on the return journey, it should be less than two days."
"What two days? We're already back."
A strong, ringing voice rang out. Without seeing it for themselves, no one would have believed that such a cold voice came from a young woman.
"General Esdeath! How did you return so quickly? Can a carriage travel that fast?"
"I froze all the rivers and lakes we would have had to go around. I simply don't understand the point of the route you calculated."
The intelligence officer stared at Esdeath in terror and disbelief, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks.
"All right, Esdeath, how did things go with the northern foreign tribes? As I said, you only needed to destroy a dozen or so of their strongholds and keep them from recuperating for a while. That would have been enough."
"Heh... a dozen or so strongholds?"
Esdeath merely sneered without saying anything, while several armored soldiers behind her, rifles slung over their backs, struggled together to carry over an ice sculpture.
"This is...?"
The person inside the ice sculpture was none other than Numa Seika, the foreign tribes' strongest prince.
"I've completely defeated the northern foreign tribes. Their lands and people have all submitted to me, and I've turned them into assets of our Empire."
"This is their new king. Do whatever you like with him. I've grown bored of playing with him."
Looking at the ice sculpture before him, Minister Honest couldn't help admiring Esdeath's tremendous strength.
"Heh, you always leave me so satisfied, Esdeath."
"Next, I'd like to rest. I still have plenty to take care of tomorrow."
Esdeath closed her eyes, making her snow-white lashes look even finer and more crystalline.
"Esdeath, your Three Beasts should be back soon too, shouldn't they? I'd like to borrow them. Do you have any objections?"
"I don't mind. I haven't scheduled any work for the Three Beasts in my plans for the near future."
"Then that couldn't be better. Heh..."