Chapter 69: Eighth Episode: Chapter 5 (2/2)
”General! I killed four of them!” A young soldier held on tightly onto his intestines which were oozing out of his wound, but his face full of pride.
”General ...”
”General ...”
Every soldier who passed by Silvio dragged their severely injured body to salute the commander-in-chief who had led them to victory.
Silvio murmured, but he was unable to say a single word. His face whitened, and his nails pressed forcefully into the palm of his hand.
”Messenger!”
”Yes, General!”
”I have changed my mind!” Silvio said while covering a seriously wounded and unconscious soldier closed by to him with his own cape. He did not know what was this feeling, but he felt an evil paw tearing at his throat madly!
”Order the Third Division to reignite the torches. I don’t want the fortress anymore, I just want it to burn to ashes!”
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The morning sun brought the faint golden rays onto the ground as usual. In the midst of this beautiful soft light, the Titans held aloft the butcher knives up high above their heads.
”This is why they deserved to be crowned the God-chosen soldiers!” The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marquis Dimitri Lemus, waved the battle report toward the young prince, ”The attack codenamed ”Spring Time in Bragg” has been going on for seven hours, and these two armies consisting of thousands Narcissus Knights have already traveled forty kilometers! They even broke down two barracks. According to the report, they did not even encounter any decent resistance.”
Oscar spread his hands indifferently, ”Perhaps we simply did not have to deploy the Narcissus Knights in the first place.”
Marquis Dimitri Lemus shook his head at the Prince’s reaction, ”It has been a while since the Imperial Guards were engaged in a war, the Imperial army just wanted to increase the odds of our victory.”
”What if the kingdom of the West interferes in this war?” Oscar did not wish to encourage the old man sitting opposite himself, ”Even I know that Italia and Faran are strong allies.”
At last, the old Minister of Foreign Affairs straightened up himself in the chair, ”Yes, you’re right, the Faran Kingdom would interfere at this event, but I’m also sure they wouldn’t perform anything irrational or out of reason. Everyone knows that Italia is never one of our concerned rivals. Moreover, the Imperial army has deployed Narcissus Knights to the action. This shows His Majesty the Emperor’s determination to defeat the opponent.”
”Ohh…” The young man was slow to realize, ”You all are using the prestige of Narcissus Knights to intimidate the enemy!”
”No, Your Highness. It’s not ‘you all’, but ‘we’!” the old marquis corrected.
”That’s right! We are!” Oscar nodded obediently. ”Shall we get moving now?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked at the time before replying, ”Yes, Your Highness. We’re going to welcome our guests from Italia! Oh, young man, lend me a hand!”
Oscar assisted the old marquis to his feet.
”Your Excellency, to be frank, our army is provoking a war in their country. I feel that what we’re doing now is rather ridiculous!”
”Your Highness, there’s no other choice, you will have to get used to it.”
Oscar was startled for a brief second, ”Haha, someone else has said the same thing to me recently. Even though it is still the same deception, but I prefer the tricks I was used to.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs slowly walked out of Midally Palace with the assistance of the young Prince. As they moved forward to receive the carriage inlaid with the totem of Italia royal family, the old marquis exhorted softly beside the Prince’s ear.
”Young man, speak as I have taught you earlier. Remember to not say the wrong words!”
Oscar rolled his eyes. How come the liars always said the same thing? Murat was the same as this old marquis. The young man let out a soft sigh, he knew that if things kept going in this direction, sooner or later he would naturally get used to all of this lies and deceptions.
The door to the carriage of Italian royal family was opened by the guard of honor.
A bright smile was immediately put on the young man’s face. ”Guests from the faraway land of Italia Manuel Dynasty! The Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette of Titan Empire welcomes your arrival on behalf of the country, Emperor Alfa III His Majesty of Titan Empire would also like to send sincere regards to all our honorable guests.”
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”Kill! Kill them all!” A wounded soldier on the caravan shouted at the kneeling captives.
Commander-in-chief brigadier Silvio’s Second Army of District Eight had completed the mission. They captured the captives and commenced the cruel torture and massacre.
