Chapter 4

-[Liam]-

Lying on the bed in the tent he and Esdeath shared, he stared into space…at least that was what it would look like to any onlooker.

In his field of vision was a 'screen' that showed a message he hadn't seen since arriving on this world.

+++++

[You killed a Numa Seika.]

[You have been granted one pull.]

[You conquered the northern tribe.]

[You have been granted one pull.]

+++++

'So it seems I can gain more pulls from getting achievements.' He theorized, using them both.

+++++

[Using Two Rolls]

[Result]:

[Artistic Mastery](Uncommon)

You possess great knowledge and skill in the arts such as drawing, calligraphy, sculpting, etc.

[Culinary Mastery](Uncommon)

You have an intuitive mastery of all the associated culinary skills and techniques granting you major leverage in any culinary situation and allowing you to easily cook the most delicious food.

+++++

While he should be happy that he rolled something above common rank, he was bemused at what use the skill would have in terms of survivability.

'A reward is a reward, no matter how unfulfilling it feels.' He thought, letting out a sigh.

Esdeath, who was using him as a body pillow, stirred a bit, tightening her hold on him just a bit as she continued sleeping.

A thought that had surfaced multiple times in his head appeared once again. 'What do I want to do? Why am I here?' He wondered.

He had left his birth world behind, giving him a new slate here but that also came with its own challenges. Here, he had no history but he also had no clear path forward.

He had been abused and constrained to cower and bear it all whether he liked it or not. Now, he had the chance to choose what he was going to do.

'What do I really want?'

•••

The next few days went by uneventfully with nothing of note happening. As expected, what was left of the northern tribe offered no resistance, effectively completing Esdeath's mission.

The sadistic general was currently busy with her goal of training Liam up to possess strength on par with a general.

Liam ducked under a heavy kick, quickly coming back up to throw a punch of his own. Esdeath deftly avoided the attack, leaning back only to find Liam's foot mere inches away from her face the next moment.

In a show of pure skill, she tilted her head, narrowly dodging the foot. In the same motion, her hand shot out, grabbing his leg and forcefully pulling him towards her.

Liam's supernatural agility made itself known as he managed to twist his body midair, freeing his leg from Esdeath's grip and rolling away to put some space between them.

"I'm impressed. You're learning very fast, much faster than I anticipated." Esdeath complimented as she got out of her fighting stance.

Swordsmanship and Unarmed Combat Mastery were both at adept level. Either Esdeath was a good teacher or he was a fast learner.

"It still doesn't feel enough." Liam muttered as he stood to his feet.

"Don't be impatient. For someone who's only been training for about half a month, you're an exceedingly quick learner. Given time, you'll only grow stronger." Esdeath said.

Skill wise, he wasn't as good as Akame or Esdeath in swordplay but his dhampir physique combined with his intake of blood kept him physically on par with Esdeath.

"Do you think the emperor would be okay with you training and bringing a possible threat back to the empire?" Liam asked.

Esdeath simply shook her head. "The current emperor is a puppet controlled by the minister. They are safe because of me and my army, I won't let anyone oppose my decision." She said confidently as they began making their way back to the camp.

He knew that the minister was the one really running the kingdom and the man was a shameless coward, hiding behind everything possible.

"In that case, doesn't that make you the one really in charge?" Liam asked.

"I have no interest in politics. I'd rather be out fighting or spending time with you." She admitted simply, delicately grabbing hold of his hand.

The question on what he'd even be doing in the empire came up in his mind but he didn't have an answer to that.

'It seems I'll have to wait and see.'

"What's wrong?" Esdeath asked.

Liam shook his head. "It's complicated." He said, trying to wave it off.

They stopped walking as Esdeath turned to him. "If there's anything bothering you, let me know. I'll make it disappear." She said in a serious yet caring tone.

He pondered on whether to let his thoughts be known for a moment. "I've been thinking about my own place in all of this." He revealed.

"What do you mean?" The blue haired general questioned in confusion.

