The Girl Who Eats the God of Death
Chapter 23 - The After-Festival Party Dish Is Delicious

In the cold weather, Alexander led the Imperial Army, moving into the Second Fort on the northern shoreline.

White snow began to cover the road, and the soldiers moved, close to each other to keep warm.

On the way, an invading cavalry unit from the Royal Army appeared, and prepared to attack their supply chariot. It's too late for Alexander to test Schera here. He sent a messenger, called Schera's unit, and gave him instructions.

"Letkol. I want to see how you do your job with my own eyes. Will you teach those people a lesson? If you attack them, they will definitely escape immediately. No need to pursue."

"–Every 86."

"This is your first battle for the Empire. Good luck."

Alexander smiled cynically, and Schera nodded carelessly.

"A hundred riders come with me! We're gonna kick the enemy cavalry!"

“OU-!”

"–Cavalry Schera, assault-!"

"FOLLOW LIEUTENANT COLONEL-! DON'T MISS IT!"

Targeting the enemy cavalry, he stomped his horse and started darting. Behind him were 100 Schera Cavalry with black flags flown. All the members of his cavalry wore Imperial armor, but the flag of their unit did not change.

"Commander, what should we do?"

"I think the number of enemies is the same as ours. They want to bully us. Hmph, then, how about we just face it? No one can match us, Madros, in horse riding."

"Ready-rush! We show them our pride."

The Royal Cavalry was preparing to flee, but after seeing the small number of Schera units, they decided to confront him. They raised their spears, rearranged their ranks, and began to charge in full determination. Their main task was to block supply shipments by attacking supply trains, but the matter of attacking or defending was entirely left to the commander in charge.

Either way, it is impossible for a superior officer to give his or her individual direction to all unit commanders. Kerry has put independent units of this kind in various places.

The Royal and Imperial Cavalry fought. Schera's scythe spilled the first blood, flying the heads of two riders. The two cavalry fought, and some people fell off their horses. While grappling each other, many empty-handed battles took place. Spears were stabbed from the top of the horse, but aiming for the gap, the other riders stabbed their bodies.

"Black flag with a white crow emblem, aren't you the Death God of Schera!? Why are you with the Imperial Army!? Did you betray the Kingdom!?"

The commander of the Royal Forces shouted full of anger while swinging his spear. Schera replied in a tone of voice with no sense of interest.

"Gue himself was confused as well? It's so weird."

"You don't know shame! Just die you!"

After turning his spear several times over his head, he swung his spear down, targeting Schera. Schera brushed off the attack, then counterattacked using his scythe, knocking the commander off his horse. After receiving a powerful attack, the commander fainted. Without hesitation, Schera stabbed his skull and his helmet. After he twisted his scythe once, he retracted it, and fresh blood spat out.

"The Commander has fallen! Retreat! Back-up!"

"We cannot be destroyed! We're gonna pay off this debt-!"

As their commander was killed in battle, the assault cavalry unit immediately decided to retreat. Since Schera had been ordered not to pursue, he returned to Alexander's unit. Since the two cavalry fought only once, the casualties were few. This might be considered a Schera victory if you look at how it turned out, the enemy was beaten back and their commander was killed.

Alexander watched the scene using binoculars, and he nodded in satisfaction. Then, when he was told Schera had returned, he praised Schera blatantly.

"The Madros family pride cavalry is like a boy! Your abilities are amazing."

"I'm honored for your praise."

"From what I heard, you were given the nickname the God of Death because you used that scythe. At first, I thought it was a joke, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I agree with the nickname."

"For me, this scythe is the easiest to wear. It fits my hand perfectly."

Schera moved his huge scythe, and the layer of red blood that smeared the scythe dripped down. Then, the bodies of the officers and soldiers around him instantly became spontaneously stiff. For some reason, they seemed to see an illusion like the sickle blade was swung at them. It was not because of the cold air, but the feeling of goosebumps crashing down on their bodies.

Alexander's countenance changed for a moment, but he soon returned as before.

"Colonel, I have high hopes for your actions on this expedition. Depending on your achievements, I plan to put you under my command directly. I really need talented people."

When Alexander said direct command, he meant to officially include Schera in the First Corps. Currently, Schera is only a temporary affiliate. If Alexander wanted to, there was also the possibility of further promotion. The officers around them displayed an envious expression. Alexander was the future Emperor, and just by the name of someone remembered by him would definitely be useful in the future. They could not accept this newcomer attracting Alexander's attention.

"Your Majesty."

Gustav warned, but Alexander did not care. He has the confidence that someone of his calibre can handle Schera.

"I am a human being who values talent. I won't let my personal feelings interfere. Hence, I really appreciate your gift. Lieutenant Colonel Schera, I want you to exert your power for the Empire."

"Ready, I, Schera, will serve with all my heart."

Schera said the appropriate words and lowered her head. He had absolutely no connection to the Royal cavalry being killed. So Yalder would not be suspicious either, she was already given the authority to not hold back and fight with her full strength.

Moreover, the heads that were brought in at that moment when he surrendered to the Imperial Army were the soldiers that died in battle. There are those who oppose it, saying it's an insult to the dead, but Kerry's a fool. People who are still alive are much more important, he said. Then, he offered his own son, Darus, as a tumbar.

Darus doesn't know anything about this. He probably thought that Schera was a complete betrayer. Also, during his previous execution, if Schera had not been stopped, he would have killed Darus. Schera is given orders by Kerry to kill Darus without hesitation when it's time.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to put Lieutenant Colonel Schera in an important position?"

"What, Gustav, are you not satisfied? I'm very interested in him. Wasn't he an amazing weapon of destruction? We have to make the most of it. That physical strength despite being female in stature, was very eye-catching."

