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Pfft!
A spray of blood burst from Budo's neck.
His eyes went wide—then thud—he fell straight to the floor.
For a moment… silence filled the palace, inside and out.
"General Budo… is dead."
One of the ministers stared blankly, his voice trembling.
The other nobles and ministers were equally stricken with fear.
"What… what do we do now?"
"What else can we do…?"
In every gaze, you could see it—small but certain shifts in loyalty.
Truth be told, the entire empire had already been eaten away by Honest's corruption.
And those still standing here? There were no true loyalists left.
Edgar walked back into the palace, speaking calmly:
"From now on, I'm in charge."
"Who's in favor, and who's against?"
A minister immediately dropped to his knees.
"The empire was rotting. Thanks to you and General Esdeath, order has been restored. I request that His Majesty abdicate the throne."
Once one person took the lead, the rest of the ministers and nobles rushed to follow suit, afraid to be even a second slower.
"You… you all—"
The young emperor's hands trembled as he reached out… then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Edgar wasn't surprised.
This was exactly why he'd just made an example out of Budo.
As for the other ministers—he had no plans to deal with them right now. The empire still needed people to run it. Once things were stable, he could replace them with his own people one by one.
Meanwhile…
Esdeath paid no attention to the fainted emperor or the flustered nobles. She had already started taking control of the palace guard.
She still had her own power base here in the capital.
Replacing a few key generals? That was nothing for her.
3 p.m. — Imperial Bedchamber
Edgar was lying on Esdeath's lap, enjoying a knee pillow.
"How's the pressure, Master?"
Her face was full of tenderness as her fingers gently massaged his temples. Hard to believe this was the same sadistic queen of the battlefield.
"Mmm, just right."
Edgar smiled faintly. "What's the situation with the ministers?"
"They're all under control. A few had… little ideas of their own, but I've already taken care of them."
Esdeath chuckled softly, shifting to massage his shoulders. "What about the little emperor? Should I kill him now?"
Edgar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Keep him alive. Put him under house arrest."
He wanted to run the empire without unnecessary trouble.
If the young emperor died, who knew how many ambitious opportunists would use it as an excuse to rebel.
Not that any of that would truly matter to him—he just didn't want to waste time on boring cleanup work.
"Oh, by the way, do you know about the empire's assassination unit?"
"I do. You want to recruit them, Master?"
"No. I'm interested in one of them in particular—goes by the name Black Eyes."
"That's easy. I'll send the order for her to come."
Edgar sat up, giving her nose a playful flick. "Not jealous at all?"
"With your power, Master, of course you can have more than one woman."
Esdeath's cheeks flushed pink as she smiled brightly.
She caught his hand and guided it lower. "But Master… you do want to get stronger again, don't you?"
Feeling her softness, Edgar's thoughts began to wander.
"As Master, it's only natural I satisfy my subordinates' reasonable requests."
...
The Next Day — Imperial Audience Hall
Edgar sat on the imperial throne, shifting a little in his seat.
"What's wrong, Master?"
"Nothing. Just… this chair isn't that comfortable."
He stood and stretched lazily.
So many people dreamed of sitting on this throne. To him, it was nothing special.
"For you, Master, this little throne is nothing worth mentioning," Esdeath said matter-of-factly.
In her eyes now, nothing in the world could compare to even a fraction of Edgar.
As they spoke, footsteps echoed through the hall.
A girl in a black sailor uniform appeared before them.
She had a cute, charming face and short, glossy black hair that fell naturally around it.
Her skin was like white jade, glowing faintly, and the black uniform traced the curves of her slender figure.
"Black Eyes greets you, my lord."
She stepped forward and knelt on one knee in salute, her dark eyes glinting with curiosity.
She didn't know much, but she'd heard enough—this man had replaced Honest and now controlled the empire in truth.
Edgar stepped down from the throne with a smile. "Stand up. No need for formalities."
He glanced at his own status panel.
Just as he thought—his demon contract was glowing. Black Eyes had the potential to become a subordinate.
She rose, speaking respectfully. "May I ask what you summoned me for, my lord?"
"There is something."
Edgar met her gaze directly. "I want you to become my subordinate."
"???"
Black Eyes tilted her head. What was this man talking about?
"Put simply," Esdeath cut in with a smile, "he wants you in his harem."
"E-E-Eh?!"
Her pupils shrank, her arms flailing slightly as her face turned visibly red.
W-Was he after her body?!
For the first time, Black Eyes felt a wave of deep embarrassment.
"Well… Esdeath's not wrong, but that's not the whole story," Edgar said, then began explaining patiently.
"So you and General Esdeath are… demons?"
Even after hearing his explanation, Black Eyes still looked bewildered.
She understood each word individually, but together… it just sounded ridiculous.
Demons? Was this a joke?
"Esdeath," Edgar said.
At his voice—fwsh!—a pair of sleek black wings unfurled from her back.
Whoosh!
The gust lifted the hem of Black Eyes' skirt.
Mmm… also black.
From Edgar's angle, he could see everything under it, clear as day.
"Aah—!"
Black Eyes immediately reacted, clamping her skirt down on instinct.
"..."
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