— — — — — —

"Of course you can!"

Renzo smiled slightly and said, "As long as General Esdeath pledges her loyalty to me, not only can I teach you how to enhance your ice powers—I've got plenty more ways to make you stronger."

This woman was a top-tier asset.

She could be useful in so many ways.

And the best part? As long as you beat her in a fight, she wouldn't cause any trouble. You could rely on her.

More importantly… in his mind, she was one of his women. Maybe his Queen.

"Oh?"

Esdeath smiled sweetly, her tone playful. "Your Majesty, I'm a little confused by that. I've always been loyal to you, haven't I?"

"Not exactly."

Renzo met her eyes head-on and said plainly, "You've been working with the Minister to throw the empire into chaos. That's not exactly what I'd call 'loyalty to me.'"

"…Huh?"

At that, Esdeath finally sensed that something was off.

"So, the minister is in trouble now?" she thought.

"Makes sense. The little Emperor suddenly became a powerhouse, and he's clearly not as naïve as he used to be. In fact, he's gotten a lot sharper. No way that trash can fool him anymore…"

Time to smooth things over.

She met Renzo's gaze without flinching and replied, "Your Majesty, if you think that way, you're misjudging me!"

"My relationship with the minister was strictly cooperative. He gave me the freedom I needed to focus on war—pure and simple."

"Besides, I haven't done anything to betray the Empire. Quite the opposite—I've made huge contributions."

"Take just recently, for example. I wiped out hundreds of thousands of northern rebels. Isn't that a major win for the Empire?"

"So I hope Your Majesty will judge fairly. The one who really threw the Empire into disarray isn't me—it's the minister. And I believe… you already know that deep down, don't you?"

Esdeath had never been one for shady backroom dealings. She believed in one thing and one thing only: power.

Renzo smirked. "If I didn't know, you'd already be dead."

"Anyway, the minister and his cronies are already under my control. I'll be using them as scapegoats for the coming reforms."

"There's a lot to cover, so I'll just send you the details directly."

As he spoke, Renzo raised a hand and pointed lightly at the center of Esdeath's forehead.

A beam of golden light shot into her mind.

Esdeath immediately felt a flood of information pour into her head and closed her eyes to process it.

Moments later, she opened them again, staring at Renzo in surprise. "Your Majesty, that's some serious ambition… But with reforms like these, the Empire's bound to descend into chaos, isn't it?"

Many of the new policies directly targeted the corrupt nobility—and even the not-so-corrupt ones would see their power drastically limited.

In the future, the Empire would no longer be ruled by nobles.

Esdeath could already imagine how those vested interests would erupt in fury.

And she had a pretty good idea why Renzo had come to her personally.

To be honest, she was getting excited.

This was about to get fun.

"Of course I'm aware," Renzo nodded. "That's exactly why I came to you."

"I need you to swear full allegiance to me. Then lead your army back to the capital and help push these reforms forward alongside the ministers. Are you willing?"

Esdeath looked at Renzo and gave a charming smile. "If Your Majesty is willing to teach me your ice techniques—teach me how to become stronger—then yes, I'm willing."

"Of course… that all depends on you staying stronger than me. If I ever surpass you, well… that might be the day I turn on you."

"Would Your Majesty be okay with that?"

She wasn't one to beat around the bush.

She said what she thought, plain and simple.

Renzo smirked. "You won't get the chance to betray me."

"So, welcome to the new Empire, General Esdeath."

"Hurry and gather your troops. Head back to the capital as soon as possible."

"As for the northern border, don't worry about it for now. Even if the reforms trigger invasions from the tribes or neighboring kingdoms, it's fine."

"In fact, that would be perfect—gives us the excuse we need. Once we've got our hands free, we won't even need an excuse. We'll just wipe them out."

"As you command! I'll begin preparations right away," Esdeath replied with a respectful bow.

"Good. I'll be waiting for you back in the capital. Once you return with your army, I'll prepare everything I promised. Just don't keep me waiting too long."

With that, Renzo vanished in a blink.

Esdeath stood in silence for a moment, staring at the spot where he disappeared.

"…Hehe."

A sly smile spread across her face. "Things are about to get interesting in the Empire."

"Better pick up the pace. This is one show I definitely don't want to miss."

— — —

Back in the imperial palace, Renzo wasted no time issuing orders. First, he began summoning the Empire's Teigu users—he had important tasks in mind for them.

The members of the Jaegers were also recalled and given new missions. Though they weren't being deployed just yet, everything would move once Esdeath returned.

"My dear Prime Minister~" Renzo turned to the now fully obedient court official, "I remember you still have several Teigu in your possession. Also, where are the rest of the Empire's Teigu? Bring them all to me—I need them."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The minister responded immediately, without hesitation or resistance.

"Oh, and that one you're wearing on your head—hand it over too," Renzo added, eyeing the item. "Also, your son, Syura—he still has the dimensional Teigu, Shambhala, right? Send a letter. Summon him back to the capital. Now."

"Oh, and one more thing," Renzo continued. "I heard he's put together his own little squad… even has an alchemist with him. Make sure he brings all of them back."

Honestly, there was no point waiting to kill Syura later and then going through the trouble of tracking him down.

Better to use the minister while he was still useful—and get Syura to walk right into the trap.

Once he stepped foot in the capital, Renzo could kill him however he pleased. Escape wouldn't even be an option.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the minister replied once more.

Now this was what a truly useful pawn looked like.

"Oh, right," Renzo asked next. "Have all the members of the Jaegers returned? Are they settled in?"

"They have, Your Majesty!" the minister reported. "They're just waiting for your command."

"Perfect. You're dismissed. I'll go check on them myself."

Renzo nodded in satisfaction and waved the minister off. Then, he made his way to the palace sector where the Jaegers and Teigu users were stationed.

"Your Majesty!"

As soon as Renzo entered the meeting chamber, the five people inside rose to greet him: Kurome, Bols, Dr. Stylish, Seryu Ubiquitous, and Run.

Clearly, someone had already briefed them on his arrival.

"No need for all that. Relax."

Renzo waved them down and took the main seat at the head of the room. After a moment of looking them over, he spoke:

"I just came by to check on things. I'm sure you're all curious why I've summoned you Teigu users, right?"

"Well, yeah—just a bit," Run replied with a smile.

At the same time, he was quietly observing Renzo, trying to get a better read on the young emperor.

He had his own motivations for coming here—namely, removing the corrupt minister, earning the emperor's trust, and passing reforms that would help free the common folk from their suffering. He didn't want to see another tragedy like what happened to his students.

Kurome, on the other hand, said nothing. She simply stared at Renzo in silence while slowly nibbling on a biscuit, looking like a little hamster with a snack bag in her hands.

Bols remained quiet as well.

Dr. Stylish, though, was clearly intrigued, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"I don't mind telling you all now," Renzo said, fully aware of their individual reactions. "The reason I've gathered you here is simple: I want to use your strength to help me tear down the rotten structure of this Empire and build something better."

"Here's a detailed reform plan. Take a look."

As he spoke, he waved his hand—and with a shimmer of light, four documents appeared in the air and floated to everyone except Dr. Stylish.

.

.

.