Chapter 95

From the ramparts of the inner wall, Duke Harmatti watched the outer city being ravaged. He grimaced, trembling with a burning turmoil in his mind. He felt an overwhelming urge to collapse as the inside of his head blanked.

"Sigh."

Duke Harmatti exhaled. It was a breath of despair. He staggered, struggling to stay on his feet, and was supported by his adjutant. The shock he suffered was immense, as what he was witnessing was the crumbling of everything he had.

"We must plan for the future, my lord," the adjutant suggested. Duke Harmatti scoffed quietly.

‘If I were to plan a future, where would it even be?'

He kept his thoughts unspoken. He was aware that the battle was not yet over.

'There is nowhere to run.'

He couldn't summon foreign power like the prince had. Who would gladly help a rebel when the rightful heir took back control of the kingdom?

"Secure the inner gate. The battle is not over yet," Duke Harmatti commanded, standing tall. The adjutant nodded in agreement. Knights and soldiers prepared for combat, regrouping their lines.

"The duke is finished."

"Let's just get ready to surrender to the prince," the lower noblemen muttered amongst themselves. They had already lost their will to fight long ago.

"Harmattiiiii!!"

Duke Sever rushed toward Harmatti with a heavy grunt.

"Duke Sever, you've arrived," Duke Harmatti greeted Duke Sever as he kept his arms crossed.

"Surrender now! It's the only way to save our heads."

Both Duke Harmatti and Duke Sever were instigators of this civil war. On top of that, Duke Harmatti was the man who had gone for the throne. It was certain that he would face death. Duke Sever, however, still had a chance to save his life through negotiation.

"You mean we could spare

your

head," Duke Harmatti sneered, staring at Duke Sever.

"If I cut off your head here and take it to the prince... Ugh."

Duke Harmatti quickly drew a dagger and stabbed Duke Sever in the stomach. Sever, spewing blood, trembled violently.

"I-I should never have trusted you, Harmatti..."

Sever groaned as he grasped Harmatti's shoulder, uttering his last words.

"That's too bad. I myself never trusted you for a second," Harmatti coldly responded, wiping the blood of Duke Sever’s blood on the dagger on his own cloak. He kicked Sever's body to the side and signaled the royal guard.

Drag, drag.

Sever's corpse was dropped over the inner wall.

"The battle isn't over until my head is rolling on the ground. Go face the enemies!"

Harmatti’s men from the outer castle retreated to the inner castle. Only about five hundred soldiers remained, and even from that, half of them were injured.

"Hmm."

Duke Harmatti contemplated as he looked at the outer castle.

"Indeed, there is no way out," He murmured, realizing there was no chance of victory in any way. Victory was no longer the concern.

‘Now, what matters is how I face my death.'

Duke Harmatti was born into royalty. He was the brother of the king and received the education of the royal family alongside his brother. With the support that was available to the royalties, Harmatti was given a nominal ducal title, but through hard work and determination, he had turned into a powerful lordship.

"It was not a bad life."

Harmatti smiled, grasping his forehead. He was born as a man, and he dreamt like a man. He had no regrets despite his unfulfilled ambitions.

"Farewell, Damia," Duke Harmatti said, gazing at the horizon.

In the outer castle, numerous soldiers surrendered. The morale of Harmatti’s men was on the floor, and a breached outer castle left few resisting.

"Do not kill those who surrender! We are all soldiers of Porcana," the prince’s commanders shouted, restraining their excited soldiers.

"Looting is forbidden! We are here to correct the rebellion!"

In war, inhuman acts were the norm. Preventing them was part of a commander's duty.

"You heard them, right? Don't go into their homes. Don’t rape anyone either," Urich, bloodied from the battle, warned his mercenaries. A mercenary who was about to enter a house smacked his lips.

"A woman or two should be fine, no? No one will know. They said no looting, but they never said anything about not raping," the mercenary argued against Urich. As excited as they were from the battle, they were also brimming with lust. If they picked a random house, just any house, and broke in, they would see trembling women. They just had the pick the ones they liked.

"If the boss says no, then it’s a no, you idiot."

Donovan pushed the shoulder of the arguing mercenary. The mercenary eventually nodded in acceptance as he scratched his head.

‘Things like this were supposed to be Bachman’s job.'

It was Bachman who would usually calm and persuade the mercenaries.

'Bachman.'

Urich wiped the blood from his face and looked up at the sky. The sun shone peacefully, despite people dying all over the place.

The inner wall was lower than the outer wall. Soldiers with ladders advanced under the protection of shields.

"I will give a hundred gold coins to the first one who climbs the wall!" the commanders shouted.

Being the first one to climb the wall was dangerous. They had to risk their life. Without such motivation, soldiers wouldn’t dare to put their lives on the line for the ascend.

"Ooooh!"

Soldiers quickly climbed the ladders. They showed their eagerness for the reward through vigorous movement of their arms and legs up the ladder.

"Shoot them!"

Archers released a cluster of arrows over the inner walls. Screams echoed from Harmatti’s soldiers who were waiting inside the walls.

‘So, this is a siege, huh?'

It was Urich’s first siege experience. Various battle tactics intertwined. The value of the walls was immense. The casualties the attackers had to endure to breach even the weaker inner walls were significant. Dead bodies piled beneath the walls.

'So, there was a reason why they wanted to avoid a siege warfare that badly.'

Urich drank the water from his leather pouch, watching the walls as he swallowed.

"There’s our battering ram!"

The siege weapon to break the inner gate arrived. It was a battering ram on wheels that used a wooden beam like a hammer to smash down the gates.

Woosh!

