Seeing Najenda resolute expression, Yoshino finally felt a wave of relief wash over her.
After all, the Revolutionary Army's Supreme Commander had just been killed, and now the movement was without a leader—making it all too easy for internal conflicts to erupt.
In order for her plan to proceed smoothly, and to minimize the bloodshed of innocent people, the Revolutionary Army had to remain stable.
To be Honest, she didn't dislike the Supreme Commander.
Previously, she had always thought of him as nothing more than a slightly competent traitor. But after Najenda explained his full plan to her, her impression of the man changed completely.
If it were possible, she would've gladly worked with him.
In fact, if they had managed to take down the true villain, Honest, she even considered recommending the Supreme Commander to Makoto as the new Grand Minister.
Whether it was his methods, vision, or the scope of his thinking, he far outclassed Honest.
Had he been able to become a loyal advisor to the Emperor, the Empire would undoubtedly have recovered much more quickly.
Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.
Not because he had gotten in her way. Not because he had attacked her.
But simply because… he was the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Even if he hadn't made a move against Yoshino, even if he had truly been willing to cooperate with her, the rest of the Revolutionary Army's upper echelon would never have let him succeed.
In this massive upheaval that he himself had ignited, more and more factions had joined in, and he had become just another figure swept up in the wave of momentum.
If he did not continue the revolution, he would die.
If the Emperor didn't kill him, his own people eventually would.
His fate had already been sealed the moment he chose to become the Supreme Commander.
Yoshino simply hadn't developed the political insight to see that earlier. As a result, she and Najenda had recklessly barged into his stronghold like hotheaded fools—and ended up being thrown into his dungeon.
Had Yoshino never appeared in this world, the man would've likely succeeded in invading the Imperial Capital and crowning himself Emperor in the near future.
But all of that was meaningless now. Since Yoshino had already arrived, what had happened in the original story could no longer come to pass.
After all, her main quest was to become the hidden force steering the Empire's revolution from the shadows.
Since the Supreme Commander was fated to die regardless of what she did, she may as well be the one to take his life.
Only then could the next phase of her plan be set in motion.
And when Najenda saw his corpse, she made up her mind—to take his place as the new leader.
This was an essential part of Yoshino overall strategy.
If Najenda hadn't been willing to take on that responsibility herself, Yoshino would've found herself in a difficult position.
Fortunately, Najenda had overcome her moral hesitation and made the most logical decision.
Even though she didn't have enough charisma to rally everyone to her side immediately, she could at least hold things together for now by relying on Night Raid—the elite assassination squad.
As members of the Revolutionary Army, the upper echelon understood better than anyone how terrifying Night Raid truly was.
After a few high-profile executions to set an example, the more vocal dissenters in the leadership would likely quiet down for a while.
But ruling by fear was never a sustainable strategy.
Even if Night Raid could suppress the Revolutionary Army's upper ranks for now, once word spread that the new leader intended to dissolve the entire army, the unrest among the lower ranks would spiral out of control.
Night Raid could assassinate dozens, maybe even hundreds of officers and commanders—but they could never kill the thousands or tens of thousands of common soldiers.
"Miss Najenda," Yoshinon said after a moment of thought, "I have a suggestion."
"If we can make it work, not only will the Emperor refrain from punishing the Revolutionary Army, but your rise as the new Supreme Commander will face much less resistance."
"What is it?" Najenda eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Change the fundamental nature of the Revolutionary Army," Yoshinon replied. "Transform it from an anti-Empire rebel force into a 'Loyalist Purge Faction'—a movement to cleanse the court of corrupt ministers."
The current situation of the Empire wasn't the fault of an inept Emperor, but rather due to Honest unchecked manipulation and deceit.
If Yoshino plan succeeded, Honest and his faction would be eradicated by Makoto own hand.
But ironically, if the plan went too well, the Revolutionary Army would find itself in a very awkward position.
Why?
Because it would no longer be necessary.
The Revolutionary Army was founded to overthrow the tyranny of the Empire. But once Honest was gone, the source of that tyranny would be eliminated.