“............”

"Of course, I don't intend to make her a concubine. There are some parts of his body that I think should be more plump. Although the face of the Death God Miss was tolerable."

Alexander laughed merrily, and Gustav furrowed his brows.

"Your Majesty, please refrain from such rude comments. These are the most critical moments."

"I know. Just kidding. I don't have the freedom to choose my partner anyway."

Alexander again put on his serious expression, and sent a signal to start moving. If Yalder opened the gates when they reached the Second Fortress, Alexander's First Corps would move to take control of Madros, and Gustav's Seventh Corps would attack the food warehouse. In other words, Gustav would only be next to Alexander for a moment. His doubts about Schera were still not lost, Gustav told him to be vigilant, but Alexander did not listen to him anymore.

Gustav had known Alexander for a long time, and he had repeatedly reminded Alexander. Alexander is someone who has the capacity to accept harsh criticism, but on the other hand, he is very boasting about his own competence.

For this reason, Gustav could not say for certain that Schera's actions were suspicious. Schera had executed the prisoners without hesitation, and nearly killed the hostage Darus. Even in their battle against the cavalry just now, there was no sign of him holding back against them, and he had killed his commander. He did indeed fight as a member of the Imperial Army.

However, why Gustav could not trust Schera was due to his obscurity, the intuition of his long service life. It might be vague, but it was very upsetting for him, telling him to be careful around the woman, telling him that if he was negligent, Schera would kill them off while off guard. He is not something that can be tamed.

".......This might incur Your Majesty's displeasure, and there's nothing wrong with the guards, but it might be better to place more guards. His Majesty is young. He had high confidence in his own judgment. There is no shortage of people in this world who cannot be understood."

Gustav gathered the officers' staff for a secret meeting, and ordered them to increase the guard around Alexander. The officers initially ignored him, too, but when Gustav said he would take full responsibility, they agreed.

–Three days later.

Alexander's Imperial army entered the Second Fort without receiving any resistance. The defense commander, Yalder, opened the gate as promised. Alexander called Yalder to the headquarters to meet him immediately. But, who came instead a staff officer, Sidamo.

"We have received your orders for a meeting, but our commander, Yalder, said that he could not show his inappropriate appearance to His Majesty. Just this time, he apologized to you."

"Why should you be ashamed of everything you do? Don't worry, just call him. If this expedition is successful, Yalder's achievements are the highest of any.... This is an order. Tell him to face me."

Alexander said, and Sidamo lowered his head and left.

A few minutes later, Yalder accompanied Sidamo to come in front of Alexandeer. His right hand held a stick, and he seemed unable to walk on his own. His face was swollen, severe enough that he could not open his eyes. His eyebrows were wrapped in bandages, and his injuries were serious enough to make walking difficult.

"Mr Yalder. What's with that look?"

Alexander stood up from his chair and asked about the situation. Yalder's voice trembled as she replied.

"As a military man, this is the end for me. Please laugh at me. This is the fate of the man once known as the Steel Commander."

"And treat that badly?"

"I was banished, and in the end, demoted to Lieutenant General. In addition, I was convicted of violating military regulations and was immediately punished. It was unexpected that this was their treatment of a man who had perpetuated himself to the Kingdom for so many years, this was really annoying."

Yalder did not continue his words. He could say nothing more, and moans came out of his lips. The conversation continued after being urged by Sidamo.

"We were ordered to be the pieces of the tumbar here. This is the only remaining role for the defeated Corps of Forces, they said. The Royal executives planned to make preparations at the time and counterattack. ......Not only that, even forcing the people under our auspices to die shamefully was intolerable, and that's why we decided to turn red on the Empire."

".....I get it now. I sympathize with your suffering."

Alexander said with a loving expression, and Yalder knelt down, pleading.

"Your Majesty. Please add us to the front row unit. I want to show the spirit of a soldier to those who have excommunicated us. I beg of you. I beg you."

".......No, not with your body like that. It would probably be very difficult to use a spear with such a body. You should focus on healing for now. Stimulation will only open your wounds again. Mr. Sidamo, take Mr. Yalder to his room."

".......Until they actually opened the gates, I still had my suspicions, but it seems that Yalder's surrender was genuine. What say?"

Alexander questioned Gustav, and even the highly suspicious Gustav, nodded in agreement.

"Yalder is famous as a man with high self-esteem. He's hot-blooded, and he's not a guy who can strategize. Anyone would feel disgusted risking his life and being rewarded like that."

"After all, we can take control of the Second Fort. I think it's very profitable for the operation."

Alexander said, and the staff officers nodded. Then, they switched topics to determine who would be handed the task of guarding this fortress.

"Until the men behind us arrive, we put Yalder in defense. His division's a little under 7,000. The right amount."

"However, considering the worst possibility, how about entrusting the command of defense to someone else?"

Gustav suggested a cautious policy on his superiors, but Alexander rejected it.

"When he was injured like that, he couldn't do something like commanding a soldier. If we bring in the defeated army, I'm not sure they'll be of any use. They will only increase food consumption. In that case, I'm sure the best course of action to take is to have them guard this place."

Alexander said, and the officers agreed.

"I agree with you, Your Majesty. If we put some people to observe them, we don't have to worry. Moreover, they have not the slightest bit of loyalty left to the Kingdom."

"Not only that, from here on out, speed is more important than anything. We must immediately begin to move, take control of the warehouse before the enemy prepares their defenses, and surround Madros."

An officer's staff voiced out a plan while pointing at the map. Alexander nodded, and gave the order.

"The "30,000 First Corps will start moving towards Madros. Gustav, 20,000 soldiers of your Seventh Corps will continue moving east and destroy the storage warehouse. After that, help the siege of Madros. Although I intend to take him down before your troops arrive."

