What were you doing before the end of the world? Are you going to be an assassin?

"I hope it will bring you better luck than its previous owner."

"By the way, you should be able to ride a horse, right?"

"should……"

Connor had never ridden a horse before, but his control over his body made him dare to try. He took the reins and jumped up, but the horse did not resist him. Perhaps because Connor was not wearing armor, the steps of this powerful horse were much lighter.

One hundred and one knights hung the heads of the dangerous species on their horses, surrounded General Liva and Connor, and hurried back to the main force.

……

"What's wrong, Liva? Have you encountered some trouble that you can't handle?" Daidas, the double-axe imperial weapon, shouted excitedly. If there was really any trouble, his axe would be thirsty for it!

"Daidas, I advise you to keep your mouth shut." Niu, the flute-shaped imperial weapon user, said, "Didn't you see that Liva brought back a stranger? Maybe your axe will change hands."

Daidas suddenly shut his mouth, and his ferocious white eyes noticed the axe exposed from the stranger's waist as the horse leaped. Wow, is this a competitor?

Now... I have an even stronger desire to fight!

Liva didn't care about the attitudes of his two colleagues. He was only responsible for bringing Connor to that person.

After passing through layer upon layer of soldiers, Esdeath met the cavalrymen who had hurried back in the middle of the army.

"Liva."

Esdeath, who was dressed in a pure white officer's uniform, with long silver-blue hair casually thrown behind her, and had exquisite and perfect facial features and a proud figure, just opened her mouth and Connor felt the temperature around her drop.

It is indeed the most dangerous weapon of war... Connor thought to himself.

Riva briefly reported what happened to him when he met Connor, and asked the soldiers to show Esdeath the heads of Connor's 100 prey, which finally aroused a little interest in the most dangerous woman in the empire.

"Oh, hunter, if you want to exchange for the bounty, I remember there is a relevant department in the hunter camp."

Esdeath also noticed the three dangerous species and silently labeled Connor as a powerful person.

"I want to be a general."

Connor was not talking nonsense, he came prepared.

A hunter who doesn't want to be a general is not a good assassin. If he doesn't show any ambition, why would he use the heads of a hundred dangerous species to attract the army's attention?

The other one...

He remembered that one of Esdeath's criteria for choosing a spouse was -

No matter what, the most important thing is to pay attention to the possibilities of the future, and hope to train myself with the goal of becoming a general-level task.

As expected, Esdeath now became a little serious and looked at the hunter who was standing in front of her and could still raise his head.

"Hahahaha, you're very courageous!"

Esdeath was relatively gentle when facing people without her own people. The youngest general of the empire nodded in approval of Connor's undisguised "ambition" and strength.

I have passed the first level temporarily.

Without immediately giving a specific placement plan, Esdeath simply placed Connor in the marching team, right next to herself, in almost the same position as the three beast warriors.

The army continued to march towards the hunter camp.

Along the way, Esdeath personally "interviewed" Connor, not only asking about Connor's background, but also indirectly probing Connor's specific understanding of some things in the North.

"Well... someone who has the ambition to become a general; someone who has the courage to go to the border alone to hunt dangerous species; someone who, like me, grew up in the border area instead of the capital..."

Esdeath was on the horse, watching Connor, who was controlling the horse very seriously.

"It's just a pity. He seems older than me? And... he doesn't look very unkempt..."

"When will I find the right person to date?"

40. First Battle with the Imperial Tool User

General Esdeath's banquet was held in the city closest to the hunter camp.

The four corners of the banquet hall were all supported by exquisite marble columns, which were decorated with many silver-blue ribbons. In order to add vitality, the owner of this place (some regional administrators in the original book seemed to be called governors) also found vines that were extremely rare in the North, hanging down from the stone columns and ceiling like curtains, and pots of vibrant flowers and... lemon trees surrounded the corners of the banquet hall.

What is even more amazing is the ground, which is a whole mosaic painting. It depicts the scene when Esdeath crossed the border for the first time when she led troops to attack the northern aliens. The north wind blew up across the vast wasteland, and the alien soldiers fled in all directions.

Where is Esdeath in the painting? Esdeath is crossing the border.

It is said that the owner of this place is an admirer of Esdeath, and everything is done to cater to Esdeath's preferences, so the banquet hall is decorated like this.

On the eve of the banquet, the air was filled with the aroma of grilled meat and fish, and the most intense aroma was the scent of wine.