"I'm all alone. I don't have a family to protect nor do I have a grand goal to push me forward. Everything I've done so far has been on a whim rather than any step to the future." He explained.

He suddenly found himself engulfed in a hug from Esdeath. "You're not alone, you have me and I won't let you go. Besides, there's nothing wrong with not having a goal. It just means that you're free."

His eyes widened by a fraction. In one way, it could be interpreted as such. Not being restricted due to future plans but to him it was more than that.

To him who was raised with unbearable rules and constraints, what his heart truly yearned for was freedom.

Esdeath's words were like a lullaby that whispered into his ears. "If you want something to fight for, fight for me. Fight for me and I will fight for you. If you don't like something, destroy it. If you want something, take it. You're free to do as you wish, I'll sanction you fully."

•••

Upon getting back to the camp, they found Liver, Nyau and Daidara waiting for their arrival.

"Welcome back, Lady Esdeath." He greeted her respectfully.

"Did you find it?" Esdeath asked.

"Yes! We managed to capture it. It didn't know what hit it!" Daidara answered enthusiastically.

"Good." Esdeath then turned to Liam. "Come with me."

Taking the lead, she led Liam out of the camp once again. "Where are we going?" Liam asked.

Esdeath showed a proud smirk. "We're going to see my pet."

-[Night Raid]-

The mood at the base was sour and depressing.

They had just lost one of their members. Sheele was perhaps the kindest member of their group and she was gone.

Mine and Sheele were returning from a mission when they were ambushed by a member of the imperial police, Seryu Ubiquitous, starting a battle where the purple haired teigu wielder lost her life.

If that wasn't enough, they weren't able to recover the teigu due to the arrival of reinforcements.

Though they all knew what they were getting into once they joined Night Raid, the feelings of anger couldn't be avoided. Despite their desire for vengeance, they couldn't act on it, lest they lose more members in an attempt at revenge.

They could only deal with it in their own separate ways while they used it as a motivation to grow stronger.

-[Liam]-

"When you said pet, I didn't think that was what you were talking about." He said, looking at Esdeath who had a proud smile on her face.

Riding a danger beast wasn't something he planned on doing nor did he expect the rush that came with it.

"It's a faster way of transportation. With my soldiers occupied, there's no need to go by land." She said that, but to him it just felt like she wanted to show off her skills.

The three beasts stood silently behind them on an elevated platform, surveying the capital in the distance. Liam and Esdeath sat on the back of the winged danger beast she had tamed.

The trip hadn't taken more than a few hours due to the speed of the creature which honestly impressed him. He idly thought of learning how to tame one.

"So that's the capital, huh?" Liam muttered.

"Yes. Before we can explore it, we have to meet with the emperor to announce our return." Esdeath said as she motioned for the three beasts to get on the danger beast.

•••

Once again, the trip didn't take time and before long, they were at the palace in front of the child emperor and the fat minister Honest.

"General Esdeath, your victory over the northern region was outstanding. We have prepared ten thousand gold as your reward." The child emperor said happy, looking at Esdeath and the three beasts who took a knee before him.

Liam noticed their eyes also wander to him who knelt beside her in confusion about his identity. Esdeath had given him a brief explanation of the ongoings of the palace so he knew how to act for the moment.

"Thank you. I will end it to the soldiers I left in the north. They will rejoice. As I have returned to the capital, I will be sure to annihilate Night Raid, which has hindered my lord." Esdeath said.

"The task will be daunting. I'd like to offer the general more than simply gold. Is there anything you desire?" The innocent child emperor said.

"Let me see…" Esdeath muttered for a moment.

Minister Honest took that chance to speak. "Before we get to that, Esdeath, who is this young man? I don't recall anyone fitting this description." Honest asked with narrowed eyes directed at Liam.

Liam's supernatural senses could pick up the heavy smell of meat and sweat from the man even with the distance between them. He reeked of unhealthiness.

Even now, he was holding a plate filled with pieces of meat that he was eating during this meeting.