"understandable. Your Majesty, stay on full alert."

"It looks like your worries still remain unchanged, Gustav. I'm not a little kid anymore. Your excessive worries are unnecessary."

"I'm sorry about that. I, Gustav, have misjudged His Majesty."

Canda Gustav, and Alexander smiled wryly. In his heart Gustav prioritized the Wealth region over the Empire, and Alexander only thought and sought to gain the throne. These two people are on different sides, and they continue to maintain a strange mutual reciprocity relationship.

"....This fight will be our bridge to success. Gentlemen, I expect more effort from all of you."

Alexander expressed his determination, looked at the generals around him, and they all confirmed their resolve and nodded.

–50,000 Imperial Troops begin moving Second Fort series. Their targets: the food warehouse and Madros Castle. The 7,000 legions belonging to Yalder who surrendered were assigned to guard the Second Fort.

Designated as a command unit of the First Corps, the Schera unit of 500 soldiers was in the 'tail' section of the Imperial Army column formation. They had orders from their superior officers to withstand the Royal Troop cavalry's assault on their supply train. The rest of Schera's unit, 1,500 soldiers, was split apart, and they were given the same task of escorting the entourage. Simply put, Schera is in a bad state. Of course he would guard it until the end, but if for example the trains were damaged, it was likely that his head would be severed.

The array was emphasized by Alexander: the front was light cavalry, the middle was the main body of the troops, and the rear was a line of stock trains and siege weapons. They continued to forcibly move even though it was already night, relying on the light from the torch, and approached Madros castle at high speed.

The normal travel distance takes a week, taken in just three days.

They had yet to be caught by the enemy, and the 30,000 soldiers from the First Corps could proceed smoothly. Then, when they were a day away from the enemy headquarters, Alexander rested the entire army.

"Tonight get some rest. Tomorrow we'll attack Madros. All your spirit defenses."

Hiding within the forest, the Imperial soldiers calmed their tired bodies and regulated their breathing. It is forbidden to start a fire to warm yourself. It would be useless to come all the way here if the enemy found them. For supplies, cold meat and pre-prepared bread, and potatoes, are distributed.

Even so, the soldiers ignored their discomfort. If they win this battle, they are promised a great reward. And also, they're almost there. If the city fell, they might get a chance to plunder. On that occasion, they planned to vanish all their burning desires.

Making sure that the surroundings were quiet, Schera walked out of her tent. His cavalry soldiers who were forced to camp, covered in cloth, slowly raised their heads. Their eyes are sharp with no signs of fatigue. Katarina signals with her eyes, and Schera laughs, showing her white teeth. The cavalrymen were also willing to smile, then...

–Karl, who was given the task of observing Schera and his group, appears accompanied by an infantryman.

"You want to do these nights, Lieutenant Colonel Schera. Leading your cavalrymen, could it be that you want to go somewhere?"

"The weather is very cold, so I want to exercise. Karl, what if you come too?"

Carrying his scythe, Schera replied casually. The cavalry watched in silence.

"No need. Besides, I was given the task of observing. I was given instructions to stop anyone who was noisy and anyone who moved without permission. Lieutenant Colonel, come back. If not–"

Karl raised his hand, and the infantry drew his sword slowly.

"If not, what try. Hey, Katarina. I'm curious."

"Indeed, Lieutenant. What did Letda Karl do? Maybe he's threatening us."

Katarina responded to Schera's question with scorn. Behind his opaque glasses hidden eyes glittering with the light of madness.

To make them understand that it was not just a threat, Charles ordered that Katarina, who had been defiant, be punished.

Of course, they can't cause a commotion, so they can't do it prominently. Karl would silence Katarina and then snatch her. Although it was a 'vegetable', a blow using a sword sheath, it could have caused death if it had done it wrong.

"I have received a special order from Lieutenant General Gustav. If Lieutenant Colonel Schera is carrying out suspicious activities, punish him. Letda Katarina, I'll show you your body, if I'm serious. I don't discriminate against women. I treat everyone equally, so don't worry."

As Karl swung his hand down, the infantryman grabbed his arm, forced him to his knees, and silenced him to make no sound.

“––!?”

Seeing the person struggling, confused by what was going on, Schera smiled widely.

"Karl, since I owe it to me for giving me food, I will kill you painlessly. You're that lucky guy. Really, I intend to make your screams a substitute for the signal."

Catherine flicked her finger, and the infantry companion, who was already a corpse, placed his sword at the nape of Karl's neck. It was Catherine's action to keep an eye on Karl.

"Are we going to do it that way, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"No, I've thought of something good. I've never seen fireworks before. In the clear winter sky, I heard the fireworks look really pretty. So, Karl, let's make a firework in the night sky."

"Can too. It will also be a signal that is easily understood by our colleagues who are far away."

"Letda Karl, this is farewell. Goodby. Wealth potatoes are really delicious."

After Schera gently stroked Karl's face, he poked his head using his scythe, and killed him instantly. Karl probably died without feeling any pain.

Schera retracted her scythe, and held Karl's collar with both hands.

He mounted the horses, and confirmed Catherine and the cavalry.

Everyone nodded silently and prepared their weapons, their eyes glittering, filled with bloodlust.

"Well, can we start? It's cold now, so let's do this magnificently."

Ready. Sets. Schera threw Karl's corpse into the air as hard as he could. A black object shot up in the air while scattering blood on the snowflakes in the sky.

Upon reaching her peak height, Katarina flicked her finger, and the black object was enveloped in a dark red blaze, then exploded with a thunderous sound.

Schera watched it happily, then licked the red-stained snowflakes piled up in her hands.

–A fun festival has started.

