"Mm, not bad at all, little Esdeath," Selene's cool voice sounded beside her. "You've improved. Didn't think you'd actually learn to play the long game and reel in the big fish."
The next moment, a familiar "head pat" landed on Esdeath's head, followed by a gentle ruffling motion—like petting a small animal.
Esdeath sighed helplessly. "General, I'm not some mindless brute who only knows how to fight. I do understand strategy and tactics... and besides, I'm not a child anymore."
"Yes, you're not so little anymore," Selene said casually.
Her crimson eyes flicked down briefly at Esdeath's developing form. In just a few short years, this tiny, sharp-eyed girl who barely reached her neck would grow into the curvaceous, dominant queen known across the Empire.
Time really does fly... Selene mused wryly.
Batting away Selene's armored hand from her head, Esdeath huffed, "General, what's the plan now?"
She pointed toward the nearby Revolutionary Army outpost. "Do we just wipe them all out—or do we keep the bait in play?"
"For now, leave them be," Selene replied evenly. "Let them live a few more days... because we have this to guide us."
She pulled out a book bound in the hide of a creature's eye—the surface pulsing faintly, like a living organ.
Esdeath blinked in curiosity. "Is that... a Teigu?"
"Yes. The Complete Book of the World · Rongo Rongo," Selene said, unfolding it to reveal its shifting, map-filled pages. One entry marked an incorrect location, prompting her to keep searching along the southern mountain range for areas suitable for large-scale habitation.
"Even though it can't detect living beings, it can easily identify locations where humans could live," Selene explained. "Slow and steady... come on, to the next site."
Calling Esdeath to follow, Selene set off toward another area the Teigu had marked as fit for human settlement.
...
Meanwhile, deep within the dense southern mountain forests of the Empire, a vast ancient castle lay hidden.
The endless mountain ranges and primal forests formed the Revolutionary Army's strongest natural defense. The wilderness belonged to the Danger Beasts—countless species of every rank prowled the woods, and swarms of poisonous insects and toxic miasma made survival nearly impossible for outsiders.
Without a guide familiar with the terrain, no ordinary person could make it through alive.
As night fell, the grand castle glowed with light. Around its perimeter, groups of guards patrolled diligently.
The Revolutionary soldiers wore matching uniforms, their ranks neat and disciplined. Their morale was high—no less than that of the Imperial Guard Legion in the Capital.
Their only weakness: numbers. Compared to the twelve elite Imperial Legions, they were painfully few.
Thunk, thunk—
Heavy footsteps echoed down one of the castle's long corridors. A senior Revolutionary officer strode quickly, clutching the latest intelligence report, his expression grim.
"Why have all the operatives we sent out recently gone missing? That merchant disguise method was working perfectly before—what happened?" he muttered angrily.
"This must be reported to the Commander. We can't keep sending people—it's suicide! The Empire—no, this is Selene's doing. It's her network they've stumbled into!"
Realizing the implication, the officer's pace quickened.
Then, as he passed through one of the inner courtyards, a commotion caught his attention—along with a glimpse of something pink.
"You freak, get lost!"
"Bad luck charm! Ever since you came here, nothing good has happened!"
"Yeah, jinx! You're not allowed here—stay away from us!"
"Hit her!"
A group of children were shouting, hurling stones at a small girl in a tattered white dress.
The officer stopped in surprise. The little girl had long, messy pink hair and wore nothing but that worn white garment. Her body was filthy, her appearance pitiful—just like a starving refugee.
She looked familiar.
Wait... that's right. Her name was Mine, wasn't it? he realized. That brat Shu Youriang picked her up near the western frontier once. I remember him showing her off proudly... He sighed bitterly. Now he's gone, and maybe I shouldn't have sent him to the Capital...
And Nal—he's gone too. We swore we'd overthrow the Empire together... and now you're all gone.
As his thoughts drifted, the children's taunting grew harsher. The stones rained down harder.
Mine didn't fight back. She just stood there, motionless, letting the stones strike her thin frame.
Because she was already used to it.
In the past, within the Imperial Capital, she had always been seen as a freak—ostracized, bullied, and beaten nearly every day.
Only when that scruffy, bearded man appeared in her life did a faint light pierce her darkness. Those days, brief as they were, had been the happiest of her life. But good things never lasted. One day, the man went on a mission... and never came back.
The precocious Mine understood even then—her "teacher," the man who had asked her to call him that, would never return.
Later, one of his friends—Uncle Nal—took her in. But eventually, he too vanished without a trace.
At this point, Mine had come to hate the words "going on a mission." They all said they'd come back. None of them ever did.
She also hated herself. She was cursed—a walking misfortune. Her parents abandoned her, and the kind men who took her in all disappeared. She was a jinx, a bringer of death.
"Enough! What do you think you're doing?!"
A furious voice boomed through the courtyard. The Revolutionary officer kicked open the low fence and strode forward, placing himself protectively in front of Mine. The children froze, startled, their stones falling from their hands.
The chubby boy leading the group puffed up his chest and yelled, "Who are you to tell us what to do? Are you siding with that freak?!"
"Freak...?" The officer's eyes darkened, and for a long moment, he said nothing.
Seeing his silence, the children took it as permission. Urged on by their leader, they once again raised stones and hurled them toward Mine and the officer.
Mine's eyes widened in panic. She didn't want anyone else hurt because of her. She had long since grown used to being beaten.
"Watch out!" she cried out instinctively.
"Haah... The Revolutionary Army... how did it come to this?" the officer muttered bitterly. Then, his anger exploded. "ENOUGH!"
His shout erupted like a thunderclap. The soundwave burst outward, scattering the stones midair and flinging the children off their feet.
"Ah! It hurts!"
"Help!"
"He hit us—!"
"What's going on?!"
Moments later, hearing the commotion, several Revolutionary soldiers rushed into the courtyard.
Ignoring their questions, the officer knelt beside Mine and gently took hold of her arm. "Mine..."
Even as a hardened intelligence officer, he couldn't help but gasp when he saw the state of her body. Her small arms were covered in scrapes and welts—some fresh, others old and barely healed.
"How could they do this to her?!" he whispered, his voice trembling with anger.