"I didn't expect to catch a big fish this time. Well done, Dux Frigium!"
"It's all thanks to Lord Caesar. If I hadn't become a Golden Descendants, I wouldn't have survived this battle."
A familiar yet strange voice rang by her ear. Najenda slowly opened her tired eyes and raised her head to look at the figure on the throne.
Clearly just a petite girl, but the pressure she emitted was not in the least inferior to Esdeath beside her.
It seems this time, I'm really in trouble...
Najenda couldn't help but smile bitterly in her heart. She had originally wanted to lead an army of three hundred thousand to conduct a decapitation strike directly on the Northern Country, but she suddenly met an invincible enemy...
That girl named Esdeath!
Despite being so young, she could take the shockwave of pumpkin head-on and eliminate an army of three hundred thousand. It seems the Minister and I have both seriously misjudged the Northern Country!
No, maybe it's not a misjudgment?
The Imperial Army that came to the Northern Country with Najenda and Lubbock had been wiped out by Esdeath, except for the two of them, with not a single survivor left.
And the reason she and Lubbock were able to survive was perhaps only because the opponent needed information on the Empire?
For all these days since her capture, Najenda had been pondering a question: she had made meticulous preparations and gathered intelligence on the Northern Country, yet she still hadn't been able to anticipate this situation, nor did she know that such a powerhouse existed in the Northern Country.
Was the information blocked?
But who could have done such a thing?
When this question appeared in her mind, Najenda instinctively raised her head, her eyes widening as she stared at the young girl on the throne.
It seemed that besides the person before her, no one else could have accomplished this?
At the thought of this, cold sweat broke out on Najenda's forehead.
The enemy was in the shadows, while she was in the light.
The reason Najenda's army had been completely wiped out was because the enemy was strong while she was weak, and the other party's methods were extremely clever, revealing absolutely no useful intelligence before the battle began.
The Empire was in trouble now; fighting an enemy that was both powerful and intelligent was absolutely terrifying!
"If my intelligence is correct, you are the Empire's newly promoted general, Najenda?"
The petite figure on the throne had looked over at some point, and after a brief assessment, shifted her gaze to Najenda's side, where a green-haired wounded man had been carried out by the soldiers in the castle.
"As for the one next to you, is it... Lubbock, who joined the army just because he has a crush on you?"
Because Najenda had just been promoted to general, she was quite well-known within the Empire; as long as one investigated carefully, it was easy to find information about her.
The reason for choosing to do this was purely because Najenda was too stubborn and refused to confess anything.
Of course, this was also at the behest of Kerridwen; she didn't intend to let Esdeath do the interrogation. After all, Esdeath was usually fine, but when it came to interrogation, she was completely inhuman.
"Who are you? What exactly are you planning to do?"
Najenda didn't know who the person before her was, but seeing Esdeath—who had easily defeated her—completely submissive by her side, she could guess that Kerridwen's identity was not simple.
But even so, Najenda would never yield to the enemy.
"Oh? Instead of panicking about your current situation, you're questioning me? And during the previous interrogation, you seemed unwilling to say a single word..."
Kerridwen gently tapped her palm with the gem on her scepter, looking the prisoner named Najenda up and down carefully.
Although she was covered in dirt, the light in her eyes was hard to conceal, and she radiated a dazzling Golden Spirit.
"Not bad, I admire you!"
Kerridwen nodded in satisfaction, an attitude that left Najenda somewhat bewildered.
She had expected that after this period of interrogation, the other party would use more cruel methods to deal with her, but who could have imagined that the other party would start by saying she "admired her"?
What was this?
Wait!
A possibility gradually flashed through her mind, and Najenda widened her eyes in surprise.
As a well-rounded talent, Najenda, who was not weak in any aspect, was able to become the Boss of the assassination organization Night Raid in akame ga kill, which itself proved that she possessed an outstanding mind.
So she immediately understood the thoughts of this shorty before her...
"You want to recruit me?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Kerridwen did not hide her thoughts, "Although the Dux Frigium and the Daughter of the Sea are strong, they are only two people after all... I need more talent to achieve my goals!"
"..."
Najenda was silent for a moment, the scene of Esdeath easily killing 300,000 people gradually emerging in her mind, and the expression on her face gradually turned unpleasant.
"What exactly is your goal?"
Thud!
"Ah—!"
Najenda had just asked, when Kerridwen's scepter struck her head without hesitation, directly causing Najenda to clutch her head and collapse onto the ground, with bright red blood even staining her forehead.
"Did you misunderstand something?"
Kerridwen tilted her head, a hint of coldness on her face.
"Could it be that because my attitude toward you has been too lenient, you think I wouldn't kill you?"
"Get your attitude straight; since you are a prisoner, you should act like one!"
Although Kerridwen had not yet become the acknowledged monarch, her majesty still could not be offended by anyone, especially Najenda, who had just become a prisoner.
Kerridwen had already given Najenda one chance; when she was questioned by her the first time, she hadn't used any means to punish her.
But when Najenda asked a second time, Kerridwen would no longer show mercy; how could the majesty of a king be offended by you again and again?
A defeated general, how can she speak of courage?
Moreover, this Najenda, despite being tied up with ropes and kneeling on the ground, was still taller than Kerridwen... This point made Kerridwen very unhappy, which was why she gave the other party punishment through some physical means.
Although she was bleeding from her forehead, it was still better than being split into five, wasn't it?
This was only because the other party had good character and was on the protagonist's side in the original work that she was punished so lightly.
"...I understand."
After this punishment, Najenda had clearly become much more rational and no longer questioned her directly as she had just before.
Furthermore, she discovered that this little girl was clearly petite, and hadn't made any forceful movements just now, yet a mere casual strike was able to leave her with indescribable pain on her head.
Was she also a Teigu User?
Impossible!
Even someone who had trained hard in martial arts couldn't be this strong, let alone this young girl before her?
Where would she have found the time to practice martial arts?
Najenda couldn't figure it out, but for now, all she could do was agree to the other party's demands.
"Very good!"
As long as Najenda was sensible and didn't deliberately oppose her openly, Kerridwen naturally wouldn't make things too difficult for her.
After all, the warning had been given, and Kerridwen should give a treat now...
"Since you know your current situation, I can tell you my goal..."
Kerridwen smiled slightly, and the expression on her face immediately became arrogant.
"Of course, it's to conquer the world!"
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!