On the other side, in the southern province of the Empire.
The rain had passed, and the sky was vast and boundless.
Under the azure heavens, the breeze was refreshing and gentle. White clouds, bathed in the sunlight, glead with golden halos.
Nourished by the rain, the green earth was now full of life. This kind of gentle rainfall was nothing short of a blessing from nature for the farrs.
However, the muddy roads left behind after the rain made large-scale military marches extrely arduous.
"Keep up!! Don’t fall behind!" A sudden, thunderous shout rang out across the wilderness, startling the small animals that scattered in all directions.
As the perspective zood in, an Imperial army... no, judging by their marching style and the differences in their uniforms, it was clear that these were two distinct armies under different commanders.
However, they had one thing in common: both were slowly advancing on the muddy road.
At the forefront were two female generals of the Empire, draped in white officer uniforms—one with a neat single-braided ponytail of white hair, and the other with long, ice-blue hair cascading down to her hips.
These two were none other than Esdeath and Najenda, who had just suppressed the rebellion of the southwestern tribes and were now heading south to quell the unrest in the Empire’s southern borderlands.
"Sigh, this is so boring. Last ti, the General pretty much broke the spines of those tribesn. This war... no, this isn’t even a war, just an ard parade. I hope these southern rebels can give a bit more fun," Esdeath remarked with a bored expression as she rode, surrounded by her cavalry.
As she spoke, Esdeath turned her gaze toward Najenda, riding beside her. "General Najenda, you don’t seem to be in a very good mood."
"...." Although Najenda was riding alongside Esdeath, her eyes were fixed ahead, her brow furrowed, and she was clearly distracted.
"Hmm, maybe so... about the southwestern tribes, I feel—"
At that mont, "Report—!"
"Hm?" ×2
A squad of ssengers, each with a small flag on their back, swiftly approached. After spotting Esdeath and Najenda, the lead ssenger dismounted and presented the orders. "Generals, these are orders from the Imperial capital!"
After handing over the orders and saluting, the ssenger quickly mounted his horse and departed.
"... The Western Kingdom has invaded. Esdeath’s forces are ordered to proceed imdiately to the western border. Najenda’s forces are to continue south as planned..." After quickly scanning the orders, Esdeath, now filled with excitent, loudly commanded, "Daidara, Nyau! Order the troops—reverse the columns! Front becos rear, rear becos front! We march westward!"
"Yes!" responded the hulking Daidara and the delicate Nyau in unison.
"Well then, General Najenda, until we et again. I look forward to our next cooperation." With that, Esdeath spurred her horse and rode off.
"Until we et again..." Najenda murmured with a complex expression, watching Esdeath’s joy at the prospect of battle.
Esdeath’s army, having undergone rigorous training and experience in battle, quickly reorganized and began their march back the way they ca.
And so, Najenda continued southward with her forces, eventually reaching a southern town.
Seeing that night was approaching, Najenda gave orders to her adjutant: "Set up camp here, and make sure the soldiers don’t disturb the locals. We’ll resu our march at first light tomorrow."
"Yes, ma’am!"
"..." Remaining on horseback, Najenda couldn’t help but feel a bit downcast.
Though she was a general of the Empire and had the necessary ruthlessness for war, compared to Selene, Esdeath, Budo, Leiva... even most Imperial soldiers, Najenda was far too kind.
In the Empire’s army, filled with hardened killers, finding a "saint" like her was truly rare.
Whether it was the desperate peasants who had risen in rebellion, or the ethnic minorities resisting Imperial rule, Najenda harbored a certain degree of sympathy for them.
To put it in perspective, the current Empire was like the brutal Warring States period, where power and domination were all that mattered, while Najenda’s ideals resembled the "gentleman’s warfare" of the Spring and Autumn period—imbued with a touch of romanticism and principles.
Images of Esdeath’s cruel thods against the rebellious tribes surfaced in her mind, along with the ways she dealt with prisoners. The thought sent a shiver down Najenda’s spine.
