Chapter 34

Don't forget the gems and reviews.

advanced chapters.

patreon.com/FanFictionPremium.

Enjoy reading.

---

"Who would have thought something like this would still happen..." - Nakaido thought as he looked at his wounded fighters who were unlucky enough to encounter the dangerous beasts.

When the general spoke to his men and announced that he was going to join the revolutionaries, he told them, "I am no longer going to watch the people of the Empire suffer at the hands of a rotten government! Therefore, I am going to join the Revolutionary Army! I'm not forcing you to follow me... All those who want to go home to their families can leave right now. But those who are going to fight, like me, for the people of this country - I ask you... not as subordinates, but as comrades, to continue to follow me!". The speech had the desired effect, and the majority followed their general. There were some who decided to just leave, not wanting their families to suffer. Nakaido understood their worries and, as promised, let them leave.

The general decided to use the Ornngol Forest as a temporary hiding place. Although the forest was known to be home to dangerous beasts, Nakaido knew from reliable Revolutionary Army sources that the revolutionaries had secured a certain part of the forest in advance by seeding it with fragrant grass.

As many people know, predators have an excellent sense of smell, which allows them to track their prey, but that same sense of smell also fails them. Hunters almost always before a big hunt buy special plants from herbalists that can hide their odour. In general, the method of sowing the territory with odorous grass to hide from dangerous monsters has been practised for a long time, it was used during the war with the Southerners, when monsters began to attack military camps.

For the first two weeks, Nakaido and his soldiers felt relatively safe and were able to build a military camp... But then the unexpected happened. Immediately several monsters of the highest level of danger attacked the camp, a real massacre began, in which some of the soldiers died and others were seriously injured. In the end, only six thousand soldiers and another fifteen hundred wounded remained in a combat-ready state.

The reason for the attack was quickly found - the grass that was supposed to hide them did not take long to take root in the new terrain and simply wilted. It became clear that such an attack could happen again, and therefore it was urgent to find a new hiding place.

Nakaido immediately contacted his superiors and explained the situation. The command promised to send a map with the route to the main forces of the Revolutionary Army as soon as possible, but until then everyone was ordered to leave the forest.

After Nakaido checked on the soldiers, he returned to his tent. The revolutionaries had already sent a map with the route to the new hideout, only this time the general was in no hurry and decided to send scouts to check the route. Now the only thing left to do was to wait patiently for their return, expecting to hear that the route was safe, after which the soldiers could move out of this cursed forest.

- Just as long as everything went smoothly this time.

***

The journey from the Capital to the Ornngol Forest was not a long one, it could have taken about a week on foot, but thanks to the flying beast Leon and Esdeath were able to get there in just a day. During the flight, the girl shared her knowledge of hunting, and the boy listened attentively, because in life (in the other world even more so) could come in handy. Leon also read along the way the bestiary he had acquired probably before he joined the army. Most of the beasts of this world were hybrids of some sort - a mixture of different kinds of animals. Separately, we can highlight giant insects, living plants and huge reptiles, which can be compared to real dinosaurs. In addition, the monsters are divided into levels of danger, and, as the guy noticed, this level is mainly related to the size of the beast - the bigger, the more dangerous.

Having landed near the forest, Leon and Esdeath jumped off the monster's back. The guy began to examine the trees, which, by modest standards, reached a hundred metres in height and were more than five metres in diameter. The girl, meanwhile, was busy with her beast; after patting its neck four times, the dragon roared and flew towards the mountains that could be seen in the distance.

- Where is he going? - Leon asked, looking in the direction of the flying monster.

- While we are hunting monsters, he will be resting in the mountains for a while.

- Are you sure he'll come back?

- Are you doubting my training skills? - Esdeath asked, squinting her eyes slightly.

- It's hard to doubt your skills. But there is a chance of that happening, because beasts from the wild are more difficult to train than those who have been trained from birth.

- Leon... are you worried about being stuck here? - she asked with a chuckle.

- Does it look like I'm worried? - The boy also questioned, folding his arms in front of him.

- Not at all. - Esdeath replied, walking up to Leon almost point-blank. - Now let's go, we don't have time to waste. - The girl commanded, to which Leon hummed and followed her.

As they entered the forest, Leon looked up to see the tops of the trees, which made the two generals look like ants in comparison. He even thought about climbing one of them, but decided to postpone that idea until after the hunt.

