Chapter 34: I have become the Child Emperor

"I see that congratulations are in order," Emperor Makoto stated as he scanned the people kneeling in front of him. Finally, after numerous sleepless nights for the people of the Capital, news had spread throughout the entire city that Zank the beheader was slain in battle, with only his head remaining and being shown to the public as proof of Jaeger's exploits. It could have been more if it weren't for Koro already eating most parts of his body right after Zank died, but Makoto didn't really care about it. Zank's head was more than enough proof that he was dead.

"There is no need, Your Majesty. We are the sword that protects the Empire from its enemies," Run replied on behalf of Jaeger, while the others kept their heads down. For a brief moment, Makoto's eyes landed on Seryu, who clenched her fist angrily while keeping her head down. It seemed she was still against a certain idea that Makoto had.

Makoto could only inwardly sigh at this situation as he replied back to Run, "Very well. I will speak to Budo so that you guys won't train today and instead rest for your efforts."

"Thank you, Your Majesty",

Aside from the three original members of Jaeger, there were three other individuals who were also kneeling in front of Emperor Makoto. All three individuals were very familiar to him due to his knowledge of the show. They were none other than Tatsumi and his friends, Ieyasu and Sayo. It seemed that due to the changes Makoto had made, all three of them had arrived in the Capital at the same time. The fate that had fallen Tatsumi's two friends would most likely no longer happen due to all the things he had done to the nobles of the Capital.

Makoto vaguely remembered that acting Prime Minister Shoi had reported to him about a noble whose estate was found to contain multiple dead bodies. He wondered if those were the people who were supposed to kill Ieyasu and Sayo in the show. But since he had taken care of them and had them killed, that would most likely no longer happen.

After the battle with Zank the Beheader, the three of them were questioned by Jaeger about their identities and goals. Seeing that it could be an opportunity to get into the army, the three friends answered Jaeger's questions as best as they could. Despite not fully understanding what Jaeger was about, they saw it as an opportunity to make some connections at the very least. After the questioning, they went to an inn to get some rest but were immediately awakened before the sun came out.

At first, they had assumed that Jaeger wanted to talk to them again, but they never thought it would be far grander than that. The moment they left the rooms of the inn they were sleeping at; they were greeted by a soldier who immediately summoned them to meet with the Emperor of the Empire. Hearing such news greatly surprised the three friends. They had never thought that they could get such a privilege.

This sudden summon had caused them to become extremely anxious, distressed, and excited, all at the same time. They were just mere peasants who lived in the countryside; they had never even dreamed of meeting the Emperor in person, let alone meeting him after only just arriving in the Capital.

"I commend your bravery for undertaking such a task. Zank is no easy opponent. For you three to hold him off for a few minutes before Jaeger could arrive is clear proof of your skill," Makoto stated, as if he was thinking of something. In the show, Tatsumi clearly showed signs of becoming an extremely powerful combatant. He was just like Akame, a born fighter who only needed to be trained in order to shine properly. The only difference between Akame and him was their fighting style. Unlike Akame, who was a perfect assassin, Tatsumi was a perfect warrior. He wasn't meant to fight in the shadows; he was meant to fight on the battlefield. Plus, it would seem that his 2 other friends also showed signs of having potential.

"Your words bring us great honor, Your Majesty," Sayo stated back, lowering her head even further.

"For your bravery, I will offer you a boon. Is there anything you three would like?"

Hearing the Emperor's words shocked the three friends. They had never thought that they would receive such a gift. A few seconds later, after the shock wore off, the three individuals all raised their heads in order to look at the Emperor straight in the eyes and shouted at the same time, "We want help for our village!"

The sudden synchronized shout immediately caused the three friends to become embarrassed. Swiftly, they bowed their heads back down in shame for such an act. They believed it was improper to do such a thing to their Emperor.

Makoto just smiled upon seeing this and replied, "That can be arranged after this meeting," which instantly got the three friends to light up with beaming smiles. Traveling to the Capital and earning enough money to help their village was one of their main goals after all.

"Now, I believe that the three of you have potential. I would like to invite you three to join Jaeger," Makoto instructed.

"Jaeger?" Tatsumi asked curiously as he glance at Run, Wave and Seryu; "What exactly is Jaeger, Your Majesty?". Tatsumi already had a vague idea about the group, but he wanted more clarity.

"It is a group of elite soldiers that I have assembled to protect the Empire from its enemies. A group whose loyalty is solely to their Emperor," Makoto explained. "And based on the report that Run had given to me, I believe that you three have the skills and the potential to become valuable members of this group."

The three friends looked at each other, excited and nervous at the same time. They immediately recognized that joining Jaeger was even better than joining the army. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. A chance to work directly with a monarch of the country.

"We would be honored, Your Majesty," Tatsumi stated, nearly shouting due to excitement.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ieyasu and Sayo added in unison.

"Excellent. I will have Wave escort you to the training grounds in order to meet with Budo and your skills assess", Makoto stated while looking at Wave, who acknowledge the order. "In the meantime, I will have my people send some supplies to your village and see if there is anything else they need", Makoto added.

The three friends bowed their heads in gratitude. They couldn't believe that their lives had changed so much in such a short amount of time. They were now on their way to becoming elite soldiers, and they were going to help their village in the process.

"Thank you again, Your Majesty. We will not let you down!", Tatsumi stated once again.

"I know you won't," Makoto replied. "I have a good feeling about you three", he added while he scanned the new members of Jaeger.

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MEANWHILE IN NIGHT RAID HQ:

"That was delicious!" Leone shouted as she leaned back in her seat and patted her stomach. The members of Night Raid had returned earlier than expected, thanks to Jaeger's decisive elimination of Zank. While some of the group had gone to sleep immediately, Akame couldn't and found trouble sleeping, so she had hunted some wild animal to cook for breakfast instead.

"Now that everyone is full, are we going to discuss the elephant in the room?" Mine asked, wiping her mouth with a cloth.

"Yes, we should," Akame replied, taking an envelope from her pocket and showing it to the group. Everyone had been aware of the letter's existence before they left the Capital, but they had decided to wait until they had rested before opening it. Now, with most of the group refreshed, Akame thought it was time to see what was inside.

She opened the envelope and was immediately greeted with multiple stacks of papers and documents. Picking up the first paper in the pile, she briefly glanced at it and announced, "It's a letter from Emperor Makoto." This information greatly surprised the entire group, but they held their reactions as they watched Akame read the letter.

However, it wasn't long before they saw her eyes widen in surprise, and the entire group was eager to know what the letter contained. Before they could ask, Akame's trembling voice spoke up, "It's a royal pardon...for all of us."