Translated by Tianic, edited by Grammarly
Fischer and I rode shoulder by shoulder to the army rows under Malphite and IGTs" close protection for certain.
"Malphite!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Send my order, King Fischer has personally arrived on the battlefield! Put away AUF"s banners." I told Malphite, "All units, by all means, pull your best!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Malphite turned away and intended to go on.
"Captain, hold there." Fischer halted Malphite and talked to me, "Viceroy Cohen, they will fight, but I want their commander."
"Shouldn"t be a problem, my king." I nodded to agree then told Malphite to carry one, "Capture the enemy commanders alive, the more the better."
"Yes, sir!" Malphite rode off to deliver the order.
"He"s one of your guarding troopers?" Fischer asked, "Quite a robust one."
"Not only him, the whole batch of soldiers is of uniformity. They consist of mostly clansmen of the 36 Clans from the Line. Though they are still fresh, they did well today." I answered, "No matter what races they are, as long as they"re responsible, they could do even better."
"You"ve done well." Fischer said, his eyes on me, "You know, I"ve been worried since I learned about your death from the temple war report."
"And I"m doing as lively as I can be." said I, "My king and bro, just drop it. I"m alive."
At the sound of "king", Fischer made a half smile then he turned to the only spotted combat left on the battlefield.
Two field regiments have surrounded the leftover rebels. My riders were circling to kill enemies with their crossbows. Once the order to capture the enemy commanders alive arrived, my troops paused the attack and drew a short distance. As soon as my men capitulated, dozens of white flags began to rise from the rebel"s crowd.
"It"s done." I said softly.
"They"re nearly 20, 000 in number and they were defeated this early." Fischer sighed, "Where is the once mighty and renowned PUF?"
"By the way, my king, I forgot to mention," said I, "on my way here, we"ve defeated more than ten troops like this one at hand. I a.s.sume their fighting-will has collapsed. My men have suffered very light casualties."
"Perhaps it"s because they"re fighting us, an empire under the same alliance." Fischer said while shaking his head, "Though the generals are benefit-driven, their soldiers mostly can"t live with that fact."
"It is indeed an achilles" heel to Luhrmann." said I, "Troops from other allied empires can"t stay in Swabia forever. Once they leave, the minister will be left with nothing to fend us."
"I suspected Luhrmann has received numerous dark a.s.sistance due to the open rebellion. Him alone can never pull this off." said Fischer, "And the very existence of you, your army is actually the achilles" heel to him. Everybody thought you were gone. Your obituary notice from the headquarter could already be in your wives" hands."
"That is why we"re going to Darkmoon asap. We"ll spread the words that you"re unharmed. In this way, Luhrmann can"t win other viceroys" homage." I said word by word, "And I"m gonna rip whoever is standing behind Luhrmann apart!"
"We"ll drop that." Fischer said, "The battle is over. Let"s muster our troops!"
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
My army order and proper training fruited. Each army did well, no messy formation nor lack of discipline though the combat had just finished. All parts have formed neat squared matrixes in units of regiments.
As we pa.s.sed each matrix, all commanding officers in their finest figs saluted us and reported with the utter high voice.
"Greeting to Your Majesty from Dark City 1st IGT regiment of the 1st Legion!"
"Greeting to Your Majesty from Dark City 5th IGT regiment of the 1st Legion!"
"Greeting to Your Majesty from Dark City 9th Field regiment of the 1st Legion!"
And Fischer replied by leveling his right hand over his chest to each troop.
As for I, stuffed with a myriad of feelings, I remained beside this king who carried the burden of an empire and the revenge mission for his parent.
Fischer must be dejected now, a prince who grew up surrounded by all the love and care from his mom and dad who died on the same day. It is the blood-stained enmity that forced him to eliminate the rebels, rebuild the empire and bring salvation to his people. There is just too much responsibility!
As for Luhrmann, he has his own armed forces and stooges and even the dark, nasty support from other empires and the light temple. There are plenty of enemies out there for Fischer to confront. Nevertheless, the king now is my best brother. Everything he intends to achieve is my job to make it happen, regardless that"ll bring any change to our relationship.
