You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Iori didn't say anything, just looked at him calmly, and this reaction further confirmed Bud's suspicions.

"You don't show your face, you have extraordinary agility, and you and the Faceless Ones both choose to attack local officials and wealthy merchants, sharing the same stance... It's laughable that Ernest would let such a dangerous man like you into the Imperial Army, and now he's reaping the consequences."

General Bud's eyes darkened: "It seems we can't let him run rampant, otherwise the empire won't be able to survive until His Majesty comes of age."

"I never imagined that the General was actually a loyal subject!"

Iori said with surprise, "I thought you were an accomplice of the minister."

"what?!"

Bud's expression changed drastically. Even though he couldn't beat Iori, he would never allow anyone to insult him.

"Don't lump me in with those insects!"

"Really? But I think you and the minister work together very well."

Iori laughed and said, "Being in this position, you have the ability but do nothing, watching helplessly as the ministers eliminate dissidents and seize control of the court, causing the situation to deteriorate to this extent. In name, you say you will protect those loyal ministers, but in reality, those people are still being ousted one after another, or even assassinated—"

"What difference is there between your incompetent and complacent behavior and your allegiance to Ernest?"

"asshole!"

The man clenched his fists, and streaks of electricity crackled from his heavy armor once more, the violent arcs of light revealing his turbulent emotions.

"Of course Ernest must be eliminated, but your revolutionary army is no better. Only by suppressing all the traitors can the empire prosper again!"

He seemed to have already decided that Iori was a member of the Revolutionary Army... Iori wasn't in the mood to explain.

After hearing these words, the boy immediately retorted, "Can you do it?"

"what?"

"You might be able to defeat the Revolutionary Army, but are you confident you can defeat me? And how confident are you against Esdeath?"

If you successfully defeat all your opponents, can you sweep away all the darkness from the empire?

Can you get all the people to put aside their hatred, stop opposing the empire, and have jobs and food for everyone?

"..."

"Of course you can't, because you know the root of all this isn't the revolutionary army, nor the people, but the capital, within those high palace walls!"

Chapter 72: Bud's Rejection (Happy New Year)!

"As long as... as long as His Majesty takes personal control of the government, everything will be alright."

"Can you gain the young emperor's trust? Do you dare say he will definitely become a wise ruler in the future?"

"..."

“Look, all of these things are beyond your control. The only thing you can do is to immediately take your men and kill Ernest—even if that doesn’t change anything, at least you’ll have made a contribution to this era.”

Iori laughed with delight: "But you can't even do this, because you're a 'loyal retainer'!"

He specifically mentioned this word, pronouncing it with great force, but it was hard to tell whether it was sarcastic or sentimental.

To be fair, objectively speaking, Bud was a blindly loyal warlord who couldn't distinguish between what was important and what wasn't. Anyone with a little political wisdom would shake their head in disapproval of him.

However, despite the mockery, Iori could somewhat understand people like Bud:

Like the story of the elephant and the little stake, although it is a fable that does not follow logic, the truth in it is quite real.

People are always bound by their own perceptions. For Bud, "loyalty" is not just a compliment, but also a rule and common sense that must be followed.

His concept of "loyalty" was also very complex, encompassing loyalty to the emperor, ancestral precepts, and a small amount of personal conscience, resulting in a rather awkward political stance.

He knew this was wrong, and he knew he had the ability to stop it, at least to reduce the ministers' power, but he couldn't do it. Like an elephant pinned down by a small wooden stake, it seemed huge and strong but had no independent will.

It's like a weakened version of the ideological imprint.

"You are destined to watch the empire perish in helplessness and pain. You have all strength but nothing to change. In the end, you can only turn yourself into firewood and be buried with the empire!"

Iori's words undoubtedly stung Bud. He remained silent, neither refuting nor attacking, and the electric light on his body gradually dimmed.

His expression remained resolute and serious, but Iori knew it was something like a "mask." Having been raised from childhood to be a "loyal and capable general," he had to be a rock that could not be shaken by external factors, and could only maintain this expression to conceal his true feelings.

"...You go."

After a long silence, Bud spoke with a strained voice: "There's no point in continuing this battle. I can see that you don't intend to fight to the death here, but I won't be swayed by your words either."

"You're really stubborn~" Iori looked at Bud and finally couldn't help but say, "If you're willing, everything will be different."

"..."

"Minister Ernest is definitely going to die. Whoever seizes power will not tolerate this guy and will surely use his head to quell the people's raging anger."

