Inside the castle.
Esdeath leaned against the window, staring at the scene of the three Assassins leaving with the wagon, her eyes gradually narrowing.
"What is it, Dux Frigium? Do you have something on your mind?"
However, the expression on Esdeath's face did not last long; the voice coming from behind caused her expression to return to its original state.
"Lord Caesar!"
The only person who could make Esdeath immediately return to a pure and innocent expression was Cerydra. After all, in Esdeath's heart, Cerydra was the only person she was willing to submit to, body and soul.
"I want to know why you let those three Assassins go."
Esdeath was a direct person. As could be seen from her fighting style, she preferred facing enemies head-on rather than hiding in the shadows for assassination.
Therefore, Esdeath didn't much like those three Assassins and was somewhat hostile toward them because of their identity.
However, just when Esdeath thought Caesar would dispose of those Assassins, they were let go, and were even rewarded with a wagon of gold before they left...
Such behavior was truly incomprehensible to Esdeath, which was why she had been staring at those people earlier, thinking about whether to chase them down to take back the gold and silence them in the process.
And Cerydra seemed to have seen through Esdeath's thoughts, which was why she called her name at this time, intending to clear the doubt in her heart.
"It's very simple!"
Cerydra also came to the window, standing on her tiptoes to watch the three figures receding into the snow, her scepter pointed directly at them.
"Because they are still useful!"
However, after saying this, Caesar did not explain her reasons. Instead, she asked Esdeath a question in return.
"Dux Frigium, judging by your current perspective, how should we take control of the entire Northern Territory in the shortest possible time?"
Esdeath clearly hadn't expected Caesar to suddenly ask her this. She immediately rested her chin in her hand and began to think, but after considering it back and forth, there seemed to be only one answer.
"In the name of the Prince, wage war against all the nobles and take the Northern Territory directly."
This kind of answer was truly full of Esdeath's personal style, but it was indeed the 'fastest' method at present.
After all, in Esdeath's view, they held an absolute advantage: an absolute powerhouse like Hysilens!
No matter how many nobles there were, with her, the Dux Frigium Esdeath, plus the Daughter of the Sea Hysilens, they could definitely wipe the floor with the opposition!
Wasn't it just killing enemies on the battlefield?
The thing Esdeath loved doing most was killing enemies!
"A good answer, but you've forgotten one thing, Dux Frigium."
"If we make such a big commotion, the Empire to the south will certainly not remain indifferent. They will surely send an army to intervene and knock the Northern Country back to its previous state."
"Even the resistance might interfere and obstruct our next moves."
If Cerydra wanted to control the Northern Territory, she had to fight this civil war well and unify all the forces within the north.
But the world situation is no joke. When war breaks out within the Northern Territory, external forces will inevitably take advantage of the opening to strike a fatal blow!
Although the Imperial Minister Honest is a treacherous official, he is also a capable one. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to single-handedly ensure the operation of the entire Empire while the Emperor is merely a puppet.
From the perspective of the Empire's interests, a unified North is absolutely disadvantageous. As the Minister, Honest will certainly try everything to stop it.
Sending hundreds of thousands, or even a million troops, is possible!
"But so what?" Esdeath didn't care at all about the Southern Empire's attitude, nor did she care about anything regarding the resistance. "If they dare to send troops, the Daughter of the Sea and I will surely be the sharpest blades in your hand!"
In Esdeath's eyes, even if those rabble gathered together, they could never be their match.
"No, you still don't understand my meaning, Dux Frigium."
"True, your strength and that of the Daughter of the Sea are world-class; I have no doubt about that. But no matter how strong you are, you are only two people. You cannot conduct multi-front warfare."
"If the Empire splits its forces into five or even ten routes to strike from different angles, you and the Daughter of the Sea will surely win, but the other areas will suffer..."
Although Caesar had suddenly gained an army of a hundred thousand, the problems within the army were equally obvious. The only people under her command who could be called elite generals were the Daughter of the Sea and the Dux Frigium.
In other words, there was a severe lack of talent!
Facing ordinary soldiers or even slightly stronger ones was fine, but if the Empire deployed Teigu Users, then any army without Esdeath or Hysilens would surely be wiped out, with no survivors!
Cerydra could fight the Empire head-on, but that would definitely deplete the foundation she had just acquired, leaving her as a commander with no troops once again.
"So, for the ultimate goal, I let those three Assassins from the resistance go and even gave them a sum of money... Only in this way can the situation be restabilized."
Caesar choosing to show goodwill to the Assassins was equivalent to showing goodwill to the resistance.
While she couldn't completely control their thoughts, she could greatly increase their favor toward her, thereby tying down the Empire as much as possible and preventing it from intervening in the northern war.
Barbara's assassination of the Northern Country's Emperor had directly tied their assassination squad and Cerydra together like grasshoppers on a single string. Barbara and the others surely wouldn't dare speak carelessly, as it would invite a death sentence.
And didn't the resistance just fail their negotiations with the Northern Country recently?
If Caesar ascended the throne, the resistance might succeed in renegotiating with the Northern Country. This would be a win-win situation. When the time comes to face the Empire together, everyone would be happy!
"So while the Empire is busy dealing with the resistance, we must also accumulate our strength to the greatest extent possible, striving to become a behemoth that no one dares to underestimate before the Empire can react!"
After hearing Cerydra's words, Esdeath felt as if she had been enlightened, and her expression became much brighter.
"In the end, there are only three things we need to do..."
"Accumulate grain widely, build high walls, and be slow to claim kingship!"
"Use this time to stockpile provisions; a hungry army cannot win battles. Also, intensify the training of the soldiers and don't let them slack off. We don't want them getting beaten by others the moment we leave after a battle."
Finally, Cerydra's gaze sharpened.
"Do not expose your true strength too early, and do not reveal your ambitions too soon; it will only invite unnecessary trouble..."
With those words, Caesar stopped staring at the snowy field outside and returned to her seat cushioned with books to handle the affairs of the castle.
"The chessboard is ready. When the corresponding pieces move to the right positions, the 'Blitz' will begin!"