Chapter 44: Fifth Episode: Chapter 8 (2/2)
As the paladin silently slid into the woods, he glanced back once, but the King of Assassins had already disappeared, and in the mountain, only the fires of the enemy's campsite burned brightly.
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”Do you know what you should do?” Oskar threw himself tiredly in the chair. His whole body was drenched in his own sweat. Even though the headache had subsided a little by now, he had never felt so sleepy before in his entire life! ”Damn dolatin! Even if I'm dying the next time I swear I would not use this thing anymore.” The prince warned himself.
”Hey, I'm asking you a question, do you know what to do?” The young man raised the head of a captive up whose face was filled with terror.
”I know! I ... I know!” Makario was full of regret. His troop leader had received some warning when agreeing to take this business, but they were naïve enough to mistakenly think that the prince was only a child. Getting rid of one child should not have been much trouble, and no one would know who did it. However, now things had completely changed, Makario had never thought he would ever be placed in such a miserable situation.
”Well, just as before, when I ask you a question, you will give me a truthful answer. Presumably, you had seen that your nine companions basically gave up all the information they had, but they still could not escape death. Do you know why? I'll give you a serious warning, the most crucial thing. Let's say if you have answered a question wrongly, then you will first lose one finger. If the most critical question is also not being answered truthfully, then what will be waiting ahead of you will be the cross. You know, I prepared ten of them, and if you want to have that last one, I would be happy to present it to you.”
”I understand ... I ... I ... fully understand,” Makario was about to collapse. He looked around himself and came to the realization that all these guys were not human at all. Although he had also tortured prisoners before, he never thought of such a brutal tactic.
The tent was filled with the stench of urine thanks to the traumatized captives. The small tent was filled with ten people before, and now it was only left with Makario alone in less than an hour.
Four people surrounded Makario quietly. He clearly remembered all these men from this afternoon; that butler was the archer; the old man was the insidious one; and that child was the prince, whose portrait was distributed to everyone in the mercenary troop. As for the doctor, Makario trembled when the guy smiled at him. He was definitely not a doctor, no doctor could do anything so cruel as to mutilate the human body as he did, and after that, having the unlucky guy still have a sane, conscious mind. He could never be a real doctor, never!
”It's good that you understand the rules!” Oscar accepted the coffee the butler handed him. It probably was not good for the wound, but at least it allowed him a short, sober moment. ”Then listen well, the same question, I have repeated it nine times, I believe you will make me satisfied. Tell me, your identity, nationality, and whatever business it was that you participated in.”
”Your Honourable Prince, my name is Makario. My public identity is a fur trader, but I am also the deputy head of the Le-Mans mercenary group of Italia.”
Oscar digested the information for a moment, and in his eyes flashed a brutal glimmer, ”Doramy!” he shouted.
The first person to react to this cry was, of course, Makario, ”Oh, no! You know what I'm saying is the truth! No, I swear! I am telling the truth! I am... oh… No! Oh God!”
The King of Sins did not care about the screaming. With much ease, he professionally extended one of Makario's fingers and removed it from his hand in one swift cut. Makario's screams were very pleasant to his ears, and the King of Sins believed this shrill scream would have sent the birds flying off the mountain.
The Poison Doctor Percy snatched away the cigar in between the fingers of the King of Sins and he blew on it until the tobacco burned with bright red embers. He then stabbed the large cigar against the wound of the prisoner, and the blood immediately stopped flowing. Makario started wailing again and struggled wildly, but he could not move an inch away from the thick leather that was wrapped around his body.
The foul smell of charred human flesh filled up the tent.
Oscar took out his handkerchief and covered his nose. ”Hey, this is only the first question, do you damn bastard think I'm an idiot? Why would the deputy of a mercenary group need a decent status to cover up his identity? I'll ask you just once more. What kind of business is it that you do?”
Makario burst into tears. Although he was discouraged after witnessing what had just happened to his companions, it was only until he felt the great pain himself that he surrendered to withholding information from the cruel prince.
”Okay ... Okay ... I also provide some military intelligence to the military agencies in Italia, but I am only the informant. Really, I provide information for them and it is usually nothing more than the deployment of the Titan troops at the border, and sometimes news about things that happen in the mainland. Really! Nothing else! I just play... a ... a small role.”
Oscar was once again challenged. Why would the military institutions in Italia suddenly be involved? It seemed that things were far more complex than expected.
”So, here comes the second question, who told you to do so? Do not tell me you don't know. It would be acceptable if the nine guys before you had no idea about that, but you, you are the deputy, and if you want to ...”
