Chapter 364: Speculation
Honestly, even Steven hadn't expected these Emperor's Blades to have additional objectives.
As for this talk of a "duke's daughter"… he was just as in the dark as anyone else.
But when he followed the Emperor's Blade's gaze—and found everyone else's eyes landing squarely on Talulah—he immediately understood.
'So that's what this is about. Her? Makes sense, I suppose.'
He'd always known she came from some big family. But to hear she was the daughter of an Ursus duke? That was on another level entirely—true aristocracy.
Ursus dukes weren't minor nobles. Their territories were vast, verging on sovereign rule. Each was a warlord in their own right.
That was Steven's thought. But the others… didn't necessarily see it that way.
Among the Infected who had chosen to follow Talulah, the shift in their eyes was instantaneous.
One of the reasons they'd believed in her was because she was one of them: an ordinary Infected who shared their struggle. Strong, yes, but still a comrade on the same battlefield.
Now, with her noble blood exposed so bluntly, suspicion crept in like frost.
"Don't you dare spit that filth at me! Who would ever be that man's daughter?!"
Talulah, sensing the sudden shift in her people's stares, stormed forward. Her brows knotted, her blade raised, she leveled its point at the Emperor's Blades squad.
Hsssss—huuuh.
"You deny your identity," the leader rasped. "And yet… you clearly differ from the promises the duke once made to us. If this is part of your plan, then you will be reassessed accordingly."
"Rest assured, however. For now, you remain… untouchable."
Their tone with her carried no reverence. It was the voice of an interrogator, of an authority judging from above.
The commander's crimson lenses swept over Talulah, the guerrillas, the Infected. He weighed them coldly, calculating.
Aside from the Wendigo, the rest—even Talulah herself—were nothing against his squad. Even if the legendary Patriot joined the fray, their numbers were enough. He had confidence they could still seize her.
But something was wrong. The Deathless Black Snake's mark on Talulah—the sign of their old pact—had been erased, somehow. That alone was grounds to take her by force.
If not for one complication.
The black-haired boy standing in front of her.
The way he shifted, subtly, placing himself just slightly between her and danger. A tiny, almost casual motion—but enough to betray their bond.
On one side: an old bargain with a long-dead snake.
On the other: their master's explicit order—Do not anger this boy.
The choice was obvious.
Hsssss—huuuh.
"So then, Mr. Steve," the leader said, turning back with all the deference he had denied Talulah, "might we request your permission to conduct a simple inspection of the Infected here? If they cooperate, it will be swift."
He bowed his masked head, his tone painstakingly respectful.
The Emperor's Blade's voice was steady, almost courteous:
"If we can confirm that none of these people have been infested by… that, then I can guarantee you this: the Fourth and Fifth Army Groups will both withdraw. These people will be spared."
He never clarified what "that" was. Among those present, only Steven and Patriot understood. Talulah, however, was left reeling.
She had braced herself for Emperor's Blades to come after her—but instead, after exposing her lineage, they simply left it at that.
This was nothing like the ruthless, treacherous "blades of the Emperor" she had always imagined. Nothing like the tools of that scheming serpent who once ruled Ursus.
'Just what in the world has Steven done, to make them treat him like this?'
And when she heard them say it—say that all it would take was Steven's consent for them to simply "inspect" the Infected and then call off two entire army groups—it only deepened her bewilderment.
'What, did this guy save Ursus in his past life? How does he have this kind of pull?'
The more she thought about it, the more chilling the implications became. If the Emperor's Blades spoke of "that master," and treated Steven with this degree of reverence… could it be—no, surely not—but could it be him? The one who sat at the very pinnacle of Ursus?
If that were true, then it explained everything. Not just the Fourth Army stationed nearby, but even the Fifth, mobilizing from hundreds of kilometers away, all to reinforce this order.
Talulah's eyes slid toward Steven, lounging as if none of this mattered, as if he hadn't just been named the deciding factor in a national-scale military mobilization.
She had come to accept that this boy brought chaos and surprise wherever he went… but this, this was almost too much to stomach.
"Shouldn't you be saying all this to someone else? The guerrilla leader's right here, so is the Infected's figurehead. Me? I'm just passing through."
Steven shrugged, brushing it off. He had no interest in their so-called invitation. As for their "inspection," he cared even less.
Clearly, their main purpose was still to clean up the aftereffects of those Collapsals from before. And, well—those things were creepy enough that a little extra caution was understandable.
But the real problem was obvious: would anyone here truly believe Emperor's Blades came just to "inspect" the Infected?
And who could guarantee their inspection wouldn't devolve into something else—like, say, a convenient massacre?
After all, wiping out all potential hosts was much simpler than painstakingly checking one by one.
"…I suspect neither Patriot, nor the young lady who may one day inherit a duke's title, will agree to cooperate with us," the leading Emperor's Blade admitted at last.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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