For Kerridwen's side, this surprise attack was only a little surprising and did not cause much impact.
After all, Esdeath had become a Golden Descendants, and to her, this army of tens of thousands was nothing more than motley crew, and the battle was resolved in ten minutes.
But for the Empire, this meant something else entirely...
Minister Honest received the news as quickly as possible. The army he sent to the front line to crusade against the Northern Kingdoms Prince had been defeated, and not a single person returned alive.
Therefore, in order to restore the dignity of the Empire and make the Northern Tribes pay in blood, a general was dispatched.
Najenda.
A strong woman who shone brilliantly in the Imperial Army by virtue of her outstanding talent. Even though she was not yet 20 years old, she had led Imperial troops to win many wars and was exceptionally promoted to general.
Although her position was General, Najenda's true power was not that high. After all, her foundation was still shallow, and she had not yet developed her own forces and factions, so she was naturally much weaker than others.
Moreover, due to many events within the Empire, the regime had changed following the death of the previous Emperor. Although Honest was the Minister of the Empire, it was somewhat difficult for him to fully extend his reach into the military.
Especially in the army, there were old-timers like General Budo supporting it. If Honest wanted to reach into the army, he had to cultivate his own forces within the military, preferably from the younger generation.
After all, the future belonged to the younger generation. As long as General Budo passed away, the entire Imperial Army would be immediately incorporated by Honest and completely reduced to a machine of violence under his name.
Najenda fit Honest's requirements very well: young, powerful, and deeply popular with the troops. If no one more capable than Najenda appeared, the position of Grand General in the future would surely be hers!
Do you know? This is an opportunity, Najenda!
In the meeting room of the Imperial Palace, Minister Honest was gnawing on the greasy leg meat in his hand as usual, his eyes fixed on the white-haired woman standing below.
As long as you can achieve a clear advantage in this battle, I can exaggerate your achievements from the perspective of a civil official, and then establish a foothold in the military. You should understand, right?
If Esdeath had joined the Imperial Army, the person the Minister would be looking for would most likely be Esdeath. Unfortunately, Esdeath had already been intercepted by Kerridwen, so the Minister had to look for another partner in the army.
This candidate was naturally the rising star, Najenda!
Honest gave her the highest official position he could grant, putting Najenda one step away from the position of General, and with the few wars during this period, directly pushed Najenda to the position of General.
As long as she gained a few more military merits, Najenda could be promoted from General to Grand General! So far, there was only one Grand General in the Empire, Budo.
I understand. Najenda nodded slightly. "As long as I can successfully crusade against the Northern Kingdoms Prince Numa Seika, or even capture him alive, I can be promoted faster, right?"
Of course, I guarantee to you as the Minister that this battle will definitely become an important part of your resume!
Honest's eyes were very serious, and his tone was extremely persuasive. Although it was unknown what he was thinking, at least on the surface, Honest was not lying.
I understand. I will lead the army to set out now...
Najenda did not like Minister Honest, but she would not decide political issues based on her own preferences, and even hid her true thoughts while cooperating with Honest.
Najenda had a dream: to completely change the corrupt Empire and make it prosperous again!
Najenda chose to start from within the Empire, hoping to change the situation within the Empire through her own words and deeds. Doing so would certainly have many obstacles, but Najenda felt that there should be hope for everything.
Therefore, in these past few months, Najenda had been leading the army to fight in the north and south, eliminating threats for the Empire while also making a name for herself and gradually expanding her influence.
With the help of the Minister some time ago, Najenda felt that she was fully capable of winning this war.
Although the enemy was the Northern Kingdoms Prince, and even had the title of "Little Gun King of the North," Najenda did not feel that she would lose at all. After all, the reason why the Empire could dominate the continent was because of the powerful weapons created by the First Emperor: Teigu!
And Najenda's Teigu, named "Romantic Artillery: pumpkin," was a gun-type Teigu that could fire mental energy as a shockwave. When the user was in danger, the power of pumpkin would also be significantly increased.
This led to a special method of using the Teigu pumpkin: the user deliberately puts themselves in a dangerous situation to greatly increase its power and eliminate the opponent.
And in a nine-deaths-and-one-life situation, or even a hopeless situation, it was almost impossible for anyone to withstand pumpkin's attack.
Numa Seika was certainly powerful, but no matter how strong he was, he was just a human. How could he be a match for a Teigu User?
I'm very sorry. Even though there is no enmity between us, I must change this country, so I can only wrong you...
Najenda knew there was some darkness in the army, but she didn't know how deep it was. After all, she was not old yet, and she felt that she could do anything, even change the future of the Empire.
The Minister, who had seen countless people, could naturally see this, which is why he used Najenda and reached a cooperation with her.
Oh! Looking at you, you are very confident in your own strength, General Najenda!
Looking at Najenda's expression, which gathered coldness, confidence, and apology, Honest only felt it was extremely wonderful. He didn't expect anyone to show such a complex expression. It was so interesting!
If her hope was shattered, what would she become in the end?
When this thought appeared in Honest's mind, he immediately shook his head and threw it out of his mind.
After all, now was not the time to think about this. Honest and Najenda still had cooperation. If something happened to her, it would be he who suffered in the end!
Isn't that natural?
The original complex expression disappeared directly, and only confidence was revealed on Najenda's face. This was also her disguise in the Imperial Palace: "A proud female general."
Even if the opponent is the Northern Kingdoms Prince, I, Najenda, am no weaker than anyone!
Honest narrowed his eyes and asked, "Will you win?"
Najenda curled the corners of her mouth...
We will win!
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