Leon and Esdeath spent the next four hours stalking the predators, but they didn't notice how the hunt gradually began to feel like a walk. For the entire time the pair were in the forest, they didn't encounter a single animal, and instead of hunting, the two generals walked through the forest and admired the views. Esdeath was clearly annoyed, however, for she had made almost an entire plan on how to demonstrate her abilities to Leon. On the other hand, they were completely alone and could take advantage of that.

- Leon, why don't you tell me a little about your homeland? - Esdeath decided to start a conversation. - And don't say you grew up in the northern islands, I won't believe it. - she added.

Leon, hearing this question, stopped to think. He had been asked about his homeland before, but usually he told a legend about how he lived in the northern islands. But what to say to a girl who can sense a lie in words?

- I don't think I can say much. Like the Empire, my country has a long history. If we don't go into the past, the most significant time was the last hundred years, because before my homeland was just a set of independent states, which at that time were called free cities. But everything changed after the victory in the so-called Seven Weeks War, the unification of the lands and the formation of a single state began. Between other countries at that time it was customary to call it just an empire of countries, but it was not quite right, it is more correct to call it Reich.

- Hmmm..." Esdeath pondered. - I've never heard of such a name as 'Reich' before.

"And I don't think you will." - Leon mentally noted.

- The empire didn't last long, however. It was one of the largest wars my homeland had ever known... a war we fought and lost.

- The strongest man wins, and now that you've--

- You know, Esdeath. - Leon interrupted her, knowing what she was about to say. - We didn't win the war, but we can't be called weak either.

- If you're so sure of what you're saying, then why did your homeland lose?

- No matter how strong a nation's army is, no country... is capable of fighting the whole world. - Leon said, then fell silent.

- Leon...

- This is not the end of the story... After the defeat in the war, the country suffered from crisis and famine, discontent turned into revolution, as a result of which the monarch was overthrown and the former empire was replaced by a republic. But life did not get any better: loss of territories, reduction of the army, payment of huge reparations to the victorious countries, unemployment, financial difficulties, instability of the state apparatus. Just at this moment... when the people demanded change, a man appeared who was able to return the country to its former greatness - Adolf Hitler.

- And what did he do?

- He restored the country's military might and economy. And also... won the war with the former victorious country and returned to the state previously lost territories. He became the man who founded the Third Reich.

- Why the Third Reich?

- It was the third union of states in a row.

- Okay, and then what happened after that?

- I don't know.

- What do you mean, you don't know? - Esdeath asked with an arched eyebrow.

- After that, I was brought to your empire. But I can say for sure that my homeland will not stop at one victory.

- Just out of interest, don't you miss your homeland?

- I do. But after all I've been through, I don't think I'm going back now. What about you?

- Me?

- You said your tribe lived and hunted in the north. And how did you feel when you killed your fellow countrymen? - Leon changed the subject.

- Nothing. - Esdeath answered simply. - To me, they were nothing more than enemies who challenged the Empire.

- So... it wasn't even revenge for the spilled blood of your tribe?

- Yes, it was.

- What about that story about you burying hundreds of thousands of Northmen alive?

- I was just following orders.

- Just following orders..." Leon said the words like a sentence.

- You can ask me more, I don't mind if it's about me.

- What about your teigu? I haven't seen you use any item.

- Heh..." Esdeath chuckled, taking the guy's hand and bringing it to the mark on her chest, making Leon embarrassed. - Here it is, my teigu.

- I thought it was some kind of tribal tattoo.....

- Ha ha ha ha ha," the girl laughed. - "No... this is my teigu, Demon Extract. I was given the right to own a teigu for my services to the Empire, and when I was in the Imperial Treasury, the extract called out to me. As Onest had told me then, it was demon blood that could give whoever drank it the power to control ice.

- Was it really that simple?

- No. The monster's blood drove the previous owners insane because the voice in their head urged them to kill and destroy.

- Wait, I mean...

- Don't worry. I tamed it a long time ago, there's nothing to fear.

- Does this extract have anything to do with your love of torture?

- No... I've always loved torture. - Esdeath replied with a satisfied look on her face.

Upon hearing the answer, Leon put his hands behind his back and began to walk back and forth for a while, muttering something to himself. Then he stopped and looked at the girl, who was looking at him with an incomprehensible look.

- You know, Esdeath... I'd like to say a lot of things to you, but alas, I have no right to judge you. I know what it means to "just follow orders", I know cruelty to the enemy, and I've seen ordinary people being forced into cells by the hundreds and then gassed. All of which I paid absolutely no attention to. But still... I have to ask: does the girl standing in front of me now have even an ounce of compassion for people or respect for the enemy? - As he asked this question, Leon walked slowly towards Esdeath, and when he finished speaking, he stood in front of her and looked seriously into her blue eyes, which were looking at Leon with the same seriousness.

