"Esdeath, you're carrying these supplies."
"Understood."
"Esdeath, you're familiar with this area. Find us a suitable place to rest."
"Follow me."
"Esdeath, come help me cook."
"Coming right now!"
Following her defeat at Hysilens' hands, the blue-haired girl successfully became the lowest-ranking member of the three-person organization. Whether it was Cerydra or Hysilens, whenever something needed doing, they called on Esdeath.
Esdeath, however, had no objections.
As a firm believer in the law of the jungle, she viewed this as the natural order. Since the two before her were stronger, they had every right to issue any command.
Though it was admittedly a bit tiring...
Once the trio reached a deserted cave and sat by the campfire eating roasted meat, Esdeath finally voiced the question she had been pondering.
"Where exactly are we going? This direction... it seems to be north?"
For the current Esdeath, her understanding of the outside world came almost entirely from the stories of her tribe's elders. Since her kinsmen died, she lost her window into the world, spending years hunting Danger Beasts in this wasteland just to survive until she met Cerydra.
While she lived in the snow, Esdeath was not part of the foreign tribes; she was a native of the Empire's northern frontier, albeit a remote part.
When she realized the direction the Imperator was heading, deep suspicion took root. What did this girl plan to do? Any further north and they would enter the territory of the Northern Tribes. Those people were not friendly to Imperial citizens; if discovered, they would likely be swarmed.
Thinking of this, Esdeath glanced at the indifferent Cerydra and Hysilens. Even for these two, facing an army of tens of thousands couldn't possibly end well, could it?
"Where else? To the Kingdom of the Northern Tribes, of course!"
The Northern Tribes!
Esdeath's gaze turned somber. She remembered clearly that her father and tribe died at the hands of the Northern Tribes. And now Cerydra was heading straight into their territory?
What did that imply?
"Are you... also one of the Northern Tribes?"
Though her father said they were killed simply because they were weak, Esdeath still hoped to avenge him if possible—mostly because she could enjoy a good fight while doing so.
The revenge wasn't the point; the battle was!
Tatakae!
The current Esdeath might not be a match for Cerydra or Hysilens, but the future was uncertain. She was full of confidence in her potential.
However, Cerydra's next words left Esdeath in a state of confusion.
"Northern Tribes? Not yet."
Esdeath: [???]
What did 'not yet' mean?
"The Imperator means that we are going to join the Northern Kingdom," Hysilens explained while sampling the roasted Danger Beast meat.
"Why?" Esdeath asked, bewildered. If they wanted to join a major power, why not the Empire where she lived? Why travel to the far north? What was so good about that place?
"Esdeath, do you understand the current state of the world's nations?"
"I don't..."
A young girl from a near-extinct tribe had seen very little beyond her own territory. How could she understand global geopolitics?
To help Esdeath understand her next move, Cerydra felt it necessary to give her a crash course. It was quite ironic: the native Esdeath had to be educated on world affairs by Cerydra, the transmigrator...
★ ★ ★
A thousand year ago, the First Emperor founded the Empire and forged the forty-eight strategic weapons known as 'Teigu.' Since then, the Empire became one of the world's dominant powers, standing alongside the Western Kingdom as the two global superpowers.
However, besides these two, there were the Northern and Southern Tribal Kingdoms, along with some island nations to the east. Compared to the Empire and the West, they were significantly lacking and held little relevance in the original history. Even the famed Hero of the North was a literal lapdog to Esdeath in the original timeline—a massive fall from grace.
But that made sense. With such overwhelming weapons as the Teigu, the foreign tribes found it difficult to compete with a superpower like the Empire.
Logically, joining the Empire, the Western Kingdom, or even the Revolutionary Army would be the best choice. With the strength of Cerydra's trio, they would be given high-ranking positions almost immediately.
But that was not what Cerydra wanted. 'How can a great man live long under another's roof?'
Cerydra did not want to join a war as someone else's subordinate; she wanted to command others as a monarch!
Therefore, powerful factions were actually poor choices. By contrast, the weaker Northern and Southern Kingdoms were much more suitable. Cerydra chose the North simply because it was closer, saving them a long journey.
And so what if they were weak now?
With Cerydra there, why fear they couldn't grow into a superpower?
"So, our ultimate goal is to control the entire North?" Esdeath asked, deep in thought as she followed Cerydra's logic.
"No, Dux Alptraum. Our ultimate goal is to control the entire world!"
Correcting her subordinate's narrow thinking, Cerydra wore a look of absolute confidence. Small stars practically twinkled in Esdeath's eyes.
'Imperator... she may be short, but her ambition is truly massive!'
However, Cerydra kept certain thoughts buried. Their current situation was actually quite dire.
In reality, Cerydra was just a girl with a tiny crown and a candle on her head, possessing only two subordinates—even if they were both powerful generals. With such few numbers, prying the Northern Kingdom loose would take significant time. Building a prosperous Northern Empire and overthrowing the corrupt central Empire would take even longer.
Regrettably, Cerydra lacked a way to shorten this timeline; she could only use the most tedious methods to slowly influence the North.
Of course, if a surprise army were to appear and help her seize the Northern Kingdom in a short time, it would be a blessing. But how could such a force suddenly appear? And why would they help Cerydra?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the expressions of both Hysilens and Cerydra turned sharp, causing the very air in the cave to grow heavy.
Esdeath was confused for a second, but after a moment, she too looked toward the cave entrance. Many life signals had appeared—and they weren't Danger Beasts. They were human!
"Hehe, I didn't expect to find guests here already. I hope you don't mind an old woman bringing her family in for a rest?"