"...So, the entire Obelger Assassination Team has been wiped out?"
Inside the tightly guarded central tent of the military camp, shrouded in smoke, Najenda sat expressionless as she spoke.
Though the tent was brightly lit, and the scent of roasted animal at filled the air, Najenda felt no warmth, nor did she have any appetite. Instead, a chilling sensation crept up her spine and into her scalp.
Across from her, a Revolutionary Army liaison officer, wearing a tallic mask, spoke urgently: "Yes, the leader received the news and imdiately sent us to inform you... General Najenda, you need to prepare quickly!"
"What is going on? Didn’t you say everything was foolproof? How could they all end up being wiped out?!"
"You didn’t follow through on our agreent to eliminate the Imperial assassination unit! Now I’m in a very precarious position! The defense forces in the White Wolf River area were under my command before. Why did they remain passive? With the Imperial Assassination Unit’s capabilities, they could easily trace the forged military orders I gave you!"
"Very soon, I’ll be exposed... No, no, they may already be on their way to arrest ! And right now, the army’s preparations for the uprising aren’t even ready..."
Najenda crushed the cigarette in her hand, tossed it on the ground, and massaged her temples, her tone growing agitated.
Even with her usual composure, Najenda couldn’t help but feel the urge to curse. An uprising, after all, wasn’t child’s play—it was treason, sothing that could cost her and her entire family their lives!
To be honest, Najenda was starting to regret it. She had acted impulsively... Even if she was dissatisfied with the Empire and wanted to rebel, she needed more ti to prepare.
But it was too late now. The forged military orders had already been issued, and the Imperial Assassination Unit had suffered heavy losses because of them. Whether or not she was fully prepared, she had no choice but to push forward with the rebellion.
Crack!
Najenda crushed the cigarette case in her hand, glaring furiously at the Revolutionary Army liaison officer.
A bunch of useless idiots!
The Revolutionary Army used to be ticulous in their operations, but after their headquarters were destroyed and rebuilt, they’d beco reckless... No planning at all?
Could it be that the leadership was completely wiped out by Selene’s attack last ti? Or was there so other reason, perhaps to force into a quick defection?
At that mont, countless thoughts raced through Najenda’s mind. Little did she know, this was simply the Revolutionary Army’s poor operational skills. Previously, they had relied heavily on a divination-type Teigu to avoid the Empire’s suppression and grow stronger.
Now that Selene had destroyed the divination-type Teigu, the Revolutionary Army had to operate on their own instincts. Without proper training, their blunders were to be expected.
"Then we have no choice but to rebel earlier than planned..." the masked officer suggested to Najenda.
Suddenly, there was a rhythmic knock from beneath the wooden screen on the floor.
"That rhythm—it’s soone from headquarters..." The masked officer walked over to the hidden entrance under the wooden panel.
After exchanging a series of coded ssages, the disguised wooden panel was lifted, and several Revolutionary Army mbers, all wearing black robes and tallic masks like the liaison, entered the tent.
One of them, the smallest and shortest among them, caught Najenda’s attention. She frowned, "A child? Why is the Revolutionary Army sending a child for such dangerous work?"
"No, I volunteered..." The small Revolutionary Army mber, hearing the displeasure in Najenda’s voice, was the first to remove her mask and hood, revealing her tea-red hair. It was none other than Chelsea.
"In these cruel tis... there’s no difference between children and adults." Brushing her tea-red hair aside, Chelsea extended her right hand with a serious expression and said, "General Najenda, a pleasure to et you. I’m Chelsea..."
"...The sole survivor of the mission to eliminate the Imperial Assassination Unit at White Wolf River."
"What?" Hearing this, Najenda dropped her cigarette, stood up abruptly, and asked urgently, "Tell what happened at White Wolf River!"
...
"That’s how it happened. We were about to complete the mission, but Goziqi escaped to the northern province and brought reinforcents... Given the destructive power, I suspect Selene herself intervened!"
Since Chelsea hadn’t been near the front lines and wasn’t aware of Alisa’s existence, her conclusions were purely speculative. Based on the damage caused to the forest, the only figure she could think of was Selene.
"I see... If it was General Selene, then it’s no surprise that everyone was wiped out..." Najenda, looking fatigued, sat back down in her chair with a resigned expression.
"If I start the rebellion now, is there a chance Selene herself would co to suppress ?"
"Impossible!" Chelsea answered confidently. "According to the latest intelligence from our sources, Selene has already issued a war mobilization order. Judging by the scale of the troop movents, she’s preparing for a full-scale war against the northern barbarians."
"And based on the timing of the ssages we received, she issued the order about a day and a half ago."
The so-called ssage delivery involved advanced flying creatures, an upgraded version of carrier pigeons. These dangerous species could deliver information much faster.
"Judging from our dear General’s previous actions, her goal is obvious—she wants more slaves. Over the past few years, during the construction of her grand palaces, how many people have been worked to death? She must be facing a shortage of labor..."
"So, I predict she won’t have ti to deal with us for a while," Chelsea added scornfully.
Chelsea had always harbored a deep disdain for the Empire’s nobility, and naturally, she viewed a major aristocrat like Selene with hostility.
In recent years, Selene’s ruthless exploitation and enslavent of prisoners and foreign tribes had indeed been harsh. In fact, many residents near the border had ford specialized slaver teams, inspired by her influence.
The slave trade had bood, with foreign captives being exchanged for goods and money.
To the border residents, this was a welco developnt. They had long fought against foreign tribes for survival, holding deep grudges. Capturing slaves wasn’t just acceptable—it was seen as justice.
As for whether Selene’s actions improved the lives of Imperial citizens, Chelsea didn’t care. All she saw was a slave-owning tyrant, oppressing others. Selene was the enemy, and she had to be overthrown!
Once soone looks through a biased lens, everything they see is distorted.
"That’s good..."
As long as Selene didn’t co personally, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. As for Budo, the other figure often called one of the Empire’s strongest, Najenda was even less concerned. That old man wouldn’t leave the Imperial Palace easily.
Najenda had already considered defecting to the Revolutionary Army. Even though she wasn’t fully prepared and hadn’t accumulated enough resources, the risk of exposure was too high, so...
With that in mind, Najenda made up her mind. "I agree. Let’s start the rebellion early."
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