Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

It was like a bloodthirsty and extremely calm beast, which was terrifying.

But this was only Emiya's first impression. He thought he shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Maybe Esdeath really was an approachable general?

Mr. Leva couldn't have made it up out of thin air, and his expression didn't seem like he was lying.

Without having a deep understanding of Esdeath, and based solely on his first meeting with her and Riva's description, this was the only judgment Emiya could make.

Emiya believed that he would only be able to judge what kind of person she was after seeing her again. After all, experience is the best teacher.

"Snapped--!"

"boom--!"

"puff--!"

One after another, the sounds of impacts and the collision of flesh emanated from the extremely luxurious tent in front of them.

Then it gradually disappeared, and life ceased.

The two guards standing at the door seemed to have heard nothing, standing ramrod straight with their eyes fixed straight ahead.

"I have come to see Lady Esdeath."

Riva explained the purpose of his visit to the two Emiyas in front of him.

The two of them looked at each other, nodded, bowed to Emiya and Riva, and then made way for each other.

Emiya had never seen such etiquette before; in his mind, all people were equal.

Emiya followed behind Riva, and as he approached the two guards, he bowed to them before continuing to follow Riva.

"Oh, has that red-haired boy woken up?"

Before he could even see the woman with the bluish-green hair, a cold voice reached Emiya's ears through Riva in front of him.

No matter the occasion, she always exuded an extremely powerful aura, making Emiya feel a great deal of pressure throughout the tent.

"ha--!"

"ha--!"

A sound similar to a dog's panting came from in front of him, causing Emiya, who was being blocked by Riva, to turn his head to look.

Would such a fierce general really keep a dog? And what kind of dog would it be? Would it be a lion-like dog?

But the next scene made his pupils shrink suddenly.

The prince from the northern tribe who had previously used all his skills, the legendary hero, now lay like a wild dog in front of Esdeath, licking her shoes with his mouth.

His expression was like that of a real dog, filled with fawning and excitement.

Esdeath, on the other hand, kicked Numa Seka, who was crawling towards her, like a football.

Numa Seka, however, seemed to feel honored by what he was doing.

He moved forward again and again, licking her boots.

"My lord, I have brought him here."

Liva knelt down, placing his hand on his chest, displaying his gentlemanly nature.

Emiya's breathing also became rapid.

He looked at the others around him with great surprise.

Neither Riva nor the guards standing beside her showed any unusual expression in the face of the person who was kneeling before Esdeath like a dog.

They acted as if they were seeing something perfectly normal, showing no concern whatsoever.

When did human dignity become so trampled upon?

Emiya's hands were clenched tightly together, the bulging veins on them highlighting the anger in his heart.

Scholars can be killed but not humiliated.

Just how far does she intend to manipulate people?!

Despite having been defeated and rendered unconscious by Esdeath, Emiya's fighting spirit against Esdeath was rekindled.

Even when he faces an opponent he cannot defeat.

Chapter Sixty: Values ​​That Cannot Be Changed

Esdeath never hides her true self from her subordinates. Rather than a fake smile, Esdeath prefers to be genuine with everyone.

Whether in life or in battle, Esdeath is a person who speaks her mind and always keeps her word. Even when facing powerful imperial ministers, Esdeath speaks frankly.

She simply didn't care what would become of the empire, as long as it existed and continued to provide her with what she wanted.

Esdeath, currently the strongest in the empire, is interested in nothing more than fighting powerful enemies and torture. Her subordinates are already aware of this and have become accustomed to it.

Moreover, they also knew that Esdeath's main purpose was never to extract information through torture, but to enjoy destroying the minds of those resilient enemies and turning them into people she could control.

Esdeath decided to take Emiya under her wing, so she wouldn't hide her true self from him. Besides, she had never hidden anything from him since their first meeting on the battlefield.

Even when she was with the Hunters, she never hid herself.

"interesting!"

"boom--!"

