"Esdeath, you'll be responsible for carrying these things."
"Alright."
"Esdeath, you're quite familiar with this area. Help us find a suitable place to rest."
"Follow me."
"Esdeath, come over and help me cook."
"Coming right away!"
Following the blue-haired girl Esdeath's defeat to Hysilens, she successfully became the lowest-status person in the three-person organization. Whether it was Cerydra or Hysilens, whenever they needed help with something, they would have Esdeath do it.
However, Esdeath had no objections to this.
After all, as a believer in the law of the jungle, she saw all of this as natural law. Since the two people before her were stronger than her, they could completely give her any orders.
Though it was a bit tiring...
When the three of them reached a deserted cave and sat by the campfire eating roasted meat, Esdeath finally asked the question she had been concerned about for a while.
"Where exactly are we going? This direction... seems to be North, right?"
For the current Esdeath, her perception of the outside world basically came from the stories told by the adults in her tribe. Since her tribesmen died, Esdeath had lost her window into the outside world, hunting Danger Beasts in this snowy land for survival for years until she met Cerydra.
Although Esdeath lived in the snowy lands, she was not of the tribes but a native of the northern Empire, just from a remote area.
So when she saw the direction Caesar was heading, deep suspicion arose in her heart. What exactly did she plan to do?
Going further north would lead to the territory of the Northern Tribes. The people there were not friendly to those from the Empire, and if discovered, they could easily be besieged...
Thinking of this, Esdeath looked at the calm Cerydra and Hysilens. Even for these two, they couldn't possibly be safe if they were besieged by tens of thousands of people, right?
"Where else can we go? To the Kingdom of the Northern Tribes, of course!"
The Northern Tribes!
Esdeath's gaze became serious. She remembered that her father and tribesmen died at the hands of the Northern Tribes, and now Cerydra was going to their territory?
What did this imply?
"Are you... also from the Northern Tribes?"
Although her father said before he died that they were killed because they were weak, if possible, Esdeath still hoped to avenge her father. After all, she could enjoy the battle while seeking revenge.
The important thing wasn't the revenge, but the battle!
Tatakae!
The current Esdeath might not be a match for Cerydra and Hysilens, but the future was another story. She was full of confidence in her own future.
But Cerydra's next words were something Esdeath couldn't quite understand.
"Northern Tribes? Not yet."
Esdeath:???
What did she mean by "not yet"?
"Caesar means that we are going to join the Kingdom of the Northern Tribes."
Seeing Esdeath's lack of understanding, Hysilens, who was tasting the roasted Danger Beast meat, spoke up to clear her confusion.
"Why?"
Esdeath asked in confusion. If they wanted to join a major power, why not join the Empire she was part of instead of going to the far North? What was so good about that place?
"Esdeath, do you understand the global situation between the various nations?"
"No..."
A young girl on the brink of her tribe's extinction, who hadn't even seen much of the world outside her tribe, how could she understand the global situation?
So, in order to let Esdeath understand her next move, Cerydra felt it was necessary to give her an educational breakdown... It was truly ironic that Esdeath, a native, had to have the global situation explained by Cerydra, a Transmigrator.
—
A thousand years ago, the First Emperor established the Empire and created 48 strategic weapons known as 'Imperial Arms.' Since then, the Empire became one of the most powerful nations in the world, known alongside the Western Kingdom as the world's two great powers.
However, besides these two countries, there were also the Kingdom of the Northern Tribes and the Kingdom of the Southern Tribes, plus some island nations in the East. It's just that compared to the Empire and the Western Kingdom, there was a significant gap, and they had almost no value in appearing in the original work.
Even that famous Hero of the North, who looked valiant and heroic one moment, turned into a literal simp the next; the drop was quite massive.
But that's fine; with ultimate weapons like the Imperial Arms, those tribes found it truly difficult to compete with a powerhouse like the Empire.
Logically, joining the Empire, the Western Kingdom, or the resistance was clearly the best choice. After all, they had great strength, and with the power of Cerydra's trio, they would quickly be given important roles.
But this was not what Cerydra wanted. A great person born between heaven and earth, how could they be content to remain under others for long?
What Cerydra wanted was not to participate in war as someone else's subordinate, but to command others as the ruler of a nation!
Therefore, those powerful forces were not suitable choices. In contrast, the weaker nations of the Northern and Southern Tribes seemed much more appropriate.
The reason Cerydra chose the Northern Country was simply because it was close, saving her a lot of traveling.
And so what if it was weak now?
With her, Cerydra, there, was she afraid it wouldn't grow into a powerful nation?
"So, our ultimate goal is to control the entire North?"
Following Cerydra's line of thought, Esdeath spoke thoughtfully.
"No, Dux Frigium, our ultimate goal is to control the entire world!"
Correcting her subordinate's thinking slightly, a confident expression appeared on Cerydra's face, instantly making little stars twinkle in Esdeath's eyes.
Lord Caesar, although her height is lacking, her ambition is truly grand!
However, Cerydra still had words buried deep in her heart that she didn't say: their current situation was extremely dire.
After all, Cerydra was currently just a little crown with a candle on her head, with only two subordinates, both of whom were Generals.
With such a small number of people, it would take quite a long time to sway the entire Northern Country, and even longer to establish a prosperous Northern Territory Empire and overthrow the corrupt Empire...
Regrettably, Cerydra currently had no way to shorten this time and could only use the most clumsy method to slowly influence the entire Northern Country.
Of course, if a surprise force appeared to help her take the Northern Country in a short time, it would definitely be a blessing for Cerydra.
But how could such a surprise force suddenly appear? And happen to help Cerydra?
The moment that thought faded, Hysilens and Cerydra's gazes suddenly became solemn, even affecting the surrounding atmosphere.
Though Esdeath was puzzled for a moment, after a few seconds, she also looked outside the cave. Many life signatures had appeared there, and they weren't Danger Beasts, but humans!
"Hehe, I didn't expect there to be guests here already. You wouldn't mind letting this old woman stay for a while with her family, would you?"