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Those who were slow to react followed suit and dropped to their knees as well.
In the next instant, everyone shouted in unison,"We pay our respects to Prince Alex, and to General Esdeath!"
Instead of getting angry, the young emperor smiled at the sight.
Below the dais, the civil and military officials bowed so low their foreheads were nearly touching the floor.
Alex glanced at the young emperor. "End the court session."
The emperor nodded and announced the dismissal.
News of the minister's execution spread like wildfire as the officials left the palace, plunging the entire Imperial Capital into chaos.
Those who had clung to the minister's faction were terrified, shaking like leaves.
Meanwhile, some upright officials loyal to the Empire were so moved they burst into tears, shouting that the Empire was finally saved.
And it wasn't just the minister's death that shocked everyone—two other pieces of news hit just as hard.
Esdeath had been appointed Grand General, and Alex had been granted the title of non-imperial Prince.
At that moment, everyone understood one thing clearly: the Imperial Capital was about to change.
Sure enough, the very next day, the young emperor began issuing new policies.
Veteran officials from the past were recalled, while the minister's remaining faction was purged. All officials and nobles who had attached themselves to him were executed without exception.
The bounty on Night Raid members was revoked. An official announcement even declared that the Empire was willing to recruit them.
Night Raid's leader, Najenda, was reinstated to her former rank as an Imperial general.
After that came a massive overhaul of the Capital Guard, the Military Police, and the City Defense Army.
In truth, all these reforms had been drafted by Alex and then carried out in the emperor's name.
The Empire was rotten to the core. Reviving it would take time.
Fortunately, Alex carried in his mind thousands of years of governance experience from the old world. He had every confidence he could save the Empire.
Of course, there were too many policies to roll out all at once. They had to be implemented step by step.
As these reforms began taking effect, the nobles couldn't sit still anymore.
Many of the policies cut directly into their interests.
Before long, nearly all the nobles rose in rebellion.
Alex didn't care in the slightest. He handed everything over to Esdeath.
She loved war. She loved crushing others.
So let her deal with them.
Fight fire with fire.
Let those nobles experience what it meant to live in fear under Esdeath's rule.
…
Night Raid's base, outside the Imperial Capital.
Najenda—wearing a suit, with short white hair, an eyepatch, and a prosthetic arm—stared at the letter in her hand, her expression grim.
Just then, Leone, with her blonde hair and curvy figure, rushed in.
Seeing Najenda's face, she couldn't help asking, "Boss, what's wrong?"
Najenda set the letter down and sighed. "Leone… do you really think the Revolutionary Army genuinely fights for the common people?"
"…That's…" Leone didn't know how to answer.
The Revolutionary Army claimed to overthrow the Empire, but internally, it wasn't much better—especially among the upper ranks.
Maybe in the beginning, they truly wanted to build a new country without oppression or darkness.
But as the army grew stronger, some of its leaders lost their original ideals.
Now the corrupt minister was dead. The young emperor had begun working tirelessly, pushing benevolent reforms. A glimmer of light had appeared in what was once total darkness.
If that was the case… why overthrow the Empire at all?
More importantly, these humane policies were very likely the work of Prince Alex.
That alone showed he was a prince who cared for the common people, someone trying to save a decaying nation.
And yet, today, the Revolutionary Army's high command had sent Najenda an order:
Assassinate Alex.
Clearly, they didn't want the Empire to be saved.
They wanted it to rot further—only then could they justify overthrowing it, recruiting more followers, and raising more armies.
Alex's existence had made the Revolutionary Army's leaders feel threatened.
Seeing Leone unable to respond, Najenda let out a bitter smile.
In the end… she had trusted the wrong people.
Leone glanced at the contents of the letter and her expression changed instantly.
The people of the Capital adored Alex now. If Night Raid assassinated him at this point, they'd become public enemy number one.
"Boss… what do we do?" Leone asked, completely at a loss.
"Assassination is out of the question," Najenda said firmly. "I'll find a chance to meet this Prince Alex myself."
She would never kill a virtuous ruler. She needed to test Alex with her own eyes.
