Honest's Overture

Imperial Prison.

Deep within the Imperial prison, Honest was chewing voraciously on a slab of dangerous species meat. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by the dark, bloody, and foul-smelling environment. On the contrary, he seemed to relish it.

"Ahhhh—!!!"

Hearing the blood-curdling screams coming from the depths of the prison, Honest grew even more delighted. "She's in there, right?"

"Yes, my lord, she is. That girl has been coming here every day for the past month to interrogate prisoners. Her methods are extremely brutal, resulting in the deaths of dozens of prisoners..." the prison warden hurriedly replied to Honest's inquiry.

"No problem. Just a few foreign criminals..."

In the deepest part of the Imperial prison, the cells held mostly captives from other countries, with a large number of northern barbarians among them.

Inside one of the interrogation rooms, a northern barbarian was shackled to the wall, chains piercing through his shoulder blades. From his muscular build, it was clear that he had once been incredibly strong.

But now, he was drenched in blood, his body covered in small, narrow cuts. The blood oozed from these wounds. His tendons had been severed, his eyes gouged out, and all his teeth had been pulled.

Standing before him was a young girl with long, ice-blue hair and eyes—none other than Esdeath. At this moment, she was standing by a rack of torture instruments, contemplating which one to use next.

The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts. Turning her gaze toward the source, she saw Honest, who was still gnawing on his meat.

"Lord Honest," Esdeath said as she knelt on one knee upon seeing him.

"Rise, Esdeath. Go change your clothes; we're going to meet someone."

"Who?"

"The one who defeated you. Hurry up; the banquet is about to begin..."

...

"Minister Chouri has arrived!"

Minister Chouri—no, now it should be former Minister Chouri—entered the banquet hall to the cheers and congratulations of the nobles.

Watching the insincere interactions between them, Selene couldn't help but curl her lip. Can you imagine what it's like to see someone's outward smile while sensing the darkness within their hearts? It's unnerving.

Ugh... although Selene herself might be a bit like that too. Oh well, never mind.

Looking at the nobles who were pretending to be so reluctant to see Chouri go, Selene couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Most of them probably wouldn't live long once Honest took power.

That fat man doesn't care whether they're sincere or not. If you've done it, you're dead.

Chouri was old; his era was over. Now it was Honest's turn to rise. Should she consider cooperating with him?

"Hmm? Speak of the devil..." Selene suddenly sensed two familiar presences approaching her.

"Excuse me, Lady Selene."

Turning around, Selene saw a burly, bearded man approaching, followed by a figure with ice-blue hair. She was slightly surprised—what was he doing at the retirement banquet of his political rival?

Honest, the future last minister of the Empire, was already showing signs of ascending to power as the Emperor's favored minister after Chouri's retirement. Anyone with even a little political sense could feel the undercurrents in the court.

Although he hadn't yet become the new Minister, for such a heavyweight figure to show up unannounced at the retirement banquet of former Minister Chouri was unexpected.

"Lord Honest?"

"Shh, I'm not worthy of being called Minister yet..." Honest exaggeratedly placed a finger to his lips before saying, "Isn't that right, General Selene?"

"I'm not worthy of that title either."

As Selene calmly sipped her tea, Honest wasn't offended. Smiling, he continued, "That won't be the case for long, though."

"Oh? I appreciate your kindness... What are you planning?" Selene asked after a moment of silence.

Honest's smile grew even wider. Talking with smart people is always pleasant.

Though he hadn't managed to win Selene over before that rigid old Budo, it didn't matter. After observing and testing her for the past month, Honest had realized that Selene and Budo were nothing alike. In fact, he felt that Selene was somewhat similar to himself—they were both ambitious.

Benevolent on the surface but ruthless inside—that was Honest's assessment of Selene.

And as for Selene's desires, based on reports from his spies within the Imperial Guard, Honest had roughly figured it out—she was merely a battle maniac. Power and wealth were secondary to her.

He had received quite a bit of information from his informants. Because of Selene's beauty, several noble scions had tried to approach her, only to be thrown out by her butler, Sebas.

