"Uh, did I not make myself clear?"
"I said, we're here to apply for jobs. Esdeath and I want to ask the emperor for a general's position!"
Seeing that the group in front of him didn't seem to understand, Sora raised his voice to explain again.
The guard girls behind him were all stifling their laughter, their faces turning red. They thought their mischievous master was just too hilarious!
Mine, nestled in Sora's arms, was too embarrassed to show her face. This guy was just too shameless!
If there were a hole in the ground, Mine would've gladly crawled into it. Burying her head in Sora's chest, she thought, You all can look at this shameless scoundrel, but don't look at me!
Meanwhile, Esdeath beside Sora wore a serious expression. Standing next to him, she puffed out her chest, as if to say, My darling and I are here to grace you with our presence as officials.
"What nonsense! You two are heinous criminals!!!"
Najenda, having regained her senses, was nearly bursting with anger. She had seen shameless people before, but never anyone as shameless as this!
Moreover, due to Sora and Esdeath's continuous crimes across the continent over the past three years, the entire empire had been hunting them. Najenda recognized their identities. Filled with rage, she thought, Even though this country is now corrupt, it hasn't fallen to the point of appointing such villains as officials!
And not just any officials, but generals—commanders of the empire's hundreds of thousands of troops, just like herself. You've got to be kidding me! There's a limit to how far you can push a joke!
"Yes, yes, two criminals wanting to become generals? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
"That woman is too brutal, having killed so many palace guards. They must be captured and executed!"
"How dare they show such disrespect in front of His Majesty! They must not be spared!"
…
The group of officials behind Najenda also voiced their anger and diss. How dare these brats ignore the dignity of us nobles and His Majesty, killing people in the palace and shamelessly asking for general positions! You kids make us, who've schemed and flattered our way to our current status, look like fools!
The minister didn't say anything, continuing to chew on a piece of meat in his hand. Glancing at Sora below, a hint of disdain and mockery flashed in his eyes. This kid is quite shameless, almost on par with me, but he's too stupid. He'll probably be crushed by General Budo in a moment.
However, when he glanced at General Budo, the minister was surprised to see the empire's strongest and most rigid man wearing an unusually serious and cautious expression.
Indeed, from the moment he saw Sora and Esdeath, Budo had furrowed his brows, his entire body on high alert, exuding an air of utmost seriousness.
Because, in these two individuals, he, the empire's strongest, sensed an exceptionally dangerous aura!
The woman with the icy blue long hair was somewhat better, but the young man who had been holding a girl with a sinister smile from the very beginning made his heart race as if he had encountered an invincible ancient beast!
To be honest, even Budo himself was startled by his own thoughts, wondering if he was hallucinating. Could there really be humans stronger than him, the empire's strongest?
Regardless of whether it was true or not, it was enough to make Budo take this matter very seriously. If things were not handled properly today, the empire, which had been passed down for thousands of years, might truly be destroyed by these two individuals!
"Silence!"
A large group of officials were still chattering noisily when, finally, the young emperor spoke, and everyone quieted down.
"Two citizens of the empire, I have heard from the ministers and General Najenda that you are wanted criminals. Is this true?"
Speaking unhurriedly and with a certain imperial demeanor, the young emperor addressed Sora and Esdeath below.
Having been raised in the high and mighty environment of the palace, the young emperor's worldview was somewhat different from that of ordinary people. He didn't find Sora and Esdeath particularly despicable or shameless; in fact, he found them quite interesting.
"Your Majesty, while it is true that we are wanted, we are definitely not criminals. Everything we have done has been for the sake of the empire!"
With an expression of great injustice and grievance, Sora naturally wouldn't admit that he and Esdeath were criminals. He was hoping to become a general; how could he admit to being a bad person?
"Oh? How so?"
Rising with interest, the young emperor asked again.
With a slight curve at the corner of his mouth, Sora saw that the young emperor had indeed fallen into his trap and felt about 70% confident.
Glancing at the fat minister beside the young emperor, Sora thought to himself, "Not only can you deceive this confused little boy, but I can too!"
And so, under the stunned gazes of the officials, Sora began to speak eloquently:
"Your Majesty, the reason I am considered a criminal is twofold: first, because I have punished many nobles over the years, and second, because I have taken away many famous women from the empire."
"The reason I punished those nobles is because they were utterly unscrupulous, committing all sorts of evil deeds, using their noble status to oppress the common people, bringing shame to the empire and to Your Majesty!"
"Under Your Majesty's wise governance and the hard work of the minister, the people live happy, peaceful, and stable lives. But these parasites of the empire have tarnished the empire's reputation and Your Majesty's honor. I couldn't stand it, so I took it upon myself to administer justice on Your Majesty's behalf!"
"As for the women I took away, Your Majesty, please look, they are right here—"
Pointing to the 60 guard girls behind him, Sora continued as everyone's eyes fell upon them:
"They are all talents with extremely high potential that I discovered. With a little training, they will surely become pillars of the empire. I couldn't bear to see these gems buried in the dust, so I gathered them together for unified training, hoping that one day they could serve the empire with their own strength!"
"Finally, after my day and night efforts, they have all become talents capable of serving the empire. So I immediately brought them to the capital, hoping to contribute to Your Majesty and the empire!"
Sora's speech was vivid and emotional, flowing smoothly. By the time he finished, everyone was already dumbfounded.
Though Sora had long forgotten what shame was, he still felt a bit embarrassed after saying all that.
Feeling the trembling in his arms, Sora looked down and saw that Mine's ears had turned bright red. Her small hands were clutching his chest, almost digging into his flesh, and her head was buried in his chest, rubbing against him as if she wanted to melt into him.
The guard girls behind him weren't much better. Their faces were flushed, their chests heaving, and their expressions a mix of pain and struggle, clearly trying hard to hold something back. Sora was genuinely worried they might burst if this continued.
Esdeath, on the other hand, was better off. Her icy blue eyes sparkled with admiration, looking at Sora as if to say, "As expected of the man I chose."
As for the officials, they were completely stunned by Sora's words. Only the minister beside the young emperor had a gleam in his eyes, so excited that he even forgot to chew the meat in his mouth.
He hadn't noticed before, but this guy was a talent!
Moreover, what excited the minister even more was that this guy was clearly on his side. Although he was spouting nonsense, it didn't matter. As long as they were like-minded comrades, everything else could be worked out.
At the same time, this guy wanted to be a general, didn't he? Judging by the woman with the icy blue hair, who seemed quite capable, this guy probably wasn't bad either. This might be a great opportunity for him.
After all, although the minister had always held immense power in the empire, he had never managed to control the military.
First, he didn't dare to provoke the stubborn Budo, and the one he dared to provoke, Najenda, was a so-called righteous person who didn't obey his commands. Although he could try to deal with the last general, Rokugou, this guy, who usually seemed honest, was actually no good, hanging out with that brat Najenda!
Therefore, the arrival of Sora and Esdeath gave the minister a glimmer of hope, and his mind began to stir.
Compared to the minister's calculations, General Budo was visibly relieved. It seemed these two dangerous individuals didn't intend to be enemies of the empire. As long as they didn't harm the emperor, things would be much easier.
Although Budo had heard of Sora and Esdeath's notorious reputations, he couldn't care less at this moment. It was better to have such people serve the empire than to have them as enemies. So, deep down, he hoped the young emperor would accept them.
And so, the final decision once again fell to the young emperor, and everyone turned their gaze to the little boy holding the scepter, looking so dignified…