The scene unfolding at the moment could only be described as absurd.
A cat wearing armor only on its upper body, topped with a chef's hat, merrily bounced around clutching an oddly-shaped horn, while beside it lay the poisoned Emperor. The surreal juxtaposition was almost like a postmodern farce.
Had anyone dared act so ridiculously around the Emperor under normal circumstances, General Budo would've crushed their skull on the spot. But right now, his lips trembled slightly as he watched the grey-haired medic kneeling next to the Emperor stare in shock at the dancing Tiger.
"Will he recover or not?!" Budo demanded.
"That… I'm honestly unsure…"
Budo's eyes widened dangerously, and the medic quickly found his words—perhaps the threat of imminent death had improved his speech.
"Though His Majesty hasn't visibly improved yet, at least the symptoms aren't worsening. It seems this treatment is somewhat effective."
Budo exhaled in relief, his massive frame momentarily wavering as if drained of all strength. But he steadied himself, gripping the carriage door tightly to regain composure.
Though His Majesty had stabilized, it was far too soon for celebration.
When the Emperor's eyes finally fluttered open, confusion clouded his face. For a moment, he couldn't grasp what had happened—only to spot an orange cat sitting on the seat opposite him, panting heavily.
"Your Majesty!"
At that instant, Budo's familiar voice rang from outside the carriage. Supported by the medic, the Emperor slowly rose and took in the sight: nearly all his Imperial Guards kneeling outside, the battlefield-scarred ground, and, most notably, Lancer standing cloaked and surrounded by spear-wielding soldiers.
"Seize that assassin!"
Though his voice was feeble, the anger flashing in his eyes showed the Emperor had regained full consciousness.
"Your Majesty, about Lancer's situation… it's complicated—"
"What?!"
The Emperor stared incredulously at Budo, astonished that his most loyal subordinate would dare question his orders, especially regarding Lancer, who had just tried to assassinate him!
But Budo briefly explained his suspicions, as well as the crucial role Lancer and his peculiar companion had played in treating him just now.
Hearing this, the Emperor's rage gradually cooled.
"Take him away for now."
Though the command remained the same, the Emperor's fury had drained away, replaced by exhausted resignation. With a dismissive wave, he signaled for Lancer and his men to be escorted off.
The Emperor clearly realized this Lancer was not the assassin, yet as ruler of the Empire, openly admitting his mistake was impossible. Thus, he settled for quietly brushing the matter aside until reaching the next territory.
After a nearly six-hour delay, the convoy finally resumed marching, with a new scouting unit sent ahead from the Imperial Guard. Lancer and his men remained under loose custody, though from their guards' relaxed demeanor, it was clear the earlier tension had faded considerably.
...
In truth, Lancer wasn't overly concerned about being held separately. After all, his Teigu hadn't even been confiscated—it was clearly just a formality. Once things settled, he'd surely be released.
Leaning against the carriage, Lancer chewed idly on a piece of straw, lost in thought: Just who was behind all this?
His prime suspect was, naturally, Honest.
Though no concrete evidence existed, his instincts pointed squarely at the Minister.
But how could he prove it?
The hired bandits were clueless mercenaries who didn't even know their employer, and the Teigu and Shingu wielders had all taken their own lives before capture. Now, those left alive knew nothing, and those who knew something had all become corpses.
Earlier, Budo had questioned him about the attackers, but Lancer had little useful information to share. Ironically, he'd gleaned from Budo's own words details about the enemy's Teigu: one was probably the dimensional Teigu, [Shambhala], another seemed to be some sort of biological Teigu, and the last, a summoning-type.
"We've arrived."
While Lancer stared blankly through the curtain, the carriage suddenly stopped. An Imperial Guard tapped the metal bars lightly, alerting him they'd reached their destination.
Their "destination" was actually the local governor's mansion. Though the Emperor had recovered from the poison without permanent damage—thanks largely to Tiger—he remained weak. Thus, they'd hastened directly to the nearest governor's estate.
Stepping outside, Lancer saw the main force already orderly escorting the Emperor into the mansion. General Budo gestured toward him, signaling him over.
Lancer, thoroughly confused, approached obediently. After being sidelined nearly a full day, had they finally decided how to handle his case?
...
What was the final resolution?
Summon Tiger daily to spend time with the Emperor.
Yes, that was it!
When Budo first announced he wanted Tiger, Lancer had stood frozen in stunned disbelief. Perhaps sensing the awkwardness of the request, Budo quickly clarified:
The Emperor had no intention of permanently taking Tiger. According to the medic, Tiger's music hadn't been as miraculous as initially assumed. The Emperor merely wished to reward him properly.
Thus, the outcome was an Emperor who'd developed a mild obsession with feline company. And when Tiger returned each evening, happily snuggling up after a royal dinner, he was several pounds heavier.
But as for Lancer's own situation…
"You protected His Majesty—what else needs to be done? Earlier was merely a necessary formality to confirm your identity."
Perhaps because the earlier request had embarrassed him deeply, Budo's tone had become sharply defensive.
In truth, this explanation was mere formality. The real reason was simpler: the Imperial Guard had found the assassin "Lancer's" corpse outside their encampment, alongside a broken Shingu. Though they weren't yet certain of its exact power, it clearly explained how the impostor had initially deflected Budo's lightning attack. But why had he died afterward?
Was it due to the Shingu's limitations—or had he sacrificed himself to protect the Teigu user capable of teleportation?
He didn't know. That was exactly what needed investigating next.
---
T/N: if i had a million dollars for how many times in akame ga kill the mc's body was cloned by dr. stylish id have 2 million dollars
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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