I had not many friends in my previous life, nor did I ever feel the honest affection of friendship. That was why I treasure this share of hard-earned fondness so much. There were 4 best brothers who called me "boss", and this close king friend. They grew with me and it was essentially an inseperated part of my body and soul as a whole.
"Sir! Combat over!" One of my staff officers came running, "We"ve captured the rebel"s high commander, a Portaria Major."
I threw my eyes to Fischer and he nodded to me and said, "I"ll do the questioning."
"Base here. Tell the men to do a brief rest." I said, "Alert Brigadier Wilder to catch up!"
"Yes, sir!"
In my pavilion, the interrogation of the enemy high commander will be done by Fischer and I. The Portaria Major, pale and red-covered, was sandwiched by 2 robust IGT soldiers.
"Drop him." I nodded.
The soldiers tossed the human on the ground. The latter could not remain standing while his armors were dusty and lose, his hair jumbled.
"Level your eyes, maggot."
The Major supported his upper body and through his dirt-covered face, he managed to give me a dismissive look.
"You"re not in the mood to talk, huh?" I sneered, "Guards, throw this man 20 slaps for now."
Then and there, he was seized by the arms to his knees. A justice officer from LAD fulfilled my order with his 2 palms.
Slapping required a certain level of skill since the slap-per was bond to give the slap-pee pain whilst not make him unable to speak. In any case, the LAD staffs have been well-practiced for this job.
The Portaria Major moaned painfully, traces of blood foams emerged at the corner of his mouth. He remained silent but his eyes told me the hatred elevated.
"A man who"s not afraid of death. You can"t fool me. If you"re really not, why were you fleeing back on the battlefield? I can tell what kind of a man you are by looking at your subordinates." I told the man coldly, "Bah, I"ve seen too many of you cowards!"
The Major"s hatred grew deeper in his eyes.
"Tsk, look at your fair skin, you must be a n.o.bleman." I laughed, "Tell you a secret, this young lord loves to fondle one like you. Tell me, how many a.s.ses have you kissed to earn that t.i.tle of yours?"
"NO!" The Major roared, "It"s a lineage!"
"I see. So, the way you run off enemies is also a lineage. Talk, who brought you here?" I touched my jaw and continued stepping on his pride, "Confess and I"ll let you live, otherwise I"ll make you, even it means you end up not in one piece."
"You, you"re not AUFs!" The Portaria has finally realized something, "Curse you, dressing in Asmodian"s uniforms!"
"Irrelevant answer, 20 more slaps." I flapped my hand, "Pay attention when answering this lord"s questions. Slow answer, you"ll hurt; dissatisfied answered, you"ll hurt; if you fail to please my eyes, you"ll still hurt."
After 20 more slaps, the Major"s cheeks were phenomenally puffed.
"How about that." I comfortably picked my nails, "Are you ready to talk?"
"Kill me! I"m a n.o.bleman. You can"t do this to me!" The Major did his dying insist, "They won"t do this to me even the real AUFs capture me!"
"AUFs? Tell you the truth, no Asmodians died well in my hand. Or where do you think I got our outfits." I told my staff officer, "Show him the AUF banners we seized."
Moments later, a pile of clothes was presented and I a.s.sumed the Major must be thrilled.
"Who are you?" He asked astonishedly.
"A Knight of Protoss, Commander of the PUF 9th Legion, Cohen Kheda." said I, "And the one beside me is the current Swabian King, Fischer Summers. Bow to the king!"
I hinted as an IGT caught the Major"s body to force him to kneel to Fischer.
"Fischer…" He muttered.
"How dare you address my king by his name along! Don"t play fire with me." I slammed on the desk, "Guards, my stuff, bring them!"
The body of the Major shivered while Fischer remained silence aside.
The justice officer fetched a wrapper and scrolled the thing on the floor. In it were sets of exquisite instruments of torture. The sharp reflection of rays of metal was threatening indeed.
"I hadn"t had a chance to play with these toys. Frankly, you offered me one. How adorable…" I strode over, pinched my fingers to make some knuckle cracks, "I can a.s.sure you, I won"t let you die sooner. I will let you enjoy these things all the way down and do it again until my desire is satisfied."
