Cities of the Northern Tribes appeared virtually identical to those of the Empire. Aside from subtle differences in local customs and attire, the only real grievance remained the biting cold.
Cerydra and her companions, along with their three hostages, encountered no issues residing within such a city. Although the three young girls came from backgrounds as assassins and endured much suffering, the northern climate was a formidable force in its own right.
Without an accurate map, one could easily lose themselves in the freezing wilderness, much like those fools who once underestimated nature and became corpses buried beneath the permafrost.
Furthermore, Cerydra and Hysilens were no idle observers. With two demigods present, how could three children possibly escape?
Hysilens seemed to act under the Imperator's direct orders. During this period, she left early and returned late every day. Aside from Cerydra, not even Esdeath knew what she was doing, let alone the three small hostages.
However, even with the Imperator alone, Merraid and her group found no way to flee. Even the disguises provided by Gaea Foundation failed to deceive the wise Cerydra.
'How much longer is this going to last? How much longer must we stay in this city?'
Nearly two weeks passed. When Hysilens returned one evening, Merraid, as the leader of the three hostages, finally demanded an answer. How much longer must they serve as captives?
"Rest assured, it won't be long. Perhaps within these next two days, you will obtain your freedom!"
Compared to previous days, Cerydra's smile grew increasingly confident. Anyone could see it.
Thus, Merraid, Chelsea, and Taeko finally sensed something was amiss. Yet, lacking any means to depart, they could only place all their hopes on their master, Babara...
Finally, before the dawn of a new day, Hysilens followed the Imperator's command and woke everyone. Before the sun rose, they departed the city and headed into the desolate snowfields.
"Have we been to this place before?"
"It seems so. We passed through here when we came with Master. Back then, there was nothing here..."
Watching the familiar surroundings, the three girls whispered. This was supposed to be a barren wasteland of snow, but now, the ground was covered in countless footprints!
More and more anomalies appeared. The expressions of the three hostages grew increasingly grim. As if realizing something, their voices became smaller and smaller.
As demigods, Cerydra and Hysilens naturally heard those mosquito-like whispers clearly, but they paid them no mind. Instead, Cerydra led the Dux Gladiorium and the Dux Alptraum straight toward a valley ahead.
"My god, is that... an army?"
Upon entering the valley, everyone except Cerydra and Hysilens—the three hostages and even Esdeath—widened their eyes in disbelief at the scene before them.
The clever Merraid finally understood why Hysilens spent the last two weeks leaving early and returning late.
She was out there recruiting troops!
In the end, she pulled together a force of no less than a thousand men!
"Imperator, the initial army of 1,531 men has assembled. We await your instructions at any time!"
Hysilens bowed slightly, reporting the specific number to the Imperator. These were all people she gathered from the city's outskirts during this time.
At first, no one took Hysilens seriously. After all, she lacked visible muscle and didn't radiate the typical aura of a powerhouse.
But once Hysilens demonstrated absolute strength by crushing the local champions, no one dared to voice an objection. People naturally gravitated toward the strong; in a sense, following a powerhouse like Hysilens was an honor.
Thus, within two weeks, Hysilens raised a strong force, incidentally subjugating several nearby bandit dens to fill the ranks to 1,531.
Though it was a hastily assembled army and certainly not as potent as a regular military, the Imperator didn't care. She only needed them for tonight.
By the time the sun rose tomorrow morning, Cerydra would have a regular army exceeding 100,000 men under her command!
"Since the assembly is complete, then everyone, set out with me!"
"An imperial expedition by the Imperator must have a worthy target. And his title... happens to suffice!"
'Become the stepping stone for my ascent to the throne!'
An army of a thousand marched through the Northern Empire undetected. Compared to the Northern Kingdom's regular forces, their numbers were far too small to attract the attention of the nobility.
But no one could have guessed what shocking actions this army, which set out in the morning, would take under the cover of night.
★ ★ ★
Night.
A dark figure quietly slipped into the Northern Kingdom, moving through the palace like a shadow, undetected by anyone.
When she stopped atop a skylight, the moonlight happened to catch her face. It was a slightly aged face, with eyes revealing an indescribable chill.
This person was none other than Babara, who parted ways with Cerydra and the others two weeks ago.
During this time, Babara rendezvoused with the Revolutionary Army and went directly to the Northern Kingdom's palace to face the King of the North...
Nusnake Partas!
The goal was to persuade him to form an alliance with the Revolutionary Army to strike at the Empire together.
However, the North suffered such heavy losses previously that it was estimated they wouldn't be able to form an effective force for ten years. Consequently, Nusnake flatly rejected the alliance treaty and told the Revolutionary Army to go home as quickly as possible.
For the Northern Kingdom, this was a decent choice.
But for the Revolutionary Army, it was terrible!
Babara originally hesitated over whether she should actually assassinate Nusnake as Cerydra suggested. Her lingering doubts were wiped away by Nusnake's dismissive attitude.
A mere faint-hearted king of the North—how could he possibly compare to her three disciples?
So, Babara came!
A translucent fishing line slowly descended from the ceiling, stopping only a decimeter above the sleeping king's mouth.
Babara skillfully produced a poison she brewed herself and poured it down the line. After witnessing the poison enter his mouth, Babara packed her tools, preparing to leave.
'This is a palace, yet the nearby guards are weak to this extent? It seems they truly have no hope of defeating the Empire...'
From infiltration to preparation for departure, no one discovered Babara. This indirectly proved the current weakness of the Northern Kingdom; it lacked sufficient experts and couldn't even protect its king.
If Babara simply left now, no one would know when the king died or who killed him... but that wasn't what Cerydra wanted!
Therefore, before Babara left, Cerydra specifically instructed her: "If your assassination goes exceptionally smooth and no one discovers you... then make a scene! It's best if everyone in the palace knows their king has been killed!"
Babara couldn't quite guess Cerydra's intentions, but if she wanted to recover her three disciples, she had to do as told.
Before making her exit, Babara set a fire, directly igniting the king's chambers.
At that moment, the entire palace was alarmed!
Seeing the brilliant flames, every soldier and officer in the palace realized one thing...
Something happened to the king!