Infinite Anime Strategy Guide

"What? You've taken a liking to Najenda too?"

After Najenda walked away, Esdeath squinted at Lin Yu, a dangerous glint flashing deep in her eyes.

"Why should a little girl meddle in adults' affairs?"

Lin Yu crossed his arms in front of his chest, pretending to be mature. He was only a few centimeters taller than Esdeath, but he had a condescending attitude, which looked ridiculous no matter how you looked at him.

"A little brat?"

Esdeath wasn't annoyed. She copied Lin Yu and crossed her arms over her chest. Her once flat chest almost ripped open because of this simple movement. Lin Yu clicked his tongue, looked at the button on Esdeath's chest, and thought with a wicked sense of amusement that if that button couldn't hold on, things would get really funny.

"I bet only an old man like you would dare to talk to me like that."

Esdeath's use of the word "uncle" instantly reminded Lin Yu of the Holy Emperor. Why would such a gentle girl always call him "uncle"?

Although having a well-behaved niece wouldn't be bad, Lin Yu preferred nicknames like "Onii-chan".

"I didn't expect it to be several years. I do miss that girl a little."

Because of a title that reminded him of the Holy Emperor, and because of the Holy Emperor that he thought of a dark world of lolis, Lin Yu was completely distracted and couldn't get his attention back.

"It's been a while since we've had a chance to practice. Let's find a place to spar tomorrow."

Lin Yu, whose thoughts were almost out of control, was instantly brought back to his senses by those words. He had just left the Queen aside to think about other girls. Damn it, he was just asking for trouble.

Lin Yu could basically imagine how miserable he would be tomorrow. If Esdeath got angry, she would never hold back. Although his strength had increased significantly over the years, he was growing, but Esdeath was growing too, and Esdeath was growing much faster than him!

Feeling utterly frustrated, Lin Yu obediently followed behind Esdeath. He knew that pleading was useless, so he didn't bother to say anything. Being honest was better than being tortured like a pig during training.

To be honest, he originally didn't want to come to the palace to meet with the ministers, but this time was different. The ministers had specifically asked to see him, and if he refused, even with Esdeath as a shield, it would probably cause a lot of trouble. So Lin Yu still came along.

"It's General Esdeath!"

Esdeath and Lin Yu had just stepped into the main hall when the young emperor personally came to greet them. Najenda, who had arrived earlier, was also already in the hall. Esdeath was no longer the unknown general she had been when she first became a general. In just a few years, almost everyone in the empire knew her name. She was the empire's new strongest woman!

"Oh ho ho ho, General Esdeath, thank you for your hard work on the tomb mission last time. This must be Vice General Lin Yu, right?"

Beside the young emperor, a fat man, as fat as a pig, looked at Lin Yu with a big smile. He was even eating a large piece of meat in his hand, completely disregarding the occasion. He was even chewing while talking to Lin Yu. This man, who gave people the first impression of a fat pig, was actually the culprit behind the suffering of the people in this empire, Minister Ernest!

"I heard that in the last mission, Vice General Lin Yu single-handedly wiped out the entire Tomb Guardian tribe. It would be a waste for someone with that kind of strength to continue serving as a vice general. How about I promote Lin Yu to general, Minister?"

The young emperor was clearly not very familiar with politics. He immediately prepared to promote Lin Yu to general, interrupting Ernest who wanted to say something. He didn't want to see Lin Yu become a general!

"I'd rather not become a general."

Just as Ernest was thinking about how to change the subject, Lin Yu bluntly refused.

"Oh? Becoming a general must be every soldier's dream, right? Why refuse?"

Although Lin Yu's refusal surprised Ernest, he was relieved since Lin Yu had already spoken. After all, according to the information he had, Lin Yu had established a considerable intelligence network under Esdeath's name. He didn't believe that Lin Yu had no ulterior motives. The real reason for calling Lin Yu over was to test him. If Lin Yu's ambitions were too great, he would have no choice but to eliminate him.

There's no need for that.

Lin Yu shook his head, showing no sign of reluctance, as if he didn't care at all whether he was a general or not.

"The only reason I joined the army was to stay by Esdeath's side; whether I became a general or not was completely unimportant."

Lin Yu shrugged, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He was somewhat looking forward to Esdeath's reaction.

"Who told me I fell for this girl?"

The sudden confession stunned not only the ministers and the young emperor, but also Najenda, who had just been confessed to, and Esdeath, who considered herself fearless and had an extremely sadistic personality.

"Although I'm a little embarrassed, I have a strange hobby. When I first met Esdeath, she was just a tiny little thing. I thought to myself, she's got potential. If I could raise her, I'd definitely get a beauty. And look how beautiful General Esdeath is now! And you know what? The process of raising a little girl is really addictive. I still have a cute little girl in the General's mansion. Once you try this, you'll really get hooked!"