The Major said nothing though I sense a trace of fear from his eyes.
"Hmm, fair skin still. Slender fingers and well-trimmed nails." I hinted the IGTs to fixed the Major"s body, then I fetched a metal tool, "Keep your voice down by the way."
Then spinning, the steel needle pinched stung gradually.
"AHHHHH!" Upon the fact that I told him to keep it low, the harsh scream traveled all the way to the camp edge.
"Please, you"ve got to do it in steps." I swirled the rest steel needles in different sizes, "You cried this loud for the first needle now, how am I gonna continue?"
"Ah, ah, err…" Beads of sweat dropped, the Major"s whole body was shivering, which made me wonder if he heard my earlier comment.
I had to wait until his crying calmed to continue. Back and forth, I thrust 5 needles in total in his one hand and an extra in his foot nail. The Major pa.s.sed out 7 times and the last time was not out of pain.
A while later, he came to himself.
"How about that. You can"t do it, right?" I kept fondling with the metal pieces before his eyes, I said, "Now talk. You"re too old and too girly to play tough, don"t you know that?"
"Needles, will not frighten me." The Major said while tearing, "it will… not."
That moment saw me clapping for him and actually it was my wish for him to not come clean this easy.
"You"re adorable, and full of surprise." I told my guards, "Remove his pants."
"Stop, what are you doing!" Regardless of the pain, the Major struggled fiercely, "I am a n.o.bleman of dignity! You can"t do this to me!"
"Huh, I forgot to tell you. No man who got himself in my hands has pleaded for dignity, nor has they had the right to." I pinched his face, said with the earnest smile, "This young lord is abundant in s.e.xually-driven orcs and they"ve been holding their desire. Looking at your watery, smooth skin, how may they react to you, I wonder."
"You can"t do that! a.s.shole!"
"a.s.shole?! You took part in the rebellion in Swabia. Who is the true a.s.shole!?" I humphed, "This lord is not afraid of accusation."
The Major protected monstrously, though his underbody coverings have been ripped off. Malphite has brought a dozen of hideously-looking orc soldiers. Smirking, these animals have already pretended to line up a queue.
"You know what, these are just pain soldiers. A n.o.bleman toy is really hard to come by." I continued, "Your graceful ident.i.ty and untouchable body will greatly satisfy their insubordinate desire which has been so hidden deep in their hearts. Oh, I remember you like to rebel. I a.s.sume you guys can get along. And when they"re done with their job, I"ll hang you somewhere high for good."
"Ahhhh…" The Major roared, "GIVE ME…. DIGNITY!"
I shared a look with one of the orcs then immediately a furry hand landed on the Major"s leg skin.
"FISCHER! FISCHER, YOUR GRACE!" The Major whose a.s.shole was greatly in danger has finally come to a solution, "HELP ME! YOUR GRACE!"
"Hold on, Viceroy Cohen." Fischer stopped the orcs, "I"ll question him."
Once Fischer talked, Major at once fell into a prostration, choked with sobs.
"Yes, Your Grace." I bowed to Fischer then whispered in the Major"s ears, "You"d better be honest to my king, or… you know what I mean."
Having said that, I nodded to Fischer.
"What troop are you from?" Asked Fischer, "On whose order are you attacking me?"
"Your Grace, I"m Commander of the PUF 19th Legion." The Major said, "Forgive me, Your Grace, I cannot tell the second half of your question."
I would have skinned him if I could. Fischer"s eyes stopped me.
"The 19th Legion. If I"m right, all supply for your army during the War was done personally by myself. Have I ever skimped a dime or thread?" Fischer said lightly, "And for what reason are you attacking and trying to kill me?!"
"That was a deception. For… forgive me!"
"Forgive you… forgive…" Fischer was so sorrowful, he said, "Do you have knowledge that my royal parents are no longer living and they died because of men like you!"
The Major immediately explained, "Please, Your Grace. I was not part of the DC warfare!"
And I urged with a cry, "That will not spare your life!"
"Mercy, Your Grace." The Major nearly collapsed, "I can"t tell, really…"
"Enlighten me," Fischer said without a emotion, "how many years have brought you to a major?"