- I-" Esdeath was about to reply, but the crunch of branches made the two generals draw their weapons and point them in the direction of the sound.

- We know you're here. Come out immediately. - Esdeath ordered, immediately sensing that these were not beasts.

As commanded, three men emerged from the bushes with their hands up in the air, showing their non-hostility. All of them wore black camouflage clothing and masks that hid their faces, in addition, on the shoulder of each of them could be seen an emblem that Leon knew well.

- Calm down, they're their own. - Leon said, putting his katana back in its scabbard.

- How do you know? - Esdeath questioned, taking her time to put the weapon away.

- They are Imperpol's scouts. - Leon answered Esdeath's question. - What are you doing here? - he asked the Spirits the question he was interested in.

- 'General, we are fulfilling the Ghost's assignment and keeping an eye on the enemy forces of the revolutionaries. Honestly, we didn't expect headquarters to send you.

- Are there revolutionaries here? - Esdeath immediately asked, putting her rapier aside.

- Yes, ma'am. We were tracking General Nakaido and his soldiers when he defected to the revolution. This forest was chosen as their temporary hideout and they are currently preparing to leave it.

A smirk appeared on Esdeath's face, the same smirk that Leon would likely remember for the rest of his life.

- Where are they and how many soldiers do they have? - She got straight to the point.

- After the monsters' attack, there are about five thousand of them left in a combat-ready state, if we don't count the wounded.

- Is Nakaido with them?

- Yes.

- Excellent... Leon. - Esdeath addressed the young man. - The monster hunt is cancelled. Our task now is to eliminate the Revolutionary Army forces in this forest.

Having understood the girl's intentions, Leon nodded, shifted his gaze to the Spirits and said only one word:

- Lead the way.

***

There's a humorous philosophical principle called Murphy's Law that says, "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong." And so it went ...

Nakaido and his soldiers moved out of the forest according to the route. But not even halfway through, the growls and howls of monsters could be heard from everywhere. The soldiers prepared to fight. Those with firearms or any other long-range weapons shot the monsters from afar; the swordsmen had the hardest time: it was one thing to kill a human and quite another to kill a monster that was three times your size.

Over a hundred beasts were killed in an hour, but Nakaido's soldiers were also suffering casualties. Most of the soldiers were simply dragged out of formation by the monsters with their fangs straight into the forest, from where heartbreaking cries and pleas for help could then be heard. The wounded, who were originally going to be taken out of the forest on wagons, were also unlucky - the monsters simply tore them up and dragged them into the forest thicket, from where the screams could be heard. Some of the soldiers, seeing the bodies of their comrades being torn apart by the beasts, left the ranks in fear and panic and tried to escape, but they became the main target of the monsters.

Nakaido gave orders and watched as his men died through his fault. A lot of generals who wanted to defect to the side of the revolution were quickly declassified because they delayed this moment. So Nakaido did everything in a hurry, and his plan to defect to the revolution looked like a crumpled piece of paper. Now he was faced with the consequences of his reckless actions.

- Retreat.

- Mr General? - one of the soldiers addressed him.

- Retreat quickly!!! - Nakaido commanded his soldiers.

It was suicidal to hold the defence further: the monsters kept coming, and his army was left with at best fifteen hundred and fifty thousand able-bodied soldiers and a lot of wounded. The soldiers, following their commander's orders, fled... If they didn't get out of the forest, it would be their doom.

Nakaido, who was riding his horse, could hear the screams of those soldiers who were left behind. Even if they got out, he could no longer look them in the eye. He could only believe that the future revolution had cost him the loss of his army.

In the distance they could already see the end of the trees, indicating that they were almost out. Most were already starting to rejoice that this nightmare was finally over. It was estimated that only three thousand people had made it out of the forest... so many senseless casualties.

Just as Nakaido himself was relieved that it was over, a wall of ice blocked the way for him and his soldiers, and with it came laughter.

All eyes turned upwards... As the saying goes, hope dies last.

"Why... why are they here...? What are they doing here!!!!" - shocked Nakaido, looking at the Ice Queen, who was looking at him and his soldiers with her trademark sadistic smile, while next to her, without expressing any emotion, stood the One-Eyed Demon, who was well known among both the soldiers of the Empire and the revolutionaries.

