The Emperor's Blade looked down at the Demons dissolving like ice falling into a furnace, and countless reflections welled up in his heart.
Those who have never fought a Demon cannot understand the terror of such creatures. Any nation with Demons roaming within its borders must pay a tragic price to suppress them. Ursus was no different. Why had the black hands of the nobility never reached into the strongest First and Second Army Groups? Why had these two armies never engaged in dealings of interest with the nobles?
It was because the nobles knew exactly what was going on. They understood that while these two army groups possessed formidable combat strength, there was absolutely no profit to be gained from them. Befriending them was simply throwing stones into the ocean. The soldiers and the army here were just a bunch of paupers with no "oil" to squeeze; they couldn't create any benefits for the nobility.
As for the flesh and blood of the Demons? The nobles wanted no contact with such uncontrollable things. They didn't have a death wish, so why would they take such a time bomb into their own hands?
Wasn't it better to just bribe the easily swayed Emperor's Blades with enough profit? Corrupting the sharp blades cultivated with the Emperor's money and resources was a far more pleasant prospect to them. They would even throw officers who refused to obey them into this place. After all, this place was so short-staffed it was almost like the mines on the snowfields; they would take anyone.
"Looking at it this way, the situation in Ursus is truly about to change! I'm starting to look forward to the sight of those people being hanged."
The expression on Kashchey's face perfectly illustrated what it meant to enjoy the chaos without being bothered by the mess. Perhaps pitting his own allies against each other was one of the few hobbies this black snake had left?
Perhaps he had long been dissatisfied with certain behaviors of those nobles. Just as the old-money nobles, who prioritized interest above all else, chose to cooperate with a cunning fellow like Kashchey only because there was enough profit, Kashchey—who inwardly wished for Ursus to endure forever—had likely felt a spark of dissatisfaction regarding the nobles' habit of eroding the nation's foundation from within.
However, in his eyes, the interests being eroded were somewhat insignificant compared to the potential gains they might receive. Thus, letting them do as they pleased was acceptable. But now, he had a better solution. Or rather, there was only one path left before him. Why would he care about the lives of those people now?
"Is it really alright for you to mock your former allies so blatantly? It makes us, who have just started cooperating with you, feel a bit uneasy."
Seeing Kashchey's schadenfreude, the usually stoic Emperor's Blade teased him. It was clear that the man was indeed in a good mood, even finding the spirit to joke around. It was understandable; their previously disadvantaged position had tilted in their favor toward ultimate victory, thanks to the display of this miraculous power. And they hadn't really lost anything—unless one counted a city that almost never obeyed them as a loss.
"What does it matter? I won't be on the same path as them in the future anyway. It's better to let them die off completely; that way, it's beneficial for both you and me." Kashchey waved his arm, talking with total indifference. From this, one could see just how flexible this fellow was when it came to shifting his stance.
At that moment, the aircraft in the sky completed its mission of spraying the Holy Water and began its return to the landship. The pilot landed very smoothly on the deck, bringing a perfect end to the operation. The mission report would likely be very easy to write.
The moment the pilot landed safely on the deck, thunderous applause erupted around him. Everyone was celebrating this perfect flight from the bottom of their hearts. They understood that perhaps one day in the distant future, this operation might be recorded in history textbooks, and this pilot would be its representative figure. Perhaps the Emperor, knowing how successful the mission was, would even award them a special medal!
Recalling how veteran soldiers used to show off medals they had earned in past battles, they had been envious beyond words at the time. This was why they were willing to stay here and risk their lives to accumulate military merit—the goal was to one day receive a medal awarded to them by Ursus.
This was perhaps what they currently desired most. Ursus treated soldiers with military merit quite well; medals could even provide annual tax exemptions for their families. This was also due to the extremely strict medal distribution system in Ursus. Official medals could only be issued with the Emperor's consent; the nobility had no authority to bestow them. Therefore, the nobles' attempt to use medals as a pretext to dodge national taxes was an impossibility.
Come to think of it, since this Emperor ascended the throne, he had seemingly never publicly issued any kind of medal. This was perhaps why Ursus medals were so precious.
"Your actions are highly valuable. Once this incident is completely over, I will report everything that happened here to the Emperor. Ursus will not mistreat soldiers who have sacrificed for the nation."
The Emperor's Blade looked at this unit, which had its own independent designation, and naturally knew what was on the soldiers' minds. Thus, he painted a beautiful future for them. This wasn't exactly an act of deception, as the Emperor would inevitably reward these men.
Watching the soldiers cheer over his unsubstantiated verbal promises, Number 25 felt a flicker of his old self. He felt that dealing with these people was truly easy. They weren't as cunning or treacherous as the fellows back home; most of the soldiers here had their own goals and were working hard toward them.
Thinking of this, Number 25 felt a twinge of regret for the soldiers who had died in battle. How many dream-filled soldiers had fallen on this frozen northern land, only to protect those who continued to oppress and bully their families?
"Hmph, it seems you'll have quite a headache once this incident is over! I recall that many of these soldiers have family members infected with Oripathy, sent to the mines with their fates unknown."
Kashchey's words caused the Emperor's Blade next to him to skip a beat. If everything was truly as that black snake said, then how to appease these soldiers would be no small matter for His Majesty. At the end of the day, they were merely pawns in the power struggle between the Emperor and the nobles.
"That is naturally not something you or I need to worry about. You should hurry back and report this to His Majesty. He has been waiting for quite some time."
The Emperor's Blade glanced at Kashchey. Since this fellow was no longer needed here for the time being, it was better to let him return as soon as possible. The further away he was, the better.
"I understand. The rest is just repeated testing to find the best dilution ratio of Holy Water for the situation in Ursus and then spreading it."
Hearing the words of the Emperor's Blade, Kashchey found a safe place, disconnected the mental link with his subordinate, and reappeared in the distant Deity Grypherburg.
Currently, the Emperor was worried about whether his actions had any effect. After all, to ensure the success of this operation, he had consumed the vast majority of the resources at his disposal. If it failed, the blow would be quite significant.
"Looking at your expression, sir, I presume the situation on the northern Demon battlefield has been confirmed? Do you have any good news for me?"
When Fyodor saw that Kashchey seemed to have returned to this shell, he asked anxiously about the war. He wanted to know what his next move would be.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. After implementing the method of using Holy Water to combat the Demons, we found the effect to be surprisingly good! I believe your subsequent actions can be much easier now."
Kashchey was polite, standing up to congratulate the young Emperor.