The death of the Minister marked the beginning of a new era for the Empire.
After the blood-soaked execution day passed, a noticeable sense of relief appeared on the faces of the people living in the capital.
It was as if a great weight had finally been lifted from their hearts, and many began to dream again about a better future.
Souta had no understanding of politics, so he threw the entire mess into the hands of the Path of Peace's the Lord.
The Lord became the empire's chief advisor, while Chelsea, disguised as the young Emperor took on the role of enacting new policies and reforms.
With Budo's support, the chaos stirred up by the Minister's fall was quickly stabilized.
Several opportunistic schemers who tried to cause unrest were promptly sent to the guillotine.
Heads rolled, enough to silence the rest.
The situation was stabilizing fast.
The Lord implemented sweeping reforms, giving off the feeling that the Empire was being reshaped from the ground up.
Of course, the noble class system remained untouched for the time being.
The Empire was already plagued with both internal and external strife. Now wasn't the time for drastic political upheaval.
Abolishing the nobility outright would trigger a massive backlash, leading to a fractured empire ruled by independent warlords.
Souta didn't have the troops or resources to fight the Revolutionary Army, border tribes, and feudal lords at the same time.
It had to wait.
"My Lord, the noble system must remain untouched until the Revolutionary Army and the border tribes are fully dealt with," the the Lord said respectfully in the palace's audience chamber.
Souta lounged lazily on the throne, resting his chin on one hand, as indifferent as ever.
But no one dared overlook him, his presence was growing ever stronger.
When people looked his way, he was all they could see as if he eclipsed the very material world.
Souta was comprehending the laws of matter.
Although he didn't have system points to aid him, he remembered the sensation from his previous moment of training.
That allowed him to feel his way forward, slowly but surely.
Though the progress was agonizingly slow, it was still progress. And he felt himself getting stronger.
"I understand."
He didn't even glance at the the Lord, replying coolly:
"Let Night Raid and Esdeath begin the assassinations."
"You mean... the assassination campaign begins now?" the the Lord asked to confirm.
Souta nodded. "If we can't dismantle the nobility, then we'll eliminate the nobles."
"As expected of my God. You cut straight to the heart of the issue."
The Lord looked impressed by Souta's ruthless pragmatism.
"I'll coordinate with General Esdeath right away. She's already gathered a group of Imperial Arm users. They've arrived in the capital and been merged with Night Raid, along with others like Taeko, who was saved by the Saintess. General Esdeath's morale is quite high lately."
"Good." Souta glanced at Chelsea, then asked, "Saintess, how is the missionary work progressing?"
"Path of Peace doctrine has spread widely, thanks to using the Emperor's identity to broadcast messages."
Chelsea answered with a pleased smile.
"The first cathedral in the capital should be finished the day after tomorrow."
Watching something grow from nothing left her feeling rather accomplished.
"I can sense the increase in believers. But it's still far from enough."
Souta's voice chilled as he issued an order:
"Step up the pace."
Brainwashing didn't count. Unnatural alterations of thought wouldn't yield divine power.
There were no shortcuts, he had to grow his influence properly.
"Yes, my Lord," Chelsea responded respectfully.
Though in her heart, she wasn't feeling so respectful.
Souta had gotten better at bossing people around, and he was really leaning into the role.
And with other people present, she couldn't even interrupt him.
He was playing the part so well, Chelsea was curious to see what kind of awkward slip-up he'd make once he got back to his world.
She hoped Kurumi would roast him thoroughly.
After they reported their updates, the the Lord and Chelsea left the hall.
This palace had become Souta's retreat.
He had sat on the throne for days, unmoving.
Comprehending laws was a slow and mentally draining task. Souta sighed.
Why hasn't anyone in the group bought my divine power? Rin? Athena? What are you two stingy women doing?
If they bought from him, he'd get points again and speed up his understanding.
But he hadn't heard a peep from them.
Is Rin trying to grasp the Second Magic? And Athena... don't tell me she found the Gorgoneion and decided to just go full couch potato?
He speculated to himself.
At that moment, the sharp clack of high heels echoed in the hall.
Souta immediately recognized it, it was Esdeath.
She had been visiting frequently these past few days.
Partly to fish for information about the other world.
And partly to test out new techniques.
She would retreat, develop new moves, then return confidently to challenge Souta, claiming she'd defeat him and make him her exclusive servant.
Of course, every time ended with her being thoroughly schooled.
At this point, Souta could trounce her without even standing up.
Eventually, Esdeath started using him as a test dummy for new techniques.
After every flashy attack, she'd ask him for feedback like a student asking a professor.
Souta was exasperated.
She was starting to take his patience for granted.
He had considered punishing her seriously, but she was shameless.
She often provoked him: "Annoyed? Then ravage me already. You're stronger. You can do anything to me."
Considering his loyalty to Kurumi and Rin, Souta had no desire to mess around, so he'd just slap her out of the palace.
With Esdeath, killing her or even assaulting her would only be seen as a natural consequence of strength.
Ignoring her and making her feel like she was punching air was the best response.
And besides, the Empire still needed her. Souta wasn't ready to discard that asset.
"You again?"
Souta glanced at Esdeath with visible irritation.
But when he saw she had others with her, he reined it in.
He and Esdeath were familiar with each other, but not with outsiders.
He had to maintain appearances.
"You seem awfully unwelcoming."
Esdeath picked up on his tone but didn't mind.
She was starting to see through him, his supposed arrogance and aloofness were an act.
Compared to her own wild nature, she felt Souta's unruliness was just surface-level.
She even thought they had great chemistry. She, the S, and Souta, the secret M.
Even if he was a god, she didn't care.
"This time, I'm not here for a spar."
Esdeath pointed behind her.
"I have a request."
Souta looked past her, and saw two familiar girls:
Akame and Kurome.