TGS - Chapter 111
Chapter 111: Recruitment
The female leader led a group of panicked and helpless slaves, rushing forward along a path they had scouted beforehand.
If everything went smoothly, they could escape through the breakout route left by the city's fortifications. The female leader was very familiar with the terrain near Senna City, and she was confident that as long as they broke out of the encirclement, the enemy would surely fail to pursue them.
However, in the next moment, their hopes were shattered.
On the battlefield before, there had been basically no sign of cavalry, as they were not a suitable type of soldier for siege warfare.
But when it came to pursuit, what could be more advantageous than cavalry?
At this moment, armored Solancian soldiers on horseback blocked the hidden escape route. A dark, dense mass of them stood silently, like hounds waiting outside a burrow for a rabbit to emerge.
Alyuin was the commander and vanguard of these cavalrymen.
She held her longsword, pointing it straight ahead, her golden eyes reflecting the brilliance of the sun overhead.
A simple, one-word command—
"Kill."
The two sides clashed abruptly. For the army suppressing the rebellion, it was the end of the battle; for the rebels, it was an inescapable, desperate fight to the death.
The female leader charged toward the Princess with her blade raised, her target clear. She thought, Since defeat is already certain, I'll at least take a noble down with me before I die!
The sword's edge met the blade's, letting out a clear, resonant clang of metal on metal. After only two moves, the female leader's expression changed.
Parrying another fierce sword strike, she was forced back a step by the irresistible force. Her heels sank slightly into the ground, dragging out a heavy impression.
The female leader asked through gritted teeth, "Who are you?"
"Alyuin."
That name... In an instant, the female leader connected it to the rumored princess who guarded Digebia City. The state of the battle didn't allow her to think further; she could only fight with all her might, yet she still gradually showed signs of being overwhelmed.
Finally, the blade in the female leader's hand was struck and sent flying. Having lost her weapon, she had lost.
Lost—
Looking around, the battle was completely one-sided. Some of the companions who had risen up with her had collapsed, exhausted. Others, seeing no hope of escape, had actually knelt to beg for mercy. Farther away, the siege army had already taken the city walls and were about to pour in to assist, though the cavalry didn't need it.
The female leader gave a cold laugh, craning her neck as she waited for the sword to fall.
If you're going to kill me, then kill me. I will not beg for mercy, not even a single word!
But Alyuin sheathed her sword, her expression unruffled. Just as the female leader looked on in confusion, wondering if this person was about to launch into a long-winded speech to persuade her to surrender, the scabbard struck down without mercy.
The female leader didn't even have time to grunt before she was knocked unconscious by the blow.
Her last thought before losing consciousness was: So this princess wanted to capture me alive. What a loss. I really should have just thrown myself on her sword and killed myself to avoid suffering later...
A gust of wind swept past, carrying the unique battlefield scent of metal and blood. Alyuin, on horseback, looked toward the infantry hurrying in their direction.
The battle ended here. The slaves either surrendered or were captured. The few who were still resisting lost their will to fight after their leader's defeat. This contingent of infantry had originally been coming to assist, but now they could only clean up the battlefield.
Alyuin raised her longsword high to the sky, declaring a great victory in the siege.
"Victory belongs to Solancia, and to the gods of Solancia."
This was a standard phrase after winning a battle; basically no commander would omit it.
And on top of that, the Princess added another sentence.
"—And to the god I serve, the River Goddess Lotus."
The soldiers all raised their weapons, shouting the names of the gods they believed in, celebrating the victory with cheers.
Amidst the crowd's irrepressible cheers, Alyuin instructed the infantry leader, "Lock up all of them, whether they surrendered or were captured. Wait for my orders on how to deal with them."
After speaking, the Princess rode her horse over to Lotus, her gaze, which had been sharp and imposing throughout the battle, softening.
Before, in Digebia City, the enemies she faced were the nomadic Sanur tribe. Therefore, this battle was the first siege Alyuin had ever experienced, and she had turned in a perfect answer sheet.
Just like in the dreams of her youth, in the many scenes where she waited for the goddess to finish grading her papers, the Princess asked softly, "Lotus, how did I do?"
The goddess was never stingy with her praise. Her clear, cool voice spoke words of affirmation, which sounded sweeter and more intoxicating than mead to Alyuin's ears.
Lotus also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
For the past several days, she had hardly let her guard down, worried that some strange threat might appear in the battle for Senna City, similar to the poisoned incense in the royal city.
Now that victory and defeat had been decided, they would stay in Senna City for a few days before they could return to Akhet.
The light, lingering worry was thus set aside.
The two prepared to enter the city. Alyuin glanced at the war chariot parked not far away, subtly raising the corner of an eyebrow, and extended a hand to Lotus.
Palm up, it was a gesture of invitation.
"Come on up." The Princess tilted her head, a hint of coquettishness in her tone. "You are still my teacher, after all. If I ride a horse while you walk, someone might think I'm disrespecting my elder and teacher."