After the sound of the explosion, flames spread through the area, and cries, shouts, and screams filled the entire Imperial camp. The Schera cavalry, wearing Imperial Armies, shouted false information while killing and setting fires. The exhausted Imperial soldiers were slaughtered without having time to understand the situation.

"Major General Gale's division has rebelled! Raise your swords and fight!"

"A surprise attack from the Royal Army! We're ambushed–!"

"The supply train car has been destroyed! All supplies have been burned–!"

"If left alone, this will be a one-sided slaughter–! Fight them–!"

Report after report kept coming, and the soldiers swung their swords and spears without knowing who the enemy was. In the darkness, terror and madness have taken hold of them.

"Stupid–! Can't you shut up!? The one who carelessly made a fuss was peng–"

Reprimanded a cold-headed officer, then a spear pierced through his throat from behind. The soldier pulled out his spear, which was mounted by a black flag, and then set it on fire elsewhere.

The commanders immediately acted to try to calm the chaos. But, the Schera cavalry who had been scattered all over the place tried to kill those generals with the highest priority.

Then, they would shout that the commanding officer had been killed and inflicted even more casualties. Like a termite gnawing on a tree, the victim fell down at a frightening speed.

Then began to fall victims who were killed by an allied attack in the First Corps of Imperial Forces that had fallen into chaos. A staff officer who received a report from an envoy entered Alexander's tent.

"Your Majesty, Alexander, Your Highness–! Bad news! The enemy has slipped into our army and set fires!"

Awakened from his sleep by force, Alexander curses the displeased officer staff, and gives him instructions in an indifferent tone.

"Then immediately capture the troops. What to fuss about? Handle it calmly."

"We are no longer in that kind of situation! Our troops have fallen into chaos, and the soldiers have started killing their own comrades! Your Majesty should immediately command and control this situation directly!"

Feeling that the situation was more serious than he had imagined, Alexander ordered his followers and told them to immediately put up his armor. He gave instructions to the chief of his guards, and the soldiers immediately tightened the ranks around Alexander.

Out of the tent, Alexander was speechless. Fire raged almost all over the forest used as an Imperial Army camp. The flames spread to the surrounding trees, lighting up the snowy night sky.

"What's this. We are close to Madros–! What did Gale, Rap, Dors and the others do!? Send an envoy tell them to get together– immediately!"

Alexander was enraged, and he was full of anger shouting the names of the division commanders of the First Corps. They were the generals that Alexander thought had potential and gave them rank. They were people who might even be referred to as proteges.

"That's the problem, said the soldiers Major General Gale was a traitor."

Said a messenger, and Alexander denied it.

"Stupid–! Wasn't it obvious that it was false information from the enemy!? Anybody would be a traitor in a situation like this! Victory is in front of our eyes!"

Alexander grabbed the messenger's collar. Something rolled at his feet, it rolled untidily, and then losing its momentum, it stopped a bit away from Alexander.

It's a human head. His face displayed a terrified expression, and he remembered seeing it somewhere. It was the veteran commander that Alexander had appointed.

He was Gale, who led one of the divisions.

"G-Gale? Gale!? Why are you–"

"He was a great commander. His Majesty seems to have sharp eyes. That guy was trying to command the soldiers to the end."

From the darkness, a familiar voice sounded in Alexander's ear. Then, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. There's something terrible lurking. It was something terrifying that could make one feel afraid. Something that cannot be described in words. Snap, and something exploded nearby. The flames blazed, illuminating the figure.

“......Lieutenant Colonel, S-schera?”

Alexander and the surrounding guards doubted their eyes. A little girl covered in blood from head to toe walked over. In his hands are two heads.

"For you. There were a lot of great people in the Imperial Army. They were also very loyal, and they worried His Majesty until their last breath. Your Majesty is indeed a lucky man."

Schera throws those heads. It was Rap and Dors. Their eyes were wide open, and their expression made one think they were dying heroically.

Then, the guards who fell into a depressed state drew their swords and pointed them at Schera from all directions.

"M-Death, you monster!!"

"Schera!! You traitor!"

"Wrongly wrong, I want to be dibulinized. Officer Sidamo's staff told me that."

After splitting the frontmost person into two vertically, the scythe rotated, swung sideways, and cut the two people on the left and right. He dodged the spear that pointed at him from behind, and the tip of his blade that rotated half a circle split the soldier's face from the side.

The guards used their bodies as shields, blocking Schera's path and not letting him near Alexander. Some of them risked their lives to make an attack, but their swords never reached Schera, and with one strike they turned into chunks of flesh. Even so, they continued to attack, everyone understood that it was their mission as bodyguards. No matter what the situation was, they had to protect Alexander's life to the point of his final blood– that was their duty as bodyguards.

Only a minute apart, tragic bodies were scattered. Little scabs stuck on the forehead of the soldiers who tried to attack him from behind the shadows. They tried to stab Schera with a spear simultaneously, but none of the attacks reached him. Every counterattack from Schera took their lives.

Behind him, the Schera Cavalry was getting closer. Eerie white crows lunged at the trees that were devoured by the flames. They came to join their Master.

"So, Your Majesty, this is dangerous. Fortunately, under Mr. Gustav's instructions, the bodyguards here have been added. Just leave the task of stopping the monster to them. We have to step back and get out of this situation. When the night is over, the mess will naturally subside."

An officer staff gave a suggestion, doing his own job even though his face was pale from the tragedy before his eyes.

"Are you telling me to run away? You said that First Prince Alexander was scared of only a few hundred traitors and had to retreat!? I command an army of 30,000!! Why should I back off!?"

"Your Majesty, in the worst case scenario, our one-time First Corps will be defeated. Therefore, it was imperative for the commander to survive until the end. If you understand, then leave!"

