Chapter 353: Cannon Fodder (GT Bonus - )

Lynn knelt the moment she laid eyes on her, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the floor.

Donovan, for his part, didn’t even move.

The woman didn’t seem offended. She tilted her head slightly and looked Donovan over from top to bottom, from helmet to boots.

"Thank you for coming," she said in a calm, courteous voice that nevertheless sounded strangely cold. "I know the stairs down here can feel endless."

"Oh, almighty Sovereign of Dawn!"

Lynn raised her head just enough to speak, her voice trembling with emotion and her hands clasped against her chest.

"Forgive my boldness, my lady, but... you have no idea how much I’ve dreamed of this moment. Since I was a child, I’ve read every one of your tales. The Battle of Ashen Pass, the purification of the eastern lands, the sacrifice of the seven saints... I... I pray for your soul every night, my lady, and if you would permit me to kiss the hem of your dress, or even just--"

"How annoying."

The woman on the altar raised a hand and snapped her fingers.

Lynn’s voice cut off mid-word. Her eyelids fell, her body went completely limp, and she collapsed onto the floor.

"Lynn!"

Donovan reacted at once. He knelt beside her and propped her up carefully, cradling her head between his gauntlets.

"Relax, she’s only asleep," the woman said from the altar. "She’ll wake in a couple of hours with no memory of this."

Donovan turned his helmet toward her.

"Why the fuck did you do that?"

"Because she was interrupting," she replied coldly. "And because what you and I need to discuss isn’t something just anyone can hear."

Donovan laid Lynn down as comfortably as he could, using his cloak as a pillow, and then stood up.

He had disliked that woman from the moment he laid eyes on her.

From the altar she watched him with a cold curiosity, as if Donovan were some rare creature someone had left in front of her so she could decide whether it was worth keeping.

And putting Lynn to sleep with a snap of her fingers hadn’t exactly improved his opinion of her.

"Let’s get this over with..." Donovan sighed. "What’s your name?"

"Username or real name?"

"Whichever you want."

"In that case, call me Anna."

"Fine, Anna. Then explain something to me," Donovan said, no longer bothering to hide his irritation. "Why the fuck did it take you so long to get in touch with me?"

"Because first I needed to evaluate you," Anna answered with total calm. "To know whether you were useful, whether you were trustworthy, and whether you had the determination not to run at the first sign of trouble."

Donovan gritted his teeth, but decided not to give her the satisfaction of an argument. There was something much more important he wanted to know.

"They told me this meeting was to decide what to do about the Death Emperor. So let’s get to the point. What’s the plan? When do we go after him?"

"We’re not going after him," Anna replied calmly. "At least, not yet."

Donovan frowned.

"Again with that? I’ve been listening to that crap for eight months."

"And you’re going to keep listening to it a little longer," Anna rested her hands on her knees. "Because before we face him, we need to be prepared. And for that, we first have to unify all the human kingdoms under a single command."

Donovan frowned beneath his helmet.

"Unify the kingdoms? What for? The problem is in the south, not here. Give me a decent army, a few inquisitors, and I’ll take care of that guy."

Anna let out a soft laugh.

"Do you really think that alone will be enough?"

"Yeah...?"

"You’re underestimating our enemy far too much," she said, shaking her head slightly. "We need much more than a few soldiers and inquisitors... We need every human capable of fighting in the seven kingdoms."

"What the hell do you need that many people for against one man?"

"So they can die in our place," Anna answered without the slightest flinch.

"...What?"

"I see your brain came as decoration," Anna said, sighing. "Fine, I’ll make it easy for you. I have more than enough reason to believe the Death Emperor and the Demon Lord are working together."

"And?"

Anna looked at him as if the answer were obvious.

"That if we go after one, the other will inevitably intervene... And when that happens, this will stop being a fight against a single target and become another continental war, like the one three hundred years ago."

"..."

"That’s why we need to gather all the armies of the seven kingdoms," Anna explained, getting to her feet. "Not so they can win the war for us, but so they can hold back the Demon Lord’s monsters, wear down her summons, and absorb the first blow."

Donovan couldn’t believe the madness he was hearing.

"Are you telling me you want to unify all of humanity just to use them as cannon fodder?"

"...When you put it like that, it sounds worse than it is," Anna replied with a shrug.

"That’s insane. If anyone should carry that fight, it’s us," Donovan growled. "Besides, you’ve been down here for three hundred years. If you wanted to unite the human kingdoms so badly, why did you wait until now? Or do you just love living locked up underground?"

Anna studied him in silence for a few seconds.

Then, without a word, she grabbed the front of her dress and pulled until the fabric tore from top to bottom, leaving her body completely exposed.

"For this," she said.

All of Donovan’s anger vanished at once. And his eyes went wide behind the helmet as he looked her over, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. What the hell happened to you?"

For the first time, Anna’s voice lost some of that distant calm.

"The right question isn’t what happened to me... but who did it to me."