章 2: Meeting The Infernal Monarch
The room went still as Alisa and the armored man faced each other. She had already recovered a portion of her strength after eating the food given, but it wasn't enough to satiate her. She should really find a way to acquire some resources soon. She had already experienced a poor life without money, food, and water many times and she was sick of it.
After a period of silence between them, the man started the interrogation. "Why did you break the formation during the previous battle? Did you know that acting recklessly wouldn't only put yourself in harm but also your comrades?"
Alisa could feel a slight anger in his tone. She really couldn't tell if he was genuinely angry or not. The armor was in the way. Although she could trust her intuition and her scrutinizing eyes that could peel off information at her targets in a single glance whenever she wanted to, it still wasn't an absolute guarantee. Judging from his tone and the way the guards and the other soldiers revered him, Alisa was ninety percent sure that this man was none other than the infernal monarch, the grand marshal that commanded the infernal monarch army. He was also the brother of the current king of their nation which was also called as Eidelweiss.
Alisa was amused. It seemed that she had existed in the past era too, since the country names were the same. Then perhaps the world she was currently in right now was the same world she had come from, except that the timelines were in a mess and the technology in the modern era didn't exist in this timeline. At least, not yet.
"So? Are you going to talk or not?" His voice had a trace of impatience in it.
Alisa was slightly embarrassed for getting lost in her train of thoughts, so she pretended to cough and cleared her throat.
Your Highness, I'm pretty sure I didn't break any laws in there. In fact, I have saved my comrades from death. Sure, I have removed myself from the squad, but I singlehandedly destroyed half of the right flank of the enemy's batallion." She reasoned out.
"Oh, do tell me more."
"Sure." She proudly said, but then felt that something was off in his response. She blinked her amber eyes many times before his response finally sunk in. "Um, what did you say?"
"I said, elaborate it."
She was stunned. She was known for being aloof and cold, but this man broke her usual demeanor in a mere second. Was he enjoying the changes in her facial expressions?
"Like what I said, I have saved my comrades. I purposely rushed in alone while shielding myself with an enemy soldier's corpse to avoid getting pierced by the arrows. Afterwards, I broke into their ranks and killed them one at a time or killed a few at once."
The young man stayed silent for a while. Then, he gestured the guards, who had been listening for a while now, to go outside. They reluctantly left, leaving only the two of them alone. As she was thinking about what he was planning to do, he slowly reached out for his golden helmet and took it off, revealing a young man in his early twenties. However, his face was now rough while his beard had covered his lower face which made him look like a middle-aged man. Surely, he could afford to spend time in maintaining his looks, right? She really couldn't understand men. It was like they were all just muscles and brawns, but had no sense of awareness to their looks. Good graciousness, he was a prince! But he looked like a monkey instead of a gallant and noble entity.
She felt the urge to snicker, however, didn't do it at all. It would be rude to the person. And besides, she really admired military men. They were far more noble compared to her dark secrets. Little did she realize that she wasn't the same cold-blooded killer from the past. Due to the merging of her personas, she was now able to express different kinds of emotions.
"Now, we can talk without other people snitching on us." He said, his voice still sounding a little bit cold. Then he added: "I never would have expected a woman to be so capable to the point she might as well obliterate the whole enemy force."
"What's wrong with being a woman? We are all born equal so why should you people degrade or undermine someone just because she is a woman?" She scoffed. It was really ridiculous to put gender in everything.
"Nothing in particular. It's just that there aren't many that are like you. By the way, you are so skilled and yet I don't know how you entered the army. Who are you? Do you know that others might think that you are a spy or an assassin sent to kill me with how excellent your battle skills are?"
The way he phrased his question carried a threat. The infernal monarch had every right to be suspicious to her. He even reached out to his sword but didn't draw it yet. Alisa wasn't the least bit intimidated. She could only let out a cold chuckle and grinned mischievously at him with one of her eyes closed.
"Oh, Your Highness, do you really believe I'm a spy? I just came here to support the army since I could freeload in your food supplies. It's hard being poor, after all."
"And besides, if you want me to, I could go over there right now and besiege their territory." She added.
