Chapter 88: Eliminating Blind Loyalty
Jaeger Headquarters
Esdeath gathered the remaining members and told everyone what had happened.
"In summary, Kobayashi has been promoted."
"Ooh! Congratulations, Kobayashi!"
Run and Wave clapped and offered their blessings, expressing their happiness that he had become a commander.
"It's only temporary."
Kobayashi waved his hand. "Run and Wave will be helping out too. I imagine it will be quite difficult from now on."
"Of course, I'll do my part!" Wave gave a thumbs up.
In the Jaegers, besides Kurome, he had the best relationship with Kobayashi and was sincerely prepared to help.
But I'm sorry, Wave. I'm going to have to use you.
Kobayashi knew his personality. To prevent any unnecessary variables, he decided to have him exit the stage for a while. ...along with Kurome.
Night.
Wave was still taking care of Kurome.
Due to Chelsea's poison, Kurome's drug resistance had dropped sharply, and her body was so weak that she could only lie in bed and rest.
During this time, Wave had taken the initiative to take on the responsibility of caring for her, and as a result, their relationship had heated up dramatically. They were just short of confessing their feelings for each other.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Sorry, am I interrupting?"
Kobayashi knocked on the open door, leaning against the frame and looking at the two, who were so close they were almost lost in their own world.
The startled pair quickly separated, their cheeks slightly flushed, not daring to look at each other.
Their innocent shyness was quite interesting.
"Ahem, it's you, Kobayashi."
Wave coughed lightly and took the initiative to speak. "What is it? What brings you here so late?"
"There is something."
Kobayashi didn't tease them too much. After all, it would be too pitiful to bully them any further.
"It's about the defense arrangements."
"Defenses?"
Wave and Kurome turned their gazes to him. This was clearly a serious matter, and there was no more room for shyness.
"I've received news that Night Raid will attack from the south of the Capital. They are preparing to open the city gate there and let an army invade the Capital from that direction."
"The southern city gate..."
Wave pinched his chin and began to think.
General Budou was gathering all his troops to meet the enemy in the east, because that was the only direction from which a large army could launch a simultaneous attack. But if they were to launch a sneak attack from the south...
"Are they trying to break into the Capital to cause chaos and take the opportunity to open the eastern gate from the inside?"
"You've grown, Wave."
He was right. That was exactly what Night Raid and the others wanted to do. It was just that it wasn't the Revolutionary Army they were letting in, but the Axis Order.
"The Jaegers are short-staffed right now."
"Haah..."
"Most importantly... one of the people causing trouble this time is Akame."
—Akame!
Hearing this sensitive name, Kurome, who was leaning against the bed, stiffened. Her hand unconsciously reached for the Teigu at her bedside, [Yatsufusa].
"Kurome!"
Wave quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her from touching the Teigu, his concern plain to see.
Kurome didn't react, just stared blankly, muttering softly.
"It's my sister..."
That expression, a mixture of love and hate, pained Wave's heart. At the same time, he turned to glare at Kobayashi, as if blaming him for telling her this.
Kobayashi's expression was plain as he said coldly, "Therefore, I want to give you two a mission."
To intercept the enemy... it must be that!
Wave gritted his teeth, the grief in his heart growing continuously. He clenched his fists, his anger building to the point of explosion. He estimated that as soon as Kobayashi said the words, he would throw a punch at his face.
However—
"You two should run away."
"...Eh?" x2
Not just Wave, but even Kurome was stunned. They had never expected Kobayashi to say such a thing.
"Wave, Kurome, you must have noticed it too. The Capital is completely beyond saving. It's only a matter of time before it's overthrown. Therefore, I want you two to escape. At the very least, you can survive. If you run now, I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
"Are you kidding me? To be a deserter..."
Wave clenched his fists, his heart a mixture of five flavors. He had thought Kobayashi was going to make Kurome and Akame fight to the death, but he had never expected him to want them to escape. The shame of having misunderstood him left him at a loss for words.
"Wave, do you want to send Kurome to her death?"
A single sentence made him wake up.
That's right. He couldn't let her go to her death, and he couldn't let the two sisters kill each other. He had to save the person he loved!
"No, I can't leave."
Kurome propped herself up and stood from the bed, using her Teigu for support.
"Kurome!"
"My sister... she must be killed by my own hands. The Jaegers must eliminate Night Raid, isn't that right?"
"But...!"
Wave looked worriedly at the staggering Kurome. He wanted to support her, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Her strong will left him at a loss for what to do. He could only ask for help.
He looked at the source of this situation and shouted, "Kobayashi!"
"I respect Kurome's choice."
The words he spoke were somewhat cold, but also incredibly biased towards Wave and Kurome. "Whatever choice you make is up to you. Whether you run away or face the enemy, I support your thoughts and offer you my heartfelt blessings. That is all."
If you support us, then don't say anything! Just let them escape!
Wave really wanted to shout this. But his reason told him that if Kobayashi hadn't told them the truth, with his and Kurome's personalities, they would never have run away. So the fault was not on him.
Kobayashi turned and left, no longer caring what their choice was, because no matter what they chose, their exit from the stage was certain.
And now, he had more important things to do.
The Royal Palace Courtyard
Kobayashi and RyuZU walked slowly on the lawn. Due to his position as commander, he could enter and exit the palace freely, and no one dared to stop him.
Except for one person.
"Are you the new commander of the Imperial Guard?"
A burly, middle-aged man with the aura of a powerful expert walked out of the night and slowly appeared before him.
He opened with a question, "What are you doing in the courtyard so late?"
"What if I said I came here specifically to find you, General Budou?" Kobayashi replied.
That's right. The person who had arrived was Budou. The highest commander of the Imperial Army, the other man with the title of "the strongest."
"What, are you here to show off the official position you obtained so easily, or are you here to curry favor with me to gain more power?"
Budou looked down on him. He believed he was of the same ilk as the Minister, that he had obtained the position of commander through him and Esdeath. He had even already decided to take Kobayashi out along with the Minister.
However, what happened next went against his understanding.
"—Neither."
Kobayashi shook his head and denied it. "There is just one thing I wanted to ask you, General. I hope you can dispel my doubts."
"What is it?"
"Why did you not intervene when you knew of the Minister's corrupt actions, and instead just stood by and watched?"
"Oh? You're not on the Minister's side?"
His words surprised Budou. Perhaps because of this, he was in a good mood and readily gave an explanation.
He said, "Because I follow my ancestral teachings. A military official cannot interfere in politics. That is why I did not intervene!"
"So you just watch as the people of the Empire live in misery and lamentation fills the plains?!" Kobayashi asked again.
"So what?!" Budou had not grasped the key to the matter. He said coldly, "My duty is to protect the royal family, not the people!"
"I see. So it's blind loyalty."
Kobayashi let out a deep sigh.
"Although you are an upright and old-fashioned person, serving the Empire with all your heart, you are too blindly loyal. You don't consider the consequences, you don't think about the reasons, you don't weigh the pros and cons. You only know how to follow orders, without any thoughts of your own! When the Emperor was being led astray, you did not cleanse the sovereign's side. You have failed to fulfill your duty. You are truly unworthy of being a Great General!"
...Well, it's not like you can hear this anyway.
RyuZU gently placed General Budou's head at his feet. After a brief silence in the night, a pillar of crimson water shot into the sky like a fountain.
Thud!
The tall, burly body fell forward onto the lawn, dyeing the green grass bright red.
Budou's mistake was his inaction. But the source of this result was someone else.
So—
Next, it's your turn, Minister!
(End of Chapter)