After night completely fell, Kaede originally wanted to take Tatsumi to the destination to see, but...
At this moment, a Soldier walked in from outside. Seeing Kaede, his eyes lit up, and he immediately knelt down, saying, "Imperial General, the Great General needs to see you."
"Hmm, get up..." Kaede frowned. She didn't remember there being a need to kneel, but it seemed Tatsumi's matter would have to be postponed again.
"Imperial General?" Tatsumi's eyes widened beside her, shining with light as he looked at Kaede. He had never imagined that the young woman in front of him was an Imperial General.
"Then that's how it is." Kaede sighed, looking at Tatsumi and saying, "You stay here for the night. I'll come find you tomorrow evening."
"Yes!" At this moment, Tatsumi called out directly, his voice unexpectedly respectful. Even though he was from a small place, he knew what the position of Imperial General represented.
"Hmm." Kaede nodded, then walked out of the hotel, her figure disappearing into the night with a few blinks.
After meeting the Great General, what made Kaede a little helpless was that the reason he called her this time was just to discuss what to do next.
It could be said that they discussed for a long time, finally settling on a rather mediocre plan.
The next evening, Kaede arrived at the hotel as promised and met Tatsumi.
"Imperial General, you're here!" Tatsumi had been waiting anxiously and finally saw Kaede walk into the hotel, immediately jumping up in joy.
"Hmm, follow me." Kaede finished speaking, turned around, and began to run at a small pace.
"Eh! Alright!" Tatsumi had no idea Kaede would say nothing and followed suit. What surprised Tatsumi was that this speed was already his full speed, but Kaede seemed to be completely effortless.
"Is this an Imperial General?" Tatsumi had no prejudice against men and women, but after knowing Kaede was a General, he still underestimated her a little because she was a woman.
At this moment, the tip of the iceberg that Kaede inadvertently revealed made Tatsumi realize how ignorant he was.
Actually, Tatsumi couldn't be blamed. After all, Kaede's speed was her strongest attribute. Even Poney, who possessed a shingu that could increase speed, was no match for Kaede in terms of speed now.
Soon, Kaede led Tatsumi through a forest and arrived in front of a somewhat gloomy house.
"Uh, Imperial General, what are we doing here?" Tatsumi looked at the eerie surroundings, shivered, and his voice trembled slightly.
"Since you already know my identity, let me see if you are qualified to be my subordinate." Kaede said, already unlocking the door.
"Uh!" Tatsumi's eyes widened beside her. He clearly saw that Kaede hadn't taken out a key! How did she open it?
"Before I became an Imperial General, I was an Imperial Assassin. Unlocking doors and such is normal." As if knowing Tatsumi's question, Kaede said directly.
"Oh." Tatsumi nodded, remembering the matter of the Imperial Assassin.
Then Kaede opened the door and said, "Go in and take a look."
"Eh?" When the door opened, Tatsumi smelled a pungent stench of decay and couldn't help but wonder what was inside.
When Tatsumi walked in, he didn't see anything at first, but walking further inside, with the faint moonlight, Tatsumi finally saw the situation within.
Immediately, Tatsumi's eyes widened.
What... what were those? Skeletons scattered everywhere, and unweathered mummified corpses, the painful expressions remaining on the bodies, the gestures of seeking help...
Most of the bodies were incomplete; it was almost impossible to find a complete one.
"How is it? The scenery here is quite nice, isn't it?" Kaede looked at this scene, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and a cold smile hung on her lips.
"This... this is?" Tatsumi swallowed, strongly resisting the urge to vomit, turned his head, and asked Kaede.
"This place, it's for the corrupt interests of some nobles, who take pleasure in tormenting others, capturing commoners and subjecting them to inhumane abuse. Hmm, that's roughly it." Kaede said.
"This... this, doesn't the Empire do anything about it?" Tatsumi gritted his teeth, almost shouting.
"So, I've returned from the frontier. This time, I've come back specifically to resolve such matters." A smile appeared on Kaede's lips. Honestly, she was disgusted by such behavior. If it were an enemy, she wouldn't care how they were killed, but she simply couldn't stand the abuse of innocent people.
"Managing such matters..." Tatsumi's eyes seemed to light up.
"Mhm." Kaede suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, if it weren't for me, perhaps you and your companions would have ended up here, too. After all, would you have refused their 'kindness'?"
"..." Tatsumi fell silent because what Kaede said was the truth. As a newcomer, he would absolutely not have refused the help of the capital's citizens. Suddenly, he felt a bit of relief.
"So, that's how the Empire is. Now that you know its current state, do you still want to join?" Kaede said, watching Tatsumi's movements. Honestly, she quite hoped to have one more companion.
Tatsumi opened his mouth, clenched his hand, and then slowly relaxed it. Just when Kaede thought Tatsumi was going to give up...
Tatsumi closed his eyes, recalling his village and the companions he had grown up with. Then, he took a deep breath, clenched his fist once more, and opened his eyes. All that remained inside was determination. Looking at Kaede, he said, "I want to save my village, and I... also want to save this Empire!"
"Hm?" Kaede was stunned. Looking at Tatsumi's firm expression, she suddenly smiled, "Well then, this path won't be easy~"
"I believe I can definitely do it!"
"Wrong, it's 'we'." Kaede narrowed her eyes, a curve forming on her lips.
Tatsumi's eyes lit up. If Kaede said it like that, then it meant...
"Yes!"
Kaede looked at the moonlight outside, her eyes narrowing. Perhaps there was still hope for the Empire? Originally, when the General-in-Chief approached her, she felt that the Empire was terminally ill and beyond saving, and reality seemed to confirm that.
However, perhaps, despite that, there might still be hope.
Suddenly, Kaede's ears twitched, then she shook her head and said, "It seems someone has already acted first."
"What?" Tatsumi was stunned.
"I originally brought you here with the intention of letting you resolve this family's affairs. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed to walk so far. There are many places where you could see the Empire's current state, and one is quite close," Kaede said.
"Then what now?" Tatsumi seemed to understand; the person Kaede had prepared for him had been taken care of by someone else first.
"Mhm, let me see your resolve. The girl outside is the daughter of this family and the main person responsible for these abuses. She... is in your hands," Kaede said, looking at Tatsumi.
"...Yes!" Tatsumi gritted his teeth, looked again at the hellish scene around him, finally nodded, and walked out.
"Who... could it be?" Kaede pondered here about who had beaten her to taking care of these nobles.
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