Ice Cream

"General, can I put my mask back on?" Valdis asked when they stopped by some ice cream parlor. Obviously, everyone on the main street knew her so they were getting a lot of attention much to Valdis's dissatisfaction.

"How else would you enjoy this ice cream with me? Stop asking pointless questions and sit down" Esdeath said with a relaxed smile as the shopkeeper brought two ice creams despite Valdis not ordering one.

"Thank you" Valdis refrained from sighing and just sat down next to her.

Esdeath's immediate response was a satisfied smile and nod.

...

On the roof some distance away from them, Leone was spying on Esdeath in her transformed form.

'What the hell is Valdis doing here and with her of all people?! Could it be that he has changed sides? No...if that was the case, he would have already revealed our hideout but nothing extraordinary happened yet. Wait...the imperial police's armor...Sheele was killed by random imperial police- NO WAY?!!!' Leone grit her teeth and intense killing intent was released, targeting Valdis.

The moment Valdis felt as if a lion's breath was on his neck, his head snapped towards the direction the killing intent came from, and automatically activated his Sharingan to check the surroundings.

...

'That was close. I can't make a move here but now that I focus on him, Valdis's aura has gotten much colder than before. When we first met, his aura was just cold but now it also feels evil...I need to report this first!' Leone managed to hide by a hair just thanks to her enhanced reflexes. Despite being successful, she could still feel as if those red eyes were watching her back. She decided to retreat for now since she would not be able to accomplish any more here.

*sigh* Valdis sighed out in relief and only now did he remember that it must have been Leone so he quickly deactivated Sharingan before turning back to Esdeath when he sensed that killing intent disappear.

"Ho? You felt it too, huh? It seems like you scared them off. Well, no point in regretting anything now, you should eat it before it melts" Esdeath said with a carefree expression before licking the ice cream.

'This feels super awkward but I barely had anything luxurious ever since I arrived at this place and since it's not my treat-!'

"Haa~" Valdis nodded his head and started eating his ice cream and the moment he tasted it and felt the cool sensation in his throat after a long time, he couldn't help but close his eyes and appreciate the taste with a peaceful smile.

The moment he opened his eyes, he noticed Esdeath strangely staring at him which made his smile disappear causing Esdeath to wake up from her thoughts.

"So...Are you a local?" Esdeath suddenly asked but by now, Valdis was somehow prepared for any random questions.

"No, I just recently arrived at the Capital, therefore I don't think I will make for a good guide, general" Her question was the best opportunity for Valdis to make a good excuse why he doesn't know his way around the Capital despite being part of Imperial Police.

"Oh? Where did you grow up then?" Esdeath seemed even more interested when she heard his reply, completely ignoring the thing about the guide.

'What's this? An interrogation?!'

"Eh, just some no-name village in the north. Since all my relatives died, I threw that part of my life all behind me." Despite inner complaining, Valdis replied with a smile.

"Umm, good. How did you become part of the Imperial Police?"

'Huh? Good?' Valdis imagined saying something like "By killing one and taking his armor, hehe" but he didn't dare to imagine the consequences, though he had a feeling she wouldn't give a shit at all.

"Uh, through the regular procedure. Since I had some experience with fighting Danger Beasts before coming here, I wanted to make living by using my strength" Valdis prayed that she will just accept his bullshit explanation since he didn't want to make enemies of Villains when he already severed bonds with good guys.

"So you are saying you are strong, huh?" Valdis could almost feel her excitement when she asked this question, though he did not know if it was due to being a battle freak and sadist or because of something else.

"Ehh...Compared to the other guys from Imperial Police, I would say so" That was quite a tricky question since Valdis could go wrong by being too humble or by being too boastful. For example, comparing himself with her could even have a negative effect even if he were to say that he is just an ant in front of her.

Valdis practically knew only that Esdeath is a sadist who yearns for bloodshed and that she likes Tatsumi's naive and innocent smile. She was a too bizarre character in his eyes but now that he was talking to her on such a personal level, he felt like she wasn't much different from the other people. She wasn't the demon as the others portrayed her to be, that is in Valdis's eyes.

"Heh, that's not much to compare to. Say, I felt some powerful aura beneath your mask before...What was it?" Esdeath finally asked a question about the thing that intrigued her the most.

'...Should I just say I possess Teigu like before? She is not someone who would try to steal someone's Teigu first even before trying to recruit them. If I can prove to her that I am strong, she will treat me as an equal' While Valdis was thinking about it, Esdeath assumed from his expression that he was hesitating. Instead of urging him or reassuring him that he can trust her, she decided to let him make a decision on his own.

"...It's my Teigu. No one knows about it, well, except for general Esdeath-sama now."

Esdeath's eyes widened, she had a hunch that he wasn't a regular guard judging just by his fearless behavior, however, she didn't expect him to already have Teigu. She has asked the Prime Minister to gather 6 Teigu users for her but since she was the only one who knew about Valdis, he shouldn't be one of them which meant she found a new talent just like that.

'Not to mention his background, his fearless spirit...' Esdeath's lips curled up into a smile.

"Let me see and you can trust me to not tell anyone a word about it" Esdeath said with a serious expression, after all, it was a given rule that all who possess Teigu have to inform the Empire about it, and obviously also start working for it unless they would like to turn to a corpse. She actually felt a bit touched hearing that she is the first person to know.

[Your honesty didn't go unnoticed which both amused and touched the Strongest Villain]

[Reward: 200 Villain Points]

Valdis ignored the text and just activated his Sharingan.

"..." Esdeath almost looked like she entered a trance while she continued staring into his eyes.

'How beautiful, the color of blood, a deep hidden murderous intent, intimidating gaze' Esdeath put both her hands on Valdis's cheeks and brought his face closer to have a look from a better angle. Their faces were literally so close that Valdis could feel her cool breath. Valdis was quite freaked out by her actions, however, he did his best to not let her see it on his face.

After being so close for a few seconds, Esdeath finally let go of his face and Valdis finally deactivated his Sharingan.

"...2 days from now on, come to the palace and stop by this room." Esdeath quickly grabbed a paper from the shopkeeper and wrote directions on it before giving it to Valdis.

"Um, what about my duties?" Valdis reluctantly took the paper.

Hearing his question, Esdeath's cheerful mood disappeared as a grim expression appeared on her face.

"Tell your superiors, if they will obstruct you from going to me, I will throw them into torture facilities and attend to them personally"

"...Heh, alright. I will take my leave now, general Esdeath-sama" Valdis couldn't help but smile after hearing such cruel words from such a beauty. Others would most likely be repulsed by this, however, to Valdis, her cruelty just spiced up her beauty. Valdis has seen many beauties here but none were exactly "special" and if he were to describe Esdeath, he wouldn't use any lesser word than special. Not to mention, her desire for bloodshed made her practically his best possible ally.

The moment he turned around and started leaving, a faint blush entered Esdeath's face as she continued watching Valdis back until he was out of her sight.

'Ah! I forgot to ask him for his name! Well, it doesn't matter, he looked like he will come. I can ask him for his name after testing him a bit. If he is also strong...' Esdeath thought and her blush deepened.