Takeru also noticed Esdeath walking towards him. Looking at the stunning Esdeath, Takeru also watched her with a smile on his face.
Soon, Esdeath came within less than a meter of Takeru.
"You're called Nara Takeru, right? Such a good name!" Esdeath said with a faint smile.
"Thank you. Your name is also very beautiful." Hearing this, Takeru also gave a slight bow and said with a smile.
"The battle just now was very impressive. I'll give you your reward now!" Esdeath seemed to take something out from her bosom as she walked towards Takeru.
Takeru's Observation Haki naturally sensed it was something like a collar. He was inwardly angry, but on the surface, he showed no expression.
Soon, Esdeath directly placed the collar around Takeru's neck. Takeru also pretended to look startled.
"From now on, you belong to me. There are too many annoying people here. Come with me to the palace first." As Esdeath said this, she directly took Takeru's hand and walked towards the palace.
This scene made Mine on the arena furious. She couldn't help but want to rush up and confront Esdeath right then and there.
Only Leone, remembering Takeru's instructions, firmly held Mine back. If they were exposed now, everyone might be in danger. It could even put Takeru in a predicament, which she couldn't tolerate. Therefore, she didn't think much of Takeru being taken away intimately by Esdeath.
...
After returning, Leone and Mine reported Takeru's situation to Akame. Hearing the three's report, Akame and Sheele clenched their fists. But remembering that Takeru seemed to have anticipated this, they could only sit and pray for Takeru.
"Since all this was as Takeru expected, things probably won't go beyond his control. For now, we should wait for Takeru's information, keep a close eye on the capital, and find an opportunity to extract Takeru later." Akame quickly calmed down and gave orders.
"I understand!" Hearing Akame's words, Leone, Mine, and the others all nodded loudly.
As for Takeru, after Esdeath took him away, she introduced him to the Jaegers' members.
Among them, she even asked Bols, who had experience with love, about how to win Takeru's heart. Bols's advice was never to give up, even if rejected, until finding an opportunity to attack and conquer him, preparing for a long-term battle.
Hearing his words, Takeru felt somewhat helpless but also proud. After all, being pursued by a top-tier beauty was an experience not many could have.
In the evening, she received a mission to exterminate bandits and took Takeru and the Jaegers' members out of the capital.
"This place is said to be the bandits' stronghold." Arriving at a dense forest, Ran said curiously.
"That's right. Destroying this place is our Jaegers' first major operation!" Dr. Stylish directly said.
"What's the battle plan?" Wave asked curiously.
"What's that? We can just attack head-on, right?" Hearing Wave's words, Kurome said expressionlessly.
"Alright, now can you tell me why you brought me to the palace and then brought me here?" Glancing at Kurome and the others, Takeru turned his gaze to Esdeath beside him.
"Because you're a Jaegers' candidate. It's good for you to observe everyone's work." Hearing Takeru's words, Esdeath directly said.
"Is that so? But you never asked me if I wanted to join, right?" Hearing her words, Takeru said calmly.
"It's fine. As long as I decide you can join, that's enough." Hearing Takeru's words, Esdeath said matter-of-factly.
Hearing this, Takeru rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Esdeath even held his hand with hers. When Takeru looked over, there was a slight blush on her face.
Seeing this, Takeru understood. Esdeath had fallen for him just like she fell for Tatsumi in the original work. Thinking of this, Takeru's idea of controlling her hesitated.
Then, Takeru decided to talk to her. If Esdeath could be used by him, Takeru wouldn't force control on her. After all, Esdeath's combat power in this world was very strong. With her help, she could share a lot of the burden.
While Takeru was thinking, the Jaegers' blatant appearance was discovered by the bandits, who then surrounded them.
"Daring to attack head-on? You've got some nerve!" The bandits mocked as they looked at the Jaegers.
However, what greeted them were several flashes of blade light. As the light ended, many bandits were directly cut into pieces.
"After I finish you all off, I'll put you back together and play with you. Dolls!" Kurome said with a wicked smile.
Wave also began to attack, kicking away several bandits in a row.
Bols even took out his Teigu, Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante and began incinerating the surrounding bandits.
The intense flames turned many bandits to ash. Ran, on the other hand, was more elegant, using his Teigu: [Mastema]!
It's a wing-type Teigu that allows the user to fly, and the feathers can kill enemies. Under his control, the feathers accurately hit the bandits' heads, usually killing them in one hit.
Except for Dr. Stylish, everyone quickly cleaned up the bandits.
The reason Dr. Stylish didn't act was that his Teigu wasn't directly for combat… it was more for research. But that didn't mean he lacked combat power.
On the contrary, his power was among the top here, but he just didn't want to show it off.
They were all Teigu users. Dealing with ordinary bandits was almost like cutting weeds. These bandits posed no threat to them at all and were soon completely eliminated.
Takeru, witnessing everything, showed no change in expression. Esdeath, looking at everyone's achievements, also found it natural.
Soon, after clearing all the bandits, everyone returned towards the capital. Takeru was taken by Esdeath to her bedchamber.
Sitting on the large bed in her room, Takeru calmly gazed at the night sky. As for Esdeath, she was washing herself.
It seemed like something that would make one's heart race was about to happen next. But Takeru didn't plan to let anything happen with Esdeath today.
After all, Esdeath's personality was too strong. Before completely subduing her, Takeru wouldn't cross the final line with her.
Soon, after Esdeath finished washing, she came out of the bathroom wearing an outer garment. Takeru could feel her subtle seductiveness.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Would you like something to drink?" Coming to Takeru's side, Esdeath, unlike her usual domineering self, appeared extremely gentle.
"No need." Seeing her demeanor, setting aside her personality, Takeru marveled that Esdeath was truly a peerless beauty. Her noble status especially gave men a strong sense of conquest.
"Well, I'm not sure what to do at a time like this. Following instinct should be fine, right?" Esdeath said shyly.
"Esdeath, we only met for the first time today, right?" Hearing her highly seductive words, Takeru said calmly instead.
"That's right, but I don't think that's a problem." Hearing Takeru's words, Esdeath moved closer to Takeru and said softly.
"If you really like me, Esdeath, then we both need to understand each other better." Looking at Esdeath, who was close at hand, Takeru still said directly.
"Alright." Seeing the determination in Takeru's eyes, Esdeath relented.
"I was born in the northern border region, the daughter of the chief of the Partas Clan, a tribe specialized in hunting Danger Beasts. From a very young age, my father told me that in this world, only the strong survive. I fully agreed with his philosophy and constantly upheld this belief. I often hunted terrifying dangerous beasts alone...
"However, once after returning from a hunt, I found my entire tribeannihilated by invading northern barbarians. From then on, I became even more convinced that to survive, one must become strong. After continuing to hunt Danger Beasts for a while, I came to the capital to serve as an official..."
Hearing Takeru's words, Esdeath quickly recounted her story to him. Takeru listened quietly, knowing everything was almost the same as what he knew from his previous life.
"Alright, I'm done. It's your turn. I'm quite curious about that strength of yours too." After finishing her background, Esdeath also smiled and looked at Takeru.
"My strength isn't limited to that, Esdeath. There's something I must confess to you. I deeply dislike the current Empire." Takeru said seriously.
"Is that so? Most citizens think that way too. It's natural. And then?" Hearing Takeru's words, Esdeath showed no surprise and said calmly.
"So, I plan to overthrow this Empire's rule and become the Emperor myself!" Hearing her words, Takeru revealed a confident smile.