Just as Silvio had ordered, the Horfansted Fortress was burning in flames. The Mountain soldiers cut down some thick and strong trees and piled them at the bottom of the wall of the fortress. After the bricks and mortar burned until they turned into a pile of soft soil, the whole fortress had fallen and sunken into the earth followed by a loud thump. The Mountain soldiers were satisfied with this masterpiece.
Some leftover enemy soldiers tried fleeing to the mountain in the south, but Silvio had ordered the Cavalry from Third Division to continue the chase. Since the massacre had already begun, there was no point in showing mercy, hence not even a single one of them was spared.
The Italian Captives were gathered in the mountain slope facing the north wall of the fortress, which was exactly where the Second Army had originally begun their attack. These poor soldiers who had their hands tied behind their back begged desperately to be spared. They tried their luck at every Titan soldier that walked passed by, but their effort was either returned with a smooth cut at the neck or a spit in the face.
”Save some energy, you stupid pigs! My Captain and Regimental Commander died because of you! And all of you are going down with them!” A young soldier kicked a fellow who was desperately holding on at his thigh so hard, that the man fell and tumbled over to the ground.
”Brothers of the First Division! Take your time and torture them slowly!” The soldiers watching the spectacle reminded loudly. ”Pick the specially sharpened knives! Think of your Regimental Commander!”
”Don’t worry! We know what we’re doing!”
The soldiers of First Division who were assigned to clear up the captives thoroughly were only left with one Group in their division. Blood was shed, and the fear had gone by. What remained of them was nothing but pure revenge and hatred!
The fellow in front looked exactly like the one who had taken their division commander’s life! In a split second, his dirty blood splashed in the air like a waterfall! And this one over here, he resembled the one who killed regimental commander! He was tortured slowly and steadily, the knife ground on his neck as if he was a mill machine.
The peaceful mountain slope was once the ultimate destination for tourists to get soaked under the summer sun, but now it had been turned into a living hell, in fact, the deepest and scariest level of hell! The contorted faces of victims stood out especially under the rays of the natural, golden sun. Knives were held up high and swung down hard one over and over again. Numerous limbs fell to the ground, and a pile of heads rolled off the slope and dived into the city moat.
The dead bodies of the enemies left there on the battlefield were none of their concerns. They were busy eliminating the ones who were still alive, ”Kill them!”, ”Kill them!”, ”If it weren’t for them, we would not have to endure all this pain!”
The murderers held on to the simple mindset of a murderous beast. By now, one party was already tired of killing, while the other lied still on the ground could not even budge an inch. Smiles appeared on the face of Titan soldiers. They kept on cursing as they swung their knives.
The animal instincts of the Imperial Guards were triggered, and they were agitated and exploded at once. What was unforgivable was that they had chosen the most insufferably tormenting method of killing.
”You! You! and You!” An officer shouted loudly. ”Enjoying the excitement huh! Hurry up! We want to leave this place as soon as possible! Go on! One on one! Quick!”
The Mountain soldiers who had surrounded to watch rushed into action, they had been hoping to take part for long. By now, the captives had already given up on begging for their lives; they kneeled on the ground, continuously praying in silent while their body shook uncontrollably. The words of prayer which came rolling out from their tongues were not unfamiliar to the Titans’ ears. ”Redemption? Redemption?” How could they mention the almighty God of Light at this moment?
The soldiers who were in the midst of brutal massacre suddenly paused mid-action. What were they doing? Would God forgive themselves? They glanced over at the boots that were smeared with fresh, crimson-red blood, and looked backward at the piles of lifeless bodies out of which they had taken the lives, and realized something. The God would never forgive them, neither would the enemies!
Suddenly, killing did not seem like a fun activity anymore. What replaced the initial excitement was an abrupt surge of deep fear! The Titans soldiers swung quickly at their knives and spears. Since they would already be forgiven by the God, they might as well take yet another life! After all only one could survive between them and their enemies.
What was war? It was not some simple theory to which mankind had come to a conclusion. It was a box filled with some inexplicable black magic which would take away the life of whoever that touched it, and now, it had been opened!