Shouted an old Staff Officer, and Alexander was momentarily speechless. The officer's staff ordered two bodyguards standing beside him to take Alexander to safety and shelter. Protecting Alexander whatever the stakes are, that's what he's ordered.

"Bring His Majesty to the place where our allies are gathered. The whole team can't be in a mess. It is likely that there are units waiting for completion. Immediately evacuate there and then command the entire army. You two should protect Your Majesty no matter what happens–"

“............”

"Did you hear–!? You guys are the great bodyguards–! What are you afraid of!? Why don't you guys answer me–!"

Snapped the Staff Officer, and the bodyguards responded flatly.

"......Understood."

".....Leave it to us."

The two burly bodyguards held Alexander's arm and led him away. After seeing them off, the Staff Wield drew his sword and joined the guards to stop the monster.

The reinforcements had joined forces with the Death God swinging his scythe. They set fires on the area as ordered, and they returned to their commander's side after doing so. There are 500 of them at the moment. The rest of the soldiers moved at full speed to join Schera while creating chaos.

"It seems General Gustav's intuition was indeed correct. Still, it was unexpected for an insect to cause this much casualties to our great Imperial Army."

The old officer's staff muttered. He pondered.

Schera's betrayal is very clear. That means Yalder's surrender is also a fake. In that case, their entire invasion plan this time was already read by the enemy. The Imperial troops had fallen into their trap and were in a miserable state. As an officer staff, this was an impossible disgrace to forgive even if he gave up his own life.

"If it were me, I would have destroyed the Second Fortress, made use of this chaos and carried out a surprise attack. Then, I will conduct a pincer attack in coordination with Madros Castle. .....However, just one monster in front of us had left us in a mess... Is he human? Isn't he really the God of Death?"

"Anyway, staunchly, what is this. The powerful prince's bodyguards were slaughtered by one little girl? No, wait a minute. This must be a dream. Yes of course. There's no way something like this could happen. Hundreds of elite guards were killed by a single person, there was no way that would happen. It's dreaming. It's dreaming. It's dreaming. It's a dream."

The bodyguards were easily suppressed, and the Death God who had devoured them all, sparing none, approached the Staff Officer who continued muttering blankly. With a compassionate expression, the Death God touched his cheek and softly whispered.

"–Good night. Moga of good dreams."

Alexander was taken to a small remote hill by the two bodyguards. There was no sign of an ally. Thinking this strange, Alexander questioned them, but the two soldiers did not speak at all. Even as he thrashed to release his arms from their grasp, he could not escape the inhuman strength that was restraining him.

(Both of them, not gasping. They don't even sweat. Their bodies are so cold, it's like.).

Adjusting his chaotic breath, Alexander watched the faces of the two bodyguards. There was no light in their eyes. Their faces are very pale.

"H-hey. You guys......"

When Alexander asked for the umpteenth time, there was the sound of a snap of his fingers, and both of his arms were freed from the restraints of the two bodyguards.

He fell forward, and someone hugged his body. As his brain processed whose face entered his field of view, his body instantly stiffened from the great terror.

“Ah, ah, ahhh–”

"Met malem, Your Highness Alexander. You don't have to be scared. There's nobody but us."

Schera who was covered in blood laughed mockingly. Catherine and the cavalry surrounded them.

"What are you going to do to me."

"I'm actually thinking about it myself now. Katarina, how do you think it's good to kill or capture a male alive? I don't really care."

Schera questioned Katarina while wiping the blood and sweat from her eyebrows.

Katarina closed her eyes and thought for a moment. In his hand were two walnuts gifts from his superior officer. He twirled it rhythmically and let out a voice, pondered his thoughts, and conveyed them to his superiors.

"I'm sure it would be more profitable to bring him alive. Anywhere we can kill him whenever we want. We can use him as a bargaining chip for negotiations. I'm sure it'll benefit the Kingdom far more."

"So that's it."

"Da-Rather than me according to your wishes, I prefer–"

As Alexander shouted, Schera's hands held both sides of Alexander's head, paralyzing him. Alexander's eyes were forced to stare at the monster in front of him. He was made to stare at the white teeth and his eyes were filled with a deep and endless darkness.

"You want to die, tell me the same. But I wouldn't kill you that way. I will not kill you even if you beg me to kill you. Until your voice runs out, until your consciousness is shaken, you will live. When you're dying, then, I'm gonna step on you insect cake until you die. If you have that cake resolution, just say Your Majesty."

His bloodied hands gently caressed Alexander's cheeks. The slippery yet warm sensation was imprinted in Alexander's brain. After caressing her cheek a few times, Schera smiled happily.

“-Ah, ahh-, ahh.”

"Letkol, you'll make him disabled if you miss. The value will fall if he's broken."

"Maap. It's not good to be late. His Majesty also gave me food and money. If I have to kill him, I think I should do it more elegantly.... And also, we're finally free from this annoying mission."

He let go of Alexander who could not react and stretched his body, while saying "Ahh~". Laughter broke out from the cavalry who were watching him. It was an act unsuitable for their superior officer who was being called the God of Death.

"So we have to do what now? General Yalder's legion is about to arrive, and it looks like Madros's clamping unit is also coming soon. If we're going to attack, I think we should join them."

Yalder's legion and 10,000 soldiers from Madros were planned to conduct a simultaneous attack on the Imperial Army's First Corps, which had already lost their entourage, fell into chaos, and could not act. Moreover they had already lost their main commanders, and the First Prince of the Empire was taken prisoner. There was no doubt they would be wiped out with just a single blow.

"There's still one more person we have to greet. I've been looking forward to it for quite a while, so let's meet him. If we spur the cavalry, we might be able to meet him in time."

"Understand!"

