Chapter 88

Pahell and Phillion arrived at the front of the camp. Soldiers were already buzzing with their own speculations.

"Have their identities been confirmed?" Phillion grabbed a soldier and asked.

"We're checking them right now."

A soldier with keen eyesight observed the wall. There were three prisoners hanging on the poles on the castle walls, but their faces were bloodied and barely recognizable.

'Urich isnt there.'

Pahell breathed a sigh of relief after squinting at the wall.

He knew that Urich wasnt among the captured soldiers without being able to see their faces. Urich was large. Among the soldiers hung on the wall, none were as big as Urich.

Phillion also realized that Urich wasn't there. He wiped the sweat off his brow with relief after seeing Pahell calmed down.

'I feel bad for thinking this when those soldiers are in such terrible shape but thank goodness Urich isnt among them. That would have certainly jeopardized our whole mission.'

The captured soldiers on the wall appeared to have been severely tortured. They were doomed to die anyway.

"Duke Harmatti is the true king of Porcana, and he is the nobleman who will strengthen Porcana!" A prisoner tied to the city gate shouted. His voice was shaky and trembling.

"The weak and feeble Prince Varca will only darken Porcana's future! He will surely ignore the groans and cries of his own people while fattening the empire's belly!"

Another prisoner spat venomous words about Pahell. The prisoners were already in a disheveled state from their severe torture.

"Pfft, nonsense."

The soldiers snorted. The tide had turned too much for such incitement to work.

"Go get an archer. Let's put them out of their misery."

The fate of the captured soldiers was obvious. Unlike nobles, they had no one to pay their ransom. A quick death was their best option.

Creak.

A soldier who was known for his archery skill stepped forward. He wielded a longbow with his strong arms. He pulled the bowstring far back, aiming carefully.

Thwip.

After a few misfires, the arrows finally reached the wall. The captured soldiers tied to the poles were relieved of their pain.

"Please have mercy on me, Lou."

The archer muttered as he put down his bow. He clasped his sun pendant and sought forgiveness from Lou. Although it was an inevitable situation, the fact was that he had killed his comrades.

"Urich will be alive," Phillion approached Pahell and said to him.

"And what if he's already dead?" Pahell spoke cynically, looking at the dead prisoners. He started to blame himself for the death of his men.

'I was relieved that I wasnt seeing Urich among them. Even though those men fought for me and were captured... I was just glad that Urich wasn't caught.'

If the prisoners knew Pahell's thoughts, they would have hurled every curse at him.

"Negative thinking will do us no good. The siege is tight. Harmatti won't last long. This operation will only increase the unrest within the castle."

Pahell forced himself to nod.

'I am going to be king. Even if Urich dies in the process, I must continue my path.'

He fiddled with his sun pendant, thinking of those who died for him. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Survive, Urich.'

He wished for nothing else. Lifting his blue eyes, Pahell gazed at the castle walls.

* * *

Squak, squak.

Urich awoke to the sound of seagulls. His body creaked and screamed in protest, having slept in the tight crevice.

"Goddammit."

Urich moved his stiff body, and the hardened filth cracked and fell off like a shell. He vigorously scraped off the remaining muck with his fingernails.

Squelch.

Seagulls defecated over Urichs head, leaving a trail of white fecal matter on Urich's shoulder.

"Fucking fuck," Urich growled as if he was going to try and catch the seagulls.

'It must be around noon.'

Urich estimated the time by looking at the sun's position in the sky. He scanned his surroundings with clear sight.

'I can climb up the cliffs connected to the castle walls and make my way to the inner castle.'

Urich assessed his physical condition. The hardened filth had actually insulated him against the night's sea breeze, protecting his skin from the harsh ocean gust.

'The only problem is the unbearable itch.'

Urich scratched all over his body. If he didn't wash properly as soon as all this was over, he was sure to contract a disease from the waste.

Crack, crack.

Urich flexed and extended each of his fingers. After a good rest, his grip strength had returned.

