Harboring malicious desires, Aria instructed her servants to drive her away from the street.
Too many commoners gathered, and even the air became murky.
Besides, there were too many people, and what if those commoners took a liking to her newly bought earrings?
One earring alone cost 2.3 million!
At the same time.
On the other side.
The commotion at the city gate also attracted the Imperial Capital's security forces.
They had originally intended to disperse the commoners, but after hearing that General Esdeath had returned, they didn't dare to move recklessly.
After all, everyone knew that unlike those nobles who didn't interact with commoners, Esdeath would always stroll through the commoners' streets whenever she rested in the Imperial Capital after a triumphant return.
"A miscalculation. I didn't expect your popularity, Esdeath, to be so high."
Rosen looked at the "107" layers of crowds surrounding them.
No one else in the entire Empire could replicate the current scene.
"Will we be discovered like this?"
Saeko Busujima was a bit worried.
"If we're discovered, then we'll just have to act sooner."
"Huh? Are we going to fight so soon?"
Marcille clutched the staff in her arms, simultaneously praying in her heart that the upcoming battle would proceed more smoothly.
"But it's fine this way. At least the commoners of the Imperial Capital will know who has returned."
Rosen wasn't too worried.
Anyway, the final outcome was Esdeath ascending to the throne and becoming empress.
Everything they were doing now was paving the way for that outcome.
Otherwise, after they finished their work, the commoners would still be confused and wouldn't know who killed Minister Honest.
And from the current situation, it wouldn't be long before the entire Imperial Capital knew about Esdeath's return.
Then, even if they killed the Minister, the outcome wouldn't be so abrupt.
Hearing Rosen say this, Marcille and Saeko Busujima also felt relieved.
Esdeath was busy interacting with the commoners.
Looking at the light in the eyes of these poor people, something she had never understood before suddenly became clear at this moment, and she also understood why those people in the chat group insisted on convincing her to kill Minister Honest.
"It's truly hard to imagine. The Imperial Capital on the surface doesn't look at all like what I imagined before I came."
After watching the anime, Marcille had imagined the Imperial Capital's streets to be deserted, with few visitors, and everyone's faces filled with negative emotions.
But the actual situation was completely opposite.
"It's normal for the surface to be prosperous. After all, only the commoners at the bottom truly suffer, while those with a little power live very comfortably, especially many nobles and wealthy merchants, who play very wild in private."
The anime plot actually didn't show much of the nobles' oppression of commoners.
However, it was very clear in the manga.
For example, in an extra chapter, three girls who had just arrived in the Imperial Capital from the countryside were spotted by traffickers disguised as good people not long after they started wandering around.
After getting into a carriage in a daze, they were taken to a manor owned by wealthy merchants and nobles.
Then they were brutally tortured.
Including but not limited to bestiality, breaking bones, gouging eyes, etc.
If they died, they were directly thrown into a mass grave, and if they were still alive, they were sold to brothels to continue squeezing out their remaining value.
The anime plot showed it slightly better.
However, before the original male protagonist, Tatsumi, arrived, two companions, a man and a woman, had already arrived in the Imperial Capital ahead of him, and then were lured by nobles and suffered torture, dying tragically.
And even if such matters were reported to the authorities, they would turn a blind eye.
Moreover, at this time, the security officers would even deliberately come to demand hush money.
Under the circumstances of official collusion, only the powerless commoners suffered.
Because of this.
Night Raid came into being.
They accepted commissions to assassinate those who committed crimes.
"Why are those nobles so hateful!"
Just hearing some of Rosen's abridged stories, the brutal acts of the Imperial Capital's nobles sparked intense anger in Saeko Busujima and Marcille.
Saeko Busujima felt her desire to kill becoming uncontrollable again.
"To destroy something, you must first make it crazy. Those nobles got bored of normal ways of playing, so they wanted something more exciting, because people's satisfaction threshold constantly rises."
Rosen used to be incredibly happy playing Contra as a child, but now he finds AAA games boring.
"Oh, someone's already here."
Rosen raised his eyes and saw a troop of soldiers on horseback approaching from the front of the crowd.
The crowd dispersed, and the leading general knelt down to greet Esdeath.
"Esdeath-sama, the Emperor is already waiting for you in the court."
Inside and outside the Imperial Capital, Minister Honest's informants were everywhere.
Although not much time had passed, someone had already conveyed the message to Minister Honest.
Because Esdeath's identity was special, it was impossible not to deal with her cautiously.
Moreover... Rosen and the other two women accompanying Esdeath were also very suspicious.
In short, to dispel his doubts, Minister Honest had the young Emperor summon Esdeath.
If there was a situation, he could just ask directly.
Of course, Budo would also be summoned simultaneously.
After all, currently, only Budo could restrain Esdeath in the entire Imperial Capital; with him present, Minister Honest didn't have to worry too much about safety.
Although Budo also disliked him, he was an old fuddy-duddy, and as a general, he swore he would never interfere in court affairs.
This was also the main reason why Minister Honest had been able to act tyrannically for many years.
Soon after.
Everyone boarded a carriage, passed through layers of guards, successfully entered the Imperial Capital, and then disembarked in front of the court, walking to the interior of the court where the Emperor was.
"When the fighting starts later, you two stay by my side and don't go anywhere."
Rosen whispered.
The two women quietly assented.
Soon.
The majestic palace came into view.
The corridors on both sides were lined with heavily armored soldiers, their expressions serious.
When they saw Esdeath, their eyes were full of respect.
However, before entering, they stopped Rosen and the others.
"Move aside. They are with me. If the Emperor blames anyone, I will bear it alone."
Esdeath's voice was cold.
Hearing this, the guards dared not obstruct and immediately let them pass.
Inside the court.
Even using all luxurious words to describe its splendor would not be an exaggeration.
However, despite the vast space, not many people were present.
The little boy on the throne, a fat old man in a coat eating raw meat, and a middle-aged muscular man with hair like lightning, eyes closed in meditation.
"Let's do it."