NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: 25
is known as the strongest general under Esdeath in the Empire.
At the same time, it is also Honest's biggest trump card.
Esdeath assisted him for a major reason, and Honest needed Esdeath's help at the moment.
It was precisely because of the agreement made between the two.
...…
The next day, in just one night, Rivo had already gained a lot of prestige points.
[Empire Summoning System]
[Host: Rivo]
[Servants: Twelve Kizuki Series – Upper Rank Two, Upper Rank Three, Upper Rank Four, Lower Rank One]
[Prestige: 210]
[Skills: Servant Summoning, Servant Recycling, Telepathy, Vision Sharing]
Last night, the reputation of the Twelve Kizuki had just begun to spread.
With abilities such as vision sharing and telepathy, Rivo turned the red-light district into a flower street.
It became the world of Daki and Gyutaro, and he used Ieyasu as a puppet to manipulate the underground organization.
This undoubtedly gave him control of the most prosperous area of the Imperial Capital.
Now, he was no longer the emperor sitting on an empty treasury.
There were not many people in others' hands who could drive the Empire's power.
Whether it was the underground organization, the most valuable and gold-absorbing area of the capital, or the faith of the poor, Rivo had seized full control.
"Now, just give Budo complete control."
"Even if Esdeath returns, I don't need to worry."
Rivo leaned on the throne, and on the left and right sides stood Koro and Sayo.
And below, all the officials were present.
After experiencing the pain of having his finger broken last time, no one dared to underestimate the young emperor.
As the serious events of the Imperial Capital were reported, Rivo gave one reply after another.
Even with Honest standing beside him, he felt a little redundant.
It hadn't been long since the last palace incident, but Rivo no longer needed Honest's advice.
"Abominable Budo."
"It seems you've been living too comfortably lately."
Honest still blamed Budo for everything, and his eyes grew colder.
After the last incident, he cut Budo's budget by more than half.
As a result, Budo, a dignified general, originally had a thousand subordinates.
Now, he had only three or four hundred.
It wasn't entirely miserable, but Honest didn't think it was enough.
Because Rivo was acting differently than usual—he didn't ask for Honest's opinion first.
Instead, everything was handled in an orderly and precise manner, which surprised all the officials present.
They mistakenly thought this might be Honest's arrangement.
"Your Majesty, there is also the matter of the emerging force in the capital—the Twelve Kizuki."
"At present, we have already prepared the wanted order, and it can be issued to all parts of the Imperial Capital today."
The official in charge of security also began to report the final matter.
This was also something Honest had secretly ordered.
Now, the most wanted criminals in the Empire, aside from Night Raid, were the Twelve Kizuki—Honest's greatest concern.
"Twelve Kizuki?"
"No need to pay attention to them, and no need for a wanted notice."
"They are my private forces."
Rivo waved his hand, and in this quiet court, dropped a bombshell.
The Twelve Kizuki… were under the command of the little emperor?
Everyone looked toward the throne with shock, then turned their eyes toward Honest.
Although Honest's face showed no obvious change, he was equally stunned inside.
"But Your Majesty… the Twelve Kizuki killed the captain of the garrison, Ogre…"
The official speaking hesitated.
He felt it wasn't his place to say such a thing, but under Honest's oppressive gaze,
he had no choice but to voice it.
"I said—they are my subordinates."
"It's impossible that they killed the Empire's officials. It must have been Night Raid, trying to frame them."
"Don't you agree, Minister Honest, General Budo?"
Rivo's brows furrowed slightly. This rebuttal made him somewhat displeased.
He glanced at Koro.
Koro instantly understood Rivo's intention and nodded with a calm smile.
"His Majesty is right. Since they are a secret force under His Majesty…"
"…Then they certainly wouldn't do anything harmful to the Empire."
"In that case, it must have been Night Raid, falsely placing the blame."
Although Honest was surprised, he understood this was a warning from the little emperor.
His expression didn't change in the slightest. He simply smiled faintly and agreed.
That was enough. The corners of Rivo's mouth rose slightly as he looked at General Budo.
"The minister also believes His Majesty is correct," Budo said.
Still shocked, he could only take a deep breath and agree.
But Honest no longer thought the same.
He realized… he didn't have much time left.
Soon, the morning meeting ended.
Everyone began to depart—but unlike before, Honest didn't even say farewell to Rivo.
He simply turned and left.
He wanted to begin implementing his countermeasures as soon as possible.
On the other side, only Budo and Rivo remained in the palace hall.
Koro and Sayo had already left earlier—it was still daytime, and if they didn't return to the palace quickly, they would be reduced to ashes.
"Your Majesty…"
"May I ask about the matter of the Twelve Kizuki…"
Budo didn't know how to approach it, but still asked carefully.
Rivo didn't reply right away. He simply rested his cheek on his hand, calmly looking at Budo.
"General Budo, you are loyal to the Empire, aren't you?"
Rivo sighed, looking at the rigid Budo, and felt a bit disappointed.
A rigid person was not easy to change.
That's why he gave Budo the choice.
"Yes. This minister will give everything to the Empire."
Budo answered without hesitation.
To him, there was nothing wrong with that answer.
"The Empire is mine. So naturally, you will also dedicate everything to me, right?"
"If not… then you are no different from Honest in my eyes."
"Go back. Think about it."
"Will you be loyal to me… or only to the Empire?"