"Please take His Majesty to Madros politely."

Schera ordered two newly joined cavalrymen not long ago, two former mercenaries. The two of them straightened their backs and bowed respectfully.

"Siap–, we will make sure to deliver this man to Madros! Leave it to us!"

"Good. .....We will move north, and attack the rear of the Empire's Seventh Corps! Schera cavalry, start moving–!"

“OU-!!”

* * *

–To attack the food warehouse, Gustav led the Seventh Corps moving east from the Second Fortress.

When the sky was clear, a messenger delivered an urgent report.

"General Gustav! Bad news–!"

"What! Calm down and report."

"The First Corps was hit by a night attack from the enemy and annihilated! Our allies were defeated, and the whereabouts of His Majesty Alexander is unknown!"

".....Is that true?"

With a grim expression, Gustav asked for reassurance from the messenger.

"Siap–, this information is true!"

".....What the fuck is this."

The creases of Gustav's brows were nested, and he crossed his arms with a groan.

"Yalder in the Second Fort had been betrayed, and he planned to clamp down with a moving unit from Madros Castle. There are also reports that there are traitors inside the army, but the details are unclear."

An officer staff read the report from the envoy out loud. He was agitated internally, but he tried to keep it from appearing on his expression.

"It is hard to believe that His Majesty's First Corps will be destroyed that easily...."

“However, this is also difficult to consider as misinformation. We must assume that the First Army is already on the move."

"I'm afraid Lieutenant Colonel Schera may have caused chaos from within. No matter how elite his soldiers were, his troops would be weak when the command line was cut off. ......So Yalder and Schera's surrender was a fake. We've been deceived."

The staff officers could only silently hear Gustav's words. There were two paths the Seventh Corps could choose from. They could continue east as they were and carry out the attack as planned from the start. However, it required having the determination ready to be annihilated.

The other way is to recapture the abandoned Second Fort and retreat to Wealth. It would also be very risky, but there was a high possibility that the support units were already quite close to the Second Fort.

"......We Wealth people, we'll never lose to Madros right?"

"Ready-ready, no need to back off. Give the order to attack. If we burn the warehouse, we can also make the enemy feel hell!"

"alright. Then we'll move forward. We can't show Wealth our face if we can't destroy a warehouse!"

"Understand! Let's show them, we'll definitely tear down the warehouse!!"

Gustav decided to move forward. If they were to burn down the warehouse, he would be able to cause a dead end status. And also, assuming Alexander had been taken prisoner, he considered the possibility of negotiating profitably. And so, with his calm thinking, he chose a path he would never take under normal circumstances.

The moment they finally reached a place where they could see the disguised warehouse, the Seventh Corps increased their speed, whether they liked it or not. They're jumping. Into their graves, hidden by tall shrubs.

"A-What is this–!? I-It–"

"That's mud live–! Stop over. You all stop-!!"

"All members stop. Stop-!! If you don't want to die, stop!!"

As the vanguard group entered the swamp, the soldiers were swallowed up by the disaster. Their bodies sank into the mud, and they could not move. Not only that, they began to sink to their bodies, and shortly after, they were completely swallowed by mud.

Surely not all places are mud without a basis, but their feet can not be moved. The horses also thrashed and fell, and the soldiers who were burdened with their armor fell down and could not stand.

Gustav ordered the entire army to stop and gave the order to retreat slowly. But, it's too late.

Kerry's Fifth Army had already been stationed here to ambush, and was waiting for the Imperial Army to be trapped.

"Gustav bastard, it's rare that you're stuck this deep. You made our job easier. Surround enemy!! Press them into the swamp and shoot them with arrows!! Slaughter the Wealth-men!!"

"Understand!!"

"Press them-!!"

"Rain the arrows!"

The war drums were pounded, the trumpets were blown, and the entire army began an assault. The people whose feet were trapped by the swamp were raided by arrows like rain, and they died helpless. What awaits those who attempt to save themselves is an invasion from the archer unit, the pride of the Fifth Army.

Kerry also held a bow, and with an accurate shot, subverted the soldiers. While putting up the next arrow, he thought:

(Gustav, it seems you have inhaled the poison of the God of Death, and have not doubted us at all.)

Why did they blatantly build a storage warehouse here, right in front of the Second Fortress which was unreliable. There was no reason for that, other than that the entire region was completely fortified by living mud. Otherwise, there will never be a storage warehouse built in a flat place without defense. Kerry knows more about Madros than anyone else.

If it was the usual Gustavo, he would have been doing reconnaissance, moving around vigilantly, and probably noticed them.

What made him this reckless was due to the gripping presence known as the God of Death.

"Reverse-, Backward! Break through the siege and return to Wealth even if you have to do it alone!! Didn't expect me to be trapped this easily–!"

Shouted Gustav, cheering the soldiers. He felt ashamed of himself for losing his composure in the final round of battle. He had been completely deceived by Schera whom he had doubted from the beginning, and then ate the bait that was in front of his eyes. What a fool he is.

He moved his soldiers as his face flushed red with anger and regret. There is no time to regret.

"General, the general cannot be killed here. Come back and live for us, Wealth people. It was the duty of a man from the Wealth family. Please take care of our family."

"I can't! I'll stay with you guys–"

"Don't-don't! We will carry out an attack and will definitely pave the way. Attack there and break into whatever happens!"

"General Gustav, stay alive!"

"Wait, I–!"

Ignoring Gustav's voice telling them to stop, the elite unit beside him started an attack, charging at the enemy infantry in earnest. They were pierced by spears, dropped from horses, and many people were killed. But, their ferocious attacks could create a gap in the Royal Army for a while.

"Arrrggghh, don't let their sacrifice go to waste! Everyone follow me–! We can definitely break through this siege!!"

