Chapter 473. Destroying the Second Princess Before Destroying the Kingdom
「After receiving the intelligence, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka knew that the fun was about to begin.」
「As for his own forces, he prepared to leave them temporarily in the care of his die-hard loyalists, instructing them on their next moves.」
「"The Kingdom's grand army is setting out, and the attention of the upper echelon will be focused on Buranikka. Until that city is completely destroyed, intelligence from other regions will be easily overlooked. During this time, you are to boldly and confidently expand our territory."」
「There was no need for concealment.」
「Before the Buranikka incident concluded, there was a high probability the Kingdom would not take rebellions elsewhere seriously. Because Buranikka held troublesome figures, the Kingdom needed to be ready to send reinforcements at any moment; until then, nothing else mattered.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could even have the City Lord he controlled write a letter stating: 'The requests for aid from other towns are exaggerations; they simply want to fleece your wool, O King, and obtain relief supplies for free.'」
「In this period where troops could not be spared, coupled with the City Lord's letter, it would be enough to trigger the King's wishful thinking.」
「As for why the City Lord would report the truth? The excuse was: 'I don't need as many supplies as they do. Rather than giving it to them, why not give it to me, your loyal servant, O King?' This created the illusion that the City Lord was simply greedy for money, lowering the King's guard.」
「No one would imagine the City Lord was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's man.」
「By letting his faction frantically expand its scale, manpower, territory, and resources during the Buranikka incident, it wouldn't matter if the King discovered the truth afterward.」
「Because Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was certain he would annihilate the Kingdom's army and the elites entering Buranikka. Those combatants already constituted a significant portion of the Kingdom's power.」
「Against a Kingdom with its arm severed, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's expanded forces would undoubtedly have the advantage in a head-on confrontation.」
「The loyalists knelt and declared loudly: "We shall serve the Emperor unto death! During this time, we will at least double your troop strength and triple or quadruple your territory! We shall become your most useful tools!"」
「Ayanokouji's army wasn't large—currently numbering around two thousand—but these men were fed meat and high nutrition daily, underwent extreme training, and possessed elite armor, weapons, and absolute faith.」
「Undoubtedly, any one of them could take down five or six Kingdom soldiers on the battlefield. Thus, the loyalists were full of confidence.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka nodded and then called out: "Setsuna, Kureha, and the Ultimate Four—all of you, come with me to Buranikka."」
「No one objected.」
「Although Keyaru's sister had tasted the "sweetness" and wanted to stay by her brother's side day and night, she dared not voice any disagreement with the current version of her brother.」
「The expedition began.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wore a simple tank top with a cloak draped over his back—a crude yet bold fashion choice that accentuated his Emperor's aura.」
「"L-Lord Kiyotaka." Setsuna hesitated before finally kneeling to ask. Ayanokouji had already revealed his real name; being called "Hachiman" only excited him in bed, and outside of that, it was simply tedious.」
「"Oh?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka glanced at her sideways, his arms crossed over his chest.」
「Setsuna felt the Emperor's peerless pressure; a single look made her tremble. Yet she gritted her teeth and asked: "Is it... is it wise to go on an expedition and leave the power of the faction in their hands without any precautions?"」
「"Are you actually doubting the loyalty of my die-hards? Are you worried that by the time I return, the master of this faction will be one of them? Ha, hahahaha!"」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka laughed toward the sky, his cloak fluttering and snapping in the wind. "Hahahahaha! You are truly endearingly stupid, Setsuna!"」
「He explained nothing further. Setsuna's confusion remained. Ayanokouji was truly wicked in this regard; an Emperor should never be a person who obediently answers every doubt.」
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"A die-hard is a die-hard because their loyalty has been proven. Setsuna's worry is far too naive."
In the meeting room, Hikigaya Hachiman analyzed carefully: "Moreover, Ayanokouji might actually be looking forward to someone trying to seize power. Anyone who can do that under his nose must have the acting skills, ambition, patience, and intellect to match. That would be much more interesting than the Second Princess."
"In that case, he could have a good time gaining experience against high-level enemies."
He explained methodically, concluding: "Furthermore, the most important thing is that an Earth Emperor must use people without suspicion. If he feared his subordinates seizing power, the 'Strong, Domineering, Powerful' persona would crumble."
After speaking, Hikigaya Hachiman stole a glance at Rem and Emilia. Seeing the confusion leave their faces, he couldn't help but smile.
"Hmph!"
Sensing the truth behind his gentle attentiveness, Priscilla snorted coldly, glaring unpleasantly at him, condemning his partiality.
Hikigaya Hachiman tilted his head, looking at her innocently, then his gaze sharpened.
His eyes conveyed: 'How am I being partial? I said it for everyone here, it's not like I'm blocking your ears—wait, I fell for your trap. So what if I am partial? I don't even like you!'
Priscilla sneered, pointing at the Ayanokouji in the video: 'Do you still want him to live?'
Faced with such a threat, and unable to bring himself to kill this "large-chested bastard," Hikigaya Hachiman had to compromise.
He took the opportunity to make a deal he had long wanted, implying silently: "Just this once, and never again. From now on, you are not allowed to threaten me with anyone's life, and stop using your 'Strong Luck' to kill people casually."
Priscilla huffed immediately, happily tilting her beautiful head, completing this secret transaction.
"Hehey—I'm back! Did the Prime Minister miss me?"
The second the deal was done, the door swung open. Carrying the files on Horikita Suzune and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, the incredibly cute Anastasia trotted in. Patter, patter.
If she had been in the room earlier, she wouldn't have been like the "straight-talkers" Crusch or Yukinoshita, who couldn't read Priscilla's eyes or match her eloquence; she could have helped him double-team Priscilla.
Hikigaya Hachiman paused. The timing was too perfect... Did Priscilla's Strong Luck cause the Anastasia who could help him to return exactly one step too late?
He looked back at Priscilla. This large-chested bastard, whose heart was as dark as Anastasia's, looked back at him with a beaming smile.
Everything was understood in silence.
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