"So you mean only biological Teigu need this kind of experiment, right?"
"Of course. Among the Empire's upper ranks, practically everyone knows that."
The man before him had once been one of Ogre's trusted aides. After making a fortune, he had sought Ogre out again, but the person sitting here was Lin Feng.
Eager to learn more about Teigu, Lin Feng had used his illusion ability to control him.
"Most of the Empire's higher-ups carry supreme Teigu, which they can use directly with almost no need to consider compatibility... but many biological Teigu are replicas produced using advanced technology, and inevitably come with plenty of side effects..."
This was the fourth man Lin Feng had questioned, and almost every man's answer had been remarkably consistent.
Looks like I need to give the matter of Teigu some thought. Even if I don't use them myself, I need to think of Sheele and the others.
In the Imperial Guard captain's office, Lin Feng looked at the flyer on the desk. He had just torn it off the wall surrounding an abandoned shop on the street.
"A fighting tournament... hosted by Esdeath?"
The Empire was holding a fighting tournament and had specifically signed General Esdeath's name at the bottom. Presumably, that alone would scare off a great many people.
That played right into the Empire's hands. After all, they wanted to find the truly brave. Ordinary people hoping to rise in the world would have to be prepared to die if their abilities were mediocre.
Lin Feng propped his elbows on the desk and sank into thought.
Night Raid headquarters.
Every member of Night Raid except Tatsumi could tell that Najenda's gaze was much sharper than usual.
"Esdeath... that woman is back."
"Boss, you mean that general of the Empire?"
"Exactly. By our original calculations, she shouldn't have returned for at least another week. But who could have imagined that, even though it had already dragged on into spring this year, she could still freeze a river that had long since thawed..."
This information had come from loyal officials within the imperial palace in the capital, who were also part of Najenda's faction. Combined with the Empire's recent actions, it could be considered absolutely certain.
Honestly, the others did not understand what Esdeath's return meant, because only Najenda had witnessed the terror of her strength.
"We absolutely cannot let our guard down now that she's back. If Minister Honest gets even a little more aggressive, and we expose our movements, what awaits us could very well be total annihilation."
"Is that woman... really that ridiculous?"
Leone and Lubbock spoke in unison. Leone had grown up in the slums, while Lubbock was a young nobleman who had never wanted for anything. Neither had seen Esdeath fight.
In contrast, Akame, who knew Esdeath relatively well, the muscular former imperial officer Bulat, and Najenda all sighed deeply.
"In any case, we have too little information right now. We can't keep sitting around waiting to die."
After saying that, Najenda slapped an invitation down on the long conference table.
"This is an invitation to a fighting tournament. The host is the Empire's Esdeath."
"A Teigu as the prize? Wh-what does this mean? Why would she hold a fighting tournament after returning to the capital?"
"We don't know yet whether she's the actual organizer, but using this opportunity to infiltrate the Empire would definitely benefit us without any drawbacks."
"With publicity this obvious, could it be a trap?"
"With the capital in such dire straits and the people struggling to survive, even collecting taxes from ordinary citizens is difficult. So this tournament is aimed either at unemployed people at the bottom dreaming of an overnight rise, or nobles eager to find some amusement."
Najenda's words made considerable sense. However they considered it, none of Night Raid could deny them.
"The Teigu is most likely a biological Teigu being used as bait. Night Raid doesn't need that sort of thing."
"I'm going to send one person to compete and serve as Night Raid's temporary undercover agent within the Empire. Once they've gathered some recent information on the higher-ups, they can come straight back."
Najenda clenched both fists. She could not possibly let anyone in Night Raid take on something as dangerous as long-term undercover work. All she wanted was a tiny bit of information.
"Considering how easily the Empire would recognize Akame and Bulat, Lubbock, Mine, Tatsumi, I'd like one of you to enter."
"I'll go!"
Undercover work came with a certain amount of danger. Lubbock had wanted to look cool in front of the boss, but who would have expected Tatsumi to jump in first and steal his thunder?
His defeat against Zanku last time still rankled Tatsumi. He had spent this whole time honing his body, all to wipe away that humiliation.
"Very good, Tatsumi. I didn't expect you to have that kind of resolve..."
Najenda smiled with satisfaction.
In truth, Najenda had little hope that they would manage to infiltrate the Empire this time.
But seeing Tatsumi, a fighter who had only recently joined, display such courage and a desire to improve gave Najenda a great deal of encouragement.
"Remember not to push yourself too hard. This is only an insignificant little mission, just a small trick of ours."
"When Esdeath makes her move against us, that's when we'll face a real crisis!"
Leone looked at Lubbock with a mischievous grin and began teasing him:
"Tatsumi sure is brave. Some people just don't have that kind of nerve!"
They were right in front of the boss, yet Leone was still maliciously slandering him. Gritting his teeth, Lubbock argued:
"My Teigu will only really come into its own when things get more dangerous! It's far too early to expose its abilities now!"
After saying that, Lubbock sighed, deeply struck by how unreasonable this curvaceous woman was. Even her enormous breasts, restrained by a black bandeau, seemed like such a waste.
"All right, Lubbock has a point. His Teigu is a little unusual."
"Boss..."
He had never expected Najenda to speak up for him. Tears of gratitude filled Lubbock's eyes.
Lubbock had once been a pampered young master who had everything done for him.
Born into a noble family, whatever he wanted, the family butler at his side would immediately prepare it for him. Lubbock had enjoyed every luxury and privilege, only to feel profound loneliness and boredom.
Because nobles were so few in number, Lubbock had few friends around him.
There was only one reason someone like Lubbock had come to Night Raid-he had been captivated by their boss, Najenda.
Najenda had been one of the Empire's generals. In her youth, she had been extraordinarily beautiful, and Lubbock had been deeply enamored with her.
When the boss wanted to break away from the Empire and establish an assassination unit that lived on a knife's edge, Lubbock had left his noble family without hesitation and joined Najenda's team.