"Ambushed by the southern rebels?" Selene raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the empty seat beside the table, motioning for Gozuki to sit and explain.
"Thank you, Great General..."
Seeing that Selene was willing to listen, Gozuki quickly straightened up, barely taking time to sit as he spoke in haste. "There are spies within the Empire working with the rebels. Our Assassination Unit's movements were leaked. I barely escaped with my life. I beg the Great General to dispatch troops for rescue."
"Spies?" Selene asked with mild curiosity. "That should fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, shouldn't it? It's not my place to interfere. And more importantly—the Imperial Assassination Unit belongs to Honest's faction, does it not? Why seek my help instead of his?"
"...This White Wolf River operation was known only to the Assassination Unit headquarters and the local Defense Army that supplied us along the way. The confidentiality was absolute—and yet, our position was still compromised..."
"Thus, I dare to suspect," Gozuki said firmly, "that the leak must have come from within the Imperial military itself—and from someone of considerable rank."
"Hmph. A reasonable explanation... Very well. I'll look into this matter." Setting down her knife and fork, Selene looked at him meaningfully. "Does Honest know about this?"
The fact that Gozuki had come to her instead of Honest already spoke volumes. It seemed that even within the Assassination Unit, some were no longer willing to endure the humiliation of serving under Honest.
As for why Gozuki was so desperate to save his 'seven disciples'—whether his plea was genuine or just another layer of political theater—Selene didn't particularly care. It was merely another piece on the board.
"..." Under Selene's calm gaze, Gozuki hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and said, "Honest is unaware." He didn't even bother to use the minister's honorific.
"Good." Seeing how Gozuki struggled to maintain his composure through the pain of his injuries, Selene's fingertips began to glow with soft white light. "Let me at least tend to those wounds."
As the gentle radiance enveloped him, Gozuki felt the pain in his slashed torso fade. Within moments, his wounds had closed completely, leaving only the fatigue and weakness from blood loss.
"As for your reinforcements..." Selene raised her left hand and snapped her fingers lightly.
Snap!
A crisp sound echoed through the room.
At once, a chill wind surged through the palace.
Whoooosh!
The cold gust howled fiercely, and the crystal chandeliers above flickered wildly in response.
Watching this, Gozuki—standing respectfully across from Selene—felt a creeping chill crawl down his spine. His heart thudded faster, and whether from blood loss or fear, his face had turned pale.
Then, shadows began to form on the marble floor. They slithered like serpents, moving swiftly across the ground.
The shadows gathered around Selene, ceasing their motion only to twist into swirling black vortexes.
Moments later, from within those whirlpools of darkness, figures began to rise.
Their faces were flushed red, their skin pale as bone, and from their backs sprouted bat-like wings—like demons emerging from the depths of hell, each exuding a chilling, murderous aura.
"G-Great General... what are they?" Gozuki stammered, the fear in his eyes deepening.
These beings... had come out of the shadows themselves. No sound, no trace—ghosts born of darkness.
Were they truly assassins? Did that mean everyone, even Minister Honest, was being watched under Selene's unseen gaze!?
"They're your support unit," Selene said calmly. "No need to deploy the Imperial Guard Legion stationed in the northern provinces for something this minor. These little rebels aren't worth the trouble. The noise would be unnecessary."
A flash of violet light shimmered as Selene opened the Complete Book of the World · Rongo Rongo. The map displayed the White Wolf River—positioned right at the border between the Empire's western and northern territories. No wonder Gozuki had sought her help.
Aside from Esdeath, Honest's so-called 'new armies' were useless. Budo had to remain at the palace for protection, and the local Defense Army couldn't be trusted. Selene was the only viable choice left.
Fortunately, the contingent of Imperial Guard troops she had stationed in the northern province was already encamped not far from the White Wolf River. A small strike force could arrive within a day's march.
"Arisa, didn't you say you wanted to go on a mission? Well, here's your chance!"
"Uuuhh... huh?"
After Arisa left first, Gozuki—now certain he had Selene's support—stood up respectfully, bowed slightly, and followed after her.
Selene had temporarily assigned the Complete Book of the World · Rongo Rongo and the Bat Khan squad to Arisa's command. With Gozuki, a seasoned and crafty veteran, leading the operation, things should proceed smoothly.
As for Selene herself, she returned to her office, pulling out a stack of dust-covered documents to review.
If her memory served her right, before Najenda was promoted to general, her station in the local Defense Army had been right in that same region.
"Heh... so, Najenda, you've defected, have you..." Selene murmured with a faint smirk.
...
Northwest of the Empire — White Wolf River, inside a small room in a remote village.
"Damn it! These rebels are getting way too bold... surrounding us like this in broad daylight! Where's the local Defense Army? Are they all useless?! Why aren't they sending reinforcements?! Argh—"
Covered in bandages and wearing a black helmet, the burly man, Guy, leaned against the wall and cursed in fury. Across from him stood three young members of the elite squad.
"Enough, Guy. Save your strength," said a young man with short, pale-gold hair as he wiped his slender rapier clean. "The rebels could strike again any moment. Don't go dying to some small fry."
"Tch! Even if I die, I'll make sure to take a few of them with me!"
"Najasho, do you think Father managed to escape?" asked Poney, the energetic girl, her usual liveliness dulled by frustration.
The rebels' assault was relentless, and the Empire's local Defense Army had done nothing—sitting idle as if blind to the slaughter.
"He must have. I believe in Father—he'll escape and bring reinforcements!" said Tsukushi confidently.
As she spoke, the two generous curves on her chest bounced with her movement, drawing the glazed attention of Guy, whose "LSP spirit" (lustful survivor's perseverance) flared to life. The sight of her flushed face and trembling form seemed to nearly resurrect him from the brink of death.
Used to Guy's pervy nature, Najasho sheathed his rapier and said firmly, "No matter what happens, we hold out until Father returns with reinforcements. We survive. That's an order."
Though deep down he knew their chances were slim, as the leader of the Imperial Assassination Unit's Elite Seven, Najasho couldn't afford to show weakness.
"Where are Akame and the others?" he asked.
"They went hunting..."