”I really don't know!” Makario interrupted the prince before he could finish his sentence. He urgently filled his expression with pain and tears, ”I swear! I really don't know, all the arrangements are made by the leader… Oh, yes! My leader, his name is Hondolas, nicknamed the 'Black Ape', he often deals with military intelligence agencies. Your Highness! You can ask him, he must know more than me!”
Oscar laughed slyly, ”Two!”
”Oh no!”
Extremely tragic cries were heard again coming out from the tent.
The Poison Doctor took out a small bottle from his pocket. It was his treasure, the remuneration he was awarded from a case in the past. The thing contained in this little bottle was called ”musk,” a word that he could not pronounce, but he knew it could wake even the deadest soul. The priceless little bottle was one of the most mysterious Oriental spices, and the selling price of it on the black market was unimaginable.
Makario was awakened by an extremely stimulating smell. When he opened his eyes, he instantly regretted that he had not died.
”Who ordered you to launch this attack?” The prince asked again with much patience.
”Waa…waaa!” Makario dropped to the ground like a weightless feather. ”I can't say it! It will cost me my life!”
”Think about it, my friend, the leader of your group is probably having the time of his life at this moment, embracing girls on either side. And look at where you're at now? Giving up your own life just because of a secret? Just tell me. My doctor will heal you, and I will have my butler grant you a bag of gold later. Although that might not be any more valuable compared to my head, but believe me, my dear Makario, it should be enough for you to retreat to a remote and secluded countryside town and spend the second half of your life in peace.” Oscar tried to convince the prisoner.
”You swear to God?”
”I swear it by my faith!”
”Well, okay. It was near the end of May, when a secret agent who had always been in contact with us visited our camp. He demanded us to attack any possible targets, he even paid a deposit beforehand. It was only until half a month ago that we received the confirmation, and all of us, our whole troop entered the mountain area. There was a guide who led the way. Soon enough we found your procession and began planning the layout of the attack...”
Oscars heard the sudden sound of the bugle from outside the tent. He stood up with great difficulty, even though he was exceedingly reluctant to leave the comfort of the seat.
”Makario, thank you for your cooperation. I am going to retreat now, but I also need to know what is the name of the person that entrusted you with the task, how he looks like, not to forget the guide, and also how you guys got in touch with the assassins that had been wanted to murder me. And… oh hey, my trusted friends!” Oscar turned to his criminal friends, ”There is something peculiar violently fighting in my mind right now, and I can't stand it anymore! Ask those important questions on my behalf, and do not let our Deputy Head Makario stay idle for even one moment.”
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”Attention!” A loud command broke the quiet summer night.
”Respect to the warriors who sacrificed!”
The knights were in a formation of neat rows. They pulled out their swords, and held the hilts to their chests with the sharp tips pointed towards the sky.
”Light the fire!”
His Royal Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette walked out from the queue with a torch in his hand. Behind him was his mother, sister, and a few other ladies; while in front of him was a huge pile of dry firewood mounted with numerous warriors' bodies.
His Royal Highness Prince slowly walked from the front to the back. The raging fire burned vigorously. The sound of bodies burning accompanied the crackling of burning firewood.
The fire burnt violently up into the sky, and vague images of the sacrificed knights in battle seemed to have appeared in between the flames. The knights in formation were immensely quiet and they did not make a sound. However, their eyes revealed an unprecedented murderous glint. What they needed to do at the moment was to avenge their comrades.
Most of the Narcissus Knights did not attend the funeral of their comrades. They had to carry out their duties of sweeping the area, cleaning up and guarding the campsite against enemies. Only when the fire was lit, they pulled out their swords and observed a moment of silence for three minutes, facing the direction of their comrades going to heaven.
Oscar did not say a word. These people sacrificed for himself. If it were not for this trip, maybe they would still be able to go fighting on the battlefield and even if injuries could not be avoided, but at least they would not die confused on their own soil. They could have fallen under the swords of Persians enemies, like thousands before them, instead of becoming a reward for some mercenary group.
The funeral held was rather simple. There were no farewell crowds nor seas of Narcissus. What they had were only the young lady's tribute and the knights' heartfelt wishes.
The flames sent blinding light into the eyes that looked towards it, but no one wanted to avert their gaze away from the light. The people within the sea of fire had earned their honor and trust in the most magnificent way, and if the prince had the choice, he would no doubt lead those knights once again. The young man finally felt as if a corner of his own heart had been broken. When he lit the fire, he saw the imperial guard who had taken a sword attack for him, the Narcissus Knight who told himself about the steel carriage, and also that attendant who taught him how to set up a tent, and he also saw the Narcissus scout that had hunted with him.