'I can climb this.'

Urich eyed the cliff leading to the inner wall. From his current position, he had to climb as high as he did the previous night. The castles location was strategically sound. Even if the outer wall was breached, the uphill inner wall was difficult to penetrate.

'No wonder the imperial army hesitated to attack. It makes sense to go for a siege instead.'

Urich checked the gear he had on hand. A pair of steel axes hung securely at his waist.

"These are all I need to take a man's head."

Urich waited for nightfall as he climbed the cliff bit by bit. He ate the bird eggs he found in the nests scattered throughout the cliff to replenish his strength as he rested and moved intermittently. It was an incredibly tedious way to spend half of his day.

If the prince had a hundred warriors like Urich, the Harmatti Castle would have fallen long ago. As dusk approached, Urich reached a point where he could see the windows of the inner wall.

The last segment of the cliff behind the inner wall wasn't just steep; its angle was less than vertical. It didnt make sense for a human to be able to scale it. It was like climbing upside down on a ceiling. Not even the city's guard captain would expect an enemy to scale up from this direction.

'This is brutal. I feel like Im going to die.'

Urich's fingers trembled, and his arm muscles felt like they were about to explode from the constant exertion.

'This isn't something a person should be doing. Im never doing this again.'

After he made it to the flat ground, Urich rubbed his arms. He had climbed the sheer cliff, narrowly escaping death several times.

'Hmm, no guards here.'

The backside of the inner wall was unguarded. Instead of a defense, there was a well-maintained garden, probably for the nobles to take a stroll in.

The whole open view is indeed beautiful. I can see how theyd enjoy the view from this garden.'

Urich lay down and gazed at the horizon. The sun dipped below the sea.

The end of the world that swallows even the sun. But some believe in a continent beyond.

Urich clenched his fist and lightly tapped where his heart was.

'Just like I crossed the Sky Mountains, Pahell will cross the end of the world to find the eastern continent.'

After catching his breath, Urich observed the garden behind the inner wall. The back door leading inside was clearly visible. He saw people occasionally pass by the windows. From inside the castle, Urich hidden in the garden went unnoticed.

Look at that cliff, its no wonder they dont have any guards stationed here."

Urich smiled, looking at the cliff he had climbed. He was quite proud of himself.

After the sunset, the fragrance of flowers grew stronger. Urich trampled through the garden to enter the inner castle with each of his steps seemingly causing the flowers to wilt. The potent stench and blood smell overpowered the floral scent.

* * *

The mood inside the inner castle was grim. It had been over a month since the exchange with the outside world had been cut off. The supplies they had stored in advance were dwindling. Rations for the lower-ranked residents were the first to be cut.

"Ah, I'm starving."

A maid, carrying laundry, clutched her famished stomach. She pulled out a piece of bread from her pocket and nibbled on it slowly, trying to savor it for as long as possible. Servants like her in the inner castle were fortunate to even have leftovers from the nobles.

'I heard that in the outer castle, people are killing each other over a loaf of bread... At least the situation here in the inner castle isnt as bad.'

Due to the siege, the citizens in the territories within the outer city walls were dying of starvation. They didnt even get a chance to move this year's harvest inside the city walls. The people were starving, even with stacks of grains lying in their fields just beyond their walls.

Even the servants who were usually politically oblivious knew that the current situation was dire. The nobles were trembling with anxiety, and new ominous rumors reached their ears every day.

"Who cares if the king changes? It doesnt change anything in my life."

The maid's face fell. The piece of bread she had been eating had completely dissolved in her mouth, but she was still just as hungry as before.

Knock, knock.

She knocked on a room door. Her duty was to collect the laundry of the nobles.

"Come in."

A gentle voice responded.

'Such a beautiful lady. I wonder what her status is.'

As a lowly maid, she didn't know the ranks of the nobles staying as guests. She just did her job.

"Hmm, I noticed that the meals have been quite poor lately. Fruits and meats are hard to come by."

