People in Zongman: My Dimensional Cuisine

Najendan said in a deep voice, "Your Peerless Legion is positioned completely opposite to the Reform Army's offensive! You have been expanding your territory, increasing your soldiers and military spending, and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out... What exactly do you want to do?"

Esdeath said softly, "If all the troops in the capital go to resist... then what kind of treatment will I receive if I bring my peerless legion back to provide support? What benefits will I get?"

Najendan paused for a moment before saying incredulously, "By waiting in ambush and rushing back to the capital from two directions at the same time, the capital thought it was reinforcements and let your army in without any precautions. The front-line troops suffered heavy losses, General Bude was tied down, and the capital's rear forces were scarce."

"Your hunters and the three beastmen... plus yourself and the most powerful legion at that time... Esdeath..."

"You want to rebel?!"

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Chapter 417 Esdeath's Purpose, Two People Facing the Evidence (Please Subscribe~)

Esdeath simply stared at Najenda, whose face was filled with disbelief. Mine was also stunned, while Kurome remained unmoved, her job being to help Esdeath clear any obstacles in her path.

Mine stammered, "Wh...what?! Boss! What did you say?!"

Najenda stared at Esdeath and said, "You yourself have exceptional strength, plus the ever-expanding army of people and equipment that you have been constantly training and cultivating. You have the Hunters, all of whom are Teigu users, plus a complete combat system. You also have the Three Beast Warriors, who are still Teigu users, plus all of them are powerful in combat."

"Among your three Beast Warriors is Niu. Niu's Imperial Arms, [Military Music Dream], can not only control emotions but also boost morale. If your Musou Legion receives a morale boost..."

"You mentioned earlier that we should use Night Raid to deal with the Wild Hounds, not just because they interfered with your power and took away your absolute privileges, but more because... they are Teigu users!"

"You let us deal with them, but you won't let us hand over the Imperial Arms to the Reform Army. This weakens the number of Imperial Arms in the capital, further ensuring the combat capability of the ordinary army and the advantage of your Imperial Arms users."

"As long as these Imperial Arms don't fall into the hands of the Reform Army, a battle-worn and exhausted legion simply cannot contend with you! You've been planning this night raid from the very beginning?"

Esdeath clapped her hands and said, "Excellent, excellent... That's right, these Imperial Arms must be left in Night Raid, because some of them will cause me trouble."

Mine swallowed hard and said, "Are you so sure we won't hand over the Imperial Arms to the Reform Army? Apart from the missing Imperial Arms, the rest are basically all with the Reform Army. Although some of them aren't offensive, they'll still cause you trouble, won't they?"

"It doesn't matter. Just because it doesn't have offensive capabilities doesn't mean it has no direct effect on the army. I can handle more than a dozen Imperial Arms users like this by myself. As for you... I don't need to worry about you. The reason is simple... because you will definitely switch sides and follow me."

Mine said in a deep voice, "Are you so sure?"

Esdeath said softly, "As I said before, if I give you evidence that the high-ranking officials of your reform army, the future high-ranking officials and nobles in various parts of the empire, are even more corrupt than the nobles and treacherous officials of the empire now, you will make your own decision."

Najendan said in a deep voice, "The generals of the Reform Army are all oppressed civilians and persecuted former members of the Imperial Army. They all have a blood feud with the Empire!"

"And all of this is because of the empire's corruption and darkness. They are here to change it. I absolutely do not believe that they are all like that! They would never be like these powerful and wealthy people today! Absolutely not!"

Esdeath casually tossed out a document and said softly, "Take a look. It's about the top guys in your reform army, from those who will be the future regents, legal advisors, medical professionals, and technologists, etc. Go ahead and take a look."

"This...this is..."

"Don't worry, I'm not one of those boring guys who still use drawing. I had my eyeliner photographed."

Mine stared blankly at the folder in front of her, and Najenda also just stared at it. Esdeath was too confident, so confident that it frightened them.

Esdeath took out her phone as she spoke, which startled Najenda and Mine. Then they saw Esdeath holding the small cube up to them before putting it down.