She couldn’t bear the actions of the Empire’s high-ranking officials who issued such orders to make an example of the rebels, nor the soldiers who carried out these commands without hesitation and with sadistic pleasure.
After issuing her commands, a sense of irritation gnawed at her, prompting Najenda to take a walk in the town to clear her mind.
But what she saw along the way only deepened her gloom and intensified her dissatisfaction with the Empire.
Entering the town, she saw many poor people, barely clothed, sitting by the roadside. Their movents varied, but they all shared one trait—they looked malnourished, their faces gaunt and sickly.
Nearby, there were a few better-dressed individuals, likely rchants or stewards of the nobility.
These n were haggling with the poor, who were holding the hands of frail children. The children’s innocent eyes looked up at the people who were about to purchase them, unaware of what fate awaited them.
The transaction seed successful. The poor parents, with expressions of sorrow mixed with faint relief, took a small pouch of coins, said a few words of thanks, and then let go of their children before walking away.
Najenda watched the scene unfold, understanding all too well what was happening.
This damned world!
She cursed under her breath. Aside from a few exceptions, most parents would never sell their "precious children" unless they had no other choice. It was a result of the cruel tis, where they could no longer afford to feed their own offspring.
Watching the wealthy rchants chat happily after sealing the deal, Najenda’s face darkened. Her hands clenched into fists, and veins bulged on the back of her hands.
Since Honest had co to power, corruption, bribery, and the selling of official titles had beco the norm. The people were starving, living in desperate conditions, unable to even feed their children...
Was there any hope left for this Empire?
Rage welled up within Najenda, and she barely held back the urge to act when suddenly...
"Who’s there!"
Sensing a presence swiftly approaching, Najenda beca imdiately alert.
At that mont, an old voice spoke softly into her ear, "Don’t be alard. Do you want to save these children? If so, follow ."
When had such a skilled person appeared in this small town? As a sniper, Najenda couldn’t believe soone had gotten this close to her without being noticed. This shouldn’t have happened.
Still, the figure’s attire seed vaguely familiar to her.
After a brief mont of weighing the pros and cons, Najenda gave the mysterious person a quick glance and decided to follow.
It wasn’t long before she followed the stranger into a small inn. The room was a standard one, suggesting the person was only staying temporarily.
"Let’s get to the point. What do the mbers of the Oarburgh Assassination Society want?" Najenda asked directly.
"No need to rush..." The figure lifted her hood, revealing an elderly woman with a strong build. She was none other than Babara Oarburgh, of the Revolutionary Army’s Oberberg Assassination Society.
"Allow to introduce myself. My na is Babara Oarburgh, and I hold so standing within the assassination society to which I belong," Babara said as she poured water for Najenda. "It’s an honor to finally et one of the Empire’s youngest generals."
"Is that so? Well, I’m honored to et a high-ranking figure of the southern rebellion’s assassination unit." On the way, Najenda had been recalling the nas of notable rebels with bounties on their heads. Although technically enemies, she was well aware of Babara’s identity.
"Aren’t you afraid I’ll capture you and bring you in? You know the bounty the General has placed on your head hasn’t been revoked," Najenda said, gesturing toward the door.
"You knew who I was and still followed , which shows that your loyalty to the Empire is waning."
"I’m not here to chat idly. My loyalty to the Empire is none of your business. I’m only interested in what you said earlier. How do you plan to save them?"
"Don’t be hasty." Babara walked to the door and called out loudly, "Daniel! Co out, no need to eavesdrop!"
"Master, are you sure she can be trusted?" A mont later, a young woman with her hair tied in a ponytail approached Babara and asked quietly.
"Don’t be rude, Taeko. General Najenda is one of the few people in the Empire who still has a conscience. She’s trustworthy..." Babara said, pushing open the door.
"No need to flatter ," Najenda replied, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. She took a long, hard drag.