"I was also wondering about that." The emperor said in a naive childish manner.

"He is a person of high importance and he is related to my request." The blue haired general said, a smile on her face which confused all including Liam.

"Very well. What is your request?" The emperor asked.

The smile on Esdeath's face widened a bit. "I would like to have a wedding." She said, sending the whole room into a shocked silence.

Neither the three beasts nor Liam himself were spared from the shock. The minister and the emperor fared even worse.

"W-wedding?! W-with who?!" The emperor sputtered, still in shock.

The minister who had barely recovered, turned his attention to Liam who had managed to regain his composure. "Y-you mean…?!"

"Yes. I believe I have found the man I want to marry." Esdeath said in a blunt manner, gesturing to Liam whose grey eyes bore into the minister.

"I-is that s-so? Then perhaps introductions are in order." The emperor said before turning to Liam. "What is your name?"

"Your majesty, I am Liam." He said.

He didn't recall last names being a thing here so it wasn't required for him to say it.

"Liam? That's an…interesting name. Would you care to tell us how you met Esdeath?" Honest questioned.

"It is nothing as grand as you might imagine. I was simply seeking shelter when she found me." Liam said, managing to leave out a huge chunk of it and say the truth at the same time.

Honest looked between Liam and Esdeath in stunned confusion while the emperor was childishly clapping his hands.

"That's so romantic." The boy praised.

"I see…" Honest finally composed himself fully. "Then when will this wedding happen?"

The minister obviously still had some thoughts he would like to make known but Esdeath was a canon he could only utilize if he kept her happy. That was something they, excluding the emperor, all knew, Esdeath included.

"I will have the details written down and eventually presented to you. For now, I would like to retire to my room." Esdeath said.

"I'll have someone prepare a room for him in the meantime." The emperor said but Esdeath shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, your majesty. He will be staying with me." Esdeath said, causing Honest to cough into his palm, barely covering his shock which was tinted with a bit of envy.

Before long, they left the throne room, the three beasts going to their quarters while Esdeath led him to her section of the palace.

It was still surprising to know that she had a section of the palace to herself, even something resembling a throne room.

"I'm sure you must have some questions." Esdeath said, locking the door as they entered her luxurious room.

"When were you planning on telling me about a wedding?" He asked.

"You don't want to have it?" Esdeath questioned, her eyes widening minutely.

"It's not that. I prefer not to be caught off guard whenever you're planning something like this." Liam said, running his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise." She said moving forward to pull him into a soft hug. "What did you think of the meeting?"

"The minister is a fat pig and the emperor is a naive puppet. That's just putting it lightly." Liam said as they made their way to the bed.

"That's right. He believes that he can keep my loyalty as long he gives me a target but that couldn't be farther from the truth." Esdeath said, pushing him down on the bed and straddling his hip.

"The truth?" Liam questioned.

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter. Whether or not he gives me a target, I will always do what I want and he can do nothing about it. He wouldn't risk making me his enemy so he desperately tries to maintain the illusion of control, eventually fooling himself." She explained with a cruel smile.

"For as long as we're together, my loyalty will always be you." She added.

Whether or not she was this crazy in the original content will never be answered seeing as how Tatsumi never reciprocated her feelings for it to be revealed further.

"That's refreshing to hear. As you said…fight for me and I will fight for you, till death do us part." Liam said, causing a crazed look to appear in Esdeath's eyes as she lunged forward for a deep kiss.

'Yes…I've decided how I'll live my life. Freedom…' he thought as the kiss turned into a passionate make out session.

'I'll achieve that in my own way…'

-[The Next Morning]-

Waking up the next morning, the first thing he saw was a screen in his field of vision.

+++++

[You have lost your Virginity.]

[You have been granted one pull.]

+++++

'So I also get a reward for that... You learn something new everyday.' He thought, using it.

+++++

[Roll Used]

[Result]:

[Tome of Runes](Legendary)

+++++

Whether or not he knew it or not, his lips stretched into a grin that threatened to split his face.