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...
Sitting atop the throne, Mika looked down at the silent officials and couldn't help but shake his head internally.
Although it was precisely because of their silence that Mika was able to smoothly promote Mellie to the position of Prime Minister, their current behavior left him thoroughly disappointed.
"As expected, the Empire's demise is inevitable. If the central government is like this, what can be said of the local regions?"
"This country has completely decayed."
Seeing that no one else had anything to say, Mika stood up and said, "Since none of you have anything further, let's conclude."
He then turned and walked toward the back, with Mellie following closely behind.
"Farewell, Your Majesty."
...
"I had quite some interest initially, but I didn't expect the Empire's upper echelons to be so thoroughly rotten."
Sitting back on the bed, Mika shook his head and said to Mellie, "What do you plan to do with Honest's faction?"
"Nothing much. First, I'll see how capable they are," Mellie replied with a smile, lounging comfortably to one side. "Those who are competent can stay for now; we can gradually replace them later to avoid chaos in the central government."
"If someone is particularly skilled, perhaps we can give them a chance to repent, as long as they're willing to change and not repeat their mistakes."
"As for those who are useless, we'll swiftly remove them and promote capable people in their place."
Hearing Mellie's words, Mika nodded slightly.
"Although I want to remind you that even the best plans can encounter problems."
"But when I think of your illusion magic, I have nothing more to say."
For those like Mellie, who possess illusion magic, others would be wise not to harbor any deceitful thoughts; otherwise, they might meet a tragic end.
"Your Majesty, General Budo requests an audience."
Just as Mika and Mellie were discussing her future plans, a servant's voice came from outside.
"Please, let him in!"
Mika said immediately.
As one of the Empire's strongest, General Budo, whom Mika had seen personally, was estimated to have combat power close to Level 6.
Of course, having Level 6 combat power doesn't mean he's stronger than Finn and others from Orario.
High-level adventurers in Orario often possess strength that surpasses their level.
"Your Majesty!"
Entering the chamber swiftly, Budo knelt on one knee to pay his respects.
"Is there something you need, General Budo?"
"I have an important matter to report. I earnestly request permission to replace all the attendants around Your Majesty."
Upon hearing Budo's words, Mika immediately understood.
In short, this was Mika's fault.
After all, he had previously mentioned that Mellie had taken him out of the palace, which clearly indicated a major dereliction of duty by the attendants.
Mika agreed with Budo's stance.
After all, these attendants were close to the young emperor and were very familiar with him; they might notice any discrepancies.
"I understand your concerns, General. You may replace them."
Mika said with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing that the young emperor had no objections, Budo was pleased.
After all, if the emperor disagreed, he couldn't force the issue.
"However, they've been with me for a long time. Please don't be too harsh on them; just assign them elsewhere."
Since they were innocent in this matter, Mika thought it best to be lenient.
"Your Majesty is merciful."
Although Budo wished to execute these negligent individuals, since it was the emperor's will, he would comply.
"Then I shall take my leave!"
"Wait!"
Just as General Budo was about to depart, Mika suddenly called out to him.
"General Budo, the Prime Minister previously proposed forming a secret force to monitor the officials in the shadows and eliminate corrupt ministers who violate the law. I think it's a good idea."
"Please select a group of promising soldiers or officers from the army and entrust them to the Prime Minister to assist her in cleansing the court."
"I understand. I will begin selecting candidates immediately upon my return."
Budo said promptly.
From Mika's words, it was evident that although the new Prime Minister hadn't proven her capabilities yet, at least she didn't have ill intentions.
In Budo's eyes, this was excellent.
After all, what good was someone like Honest, no matter how capable? With malicious intentions, he only harmed the country.
"Then I'll trouble you with this!"
Mika said with a smile.
After General Budo left, Mika turned to Mellie and said, "I'll leave these people to Airmid and Gabriel for proper training. After you assume office, issue a notice summoning all Imperial Teigu users to join this unit."
"Ieyasu and Sayo will also join this force. As for the unit's name, let's call it 'Night Crow'!"
Hearing Mika's instructions, Airmid, Gabriel, Sayo, and Ieyasu, who had been invisible, all nodded seriously.
Tatsumi quickly asked, "What about me, big brother?"
"You can have a nominal position in 'Night Crow.' Later, I'll arrange for you to be by General Budo's side. Learn from him diligently, understand?"
Clearly, Mika intended to groom Tatsumi to become the Empire's future strongest.
"Yes, I understand, big brother!"
Sensing Mika's expectations, Tatsumi nodded earnestly.
"Very good. Since everything is arranged, let's begin our actions!"
...
"Big news, big news!"
"Minister Honest has been deposed! Minister Honest has been deposed!"
As the grand court session concluded, news of Honest being ousted by the new Prime Minister quickly spread throughout the Imperial Capital.
For a time, the entire city was filled with jubilation.
After all, during Honest's rule, the entire Empire had suffered various tragedies due to his influence.
Especially the Imperial Capital, which bore the brunt of it.
With the Prime Minister's indulgence, his relatives and subordinates flaunted their power in the city, oppressing the people.
In secret, the vast majority of the city's inhabitants hated him to the core.
Therefore, upon learning of Honest's downfall, the entire Imperial Capital was ecstatic.
"Minister Honest has actually been ousted by the new Prime Minister."
Hearing the news in the city, Lubbock, a member of the Revolutionary Army's assassination unit Night Raid, couldn't sit still.
As a member of Night Raid who wasn't wanted by the authorities, Lubbock ran a book rental shop in the city as a cover to gather intelligence.
When news of Honest's downfall reached him, he immediately went to verify its accuracy.
