[388] Queen?

August turned his gaze toward Esdeath and her Three Beasts, who stood not far away. Esdeath maintained her usual composed demeanor, but her subordinates were visibly shaken.

To the Three Beasts, August had proven himself to be an overwhelming force—someone capable of defeating General Budo, a figure revered as the unshakable cornerstone of the empire. That kind of power earned their absolute respect.

"August, you killed Budo?" Esdeath asked casually, her voice devoid of judgment.

"Yes," August replied flatly. "He stood in my way, so I dealt with him."

"Do you realize the repercussions of what you've done?"

"It's irrelevant. Soon, I'll kill the Prime Minister as well. From today onward, you'll be the queen of this empire."

"Me? A queen?" Esdeath blinked, caught off guard by his abrupt declaration. Even the Three Beasts froze, their disbelief written on their faces.

A queen? Were they hearing him correctly?

"Hold on, August. I have no desire to be anyone's queen," she retorted.

"As queen, you'll have the freedom to wage any war you desire," August said, his voice calm but persuasive.

Her icy eyes lit up. "Then I'll do it."

There wasn't a moment of hesitation. Esdeath agreed without further thought. For her, war was everything—her passion, her purpose. Whether the empire thrived or collapsed didn't concern her in the slightest. In fact, chaos and rebellion would only bring her more opportunities to revel in the battlefield.

Leone, one of her subordinates, stared at the exchange, a sense of exasperation washing over him. Is this how decisions about ruling an empire are supposed to be made? Just like that?

Initially, August had planned to remain in the capital, absorbing its abundant negative energy and using it to chip away at the void energy within his body, thereby gradually regaining his strength. But an epiphany struck him: war would yield far more negative energy than anything else.

Though August had already absorbed a large portion of the capital's accumulated negativity, his magic was still only at the level of the lowest-grade demon. He found this painfully slow.

At this rate, perhaps I should let the World Tree sapling devour the void energy entirely—even if it means sacrificing my magic temporarily.

Despite the prospect of starting over from scratch with magic, August wasn't concerned. His physical prowess and combat abilities would remain intact, and he could rebuild his magical reserves in time.

Suddenly, the rhythmic sound of boots echoed through the area. From all directions, a massive contingent of soldiers began to encircle them—thousands upon thousands, forming an unbroken wall of steel and resolve.

Esdeath frowned, clearly displeased. "Soldiers, surrounding me? How amusing."

Out of the ranks emerged a rotund figure, waddling forward with an air of arrogance. It was none other than Prime Minister Honest, the man at the heart of the empire's corruption—a symbol of greed and deceit.

Honest wore a perpetual smirk that betrayed his cunning mind. Despite his gluttonous appearance, he was a shrewd and dangerous operator. With his strategic mind, he had outmaneuvered political rivals, orchestrated the emperor's rise to power, and maintained a tight grip on the empire through manipulation and fear.

"Esdeath, is this the man you've spoken of?" Honest said, his beady eyes shifting toward August.

"Yes," Esdeath said with a smirk. "This is my man."

Her declaration shocked everyone present, except perhaps August himself. The soldiers stirred uneasily, and Honest's face twitched ever so slightly.

August, however, blinked in surprise. Wait a moment. When did we reach that point in our relationship?

"Hmm? Is that… Budo?" Honest's gaze shifted to the fallen general, lying in a pool of blood near his shattered Teigu.

He froze, his brain scrambling to process what he saw. On one hand, Budo's death meant there was no longer anyone to oppose his authority in the empire—a fortuitous turn of events. On the other hand, if this man before him was capable of killing Budo, he was clearly far more dangerous.

"Are you the Prime Minister?" August asked, his voice cold and steady.

"Yes, I am Honest, the empire's Prime Minister," the man replied with an ingratiating smile.

"Good," August said as he unsheathed a blade—the deadly Muramasa. "Hand over your life to me."

"W-Wait a moment! Esdeath and I are allies! Surely we're friends, no?" Honest's tone grew increasingly desperate.

"You sent the Four Rakshasas to kill me. That makes us enemies."

"T-That was their initiative! Not my order!" Honest stammered, his facade of confidence crumbling. He couldn't afford to admit the truth—not when the odds were so stacked against him.

The soldiers he'd brought wouldn't be enough to defeat a man who had slain Budo. Worse still, Esdeath and her Three Beasts were present, each a formidable Teigu user. Honest knew he was at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"Not your order?" August's eyes narrowed. "I 'saw' their memories before they died. The truth is clear to me."

"S-Saw their memories?"

"Every soul I kill becomes mine. Their memories, their knowledge—they all belong to me," August said, his tone as cold as steel.

The crowd trembled, their faces pale. To devour souls—it was a power far beyond anything a Teigu could grant. Fear rippled through the soldiers and even Honest himself.

In that moment, they understood: the man before them wasn't merely a warrior. He was a force of nature, an existence beyond their comprehension.

___

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