If he truly was one… then she'd disobey the order.
Night fell. Inside the palace.
Alex sat on the throne, drafting new policies.
Midway through, Esdeath walked in.
She was dressed lightly in a white dress, her smooth, pale feet bare as she stepped across the floor.
Alex couldn't help swallowing.
Not because he had some strange fetish—she was just genuinely beautiful.
It was strange. Esdeath trained daily as a general, yet her feet showed no calluses at all.
She wore high-heeled boots every day, and her toes weren't even misshapen.
Was it because she had drunk the blood of a Super Danger Beast, gaining some special effect?
Just like how the Sacred Flame had refined him, turning him from ordinary into devastatingly handsome?
"Like what you see?"
Esdeath's voice snapped him out of it.
Alex set down his pen and smiled openly. "Not just like it. Makes me want to play with them."
Esdeath's lips curved into a smile.
She walked over and sat on the desk, placing her feet on his thighs.
They faced each other, openly admiring one another.
Alex didn't hold back and reached out.
Soft, smooth, and warm—no unpleasant smell at all, just a faint, delicate fragrance.
"I suddenly feel like starting a livestream," Esdeath said lazily, one foot sliding higher. "Let those little sluts in the group see what you look like right now."
"Hiss—don't mess around!" Alex sucked in a sharp breath, half from pleasure, half from panic.
Esdeath smiled, hopped off the desk, and turned to leave.
Alex was stunned.
What the hell? You light the fire and then just walk away?
Shaking his head helplessly, he calmed himself and returned to writing.
This time, he was drafting reforms for the Empire's bureaucratic system.
The current system was a mess, with unclear roles and responsibilities.
Drawing from the strengths of ancient history's systems while discarding the flaws, Alex created a new structure.
It was divided into three branches: central administration, local administration, and the military.
To strengthen imperial authority, he adopted the Six Ministries—Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works—each directly responsible to the emperor.
Locally, administration was divided into provinces, cities, counties, and villages.
However, having a Ministry of War meant scholars might command soldiers, which could marginalize generals.
So Alex established a separate National Defense Ministry, similar to the Tang Dynasty's Tiance Office.
The Empire conveniently had two Grand Generals already—Budo would serve as Minister of Defense, and Esdeath as Minister of War.
Concerned that overly complex titles wouldn't translate well in this world, Alex ditched terms like "Shangshu" and "Shilang" and simply used "Minister." Clear and straightforward.
Provincial governors replaced prefects, city lords became mayors, county lords became magistrates, and village leaders remained village chiefs.
Clear hierarchy. Clear accountability.
That would do for now. The details could be refined later.
By the time he finished, dawn had arrived.
Stretching, Alex muttered with a chuckle, "If I were emperor, I'd probably be a benevolent one too."
After washing up, he went to rest.
The young emperor's original bedchamber had long since been taken over by Alex. All of the emperor's belongings were replaced.
Alex lay down on the dragon bed and quickly fell asleep.
And that was when Night Raid infiltrated the palace.
Without alerting anyone, they disguised themselves as guards and maids, slipping smoothly into the emperor's chambers.
Seeing this, Leone whispered in shock, "This Prince Alex actually took over the emperor's bedroom. That's even more outrageous than the old minister!"
Najenda shook her head. "It's not that simple. If he were like the minister, why would he push benevolent reforms, purge corruption, and offend every noble in the Capital?"
"Boss… are you saying—?" Leone asked, stunned.
"He's probably using some secret method to control the young emperor," Najenda said calmly. "Using a puppet emperor to save the country."
"If that's true… that's incredible," Leone said, impressed.
"Whether it's true or not, we'll ask him ourselves," Najenda replied, stepping inside.
The others exchanged glances and followed.
Their noise woke Alex.
He threw on a coat and saw Najenda and her group.
Besides Najenda, there was a voluptuous blonde woman, a black-haired girl with red eyes holding a sword, and a tall, muscular man in armor.
No need to guess—Leone, Akame, and Bulat.
Night Raid's three strongest fighters… all present.
"..."
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