In her past life, Delilah served the Kingdom of Olan in the south.
It was a nation slightly stronger than the Kingdom of Mason, yet rotten to its very core.
Thanks to its favorable geographical location, the soil quality and grain harvests were quite good. Although not wealthy, it was not so poor that anyone had to starve.
However, the bloated bureaucracy and the incompetent King knew only how to squander the hard-won earnings of the people, plunging those who should have lived decent lives into an abyss of suffering.
She remembered clearly that in the great war where she lost her life, the Kingdom of Olan allowed tens of thousands of elite soldiers to be reduced to dry bones in a meaningless war of attrition, all due to the stupidity of the command layer.
And she, too, had her heart pierced by random arrows during that desperate breakout battle.
After being reborn, the first thing she did was tear up her military registration, which was akin to a deed of slavery, and began to wander with her martial skills.
She had intended to find a stable place to spend the rest of her life, but unexpectedly, her wanderings brought her to this barren land known as the Kingdom of Mason.
She had never been here in her past life.
But in the rumors of her past life, the reputation of this 'Queen Sophia' of the Kingdom of Mason was not pleasant to hear.
'Girl Tyrant', 'Kinslayer', 'Cold-blooded Iron Dictator'.
Delilah remembered that in her past life, the development speed of this country was terrifying. In just a few short years, it transformed from a poor place that couldn't even collect taxes into an existence that even the Imperial Capital came to dread.
"I originally thought they were just rumors, but now it seems they were not baseless."
Delilah shifted her gaze toward the three hundred soldiers who were busy cleaning their gun barrels.
What exactly were those tubes that could emit thunderous roars and spew tongues of fire?
Magic?
Magic only existed in legends.
If this Queen Sophia truly knew magic, given her rumored ambition, this entire continent would have long since been in her pocket.
But since it wasn't magic, then what was it?
Although she was far away, she saw it very clearly.
Just those three volleys had caused over a thousand rogue bandits to fall in swathes like harvested wheat.
Even in her past life, to deal with wandering knights of that level, one would have to rely on elite armor-piercing crossbowmen.
Yet now, these soldiers of the Kingdom of Mason were wearing cloth armor; they didn't even have leather armor.
No, was it that they didn't have it, or did they disdain to wear it?
Because they knew that even with three times the number of enemies, they could not be shaken in the slightest?
"She not only killed her own father and siblings but actually mastered this kind of terrifying, evil weapon."
Delilah gritted her teeth, cold sweat seeping from her palms.
She saw the young girl with silver-white hair beside the carriage.
Sophia sat there, still expressionless. She didn't even glance at the corpses littering the ground. That indifference toward life brought a phrase to Delilah's mind: 'Innocent Cruelty'.
Even from hundreds of meters away, Delilah could feel a chill rushing straight to the top of her skull.
Half an hour later, the army began to sweep the battlefield in an orderly fashion.
Delilah quietly slipped down the ridge and circled around to the small village the carriage had passed earlier.
At this moment, the village had fallen into a deathly silence of fear. Several villagers were gathered under the ancient tree at the village entrance, whispering with panic on their faces.
Delilah, draped in a cloak to look like an ordinary wandering traveler, approached an old woman who was incessantly making the sign of the cross and praying.
"Old one, was that the Kingdom's army just now? Where did they go?"
Hearing the voice, the old woman trembled in fright. Seeing that Delilah was just a lone young girl, she lowered her voice and spoke through tears:
"It is that Tyrant... it is Queen Sophia.
She went to kill people!"
"Kill people?" Delilah's gaze sharpened. "Weren't those the rogue bandits who were looting you?"
"She did kill the bandits, but... but this Queen is even more terrifying!"
The old woman wiped away a tear, her eyes filled with despair.
"I heard from relatives who came from afar that to sit on that throne, she made her own father disappear, poisoned her eldest brother, and deliberately sent her second brother to his death. The Third Princess was forced by her to flee over the mountains overnight.
Some even say the Old King didn't disappear, and the Third Princess didn't commit treason at all, but that they were all secretly disposed of by her!
Now that she brought people to suppress the bandits, it might not be to save us.
She must have set her eyes on the treasures those bandits saved up, and she plans to capture us to be slaves while she's at it.
Did you see her eyes when she passed by just now? How did that look like the eyes of someone looking at living humans?"
Delilah gripped the hilt of the sword under her cloak tightly.
She recalled the fleeting glimpse of Sophia just now.
Petite stature, exquisite face, but indeed, those were eyes devoid of any emotion.
After listening to the old woman before her, in Delilah's eyes, the notoriety of the 'Girl Tyrant' had been confirmed.
A ruler who killed her kin to seize the throne, mastered terrifying weapons, and was extremely cold toward commoners.
If such a person were allowed to continue expanding, the flames of war that swept across the continent in her past life would likely arrive even sooner and be more tragic.
"Old one, don't worry."
Delilah took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incomparably firm, even carrying a saint-like resolve.
She gently patted the old woman's withered hand, her voice low but full of power:
"If that is truly the case, that tyrant won't live for much longer.
Once I investigate clearly, I will take her wretched life! I will absolutely not let her continue to plague this land."
With that, Delilah turned and disappeared into the shadows.
Since rebirth had given her a chance to start over, and since she had stumbled upon all this here, then assassinating this future 'Demon King' was her highest mission in this life.
As long as that Queen named Sophia died, no more people would die in wars.
Delilah silently made a decision in her heart; she had to investigate clearly why this Queen, who seemed even younger than herself, had become a tyrant.
Meanwhile, on the carriage.
Sophia, whose mood was quite good due to the Great Success in bandit suppression, suddenly shivered inexplicably.
"Strange, has the weather turned cold?"
Sophia touched her indifferent face and gave an order to Victor, still without any ripples of emotion:
"After returning to the palace, have Irene lower the chamber explosion rate of this firearm further. Many soldiers were injured just now."
Thinking of those soldiers whose hands were clearly blasted to the point of bleeding yet who still couldn't hide their excitement, Sophia couldn't help but sigh.
However, it was normal for a 'primitive person' to be excited upon suddenly encountering something like a firearm.
Irene hurriedly said, "As you command, Your Majesty."
She had also seen it just now. Although the lethality wasn't weak, there were indeed several soldiers whose skin and flesh were blasted open.
However, witnessing the scene of the weapons she made being used on a large scale with her own eyes, Irene's heart was already shaken.
She once again felt that following Sophia was a good choice.
If it were another monarch right now, after many soldiers were injured by the weapons she created, she would probably have been dragged down to be drawn and quartered.
The main camp of the rogue bandits was located in a depression deep within the Black Pine Forest. By now, this place had changed completely.
Under the rotation of the 'Mason Type I' muskets, less than ten percent of the bandits had luckily escaped.
The rest had either turned into corpses or were kneeling on the ground trembling, awaiting the judgment of this 'Girl Tyrant'.
Sophia didn't waste time making any post-war speeches.
She got off the carriage, stepping on the slightly damp soil, and began to inspect the camp. Then, she waved her small hand:
"Victor, take the men and empty this place."
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