In the Imperial Palace, a large crowd had gathered.
Although the Young Emperor was still very young, he was quite diligent and frequently held court sessions.
He greatly enjoyed the feeling of governing the nation.
In reality, though, most of the time Honest was simply humoring him.
Nearly every word the Young Emperor spoke had been taught to him by Honest.
However, that situation had improved somewhat after Chouri's return. At the very least, Honest no longer held absolute dominance.
Chouri stepped forward and knelt on one knee before the throne.
"Your Majesty, Military Officer Kaku has been colluding with black market merchants to sell military supplies for enormous profits."
"The evidence is conclusive. He has already been arrested by General Budo."
General Budo was the leader of all military officers. In fact, Esdeath, Kaku, and the others were all technically his subordinates.
Previously, he had stubbornly refused to involve himself in such matters, but things were very different now.
As the Grand General, purging corrupt parasites from his ranks was perfectly justified.
Uesugi Ryu was actually deeply connected to this matter as well, but both Chouri and Budo tacitly chose not to mention him.
Kaku belonged to Honest's faction, while Uesugi Ryu belonged to Esdeath's.
Though Honest and Esdeath were nominally allies, there was a vast difference between them.
If protecting Kaku would cost too much, Honest would abandon him without hesitation.
Esdeath, on the other hand, was different. Once she valued someone, she would not let them go.
If Budo truly dared to lead troops against Uesugi Ryu, Esdeath would challenge him directly.
Though Budo did want to act, he had no desire to fight Esdeath at present.
Most of the border armies were under Esdeath's command. If that led to a military revolt, things would become very troublesome.
The other officials from Honest's faction immediately stepped forward and launched into a fierce verbal battle with Chouri.
But Chouri was an old political veteran. Honest's group of Wine-Sack Rice-Bags was no match for him.
After a heated exchange, Chouri emerged victorious.
A flash of hatred crossed the Young Emperor's face, and he immediately gave his order.
"Then sentence him to death by a thousand cuts."
Honest had already received word of Kaku's arrest. Budo's retaliation had been even fiercer than he had expected.
After all, most of Honest's followers were opportunists who had gathered around him for profit.
When Budo made his move, not a single one dared to interfere.
As for trying to argue Kaku's innocence, Honest had abandoned that idea entirely.
Now that Kaku had fallen into Budo's hands, he had almost certainly confessed everything.
Nearly seventy percent of Kaku's illicit profits had been handed over to Honest. If the investigation continued, it would inevitably lead back to him.
Honest narrowed his eyes slightly as he gnawed on a drumstick.
"Your Majesty, that may not be the best course of action."
He sighed softly before continuing.
"After all, he is a soldier who has rendered service to the Empire. Imprisoning him should be sufficient."
The Young Emperor felt somewhat puzzled. This was rather different from Honest's usual ruthless style.
Honest had once solemnly told him,
"Your Majesty, corrupt officials must be punished with the cruelest methods. That is the correct way to handle them."
However, accustomed as he was to following Honest's "advice," the Young Emperor offered no objection.
He rubbed his chin and immediately revised his decision.
"I see. Then imprison him."
Once Kaku was in prison, his fate would effectively be in Honest's hands. It would be little different from releasing him.
Chouri said nothing in response. He merely nodded and stepped back.
Kaku had been one of Honest's four trusted confidants, an important extension of his influence within the military.
Eliminating him was a substantial gain, as it significantly weakened Honest's military faction.
The main reason Kaku could be dealt with so easily was because he was a military officer, nominally under Budo's command.
Thus, Budo had been able to act directly under the authority of the Grand General.
Next time, things would not be so simple.
Chouri quietly contemplated his next move.
....
In the Imperial Capital, within a Japanese-style estate.
Severed limbs flew through the air, and crimson blood stained the nearby flowers and grass red.
The retreating man looked up at the three people before him and roared angrily.
"Uesugi Ryu, you bastard! Before, you..."
