Bringing all the rebels back to the military camp meant the mission was mostly complete.
To maintain his image, General Yudan merely mocked the captured Devon in front of everyone, though he couldn't hide the smug look on his face.
After Azula's kick, Devon didn't dare shout anymore. His expression was full of misery—he never expected his escape plan to fail this quickly.
And when he thought about what awaited him next, his face grew even more hopeless.
But his punishment arrived far sooner than he expected.
Just as they previously suspected, someone like Devon would never dare lead a rebellion unless he had assurance or some critical information backing him.
Azula was very intrigued by this and decided to interrogate him personally.
When Yudan heard this, he immediately claimed he should assist as well. Anyone could tell he just wanted another chance to torment Devon.
Yudan swiftly cleared out a tent to serve as an interrogation room.
But not long after, commotion erupted inside, followed by a sudden, sharp scream from Devon—so shrill it made people cringe.
While the screams continued, Azula walked out of the tent as calmly as ever. Kahn raised an eyebrow.
"What happened in there?"
Azula shrugged casually.
"Nothing. Someone just needed help understanding the situation, so I helped him sober up."
"And the interrogation?"
"Later. It seems a bit too difficult for him to continue right now."
Kahn blinked.
Since when was Azula this gentle?
The thought barely formed before a stretcher was carried out of the tent—on it lay a severely burned man.
From the remaining features, Kahn could still recognize Devon.
He swallowed his comment.
Right. Azula was still Azula. Her methods were as ruthless as ever.
"You call this nothing?"
"Mhm." Azula looked at him innocently, as if she had no idea what she'd done.
She even looked a little cute like this—but Kahn knew better. Whenever Azula put on that expression, it only meant she didn't want to explain.
Fine. If she wouldn't say it, someone else would.
He found Yudan, who exited the tent a moment later, still looking shaken.
When Kahn questioned him, Yudan's expression toward him was oddly fearful, and he answered carefully.
"Your subordinate accidentally revealed your identities… and Devon tried to bewitch Her Highness. But Her Highness saw through him at once."
Ever since the previous mission, their reputations had started spreading.
Among the common folk, Azula's intelligence and combat skill were the most famous.
Among the military, Kahn was known primarily as Iroh's traitorous disciple.
Before Ozai became Fire Lord, the entire army had been under Iroh's control.
Although Ozai promoted many of his own people after ascending, most generals were still veterans from Iroh's era—people like Yudan, and previously, Devon.
Returning to the interrogation incident:
After learning the girl before him was Princess Azula, Devon believed he'd found a sliver of hope.
He flattered her relentlessly, hoping to trade the important information he possessed for his life.
This actually worked better than he expected. Under normal circumstances, his plan might have succeeded—Azula really was interested in the "top-secret" information he claimed to have.
But he made one fatal mistake.
While flattering Azula, he simultaneously slandered Kahn—claiming that someone chosen by Iroh would never betray willingly, and insisting that Kahn must be deceiving her.
He attempted to sow discord between them.
So Azula set him on fire.
After hearing this, Kahn had to admit Devon wasn't completely stupid.
He wasn't wrong—Kahn indeed hadn't betrayed Iroh. But Devon never expected Azula to be firmly on Kahn's side.
A little cleverness had brought him a world of suffering.
Just as when Devon decisively sided with Iroh in the past—objectively, Iroh wielded enough military power back then that, had he chosen to rebel, Ozai wouldn't have been able to stop him.
Iroh clearly knew this, but it wasn't in his nature to make such a move.
Back to the present:
After understanding the whole situation, Kahn only felt regret.
If Azula really intended to punish the man, she could've at least waited until he confessed. Why was she so impatient?
On the other side, Yudan was secretly studying Kahn.
He couldn't understand why Princess Azula would get so angry over such a trivial matter.
Was this traitor really that important to her?
Could it be…?
Looking at Kahn's face—handsome and composed—Yudan suddenly had a shocking guess.
His gaze toward Kahn shifted into disdain, but Kahn didn't notice at all.
Judging from Devon's injuries, further interrogation would be impossible for now.
They didn't bother wasting time—instead, they began escorting the rebels back. They could question Devon slowly during the journey.
Before leaving, Azula unexpectedly extended an olive branch to Yudan.
She acknowledged his loyalty, said past events could be forgiven, and asked whether he would be willing to transfer to the Fire Nation's logistics department.
This was essentially a promotion.
After a moment of hesitation, Yudan accepted with excitement.
"Is that guy worth anything?" Kahn asked afterward.
"Worth recruiting? No," Azula said with a small smile. "We're not recruiting him. Father is."
In her view, Yudan and Devon were equally foolish—Yudan was simply luckier. For such "talent," she intended to make the most of him.
If Yudan showed the same procrastination and indecision when they seized power, then he would be of use.
Kahn nodded.
"Awesome."
The two began their return journey. The mission truly had gone smoothly.
Kahn silently hoped all missions could be this easy.
Of course, the moment he thought that, fate slapped him.
On the second day of their return, an unexpected situation occurred:
A group of people suddenly blocked the road ahead, clearly targeting them.
It seemed Devon really did have reinforcements—but they had arrived late.
"Everyone, be alert!"
The Royal Guards instantly took defensive positions.
At that moment, despite his injuries, Devon's eyes lit up and he shouted excitedly.
"Master Jeong Jeong, save me!"
...
Author's Note:
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