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Bang!
A small villa materialized on the ground. An Imperial Guard approached Kaito and Rimuru, who were stretched out on beach chairs with juice in hand, and spoke respectfully.
"Kaito-sama, Rimuru-sama, the house is ready. You may move in whenever you like."
"Alright, good work."
Kaito waved a hand without looking up.
"Not at all. It's my duty."
The Imperial Guard snapped his right fist to his chest and responded at full volume.
"Haha, off you go then."
"Yes, sir!"
Kaito watched him go, then turned to Rimuru with a puzzled look.
"Rimuru, aren't our subordinates a little too formal? I'd say we're pretty approachable people."
Rimuru narrowed her eyes and gave him the kind of look that said he simply didn't understand.
"Kai-chan, they're not afraid of you. They respect you."
Kaito stroked his chin and shook his head.
He felt he was casual enough on any given day, yet these lower-ranked subordinates still went stiff the moment they were in front of him.
"Forget it. Let things be."
"By the way, Esdeath, the one you wanted to see, is about a hundred miles out. You sure you don't want to go take a look?"
The moment they'd arrived in this world, Kaito had spotted Esdeath and her vast army not far off.
"Hehe, no rush. Let her and her army clash with the Northern Tribes first, then we sweep in and make it a three-way battle."
"Oh, that's a fine idea. Grayfia, what do you think?"
Kaito glanced toward Grayfia, who was pouring black tea nearby.
"It is not my place as a subordinate to comment on Rimuru-sama's strategy. But as it is a decision made by the Lords, I am certain it is the correct one."
Grayfia answered with impeccable composure. Kaito sighed.
"Grayfia, you don't have to hold back like that. After all this time, you still haven't loosened up?"
"Haha, this conduct is simply part of my duty."
"Alright. As long as you're comfortable."
Kaito gave up trying to persuade her.
"Sakuya, I want iced watermelon juice!"
"Of course, Master. One moment!"
The next day, on a vast open plain, armies had gathered.
On one side stood Esdeath's Imperial Army, 200,000 strong. On the other, Numa Seika, Prince of the Northern Tribes, at the head of 600,000 tribal warriors.
And somewhere unseen on the sidelines, the 15,000-strong Imperial Guard Legion waited in position, playing the patient role of a very deliberate third party.
"Why aren't these two getting on with it? What are they waiting for?"
Kaito had his camera trained on the field, eyes fixed on every movement.
"I don't want to make a big thing of this, Kai-chan, but how long are you planning to keep using that battered old camera?"
Kaito took immediate offence.
You can insult me. You cannot insult my camera.
"Rimuru, I don't like that at all. What do you mean, 'battered old camera'? It's got classic footage in there."
Rimuru let out a small, knowing smirk. She reached into her pocket, produced a thick stack of Tempest Coins, and began fanning Kaito's face with it.
"Five thousand Tempest Coins. For the camera. Is that enough?"
Kaito's eyes tracked the money with the focus of a predator watching prey. His face maintained the dignity of a man who could not be bought.
"These are my dearest companions. My brothers."
Rimuru kept fanning.
"What, holding out for more? I know that trick. So. Are you selling or not?"
"How could I possibly..."
"Five thousand and one."
"Sold. Done. Here."
Kaito snatched the coins from Rimuru's hand and began counting. As for the camera, it landed wherever it landed.
Rimuru opened it up, scrolled through the footage, and gave a small satisfied nod. She felt she hadn't overpaid.
That feeling lasted until Kaito finished pocketing the money and produced another, completely identical camera from thin air.
"Kai-chan. How do you still have one."
"I was worried this one might break, so I made a few hundred backups. Want another? Same rate. Five thousand each."
"Go to hell! Give me my money back!"
Rimuru lunged at him, fangs and all.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop, they're starting!"
Rimuru halted immediately and snapped her attention to the battlefield.
The two armies had begun their slow advance toward each other.
As far as the eye could reach, there was nothing but soldiers. No visible end to either line. As the saying goes, when an army numbers over ten thousand, it stretches beyond the horizon. Here there were eighty thousand combined on the field.
"Don't lose your nerve! We outnumber them! Nothing out there can stop us! Forward, with Prince Numa Seika!"
Numa Seika's adjutant was working the men's spirits on the flank.
Numa Seika himself was watching the Imperial Army's advance in silence. Measured. Methodical. Only 200,000, but clearly elite. Drilled to a standard he hadn't seen in any of the forces he'd routed before.
These were completely different.
Especially the blue-clad figure on horseback at the very front, who gave him the sensation of a true opponent for the first time.
Esdeath, meanwhile, had noticed the one they were calling the Hero of the North.
"General, that is Numa Seika. He's been using the fortress city as his base to raid our borders for years. He routed 120,000 of our border troops in a single engagement and earned his title. The Northern Tribes revere him."
Esdeath listened, then replied with open contempt.
"I know all of that. I expected someone worth fighting. He's just another piece of trash."
"Our border troops must have really gone to waste if they couldn't handle even this."
Liver opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it and stayed quiet.
He'd been about to say that the border troops weren't as weak as she made them sound, and that the fault lay more with Numa Seika's genuine ability. But then he remembered who was standing in front of him, a woman who was herself an invincible monster, and reasoned that from Esdeath's perspective, anyone short of herself was trash by default.
"They're stalling. Order a direct charge. Liver, the troops are yours."
With that, Esdeath spurred forward without waiting for a reply. Liver had no time to intervene and could only give the order with a resigned expression.
"All troops, charge! Match the General's pace! Crush them!"
"Yes, sir!"
The orderlies scattered to carry the command down the line.
"General's orders! All troops, charge!"
"General's orders! All troops, charge!"
The army, which had been advancing at a walk, broke immediately into a jog.
Not a full sprint. Any commander with sense knew that charging at full speed would shatter a formation in minutes. Unless, of course, you were the Jura Tempest Federation's monstrous army, which could hold formation while flying through the air.
"Oh, oh, oh! That's Esdeath for you. Going straight for the throat. All-out charge, 200,000 against 600,000, and she's the one pressing the attack."
Kaito watched with undisguised admiration.
By now, Esdeath had already closed the distance to the front lines of the 600,000-strong force. She stood in her stirrups, launched herself from the saddle in a single massive leap, and touched down on open ground in front of the enemy.
"Freeze all creation!!!"
The temperature across the entire battlefield dropped in an instant.
Ice began spreading across the ground in every direction, racing outward toward the 600,000 troops ahead of her with terrifying speed.