Chapter 39: Chapter 39

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I cleared my throat and glanced at the notification that built up throughout the fight.

I stood up while monitoring the notifications. The title I earned was a little interesting since it affected all arts of war. I guess my training has been paying off a bit, though not quite how I expected it. I wonder what would happen if I just specialized in everything instead of just focusing on one thing. Granted, that was the goal at the end of the day for me. I had no intentions to min-max any sort of stat or focus on only one path.t made me feel like all it would take is just one person who just happened to counter me in every way to come along, and that would be the end of me. Plus, I was still trying to find what suited me, though it was harder to do that when I enjoyed everything that I was learning so far, far more than what I thought I would have. I enjoyed it all as much as I enjoyed cooking.

It was freeing to be doing whatever I felt like doing instead of slogging away at the same job 12-15 hours a day, six days a week. Though this is technically a job, I was stuck doing it all day, every day. But at least I was having fun. I dusted off my cloak and started heading towards the doors. Now it was time to tackle the next issue. I just let all of these undead fight a massive battle, and a lot of them died—many of them with the idea that they were defending their empress, which made me feel guilty. I wasn't really an empress, but they didn't know that. Yet, they fought on like loyal subjects. I paused at the door with my hand resting on the wooden frame.

I was just a girl, faking it till I made it. A girl rife with issues that I repress and instead work relentlessly to avoid facing them. Maybe if the others knew that about me, it would change what they thought of me. I stood frozen at the door as the guilt gnawed at me and dug my heels into the floor. The thought of facing them, after all that, terrified me. What if I realized that I wasn't worthy of being called an empress?

A cold hand on my shoulder made me jump, and I spun around to see Alessia there. The way she stared at me with admiration in her eyes gave me some reassurance. That's right, they still depend on me, just as much as I depend on them. I would make myself worthy of the title empress of their eyes. Even if I had to work day and night for it. I adjusted my mask and took a deep breath to steady myself.

When I opened this door, there truly would be no going back. They would all look at me as something I wasn't. Maybe I should start with a eulogy for those who have departed us and then encourage them right after. I doubt it would affect much, but it's what felt right. I can do this. I pushed open the door and gazed out across the courtyard. The last remaining of the undead were congregating around. Dozens of bodies littered the area, and the tree that the brute threw sat in the middle. The crushed remains of some of the undead were visible, along with a few detached limbs. Blood, the color of rusted iron, painted various parts of the stronghold, along with discarded weapons.

Storm grey clouds choked out the sun, and tiny droplets of water fell from the sky in a torrent of tears. The smell of the sea twisted with the smell of decaying flesh, and the distant peal of thunder roared out. I stared out across the sky and clenched my fist. Another peal of thunder screamed out, followed by a show of lightning. I hated letting them all die, and I hated how it was the only way for them to grow stronger. It wasn't fair. But it was the only way. "Warriors of Asteria, hear my voice!" I called out to the remaining undead. Dozens of heads turned in my direction. The dark voids of the skeleton's eye sockets affixed themselves on me. Dozens of milky white eyes focused on me, followed by the listless gaze of the incorporeal beings here.

My breath caught in my voice for a moment as everyone stared at me. I had no idea what to say in a situation like this. But I knew that anything that I said might change the direction that this domain would go, so I would have to choose wisely. "Today, you fought off a wave of foes who wish to do nothing more than bring down our empire. But today is only the start."I let the words sink in for a moment as I watched them all. I really hated that I couldn't see what they were feeling. "Within this forest, and outside, there are many foes who wish to tear this empire down once again. But we won't let them, not again." Is it really a lie if they don't know any better? Or, if they believe in the lie, will it become the truth?

The thunder punctuated the end of my sentence, and I remained quiet for a moment as I tried to formulate my following words. The undead shuffled closer to where I stood. Alessia stepped forward from my left and swung out her weapon, and stood there. The rain fell in an unending tide, and the moans of the zombies grew in unison. The skeletons slammed their swords into their shields. The cacophony grew into an overwhelming crescendo as the undead cheered the best they could. I could feel my heart hammer in my chest as the energy they were giving off affected me as well. "For Asteria!" The words tore their way from my lips as I screamed the words with everything I had.