Najendan asked in a deep voice, "What is this?"

"My phone, in a little while I'll show you what this world, no... many other worlds, are like. Take a look. This is the clarity of the picture taken by the device in my hand, but I haven't developed it yet. This is a mobile phone camera, not the camera that I threw to my spies that can directly develop photos."

Looking at themselves on the screen, Najenda and Mine were both stunned. They knew very well that this was not fake; it was really them. The situation had been recorded silently in an instant. In that case, the photos in the document in front of them were highly credible, even... the most direct and credible evidence.

Mine covered her face with one hand, making her expression completely unreadable, while Najenda slowly reached out and picked up the document, though her eyes were still filled with fear.

She had originally thought Esdeath was going to take them to see the Reform Army in person, so after they learned that it was another world, they didn't really believe Esdeath's evidence anymore, and they nipped in the bud any clues they had found recently in the bud.

But now her unease had reached its peak. She knew that the thick file in front of her contained a cruel truth that she absolutely dared not see and did not want to face.

Esdeath said softly, "Najethia, you will have to face this sooner or later... or rather... if you don't face it, I can slowly wear you down, and if all else fails, I can have my sisters take action. But... you, Night Raid... all of you will be abandoned by the Reform Army."

"No...impossible!"

"You think you concealed your identities and carried out many assassinations, but in the end, to ensure those guys remained innocent, who do you think should take the blame?"

"this..."

"Your experience, strength, and the Imperial Arms you possess still make them uneasy. You can hunt down the darkness in the capital, so you can hunt down their darkness. Besides... do you think what would happen if you, as women, were caught?"

Najenda stared at Esdeath in horror, while Mine looked on in disbelief. Esdeath smiled, tapped the file in Najenda's hand, and said softly, "So... for your own sake... you must face this reality!"

Najenda stared at Esdeath for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and whispering, "Tell me first... what exactly do you want to do?"

"Me? I'll clean up the mess, resolve the final battle in an instant... I... will... conquer!"

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Chapter 418 The Abandoned Night Raid: The Dark Side (Please Subscribe~)

Esdeath's words stunned everyone—yes, everyone, including Lucifer and Yuuko Ichihara, who were messaging Yumiko to confirm her online status.

Everyone, including Akali who was eating and Yukari who had just arrived, was stunned. Esdeath's words instantly made it seem as if she were some kind of emperor.

Najenda stared blankly at Esdeath, holding the document. It was clear that Esdeath was extremely serious, frighteningly so, and most importantly... she actually felt a sense of fear.

Yukari Yakumo said with some surprise, "Oh my... I just arrived and I heard Esdeath's amazing remarks. I'm really surprised."

"It's been a long time, Zi..."

"Aren't you busy fighting? That's perfectly normal. Oh, I almost forgot to mention... Did you tell her about the message Longdan sent you? What is that? Do you know?"

Esdeath raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course I know what it is... but I'd better not tell you. You'll find out in a while."

"Eh? You can play mysterious too... Okay, okay, you guys chat. By the way, that girl over there with the documents."

Najenda pointed to herself, and Yukari Yakumo nodded and said, "Yes, it's you. Don't worry, the documents you have are all real photos. They were taken with the concealment magic given to you by Pander, so they are all close-up shots. By the way, we got the camera."

After saying that, Yakumo Yukari and the others returned to their familiar seats. Najenda looked at Esdeath with a complicated expression, but Esdeath didn't say anything and just looked at her.

After a long silence, Najendan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I hope... you're more sincere than bastards and scumbags!"

Najenda opened the file bag as she spoke, but still stared intently at Esdeath. Mine also looked at the file in Najenda's hand with a complicated expression.

The file was thick, mostly filled with photos, but also containing some documents. Najenda pulled out a thick stack of photos, and she froze at the first one. Mine looked over too, then covered her mouth in disbelief...

"This is the Western Army Commander-in-Chief, and... the future regent of the capital, the Grand Justice... the president of the Chamber of Commerce... and... these children are...."

