With the little bck cat in his arms, Byn led Esdeath on a tour of the Imperial Assassination Unit's base.

  "You really are amazing, Master. Even walking alongside General Esdeath, you remain completely at ease."

  Seryu watched them leave together, smiling with admiration.

  However, the other Assassination Unit members, including Kurome, weren’t as cheerful. After all, Commander Byn would soon be leaving them.

  They had finally found a superior worth following, only to lose him so soon...

  Kurome’s feelings were the most complicated of all. It seemed that Byn had become more than just an important figure in her eyes.

  ...

  "Oh, right. There's something I wanted to ask you," Byn said as he walked alongside Esdeath.

  Since she was free today, it was a good opportunity to probe her about the inner workings of the Empire.

  "What is it?" Esdeath asked casually, as if telling him to ask whatever he wanted.

  "I'm a bit curious—aside from Prime Minister Honest's faction, are there any other factions in the pace?"

  Byn got straight to the point.

  He still wasn’t sure if Honest’s faction completely dominated the pace or if there were other forces opposing them.

  Judging by how corrupt the Imperial Capital had become, it was obvious that Honest’s influence was overwhelming.

  "If you want to put it that way, there’s also a so-called 'Conscience Faction'—that's what the rebels call them."

  Esdeath answered indifferently. "They're under the protection of Great General Budo, including the former Prime Minister. If not for that, Honest would have wiped them out long ago."

  "But don’t worry, that old hardliner Budo strictly follows the ancestral edicts and won’t interfere in politics. He only uses his authority to shield those officials."

  "Of course, there's no guarantee he won’t step in if he reaches his limit. But when that time comes, I’ll deal with him. I've been wanting to fight him anyway."

  After hearing Esdeath’s expnation, Byn had a better grasp of the situation.

  Naturally, he had heard of Great General Budo—he was the supreme commander of the Imperial Army, a descendant of a long line of generals who had served the Empire for generations. He was one of the few individuals in the Empire who could be called the "strongest," standing alongside Esdeath.

  While Budo protected certain conscientious officials, they were powerless against Honest and remained on the defensive. Still, at least Honest’s faction didn’t have complete control over the entire Empire.

  "So, I take it you're on the Prime Minister’s side, then?" Byn remarked.

  "You could say that," Esdeath replied with a slight nod. "That guy serves my interests—so long as he lets me indulge in battle, that’s all that matters to me."

  "The Empire is facing both internal and external crises, isn’t it? Besides the rebels, there are also hostile tribes from the north, west, and south eyeing its territory," Byn continued, wanting to crify the overall situation.

  "Yes. And every now and then, pirates run wild along the southern coasts," Esdeath added. "But I’ll personally deal with those tribes. As for Budo, that old relic may be at odds with us, but he’s reliable enough to keep the Imperial Capital under control."

  "I see. That’s all I needed to know."

  Byn had gotten the answers he was looking for.

  At the very least, there were still officials in the pace with a conscience—not everyone was rotten to the core.

  As for this conversation, he didn’t mind if the little bck cat overheard it. The Revolutionary Army probably already knew all of this anyway.

  …

  Byn finished showing Esdeath around the base. There wasn’t much to see since the base itself wasn’t very rge. For the most part, they had just been chatting as they walked.

  Once their conversation wrapped up, Esdeath was ready to leave.

  “Well then, I’ll be going. Once I’ve pacified the Northern Tribes, I’ll come find you again. Don’t forget what I said today,” Esdeath remarked. “I can tell your Assassination Unit members don’t want to part with you. Make sure to say a proper goodbye when the time comes.”

  "Hmm..."

  Byn didn’t say much.

  With that, Esdeath left.

  ...

  Back in the lounge, Byn immediately noticed something off about everyone’s expressions—except for Seryu’s.

  “Commander, has General Esdeath already left?” Kelly asked cautiously.

  “Yes, she’s gone. Why?” Byn asked, a bit puzzled.

  Could it be, as Esdeath had mentioned, that everyone felt reluctant now that they had heard he would be transferring to her command?

  “I heard you’re going to be assigned to General Esdeath’s unit soon. Is that true?” Kurome asked as soon as she confirmed Esdeath was gone.

  “It’s probably true, but nothing has been completely finalized yet,” Byn answered vaguely.

  He still hadn’t fully taken control of the Imperial Assassination Unit, so he wasn’t about to reveal his pns prematurely.

  “But realistically, Commander, transferring to General Esdeath’s side would be a better opportunity. Our unit doesn’t hold much influence in the grand scheme of things.”

  “Yeah, and General Esdeath is doing what’s best for you. We shouldn’t be selfish.”

  “I wonder if Commander Seryu will transfer with Commander Byn. It would still be nice if she stayed behind.”

  “...”

  Although everyone was reluctant about Byn leaving, they understood the reasoning behind it.

  Besides, they had no right to interfere in their commander’s affairs. If anything, it was only because Byn had been lenient with them that they even dared to voice their opinions now—under past leadership, they wouldn’t have spoken out at all.

  “...”

  Kurome remained silent for a moment.

  He said it wasn’t finalized yet, but she felt that Byn wouldn’t refuse such an offer.

  Staying here would only make him a bigger target for retaliation from higher-ups.

  She knew she shouldn’t be so selfish...

  But in the next moment, she acted on impulse.

  “No... I still want to be selfish.”

  Kurome suddenly grabbed Byn’s hand and pulled him out of the room.

  She even led him directly to her quarters, ensuring no one else could overhear their conversation.

  Meanwhile, Chelsea, still in her bck cat form, was dangling in Byn’s other hand.

  “Commander... Why are you leaving so soon? Didn’t you say you’d always look after us?”

  With the door now locked behind her, Kurome looked at Byn with a troubled expression.

  “Or... before General Esdeath pacifies the Northern Tribes, why don’t we take out Night Raid? If we gain enough recognition from the Empire, maybe we could join General Esdeath’s forces together.”

  Chelsea found this rather interesting.

  It seemed like a good show was about to unfold.

  She had a feeling this little sister... might have certain feelings for Byn.

  PinkSnake