Chapter 144: Would You Be Willing to Leave the Empire and Wander the Ends of the Earth with Me?

“We must win her over. If Esdeath, the Minister, or the Young Emperor manage to sway her first, our revolutionary army’s uprising will be doomed to fail,” Najehitan said firmly.

“No need to worry. Whenever you meet her, just mention that you know the head maid Sakuya Izayoi and the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Remilia. She shouldn’t dare to attack then.”

“Gensokyo really is a wondrous place. But who exactly are this head maid and Remilia? If we don’t understand them, won’t we be exposed?” Chelsea was very sensitive to this point. Since she needed to transform, she had to first know the appearance, personality, and characteristics of the person she was to impersonate.

“The head maid is a human, but a special kind with unique powers—she can manipulate time.”

“Time?” Labock’s eyes widened.

“Yes, she can stop time. During that moment, only she can move. That’s why she alone can clean the vast Scarlet Devil Mansion spotless. When you fight her, you never know where she’ll appear next—in the blink of an eye, you might find yourself surrounded by hundreds or thousands of flying knives.”

“As for her mistress, Remilia is a vampire over five hundred years old. Vampires cannot touch sunlight or water. She enjoys drinking human blood, especially when mixed into black tea. She looks like a little girl about ten years old…”

Why does this world keep telling stories about Gensokyo?

“That’s enough about Gensokyo. They have almost no contact with your world. Just figure out how to get close to Remilia and win her over. Lastly, the Young Emperor seems to have designs on Remilia as well. I don’t know if it’s because of Gensokyo or other reasons, but it’s best to act quickly.”

“This intelligence is crucial. Let’s discuss it further.”

...

“You’re finally awake. I’ve been holding you for a long time, but you didn’t react,” Esdeath said, having quietly eased the ice that had frozen his hands and feet, before embracing Chi’s body from behind.

“What do you want?” Chi, just returned, couldn’t help but ask loudly.

“I don’t really know what I want, so tonight I’ll just sleep holding you. Although your smile moves my heart, your shy expression is also very cute,” Esdeath said, smiling sweetly like a young girl clutching a teddy bear.

A young heart always stirs. Although Chi constantly reminded himself not to betray Black Cat, knowing Esdeath was an enemy, he couldn’t deny that Esdeath’s unique charm made his heart race a little.

...

“Esdeath, do you truly like me? Would you change for me? Leave the Empire and travel elsewhere with me,” Chi spoke up.

“No. I want you to stay here, with me forever,” Esdeath rejected strongly.

“Sigh, I thought so,” Chi fell silent again, saying nothing more.

“Then why couldn’t Kaiten stay for me? We get along well. In the Empire, you never lack food or clothing. With me by your side, you wouldn’t be bored even for a night. Why can’t you stay?” Esdeath caressed Chi’s cheek.

“Just as you refuse, I have my own resolve. I will find a chance to run away. You can’t stop me.”

“I don’t believe that in one year, five years, or ten years, you’ll still insist. You belong to me. You can’t escape even if you want to,” Esdeath declared.

...

“Who’s there?” Budd awoke from sleep, sensing someone’s presence and a dangerous aura.

“It’s me. General Budd, you are indeed perceptive,” the Young Emperor said, entering in his dragon robe.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. May I ask why you come to me so late?” Budd knelt on one knee and spoke solemnly.

“It’s like this: I have a matter I need you to handle,” the Young Emperor said gravely, stepping forward.

“Please, Your Majesty, command me.”

“Recently, I began to learn about the Empire’s situation, discovered the current state of affairs. Previously, I was deceived by the ministers, confined within the palace, thinking the world was peaceful and everyone lived and worked in contentment. Knowing the truth now, I deeply regret it.” The Young Emperor turned away and sighed heavenward.

“Your Majesty, please don’t blame yourself. The root cause lies with the ministers. We military commanders cannot interfere in politics, so we are helpless. Now that Your Majesty has taken on the role of a wise ruler, this humble general will naturally obey your orders.”

“Good. The red-haired girl who appeared during the contest held by General Esdeath may very well be a minion of the ministers, and she is powerful. I don’t know what scheme she’s involved in, so I want you to kill her,” the Young Emperor said sternly.

However, to everyone’s surprise, General Budd neither agreed nor refused, but regarded him with a strange look. He stood up and said in a deep voice, “You are not His Majesty. Who are you? An assassin in the night?”

“General Budd, what do you mean? Are you saying you are also a servant of the ministers?” The Young Emperor’s gaze darkened.

“Hmph. Before you, His Majesty personally met with me in his chambers and instructed me to bring back that red-haired girl. But you come at night, ordering me to kill her. How dare you impersonate His Majesty and enter General Budd’s bedroom? Today, I shall detain you and hang you on the high platform as a warning.”

General Budd’s eyes blazed with fury as he raised his hand to strike.

The Young Emperor suddenly laughed, a triumphant and mocking laugh. “Old friend Budd, do you still recognize me?” His body twisted and transformed back into Chi’s form with long black hair.

“It’s you? According to Esdeath’s report, you were beheaded by her. After impersonating His Majesty, you now impersonate someone already dead? Such audacity and foolishness!” General Budd’s fist was already inches from Chi’s face, but Chi did not dodge. Smiling, he extended a finger to block the huge fist.

“This is impossible? Let you taste the wrath of the Thunder God!” Budd shouted angrily. Yet, the lightning that had accompanied him for decades no longer responded.

Only his roar filled the silent room. He stood there, stunned and unsure how to react.

“Surprised? Incredulous? Old friend, we’ve fought twice before, so I’ve long thought of ways to deal with you. As an Imperial Arm wielder, your greatest weakness is that without activating your arm, you are just a strong but ordinary mortal.

Without the protection of lightning, decomposition, even in a room filled with anesthetic gas, you remain completely oblivious.”

(Today is the final day, and all debts have been settled. Now I can finally get a good night's sleep. The story is entering its last and most intense phase. I hope my writing conveys it accurately.)