He was the first to leave the funeral, as he could not find a reason to stay. He did not know how his father, the commander of the Narcissus Knights, took part in this kind of funeral. He intended to ask his father after returning home, to learn from him on how to deal with sacrifices, how to face the enemy, and the most important thing – after all this, how to deal with his broken soul.
”Oscar!” the scream came from the foot of the mountain! ”Oscar! Oscar!”
The young man recognized the voice of the Hedgehog Paladin. Through gritted teeth, the little fatty dragged his weak and injured body towards the direction of the sound that was calling for him.
Several Narcissus Knights escorted Sarlat Drosha to the prince. They saw the young man rushing crazily over, and he grabbed the reins of the former paladin with one hand.
”Haha! Sarlat! May the God of Light bless you! Where is the damn Snowstorm? What did you find out? Where is he?” the young man exclaimed excitedly at his return.
The Hedgehog jumped neatly off his horse. He noticed Colonel Kamille also rushed over to their direction.
”Oscar, Kamille! Paul and I discovered the campsite of the enemy. It is to the west, at a mountain pass only nine kilometers away from here.”
”Really?” ”How many people are there?” Oscar and the Colonel asked at the same time.
”First can I have a drink?” Sarlat licked his pale lips before answering. He had not had a drop of water since afternoon until now. The knights rushed off to find a water bag for him as they were impatient to hear about the news. They now looked at the menacing Sarlat as if he was a saint.
Sarlat accepted a water bag from one of the knights and began chugging water down his throat. He was extremely thirsty after the long ride and even shook the water bag to drink the last few drops.
”Ah ... those damn guys ... Those guys set up their camp under a cliff, and on its either side were also steep mountains. Only one side of the forest slope is considered alright, and they did not send out scouts, they only set up a few traps around their campsite. According to the number of tents they had in their camp, there should be more than five hundred fighting strength. So, what say you? Should we give them a shot?”
Both Oscar and Colonel Kamille Rayen were silent. The opposition had more than five hundred! That was twice their size!
The prince was a little hesitant. He could not wait to dash off to the enemy's campsite immediately, but he had to consider the consequences. He knew nothing of war, but the warring blood of the Andrew family inside him instinctively told him that it was a truly unique opportunity. He carefully solicited the advice of the colonel.
”Kamille, what do you think? They do not have scouts, and we could sneak past effortlessly. Moreover, our man Snowstorm is still in there, and we could just as well catch them by surprise.”
Kamille was also a little hesitant. The enemy obviously outnumbered them, and he could not get rid of 500 people without alarming anyone. He must be responsible for the entire troop. ”Your Highness, let us not talk about the enemy first, let's talk about ourselves. I believe we could indeed launch an attack, but we still have the wounded, and we have a few ladies who cannot be harmed. If we leave them here ... That ... that's too unsafe, a mere reconnaissance squad from the enemy can have them all buried six feet under. I mean once we don't have any more protection here.”
Oscar gripped his machete tightly until his knuckles became white. An uncontrollable strong force seemed to be flowing urgently through the machete to his whole body. He knew he had to make a decision!
”Kamille, listen up! I have decided, we need to attack, we cant sit here and be sitting ducks. So I want to attack, us being severely wounded, the enemy will never expect us to launch a counterattack so soon. Bring the ladies along, and let all the wounded who can move be up on horseback. Those that cannot, we have to bring along too. If we want to fight, we should pour in our full strength. It is a matter of life and death! This is the decisive time!”
The paladin considered the decision repeatedly. There was nothing more difficult to do than to make a decision like this. Suddenly, he picked up the bugle horn that had been passed to him by Lady Celia. In fact, there was nothing left to be held back. The prince was right! Compared to being on the defensive, being on full attack was definitely more attractive!
”Your Highness! Is this your final decision?” Kamille asked one last time.
”Yes, and that is my command!” His Royal Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette answered firmly.
”Woo ... woo ... woo!” The silent valley was awakened by the bugle horn. The patrolling Narcissus Knights heard the call and pulled their horses to a halt, and carefully identified the signal. This was the attack command! Andrew Haila! They had to attack!
”Hold up!” Oscar held up a guard who was about to leave with his horse. ”Knight, go to my butler and pass him my message. Tell him that my faith is the Asura the King of Demons from Hell. Ricky will know how to deal with that captive! I believe he will! Certainly!”