But the young emperor was different. The entire nation knew he was merely a puppet, and he himself did not engage in excessive extravagance or cruelty towards the people.

Iori, unusually earnest, advised: "If you are willing to cooperate, I can assure you that as long as the little emperor behaves well in the future, his life will be guaranteed."

He certainly wasn't making promises lightly.

Because he did value Bude highly, not only because of his strength and position in the military, but also because of a far-reaching matter.

It should be understood that Iori will not be able to stay in this world to govern for long; she will inevitably have to delegate a large amount of power. However, this creates a problem:

Esdeath is far too domineering in the military!

Iori only has Esdeath and Najenda as commanders. In a world like Akame ga Kill! where strength is paramount, even if the two are equal in status, Esdeath will inevitably be more powerful, not to mention that she also has the most elite border troops under her command.

It's not that I'm worried she'll rebel or pull some kind of Chenqiao Mutiny trick—before her own strength surpasses Iori's, she has no interest in anything other than becoming stronger.

But her very presence would have a subtle influence on the morale of the army. Iori was worried that one day when she came back, the army would have turned into Nazis!

—Okay, now I've learned the real-life version of Bankai~

Winning over Bud was intended to reduce Esdeath's influence, using his composure and conservatism to counter the Ice Queen's extraordinary charisma.

It's good for the army to remain vibrant, but it's also not good without prudent and capable generals.

However, Iori knew from the beginning that the chances were slim. General Budo was more difficult to deal with than anyone else, and gaining his loyalty was a challenge...

"Your Majesty... will not fall from the throne."

After saying that, Bud seemed to feel that his words lacked power, so he quickly added, "I will protect the Empire!"

"...So can I take that as a refusal?"

Iori said sincerely, "It's a pity... the imperial bloodline that has been passed down for thousands of years will be cut off from now on."

"—!"

Bud shuddered, knowing this was Iori's verbal offensive, but he couldn't help imagining what would happen if he set aside his pride and cooperated with the Revolutionary Army...

"In that case, let's call it a day."

Iori ultimately failed to receive a response from Bud, and sighed inwardly, but quickly regained her composure.

He has done everything he could, and if they meet again on the battlefield, he will never give the other a chance.

"Though it is foolish, it is not ridiculous... I hope that when this grand drama comes to an end, you will still be able to uphold your current will and be buried with the thousand-year-old empire."

After saying that, Iori prepared to leave without any hesitation—he was very busy!

Now he not only has to fight against local tyrants in various places, but also maintain contact with Najenda and Esdeath, and monitor the actions of the Revolutionary Army's high command and the Empire's high command... He is indeed overwhelmed.

The fact that he personally came to persuade Bud was already an extra favor to him. There was no need to mention anything further. In any case, Iori would not make himself appear so humble in order to recruit the other party.

May your wishes ultimately come true!

-

After autumn arrived, the situation in the entire empire suddenly took a dramatic turn!

Originally, in order to appease his faction members, the ministers issued an edict in the emperor's name, establishing a new official position, "Provincial Governor," above the Prefect, responsible for overseeing military and political affairs within the province. They also permitted local counties to recruit local militia as needed, organizing their own armies to suppress bandits and rebels, thereby relieving pressure on the imperial army.

In addition, the minister used all his resources and actually managed to gather several Imperial Arms users, and used them as the core to form a military police force of nearly a thousand people, named "Wild Hounds".

All of this was done to suppress the momentum of the Revolutionary Army and Iori, while also winning over local power factions—the position of governor is practically that of a local emperor, and the Revolutionary Army could hardly offer any more tempting bargaining chips.

However, things developed in a way that was completely unexpected by the minister. The local powerful figures did accept the title of governor and did recruit troops, but instead of suppressing the revolutionary army as he had expected, they all held their own armies and kept to themselves, avoiding any conflict with the revolutionary army.

Some even defected to the enemy!

Not long after the governorship system was implemented, just as autumn began, the revolutionary army had already raised its banners in various places and officially started to rebel!

At the same time, Iori's prestige among the people also rose. After the revolutionary army uprising, he openly raised the slogan of "purging the emperor's inner circle" and led his elite troops to fight in various places, like a sharp razor removing those governors and prefects one by one.

He used Anningdao's influence among the people to gather intelligence, publicly executed those officials who were guilty of serious crimes, and won over and appointed officials who were innocent or had only committed minor offenses, ordering them to appease the people and restore production.