Due to the constant ntal strain she had been under, Najenda, who normally didn’t smoke, had developed a nicotine habit.
"General Najenda, do you really believe that simply saving these children will solve the problem?" Daniel asked mockingly as he closed the door.
"Even if you save them, you’ll only be saving the children of this town. There are many other places in the Empire where the sa situation exists."
"You might save them today, but once you leave, the buying and selling will continue. Or is it that you just want to soothe your own conscience by saving those in front of you?"
"...." Najenda wanted to argue but found herself unable to respond.
Lowering her head in thought, Najenda had to admit that she had only been trying to ease her own conscience. She had no power to save all the unfortunate children in the Empire.
After a mont of contemplation, Najenda, an experienced general, quickly composed herself and asked in a steady voice, "Alright, tell . What do you propose? Why have you co?"
"You’ve been watching for a long ti, and you specifically waited until Esdeath was gone to approach . You’re not here just for a casual chat, are you?"
Seeing that Najenda was willing to listen, Daniel smiled and continued, "Like you, we want to rescue the people suffering in this corrupt Empire and give those children a better future."
"And the root cause of all this tragedy lies with the Empire itself! That’s why we joined the Revolutionary Army—to overthrow this rotten Empire."
On the surface, Daniel’s words sounded righteous and full of conviction.
But Najenda was no fool. She wasn’t about to be swayed by a few lofty speeches. "Hmph... don’t make laugh. You’re just a bunch of assassins drenched in blood. Do you really think you’re worthy of saying such things?"
"You..."
Holding Taeko back, Babara smirked and said, "Enough, Daniel. We assassins who dwell in the shadows should leave the finer points of idealism to the Revolutionary Army’s leadership."
"Leadership?" Catching the key word, Najenda stubbed out her cigarette and asked seriously, "I thought your headquarters and leaders were all wiped out by the General?"
"They were, but that doesn’t an we can’t rebuild... In fact, we owe a lot to Minister Honest. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have recovered so quickly..." Daniel replied with a wry smile.
"....." Najenda had no retort to this. His words struck a chord with her. The Empire had indeed been torn apart by Honest’s mismanagent. Even the few veteran generals who supported her had been frad with baseless accusations and denied peace in their old age.
At that mont, a tall, burly, bald man stepped into the room. "General Najenda... long ti no see."
Hearing the familiar, aged voice, Najenda was shocked. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "General Marcus?! Why... why have you beco like this?"
Sensing Najenda’s hesitation, Daniel added fuel to the fire.
"Several of the Empire’s veteran generals have recently been imprisoned under ridiculous charges. While the Revolutionary Army is in need of talented people, the Empire is wasting theirs... Isn’t that interesting?"
...
Imperial Capital, Upper District, Habsburg Ducal Estate.
Leaving aside Najenda’s current dilemma and ignoring Honest’s inner grievances, Selene was in a great mood. It was her annual vacation ti again.
Since returning to her fiefdom for a break in 1019 of the Imperial Calendar, Selene had made it a tradition to return to her estate for a period each year.
Under Sebas’s guidance—an "architectural master" with a love for grand projects—Selene wasn’t sure how well industrial developnt was progressing in the north of the Empire, but construction was certainly booming, with the majority of the workforce being employed as builders.
"Miss... I have conveyed your refusal to Minister Honest as per your instructions," Leiva reported. He no longer had any respect for the head of the Empire’s civil officials, Honest.
"Good. How did Honest react?" Selene asked while signing so docunts at her desk.
"... Miss, I have recorded all of Honest’s communications over the past two days." Leiva smiled slightly as he handed over a report.
"Excellent. Just set it aside for now. There’s sothing more important at hand." Selene put down her pen and pointed to the empty space on her desk before standing up.
"Leiva, do you rember the embryo I asked you to protect for a while?"
"Miss, do you an..."
"That’s right, Leiva. Our new companion is about to be born."
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