There would be no need for revolution—no need for war.
In that scenario, the Revolutionary Army would become the next target for purging.
That was also the reason why the Supreme Commander could never agree to work with Yoshinon.
But now, he was dead.
Najenda had taken his place.
As a former Imperial General, she had the qualifications to raise the banner of "cleansing the court to protect the Emperor."
This would transform the Revolutionary Army from an enemy of the Empire into loyal subjects of the royal family.
At that point, with Yoshino mediating from Makoto side, she could help pave the way for a peaceful resolution.
The Emperor might even offer amnesty—and thousands of soldiers and mid- to high-ranking officers could be spared.
There would still be some voices of dissent in the court, of course.
But considering the original instigator of the rebellion—the Supreme Commander—was already dead, those voices wouldn't be loud enough to block the arrangement.
When she heard the phrase Loyalist Purge Faction, Najenda immediately grasped the essence of Yoshino's plan.
Her eyes lit up. If it weren't for the freezing cold around them, her excitement might've been even more obvious.
Because she understood just how powerful this subtle shift in narrative could be.
If the Revolutionary Army's goal shifted from overthrowing the Empire to protecting it, very few of its members would agree.
After all, most of them had taken up arms because they had been crushed under the weight of tyranny. Their hearts were full of resentment toward the Empire. How could they now be expected to defend it?
But if the goal became cleansing the court of corruption, the opposition within the ranks would drop significantly.
Most of them already knew it wasn't the Emperor, but Honest, who had truly ruined their lives.
Their hatred of the monarchy was often just displaced anger—if Honest and his accomplices were executed, most of their rage would be soothed.
As for the rest, a little royal clemency and some compensation—like land or money—would go a long way.
After all, most soldiers in the Revolutionary Army only ever wanted a peaceful life.
If the Empire could forgive their past rebellion and allow them to settle down and live quietly, what reason would they have to continue fighting?
Even many of the high-ranking officers would accept the plan.
And those who wouldn't—the ones who had lost everything to the Empire and now lived for vengeance… the ones who dreamed of founding a new empire… the ones who refused to accept any compromise...
Well, someone had to get their hands dirty eventually.
For the sake of saving the majority, there was no other choice.
"I'll do my best," Najenda said seriously. "If we can spread this 'Loyalist Purge' concept from the leadership down to the grassroots level, it'll make both internal control and external negotiations with the Empire far easier."
"I'll talk with Makoto too," Yoshinon added. "Maybe we can secure some compensation for the soldiers—to make up for the Empire's past wrongs. Of course, it won't bring back everything they lost, but something is better than nothing."
"Yes. Thank you. If we can do that, more soldiers will be willing to accept me as their new leader." Najenda managed a weak smile. "By the way—before you return to the capital with the Five-Vision Universal Observer—could I ask you to bring Night Raid back here?"
"Of course, no problem!" Yoshinon said, patting her chest proudly.
"In that case, there's no time to waste. Yoshino and I will set off right away."
Imperial Capital – Outer City
Esdeath flung open the side door to the guard station with a bang. Her eyes quickly scanned the room.
In an instant, she spotted Yoshino sitting calmly in a chair.
"As expected of my dear sister—you came back safe and sound!"
The tension in Esdeath face melted into a bright smile. She strode forward and wrapped Yoshino in a massive hug.
"I'm so glad you're back. Please don't go off with strangers without telling me again, okay?"
After receiving the news of Yoshino disappearance, Esdeath didn't immediately return to the Imperial Capital to inquire about the details.
However, their enemies—Night Raid—disappeared after seemingly completing their one and only mission.
Although she wasn't afraid of Night Raid's combat strength, Esdeath had to admit that their stealth abilities were truly top-notch.
Once they disappeared into the shadows again, even she couldn't find a trace of them.
So, with her mission target gone, Esdeath returned to the Capital and joined the search operation for Yoshino.
To say she "joined" was a bit of an overstatement—her contribution to the search effort was merely a drop in the bucket.
