296 Rebellion - Part 2

Marce knew he couldn't go back when he got the news that Nancy and her faction had betrayed him and allied with Danny Glover. 

"Dammit!... All of you get out and don't let anyone come in till I say so." Marce yelled at the guards present inside the tent.

"But... General..." A soldier seemed he had something to say, but just after uttering two words, a sharp glint of a sword flashed in his eyes and the others.

Swish!

Thud...

A head flew in the air before rolling on the table. 

"I said, get out!" Marce roared in anger at the guards who were standing dumbfounded at the sight of their comrade's head falling off the table. Fear and anguish were quite visible in their eyes, but Marce only saw the fear.

"Take this imbecile with you while going out" Marce sheathed his sword before turning around and going the other compartment inside the tent. The soldier looked at each other before they came forward to pick up the head and the body of the unfortunate comrade.

They walked out of the tent, but the way they were looking at the back of General Marce with hatred.

Outside the camp, a group of soldiers was busy digging a grave to bury another companion that had died unreasonably at the hands of their insane and mad commander. 

"Why!? Huh?... What did he do wrong to deserve this? What crime did the others do to deserve an ending like this? If we have to die, shouldn't it be on the battlefield like a warrior, where our death would have a meaning?... Why the fuck do we have to die at the hand of these ungrateful bastards that we fight for with our life on the line? Tell me please... just why?" one of the young soldiers wailed, he has seen a lot of death in the past few days.

Whether they were his friends, veterans, or peers, participating in this war for the first time, he couldn't take it anymore and cried his heart out before asking questions that dug deep into the hearts of the soldiers around him.

It was hard to survive and come out alive from the brutal battlefield, but to die under the hands of your own commander without any reason is unjust and demoralizing for any soldiers who continuously put their lives in danger for the sake of their Lords.

The veterans knew what their value was in the eyes of people like General Marce and Count Nathan; that's why they never give their all and always try to fight, not for the sake of winning the war but for their survival. The highest casualties that occur on the battlefield was still that of the young soldiers who were hot-blooded and naive to think they will get rewarded for their bravery. 

Not to mention, General Marce was sending them to fight with the enemy soldiers without any clear strategy; his mind was entirely elsewhere. 

The wailing of the young soldier and the dead body that they had just buried in the ground has pushed their mind to the edge of starting a rebellion against General Marce. They only needed a slight push and the initiator who could take the position of leading them.

A middle-aged soldier with a simple appearance, standing at the back, was looking deeply at the expression of every other soldier present beside the grave. This person may not be known to General Marce or the higher-ups. Still, he was quite famous in the circle of the veterans and young soldiers becuase of his bravery, and his deeds of saving his comrades multiple time on the battlefield. 

"My Lord, what do you think? Should I go ahead with the plan? The success rate is as high as eighty-six percent." No one knew he was a puppet who infiltrated Marce's army to keep a tab on him.

"... Go ahead; your plan is excellent. I also think that Marce would try to run away, so it's better to neutralize him in the guise of rebellion."

The puppet whose code name was Riley walked forward, pushing the veteran's soldiers aside before coming to a stop in front of the weeping soldier on the ground. Riley grabbed the soldier by his collar and forced him to stand up on his feet.

"Do you have the guts?" Riley asked, eyes locked.

"W... What?" It seemed the young man did not understand what he meant, so Riley repeated again.

"Do you have the guts to avenge your friend and comrade? If you do not have it in you, then stop making a scene."

"You... " The young man's face became red with humiliation.

"Don't talk of unfairness when you are too cowardly to do anything about it. Learn from your superiors, they stay quite every time an incident like this happens, this is how they survive and you will too if you follow them. What's the use of crying over the unlucky ones? Be grateful it was not you." 

"Riley! How dare you? Think before you speak!" A veteran soldier felt angry over being called a coward. He and the others could hear the naked sarcasm and disgust in Riley's voice.

"You all understand what I mean. Isn't this your mantra? Never raise your head or voice over the injustice that you face from your superiors. As long as we are the lucky ones to stay alive at the end of the war, it's all good no matter who dies. Did I say anything wrong? Or why would you all stand by and watch General Marce do as he pleases? Aren't we humans too? Do we deserve to live under the shadow of a sword that could fall on our heads whenever that bastard wants to decide depending on his fucking mood?"Riley's speech had angered a lot of soldiers, but it also hit their deepest part of their soul like thunder.