In the room, a blonde-haired lady sat in her chair. Her eyes were clear and blue, a beauty that made people turn heads.

"That's because..." The maid hesitated.

"I know the situation. I'm not blaming you."

The lady offered a well-baked piece of bread. The maid's eyes widened.

"Is this for me?"

"Hmm, are you rejecting my kindness?"

"No, no! Thank you, my lady!"

The maid quickly grabbed the bread and hid it in her laundry basket. Her mouth was already salivating.

The lady leaned forward, staring at the maid.

"You really are quite ugly. But then again, if you were any prettier, I guess you wouldn't be carrying laundry at your age where you should probably have a child by now."

The lady said mockingly.

The maid just nodded calmly. She knew she was unattractive. If she had been pretty, she might have become a noble's concubine. She had no pride left to be wounded by such harsh remarks.

"Indeed, you are completely right, thank you, my lady," she politely spoke and left with the laundry.

"Things must be pretty bad."

The lady muttered to herself after the maid left. She had been isolated from the outside news. Duke Harmatti hadn't bothered to inform her of the worsening situation.

Duke Harmatti hasn't visited me since he returned. He must be ashamed to face me.'

The lady's golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes were distinctive. Anyone with insight and culture would easily guess her identity.

Judging by all that commotion last night, something must have happened, yet no one is bothering to tell me what is going on.'

Duke Harmatti had her completely isolated.

"Amazing, Varca. To think you would stand up to Duke Harmatti on equal footing. I never imagined it. Even when I heard you fled the kingdom, I thought you would just die somewhere."

She wasn't the only one with such thoughts. No noble of Porcana doubted Harmatti's victory. From the moment Harmatti started his regency after the current king fell ill, everyone expected Harmatti to be the next king, not Prince Varca.

'Why did things turn out this way?'

The lady pondered, leaning on her chin.

'Was Phillion, who advises Varca, actually more capable than I gave him credit for? I saw him as a knight aging without glory, but perhaps I misjudged.

With limited information, she couldn't find an answer for herself.

"Sigh."

Her red lips twitched. She gazed out the window. Her room was one of the best in the inner castle, with a view of the garden and the horizon.

'When I first arrived here, I used to watch the sunset from this window over and over, but no matter how beautiful, you eventually get tired of it.'

She hadn't watched a sunset in weeks. The initial sensation had faded.

'But a woman's fate is even more tragic. No matter how beautiful a woman is, her beauty eventually grows plain, if not ugly.'

Men often compared women to flowers. As much as it was a compliment for their beauty, it was also a metaphor for their ephemeral nature. No one cared to look at a withering flower. The bloom of a flower was merely a brief moment in its life.

She turned away from the window and sat down. She lit a candle and began to read.

Creak, creak.

A creaking sound came from outside the window, but it was a common occurrence in Harmatti's inner castle, as the sea breeze meddled with the windows and walls, creating eerie noises.

Did I not lock the window properly?'

She put a bookmark in her book and stood up to check the window.

Crack!

A filthy hand burst through the window. The fingers were shoved into the lady's mouth, preventing her from screaming.

Crunch.

A large figure pushed itself through the window frame, tearing its borders in as it reeked dreadfully. His entire body was black as if he had been rolling around in a mud pit.

"Hehe, excuse me."

A deep voice filled her ears. The lady's blue eyes widened with shock.

'An intruder.'

The man had a fierce aura, with axes visibly hanging at his waist.

"Hmm? Your face looks familiar for some reason."

The intruder, Urich, took a closer look at the ladys face. He squinted, recognizing her features.

Blonde hair, blue eyes Pahell.

Urich grinned with delight, baring his teeth.

"Princess Damia?"

Urich asked, and the gagged lady just nodded.

"Ha! I recognized you right away! You have no idea how many times I did it imagining you."

The lady wore an incredulous expression.

'What does he mean by that? Do what?'