The reason was rather far-fetched, but Lotus looked at the hand and, as if without thinking, placed her fingertips upon it.
By the time Lotus remembered that this gesture meant she had agreed to ride together, the slender hand had already tightened, pulling her onto the horse's back with a firm yet gentle strength.
Her back tensed instinctively, but it seemed as if nothing had happened. The victorious soldiers followed their commander into the city, their faces filled with joy and respect, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Gradually, the corners of Lotus's lips curled up slightly.
This seems rather nice, too.
And so, the victorious army garrisoned Senna City.
The contingent from the royal city would have to stay here for several days until follow-up matters were arranged, but before that, they had to send someone to deliver the news of victory back to Akhet.
Riding a swift horse, the messenger hummed a little tune as he set off on the road to the royal city. He hadn't gone far when he saw a carriage slowly approaching from the opposite direction. Thick black curtains covered its windows, giving it a somewhat sinister air.
The messenger passed by the carriage, glancing at it curiously.
A strong gust of wind blew, lifting a corner of the curtain. He vaguely saw a sharp, slender, pale chin, the shoulders and neck of a young girl, and what looked like a triangular snake's head growing out of her clothes.
My eyes must be playing tricks on me, he thought. Vipers are symbols of evil creatures. How could someone be together with a snake?
The messenger didn't think much of it. He didn't know that inside the carriage, the young girl was gazing at the now-visible silhouette of Senna City with a look of terrifying anticipation.
In the city prison, the female leader sat leaning against a corner with her eyes closed, awaiting her final fate.
A day had passed since the city fell and she was captured.
The female leader had expected to suffer harsh torture and had even prepared to find an opportunity to kill herself. Strangely, aside from the jailer who brought her meals on time, no one came to see her at all.
Are rebel leaders so worthless these days?
As she was amusing herself with self-deprecation, footsteps approached from outside the cell. It sounded like two people.
Looking up, she saw the princess who had defeated her that day, along with a black-haired, blue-eyed female official. She felt like she had seen her somewhere... The female leader thought for a moment. Wasn't it on the battlefield? The one standing on the war chariot, protected by the Princess, whom she had mistaken for the true commander.
The female leader angrily rolled her eyes.
She figured it out. The Princess had stood in front of the female official on the battlefield to mislead them, and she had fallen for it. How treacherous!
The wicked tactic of using dummies to waste their weapons must have been this princess's idea, too. How black-hearted!
Through the iron bars of the cell, Alyuin said calmly, "Shalu."
"How considerate of the lofty Princess. To think you'd even remember a slave's name."
Alyuin was unmoved, reciting emotionlessly as if from a narrative text: "You weren't always a slave. Because your parents owed a debt to a rich merchant that they couldn't repay, you were sold to the creditor and came with him to Senna City."
"Later, you were sold to another merchant. Because you were disobedient, you were resold many times, and were finally bought by the Lord of Senna City. He wanted to make you a gladiator. Is that right?"
The first half of the female leader Shalu's life was summarized in these few short sentences. Her expression was not pleasant. "You investigated me?"
"The other slaves told me."
Shalu's eyes widened. "Impossible. My companions wouldn't betray me—"
Alyuin made no comment, simply continuing, "They also said that the reason you started the riot was because the Lord of Senna City forced the slaves to speed up the construction of the arena, beat your friend to death on the pretext of punishing laziness, and then ordered you to feed the body to the newly arrived lions."
Shalu was speechless. It wasn't strange that the Princess could find out the former; more or less all the slaves here had similar experiences. But details like feeding her friend's body to the lions were known only to a few trusted companions.
So, they really were the ones who told her?
"They told me everything they knew about you, but they don't dare admit what they themselves have done."
Alyuin passed a sheet of paper through the gap in the cell bars. It was an accusation written by a city scribe, recording what the instigators had done after the slave revolt.
Burning buildings, insulting and beating the ordinary servants of the city lord's mansion, collecting taxes and so-called "protection fees" from the common people—they acted as if they were the new nobles of the city, even more tyrannical than the last.
Shalu knew nothing of this. Staring at the paper filled with angry and disgusted words, she let go as if she had been burned, unsure how to react for a moment.
She had thought that those who rose up with her were all like-minded companions. She never expected that some of them only wanted to become the next city lord.
"However, this only happened among the slaves who surrendered. The few we captured alive have said nothing against you, even now."
"...Why are you telling me all this?"
Finally getting to the point, Alyuin did not hide her intentions. "I want you to work for me."
"It's useless to say so much. I'm the instigator of the rebellion; I will certainly be executed." Let alone work for the Princess.
"I will make arrangements for that. You only need to answer whether you agree or not."
Shalu didn't know if the Princess was trustworthy, but her intuition told her it was fine. Her intuition had always been very accurate.
She nodded.
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