Esdeath said softly, "These are the girls from noble families that the Reform Army took away after they moved in. Most of them will become concubines if they are lucky, but many more will become bargaining chips and punching bags to vent their emotions, and some will even be brutally killed."

"This...this is scientific research..."

"These are experiments conducted by the Reform Army in response to the scientific research achievements of the capital. Among these test subjects are nobles and family members of children who died in battle. There is no age limit."

Mine stared at a photograph in disbelief and exclaimed, "Isn't this person already dead?! Because he was one of the Reform Army's key targets! This...this is...the BOSS! Is this the Reform Army's strategist?"

"It's...this is...this..."

"That's right. He collected funds from the Nobleman of the Death Squad, including the women in his family. Then, this person changed his identity and became the city lord left behind by the Reform Army. He didn't change anything, and the Reform Army did nothing."

"And this one, this is about discussing the withholding of pensions for fallen soldiers, this is about discussing house deeds and land deeds, that's right, that whole stack of them, and none of this has anything to do with the people below."

"And this, I think you'll be very interested in this document. It's only half a month old. Do you know what that means?"

Najenda said in a daze, "Wh...what does this mean...wait...this is the latest document?!"

"That's right! As for why you're interested, it's simple! These are documents that are relevant to you!"

Najenda and Mine quickly pulled out the documents and started reading. Najenda stammered, "This...this is impossible! Why were all the Night Raid members hunted down after their victory?! Are these guys trying to rip us off?!"

“That’s right! Just like I said, your combat skills frightened them, and you’re assassinating them. If you can assassinate these current nobles, you can assassinate the new powerful ones! You’ve taken away their power, their wealth, and their future comfortable lives!”

"Because you possess Imperial Arms! To them, you're not just suicide soldiers, you're too dangerous!"

"Because your teamwork is so seamless and your efficiency so high! It would be too wasteful of resources to train someone specifically to counter you!"

"Because of the infamy of usurping the country, someone has to take the blame! The reform army must be upright and honest, and the assassins, even those without any specific information, will naturally have to take the blame!"

Najenda said in a deep voice, "After the war, hunt down the Night Raiders... try to capture them alive... for research... you bastards..."

The people of Mine were stunned, especially when they saw the pile of signatures and stamps. Najenda gripped the document tightly, her eyes bloodshot. Najenda said in a deep voice, "How did you get the original?!"

"Just as you thought, you had Chelsea disguise herself as a stranger. As long as you have enough money, you can buy any information. Note... any information. If you don't believe me, you've received orders before, right? Compare the handwriting, then have Chelsea disguise herself and go buy a copy, and you'll know."

"Just say you're a nobleman from the capital who already knows the Reform Army treats prisoners well, but is terrified of night raids. You heard from my friend that the Reform Army is going to crack down on night raids, so you want to buy some intelligence. This is a small gift, and there will be a bigger reward after the capital is captured. You know what the gift is, right?"

Najenda clenched her teeth, her breathing heavy. Mine froze, staring blankly at the documents in her hands. Night Raid was truly about to be abandoned...

They worked so hard, doing the most dangerous things, without identities or information, and after everything settled down, instead of being rewarded, they were hunted down?!

At that moment... both of them froze...

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Chapter 419 Najenda's Decision, Esdeath's Plans (Please Subscribe~)

Esdeath just watched quietly without saying anything. Yukari Yakumo and the others also remained silent, wanting to see what Najenda and Mine, who had been so badly deceived and were ultimately going to be dealt with, would do.

Black Eyes blinked, picked up a photo, glanced at it, and then nodded, saying, "Hmm, these expressions are all very realistic..."

Mine stared blankly at Najendan, bewildered and unsure what to do. Najendan gritted her teeth and whispered, "Who took this picture?"

"Of course it's an informant. As for who it is, you don't need to know. Any thoughts on that?"

"These bastards! Liars! Villains! Scum!"