"Your Grace, this one spent 17 years to earn the major t.i.tle."
"17 years is not a short moment. Most of your youth was invested into this." Fischer"s fingers circled on the table, "Suppose I handed you to Viceroy Cohen, what would he do to you? On the other hand, if you"re escorted directly back to Porta instead of given to Viceroy Cohen, your 17 years are wasted. You might have the courage to spend 17 more years to rebuild your career, I wonder the Portaria king or the ones who plotted the rebellion will ever give you the chance."
The Major"s body started to shiver.
"Major, it"s not my intention to penalize you anyhow as long as you talk honestly." Fischer continued, "You whole life and the reputation of your family are in your hand."
"If this one talk…" The Major shook his head, "my result won"t be any better."
"As a general, failure on the battlefield is not a terrible thing. What"s awful is that he has no sense of priorities. I understand that whoever put you up in this will spare your life if you don"t talk. But if I have you escort to Porta, who"ll help you with your crime? Will the rebels stand up for you? Everybody wants to kill me, let alone a petty major. I fear you won"t even make it to the border." Fischer"s tone was calm as ever, "I"m better at how things are done by the rebels better than you. Once you"re dead, your family will be left unattended."
"But I… I…"
"If you talk now, I"ll let you go."
"Release me?" The Major gaped.
"My speech ends now." Fischer nodded, "It"s your choice."
"I… I…"
"What"re you waiting? It lucky for you to be alive." I leaned down, landed a few gentle slaps on his cheeks, talked, "We"ll also spare your subordinates" lives as well. Recruit your vacancies on your way back, no one will know you suffered a loss. Tell Luhrmann about your victories, he might reward you because you still hold un-neglectable troops. Money"ll hush your men. We"re all clever people. You don"t need me to teach you how to mess up the registry."
The Major was clearly not trusting me.
"If you be honest with me, I will do the same." Fischer cut in timely, "Since I"ve promised to release you, Viceroy Cohen will not be tough on you."
"Your Grace…" The Major stood in confusion for quite a while, he thrust his head upwards, "I"ll… I"ll talk!"
Fischer and I shared a look.
"… I received the order a dozen days ago. It came from the Left Cardinal in his room at the headquarters." The Major has had a huge cups of water. He told us the happenings in a chair, "He said that as long as I brought troops to Swabia, the rest will be arranged by Luhrmann, the Chief Quartermaster. Thus my troops."
Fischer raised a hand, "Has he given you any papers to prove your words?"
"Yes, Your Grace. I have the order and pa.s.sport from the headquarter." The Major said, "They"re confiscated by Viceroy Cohen"s men."
I hinted the mentioned doc.u.ments in a big pile of papers.
Fischer received the papers and told the Major to continue.
"Yes, Your Grace. Then I based at 100 miles outside DC. And I did not lie about the DC rebellion. I was under the quartermaster"s order to hunt Your Grace the next day." He continued, "I caught up with the first troops yesterday. You know the rest…"
"Where did the first troop come from?" Fischer cut in again.
"Symbia at around 4, 000 soldiers." The Major said, "Plus some private troops of the Chief Quartermaster."
"Where are they?"
"Made hedgehogs by Viceroy Cohen"s archers."
"What else did Luhrmann tell you before you came?"
"He said whoever captures Your Grace will be rewarded 500, 000 in gold."
"Which empires" troops were part of the DC incident?"
"Forgive me, Your Grace, I really do not know. There were several other armies quartered out of DC; however, I do not aware if they were part of it."
As soon as he finished, my clerk brought a paper written in his testimony. The Major was dumbfounded.
"Can I not sign this? If they knew I talked." The Major said with a bitter face, "I"m so screwed."
"Man, you"ve talked everything and you"re still afraid of signing a name?" I said, "Put your heart back to your stomach. We won"t present these papers unless Luhrmann and the cardinals are behind bars. They won"t have the chances."
As far as it went, the Major had no choice but to sign his name. Then marked the paper with the sigil of his house on his right index ring.
Fischer took over the testimony then told me, "It"s done."
"Mark my words. You"re free to go. This young lord will release your men." I tapped the Major"s shoulder, "What are you waiting for, dinner?"
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