Flaming arrows targeted the ram.

"It's not catching fire, dammit!"

The top of the ram was covered with thick leather soaked in plenty of water to make it impervious to fire and withstand even boulder strikes.

"Bring oil! Oil!"

The commander on the wall ordered. The ram, already at the gate, pounded vigorously.

"One, two! Oof!"

Bang!

Soldiers maneuvered the ram and struck the inner gate. The gate shook violently.

"Pour the oil!"

The soldiers guarding the gate were not going to go down without a fight. Even without supplies, they had stored plenty of oil, which they had boiled and poured repeatedly.

"Aaagh!"

Not even the battering ram's roof couldn’t withstand the boiling oil. The soldiers who were inside of the ram fled, screeching in pain.

"Bring out the flame arrows!" Commanders on the walls ordered. Flaming arrows showered the ram, successfully lighting it with fire with the help of the oil.

"My god, this is no joke. People are getting cooked whole," Urich said as he observed a soldier’s corpse, whose skin had been torched red. It was a terrifying sight.

'That’s actually scary.'

The prince’s soldiers continued to climb the ladders. They were brave men at first, but they were now just men who were being coerced by their commanders. The soldiers who refused to climb and scurried back down were killed at the hands of their own commanders. Without this coercion, none would climb the ladder.

"The Imperial Knights!"

Cutting through the soldiers, Imperial Knights emerged. They were full of confidence in their full plate armor.

"Ho.”

Urich rested his chin on his hand and watched the knights make their entrance. About thirty of them discussed something amongst themselves and nodded.

"They're having their turn now that the enemy’s oil and boulders are running out. The frequency of the oil shower noticeably decreased."

Sven commented beside Urich. He was already sitting down, catching his breath.

"Sven, you old man, are you already out of breath?"

Urich’s comment met no reply. Sven just smiled lightly, stroking his beard.

Just like Sven said, the soldiers on the walls were panicking. The Imperial knights were advancing toward their wall, but their oil and boulders were depleted. Arrows were no use against their plate armor.

"Dammit! Bring something! Whatever you can find!"

The knights climbed up the ladders. Some fell to the remaining boulders, but even a few of them making it to the top of the walls was enough.

"Eeeek!"

An Imperial knight made it to the top. The soldiers on the wall swung their weapons at him, but the curvature of the plate armor rendered their attacks utterly useless.

Crack.

As soon as they made it to the top, the Imperial knights mercilessly cut down their enemies. As they created more space on the walls, the other soldiers followed.

Flap!

The Porcana royal banner fluttered on top of the wall.

"It’s over."

Even the inner wall had fallen. The prince’s soldiers climbed down to the bottom and opened the inner gate.

"Capture Harmatti!" the nobles shouted, competing for their own honor. The inner castle was their residence. They led their own soldiers inside in a rush.

"Ughhh!"

A nobleman, who had taken his soldiers into the castle, came running out, screaming.

"T-there are knights inside!"

Harmatti's guards held their ground inside. They skillfully fought the encroaching enemies in the narrow corridors. The well-trained guards were undeterred even in a situation as dire as this, and they were prepared to die with their lord.

Creak.

Harmatti went into his office. His cheeks were stained with blood. On his way, he had cut down several nobles who tried to capture him. They were nobles who had turned against him as soon as the inner walls fell.

"Phew."

Harmatti sat in his chair. He laid his sword on the desk and closed his eyes.

"To think I'd fall by Varca's hand. You really don’t know with life."

Harmatti chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. His time was running out; the time bought by his guards was brief.

'I must prepare myself.'

He didn't want to beg pathetically for his life. If death was inevitable, he must face it with dignity.

'I've thought about this many times.'

Ever since his defeat on the plains, he had been preparing himself for this moment.

'How shall I spend my last moments?'

He didn't want to be remembered as a petty man who was simply blinded by power. He wished to be remembered as a noble who rebelled for a cause.

"A man’s life is short, but history is eternal."

Harmatti looked at his sword.

'Suicide is not an option.'

He must face his own end in front of other nobles and people, declaring his ambitions and dying gracefully.

"Huff, huff."

Harmatti took deep breaths. He was a naturally charismatic-looking man. He had the ability to captivate people. That charm was a big reason why his guards were willing to loyally sacrifice their lives for him.

Accepting death wasn't easy. He needed to compose himself with what little time he had left.

'I must not show any ugly weakness. I am Duke Harmatti.'

The noise outside subsided.

Thud, thud.

His heart pounded as much as the footsteps approaching his door.

Creak.

The door to his office opened. A few knights entered first, scanning the room.

"You are under arrest for treason, Harmatti," a bloodstained knight spoke.

"It's come to this."

Harmatti stood up, extending his arms. His voice and demeanor remained composed.

'Indeed, Harmatti. He is no ordinary man.'

The knight thought as he tied Harmatti's hands. Even with death staring him down, there was no tremble in Harmatti's voice.

Step, step.

Harmatti, now bound, crossed the hallway. He saw the lifeless bodies of his guards. The corridor was soaked in blood from their fierce battle.

Step.

Harmatti kept walking. Exhausted soldiers who had finished the battle sat wearily, staring at him.

"Boo! Traitor!"

"Die, Harmatti!"

The soldiers jeered. Harmatti walked through the jeers, holding his head high.

Harmatti reached the outer castle. In the large town square, the nobles gathered, including those who had just surrendered. They were men who had previously sided with him.

Everyone stood, except for one man in his chair. It was Pahell, now the ruler of the kingdom.

"Uncle."

Pahell quietly opened his eyes, looking at Harmatti.