"Follow General!! Viva Wealth!!"

"Surely Wealth!!"

"Kill the Madros even if it's only one–!"

Gustav broke through the siege, and drove with all his might, moving towards the Second Fortress. Trying to prevent him, Kerry's pursuit unit constantly attacks them.

There are no Wealth prisoners. Everyone fought to the death, and thus the slaughter continued.

As losses began to rise beyond expectations, Kerry reluctantly ordered a halt to the chase. Nothing is more dangerous than soldiers who are ready to die, soldiers who commit themselves to Death. The soldiers of Gustav fought with such determination.

Gustav's Seventh Corps, originally 20,000 personnel, now has 5,000 personnel. The survivors scattered in all directions, and following their respective judgments, they attempted to return to Wealth.

The men who accompanied Gustav numbered only 500. There's no command, and all they do is keep retreating.

Inside the fierce blizzard, in front of them came the cavalry. Their flag is black with a white crow. It was the epitome of Schera, the character who was the actor who caused their defeat.

"....So the God of Death appeared huh? It was a good time to give them a parting gift. We're making them take the punishment!"

Gustav unsheathed his sword with a determined appearance and gave the order to attack.

So did the Schera Cavalry begin to invade, and this being a great battle, the horses of both sides were equally stalled. Both sides were equally tired, and the ones that could still move freely were Schera and a few people only. Vigorously swinging his scythe, he killed whoever was in front of him.

"Schera–!! Fuck you, how dare you pop!! If you have any pride as a soldier, kill yourself!"

"Aahaha! Lieutenant General Gustav, I've been waiting for you! I know if I'm waiting for you, I'll meet you. The more the General's head the better. I'm sorry, but can you be my food!"

"Be quiet! With Wealth's pride, I'll kill you-!"

Schera's scythe was swung at Gustav, but Gustav dismissed the ferocious attack from Schera, agilely wielding his sword. Intuition from his years of experience told him that he would not be able to take the attack with his sword. Gustav continued to play his sword, dodging Schera's attack.

His horse neighed wildly, and Gustav's screams echoed around.

“–Ha-!! Haaaaaaaaa-!!!”

“–Taste this. Fluctuately. Like this-!”

Depressing his attack, Gustav deflects Schera's attack. In these difficult circumstances, Gustav displayed his proficiency in swordsmanship.

"It's so naive, little girl!!"

"–!!"

Schera was accidentally exposed to Gustav's trickery. Gustav pretended his posture was broken, and Schera's scythe was swung down, but Gustav avoided it by a distance as thick as paper.

"Because you-!!"

Schera was still in the position of swinging the scythe. Gustav did a lightning stab with all his strength eyeing his chest. It was a very fast stab, the fastest stab of Gustav's entire life.

“..........”

".....Too bad. Less than a finger. Lieutenant General Gustav, you're really unlucky."

“Invigorated, Gah–”

Gustav's pierced sword stopped at a distance as thick as a hair from Schera's heart. Gustav had already broken through Schera's armor, but unfortunately failed to cause any injuries.

Schera's scythe swung upwards stuck in Gustav's jaw. The tip of his scythe could be seen piercing through the front of Gustav's face. Gustav could not let out another scream because of the intense pain he felt on his body. From his twitching mouth, a large amount of blood came out.

Schera sadistically retracted his scythe, and Gustav's head was cut off sideways. Then, he took a deep breath, and shouted out loud.

"I, Schera, have killed the enemy general, Gustav!! Slay the enemies-, kill them all-!!"

“OUUUUUUUUUU-!!”

A unit that had lost its commander was extremely fragile. On the other hand, the soldiers on the winning side were getting stronger. The soldiers of Gustav who had lost their fighting spirit were slaughtered, and their corpses scattered on the ground. Even so, it was worthy of praise that they fought to the point of the final blood.

In the end, less than 3,000 soldiers from the Seventh Corps managed to return to Wealth safely. The other soldiers died in battle.

30,000 First Corps soldiers were defeated, more than half surrendered, and the others died in battle or fled.

The operation to invade Madros had failed miserably, and the Imperial Army suffered heavy losses.

Also, the commander of the First Corps, Alexander, was already a prisoner of the Royal Army, and the commander of the Seventh Corps, Gustav, was killed in battle. The empire had lost all of its war potential in the Eastern region, and the higher-ups were in a state of chaos.

The Kingdom began negotiations with the Empire using Alexander as its negotiating tool.

First, they wanted the Empire to withdraw their troops from the territory the Kingdom had already captured, and also wanted them to pay compensation. Moreover, in exchange for Alexander's release, they wanted the Empire to hand over the Second Prince, Alan. They had to cut off the relationship between the Empire and the Liberation Army.

The Empire agreed to withdraw their troops, but did not want to pay compensation. Also, they refused to hand over Alan. The first negotiations led to the failure to reach an agreement.

In the battle to defend Madros this time, Schera lunge is extraordinary. He obtained enormous achievements, killed three division commanders with the rank of general, killed Gustav the commander of the Seventh Corps, and also captured the First Prince of the Empire alive. He was greatly flattered by Kerry and Yalder, and even in the Royal Capital he began to be treated as a hero. A letter of recommendation from Chief Minister Farzam also arrived, and it was decided he would be given an award.

With such meritorious service, he was soon approved for the promotion of Colonel, and his aide, Catherine, would also be promoted to Lettu.

As for Schera, rather than the promotion of being a Colonel, he was more interested in the Wealth Potato seeds he had obtained when attacking the supply train entourage.

He toyed with the potato seed, humming, thinking of a suitable place to cultivate it.

"Letkol, congratulations on your promotion to Colonel. You are also known in the Capital as a Hero, the savior of the land. Is it okay to take off your Death God name?"

