Esdeath's Expectations

Nacita, the Empire's youngest general.

She wielded the gun-type Imperial Arms, Pumpkin, and had two Imperial Arms users under her command.

After Esdeath arrived, this title of the Empire's youngest general was naturally relinquished.

She herself, however, was unconcerned about who held the title.

Esdeath, on the other hand, had captured her attention.

To become a general at such a young age, her combat prowess was already extraordinary. Moreover, she had heard that the Minister had dispatched Esdeath to assist her in suppressing the Foreigners on the northwestern border.

This baffled her.

Even with the dire situation on the northwestern front, with three Imperial Arms users, including herself, and her army, surely they could handle those Foreigners?

"No, no, no, I didn't call you here just to slaughter some Foreigners."

Esdeath, accompanied by the Three Beasts under her command, met with Osyne.

Osyne remained the same, with meat never absent from his side.

Esdeath then voiced her questions to Osyne.

While she was happy to participate in any war, she also needed to know the reason behind it.

"Oh, so you mean there's another reason?"

"Heh heh." Osyne chuckled, his expression turning incredibly grim. "My spies have discovered that our dear General Nacita seems to have ulterior motives."

"...Is the information accurate?"

"It's just speculation, but it's not without basis."

This was interesting.

A general of the Empire, actually considering betraying her own country?

Or perhaps, Nacita was also one of those characters who felt pity for all living things?

"So, when do we make our move?"

Imperial Arms users.

Since acquiring Demon's Extract, the Imperial Arms users she had encountered, besides her own subordinates, the Three Beasts, were only Lilith.

Sparring with the Three Beasts didn't allow her to unleash her full power.

Only Lilith could truly match her blow for blow.

If she set aside her Teigu, Lilith's physical prowess actually exceeded her own by a notch, and the only reason she could suppress Lilith was due to her richer combat experience and higher battle IQ.

And if she used her Teigu, Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin would be countered by her own Demon's Extract.

Ultimately, she couldn't test her own limits.

This might be an opportunity to witness the strength of the Empire's other generals.

"No, no, no, Nacita is a general of the Empire, after all. She holds considerable prestige among the Empire's citizens. Simply killing her without reason would not be right."

"So?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Nacita will rebel against the Empire with her subordinates after this expedition. It will then be up to General Esdeath to handle the situation."

"Heh heh, this is exactly what I've been anticipating."

His subordinate Warin, a former general of the Empire, possessed formidable strength even before he acquired a Teigu; after obtaining it, he stood as the most powerful among the Three Beasts.

"Nacita, don't disappoint me."

The date for the expedition was soon set.

On the day of the expedition, Nacita encountered Esdeath.

Upon seeing the army behind her, she couldn't help but ask, "Withdrawing so many troops, won't there be issues with the northern garrisons?"

"No, Lilith is guarding the border. There won't be any problems with her."

Hearing this, Nacita didn't ask further.

She had heard of Lilith's name.

She was a prodigy at training armies, but her skills in leading troops in battle seemed mediocre. After becoming an Imperial Arms user, her strength was still unknown, though likely not weak.

However, she heard that Lilith's acquired Imperial Arms was Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin, which controlled water flow. In the extreme cold of the far north, Black Marlin's power would likely be weakened.

But seeing Esdeath's completely unconcerned demeanor, Nacita felt she might be overthinking things.

If Esdeath herself wasn't worried about her subordinate's safety, why should she be fretting?

Perhaps, Nacita understood.

She wasn't worried about just Lilith, but about any potential accidents in the north, and the suffering that the people living there would endure.

Thinking of this, Nacita's thoughts churned once more.

Was the Empire... truly beyond saving?

She knew in her heart that as long as the Minister remained alive, the Empire would continue to decay until its destruction.

However... even now, there are still quite a few people who have the Prime Minister's head in their sights and have taken action.

The result is obvious: the Prime Minister is still alive and well.

Assassinating the Prime Minister, how easy is that?

It's not that there haven't been Imperial Arms users who wanted to kill the Prime Minister before, but they all failed. Their corpses were hung before the city gates, to be pecked at by crows.

Perhaps because Esdeath's Imperial Arm was ice-based, Nacita felt that Esdeath exuded a chilling aura, making her unsure how to converse with her.

And she couldn't find any topic of conversation.

Until...

A large river blocked their path ahead.

"The current in this large river is very strong, and its depth is unknown. The soldiers probably won't be able to wade across it," Nacita said, looking at the river, feeling a bit anxious.

She didn't know how the border war was going, and every moment of delay could mean another life lost.

"Set up camp here. We need to hurry and build a bridge!"

It was clear this river was very long. It would be impossible to go around it in time, so they had to build a bridge.

"Build a bridge? No need."

Esdeath dismounted, placed one hand on her hip, and looked at the river ahead, smiling.

"Conquering a river? This is a first."

"What do you mean..."

Nacita clearly couldn't keep up with Esdeath's thoughts, but what happened next left her speechless for a long time.

A surging river instantly turned into an ice river!

Nacita couldn't snap out of it for a long time.

Was this... something a human could do?

The gentle breeze that had been blowing felt like a chilling wind on Nacita's face due to the sudden drop in temperature.

However, thanks to that cold wind, she was able to regain her senses.

"What kind of power is this? This..."

A monster!

The last two words echoed in Nacita's mind.

Esdeath looked at the shocked Nacita, knowing she had achieved her goal.

She had deliberately displayed her power to intimidate Nacita and instill fear in her.

She wondered, the next time they met and found themselves on opposing sides, would Nacita flee in a panic, or would she muster the courage to attack her? If she chose to retaliate, how much of her strength would she be able to maintain?

Esdeath looked forward to it.