The sun set, and night descended.
The sound of marching footsteps surged as large numbers of armored Imperial Guards surrounded the palace.
A struggle between a powerful minister and a loyal subject had officially begun.
Solemn music echoed throughout the grand hall.
At the far end of the hall stood a massive golden throne, upon which the young Emperor sat. A trace of confusion appeared on his face.
"General Budo, is this true?"
As he spoke, the young Emperor looked toward the elderly Chouri at the side.
He remembered that Chouri had previously retired and returned to his hometown. Why had he suddenly come back now?
The imposing General Budo knelt below, his armor gleaming coldly beneath the candlelight.
It was none other than his Teigu, Adramelech, the Thunder God's Rage.
He replied in a deep voice,
"Your Majesty, more than half of Chouri's guards were killed. The wounds on their bodies were indeed caused by a pair of Teigu battle-axes."
"Furthermore, Night Raid leaflets were found on them."
"Over the past two days, several officials have been assassinated. The leaflets left at the scenes match those found on the Three Beasts."
"Please see clearly, Your Majesty!"
The young Emperor frowned.
Normally, the Minister handled matters like this for him.
All he had to do was follow the prepared script.
Now that he was suddenly expected to judge for himself, he did not know whom to believe.
Still, as Emperor, he could not show weakness.
After hesitating, he said,
"General Budo, are you suggesting that General Esdeath harmed these officials and framed Night Raid?"
"Your Majesty!"
Minister Honest came running in, panting heavily. His expression changed instantly upon hearing those words.
His luxurious robes billowed as his fat body bent forward, seemingly preparing to kneel.
Esdeath merely crouched halfway.
Just as Uesugi Ryu was about to follow suit, the young Emperor's eyes lit up upon seeing Honest.
"All of you may rise."
Honest immediately straightened up.
He had known the Emperor would never actually make him kneel. It was merely a formality.
The two factions stood opposite one another.
Budo and Chouri on one side.
Honest, Esdeath, and Uesugi Ryu on the other.
Watching this scene, Uesugi Ryu thought to himself,
"Aside from Budo and Chouri, nobody here probably wants to kneel to this puppet Emperor."
A minister aligned with Honest quickly repeated the earlier discussion.
The Three Beasts' assassination attempt on Chouri, the wounds, the Night Raid leaflets, all of it.
Honest inwardly cursed.
It seemed today's matter would not be so easily smoothed over.
They had attacked an official under Budo's protection and been caught red-handed.
The young Emperor coughed lightly and asked with forced dignity,
"General Esdeath, what exactly happened?"
Honest answered first.
"Your Majesty, this must be a misunderstanding!"
"Eliminating these corrupt officials while drawing out Night Raid is killing two birds with one stone."
"General Esdeath has only acted out of loyalty!"
If Budo had been personally alarmed, then he undoubtedly possessed substantial evidence.
There was no point trying to outright deny it before him, so Honest simply admitted part of it.
After all, the young Emperor trusted him completely.
He could always deal with Chouri later.
Esdeath was his greatest trump card.
There was no way he would throw her out as a scapegoat.
Otherwise, he could have simply blamed the Three Beasts' personal actions.
But given Esdeath's personality, such words would seriously damage their alliance.
Esdeath cared deeply for her subordinates.
Besides, if her subordinates had caused trouble, she, as their superior, could not escape responsibility.
The plan to assassinate officials and frame Night Raid had been Honest's idea.
He could not abandon ship now that things had gone wrong.
General Budo's face darkened.
Honest was spouting complete nonsense.
He immediately rebuked him.
"Is Chouri also a corrupt official? Mind your evidence when making such accusations, Minister!"
Budo stared directly at Honest.
He did not deliberately release his aura.
Even so, an almost suffocating pressure swept over the hall.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Honest's temple as he stumbled back.
His previous arrogance had stemmed from his confidence in Budo's rigid principles.
Now, it seemed he had truly angered him.
Esdeath, however, had no intention of standing aside.
Excitement flashed in her eyes.
She stepped forward, placing herself in front of Honest, a provocative smile appearing on her face.
Behind her, Honest inwardly cursed Esdeath's incompetence.
Her failure had now brought them this enormous trouble.
Chouri had been away from politics for far too long.
There was no mud Honest could plausibly sling at him.
Budo ignored Esdeath's provocation completely.
He simply continued staring at Honest.
Honest's eyes darted before he quickly explained,
"This is all a misunderstanding. Perhaps my subordinates acted carelessly."
"I hold Mr. Chouri in the highest respect!"
Esdeath suppressed her battle lust and turned toward the silent Chouri.
She did not care about the politics.
But she intended to learn who had killed her subordinates.
"The Three Beasts were my elite. How did you escape?"
Bloodshot veins filled Chouri's cloudy eyes.
His enemies stood right before him, yet he could do nothing.
"Night Raid suddenly appeared. While the two sides were fighting, I escaped with my guards."
His voice choked with emotion.
"I survived by luck, but my daughter Spear... was killed by Night Raid..."
Spear's death could only be blamed on Night Raid.
Otherwise, Chouri would appear to have colluded with criminals.
General Budo naturally understood that something was amiss.
However, he believed he knew Chouri's character.
He was not the kind of man who would kill his own daughter just to earn trust.
More importantly, Budo's primary goal was not to seek justice for Chouri.
He intended to directly warn Honest and Esdeath.
Usually, he did not care how they played their games.
But once their schemes reached those under his command, that was another matter entirely.
Back then, Chouri had remained protected under Budo's authority, preventing Honest from slandering him.
As such, the young Emperor still held a favorable impression of him.
Seeing Chouri weeping so bitterly, the young Emperor felt sympathy.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what to say.
After thinking for quite some time, he finally spoke.
"Night Raid's villains are truly despicable. They must be eliminated as soon as possible."
Honest keenly sensed that something was off.
He had assumed Budo's own men had rescued Chouri.
He had not expected Night Raid to have intervened.
Still, none of that mattered.
What truly mattered was Budo's attitude.
Chouri naturally sensed the young Emperor's emotional shift as well.
Tears streamed down his aged face as he suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject returned to the capital only to once again serve Your Majesty with all my strength!"
"Yet before I even arrived, calamity struck. My beloved daughter was slain. This humble subject has been grievously wronged!"
Uesugi Ryu leaned against a pillar, his silhouette flickering slightly in the candlelight.
Violet Lightning Frenzied Bone glimmered at his waist.
A faint smile rested on his lips as he coldly observed everything.
Watching Chouri perform so masterfully, Uesugi Ryu could not help but inwardly sigh.
Those who played politics truly had black hearts.
Chouri's ability to lie with a straight face and adapt to the situation was no less impressive than anyone else's.