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”I could feel my own eyes blinded by this!” Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette gasped in admiration as he wondered at the beauty of this impeccable jewelry.
Prince Teodoro Manuel pushed the exquisitely-made jewelry and its equally beautiful box next to Oscar’s hand, ”Your Highness, this small token was insignificant when compared to the wound that had been caused upon you. It was specially selected for you by my mother. Hopefully, you would like it.”
Oscar laughed slyly, and he noticed the old minister of foreign affairs nodded his way. ”Since it was handpicked by Her Majesty the Queen… then I would humbly receive this gift.”
The young man received the gift box and pushed it slightly to the side, and his servant Baron Erbe respectfully took it over.
”Your Highness, is the Princess not feeling well? She looks rather pale.” Oscar asked gently.
Prince Teodoro suddenly cast a stern look toward his own sister. Even with much reluctance, the princess was forced to speak.
”Thanks for your concern, Imperial Highness Prince, but I’m not unwell. It was just that we’ve received an unfortunate piece of news this morning on our way here.” Princess Caro Arsia Manuel replied sarcastically. She felt his brother nudging her on the arm.
”Is that so?” Oscar naturally knew what was it about. He leaned his back against the sofa comfortably, waiting for the old liar to say his lines.
”Your Highness Princess, perhaps I know what piece of news you are talking about,” Titan Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marquis Dimitri Lemus said in a low voice.
”Then, can I confirm with you if that piece of news is indeed real?” Princess Caro Arsia tried hard to suppress her building anger.
”Of course. On this morning, the Titan Empire’s Imperial Army Southern Army Group has attacked a military target of your country; simultaneously, Titan Empire’s East Border Governor Duke Andrew’s personal armed forces have intruded your country’s border.”
”So… could you… could you explain to me the reason behind all these actions?” Princess Caro Arsia’s fingers became pale white as she pressed them hard against the table.
”Your Highness…” The old man Dimitri Lemus let out a deep, sorrowful sigh, ”I personally think that the Kingdom of Italia is the confidant of us Titan, but apparently, our Imperial Army does not think the same. I sincerely hope that after accompanying two Royal Highnesses in presenting ourselves before the Emperor, we could come to a solution that would dissolve dispute perfectly.”
Caro Arsia was too enraged to say another word.
”Oh, right!” Oscar’s loud voice broke the tense atmosphere in the room, ”Your Highness Prince, it has not come to my knowledge that your country produces diamonds. So, if I may ask, had this massive bright diamond gifted to me by Her Majesty the Queen come from overseas?”
”Oh… yes!” Prince Teodoro Manuel did not appear to care much about the attack of Titans, ”Do you know, it was produced in the distant land of Feru, and had traveled miles and miles across the sea to arrive at my country.”
”That’s so enviable! The sea! Oh! You would never imagine, I’ve still not had the chance to witness the beauty of the vast, blue sea!” Oscar extended his heartfelt admiration.
”Haha, it’s understandable seeing as you live in the inland city. However, please, believe me, once you have encountered the boundless, deep blue ocean, you would never want to leave the place.” Prince Teodoro’s eyes lightened up at the mentioning of the ocean. He had a deep, fond interest in the ocean. It was not because his kingdom had thrived due to that, but simply because the man’s own broad mind prompted him to love the sea.
”Wow! I truly, truly yearn to witness its beauty with my own eyes!” Oscar was carried away in his own fantasy.
”Of course, I would inform my father about your wish, and hopefully you would be able to visit Roman soon and be our guest.” Prince Teodoro was extremely enthusiastic.
”Is this an official invitation?” Oscar was already beginning to imagine this amazing journey.
”Of course!” Princess Caro Arsia replied before the Prince could even open his mouth, ”Unlike some Emperor in the world, the Manuel Royal Family had never ever breached a promise. Moreover, Your Highness, you have such a terrible memory. Do you not remember that your Narcissus Knights of the Andrew family are already making themselves our ‘guests’ in my country?”
”Caro Arsia!” Prince Teodoro suddenly shouted fiercely at his sister, ”Get out!”