Officers and local officials stood there, huddled together, all engaged in discussion and heated debate, laughter and surprised gasps passed through the room like waves, and the music, the noise, the crash of amphorae and the loud cheers all formed the harmony of the banquet's great movement.

With so much noise behind him, Connor instinctively put his hands on his waist, where the enchanted axe should have been, but now it was empty. His hands only touched the white military dress jacket that he had been wearing in the wilderness for a month. This cosplay suit that was read as equipment by the prism was still strong.

"Look at that poor hunter. I'm afraid he has never been to such a magnificent place in his life." The guests noticed Connor entering the banquet hall with the military and said with sympathy, "He was afraid of damaging the floor and didn't dare to move even a step."

Connor really didn't move much.

In the corner he could observe these dignitaries at will, and it was also the place closest to the exit.

"Very hypocritical, isn't it? If you want to go the military route, you don't need to care about this as long as you keep following General Esdeath."

Liva came over, holding two glasses in his hands. His upper body was extremely stable, and even when he walked quickly, the wine did not spill at all.

Connor took the cup and poured some outward.

There is an ugly and dangerous creature with bubbles all over its body painted on the bottom of the cup. The original intention of this pattern is to make people drink slowly so that they don’t see the evil thing at the bottom of the cup first.

Of course, people nowadays just regard it as an ancient custom, and not many people care about it. They just leave some when drinking and continue to fill it up.

This is also the origin of the habit of some nobles of "drinking only one glass of wine a day".

"Hey, hunter from the wilderness, you can't be used to drinking in such high-end bars? I heard that those hunters prefer those strong liquors. After just three or two glasses, they will tell you all the stories about how they wet the bed when they were little."

Daidas, the burly double-axe imperial master, came over and said with a mocking look on his face.

General Esdeath's attitude towards Connor is still ambiguous. He has neither rejected Connor's offer of service nor returned the heads of the 100 dangerous species that Connor offered. This has caused Daidas to feel a bad sense of crisis.

Could it be that... the General intends to let that kid inherit my imperial weapon? After drinking, Daidas looked at Connor with a gloomy face. If he lost his imperial weapon, wouldn't he be of no value to the General?

"No...I just feel..."

"The people in the countryside are suffering, and here the people who are supposed to be leading the people of this city out of this are out there numbing themselves with alcohol," Connor said.

"You know better than me what the situation outside the city is like. There are dangerous species everywhere, aliens, rebels, bandits, and restless assassination teams..."

Liva seemed to want to say something, but his experience of being wrongly imprisoned made him shut up. There are some things in this world that it is better to say less.

“How naive,” Daidas, who saw Connor as a rival, interrupted Connor and said sarcastically, “This world is a place where the strong prey on the weak and only the fittest survive. I guess I have to teach you what you should be careful about under the general. Otherwise, it will be a pity to lose such an agile hunter.”

Daidas's white eyes stared at Connor, without any regret.

The Imperial Weapon Master pushed through the crowd and knelt on one knee in front of General Esdeath who was talking to the local chief officer:

"General! This fancy banquet is too boring, with all the songs and dancing. It's so joyful. Why not let the people in the city see the majesty of your army?"

Esdeath herself did not appreciate arts such as music and dance, so she agreed to Daidas' request.

With ten snow-white fingers crossed, the general leaned back in his chair, waiting for what one of his three beast warriors would do.

After getting the permission, Daidas grinned and pointed at Connor who was leaning against the pillar and said:

"You may not know this, but recently there was an incredible hunter in the North. He hunted down a hundred dangerous species, including three first-level dangerous dragons!"

The dignitaries at the banquet immediately understood that Connor was a person who was unwilling to follow the formal procedures to show off his strength and join the army. However, it was indeed a bit unreasonable for him to start as a soldier when he had the ability to hunt down three level one dangerous species.

"Hunter!" Daidas called out, "I'll give you a chance to practice with me in front of the general and the other lords. Show me some moves so that no one will think that your achievements are fake."

You are the one who doesn't believe it the most, right?

Connor handed the wine glass to the waiter who followed Riva, stood next to Daidas, and looked at Esdeath with him.

"Good look. I agree. But don't let me down." Esdeath picked up the wine glass with ice cubes and took a sip.

Since he had received the general's permission, Daidas took the lead in tearing off his formal attire, raised his hands and summoned his twin axe imperial weapons, shouting, "Come, come, come! Bring out your axe, too!"

The dignitaries in the city rarely saw such exciting military actions. In the past, they only watched slaves from other races fighting each other. How could it be as exciting as today? They immediately made way and cheered.

