Chapter 121 One Week Of Madness Part I: A Blazing City

The ship sails on the sea without any disturbance or obstacles. They're estimated to arrive at Betbury in one and a half days.

On the journey, Niall spends his time constantly gazing at the sea.

"Are you thinking of the Queen Mother, Your Majesty?"

"Don't bring her up, old man. I don't want to hear about her. To me, she's already dead." Niall glared at the butler. His eyes contain deep anger.

Honestly, he doesn't feel any remorse for leaving his mother behind. He thinks of it as a payback for the unfair treatment he received while growing up. His little brother, Niel exceeds him in both academics and politics since he was just at the age of six.

Despite having a family, he never feels like he has one. Their parents focus all their attention on Niel. He is a jewel and the pride of the family. A one in a century genius as they called him. Everything Niall did was never good enough, at least not as good as his little brother.

There is only one person who cares about him, his caretaker. An old woman that has been with Niall since he was a child. She was a true mother to him. If she's still alive now, he would move all manpower and resources he has to keep her safe and bring her together with him.

"My apologies, it seems that I've misspoken you." The butler bowed respectfully.

....

Meanwhile, the Naharog army successfully breached the capital and gained control of its strategic location.

They march on the streets of Napuna, breaking into the houses and shops like hungry beasts searching for food, plundering all their wealth. While they're at it, they dragged every single person out of their houses. Not only that, they go all the way to tear down the houses and set them on fire.

"Drag them out! Do not let even one person escape!" the soldiers shouted.

Men and women regardless of their age were forced to gather at the square. Those who opposed were beaten with a blunt object until they gave in. And those who attempted to flee the city were killed in abundance.

They spare no one, not even children. Life is cheap for Naharog soldiers.

People are shaking in fear, shivering uncontrollably as they walk on the streets. Families walked closely together to the square. No one dares to fight against the brutality of Naharog soldiers.

Naharog soldiers have made an example of a merchant's family that tries to buy their way out. As a result, each member of the merchant's family was mercilessly beaten to death by the soldiers. Even his children who have yet to reach double-digit in age receive the same fate as their father. Their bodies were left cold on the street after the soldiers finished taking pleasure in venting their anger.

Others Naharog soldiers watched their comrades torturing the merchant and his family to death with great interest. Some open the table for betting on how long they will last.

"We're definitely going to die. Where's the king and his soldiers?" The man mumbled helplessly. His life turned upside down in the snap of a finger.

"I don't know either. We haven't seen a glimpse of their shadow since the wall collapsed." The wife replied. She held onto her husband and children as they walked to the square. She, like her husband, had a strong feeling that the king had long escaped from the city.

When they arrived at the square, the soldiers were shouting orders to all families to separate from each other based on their gender. Horrified expressions were visible on their faces. In a dangerous situation like now, Napuna citizens prefer to stick together. However, their preference has no meaning to the invading Naharog.

To set an example, the soldiers grab a boy around the age of ten or eleven by the arm and forcefully drag him to the men's side. The boy struggles to free himself from the soldier's grip which ultimately failed.

"You little piece of shit! How dare you try to fight me!" The soldier was infuriated. He took blunt wood and hit it on the poor boy's face in front of his fellow comrades and other hostages.

"No! Please! Stop hitting my boy!" His mother pleaded as she saw her son bleed profusely.

However, her word has no effect. He needs to teach a lesson to this boy. He could tell that this boy is from a wealthy family based on the clothes on the boy's body. It caused the soldier's blood to boil even hotter.

Why could this boy live a good life while his own son has to work just to survive? His son couldn't even dare to imagine having such nice clothes.

Despite everything he worked for, nothing changed. For generations, the lives of many people never improve.

If the king and his predecessor had ever gotten a better grip on his kingdom, they wouldn't have experienced hardship.

"Mom! Help me!" The boy uttered his final word as the soldier delivered his final blow, ending the boy's life.

The soldier then kicks the lifeless body back to his mother. She stared blankly at the corpse of her son. Just yesterday, her son was alive and lively as he usually is. But today, his body doesn't move an inch.

Everything feels like a dream for her. No, she hopes it is only a nightmare she would wake up from.

To her despair, a kick from the same soldier on her face pulled her back to reality.

At the square, Count Naharog watched everything that transpired around him with great interest. He had partially achieved his dream, to paint the capital red. Overall, he was satisfied with the performance shown by his soldiers.

The wealth his soldiers plundered from the inhabitants of the city kept piling up. It can be used to develop his kingdom later on.

Besides him, Rupert "Your Majesty, are we going to let the soldiers do as they please?"

"Yes, they've been in constant tense for the past few days. Let them express their pent-up feelings and take this opportunity to torment the rich people who live better than them." said the count.

He instilled the idea that the royal family is responsible for their hardship in his ignorant and gullible peasants. In difficult times, people often seek someone to be blamed for.