Lin Yu continued talking to himself, and Ernest's chubby face, which had been filled with astonishment, became incredibly comical. The little emperor, not quite understanding what Lin Yu meant, was racking his brains, wondering if he should try it himself.

As for Najenda's gaze towards Lin Yu...

Okay, that's absolutely no different from watching a pervert.

"I also want to ask you why you contacted me in the first place."

Esdeath's face was gloomy, and the air around her seemed to grow cold.

"Interesting. They actually dare to raise me as a loli?"

Although she didn't quite understand the specific meaning, just hearing the phrase "raising a loli" was enough to tell her that it was definitely not a good thing. And when she thought about how this guy actually had a loli (black eyes) in his house, Esdeath drew the longsword from her waist.

"It seems necessary to help you understand what's important and what's secondary!"

Even though she was in front of the emperor, Esdeath showed no restraint, looking as if she was ready to fight Lin Yu right there in the hall. Lin Yu was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if he had gone too far. If they really fought, regardless of who would win or lose, his plans would be in jeopardy.

Fortunately, before Lin Yu could be filled with fear for long, a majestic voice, like a thunderclap, came from not far away.

"Who dares to lay a hand on the palace I'm protecting!"

Judging by his height, he must have been over two meters tall. Clad in armor, the incredibly robust General Bude walked over as if he had expected it.

Esdeath glanced at him, but in the end she sheathed her sword. Although she wasn't afraid of Bud, there was no need to fight here. If she wanted to deal with Lin Yu, she could openly and brutally beat him tomorrow. For now, she should save her anger.

"Ahem... It really is... uh... a rather peculiar hobby."

Ernest took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wasn't intimidated by Esdeath's aura; he was simply shocked by Lin Yu's words.

"Raising a loli is my lifelong ideal and pursuit. I've finally waited for Esdeath to grow up, and now all that's left is for her to nod in agreement. So please, please don't ask me to become a general or anything like that!"

Lin Yu's attitude was extremely sincere, but even General Bude, whose face was ashen, twitched. He had been standing guard nearby to prevent any accidents, and he had heard Lin Yu's speech clearly. Even someone like him was a little overwhelmed.

"Uh, since Vice General Lin Yu has such lofty ideals, then I will take back what I said before."

The young emperor originally intended to use "lofty" to describe him, but he just couldn't bring himself to say the word "lofty," so he had to go against his conscience and change it to "great." In order to make it easier to control him, Ernest did instill orthodox ideas in the young emperor, but he only made the young emperor used to relying on him.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."

Lin Yu smiled brightly, but inwardly he was worried: would he really be able to see the sun rise the day after tomorrow?

Yes, this is a serious issue.

As Lin Yu drifted away from the palace, he was so worried that even a pillow couldn't satisfy him. He called out Tina, who had just woken up, and only felt at ease holding Kurohime in one arm and Tina in the other. He was completely unaware that Esdeath was outside the door, her face grim as she considered how many tortures she should inflict on Lin Yu tomorrow...

"He doesn't want to become a general, yet he's building an intelligence network on a massive scale. Is it really just to assist Esdeath?"

After Lin Yu and Esdeath left, Ernest kept thinking about this problem, tearing at the flesh in his hand.

"Well, it's a good thing that he doesn't like power. If the intelligence about him is true, the empire will have another useful dagger."

As far as Ernest is concerned, neither Esdeath nor Lin Yu is a problem as long as they do not hinder his rule. He wants to continue to enjoy everything he has now, so the power to maintain the empire's existence is essential. Although he is the source of all darkness, he is not stupid. If even the safety of the country is not guaranteed, then he will not be able to continue to enjoy it.

"I went through such arduous training at the King of Fighters Temple when I was young so that I could enjoy it for a long time. I can't let those little rats affect me. Now those rebels are no threat. I'm so happy. I hope my weight doesn't keep increasing."

No one could imagine that Minister Ernest, who is almost always carrying meat and is fat and strong, is not as useless as he appears on the surface. Almost all of his actions have their own purpose. Even though he has not fought for so many years, his own strength is by no means to be underestimated. When he reveals his strength, he will probably surprise everyone!

[The minister's strength is quite high in the manga, but he was portrayed as rather weak in the anime at the end. So, I'll use the manga's version here. If you're unfamiliar with it, you should read the manga; it's genuinely much better than the anime. Also, one thing I have to complain about is that Tatsumi ended up transforming into a dragon-type Dangerous Species and marrying Mine. Human-animal romance, isn't it?]

262. Esdeath's Doubts [Part Two]

"Why are you making excuses for Najenda? Have you noticed something?"

