A few days later, Leone and Akame walked through the streets of the imperial capital in disguise.
"Wow. The capital has changed a lot."
Leone glanced around.
The residents, who used to move like walking corpses, now looked completely different.
Their numb expressions were gone.
They were smiling.
Everyone believed tomorrow would be better.
Akame, walking beside her, nodded slightly.
"It really is better. It feels like a completely different place."
Leone grinned. "As expected of a goddess. She changed the entire capital in just a few days."
Akame spoke slowly. "But some things haven't changed."
Leone knew what she meant.
"You're talking about the corrupt nobles, right?"
Akame nodded.
Over the past few days, she had been observing everything.
The Imperial Guard had been reorganized.
They took strong action, arresting criminals on the streets and throwing them into prison to be judged.
But that was only treating the symptoms.
The real problem wasn't street thugs.
It was the nobles.
Unless those nobles were dealt with, the capital wouldn't truly change.
Leone clicked her tongue.
"They're tightly bound together. They won't fall that easily. Honestly, our way is still the most efficient."
Akame shook her head. "The boss told us not to act for now."
Leone sighed.
Then she noticed something strange.
A group of people ahead were fleeing as if avoiding something.
Curious, she grabbed Akame's hand.
"Come on. Let's check it out."
They squeezed through the crowd.
At the center was a massive white mailbox.
Written on it were the words:
"Anyone who has been wronged may write their grievance and place it here."
Leone's heart skipped a beat.
She tapped a man on the shoulder.
"Hey. What's this thing?"
The man glanced at her, not recognizing her at all.
"This is the Kuijian system introduced by His Majesty the Emperor."
"Kuijian system?" Leone frowned. "What does that mean?"
The man explained patiently.
"Not long ago, His Majesty ordered four mailboxes to be set up across the capital-east, south, west, and north."
"The eastern box is blue. It represents spring and benevolence. That's the Box for Recommendations. Anyone confident in their abilities can write them down and seek an official position."
"The southern box is red. It represents summer and sincerity. That's the Box for Suggestions. Common people can submit advice on government affairs. Useful suggestions will be adopted."
"The western box is white-the one you're seeing now. It represents autumn and justice. It's the Box for Redressing Grievances. If you've suffered injustice, you can report it here, and someone will investigate."
"Of course, the grievance must be real. False accusations are severely punished."
"Finally, the northern box is black. It represents winter and wisdom. That's the Box for Strategies. If your strategy benefits the Empire, it will be adopted and rewarded."
Leone stood there, stunned.
This was insane.
The Empire could actually do something like this?
She immediately understood how powerful the Kuijian system was.
If it truly worked-
The Empire would become clean.
And far stronger.
Still, she had doubts.
"But will the Empire really redress grievances?"
The man nodded firmly. "Of course. Don't you know? Some nobles have already been dealt with."
"Nobles?" Leone's eyes sharpened. "Which ones?"
"I heard about a noble who lured villagers to his estate and tortured them. On the day the goddess descended, didn't she perform a miracle?"
Leone nodded.
"I remember. That miracle was incredible."
"Exactly," the man said. "After the miracle, the tortured villagers were healed. They escaped from the dungeon and submitted their grievances here. Not long after, that noble was executed by the new captain of the Imperial Guard."
Leone laughed.
"That's satisfying."
The man smiled as well.
"Right? It really is. Lately, more and more people are submitting grievances. I heard that several more nobles got into trouble just this morning."
After chatting a bit longer, Leone and Akame said goodbye and returned to Night Raid's base.
They reported everything to Najenda.
Najenda clicked her tongue.
"Kuijian system, huh. It seems the Empire is serious about turning things around."
Lubbock spoke up. "But if they keep this up, our position gets really awkward."
Najenda nodded helplessly.
"In the end, we're assassins. Chaos gives us purpose. If the Empire becomes clean, we lose our role."
A long-haired woman wearing glasses froze.
"Huh? Are we disbanding?"
Mine immediately jumped up and smacked her on the head.
"What are you saying, Sheele?"
Sheele blinked. "But the boss said we'd be useless."
Mine was speechless.
Najenda sighed.
"For now, don't act rashly. Tomorrow, I'll return to headquarters and report on the situation."
Mine frowned. "That's way too passive. Are we really doing nothing?"
Leone scratched her head.
"I think it's passive too. But it's probably the best option for now."
An idea flashed through Mine's mind.
"We can infiltrate them."
"What?"
Mine explained, "That Kuijian system has a Box for Recommendations, right? We write down our abilities, join the Empire, and infiltrate from the inside."
Najenda was taken aback.
The idea made sense.
If they could infiltrate the Empire, it would benefit both Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army.
And Mine's identity hadn't been exposed.
She was fully qualified.
After all, even the Empire couldn't ignore a Teigu user.
"That's a good idea," Najenda said slowly.
Mine puffed out her chest.
"Of course it is."
Najenda nodded. "Try it. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately."
"Don't worry," Mine said confidently. "There won't be any mistakes."
"Let's hope so."
...
The next evening.
Imperial Guard headquarters.
Mine arrived at the gate with her Teigu, Pumpkin.
A group of people was already gathered there.
They were clearly here to join the Imperial Guard.
Mine didn't attract much attention.
She found a spot and sat down.
Just then, a young man hurried over.
He tripped as he passed Mine and fell flat on the ground.
For a moment, everyone froze.
Then laughter broke out.
Mine covered her face.
Is this guy here to perform?
The young man scrambled to his feet, face red, but didn't retreat.
Instead, he sat down.
Right next to Mine.
"Hey," he said cheerfully. "Are you here to join the Imperial Guard too?"
Mine ignored him.
He kept going. "My name's Tatsumi. What's yours?"
"Shut up."
Mine shot him a cold glare.
Tatsumi shrank back.
That look was terrifying.
Even scarier than Sayo's.
At that moment, Heracles stepped out of the headquarters.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
The noise died instantly.
He spoke calmly. "I've received word that a Teigu user wishes to join the Imperial Guard. Who is it?"
Mine stood up.
"It's me."
Heracles narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
"Very well. You've passed. Congratulations on joining the Imperial Guard."
Tatsumi froze.
He jumped to his feet.
"I object! I'm reporting this! Why does a Teigu user get to join without any assessment? This is rigged!"
Mine stared at him in disbelief.
This idiot actually dared to challenge a Teigu user.
Who gave him that courage?
The people around them looked at Tatsumi as if he were some kind of hero.
Bold.
Reckless.
Heracles looked at him.
"What's your name?"
"Tatsumi!"
Heracles asked calmly, "Do you know what a Teigu user is?"
"No!"
Mine: ...
Everyone: ...
Seeing their expressions, Tatsumi hesitated.
"Wait... is a Teigu user really that amazing?"
Mine covered her face.
This guy was hopeless.
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