When Connor also got the axe, Daidas swallowed his saliva, broke the double-edged axe on the spot and turned it into two big axes, and chopped towards Connor with his fangs and claws.

The two men fought in the open space, and the three axes collided four or five times.

Although the body of an Imperial Tool User has some bonuses, Connor also has the active [Eagle Vision], the passive [Mind's Eye·False] and [Weapon Master]. The "ordinary weapons" in the eyes of others are not at all inferior to those of an Imperial Tool User in the fight, and he instantly won the support of many people.

Esdeath also sat up straight, watching Connor's movements intently.

After a few more rounds, Connor wandered behind Idas and shouted, "As long as the imperial weapon is here, I will lose."

After a long battle with no success and being teased and even humiliated by the way of voluntarily admitting defeat, Daidas' eyes immediately turned red and he threw the double-axe imperial weapon aside.

"So what do you want to use? A military-style spear? A sword and shield? You choose!"

With Esdeath's tacit consent, Daidas and Connor put aside their original weapons and replaced them with weapons borrowed from the guards.

"It's too much to just fight one match." Connor suddenly said before the second competition began.

"Oh? Then what do you want?" Esdeath asked.

"The future general of the empire must have an imperial tool, right?"

"Hehe, you are ambitious. I can make a guarantee now. If you win, you will have a general and an imperial device as well." Esdeath is already fully interested. She can tie with an imperial device user without an imperial device. With this kind of strength, as long as she applies for an imperial device for Connor, he can become her right-hand man.

Maybe... I can satisfy my urge to fight!

Daidas felt uneasy after hearing this. Would the general really want to give his imperial weapon to that hunter?

In this case... Daidas picked up a spear, and it was possible that something unexpected would happen during the duel.

"I declare that the competition continues!" After Connor chose the one-handed sword, Niu, one of the three beast warriors, acted as the referee for the second competition.

Don't even think about taking away from me the imperial weapon that serves the general!

Daidas himself rushed towards Connor, just like the spear.

Trait: [Sixth Sense] activated!

[Eagle Vision] scans for weaknesses, [Charge Heavy Attack] strikes!

As soon as [Eagle Vision] was deployed, Esdeath, who was in a higher position, felt the same feeling as that day, and her body suddenly leaned forward and grabbed the armrests of the chair with both hands.

It’s you, Little Eagle!

Connor's smooth movements slowed down for a moment, and he instinctively turned the sword and used the weighted hilt to strike the back of Daidas's neck, which was full of flaws.

At this moment, Daidas's white pupils turned completely white and he fainted on the spot.

41. Kitty

The loser of the duel, the Teigu user Daidas, was dragged away along with his Teigu, and the general didn't even have anyone to wake him up on the spot.

"I'm sorry, General. I may have been too harsh."

Connor greeted General Esdeath in person. Since he had not been officially given an identity yet, he did not have to kneel down and kiss the ice general's boots like the three beast warriors did.

"He lost only because Daidas was too weak." Esdeath said coldly. After the banquet, Daidas will get the punishment he deserves.

"You held back at the end, didn't you? Why didn't you stab me with the sword?"

The general asked coldly.

In the final sprint, Connor could have used his sword to pierce Daidas's neck and cut off his nerves. The Imperial Tool User is not invulnerable to swords and guns, and no armor was worn in this duel. It was absolutely unnecessary to knock someone out with a weighted ball.

Esdeath looked at Connor, waiting for the hunter who was seeking advancement.

Connor lowered his head and answered in a tone that was as close to Esdeath's ideas as possible: "The strong can dominate the weak in their own way, General. I think the duel just now may have proved this."

Daidas's strength is not considered strong among combat-type Teigu users. In the original work, even with the assistance of the flute Teigu user, he was unable to quickly defeat Tatsumi who had no Teigu. The three beast warriors fought one against three, but were killed instantly by Brand who had the Teigu, Demon Haunted.

"Roar, the strong can dominate the weak..."

Esdeath looked even more satisfied.

She stood up from the main seat and strode in front of Connor with her long legs. The dangerous aura she exuded could suffocate anyone facing her without even any movement.

As expected of the youngest general in the empire, he is so terrifying!

If the general wants to attack me here, I'm afraid I can only try to use [Disappear] and [Summon Force] to summon the Colossal Titan to launch a "nuclear bomb" and then exit the memory world.

"You were the one looking at me that day, weren't you? You're quite brave, Little Eagle."

Esdeath lifted Connor's chin with her finger. Her hand was cold and her blue eyes flashed with a deadly light like gemstones.