The little girl died.
Those nobles who took pleasure in killing also t their end.
For such scum, Selene found it beneath her to dirty her hands by killing them herself. Upon returning, she simply gave a subtle hint to Honest.
The next day, the nobles who had participated in that "hunting" banquet were imprisoned for various reasons, and their estates were confiscated.
As for their fate, now that they were in Honest’s hands, they were probably unrecognizable by now. His response to Selene was simply: "They have disappeared forever."
This world was even more governed by the law of the jungle than Selene had initially thought. Particularly now that the Empire was showing signs of decline, this principle applied to everything.
The common people were weak, so they were oppressed by the nobility. The foreign tribes were weak, so they submitted to the Empire. It all seed only natural.
The foundation of a country, and the clothes and food of a noble, all depended on the common people. In the ancient tis of Selene’s previous world, there was a famous saying: "The ruler is the boat; the people are the water. Water can carry a boat, and water can overturn a boat."
But in this world, where there exist beings with superhuman abilities, the gap between people’s strengths is so vast that this country... no, the entire world, is dominated by a culture of power.
As for infamy? Who cares? The victor has everything—this is the fundantal truth in a world that worships strength!
And not to ntion, in this world, there are "Teigu," the ultimate cheats!
Since a single Teigu user can repel an entire army, the importance of the "people" diminishes.
After all, if you rebel and lead an army of ten thousand against , but I can send just one Teigu user to wipe you out, then I only need to win over that Teigu user. As for everyone else? Ha...
After returning, Esdeath seed even more resolute in her worldview. She didn’t want to be powerless like that little girl, soone who could only beco another’s plaything. She wanted to beco strong—strong enough to control her own destiny!
...
Imperial Capital Guard New Recruit Camp.
Another round of eliminations was about to begin, where soldiers who couldn’t adapt to the high-intensity training of the Imperial Guard would be transferred to other, lesser units.
In turn, new recruits were set to join Selene’s camp.
"Pack up your things, go get your new gear, and change into your uniforms. Training will start imdiately."
"More sweat in training ans less blood on the battlefield."
"Rember! Apart from designated sparring matches, private fights are strictly prohibited in the military. Anyone caught will be beheaded!"
A sergeant leading the new recruits shook his head at the disorganized appearance of the new recruits. After giving a few instructions, he left.
Every ti new recruits entered the camp, it was always chaotic—even in the Imperial Capital Guard. Turning these peasants, who relied solely on brute courage, into a disciplined and obedient army was no simple task.
But there was plenty of ti to train them!
After the sergeant left, the recruits couldn’t help but start chatting.
"Hey, did you hear? Our camp commander is a woman."
"Why do you care? It’s not like she’ll take a fancy to you."
"You wanna fight?"
"Co on, who’s afraid... Hmm? What are they doing?"
"It looks like they’re getting ready to move out?"
...
While the new recruits were busy chatting, the "veterans" who had completed a month of training and passed the selection process began assembling their units, preparing to march out.
"You’re not upset that I pulled you out of the Imperial Capital Police Force, are you?"
"I wouldn’t dare. An order from above—I wouldn’t dare disobey," replied a tall, muscular man with a yellow face and clad in the standard officer’s uniform of the Imperial Guard.
He was none other than the yellow-faced brute responsible for registration at the Imperial Arena—Gensa.
Tch, there’s still so resentnt there, huh? But it’s understandable—being pulled out from such a cushy position...
"Alright, let’s not dwell on that for now. Here’s a military order from the Ministry of War, tasking our unit to clear out the bandits near the southern station road of the Imperial Capital within seven days." Selene handed the military order to Gensa.
"You’ll lead the team. This should be right up your alley."
"Yes." As an old hand with years of experience in the Imperial Capital Police Force, this kind of bandit-clearing mission was child’s play for Gensa.
Watching Gensa swiftly set about carrying out her orders, Selene was quite pleased. He was a capable tool... uh, subordinate.
However, Honest sure acted quickly. This mission was a convenient way to earn so rit. According to him, once Selene completed the bandit-clearing mission, he would work to have her promoted and transferred out of the recruit camp, directly leading troops to suppress rebellions across the land.
Honest really was her "lucky star."
"Esdeath, do you want to co along?"
"Yes," Esdeath replied, dressed in a standard recruit’s uniform and brimming with fighting spirit.
...
In the blink of an eye, the "veterans" whom Selene had trained for over a month had assembled, ready to march out and eliminate the bandits.
On the road leading from the Imperial Capital to the southern station, the surroundings were lush and green, with towering mountains and rocky outcrops creating a majestic landscape. The forest beside the road occasionally echoed with the roars of beasts.
The environnt around the Imperial Capital was well-maintained, and if it weren’t for the skeletal remains by the roadside, this journey would be quite scenic, perfect for a leisurely outing.
A beast that resembled a large lizard was crouched by the bones, its barbed tongue licking at the decayed remains still clad in tattered rags.
It was a Level 1 Danger Beast—Earth Dragon.
Suddenly, the Earth Dragon’s ears twitched, and with a sharp whistle through the air, it let out a dying wail and fell to the ground.
A steel spear had pierced straight through its skull.
The clatter of horse hooves echoed on the silent, wide road.
In the distance, a dun-colored horse appeared first, its rider a burly man in the iron-gray uniform of an Imperial Capital Guard officer. He squinted his eyes and slowly retracted his throwing motion, glancing at the skeletal remains on the road before sighing softly.
A rider on a fast horse galloped past the man, and with a flick of his steel spear, he lifted the spear embedded in the Earth Dragon’s skull and caught it in his hand before turning his horse back to the burly officer, grinning, "The officer is mighty—one spear, one kill!"
"And this Earth Dragon looks like it’s in its pri. The at should be tender. We can have sothing different for dinner."
The officer took back his steel spear, glanced at the bones, and said, "Alright, enough about the food. We have a mission to complete. Leave one squad here to bury the bones and send the Earth Dragon at to Commander Selene."
"We’ve identified the bandits’ main base. The rest of you, continue scouting with !" With that, the officer left a squad behind and rode off.
"Yes, sir!"
While lifting the Danger Beast’s corpse, the squad leader noticed one soldier lagging behind. "Hmm? Why aren’t you moving, Uren? Are you scared?"
Uren looked curiously at the calm squad leader and couldn’t help but ask, "Squad Leader, aren’t you afraid we’re about to go into battle?"
No matter how hard he trained or how much he prepared ntally, as a new recruit, Uren couldn’t help but feel the inevitable anxiety before his first real battle.
The squad leader chuckled, "Nothing to be nervous about. You’re lucky—your first battle will only be against a bunch of bandits. It’s not like we’re facing those treacherous Northern tribes... Just think of them as pigs and slaughter them like you would at ho."
"Just like butchering pigs—nothing hard about it."
The squad leader’s words made Uren and the rest of the new recruits laugh, easing the tension.
Not long after, the clanking of tal armor, the neighing of horses, and the steady march of troops filled the air.
Selene rode a pure white warhorse, her body clad in the Imperial Arms "Radiant Knight: [Moonlight]," and gripped the reins with a stern expression.
Behind her, a massive red-gold eagle banner fluttered in the wind, flapping loudly.
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