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[RNZO] Ch 288: General Esdeath
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 18:26:33 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"Now then—it's your turn, Minister. You and your cronies."
As he spoke, Renzo's gaze swept over the corrupt officials and their faction.
"Your Majesty, please spare us!"
"Your Majesty, if you wish to punish us, at least give us a reason! Some kind of evidence! You can't just do whatever you want!"
"That's right!"
The officials aligned with the Prime Minister were panicking. They couldn't move, but Renzo hadn't silenced them—so naturally, they started pleading for mercy or trying to talk their way out of it.
"Your Majesty! These people are corrupt to the core—abusing their power, exploiting the people, colluding with the Minister to do all sorts of evil! Their crimes are endless! We beg you to punish them severely!"
"That's right!"
"We absolutely must not let them off the hook!"
Seizing the moment, the faction of loyal officials immediately jumped in, denouncing the minister's side and appealing to Renzo.
And honestly? They were thrilled.
The young emperor had just unleashed an overwhelming force—even General Budo, who was usually their rock, had been completely suppressed.
And now the emperor was planning to deal with the Minister and his lackeys? They'd been waiting for this day forever!
If they didn't take this chance to crush the Minister's faction once and for all, they'd regret it for the rest of their lives.
No way were they letting this slip by.
"Enough! All of you—shut up!"
But Renzo wasn't about to let them steer the situation. He immediately barked out a command.
The loyalists fell silent, stunned. They stared at their young emperor, unsure what he meant by that.
"Hmph."
Renzo scoffed coldly. "The Minister still has his uses. Who gave you the right to run your mouths?"
"I don't need any of you telling me how to rule."
Then, without another word, Renzo began his mass brainwashing—targeting both the Minister's faction and even members of the loyalist side.
...
Half an hour later
In perfect sync, they all knelt down.
"Long live His Majesty!" xN
"Mhm. You may rise."
Renzo nodded slightly, then got straight to business—handing out orders to the Minister.
First, a full intelligence sweep of the Imperial Capital—he wanted everything: dirty secrets, hidden agendas, corruption evidence from the nobles' past crimes.
Next, he had the officials begin laying the groundwork for a sweeping reform plan he'd already drafted.
After issuing a few more orders, he dismissed them, telling them to get to work immediately.
Once they left, General Budo finally stepped forward. "Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but aren't these reforms a little... extreme? If you move too fast, it could throw the entire Capital—maybe even the Empire—into chaos..."
"That's the plan."
"I want the ambitious ones to rise up and cause chaos," Renzo said with a chilling smile.
"Huh?"
General Budo blinked, confused. "Wait—why? Don't tell me... Your Majesty, you're not trying to destroy the Empire, are you? If y—"
"Of course not!" Renzo cut him off, looking completely exasperated. "Think for a second, will you? What good would destroying the Empire do me—the Emperor?!"
"Then...?"
Still puzzled, Budo waited for an explanation.
Renzo took a breath, then laid it all out. "The Empire is rotten to the core. We've reached the point where we have no choice but to tear it all down and rebuild."
"That's why I'm using this reform as a way to clean house—starting with the Capital. Fast, efficient. Once that's stabilized, we'll extend outward and reform the whole Empire in phases."
"As for whether the outer cities rebel? That's not a concern."
"As long as we hold the Capital, we can systematically take back each rebellious area one by one. And in the process, we'll flush out every last hidden enemy and ambitious traitor—making it easier to eliminate them."
"Only by completely purging the corruption can the Empire be truly reborn and rise to power again."
"Do you understand now?"
He looked directly at Budo, eyes sharp.
This was about burning it all down to build something new.
"I see...!"
General Budo shuddered with realization. He looked at Renzo with something close to awe.
If this plan worked... it might actually fix everything.
Did Budo not understand how rotten the Empire had become? Of course he did.
But Renzo's boldness… it was almost too much to take in.
Still, General Budo couldn't deny the stirrings of excitement rising in his chest.
If this reform actually succeeded, then the Empire might truly return to the glory days of the First Emperor—and maybe even become stronger than ever.
"I pledge my full support to Your Majesty's reforms," Budo declared, dropping to one knee without hesitation.
As long as the Empire survived—and better yet, became strong again—he had no complaints.
"Excellent."
Renzo nodded in satisfaction. "Then, General, I need you to take full control of the military forces around the Capital and throughout the Empire as quickly as possible."
"At once, Your Majesty!"
Just as Budo was about to leave, he paused for a moment. He hesitated… then said, "If Your Majesty wishes to ensure the reform progresses smoothly and maximize its chances of success, I recommend summoning General Esdeath immediately—and earning her loyalty."
"If you can secure her true allegiance, the chances of your grand plan succeeding could rise by at least fifty percent."
Budo had never liked Esdeath—especially how she'd sided with the Prime Minister Honest. But even he had to admit… Esdeath's terrifying strength and her talent as a commander were undeniable.
Budo had no intention of leaving the Capital. He'd always considered himself the last line of defense, the shield that protected the Empire.
But with the reforms likely to ignite rebellions all across the land, they'd need a top-tier general—someone with both strength and leadership—to suppress uprisings and reclaim lost territory.
And honestly, there was no one more suited to that role than Esdeath.
"Oh?"
Renzo raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "I'm a little shocked to hear you of all people suggest this."
General Budo responded firmly, "Everything I do is for the Empire—and for Your Majesty's vision. Besides, General Esdeath is more than capable."
"…And I believe that since Your Majesty was able to take control of the Minister and his faction, you'll surely find a way to handle Esdeath as well."
"You're honestly not bad," Renzo said, nodding in approval. "You used to be way too stiff and rigid, though. If you'd been more flexible earlier, maybe the Empire wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."
He paused, then added with a smile, "Of course, back then I hadn't awakened my power, and didn't exactly do a great job either. So really, I'm in no position to judge you."
"But from now on, let's work together—emperor and general—as one. Let's bring back the Empire's former glory. No—let's push it even beyond that."
After all, what kind of overpowered transmigrator would he be if he didn't aim for world domination?
But first things first: complete the reforms, and reshape the Empire into something new.
"At your command!"
Budo saluted, thumping a fist to his chest with unwavering resolve.
Once he left to reorganize the military, Renzo activated his power and summoned a shadow clone.
"You stay here and keep working on the reform prep," Renzo instructed.
"No problem!" the clone replied cheerfully, flopping onto the Emperor's throne like he owned the place. "Leave it to me!"
Renzo gave his clone a tired look.
"…Forget it."
Shaking his head with a sigh, he locked onto a northern location—and vanished in a flash.
After several precise teleport jumps, Renzo appeared over the northern battlefield, near the foreign camps—and spotted his target: Esdeath.
"Who goes there?!"
His sudden appearance—hovering midair—didn't go unnoticed. The surrounding soldiers, on edge, immediately raised their weapons and stared at him with alarm and confusion.
Most of them had never seen Renzo in person, and certainly wouldn't recognize the young Emperor, especially like this.
But then Esdeath herself arrived, drawn by the commotion. She looked up at the figure floating above them, eyes narrowing slightly in surprise.
"You're… the Emperor?"
And in her mind: "What the hell? Is that really the little emperor? Why is he floating in midair? Is this some kind of Teigu ability?"
"Yes, it's me," Renzo replied casually. "Long time no see, General Esdeath."
With a faint smile, he walked down through the air, step by step, as if gravity didn't apply to him.
His eyes scanned her—intrigued, amused.
Gotta admit, she really was stunning.
Maybe she can be his Queen?
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