Uesugi Ryu crossed his arms, looking rather impatient.
"Seryu. Eliminate the criminal."
Seryu immediately nodded and gave her command without hesitation.
"Koro. Justice, execute!"
The adorable little dog instantly expanded its jaws dozens of times over. Countless sharp teeth bit the man cleanly in half.
His miserable screams were quickly drowned out by Koro's chewing.
Blood streamed from the corners of its mouth, and once it had finished eating, Koro returned to its normal puppy form.
Run stood nearby, silently observing everything.
From the man's reaction, it was obvious that he had known Uesugi Ryu.
And that unfinished sentence had likely concealed some deeper secret.
But Seryu did not care in the slightest. She had dealt with him immediately.
Run felt a hint of suspicion and subtly glanced at Uesugi Ryu out of the corner of his eye.
Recalling the details of this mission, he thought to himself,
"This mission probably isn't just about eliminating criminals. Removing competitors, perhaps? As expected..."
A blush spread across Seryu's cheeks as she turned to Uesugi Ryu.
"Mr. Uesugi, that's wonderful."
Uesugi Ryu smiled encouragingly and praised her.
"Well done, Seryu."
"With our efforts, the Imperial Capital's public safety will only continue to improve."
Seryu instantly became even more enthusiastic. Being acknowledged made her incredibly happy.
"Yes, Mr. Uesugi. I'll work hard."
Work was work, no matter where it was.
Uesugi Ryu felt it was best to first bring the entire pleasure district fully under his control.
Run said nothing further. After all, Uesugi Ryu was his superior.
Asking questions would only invite trouble, and there was no need for that.
He had long since understood the Empire's darkness.
Besides, the man before them truly had been a despicable criminal.
As the three of them walked outside, Uesugi Ryu spoke.
"Seryu, take Koro and collect the stolen goods. Thanks."
"Understood."
Seryu nodded, then skipped away with Koro.
Uesugi Ryu placed his left boot on the corpse nearby and twisted it, scraping the blood from his sole.
Looking toward the decorative Mt. Fake landscape in the distance, he said,
"My organization will be taking over his territory afterward. Places like the pleasure district are breeding grounds for chaos."
"Compared to the useless Capital Guard, it's better to have our own people managing it."
Uesugi Ryu turned toward Run.
"What do you think?"
Run froze for a moment. He had not expected Uesugi Ryu to actually explain himself.
He smiled in agreement and replied,
"Indeed. A permanent solution. Excellent thinking, Vice-Captain."
Of course, that assumed Uesugi Ryu was actually a decent person.
Still, based on his behavior so far, he seemed fairly approachable. Probably trustworthy enough.
Uesugi Ryu chuckled softly. He knew Run's ambitions well.
Run had once been a village schoolteacher. After his students were slaughtered by bandits, he resolved to change the rotten Empire from within.
He also sought revenge for those dead children.
The man who had murdered Run's students was Champ, a member of Wild Hunt.
Uesugi Ryu would eventually have to confront Wild Hunt in order to seize the Dimensional Formation.
Wild Hunt consisted of five Teigu users, along with one exceptionally skilled swordsman.
Since allies were available, there was no reason for Uesugi Ryu to fight alone.
If his goal were simply killing them, he could manage that by himself.
But what he truly wanted was the Teigu in Syura's possession, as well as the knowledge inside the alchemist Dorothea's head.
A spatial-type Teigu was far too troublesome. If Syura escaped, that would be a real headache.
And the Philosopher's Stone in Dorothea's possession was equally intriguing. Uesugi Ryu wanted to capture her alive.
After waiting a few minutes, Seryu returned with Koro.
Most of the items had been swallowed by Koro and could simply be regurgitated later.
Seryu wiped the sweat from her forehead and said to Uesugi Ryu,
"Mr. Uesugi, everything has been taken care of."
"Then let's head back for dinner. Esdeath's side should be finished by now as well."
Uesugi Ryu glanced up at the setting sun before leading Run and Seryu away.