***

Esdeath and Leon, having learnt in advance from the Spirits what route the soldiers would take, simply waited for their arrival in the tree. They could hear the sounds of battle, the howls of beasts and the cries of men. To Esdeath, these sounds sounded like her favourite classical music, so a smile never fell from her face. Leon, on the other hand, was more reserved as usual and only listened to the sounds to see when the revolutionaries would approach them.

Nakaido's army could only be viewed as beaten mongrels: fighting monsters had weakened them, the loss of their comrades had taken a heavy toll on morale, and the appearance of the two strongest generals had completely destroyed any hope of survival.

- Esdeath. - Leon turned to the girl.

- М?

- I'll take care of Nakaido and his bodyguards.

- That suits me fine. - Esdeath said, raising her hand.

Countless ice spikes appeared in the air. The soldiers hurriedly began to turn back or run off the road straight into the forest, but it didn't help them much. As soon as the girl lowered her hand, ice spikes flew into the soldiers in a whirlwind, piercing their bodies through and through. Then the girl jumped down - the surviving revolutionaries immediately rushed at her with swords, but they could not compete with the strongest woman in the Empire, so the result was predictable: Esdeath simply chopped them with her rapier.

Leon also jumped down. Having landed, the guy immediately cut off several rebels standing nearby, and then began to search for Nakaido among the crowd. The general and a few of his loyal soldiers fled into the forest to hide. Leon immediately followed them, and when they got far enough from the road, the boy decided to finish the chase.

Once in front of them, he cut off two of Nakaido's bodyguards' heads in a flash, and then chopped off the others as well, leaving one general alive.

- Bastard! - Nakaido shouted, swinging his sword, but with a swing of his katana Leon knocked the sword out of the man's hands and he flew aside.

Nakaido fell to the ground and tried to grab his gun, but the sword blade at his throat prevented him from doing so. He looked with horror in his eyes at the emotionless face of the young man who slipped his hand into his uniform, pulling out all the papers from there.

The lad began to look at them with interest, but one paper was particularly important - a map with a drawn route to the place where the main forces of the Revolutionary Army were assembled.

- Why are you doing this? - Nakaido asked him.

- Doing what?

- You know very well how rotten the Empire is. So why are you serving it?

- Because I'm a soldier.

- And just because of that?! I too am a soldier who took an oath to protect the Empire... But how can you protect a country from itself? I became a soldier to protect the country and its people, but in reality, time after time, I and other generals have been thrown into rebellions and settlements for suspicion of helping the revolution. Understand... The Empire is rotten, and the entire top brass is stealing from the people. Only a revolution can bring down this power! - Nakaido's face clearly showed the anger he felt mixed with fear. This man was completely sure of the truth of his words, but....

- No... There is another way.

- Wha-" Nakaido's head flew off his shoulders abruptly, and a couple of drops of his blood landed on Leon's face.

Putting the katana back into its scabbard, Leon wiped the blood from his face and turned to Ghost, who had only stood to the side until then, listening to the conversation between the two generals with his hands tucked behind his back.

- You will hand all the papers to Ghost. - Leon said, holding out the documents to Nakaido. - He will know what to do with them.

- Yes!" he saluted, accepting the papers. - Permission to ask a question?

- Permission granted.

- What was that "other way" you were talking about?

- You don't need to know. - Leon said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Spirit" did not say anything, but only hurried to leave the forest and deliver important documents to the commander, and Leon went back to the road to meet Esdeath.

The girl wasted no time - Nakaido's soldiers were lying dead on the ground, their blood staining the road red. Esdeath herself stood in the midst of all this carnage, the girl's expression and gaze spoke directly of her frustration.

- Was something wrong?

- It was too quick and easy..." replied Esdeath. - What about Nakaido?

- Dead, and so are his bodyguards.

- And we never got a chance to hunt.

- Don't feel bad. We'll be lucky next time.

- Is that your way of saying I should go hunting with you again sometime?

- You could say that.

- Hmm... I'll remember that. - Leon's words were able to encourage Esdeath, as he was right: they would have the chance to hunt together again.

- Come on, it's time for us to go back to the Capital.

Esdeath nodded and together with Leon walked along the road that led out of the forest. The girl took the guy's hand, making him charmingly embarrassed, and Leon, only slightly surprised, looked at her with about the same embarrassment.

"How quickly her moods can change..." - Leon thought, looking at the girl's pleased yet embarrassed face.

- 'You know... and yet, I enjoyed our hunt.

- Here's how...