Some, unwilling to accept defeat and relying on their family's political influence, had attempted to force her into marriage or even tried to take her by force. Those fools ended up crippled and tossed into the sewers.

In one incident, even one of Honest's relatives was involved. Furious, Honest ordered the execution of everyone in those families and personally went to apologize to Selene.

It was through this event that Honest established contact with Selene.

After conversing with her, Honest confirmed his suspicions. Like Budo, Selene had no interest in politics, only in the military, combat, and fine cuisine. And her talent was obvious—surpassing Budo might not be just a fantasy.

Honest thought, Isn't she a natural ally?

So Honest decided to fully support Selene in becoming a general of the Empire, giving her more opportunities to earn military merits—ideally, to make her a grand general on par with Budo.

This would not only curry favor with Selene but also allow him to balance Budo's control over the military.

After all, it wouldn't do for the entire Imperial army to be controlled by one man. It would be better if power were balanced among several individuals. As for the political side of things, old Honest could take on that responsibility.

"Once Chouri leaves the Imperial Capital, I'll recommend you for military campaigns in court, General Selene. Is there a particular place you'd like to go?" Honest asked casually.

"How could I presume to make demands? I leave it entirely to your discretion, Lord Honest," Selene replied with a smile.

"Don't be so modest, General Selene..."

...

As Selene and Honest exchanged guarded words like cryptic riddles, Esdeath, who had followed them, couldn't help but feel annoyed. She thought to herself, Don't they get tired of talking like this? The interrogations in the prison are much more satisfying.

Just then, Esdeath suddenly furrowed her brows and turned her gaze in a particular direction.

"Esdeath, is something wrong?"

Noticing Esdeath's unusual behavior, Honest asked.

But Esdeath didn't reply, her eyes still fixed in that direction.

"Hmm?" Selene tilted her head slightly, following Esdeath's gaze to the center of the courtyard. "Are those... northern barbarians? What are they doing at this banquet?"

Seeing former Minister Chouri happily conversing with the northern barbarians, Selene couldn't help but feel puzzled. What connection could they possibly have...?

Suddenly, Honest spoke up. "Aren't they just mourning Chouri's retirement, worried that the border policies will change..."

With this explanation, Selene immediately understood. So it's appeasement policy?

Interesting... While I don't fully agree with it, I can't say Chouri's policy is entirely wrong. For now, it seems effective—using economic means to control the lifeline of the northern barbarians has indeed reduced most border conflicts and saved resources...

But all of this is based on the premise that the Empire remains strong. When the Empire begins to decline, the more docile and submissive they are now, the more ferocious and brutal they will be in the future.

"Appeasement policy... our former minister is quite the humanitarian," Selene remarked.

Hearing this, Esdeath suddenly spoke up. "How do you think we should deal with the barbarians?"

Selene smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough. Why, do you hate them?"

"I do."

Even though her father had urged her not to seek revenge, the fire of vengeance still burned deep within Esdeath's heart. She had suppressed it, but once all the conditions were in place, that fire would consume all her enemies.

And in the future, she would indeed act on it.

"Barbarians only fear power, not kindness. If you want revenge, become stronger."

After saying this, Selene turned her attention back to Honest beside her. "Lord Honest, you brought Esdeath here—do you want me to take her under my wing?"

"Indeed, General Selene, what do you think?" Honest asked in return.

Instead of answering, Selene tossed a token to Esdeath. "Report to the Imperial Guard Recruit Camp."

Honest burst into laughter. "Hahaha... straightforward. Well then, General Selene, I look forward to our cooperation."

"Likewise."

...

Not long after, Honest left, leaving Esdeath behind.

Both Selene and Honest were pleased with their meeting, having reached several agreements. Although these were only verbal agreements without any binding force, they were sufficient for now.

In the future, Honest would be the de facto ruler of the Empire. He needed Selene to balance Budo's power, and for Selene, Honest's presence—so long as he held the highest authority in the Empire—was her greatest support!

The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for profit. This has been the unchanging truth throughout the ages!