A large number of search personnel had already been dispatched. One more or one less wouldn't make much of a difference.
Even though she believed the Revolutionary Army probably wouldn't kill Yoshino—and the most likely scenario was that they were using her as leverage against herself—Esdeath, who outwardly remained calm, still felt somewhat anxious inside.
After all, anything could happen.
If something unexpected occurred and led to Yoshino being killed, that was entirely within the realm of possibility.
Now that the missing Yoshino had finally reappeared in the Capital, the weight in Esdeath heart finally dropped.
When the gate guards of the Capital saw Yoshino, they immediately launched a protection protocol and sent someone to notify Esdeath.
And upon receiving the news, Esdeath rushed over right away.
"Yahaha, sorry, sorry for making Miss Esdeath worry," Yoshinon said with her usual carefree attitude. "Thanks to you sending Tatsumi, both I and Yoshino were rescued. Otherwise, who knows how long we would've been deceived."
"Tatsumi?"
Esdeath was stunned for a moment, then turned her gaze to the side.
The boy she had sent out to help find Yoshino was now standing right beside her. She had just been so overwhelmed with emotion that she hadn't noticed him.
When Esdeath had first returned to the Capital, she asked the search team leader whether a boy named Tatsumi had come to report in.
But the leader told her no such person had shown up.
Esdeath had assumed that perhaps he had encountered some kind of accident along the way, but now it seemed that, for some reason, he had found the kidnapped Yoshino and the Revolutionary Army members en route and rescued her directly.
"Thank you."
Esdeath patted his shoulder in encouragement and said, "You're quite capable. This rescue operation is a major contribution. If there's anything you want, just tell me—I'll make it happen, even if it's outside my authority."
"You're too kind, General," Tatsumi responded modestly. "Yoshino is a fellow villager of mine. Rescuing her was also my own wish."
After returning to Night Raid's base, Yoshino brought all the members except Tatsumi to see Najenda.
After briefly explaining the situation, no one raised any objections.
Everyone agreed that this was the best course of action.
As for Tatsumi, he stayed behind.
It wasn't because he was the weakest member of Night Raid, but because Yoshino needed a reason to return to the Capital.
Though saying "she noticed something was wrong and escaped on her own" would have been acceptable, the explanation "Tatsumi rescued her, and she discovered she had been kidnapped, so they escaped together" clearly sounded more logical.
Sure enough, Esdeath didn't suspect a thing.
"Heh, not bad—humble and composed. You've got potential," Esdeath said, her eyes gleaming with even more appreciation. "Take your time thinking about the reward you want—you don't have to answer right now. I want to spend some time talking with Yoshino. The rest of you can leave."
Upon hearing this, Tatsumi and the guards in the room all exited.
However, they had barely left when a heavily armored man pushed open the door and walked in.
Esdeath frowned and was just about to scold the intruder when she realized it was none other than Budo, the Empire's other Great General who was on par with her.
"His Majesty has heard that Miss Yoshino has returned safely to the city. He wishes to invite her to the palace for a meeting," Budo said, casting only a brief glance at Esdeath as he took out the imperial decree. It was clear he wasn't particularly fond of her.
Seeing this, Esdeath simply sneered.
The little brat was quite impatient.
She had only just arrived, and the Emperor immediately sent someone to fetch Yoshino.
However, Yoshino was her little sister—just recently rescued from the hands of villains—and was surely still shaken.
Under these circumstances, of course she would choose to spend time with her dependable sister rather than go see some brat Emperor.
Just as Esdeath was about to tell Budo to get lost and come back tomorrow—after the sisters had their heartfelt reunion—Yoshino suddenly jumped off her chair.
"Yo... Yoshino?"
Esdeath looked dumbfounded as she saw Yoshino walk up to Budo's side. She instinctively raised her hand to stop her and asked, "Where are you going? Your sister is right here."
"Miss Esdeath, I'm sorry," Yoshinon said apologetically, waving her hand. "But Yoshino and I need to meet with His Majesty first."
"Whatever you want to say, we can talk after Yoshino gets back!"