Sending a Grand Gift to Najenda

"Do you know why the local defense forces of the western province remained passive, completely ignoring your calls for help?"

"There's some very interesting news… I think I should share it with you."

This was just a sudden idea that popped into Selene's mind, not some elaborate scheme. After all, she wasn't the type to obsess over such things like a lunatic all day long.

In the original story, after most of the elite members of the Imperial Assassination Unit were lost during the mission at Sun Moon Lake, the Empire's upper echelons disbanded the group. The remaining members were scattered, each assigned to carry out assassination missions individually.

It was during this period that Akame achieved an almost perfect completion rate in her assassination missions.

Eventually, Akame was assigned to assassinate the imperial traitor, Najenda. However, when she attempted to kill Najenda, she was persuaded to join her, and from then on, Akame became loyal to Najenda, betraying the Empire.

Akame originally intended to flee the Empire with her younger sister, Kurome. But because Kurome's close friends, Natala and Nyau, had died fighting against the Revolutionary Army, Kurome harbored an unshakable grudge.

This blood feud made it impossible for Kurome to accept her sister's views. She saw Akame's decision as a betrayal of the Empire and a disgrace to her fallen comrades' memories.

Thus, the once-close sisterly bond shattered.

Kurome wanted to personally execute her sister, Akame, and turn her into one of the puppets controlled by her Imperial Arms, Yatsufusa, so they would never be apart again. Akame, on the other hand, believed killing Kurome was the only way to save her, to rescue her from becoming a mindless killing machine for the Empire.

It's hard not to be struck by how twisted and tragic their sisterly relationship became.

Later, Akame killed her last close friend, Tsukushi, who was ranked No. 6 in the assassination unit's "Elite Seven," and during her escape, she also killed her adoptive father and mentor, Gozuki.

With that, Akame completely severed her ties with the Empire, cutting off all emotional connections to her past, and became the sharpest blade in the Revolutionary Army's Night Raid unit.

But now, if I send Akame and the others to assassinate Najenda, with so many of her comrades still alive, will she still be swayed by Najenda's persuasion and defect to the southern rebels?

Selene found herself quite curious about this!

Like a sudden clap of thunder, Selene's words immediately captured everyone's attention, causing the previously quiet dining room to stir.

Bang!

"What?!"

"General, what do you know?!"

"Please, tell us…"

After returning to the Imperial Capital, Gozuki had already reported the suspicious behavior of the local defense forces in the western province—how they remained "as still as a mountain" while their supposed allies were in peril. He had also sent people to investigate.

Why these local defense forces stood by, whether it was due to incompetence, obstruction from within the Empire, or even collusion with the rebel forces, was a big question mark!

"Mind your manners!… My deepest apologies, General, my disciples were a bit too forward…"

Gozuki scolded, though he didn't press the issue with his disciples for their rudeness. Instead, he put down his knife and fork, his face urgent as he asked, "General, what… what news do you have?"

Selene glanced around. Even Akame, the glutton, had stopped eating, her expression now serious as she waited for Selene's answer.

"Najenda." Selene set down her teacup, her face expressionless as she spoke the name.

"That's impossible!" The five remaining elite members exclaimed in unison.

"General Najenda is supposed to be one of the Empire's rising stars, alongside General Esdeath! She had such a promising future, why... why would she get involved with the rebels?"

Cornelia was especially incredulous.

Esdeath and Najenda were considered the idols of the younger generation in the Empire, especially Najenda. Unlike Esdeath's cruelty, Najenda was gentle and had a good reputation, making her Cornelia's role model.

"Don't believe me?" Selene's hand suddenly produced a stack of documents out of thin air. "See for yourself. This is Najenda's record during her time serving in the western province, in the White Wolf River region, before her promotion to general."

Gozuki quickly stood up, bowed respectfully, and took the documents from Selene with both hands. As he flipped through them, his expression grew darker with each passing second.

Though he had already suspected as much, Gozuki gritted his teeth and still asked, "General, if this is all we have, it might not be enough evidence…"

"Hmph... are you trying to amuse me?" Selene's eyes narrowed slightly, her scarlet pupils locking onto Gozuki with an icy stare.

Selene's voice was soft, and her tone gentle, yet it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly. The next moment, an overwhelming pressure filled the room. The very air seemed to warp, and a violet-red shadow engulfed the entire dining area.

In an instant, Gozuki and the five others were crushed under the weight of this terrifying aura, unable to utter a word. A suffocating sensation hit them all at once, and even moving a finger became impossible.

Under this atmosphere, which felt like the arrival of an abyss, their bodies, minds, and even souls felt as though they were being torn apart.

"Gozuki... since you've chosen to defect, don't think you can keep one foot in both camps. Know this… fence-sitters often meet tragic ends."

As soon as she finished speaking, the oppressive atmosphere vanished without a trace.

"... Be more careful next time. If you do this again, it won't be as easy to brush off." Selene's tone was soft, as if the suffocating aura in the room moments ago hadn't come from her at all.

Ignoring the six people gasping for breath and clutching their throats, Selene continued, "Now, back to the point. Since when does the Imperial Assassination Unit need solid evidence to apprehend traitors? Suspicion is enough!"

"As for the evidence you want, it's here. Leiva, you explain…"

With that, Selene stood up. "Susanoo, keep serving the food and entertain our guests."

"I still have military matters to attend to. The rest of your time will be spent with Leiva and Susanoo. I hope you all enjoy your meal."

Thud, thud, thud—

Accompanied by the fading sound of light footsteps, Selene's figure quickly disappeared down the palace corridor.

...

"All right, Instructor Gozuki, the young lady has already left. You may stop bowing now," Leiva said in a deep voice as he slowly walked to Selene's seat.

"... General Leiva, what evidence do you have?" Gozuki asked as he raised his head.

"I'm no longer a general, just an old servant under the young lady." Shaking his head and rejecting the title, Leiva extended his hand, which glowed with a purple light. "This is the memory I extracted from those corpses' brains."

"Najenda has met with rebel forces in the southern province multiple times, including members of the Oarburgh Assassination Team like Daniel and Babara."

"I'm sure Instructor Gozuki has already drawn his own conclusions about what that means."

"Thank you for the information, General Leiva. I now know what needs to be done…"