As night fell, in the beautifully lit Imperial Capital, within an elegant private room on the top floor of the most luxurious Imperial Hotel, the two most prominent figures from that morning's Imperial court sat at the same table.
"Speaking of which, it truly surprises me. I never imagined that in just one year, you could rally so many officials to our side."
At opposite ends of a long table laden with various delicacies, Rin and Onesis sat, eating and conversing. Compared to Rin's elegant and dignified demeanor, the burly Onesis had no need to mind his table manners. He grabbed a meat leg, eating with a greasy face and mouth full of meat, responding with muffled sounds:
"Zhehaibu Si Quanyang Zhangjiang Junde..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Swallow what's in your mouth before you speak to me!"
Rin, sitting in her seat, looked at Onesis with a disgusted expression.
"You're already a dignified Logistics Officer, yet you eat like that. Is your salary too low to support you, do you usually not get to eat meat?"
A one-meter-long hind leg of a Danger Beast disappeared into Onesis's stomach in less than two minutes. Wiping his greasy, plump face, he spoke bluntly:
"Exactly, General Rin Tohsaka! I, Onesis, have been living frugally for our great goal. I haven't touched a single gold coin that could buy me meat every day, carrying them around without spending a single copper for myself. Can you understand the feeling of looking at coarse tea and plain rice every day, unable to eat meat?"
Rin watched Onesis, whose face was twitching on one side and who was now tearing into another piece of steak with tears streaming down his face. Rin remembered that the original work/canon seemed to mention that Onesis's initial motivation for striving and scheming to reach the position of minister was simply to have an endless supply of delicious food.
Suddenly, she vaguely felt a little pity for those who had died before he ascended to his high position... "Ah, ah, ah, put the meat down first! I, Tohsaka Rin, am treating you to a meal, and I'll make sure you eat your fill... Finish speaking first, then eat!"
Watching the gluttonous fat man in front of her who couldn't stop eating, Rin slammed the table in exasperation. The expensive enamel plates arranged on the table all jumped a foot high. The plate in front of Onesis directly flipped onto his large face, splattering him with gravy.
Realizing he had gotten a little carried away, Onesis immediately picked up a handkerchief to wipe his face, apologizing:
"I got a bit carried away, General Rin Tohsaka, please excuse me. Onesis's achievements today are entirely due to the General's generous funding and grand vision."
"Never mind, you don't need to flatter me. To be able to win over most of the officials in the court within a year, and to be promoted from Logistics Officer to Logistics Chief, is not something that can be accomplished with money alone. Indeed, my judgment was spot on; you are truly an ambitious and capable fellow."
"Hahahaha, not at all, not at all. If it weren't for the General's discerning eye and willingness to give me this opportunity, Onesis, no matter how capable I was, would just be shadowboxing, completely meaningless. For this kindness of recognition, I, Onesis, will first toast the General."
Rin and Onesis raised their wine glasses across the long table in a toast. Onesis drank his down first as a sign of respect, while Rin took a casual sip. The conversation finally entered a formal atmosphere.
"Speaking of which, the child that Deputy General Suzaku took to the private room next door just now was...?"
"My daughter, Najenda."
Rin answered frankly, not mentioning that she had picked her up from the slums and adopted her, which nearly made Onesis choke on his saliva.
"Cough, cough... As expected of the General's esteemed daughter! At such a young age, one can already see a glimpse of the General's peerless beauty and heroic demeanor. I imagine she will undoubtedly become an outstanding female general, just like General Rin Tohsaka, in the future."
"Heh heh heh, I didn't realize that Lord Onesis's skill at flattery is no worse than his administrative ability. May Najenda's future be as you have described."
"Indeed, indeed."
Though he said this, Onesis couldn't help but feel that the Little Girl named Najenda didn't resemble Rin much. Neither her hair color nor eye color matched Rin's. Could this be what they called 'the daughter takes after the father'?
"Speaking of which, I also didn't expect that by merely adding a drop of the General's blood, that pot of poisoned blood would truly possess the efficacy of Demon God's Descent - Essence of the Devil. That scene in the Imperial Council Hall truly thrilled Onesis. The General's strength and control over Teigu are truly masterful. In the Empire's thousand-year history, no Teigu User has ever been able to stand alongside the General."
The pot of "Demon God's Descent - Essence of the Devil" that Onesis presented in the hall today actually contained the venom of a snake-type Danger Beast that could cause madness and death. The reason it appeared as Essence of the Demon was because it contained a drop of Rin's blood, which Rin had given to Onesis.
Originally, Onesis had dared to privately give the Teigu to Rin because he was confident he could shift the blame for the Teigu's loss onto the previous Logistics Officer, framing him. However, the current outcome was Rin's idea; she was confident she could minimize the risks and directly eliminate a political rival in court. Onesis had complete faith in Rin's abilities, which led to the scene in the Imperial Council Hall today.
And the reason why the Chief of Intelligence, even in his madness, was able to precisely launch an ice blade attack towards the Emperor was undoubtedly controlled by Rin. Having drunk the poisoned blood containing Rin's blood components, Rin could directly control his body to unleash the ice of Essence of the Demon.
Don't forget, Rin's body contains not only the bloodline of dragons, but also the blood of a True Ancestor and a Dead Apostle! Therefore, controlling blood to activate abilities is completely effortless for her.
"Such matters are not worth mentioning. Rather than that, how do you plan to arrange the position of the next Chief of Intelligence? A Teigu as crucial to the entire Empire as the World Encyclopedia cannot remain vacant, can it?"
"Oh, I've already discussed this with my colleagues. We will strongly support Nishinomiya for the position of Chief of Intelligence. If he, who shares our aspirations, takes that position, our future activities will be much easier than before."
Nishinomiya?
Hearing that name, Rin briefly recalled. At the beginning of the original work/canon, Nishinomiya was a staunch ally of Onesis and the then-Minister. He wielded the Teigu World Encyclopedia: Longolo, and was also the planner and chief responsible person for establishing the Imperial Assassination Squad's Enhanced Group (Reinforcement Group) and Selection Group (Selection Group). One could say that if this fellow didn't rise to power, the plot of akame ga kill would be over.
"Then let's proceed with that. As a military official, it's not appropriate for me to openly interfere with your side."
"Speaking of which, General, the fact that you were able to get the Grand General to not oppose your proposal truly surprises me. Haven't you and the Grand General always been at odds and disagreed? How is it that..."
At this, Rin smiled knowingly, then said:
"That's because you don't understand General Black, or rather, the existence of the General Family, well enough. The ancestral motto of the General Family, who have served as Grand Generals of the Empire throughout history, is that military officials do not meddle in politics. Furthermore, in formal settings, they absolutely do not allow personal emotions to interfere. As long as an opinion or policy is for the Empire's benefit, advantageous to the Empire, and saves the Empire from peril, he will absolutely not oppose it. My proposal to establish an Expeditionary Force is indeed for the good of the Empire, so he naturally won't object. I'm only afraid that at the military council later, as long as I can prove that I have the strength to lead an expedition, he will even do his utmost to help me."
"General Rin Tohsaka possesses keen insight and plans everything perfectly. Onesis admires her. Afterwards, regarding the supplies, equipment, and military pay for the Seventh Expeditionary Force, I will do my best to provide the General with the best. The rest is up to the General's performance."
"I await good news."
"Wahahaha! Cooperating with General Rin Tohsaka is always so reassuring. To our future cooperation, I'll toast the General one more time. Cheers!"
"Cheers."
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