After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

What a bunch of bandits...

Looking at the besieged city, Yani, standing on a small hill, raised her binoculars. As scenes of street fighting flashed before her eyes, the veins on Yani's forehead gradually bulged.

The soldiers of the Northern Army were highly skilled in combat. They were scattered in groups of three or five throughout the streets, yet they cooperated seamlessly with each other. When they attacked, they moved in waves, and each squad was able to plunder a large amount of wealth when they retreated.

They were like an efficient ant colony; once their genes for division of labor and cooperation were awakened, the only fate awaiting the city's defenders was annihilation.

Judging from the soldiers' formidable fighting prowess, Annie quickly deduced that this unit was the elite of the Northern Army. This deduction was further confirmed by a fleeting glimpse of a red-haired figure.

Elena, the personal maid, is now the woman by her fiancé's side.

The most hateful thing in life is having someone to compare yourself to, as if your life will be filled with regret the moment they appear.

For example, someone else's child; for example, that ordinary classmate who has the same talent but works harder than you in private; for example, a competitor who invested with you but withdrew in time to avoid sunk costs.

Annie couldn't understand why Elene could fall in love with and use that love to change the heart of that man from the Ice City. For a long time, Annie suspected that Oswald had severe misogyny...

Not to mention emotions, even the desire for the opposite sex, Annie never saw in Oswald.

After all, the man in the lower position is obsessed with power and doesn't care about emotions. The driving force behind all his actions comes from the pursuit of power, including their engagement in name only.

In her previous life, Oswald always created various troubles for her. At first, Annie could sense his loneliness and pain, but neither of them would show weakness in front of the other.

In the end, he will surely seek my help, young Annie thought, wanting Oswald to admit that he needed someone to control the Northern Territory with him.

But it wasn't until that day, when Oswald suddenly ordered the Knights to arrest the Marquis's family, that Annie realized his eyes had changed.

Loneliness was his defining characteristic, but for some reason he no longer held back his pain; his indifferent gaze was as if he were dealing with an insignificant person.

To everyone's delight, she was imprisoned by Oswald for several years, and he never once came to visit her.

After that, Oswald... concealed all his emotions and then, in a schizophrenic manner, implemented or overturned various policies that benefited the people in the Northern Territory.

That's right, Oswald in his previous life was a mental patient, and even his demise was a remarkably whimsical and magical realism.

Annie never received his request for help, even though she believed that she was in no way inferior to Elene in terms of appearance and talent.

But Eleanor did just that; she was a mirror reflecting different choices, and the maid gained power from Oswald.

To Oswald, the man below, this was no different from a marriage proposal in Annie's eyes.

Perhaps there was a tiny bit of regret, or perhaps she was arbitrarily romanticizing a path with no other choice. The two betrayed each other without prior agreement, but only one of them reaped the misfortune.

Why is she here?

Annie, regaining her composure, sensed something amiss. In this life, Oswald had protected Elene very well, almost never allowing her to leave the Northern Territory.

A logical assumption is that the Northern Territory is temporarily without available personnel and needs Elena to lead the troops.

Annie quickly dismissed the guess, and considering the various strange events that had occurred recently, she was more inclined to believe that Oswald had encountered an accident.

Unlocking the curse is only the first step; whatever those people want to do, Oswald is an obstacle they must eliminate.

……

The bloody battle to capture the city lord's mansion ended, and the soldiers cheered, tossing several dead heads into the air, proclaiming their victory in this war.

Elene stepped out of the broken door, casually tossing her noble hat, which she had been using to wipe the blade, onto the ground. As she sheathed her sword, she gave Federico the order to do so.

"Take your men and mop up the remnants. Paul is coming; I need to discuss the withdrawal with him. Be prepared as well."

"Yes, sir."

Watching Elene leave, Federico confirmed his own judgment.

Lady Elene mobilized so many elite troops in order to wage a swift, large-scale annihilation war, in order to prepare for the protracted war of attrition and defense that would follow.

The future battlefields with the Central Army will likely be in the vicinity of Green Gorge City, while Lady Elini's focus will still be on the Demon Clan.

"Kid, you're lucky to be a part of this, fighting alongside elite soldiers from various units. It will be very helpful for your future development."

Federico chuckled and pulled away Erian, who was still learning prayers from his comrades. "What kind of believer are you at such a young age? You should come with me and kill a few more enemies."

What should be paid attention to when clearing out the remaining troops?

After carefully putting away the letter with the prayer written on it, Erión, who had only learned a few words in the meantime, turned his head and asked.

"There's nothing to be careful about. Just do what you're supposed to do, and keep scanning the rooms one by one while remaining vigilant."

"Just remember one thing: do not harm the fleeing civilians, do not entertain any evil or greedy thoughts, strictly abide by military discipline, and obey orders."

Erian, who was with Federico, heard him emphasize military discipline the most.

In Federico’s words, a soldier in the Northern Territory may be physically weak, but military discipline must be as tough as steel flowing into his bones!

It is clear that Federico has found the secret to the Northern Army's strength and is transforming into an excellent general.

Rows of heavily armored soldiers formed a mobile blockade around the houses. Once the blockade was complete, Federico would lead Erion and a tactical squad to rush in and quickly find the rats hiding inside.

Federico knew perfectly well that the Imperial Guards were just unlucky, and that Lady Elene would not take any prisoners after this final battle.

He stabbed the hiding soldier to death through the door panel. As he put away his gun, he pulled the body out. Just in case, he lowered his body and smashed the body's head with the butt of his gun.

The swordsmen and shieldmen immediately bypassed him and rushed into the house. The remaining Imperial Guards fled in panic. Those who jumped out of the windows were shot dead in mid-air by the pursuing archers. Some who managed to escape were killed by the blockade team's crossbows.

"Don't underestimate this mission. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have to take it one step at a time. You have to kill the enemies one by one. You understand the principle of accumulating little by little."

"But I also have to tell you something, kid. In the future, when you lead a team in battle on your own, it's best not to let those veterans who have experienced a major battle go. Veterans are invaluable; they can learn from their experiences and lessons to rebuild and strengthen the army..."

As Federico walked down the street, solemnly imparting the art of war to Erión, he suddenly stopped, then quickly looked up at a figure leaping over a rooftop.

Federico was very familiar with that standard military uniform; he had seen it before when fighting in the southern territory.

"All personnel on alert! Watch out for scouts on the rooftops!"

With a shout, the soldiers immediately stopped and raised their crossbows to aim at the sky.

Federico's eyes were cold. Several hours ago, soldiers reported that they had encountered a cavalry force of unknown origin, but it turned out to be scouts from the Southern Duchy.

Let's set aside the bizarre reason why the Southern Territory suddenly declared independence.

If the Central District were to try to win over the Southern Duchy to fight against other duchies or other races, they might refuse.

But the situation was different in the Northern Territory, because Federico and his men went there specifically to take advantage of the chaos...

"When will this cycle of revenge end?" Federico grinned and quietly ordered his soldiers to prepare the net. He wanted to capture this vengeful fellow alive and torture him to extract the information he needed.