Because Haruki had focused all his attention on Chelsea's foot, he didn't notice anyone approaching the door.
Given Chelsea's current strength—and her attention being entirely on Haruki—she had even less chance of detecting Esdeath's arrival.
So when Esdeath suddenly kicked the door open, both Haruki and Chelsea froze in place, still locked in the exact position they had been in just before she entered.
The moment Esdeath walked in, she saw Chelsea seated in Haruki's chair, dressed in a peculiar maid outfit, while Haruki crouched before her, holding her foot in his hand.
Esdeath didn't react at first. But after only a moment, she smirked and said something that nearly made Haruki lose it.
"Yo, Haruki. Didn't know you were into this sort of thing."
Not stopping there, Esdeath strolled over to another luxurious sofa next to him, kicked off her tall military boots, and said with a teasing grin,
"Here. Since you like it so much—go ahead and lick."
"Damn it, it's not what you think! I don't have a foot fetish."
Haruki cursed out loud, unable to hold back, and quickly tried to explain.
"You think I'm buying that? Quit pretending."
Esdeath's eyes narrowed as she watched Haruki still cradling Chelsea's dainty foot, occasionally rubbing it. Her expression clearly said, Do you take me for an idiot?
"Alright, here's what actually happened. Esdeath, let me introduce you. This is Chelsea, she's also my woman. She twisted her ankle just now, and I'm helping her massage it. That's all. It's not whatever weird thing you're imagining."
Haruki knew that his actions had caused the misunderstanding, but even so, he didn't let go of Chelsea's foot. To prevent it from swelling, he continued massaging her ankle while talking.
His gesture moved Chelsea deeply. In that moment, all her efforts felt worthwhile. Just this one moment had made everything she'd endured worth it.
"Chelsea, this is Esdeath. You probably didn't know—she's also my woman. So if you were hoping she'd keep me in check, forget about it. Your liberation is still a long way off."
Haruki's playful tone trailed behind them, but Chelsea was already too shocked to respond. Hearing that Esdeath was one of Haruki's women left her speechless. Who could've imagined that the Empire's infamous sadistic queen would be involved with this man?
The woman before her was second only to Great General Budo in rank, and after the recent campaign against the foreign tribes, her reputation might even rival his.
"Hello, Chelsea. I'm Esdeath. I'm curious—why are you embarrassed about the maid outfit? Were you and Haruki playing some kind of fun game?"
Esdeath asked with an innocent curiosity.
"Ah, General Esdeath, you misunderstood. I wasn't with my master…"
Chelsea had always been terrified of Esdeath. That, combined with her innate commanding presence, made Chelsea spill the truth without thinking.
As soon as the word "master" slipped from her mouth, Chelsea knew she'd messed up. She tried to explain, but Esdeath had already turned her gaze toward Haruki.
"Oh? Lord Haruki, looks like you've got some hobbies I didn't know about."
Esdeath asked with a teasing smile.
"Ah, this…"
After playing dumb and dodging around the topic, Haruki managed to steer the conversation elsewhere. Esdeath, for her part, didn't push the subject any further—she had her reasons for dropping it.
"Tell me about the southwest expedition. You took a lot longer than I expected."
Haruki asked.
"It was nothing. I'm still getting used to the Teigu. But with the southwest tribes and the Revolutionary Army forming a joint force, it was the perfect chance to get some practice in. Ending it too quickly would've been boring.
The battle wrapped up a month ago. The foreign rebel army was completely wiped out, and only a small number of the Revolutionary Army managed to escape. I doubt they'll be able to stir up much trouble anytime soon."
Esdeath answered casually, like the entire war had just been a warm-up exercise.
From this conversation, Haruki learned quite a bit.
Just as he'd suspected, Najenda's successful escape had been orchestrated by Esdeath. She had deliberately let her go, hoping to cultivate a worthy opponent. But the same couldn't be said for Najenda's subordinates. In Esdeath's eyes, they didn't even qualify as proper enemies—including one Teigu user among them. They had all been annihilated by her forces.
Esdeath's control over her Teigu had clearly reached a new level. She could now use Mahapadma effortlessly at least three times a day.
And her second large-scale technique, Ice Cavalry—which allowed her to create an entire army out of ice—had also become a weapon she could wield with ease. Just one Ice Cavalry soldier was enough to overwhelm ten regular troops. Compared to before, Esdeath's power had undergone a dramatic leap.
"Oh, and during one of the interrogations, I found out an elite force of around thirty thousand from the allied army went missing. Was that your doing?"
Esdeath suddenly asked.
"Ah, yeah. That was me. I kind of wiped them out by accident."
Haruki replied with a nonchalant shrug.
Chelsea, listening from the side, was absolutely shaken. It sounded like they were talking about toys being crushed, not armies of tens of thousands.
She couldn't help but sigh. With these two around, the Revolutionary Army didn't stand a chance.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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