The Princess stared at her infuriated brother, glanced over toward the resting Minister of Foreign Affairs, before finally landing her firm gaze at the startled Prince, ”I will leave! But I want to make sure that the Morisette Imperial Family is aware of my presence, the one person in Manuel Royal Family that will never surrender,” She turned around and faced her own brother, ”Forever!”
”I’m so, so sorry!” Prince Teodoro had perspired from head to toe. His sister had openly and shameless criticized the Titan Imperial Family, this would cause an extremely severe consequence toward this foreign exchange.
”No!” Oscar returned his gaze from the door back to the Prince. He admired this Princess’s courage dearly. ”No, Your Highness Prince, I am the one who should be apologizing.”
Marquis Minister of Foreign Affairs Marquis Dimitri Lemus shot his eyes open at the words of the Prince, this line was not written in the script!
”I could only express my deepest apology regarding the misunderstanding that has happened between our countries, but just as the Princess has said earlier, Royal Family Manuel does not have to relent, because you are not the one at fault. In fact, what we should do now is to cooperate together to root out the chief culprit that has brought Titan and his confidant country Italia into the war.”
Prince Teodoro was a little taken aback. He would never have thought that someone was actually honest enough to speak the truth.
”Your Highness Prince,” Oscar suddenly stood up, ”Go comfort your sister, I know you’re actually proud of her, and you should! I think this meeting should end here. Let your sister know that she has earned respect and honor for the Kingdom of Italia!”
”Your Imperial Highness Prince…” Prince Teodoro was flabbergasted, not knowing how to respond.
Only the old marquis and the young prince remained in the empty meeting room. The latter was examining his impeccably beautiful gift while the former frowned and counted the number of his medications.
”Your Highness, it seems like you have not understood the gist of the script.”
”Your Excellency Marquis, even though I’m not as experienced as you, but I am certain about my own actions. I just didn’t want to continue playing our little game anymore!”
”You think this is only just a game?”
”Exactly!” Oscar straightened his body, ”This is only a game, and even though I’ve changed the method of playing, it does not mean that it would do us any harm. Our army is still attacking, and the Italians are still at the end of our tether. I have just pointed out a hint for the Prince, and that was it.”
Actually, the old marquis was not bothered by it anyway. On the contrary, the young Prince’s words would, in turn, leave a positive impact on the opposite party. He would realize that Morisette Imperial Family was not an unreasonable bunch.
”So, the script that follows…”
”That would be your concern!” Oscar kept the diamond back in its box. He could not wait to amaze Sasha and Annie with it.
”But…but you are the Imperial Envoy.”
”Yes, I am the Imperial Envoy. Even though I would still accompany the royal guests to Dulin, that doesn’t mean that I would play your little script game anymore!”
”Uh… anything that suits you.” the old marquis was quick to give up. He knew he could not order a Prince.
”Marquis Lemus, cheer up, at least our first cooperation is successful!” the young man said to the marquis. ”War is a form of violence that forces the enemy to obey our will… Easy!” the young prince whispered softly to himself as he walked away happily, leaving the old marquis all by himself.
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War... War was a form of violence that forced the enemy to obey our will.
The twenty-nine soldiers in Horfansted Fortress that managed to escape from death clearly understood this definition, as they were forced to obey the orders from their enemy. The intruders had asked them to collect and throw in all the dead bodies of their comrades into the fortress which was burning like a massive furnace. Obey! Obey! Standing in front of fear and bloody massacre, their will collapsed, their fighting spirit dissipated. Even their minds were losing their ability to think!
The twenty-nine survivors moved like machinery as they threw in the dead bodies one by one in a uniform manner. Titan soldiers assigned to guard over the captives could not take the stench and covered their nose with either hands or handkerchiefs. They were amazed by the captives who did not seem to be bothered at all by the disgusting stench.
A Mountain officer signaled to his men, and arrows were replaced on the empty bows. In the end, the survivors of the massacre still could not escape from the fate of death. Perhaps it was for the better. They were free, at last.
However, the war was still going on.