Esdeath sat in her chair, leaning one hand against her cheek as she swiftly scanned the urgent dispatch sent from the Empire.
"Night Raid? A group of assassins?"
"And every single member possesses a powerful Teigu?"
Esdeath's tongue darted out, moistening lips as tender and elastic as jelly.
Interesting developments, one after another… How can I possibly resist?
In her entire journey to become the Empire's greatest General, she'd never before encountered such an abundance of intriguing events in quick succession.
The subjugation of the Northern Tribes, a red-haired boy of boundless potential, and now an assassination organization repeatedly targeting key figures in the Empire.
All these things suggested that, in the coming days, boredom would be the least of Esdeath's concerns.
She stood abruptly from her seat, barking orders at the guard beside her.
"All units, prepare to move out! We're returning to the Capital!"
"Yes, ma'am—!"
The soldier relayed her orders, prompting an immediate, thunderous response from outside.
The Imperial troops had long grown tired of this frozen wasteland. If Esdeath hadn't personally searched the palace archives for intelligence on the Northern Danger Beasts, they'd have gladly departed earlier.
After all, hunting Danger Beasts was among Esdeath's favorite pastimes.
Knowing she might never return here after the war, she'd planned to collect a few high-quality trophies before leaving. Weak Danger Beasts held no value for her collection.
As for Emiya Shirou, Esdeath deliberately chose not to meet him again at this moment.
She had already entrusted Shirou's management to Liver. If she visited Shirou now, neither of them would be able to control their urge for combat.
Their last fight had barely satisfied her craving. Even now, Esdeath's hands itched for another battle, yet she couldn't simply thrash her subordinates without justification. Besides, beating up her soldiers wouldn't satisfy her in the slightest—it would be utterly one-sided and dull.
Fortunately, the Empire's urgent dispatch arrived at just the right moment.
The Northern battlefield had already been pacified under Esdeath's brutal efficiency. City after city belonging to the Northern Tribes had been turned into frozen tombs beneath her assault.
Countless civilians had been slaughtered by Imperial forces, and overnight, their capital had become a ghost city.
Those lucky enough to survive Esdeath's initial massacre didn't escape their fate—her forces encircled the city, methodically cleansing every hiding place.
Even those hidden deep within cellars were mercilessly executed.
In a single day, an entire people vanished from the world.
No army would ever threaten the Empire's northern border again.
The military camp where Emiya was recuperating was the very palace Esdeath had captured from the Northern Tribes.
Esdeath knew that turning Shirou into a loyal subordinate within such a short period was impossible by force alone.
This wasn't something to be rushed. Hence, she handed Shirou over to Liver, aiming to gradually erode his resistance, ensnaring him like a spider spinning its web around struggling prey until he willingly fell into her grasp.
The first step was using Liver's heroic rescue to bind Shirou emotionally to their forces.
If Shirou seized an opportunity to escape, Esdeath certainly wouldn't put her duties on hold just to chase him down. She wouldn't waste her precious time monitoring a single promising recruit. No matter Shirou's potential, he simply wasn't worth that much effort.
If he truly wants to escape, no one but myself can stop him.
Despite having no Teigu himself, Shirou surpassed many who wielded them—this was Esdeath's appraisal of him.
As long as Shirou remained within her forces, Esdeath had countless methods to mold him into exactly the type of subordinate she desired.
Moreover, due to Liver's relationship with Esdeath, Shirou would inevitably hesitate whenever he clashed with her. She was Liver's superior—an infamous sadist with a merciless nature. Any defiance could easily lead to harsh punishment for Liver.
Shirou would naturally fear causing harm to the man who'd saved his life.
This was surely not something Shirou could easily accept.
Meanwhile, Shirou was once again confined to recovering from his wounds.
He bitterly realized he'd fallen into an endless cycle of injuries and recuperation.
Though mostly his own fault, Shirou felt no regret.
He slowly sat up on his sickbed. In truth, his injuries weren't severe—just internal frostbite scattered throughout his organs.
After resting briefly, Shirou felt significantly better, breathing more freely.
But Shirou's discomfort paled compared to the suffering of Liver, lying injured next to him.
Blood seeped through Liver's bandages, causing guilt to gnaw at Shirou's heart. If not for Shirou's reckless impulsiveness, Liver wouldn't have been so severely wounded.
"Don't worry about me, young Emiya—cough, cough!"
Liver, seated on the bed next to Shirou's, reassuringly patted the youth's shoulder. Despite being wracked by coughing fits, he signaled that Shirou needn't blame himself.
If you're going to act, commit to the role completely.
Feigning suffering was indeed a useful strategy.
Esdeath's brutal strike had sliced across Liver's chest, sending blood spurting like a fountain.
At that moment, Shirou had desperately struggled forward despite half his body being frozen solid, collapsing helplessly onto the ground.
Unable to break free from Esdeath's icy grasp, he'd been forced to watch Liver fall, bleeding out before his eyes.
Shirou's eyes burned with rage as he glared at Esdeath, but his fury was powerless. His lower body was entirely frozen—any careless movement could shatter him like glass.
"Take them to the medical tent."
Esdeath cast an indifferent, icy glance at Shirou before turning back toward her tent.
Of course, such seemingly severe injuries were trivial for these hardened veterans—they'd recover fully within three days at most.
It was just enough to frighten a naive outsider like Shirou, who wasn't yet familiar with the monstrous healing capabilities here—despite having remarkable regenerative powers himself.
"Lord Liver! General Esdeath has an assignment for you."
A soldier approached Liver quietly, mindful of the medical tent's environment. Most wounded soldiers had already recovered and left; currently, only Liver and Shirou remained.
Otherwise, Esdeath wouldn't have ordered the army to depart immediately. She always looked after her wounded soldiers.
Liver apologized briefly to Shirou and followed the messenger outside.
"The assassination of those ministers?"
Outside the tent, Liver nodded thoughtfully, carefully considering the task. To successfully recruit Shirou, it was essential that Esdeath temporarily stay away from him. Conveniently, this assignment offered precisely that opportunity.
It also provided Liver more chances to subtly persuade Shirou to accept Esdeath's authority. Constantly facing her directly would only make Shirou more resistant, even with Liver's life-saving kindness as leverage.
Such delicate matters required patient, deliberate maneuvering.
With this in mind, Liver turned back toward Shirou, who remained in the medical tent.
"Would you like to temporarily leave camp with me?"