He couldn't believe this girl. Freeloading in the military? What a load of crap! There was no such thing as someone who would risk his or her life just to hitch on free food. It was better to become a beggar instead, since their lives wouldn't be at risk. He couldn't quite put his finger around her, but he also felt that she really wasn't here to sabotage them. While he couldn't trust her at all as she was too dangerous, she might prove to be useful later on.
Therefore, he called the guards once again and instructed them to take her back to her platoon instead of the cell.
"Oh, done already, Your Highness? I thought we're going to negotiate about the terms for employing such a skilled and cute warrior as me." She pretended to feel down, but then stuck her tongue out a second later.
He frowned at her playful act. It showed that she didn't take him seriously at all. What a crazy woman. He spoke once more to her. "Just call me Leon. Also, we'll talk about your conditions later on. For now, go back to your squad."
He felt a wave of headache incoming when dealing with people, especially a difficult one like her. Leon was a man of little words, and his cold demeanor that gave off a vibe of a ruthless commander was more than enough to scare away almost everyone who interacted with him. But that woman wasn't affected at all. She also had an air of freedom surrounding her despite being confined in a cell earlier.
'And that aura… it was like she looked down at everyone.' His thoughts spoke in his mind. He watched Alisa leave until she was finally out of his sight before he resumed reading the documents on the table.
Meanwhile, Alisa was released and she returned to her platoon. Upon the sight of her, her squad couldn't believe she had escaped unscathed not only from the battle but also from the interrogation, with their faces showing a baffled expression. Grunt approached her and pinched her face to find if she was a ghost. Alisa's face fell as she swat his hand away.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just checking if you are real or if I'm not dreaming."
She scoffed at him while giving a glare that made him unconsciously back off. "If you want to pinch someone's face just to see whether they are alive or dead, I could help you into a severe beating and you'll find out that I am indeed alive."
"N-no, thanks. Anyway, we're glad that you're back." He said as he waved his hand in front of her while laughing nervously.
"Hmph!"
She strode past him and went to her own bunker bed. All of the soldiers in the same platoon slept in one place, since no one had really expected any woman to be sent off to the battlefield, except for her who was obviously a mistake in the recruitment personnel's part. She was like sore thumb sticking out. Nevertheless, she didn't mind being crumpled together with these people.
She ignored everyone's stares and whispers and greedily took her portion for tonight's meal. It was bland and horrible compared to the food in the previous life, but she would gladly eat anything she could right now. It's not like her life had changed in this second chance. Alisa still had to climb her way out of this mess, but no one would be use her again. She couldn't allow her life to be trampled twice in two timelines.
Time passed by quickly and soon it was bed time. She was still tired from the fight and the deliberate acts of the guards to starve her. She was about to hit the sack when suddenly, Leonhardt, the marshal, came over. His cold eyes gazed upon the men who became alert after seeing him and eventually landed on Alisa.
'What is this man doing now?' She frowned heavily upon seeing
"Come with me." He coldly said.
Can't this man smile at all? He was so rigid that he his own subordinates were turning uncomfortable whenever he was there. Alisa was feeling aggrieved too.
"Where to, sir?" She asked. The way she addressed him was changed since they were currently in the presence of others.
While she still used honorifics, the others felt she was rude for asking questions to the marshal. They were staring at her weirdly. She slightly tilted her head in confusion.
Leon didn't want to waste his breath with her, so he turned around and left. Alisa had no choice but to follow him. They didn't go back to the interrogation room. Instead, he brought her to his own tent and asked the guards to stand outside and never let anyone in. Then he gestured for her to sit down on the old stool near the planning table.
Leon stared deeply into her eyes for a long time while they were seated and facing each other at the same time. For some reason, she felt irked. She tried inquiring while pretending to be slightly uninterested.
"For what reason am I being called by His Highness? Surely you didn't bring me here for a chitchat. Though, I can tell you I'm only here to listen if you do."
After a few minutes of silence, he finally opened his mouth. "I want you to spar with me."
"Okay." She readily agreed, but then her mind didn't register his words immediately. With her eyes fluttering a few more times, she hurriedly turned towards him and had a baffled look. "Eh?"
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