Early the next morning, a scrutinizing gaze swept over Lin Yu, a dangerous glint in its eyes—the prelude to Esdeath getting serious.

"What's the big deal? Even if you knew, there's nothing you could do about it. You can't really do anything to her right under that old man's nose, can you?"

Lin Yu had no intention of making excuses for Najenda. Esdeath was no innocent girl who could be easily fooled with a few words. Her current status in the Empire over the years was not only due to her strong strength, but also to her meticulous and sharp mind. Lin Yu did not believe that he could hide anything from her.

"Oh? It seems you've learned some interesting information."

Lin Yu's frankness surprised Esdeath a little. She had thought he would make an excuse for Najenda, but he admitted it so directly.

"As for intelligence, there's nothing special. Najenda's actions are already very secretive. Apart from the two of us, probably no one else knows. We can't convict her based on mere speculation."

Lin Yu shrugged. In the original story, Esdeath led her army to attack Najenda only after Najenda's betrayal. However, for some reason, Lin Yu had an instinctive feeling that if he hadn't stopped her, the situation would have developed very differently from the original story.

Esdeath will most likely kill Najenda once she catches up with her!

Lin Yu didn't know where this feeling came from, but as usual, he chose to trust his intuition, which is why he interfered.

"So what if I can't be convicted?" Esdeath's gaze began to turn amused. "Since when have I needed solid evidence to commit murder?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Esdeath's eyes turned noticeably cold, clearly indicating that she was not joking.

And that is indeed the case. In this corrupt country, Esdeath is the empire's most useful dagger. As long as it does not affect the interests of the ministers, even if Esdeath kills Najenda without any evidence or reason, the ministers will still fabricate a crime to pin on Najenda.

This is the empire now, an empire completely controlled by its ministers!

"I never said anything like that. Esdeath, if you decide what you want to do, even I can't stop you, right? But why did you insist on killing Najenda? Logically speaking, given your personality, you should have let her go, shouldn't you?"

Lin Yu was a bit of a headache. Esdeath had grown up in more ways than just her appearance; her egocentric personality had also intensified. When he was reading the original work, it suited his taste quite well, but in reality, after getting to know her, it was going to be a huge problem. No one could be sure what this sadistic queen was thinking.

Since she deliberately let Najenda go in the original story in order to enjoy the war in the future, it is not incomprehensible that she would kill Najenda directly for some more irrational reason in reality. Lin Yu guessed that the cause of these two outcomes was likely himself, but he couldn't figure out why.

Lin Yu would never believe that Esdeath liked him and wanted to kill him because he took care of Najenda. He hadn't read the original work and wasn't sure, but in the original work, Esdeath was almost always a little woman in front of Tatsumi, which she never showed in front of Lin Yu. Although the bond between the two was deep, it wasn't the kind of romantic relationship between a man and a woman. Lin Yu was aware of that much.

But that's precisely why he couldn't understand it even more.

"Release her? I can't think of a reason to release someone who betrayed the empire!"

Esdeath's answer was quite reasonable, but Lin Yu knew immediately that it was absolutely wrong. If it were for other reasons, it would be fine, but just because she betrayed the Empire, she couldn't be let off the hook.

Lin Yu only wanted to say two words to Esdeath: Bullshit!

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about Najenda for now, let's talk about something else."

Lin Yu didn't dare to voice his true feelings. It was entirely possible that the Queen might suddenly become violent in a fit of anger, so it was best to be cautious.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Esdeath didn't rush to refuse, nor did she intend to kill Najenda so quickly, so she didn't object to Lin Yu's attempt to change the subject.

"Didn't you already confess your feelings in front of the ministers and the young emperor? Why don't you give me an answer?"

Lin Yu had simply made up a random question because he couldn't find a suitable topic. However, to his surprise, Esdeath was stunned by his question.

"Confess? What confession?"

A crisp voice rang out beside the two of them. Little Black Eyes tilted her head, blinked her bright, sparkling eyes, and looked puzzled.

It wasn't until Kurohime spoke up that the two realized they weren't the only ones in the mansion; Kurohime, the big third wheel, was also there, watching intently!

Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!

Esdeath gave Kurohime a cold glance, which made the little girl shrink back in fear. Although they had lived together for so many years, Esdeath had long accepted Kurohime's existence, and the two even had a pretty good relationship. However, this sudden fierceness made Kurohime immediately stop talking. Esdeath's aura was still very strong, and Kurohime, who was just over the age of a loli, could not withstand it.

After glaring at Kurohime, Esdeath turned and walked towards the door, while Lin Yu stared wide-eyed the whole time, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"That Esdeath..."

"She's blushing?"