A Hero has the nickname Death God is very unfavorable and that will be the topic of conversation, Katarina said as she smiled wryly. Schera laughed, not caring about it at all.

"The name is already attached, and it will be in vain. Isn't that a pretty name?"

"Then it doesn't matter. Call yourself the next God of Death."

"certain. Congratulations to you for your promotion to Lettu, Katarina."

Due to their losing streak, Katarina gave up on promotion. Now he can finally move up the ranks to Lettu. Even after the promotion, the task will not change much anyway.

He intends to work harder as Schera's aide.

"Ready, thank you very much! Also, the return of Lieutenant General Yalder to the rank of General has been approved thanks to his achievements this time. He's in a very good mood, and he admires you, Lieutenant Colonel. To the extent that she wants to make you her daughter, she says."

It was no joke, Yalder really wanted to raise Schera as his adopted son, but he was stopped by Sidamo.

Tell him he doesn't want any more additional tasks emphasized on him, like he's desperately persuading Yalder.

Kerry also tells Schera that he wants to accept Schera as a bride for Darus who was saved, but Darus himself pleads with tears. I think he's been through psychological trauma because he almost got killed.

As Schera smiled, Darus's face immediately turned pale and immediately fled.

"They also said that we would get a lot of medals. Just because I said I was something delicious rather than a medal, I was even mated."

Schera threw her potato seeds into the air like a beaded bag, over and over again. Katarina watched him cheerfully.

"In this battle, many of my soldiers died. It's a pity."

"Ready, out of 2,000 people, 600 have either fallen in battle or disappeared. However, everyone fought bravely to the point of the final blood."

"....Feel it's getting quieter. The people who eat with me are reduced."

"We will serve you until the end of our lives."

"Yes. Mm, I'm fine. Anywhere, the people I killed were lacking. I want to eat more. I want to kill more. I can still fight. I won't let any of the rebel scum live. That's my determination."

After smiling cheerfully, Schera put her potato seeds into the bag. He took Catherine back to the cavalry, where everyone was making lodeh. It was the lodeh with the contents of the Wealth potato and the fish they got from Madros. The dish was really good.

Suddenly, Yalder and Kerry, as well as Darus whose face was still pale, joined in, and at the ends it became a large buffet that involved the entire Madros castle, the inhabitants of Madros castle, Schera ate a variety of delicious dishes, drank wine, and really enjoyed the party with all his colleagues.

* * *

–A room in Madros Castle.

After the party ended, Yalder and Kerry drank together.

It was not a high-class mirror for the winners, but it was a miras that Kerry was proud of and had prepared as a thank you to Yalder for his efforts.

"Yalder, I'm sorry to force a role like this on you. It's thanks to you that we can kill Gustav and protect Madros. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart."

Kerry poured the drink on his glass. Yalder straightened her drink while grimacing.

"–Hmph, Lieutenant Colonel Schera is a key figure for this victory. I'm no more than a clown. It would be difficult to defeat the Imperial Army without him. Schera has answered hope so well."

".....Where the hell did you meet a girl, Yalder. I've never seen a monster chick like her before."

"He was not originally from a common soldier stationed in Antigua. He became famous all of a sudden, and now he has entered the ranks of the heroes. At this rate, the future of the Kingdom might be bright."

Yalder murmured while remembering the figure of Schera. The story of his extraordinary success is at the same time as the story of Yalder's suffering. Schera had a talent that made him envious as a soldier. But it's a joy to be able to fight with Schera.

He seriously said that he wanted to make Schera an adopted son. If he could marry Schera off to one of his sons and make her inherit his bloodline, there would be no greater happiness than that.

"......Yalder, there's one important thing I want to ask you. How could you have such a big faith in Schera? Have you never doubted he would actually betray the Empire? I entrusted this task to you because I knew that you wouldn't be betrayed."

Kerry considers Yalder a reckless commander type. At the same time, he knew that Yalder also had a side of a tough fighter who would never betray. He's got a dark side like a bandit, and he's easily misunderstood.

That was why Kerry had Yalder pretend to surrender and had him attack the Empire from behind.

Yalder hit Kerry full of anger because her pride could not accept the humiliation of duty.

"Do you want to know, Kerry."

Yalder tilted her glass arrogantly.

"I really want to know. Let me use it as a reference."

"–Only intuition. I had a feeling that he wouldn't betray black and it turned out that I won the bet fantastically. It's really profitable."

"......I was so surprised at the cok that I couldn't say anything. I know you're a bego, but I don't think you're this bad."

It was not an answer, it was what Kerry's expression implied, and he poured more drinks and upheld them. With a proud expression, Yalder chewed on the smoked meat that became an alcohol companion.

Yalder had already sent Schera to the core unit of the Royal Army because Yalder thought that just himself would not be enough. A ferocious poison was needed to destroy the great army of the Empire. Only Yalder himself is not qualified. And also, there was only one person under Yalder's command who could carry on that heavy duty.

The female officer who had the nickname of the God of Death. The cavalry carried a black flag bearing the emblem of a white crow.

He felt that if he entrusted the task to the Schera group, they could destroy the Imperial Army and cause chaos.

That's core.

* * *

–Messages from Capital for Canaan.

There has been a coup attempt in the Royal Capital of Blanca.

He was the eldest son of the Basarov family, Colonel Gulf Basarov and his faction.

He planned to kill the King and the First Minister and wanted to seize power.

He was successfully prevented through the performance of agents of Prime Minister Farzam.

The regiment in Canaan immediately arrested Sharov Bazarov and sent him to the capital.

If he fights, catch him alive or dead.

Barbora was appointed commander of Canaan as his successor.