After confirming that the news was indeed true, the shocked Lubbock quickly closed his shop and dashed toward Night Raid's base.
In the deep mountains outside the Imperial Capital lay Night Raid's temporary base.
After a hurried journey, Lubbock finally returned to the base.
"Boss, something big has happened!"
He hadn't even entered the room, but his voice had already reached inside.
In the main hall, Najenda, the leader of Night Raid, who was discussing matters with Leone, frowned slightly.
As an old comrade, Najenda was well aware of Lubbock's character.
Although he had some minor flaws in daily life, he was always calm when it mattered.
For someone like him to be so flustered, the matter must be significant.
Raising her hand slightly to stop Leone from speaking, Najenda fell into deep thought.
In just an instant, numerous ideas and possibilities arose in her mind.
She also thought of various corresponding countermeasures.
As the leader of Night Raid, Najenda was undoubtedly world-class in strategy.
Having been an Imperial General, what led her to her current position was her formidable courage and wisdom.
Watching Lubbock rush into the hall, panting heavily and leaning on his knees, Najenda asked seriously, "What happened in the Imperial Capital? Has Esdeath returned from her expedition?"
Currently, Esdeath was leading the Empire's main forces to suppress northern tribes.
It was precisely because of this that Night Raid's recent activities had been so frequent.
Although General Budo, who was as strong as Esdeath, was in the Imperial Capital, Najenda didn't believe he would abandon his duty of protecting the young emperor to come after them.
But if Esdeath had returned, it would indeed be a tricky situation for Night Raid.
"No, it's not Esdeath! It has nothing to do with her!"
Adjusting his expression quickly, Lubbock said excitedly, "It's Minister Honest! He's been ousted by the new Prime Minister and is now imprisoned, awaiting the final verdict from the palace."
"What? Minister Honest has been deposed!?"
Hearing Lubbock's words, both Najenda and the leisurely Leone stood up abruptly.
This news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for them.
Especially for Najenda; her expression was particularly shocked, but what followed was a face full of worry.
Her hatred for the Prime Minister was no less than anyone else's.
But now, she needed to consider the deeper implications of this event.
Minister Honest being imprisoned meant that the Empire had regained some breathing room.
Although Najenda had once been an Imperial General, unable to tolerate the Empire's darkness, she had left and joined the Revolutionary Army.
Their mission was revolution.
And revolution was no joke.
It was a true fight to the death.
Although the Revolutionary Army had developed quite well, they were still weak compared to the vast Empire.
The reason they were making significant progress in the south was precisely because of people like Minister Honest in the central government.
Because of him, countless talents were driven to the Revolutionary Army.
Because of him, innumerable people placed their hopes in the Revolutionary Army.
Because of him, many powerful nobles lost all faith in the Empire and began channeling resources to the Revolutionary Army, laying the groundwork for a new era.
Without Minister Honest, the Empire might have endured for several more decades.
But because of his actions, the Empire's demise was accelerated.
But now, Honest had been deposed.
This would undoubtedly lead to changes in the Empire's public sentiment.
And this had significant implications for the Revolutionary Army.
If the newly appointed Prime Minister was competent, the Empire would still have the ability to suppress nationwide unrest in the short term.
As the saying goes, "A starved camel is still bigger than a horse."
The Empire, after all, was a millennium-old nation.
After some contemplation, Najenda instructed Leone, "Leone, quickly gather everyone. We need to hold a meeting to discuss how to respond to the upcoming events."
"Yes, I'll go right away!"
Seeing the persistent frown on Najenda's face and realizing there might be dangers unknown to her, Leone's expression also turned serious.
Soon, all members of Night Raid were assembled.
Currently, besides Najenda, who commanded the overall situation, the strongest member was Bulat.
With the Teigu "Incursio," Bulat was formerly an Imperial soldier but didn't meet a good end.
He then joined Night Raid.
He was also a formidable warrior capable of engaging in close combat with Esdeath.
Following him was Akame, wielding the Teigu "Murasame: One-Cut Killer."
As a former member of the Empire's assassination unit, Akame's combat strength was not much weaker than Bulat's.
Wielding "Murasame," she was known as Night Raid's ace.
In the future, she was the one who ended Esdeath's life.
Besides these two, Lubbock wielded the Teigu "Infinite Uses: Cross Tail."
Leone wielded the Teigu "King of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle."
Mine wielded the Teigu "Roman Artillery: Pumpkin."
Sheele wielded the Teigu "Extase: Demon Blade Shaped Teigu."
These six comprised all members of Night Raid; each was an experienced assassin and Teigu user.
It was precisely because of this that they could remain outside the Imperial Capital without being eliminated.
As Teigu users, ordinary troops were hardly their match.
Once everyone was assembled, Najenda informed them of Minister Honest's imprisonment.
The members' reactions varied but were all filled with joy.
However, the joy didn't last long. As Najenda shared her concerns, the expressions of the Night Raid members grew serious again.
Clearly, they hadn't anticipated that the downfall of Minister Honest could impact the revolution.
"In summary, the nature of the new Prime Minister is extremely important to our future actions."
"In the coming days, except for those of us who are wanted, myself, Bulat, and Akame, the rest of you should infiltrate the Imperial Capital and gather as much information as possible about the new Prime Minister."
"Of course, I'll also use the Revolutionary Army's intelligence network to search for information on the new Prime Minister."
Najenda said seriously.
"Understood!"
Upon hearing her instructions, Lubbock, Leone, Mine, and Sheele responded immediately.
Soon, after some brief preparations, the members of Night Raid infiltrated the Imperial Capital to begin their intelligence-gathering mission.
...
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