Now, all that was left for me to do was to send off all the dead so that they can rest in peace. Then go claim my prize. As I pushed my way through the legion, a few of the undead that I recognized as being part of the honor guard pressed forward and surrounded me in a box formation, with Alessia at my right. I threaded through the muddy ground, stepping around the fallen, careful to try to respect them while avoiding getting any sort of gore on my boots. Captain Rikard stepped back inside the walls, began directing the troops once more, and collected the weapons. Aaron looked a little worse for the wear, with his bones chipped and his gloves covered in various liquids. The sight made me shudder, and I resolved myself to help him get clean at some point.

Kharon teleported beside me to my left and gave me a nod. "That went a little better than I planned. That was a rousing speech, my lady. It riled up the others in an unexpected way."

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"Eh, it was nothing. I just said what felt right to me at the time." I stepped over a few corpses and went through the broken gap of the wall. Two zombie legionaries were stripping the ferals of gear and taking it back into the stronghold. A few of my honor guard and two warrant officers were with the brute, holding that massive monstrosity down.

The captured brute was covered in dozens of cuts, and blood ran free from its body in small streams. Patches of its flesh were grey and turning into ash and flaking away. Even with all the damage that adorned its body, it still struggled against its captors.

I strode across the ground, keeping my head held high, doing my utmost best to act out my role. Once we were within a few feet away from the monster, I commanded my honor guard to shift to the side as I stepped forward. "I offer you two choices. You can either cast aside your former allegiance and join us, or you can join your brethren in death." Since I had complete control of the situation, I sent a sliver of my will towards the zombie, telling it to accept my offer but to drag it out. After all, I had to keep up the act. But they didn't have to know that. The brute looked up at me. Its teeth were chipped and broken, and its eyes bloodshot and filled with rage.

It struggled once more and let out a defiant roar before bowing its head to me. "Good. I'm glad you accepted my offer. We will relegate you to manual labor tasks until you have proven that you can be trusted. Warrant officers, take your recruit to the stronghold." I spun around and glanced at the area once more before I motioned for Kharon to join me, along with Alessia. It was far too wet for me to stand out here any longer, and I didn't appreciate getting cold.

The three of us appeared in my office, and I quickly stripped off my cloak and mask and placed them on my desk to dry. Thankfully, the cloak absorbed much of the rainwater, so I only had to take off my sticky outer layer as well. Instead of putting on dry clothing, I dived under my blanket and wrapped myself up. Acting on this level was beyond exhausting to me.

The room was quiet for a few tense moments before I broke it. "Kharon, can you have the legion collect all the corpses? It wouldn't feel right letting them all sit outside." My voice was quiet and barely registered in my ears as I pondered over what I had done.

"As you wish. Where would you like the bodies to be placed?" Kharon brought his hood down and crossed his arms. His words to me seemed quieter than usual, but that might just be me being too wrapped up in my thoughts.

"We can do the main courtyard. We will have a ceremony for everyone who has died today. It's the right thing to do after all." I pulled my legs up to my chest, tucked the blanket in everywhere I could, and sat there. I felt numb at seeing all the death. It made me feel worse knowing that I caused it. I mean, directing it all made me feel detached, but the second that I saw everything, it made me feel like shit.

"As you wish, mistress. Is there anything else?" I glanced up at him and then at the map of the stronghold. I summoned a few crates lined with all the gear I have created the last few days outside the main headquarters and broke them into separate piles. One for the honor guard and one for the legion. I was only slightly ashamed to say that the honor guard got better gear, but only slightly. One day they would be the best, and in turn, they would get the best gear.

"I have spawned all the equipment topside in the stronghold. With each passing second, I felt a little number and a little more distant. Would you mind making sure that all the gear is appropriately distributed? Afterward, prepare for the ceremony in a few days and get a battle report from the captain. Once I have that, I can create reinforcements for the stronghold to get it better prepared for the adventurers."

"Of course. I will return momentarily." He gave me a bow and vanished, leaving me with my thoughts and my eerily silent companion. Was I really cut out for this?

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