The Youngest General in the Empire

Seeing their comrade instantly fall to the ground caused quite a stir among the surrounding soldiers.

However...

"Saka, you're useless! You can't even beat a little girl!"

"Saka, get up and keep fighting."

"Saka, get up and fight back!"

The onlookers were all enjoying the show, adding fuel to the fire.

After all, in a desolate place like this, there was almost no other entertainment besides visiting the ladies who offered special services.

They certainly didn't want to miss out on such an interesting event.

"That doesn't count! I was careless, you ambushed me!"

Saka stood up, feeling a burning pain in his back from the fall.

"Hmph, then I'll fight until you admit defeat!"

At this moment, Lilith sidled up to another guard soldier. "Is it really okay for them to be like this?"

Lilith gestured towards Saka and the soldiers who were spectating.

Was this lack of military discipline really acceptable?

Lilith's approach made the guard soldier's heart pound twice before he feigned composure and said, "It's fine, it's not a big deal."

Hearing this, Lilith's mouth twitched. Was this really a regular army?

Lilith looked at the two individuals who, as expected, had once again decided the outcome of their duel in an instant, and then at the soldiers gathered around, cheering them on.

These guys are no different from bandits!

"Get up, Saka!"

"Get up!"

As the victor was decided instantly once more, the crowd's cheers grew louder.

They hadn't expected such a scrawny little girl to be so powerful.

At the same time, they also wanted to see just how strong this little girl was.

However, after being defeated instantly twice in a row, Saka finally understood that Esdeath's strength was far beyond his own.

He didn't foolishly continue challenging Esdeath but returned to his post.

"What are you all gathered here for? Do you have nothing better to do?"

Saka looked at the soldiers with a stern expression, indicating that he still had guard duty and no time to join their antics.

The soldiers sighed and expressed their disdain for Saka.

Then, a soldier approached Esdeath and began asking her questions.

Things like what her name was, where she came from, and why she was here.

Even Lilith found herself surrounded by quite a few people.

Listening to the cacophony of voices around her, she was reminded of flies buzzing around in the summer, which was incredibly annoying.

Esdeath, meanwhile, stated that she wanted to join the army.

This time, no one mocked her.

But even so, the soldiers exchanged glances. A woman joining the army...

This was truly the first time they had seen such a thing.

Come to think of it, most people who joined the army were those who couldn't make a living, and they were almost all commoners.

There were rarely any girls like Esdeath and Lilith.

If Saka hadn't sacrificed himself just moments ago, letting them witness Esdeath's strength, they might have jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed Esdeath wanted to pursue a special profession.

"Make way, make way! What are you all crowding around for? Didn't you hear that these two young ladies want to join the army? You're blocking their way!"

A soldier pushed through the crowd and appeared before Esdeath and Lilith.

"You want to join the army? Come with me, I'll take you to see the officer."

He then led Esdeath and Lilith away.

"Damn it, he beat us to it!"

Watching their retreating figures, the others finally reacted and started regretting their inaction.

This was a golden opportunity to make an impression on Esdeath and the others!

If they were lucky, they could leave a good impression, and perhaps even become friends, and then further...

They instantly felt like they had lost a hundred million!

After demonstrating her strength, Esdeath and Lilith successfully joined the army.

Incidentally, Lilith also revealed a bit of her strength, which was greater than that of normal people.

Upon discovering the abilities of Esdeath and Lilith, the higher-ups of the city's army were overjoyed.

While their army wasn't lacking in numbers, powerful warriors had become a rarity, and suddenly two such individuals had joined.

They were ecstatic.

Esdeath and her companions joined the army just as the northern barbarian tribes were growing restless and preparing to assault the empire's borders.

During this period, although there were no large-scale barbarian incursions, small groups frequently engaged in harassing raids.

The Imperial Army merely annihilated these barbarian groups but had no intention of pursuing them deeper into the Icefield.

Throughout this time, every time the barbarians launched a harassment attack, Esdeath was always at the forefront.

If any other soldier were so reckless, they would have died long ago, but Esdeath's strength was exceptional.

She could single-handedly decimate small barbarian units, and within the army, no one could keep up with her speed except for Lilith, who accompanied her.

Because of this, after Esdeath had killed all the surrounding barbarians, she would always be led far away by the fleeing enemies, requiring a significant amount of time to return.

For this reason, Lilith often complained to Esdeath, urging her not to play around.

Yes, play.

Others might not have realized it, but Lilith discovered that during every battle, Esdeath would first slaughter the barbarian forces, scattering them, and then deliberately not kill them, tormenting them psychologically.

"You need to change your ways; otherwise, you'll suffer consequences one day."

In response to Lilith's admonishment, Esdeath would always reply, "I know," but Lilith felt she wasn't truly listening.

As expected, during the next barbarian harassment, she reverted to her old ways.

Due to Esdeath's immense power, she quickly became a centurion, and Lilith did as well.

However, Lilith declined the promotion. After spending so much time with Esdeath, it was impossible for her not to have developed feelings for her.

Furthermore, she had no interest in power, so she remained by Esdeath's side, becoming her assistant.

After some more time passed, Esdeath might not have cared, but Lilith noticed that their positions hadn't changed for a considerable period.

Esdeath was content as long as there were battles, and she hadn't even paid attention to this fact.

But Lilith was not someone who would quietly accept being wronged.

This matter required almost no investigation; a little thought revealed that their centurion had stolen their credit.

Consequently, that centurion met his demise during a minor skirmish with the barbarians.

Then, Esdeath was promoted to centurion through the recommendation of the other centurions.

Two years later, after the original general retired, Esdeath became the youngest general in the empire!