"In this way, the Prince of the Northern Country has completely become a puppet in my hands, and his army will naturally be brought under my name..."
"I believe that in just a few years, I will be able to completely control the Northern Border!"
In the meeting room, Cerydra sat in the main seat, while Daughter of the Sea Hysilens and Dux Frigium Esdeath sat on her left and right sides respectively.
Clearly, Caesar had already attained extraordinary power and become the nominal master of this castle.
"Perhaps this is all the arrangement of fate... If the Fate Duke were here, maybe they could provide some decent prophecies?"
In the world called Amphoreus, Caesar had once been someone else's puppet, and had even been pushed onto the throne by spreading rumors of being a distressed imperial princess; even the name 'Cerydra' was fake...
And now, in this world called 'akame ga kill', Cerydra had directly become the one controlling the puppet.
Such a sudden reversal made Cerydra feel somewhat sentimental. Even if she wasn't the real deal, after witnessing such a starkly different fate, she couldn't help but have some thoughts.
But in the end, she still had to solve the immediate problems first, especially the three captives from the Imperial Resistance Army!
Click!
As the door opened, a soldier entered the room first and performed a knight's salute to Caesar, who was sitting in the main seat.
"Lord Caesar, the three individuals you specified have been brought here. Should I let them in?"
"Bring them in!"
After receiving the command, the soldier saluted once more and exited the room, allowing the three girls from the resistance to enter Caesar's sight.
"..."
If it were yesterday, Meela, Taeko, and Chelsea would have dared to whisper among themselves below, and it wouldn't have mattered if Caesar saw them, because Caesar's status was merely that of a small leader who had gathered some peasants.
Such a status was a far cry from both the Northern Country and the resistance, and was simply not enough to make them care.
In just one night, Caesar's status had undergone a complete transformation, directly becoming the 'Number One Person under Northern Prince Numa Seika'.
But anyone with a clear eye could see that Numa Seika was not a prince with actual power in the true sense, but a puppet in Cerydra's hands, equivalent to the Empire's Little Emperor.
Thus, Cerydra's status had undergone yet another transformation, directly rivaling the Empire's Minister Honest!
Who was Honest?
He was the ultimate target of the resistance!
At this stage, with Honest hiding inside the Empire and never venturing out, the resistance could do absolutely nothing to him.
And now, without the high-ranking members of the resistance even knowing, a 'Little Honest' had actually emerged in the Northern Border country?
And they just happened to be encountered by the Assassination Society. How low were the odds? Their Assassination Society didn't know whether it was lucky or unlucky to have encountered such a person.
As the successor of the Assassination Society, Meela could already imagine what kind of expressions the high-ranking members of the resistance would have when she told them about Cerydra...
Would they choose to cooperate with Cerydra to jointly oppose the even greater threat of the Empire? Or would they view Cerydra as a future threat and eliminate her in advance?
No matter what action the resistance took, Meela didn't feel they would succeed, because Cerydra had overturned her status in a single night, becoming a presence in the Northern Country that was 'Below One, Above Ten Thousand' on the surface.
If she were given enough time, no one knew how powerful a force Cerydra could build... and it just so happened that the resistance had to face a behemoth like the Empire and could not spare enough time to deal with Cerydra.
Everything had come full circle; the development of events was almost entirely helping her. Or rather... is this also within your calculations, Cerydra?
If all of this were true, then Cerydra's methods were even superior to those of the Empire's Minister Honest!
How will she treat us? Will she silence us all to ensure that information doesn't leak out?
The more Meela thought about it, the more terrifying it felt, and even cold sweat began to form on her forehead...
"You seem to be afraid. Are you worried that I will silence you?"
Cerydra's voice came from the head of the meeting room, immediately making Meela tremble all over, and even her two sisters behind her became tense.
"..."
Silence represented acknowledgment.
Meela had no way to respond to the other party's words, nor could she see through the other party's thoughts... All she could do was remain silent, while letting this wielder of actual power see her weak and fearful appearance...
Meela could not directly change Cerydra's view, but she could use her actions to make the other party not view her as a threat.
It was just like discussing heroes over wine!
"The only heroes in the world today are you and I!"
Rumble—!
"Only I!"
Although feigning weakness was very humiliating and tested one's acting skills, for the sake of survival, Meela felt it was still necessary for her to struggle a bit... What if it worked?
I'm already a candle in the wind; there's no need for you to keep attacking, right?
"Heh!"
Seeing the weak appearance of the three, Cerydra let out a cold laugh.
Every single one of them is pretending to be weak in front of me, huh?
Numa Seika was like this, and you, Meela, are like this too... Can't you come up with some new tricks? Do you really think I don't know the plot of 'akame ga kill'?
But it doesn't matter!
Who told Lord Caesar to be merciful?
Although I am a tyrant, I believe I am very merciful. Surely no one will be so tactless as to stand up and oppose me?
Be careful, or I'll have you split your forces into five routes to crusade against the Empire!
"Those who appear non-threatening are often the most lethal..."
Xiao Guo Ding gave a like, and Ye Xiao Zi gave a like. And Cerydra... she also had the experience of pretending to be a weak imperial princess to deceive the nobles.
So, at the cost of being a head shorter, Cerydra jumped down from her seat padded with books and walked step by step to stand before Meela and the other two, looking up at them.
Despite her lack of height, the pressure she brought to Meela and the others was unprecedentedly strong!
If it weren't for the fact that she hadn't drunk any water this morning, Meela felt she would definitely have been scared into wetting herself...
"Your teacher Barbara successfully completed my commission, so as a collaborator of the Assassination Society, I will grant the appropriate reward."
"Take Cerydra's reward and news, and return to the resistance together. I sincerely hope we can reach a second cooperation in the future!"
Meela, who was originally tense to the extreme, widened her eyes when she heard these words. she simply could not believe that the final choice Cerydra made was... to let them go?
It was only when the three of them from the Assassination Society appeared outside the castle with a wagon full of gold that Meela realized Cerydra was actually serious!
Caesar actually released us and even gave us a wagon of gold?
"Perhaps... she isn't as bad as I imagined?"