During this process, many landlords and powerful families jumped out to support the governor in opposing Iori, and Iori did not show any mercy, always dealing with such people severely.

In no time, Iori's name as the "Grim Reaper" spread throughout the empire, and his image in the hearts of the people grew increasingly mysterious and towering.

In addition to major powers such as the Empire, the Revolutionary Army, Anning Road, and the Masked General taking action, the smaller organizations affiliated with them are also becoming unusually active.

Take Night Raid for example. Recently, they have been winning against Wild Hounds in the capital. Najenda is going crazy with killing!

The Teigu users and the two Rakshasa demons under Iori's command have repeatedly served as the tactical core, determining the final victory time and time again. They have gradually grown into a well-coordinated and powerful elite team, completely on par with [Night Raid].

Just as the situation within the empire was in turmoil, worrying news arrived from the north:

The northern barbarian tribes have officially declared war on the empire!

Chapter 73: Akame retracted a message

"Wow, fresh vegetables~ tender and juicy greens~ come and take a look!"

"Miss, this is a local specialty; you can't buy it anywhere else."

"Look at this mask, isn't it very lifelike?"

……

In the bustling market, Akame, unusually, did not disguise herself and appeared openly in public. While looking at the street scene on both sides, she carefully avoided the passers-by and was filled with emotion.

"Just five days ago, this place was desolate; I never imagined it would become so prosperous."

"Is this what you call prosperity?" Iori looked around, quite unconvinced.

"This town is in a great location, right next to the canal, and the terrain is flat, making it a good place to be a cargo hub. It is only just beginning to revitalize, and it will become more and more popular in the future."

"Unbelievable... It's only been a short time, but it's like two completely different worlds." Akame couldn't help but look at Iori with admiration in her eyes. "You did this so easily. You're truly amazing."

“Me? I didn’t do anything.” Iori shook his head upon hearing this. “It’s all ‘natural evolution,’ don’t try to pin the credit on me.”

"But didn't you drive out the tax collectors and imperial troops here, and wipe out the bandits and pirates in the surrounding mountains?"

Akame smiled serenely: "If it weren't for that, how could they do business here?"

“I just did what a ‘qualified court’ should do.” Iori didn’t think it was anything special. “It’s all because of the contrast with my colleagues.”

He conquered a considerable territory, but due to limitations in manpower and time, he essentially controlled it without truly governing it, at most allowing Anning Dao to exert some influence.

However, he still accomplished the most basic tasks, such as forcibly selling the grain hoarded by local officials and wealthy merchants at a fair price, eliminating the underworld gangs that controlled river transport, and incidentally dealing with the bandits entrenched on the surrounding roads.

He didn't really do anything remarkable; he simply provided a "safe and stable environment," and the market naturally flourished without any deliberate guidance.

Of course, this is just the beginning. As the scale of trade expands, many conflicts of interest will inevitably arise, which need to be addressed in advance... But that's not Yizhi's business. He plans to have professionals formulate relevant trade regulations in the future.

Even though he was a hands-off manager, the kind who only cared about killing and not about burying, this place was still much more prosperous than during the imperial rule.

As it turns out, as long as one doesn't act recklessly, even simply practicing "laissez-faire" governance can surpass most regimes—I truly hope that Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Mingbao could understand this principle.

"Even though you say that, you are actually quite remarkable."

The girl with long, straight black hair was in a very good mood. She had received extremely cruel combat training since she was a child, and spent most of her life practicing how to kill. A peaceful and serene daily life was quite distant for her.

In fact, she didn't have much of a real sense of "happy life" because she had never truly experienced it. She could only find comfort in each other when she was with her sister... But that didn't stop her from feeling genuinely happy for these people.

She felt as if she were watching all of this through a window. Even though she couldn't be a part of it, just seeing the smiles on people's faces gave her immense satisfaction.

The reason he betrayed the empire and joined the revolutionary army was precisely to make everyone smile like that, wasn't it?

Sooner or later, there will never be another child like her sent to such a cruel hellish place... As long as this vision comes true, then all their sacrifices and efforts will have been worthwhile.

"You're amazing... I wasn't talking about anything related to the battle."

I've always wanted to save them from their suffering, but I can't do it on my own because I don't know anything. The only thing I'm good at is killing... It was Najenda who told me that killing one evil person can protect ten good people, and that's when I found a reason to wield my sword again.

Najenda taught me many things, and I believe that once the world is at peace, people like her can lead the people out of their grief and build a better country!

But... even Najenda can't compare to you.