Imperial soldiers had long ceased to live in the south, with many people in various regions moving to the secure zones established by the Alliance after the Imperial army suffered a major defeat in weaponry against the Alliance forces.

"We can generously offer you freedom and equality," this sentence drove those tormented by war to madness as they flocked to the Alliance, the land of freedom and equality they longed for!

"Brother, wait for me here while I distract the guard," a group of slaves of mixed black, white, and yellow skin hiding under a giant rock were threatened by an Imperial soldier in brown military attire with an old-fashioned black rifle pointed at their heads.

"Get to work, if you can't finish today's task, don't even think about having breadcrumbs!"

"Ouch!"

As soon as the guard finished speaking, a man in his fifties, almost sixties, was already exhausted and couldn't move, falling to the ground with no strength to get up.

The merciless desert sands slowly buried his withered face, sending a chill down one's spine.

"Hey, old man, stop slacking off!"

"That's enough, he's old, I'll do his work for him."

Seeing the scene, the young black lad Fran decided to stay and help the old man carry the stones used for building.

Young Flatt, seeing his brother working so hard, dared not stay behind, and joined in moving the stones.

"Don't think I'll show mercy on you for this, tell you what, if you don't finish today's work, none of you will have dinner, including that old man!"

Leaving behind a harsh word, the soldier then hummed a tune and leisurely walked away drinking his ice-cold beer.

"Flatt!"

At that moment, Fran gestured to Flatt, who immediately understood his brother's signal, pretending to work on the stones on one side while casting glances at the soldier from time to time.

After a silent communication, Flatt intentionally raised his voice so the soldier could hear him speak.

"I wonder why they are building such high walls?"

"Haha, don't bother your mind with that. If you want to survive, you better work honestly. But... oh, well, curious minds are always less boring than those who only work."

"Exactly, my friend!"

Flatt pretended to be pitiful.

"We toil under the scorching sun, even a drink of water is a luxury, only officers like you can enjoy yourselves. Your Highness, your appearance truly radiates charm!"

"... "

As Flatt praised him, the soldier suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... well, well done... uh!"

"Well done!"

A car tire-sized stone was hurled by Flatt from behind the soldier, the tremendous impact hitting the soldier's exposed head akin to breaking an egg!

The soldier fell, and the surrounding crowd cheered for the Fran brothers.

The old man, who had just been lying on the ground, suddenly stood up as if nothing had happened, his intention being to lure the soldier in and take the keys from him.

"Hehehe, today is the day we gain our freedom, who is willing to join me on the journey to the Alliance?!"

"Me!" (In unison)

"Everyone's enthusiasm is high, follow me!"

In this construction site area, over three hundred workers worked together to push down the guard tower at the entrance.

The Imperial soldiers guarding the gate were caught off guard before they could even equip their weapons, as the people rushing towards them knocked them down. The seven to eight feet tall gate, after being unlocked, was brutally slammed open with just one powerful blow from the agile old man's body!

"Fratt, you go free the slaves around here, while your brother and I will lead the others to take over the command center."

Fratt and his brother could no longer endure the life of constantly yearning for a full meal under Imperial oppression. They had no choice but to leave the country, eventually wandering to the center of the world and being saved at the last moment by the passing Phantom Divine Armed Forces team captain, Yukari Shinonome.

We all have pasts we'd rather not look back on. For example, many years ago in a different era, I experienced similar things.

...

"Alright, let's not talk about the past. I bet Yukari sister... oh no! I mean Her Majesty, is probably cursing us in her room right now, isn't she?"

"What?!"

I startled Fratt out of his dream with my words, and he shivered, feeling a chilling sensation down his back.

"Hey, calm down, Her Majesty will surely forgive..."

"Hage, behind you!"

"What?"

Just as I was about to turn around, my whole body began to tremble involuntarily. Fratt, more dramatic than me, simply sat down on the ground, one hand moving on the ground while the other pointed at me.

"Your Majesty!"

"Ah—!"

A scream echoed through the school building. I massaged my already swollen earlobes, helping the heavily bruised Fratt, who was now my comrade in misery.

"The most terrifying thing is not the so-called Evil Entity, it's Yukari sister..."

"Did you just call the Queen Yukari sister?"

"..."

Despite the beating and the bumps, Fratt's consciousness was unusually clear. Faced with such an arrogant kid, all I could do was watch his sassy figure in silent awe.

But enough with that, we had been caught red-handed by Yukari sister.

"You've got some nerve, trying to escape the clean-up operation. You two big men seem quite at leisure!" Yukari, with her bare arms, held my collar with one hand and made Fratt follow behind.

This situation left us breathless—we dared not even speak, considering it was my fault for dragging him into the mess, my biggest mistake was not being able to call him on time, engaging in a casual conversation with him was an even greater mistake!

"Bang..."

"Huh?"

Yukari raised an eyebrow curiously, her gaze directed towards the dark room on the left, as if she had discovered something.

Upon seeing her listen intently, both I and Fratt dared not make a sound, almost stopping our breath, but Yukari remained fixed on that spot, maintaining her tight grip on my ear the whole time. This worried me slightly.

"Quick... let go, look at your flawless hands, you should take a break before straining them."

"Speak less, and go to the restaurant to ask the kitchen staff for a few servings of beef curry rice. They might have some leftovers if they haven't sold out yet."

"True, but why me?"

"If you have a problem with it, then have Frat accompany you, you're not helping with cleaning the school buildings anyway. Hurry up and come back."

Hmph, always bossing people around. In my memory, this guy never listens to anyone... Well, I did manage to avoid the cleaning task, all I can do now is wait for her to calm down.

Wait, how can I get the cafeteria lady to open the door for me?

I pondered with great distress; it's common for these people to dine at the school, but I don't know the cafeteria lady. Even if I did, she might not recognize me.

After just over a week of experiencing campus life, how many people can I really know now?

Moreover, the cafeteria aunties are much older than me, and those ladies, let alone communicating, have a rather intimidating presence.

Thankfully, Frat was with me. I don't think I could handle this situation alone, after all, people are constantly growing and cannot live the same day over and over.

"You did well today; at least we finally have a safe place to accommodate our messengers."

I definitely didn't bring back the beef rice, the cafeteria lady must have gone back to sleep, right?!

But Yukari unexpectedly forgave me, is it because of the gap between us?

Thinking back, if I made dinner late in the past, Yukari would treat me like livestock, that was how it started. But in the days that followed, she hardly saw me.

"Thanks, it's all thanks to you... How did you all manage it?"

Just as I entered not long ago, the dazzling lights in front of me temporarily blinded me, and suddenly the interior of the school building looked brand new, even the gold paint had been freshly done!

"It did take a lot of effort to refresh, but Chiyori single-handedly finished the cleaning in less than a minute!"

"That's right, my control over water is no joke,"

Saying that, Yukari calmly sat down in the gap between Chiyori and Momi, who were leaning against the wall.

Just when I also wanted to sit and rest, Yukari playfully teased me.

"Hey, I never said you could rest now. Hurry up and fetch some water for these hardworking folks, otherwise, how will you have time to have a good time with friends later?"

"...Fine, I admit my mistake in terms of time. Where should I fetch the water?"

We've always followed this principle, for a continuous week we've essentially followed Yukari's lead, except for occasional resistance from Chiyori.

I don't know how long I can keep up with Yukari, but following her makes me feel like I can overcome any difficulty.

"The nearest water tank is on the first floor, I'll be back soon."

If I could think like this, my mood would be much calmer, at least I wouldn't be so angry with anyone.