Najenda's anger was completely undisguised. Esdeath said softly, "Remember when I said that if I gave you enough, damning evidence, I would want your allegiance! That's what a true collaborative project is!"

Najendan was silent for a moment before speaking softly, "What exactly are you cooperating with?"

"It's simple. You continue to serve the Reform Army. When you reach the gates of the capital, you can seize the opportunity to hunt down any nobles you want in the city. Then, when my Peerless Legion attacks from the other side of the capital..."

"How about it?"

"Take care of the defenders, then open the gates... then deal with their bright and noble reformist high-ranking officers, and then they'll stand on my side... Understand? Even a child could understand that."

Mine said in a deep voice, "But many soldiers were also kept in the dark! They are innocent! With your Musou Legion and more than a dozen Imperial Arms users, and with you here, they absolutely cannot resist!"

"Did I say I was going to kill them all? I said I wouldn't kill surrendered soldiers, but if they didn't surrender, then it's none of my business. However, as far as I know... the Imperial Arms that the high-ranking members of the Reform Army received all have their own masters, and these Imperial Arms users are in several other teams."

"In other words... these Imperial Arms users, these suicide soldiers, definitely won't be recruited, and neither will their soldiers. Plus these Reform Army guys, do you think I'd let them go?"

Najenda said in a deep voice, "These Imperial Arms users are all important personnel. At first, they were said to be a special force, but now it seems... they're probably training their own suicide squads..."

Esdeath said softly, "The evidence is right in front of you. You'd better think about one thing carefully. Although I will give you special privileges, you can either continue to follow them or choose to break away and become independent."

"But let me make this clear first, whether you follow them or go independent, I will not let you go... You should know very well that I like but also dislike dissenting voices. You have enough strength, so I will have some fun with you."

Najendan said in a deep voice, "Is this a threat?"

"No, I don't need to use threats against you. Besides... to put it bluntly, do you think I'd rather you resist or not resist?"

Najenda gritted her teeth. Esdeath naturally hoped they would rebel, because that would give her more fun in conquering and fighting. So forcing them to join was not in Esdeath's nature.

Najenda thought about those hypocritical reformers in the Reform Army, about the darkness of the Empire, about the deadly dangers lurking at every turn, about how her squad had accomplished so much but only faced certain death. Najenda fell silent.

Esdeath didn't say anything, just watched them. Yakumo Yukari and the others also watched, all eagerly anticipating what Najenda would say.

After a long silence, Najenda finally said in a deep voice, "You... compared to them..."

Esdeath handed over the phone, and Najenda and Mine were both taken aback. Then they saw a video that was a few minutes long, showing all sorts of unfamiliar technologies, happy lives, bustling streets, magnificent scenery, and genuine smiles.

Mine and Najenda also had a hint of longing in their eyes. After a long while, the video ended, and Esdeath took the phone and said softly, "This is the life of the people in this world. Although there are wars in this world, most places are peaceful, and they are very content with their lives."

Najenda swallowed hard and said, "This... so this has to do with you..."

Do you think anyone would rebel if our world were like this?

"Definitely not, you... wait! You... you wouldn't be thinking of..."

Esdeath said softly, "I've studied many of the policies of this world, so I have a very interesting idea, but it requires absolute power! Power that no one dares to challenge!"

Mine swallowed hard and said, "For example... what..."

"For example? What if there were no longer nobles, officials, and commoners as a single class?"

"this...."

"For example... how about ensuring the land and a secure life in old age?"

"this...."

"For example... conducting regular inspections, and the entire inspection team consists of assassins who cannot be bribed?"

"...."x2

Najenda and Mine remained silent. This completely changed the foundation of the empire, but it was exactly what the people needed. Since the nobility was bound to become corrupt, then they should simply get rid of the nobility altogether. If officials and the people were on the same level, the people would naturally not say anything.

Esdeath said softly, “I have my own new rules, and all of this has already been drafted, but it still needs to be improved. And this requires me to have sufficient and absolute control over each department, so... power... authority, strength, are all necessary, understand?”