Chapter 15: Playing the Role Naturally
"Although I don't know where you come from, you're not a bad subordinate."
Esdeath swung both arms, and dozens of ice spears shot forward from beside her.
Su Xiao's pupils slightly contracted as he began to track the flight trajectories of those ice spears.
He swung his Dragon-Slaying Flash in rapid succession, shattering the ice spears flying toward him one after another.
Su Xiao felt that Esdeath was strong—stronger than any enemy he had ever fought. However, she talked a bit too much during battle. If it came down to a life-or-death struggle, the two of them might very well end up killing each other. He had a way to deal with that technique that froze space.
Looking at Esdeath before him, Su Xiao suddenly thought that if he wanted to climb the ranks quickly in the Empire and get close to the young emperor, Esdeath was a good opportunity.
"You win. I am now your subordinate."
Su Xiao's words made Esdeath pause.
"Don't joke around. A fight like this can't satisfy me."
Esdeath was clearly displeased.
"Even if an army is approaching from behind, you don't care?"
"Army?"
Esdeath halted her forward charge. She loved slaughter, but she wasn't irrational.
Su Xiao crouched down, his fingers digging into the snow.
"One, three, five... on the left and right."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Esdeath let out a dry laugh.
"Five people count as an army? Even if five thousand came, it wouldn't matter. A pathetic excuse. I suddenly don't want to take you as a subordinate anymore."
Su Xiao looked up at Esdeath.
"What if it's fifty thousand?"
Esdeath turned her head to look at her adjutant beside her.
"Have you received any news of an enemy attack?"
The adjutant immediately shook his head.
"General, the scouts ahead haven't sent any word..."
Boom. Boom.
The ground began to tremble slightly. In the distance, through the falling snow, a dark, oppressive mass of shadows could be seen charging forward.
"Retreat into the fortress."
Esdeath immediately led her men back into the fortress.
"You come too."
With that, Esdeath rushed toward the city wall.
Su Xiao sheathed his Dragon-Slaying Flash and followed behind the soldiers. Based on the information from the original story, joining Esdeath's army was a good choice.
Although Esdeath was a female general with a good figure, she had a tendency to abuse and torture her enemies. However, her prestige in the military was extremely high.
The money the Empire rewarded Esdeath was all used to reward her soldiers. She ate the same food as ordinary soldiers and had no habit of getting special treatment.
The army under Esdeath's command was different from other Imperial armies. They never accepted bribes, had good relations with commoners, and enjoyed high prestige in the Empire.
If Esdeath raised a rebellion, the success rate would be over ninety percent, or even higher.
Excluding her love for torturing enemies and her passion for slaughter, Esdeath was a top-tier military commander.
The reason the decaying Empire had lasted this long was largely due to Esdeath's hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that the Empire possessed many Imperial Arms.
...
A loud rumbling sound gradually approached from afar. On the city wall, rows of soldiers were already standing. Some of these soldiers were fighting despite being ill. Though their spirits were low, their morale remained high.
"Why are there so many enemies? Could the intelligence be wrong?"
Esdeath stood on the city wall, staring into the distance.
The dark shadows rushing in the distance gradually came closer. When the soldiers on the wall saw what they were, exclamations rang out.
"Snowfield wolves! Haven't these dangerous species gone extinct?"
What came into view was a dense pack of giant wolves. Their fur was grayish-white, their bodies the size of tigers. As they ran, they bared their white, gleaming fangs, their eyes filled with ferocity and cunning.
"So that's it. It seems the Extreme North Army has reached an agreement with that cunning beast."
Esdeath muttered to herself. She was from the northern border region and knew the situation there well.
"General, should we send out troops?"
Esdeath's adjutant asked.
"No need. I was wondering why the Extreme North Army dared to invade suddenly. Now it seems that beast gave them confidence."
Esdeath watched the massive wolves below with interest.
"You, come with me."
Esdeath looked at Su Xiao.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Su Xiao nodded. This was probably some kind of test. Joining the Imperial faction wasn't as simple as he had imagined. His teleportation location was too troublesome.
Esdeath gave a few instructions to her adjutant. The adjutant was stunned and spoke urgently:
"General, this man's background is unknown. Doing this is too risky."
"It doesn't matter. My army accepts any strong person. If he has ill intentions, I'll skin him and throw him into the fire."
Esdeath turned to look at Su Xiao, her gaze as if she were studying where to make the first cut.
Su Xiao remained expressionless.
After scrutinizing Su Xiao for a while, Esdeath took a few steps forward and leaped down from the city wall, which was over ten meters high.
Just before landing, a layer of ice formed beneath her feet. She lightly stepped on the ice and landed steadily.
Esdeath pressed one hand lightly on the snow-covered ground.
Boom.
A layer of solid ice instantly spread out. The giant wolves that were running all froze in place, turning into ice sculptures.
Seeing this, Su Xiao wasn't surprised. Esdeath's development direction was geared toward fighting armies, while he was more focused on killing powerful individuals.
Su Xiao also jumped down from the city wall and stood on the ice. A chill rose up; the temperature here was even lower.
The extreme cold of the north was very suitable for Esdeath's fighting style. But being able to instantly kill tens of thousands of enemies was still shocking enough.
"Let's go."
Esdeath stood up and walked into the distance. Su Xiao followed alongside.
Walking among the ice sculptures of giant wolves, Su Xiao felt a bit puzzled. Where was Esdeath planning to go? And the attack by these wolves was clearly intentional.
"You didn't go all out in our fight earlier, did you?"
Esdeath suddenly spoke. Su Xiao guessed that she was trying to probe his background. After all, he had no clear origin. If he couldn't explain his background, his infiltration plan would basically be ruined.
Fortunately, Su Xiao had reviewed a large amount of information about *Akame ga Kill!* and had already simulated his background, origin, and so on in his mind.
"About seventy percent."
Esdeath was in front, Su Xiao behind. They walked and talked.
"Seventy percent? It seems I underestimated you. Someone with your strength doesn't just appear out of nowhere. If you want to join my army, explain your origin and name."
"Alright."
"My name is Bai Ye. I come from Paksu Asen in the eastern part of the Empire. Recently, I've worked as an assassin and a mercenary. I was trained by an organization in the East, then served in the military for a few years. My main duties were: assassination of key figures, sabotage behind enemy lines, and beheading enemy leaders. I served in the military for five years, after which the army tried to dispose of me. That's it."
Esdeath frowned. In her view, Su Xiao's background was somewhat complicated. He had been an assassin and then served in the military's covert operations.
"Why did your army abandon you?"
"I knew too many secrets. Also, the country I was in had already won and no longer needed someone like me."
Esdeath pondered whether Su Xiao's words were credible. Although his background was complicated, his strength was undeniable. If someone with that kind of power had a simple background, that would be suspicious.
"What was your purpose in coming to the Extreme North this time?"
"I planned to join Numa Seka of the Extreme North Army, but I felt that guy had no future, so I'm joining the more powerful Empire."
Su Xiao's words were simple and clear. Moreover, he never spoke an extra word unless Esdeath asked a question. This was the typical speech pattern of assassination units. Su Xiao was doing his best to simulate it.
"After joining the Empire, what is your goal? Or do you have any ideals?"
Esdeath asked her final question.
"Ideals? The purpose I was trained for is to kill. Give me money and status, and then I kill."
Hearing Su Xiao's somewhat blunt answer, Esdeath was very satisfied. She felt she had found a treasure. A "homeless" former covert operative was very welcome in any unstable country. The things they could do were things ordinary soldiers could never accomplish.