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"Lord Demon, can you really grant my wish?"
"Let's hear it first."
Akame looked serious as she asked solemnly, "Can you… change this country?"
"Of course."
Minato nodded with a calm smile.
He had some idea of what Akame meant by "this country."
Changing it? All it took was power.
After thinking for a moment, Minato asked, "But how exactly do you want to change it? Got a plan?"
"..."
Akame looked a little lost.
Truth was, she hadn't really thought that far ahead.
All this time, she'd just followed the Revolutionary Army's orders—whoever they told her to kill, she killed.
But how to actually make the country a better place, where people could live in peace? That had never crossed her mind.
Is this demon… actually being considerate?
Leone and Najenda's eyes sparkled slightly from the side.
He was nothing like the demon they'd heard about in the stories. He seemed… like he really cared.
Akame frowned a bit, then finally said, "Lord Demon, do you have any suggestions?"
"The easiest way? Just wipe the whole country off the map. What happens afterward has nothing to do with me."
Minato gave her a meaningful smile. "That would still count as 'changing the country,' wouldn't it?"
"..."
Leone and Najenda instantly tensed up.
They knew it! A demon's a demon.
All that kindness? Just their own wishful thinking.
But the way he casually talked about destroying an entire country… just how powerful was this guy?
Even the Empire's two strongest warriors wouldn't be able to say something like that with such confidence.
Akame shook her head and said seriously, "That's not what I want. I want to change this country into a place where people can live peacefully."
She sat up straight and gave a deep bow. "So please, Lord Demon—help make that happen."
"If that's what you're asking, then things get a little more complicated."
Minato pretended to look troubled. "Running a country properly takes time… lots of it."
He looked her up and down, getting to the point.
"For a task this big… what kind of price are you willing to pay?"
To him, this other world was basically a treasure trove.
New supernatural knowledge.
Strong individuals who could serve as powerful subordinates.
Akame definitely had both the potential and the qualifications.
Hearing Minato's words, Akame paused for a second.
Right… making a deal with a demon always comes with a price.
She'd almost forgotten that.
But what could she offer?
Her whole life, the only thing she'd ever been good at… was killing.
Would a demon even want that kind of ability?
Leone interrupted anxiously, "Akame, don't do it! Don't agree to anything with this demon!"
Najenda stepped forward, shielding Akame behind her. "Yeah. Lord Demon, please just leave."
Both of them looked tense and alert.
The legends were clear—making deals with demons always ended in tragedy.
There was no way they were letting that happen.
"So… what's your decision?"
Ignoring the two of them completely, Minato looked at Akame with a warm expression. "Just a heads-up: the moment you summoned me, the contract was already in effect."
Was that… a threat?
Yep. That was definitely a threat.
Damn demons. Always so sly and devious.
Even if he did look super handsome.
Najenda and Leone's mouths twitched.
They glanced at each other.
Should we fight?
But then they remembered what he said about destroying a whole country…
And fell silent.
"Don't worry about me."
Akame nodded to them, then turned to Minato, her voice firm: "Lord Demon, whatever the price is—take it. I accept."
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in her eyes.
You want something? Then you've gotta pay for it.
Just like doing a job—you get paid. It's the natural order of things.
Especially when it comes to making deals with a demon.
Besides… if just she had to pay the price to save the whole country and give people a better life, it was worth it.
"Akame…"
Najenda and Leone both opened their mouths, but stopped short. In the end, they just let out a long sigh.
They knew Akame's personality too well.
Once she made up her mind, no one could change it.
"…As expected of you."
Minato looked at her deeply and smiled.
"Relax. It's not anything too harsh."
"It's just… a lifetime of serving me."
Serving?
Najenda and Leone both froze.
Hold up—what kind of 'serving' are we talking about here?
Unconsciously, they both shot Minato suspicious glances, like they were staring at a pervert.
"That's it?"
Akame blinked, looking genuinely confused.
"In that case…"
"Nice to meet you, Master."
So she just had to follow his orders? Sounded pretty similar to what she'd been doing all along.
Nothing much different there.
That's how she saw it.
"..." Najenda.
"....." Leone.
This girl's way too pure… if the demon sold her off, she'd probably help count the money.
But now that they thought about it…
It's not like they really had a choice to begin with.
"Good. You made the right call."
Minato raised a hand, and a demonic chess piece appeared in his palm.
Akame stared at it. "What's this?"
"A demon piece. It'll let me turn you into a demon."
Minato chuckled. "You didn't seriously think just any human could serve a demon, did you?"
"Oh, I see!"
Akame nodded. "So how does it work?"
"I'll take care of it."
"Wait—does it involve taking off my top? I can do that myself."
"..."
Minato went quiet.
This was the first time someone was this cooperative—it actually threw him off a bit.
He looked at her and said, "Just the jacket's fine. I need to be able to place the piece."
"Oh, okay!"
Akame blinked again, her cheeks turning a little red.
She might act all serious, but she wasn't totally clueless.
That just… wasn't how her personality worked.
"Alright. Here we go."
After giving her a heads-up, Minato placed the chess piece where it needed to go.
He'd picked the knight piece for her.
With her instant-kill sword Murasame, the knight's speed boost would be a perfect match.
Buzz...
A dark red magic circle appeared beneath her feet.
As a top-tier assassin, Akame knew her own body like the back of her hand.
She could feel it—her flesh, bones, and even her organs were transforming on a fundamental level.
Her physical power was growing stronger by the second—so fast she could actually see the change.
"This… is demonic power?"
As she thought that, she suddenly felt a strange itch near her tailbone.
"Ungh!"
She let out a grunt and instinctively tried to control the feeling.
A second later—
Bat-like demon wings and a long tail burst out from her back.
"Whoa—!"
Leone and Najenda were completely stunned.
Everything had happened so fast, they didn't even have time to react.
Just like that… Akame had become a demon.
"....."