Esdeath didn't even glance at the prince from the northern tribe, and with a sudden kick, sent him flying.

His body rolled a few times on the snow like a rag that had been carelessly thrown away, and then he was lifeless.

Esdeath never intended for Numa Seka to live; after she had grown tired of him, there was only one fate awaiting him.

It was only Emiya's appearance that hastened his death.

"You were just defeated by me not long ago, and you've only just recovered from your frostbite. You want to challenge me now?"

Esdeath smoothly took the rapier beside her, twirled it, and stepped down the stairs.

The icicles around him bloomed like flowers, and the entire military camp instantly became extremely cold.

Riva and some guards around her all quietly retreated, leaving only Shirou Emiya standing straight in place, staring intently at Esdeath.

She showed Emiya the scene of her disciplining Numa Seka.

This was intentional on her part.

Esdeath became convinced during her conversation with Emiya in battle that his values ​​were almost diametrically opposed to hers.

If you want to win over Emiya, you have to make him change.

Emiya values ​​the lives of others more than his own, while Esdeath regards the weak as worthless, merely objects for her amusement.

Those northern soldiers had absolutely no connection to him, yet they risked their lives to stop him.

Esdeath couldn't imagine which village could produce such strange people.

Even children in remote villages wouldn't risk their lives for strangers.

What a contradictory person he is.

Esdeath looked as if she had found a new toy, and her expression became very excited.

Rather than making Emiya her subordinate, she wanted to change Emiya's values, conquer him, and transform him from the inside out.

This was something that excited her even more than torture.

She had never made such a change to a person before.

Those whose thoughts have been completely altered are basically enemies, and Esdeath will execute them, since their minds have already collapsed and there is no need to keep them alive, even if they are very powerful.

As for Shirou Emiya, he was not an enemy to Esdeath, and there was no need to extract any information from him.

Moreover, what she needs is a subordinate with independent thought, not a dog like Numa Seka who only licks his own shoes.

But she never imagined that Emiya's obsession with being a partner in justice was as unbreakable as her own self, and would never change no matter what.

No one could make Esdeath change her dog-eat-dog principle, nor could anyone make Emiya give up being a partner of justice.

Even for the sake of just one person, Emiya can become a partner of justice.

"You can't defeat me unless you show me murderous intent!"

Without any hesitation, an overwhelming killing intent surged from her body, and in the blink of an eye, a beautiful ice flower appeared before Emiya's eyes.

The silvery-white light showed no mercy, tearing through space and piercing towards Shirou Emiya's forehead.

Esdeath never holds back in battle; she always fights with the mindset of killing her opponent.

Even when facing someone she doesn't intend to kill, she will unleash her killing intent without reservation during the battle.

This is her respect for battle, and also her thirst for blood; a battle without bloodshed is meaningless.

Esdeath's first step in changing Emiya was to provoke the murderous intent within him towards herself.

She believed that only in this way could Emiya's thinking be gradually changed!

It also allows one to truly witness Emiya's full power.

In the previous battle, she could sense that Emiya had not used his full strength when fighting her.

It was as if they were afraid of accidentally harming her life.

This infuriated Esdeath, who felt that even though she was stronger than Emiya, he hadn't shown his full strength.

Whether it was killing those soldiers in a counterattack or fighting Esdeath.

Emiya has never used his full strength.

It's a very simple reason—they are all human beings.

He wields the Nichirin Blade to slay demons, not to kill people.

Emiya doesn't fight demons with the same recklessness and willingness to risk his life for theirs.

Even with her pressure, Emiya still did not harbor any murderous intent towards Esdeath.

Numa Seka was a complete stranger to Emiya. At this moment, Emiya was like a righteous person who saw a thug attacking someone on the street. They would rush up to stop him, subdue him, and hand him over to the police, rather than trying to kill the thug.

They will be angry and regret not stopping them sooner, but they will not think of killing the criminal to avenge a few strangers, even if it costs them their own life to stop the criminal or kill him while stopping him.