Superior.
In Andy’s mind surfaced that face, full of apology before death, the bony hand gently caressing his cheek.
“Sorry, Andy, it’s all my fault.”
Cold, indifferent figures stood beside the sickbed, their faces expressionless as they looked at the former Eighth Legion Commander who once had legendary feats, rendered great service to the Empire, and now, after being stripped of all honor by a military tribunal, was humiliated and imprisoned.
“No, Commander!”
Watching the once legendary powerhouse, now so feeble that even speaking left him gasping as if it drained his last strength, Andy wept in pain, “You did nothing wrong, you did nothing wrong!”
“That defeat, it was clearly the General Staff’s fault, those bastards who watched us die and did nothing…”
“Cough, cough.”
A nearby Imperial Guard coughed coldly.
“Hah.” Andy took a shallow breath, trying to calm himself, then looked painfully at the delicate, frightened young girl sitting blankly at the old superior’s side.
Anna.
Ever since the Madam passed, she was the old superior’s only family left in this world.
“No, Andy, it really was my fault.” The old superior, a legendary powerhouse barely in his forties—his prime—now for some reason looked aged and frail, head full of white hair, eyelids drooping.
“Over forty thousand, Andy, forty thousand brothers died just like that.”
The old general shrank in agony, “Andy, take care of Anna. I… I’ve failed so many people, my brothers, you, the Madam, and… Anna.”
He looked at his ignorant young daughter, the child he had late in life after losing his wife, but now, unable to even spend time with her, he was about to die of illness. Summoning all his strength, the old general gripped Andy tightly with his withered hands.
“Stay away from the Imperial Capital. Protect her well.” The old general struggled to warn him, “The water here… it’s too deep.”
Thud!
Under the cold gaze of the Imperial Guard, the old general’s hands fell limp, covering his eyes.
“He’s dead.” The Healer Mage reached out to check for breath.
“Yes.” The Imperial Guard’s eyes, sharp as blades, turned to Andy, as if to pierce right through him, “Mr. Andy, you may go.”
“What about her? What about Anna?” Andy looked at the bewildered girl, took her small hand, and argued.
“We’ll arrange for an Alms House.”
Alms House?
Andy drew a sharp breath.
He remembered the slum’s dilapidated wooden shacks, reeking of filth inside and out, and shook his head forcefully.
“No, I’ll adopt her.”
Andy hugged the girl tightly.
“……” The Imperial Guard’s cold eyes flickered for a moment, “You may, but you cannot remain in the Imperial Capital. This is not a place for those who would taint the Empire’s centuries-old legacy.”
“Taint…” Andy subconsciously touched his chest, wishing to rely on his cherished rank to protect his remaining honor, only to realize—he had already been stripped of all military status.
That day, Andy lost everything he ever valued.
Under gray, dim skies, Andy carefully led the old general’s orphan out of the Imperial Capital.
He didn’t even dare maintain his original appearance; he could only hide with Anna, dodging from place to place. Once a legendary powerhouse, now he even had to disguise himself as a small merchant.
Because, before the mastermind who once orchestrated the destruction of the entire Eighth Legion, so-called legendary powerhouses were nothing more than stronger ants.
Tormented by pain, Andy countless times thought of ending his life.
But he endured.
He relied on hope for revenge.
Revenge, revenge, revenge!
But to defeat that enemy, their strength alone was far too meager.
It wasn’t until the emperor grew old and another round of succession struggle began that Andy saw a faint glimmer of hope.
“Mr. Green.” After long observation, confirming his need to cooperate, Andy stopped and looked solemnly at Green.
“Though I don’t know why you have such confidence in the Seventh Princess, but…”
Andy gazed deeply at Green, this mysterious yet striking youth who had upended the situation in a very short time, wielding unfathomable methods.
“We have a common enemy.”
Andy spoke frankly, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
A common enemy?
Recalling the intelligence he’d gathered these past months, Green felt certain.
“The Second Prince?” he asked softly.
“More precisely, his maternal grandfather—the Minister of the Army, current Marshal…” As Andy recited this string of titles, his voice grew more agitated, filled with bone-deep hatred.
As expected.
Green nodded silently.
He remembered the Second Prince’s collusion with the Orc Kingdom, and then his…
“May I ask, what is your relation to the late Eighth Legion Commander?”
Green inquired.
“He was my teacher.” Andy answered without hesitation, “And he’s also the father of the young lady I swore to protect with my life.”
Anna?
Now the whole story was clear.
Come to think of it, years ago the Empire’s Eighth Legion was wiped out in an ambush by the Orc Kingdom, wasn’t it?
Hiss, there’s a lot going on beneath the surface.
Stranger still, in that other reality, though there was an Eighth Legion and a war with the Orc Kingdom, the Empire was always the victor.
Well, simulated lives and reality never truly match.
“All right, Mr. Andy. I truly welcome a talent like you to join Princess Teresa. But may I ask you a question?”
Green asked curiously, “Why us? There are plenty of people who want to bring down the Second Prince. Isn’t the current Regent Crown Prince more promising than us?”
Andy fell into deep thought.
Indeed, why was he so intent on persuading Lady Anna, and building up the Northwind Trading Company from scratch to side with Teresa all these years?
For revenge, shouldn’t he have gone to the Crown Prince, who held absolute advantage?
Andy thought back on how he lost all honor and dignity, casting aside his status as legendary powerhouse, noble officer—starting anew as an ordinary merchant.
“Because you treat people as people, not as something else.”
That was Andy’s reply.
This time, Andy truly surprised Green.
He stopped, glanced at Andy, then…
Showed a radiant, dazzling smile.
He bowed slightly, elegant and poised, and asked, “I see, Mr. Andy. It’s an honor to have you with us. May I ask if you’d care to attend tonight’s banquet?”
A banquet?
So ostentatious?
Andy was about to decline, but Green seemed to read his doubts and laughed, “You misunderstand, Mr. Andy. The banquet isn’t to welcome you, but to receive certain uninvited guests from the Imperial Capital.”
Guests from the Imperial Capital?
But isn’t the entire border region under the governor’s lockdown? How could anyone openly travel from the capital to here?
Wait.
A sudden realization flashed through Andy’s mind.
“Mr. Green, could those guests be…”
“Yes, just those guests.” Green looked off into the distance, where ranks of troops had already assembled, preparing an extravagant welcome for the travelers.
“The envoy here to announce our border army’s latest combat orders is arriving.”
The Crown Prince.
And the mistress of chaotic power, the Puppet Master…
A banquet full of hidden blades was about to begin.