Chapter 177 Securing The Town

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom With the decaying wall out of their way, the army of 50,000 men advanced into the town in an orderly manner. Under the command of Sarika, a small team was dispatched to hunt down the ruler of this town and bring them to her whilst several other teams were ordered to block all available routes.

Sarika, clad in her gleaming armour entered the town with the rest of her soldiers through the battered gates. Their horses' hooves echoed loudly on the cobbled streets. As they marched, the townspeople looked out of their windows and doorways with a mixture of fear and curiosity on their faces.

Her gaze flitted to the state of the town. Subconsciously, she knitted her eyebrows together.

It was a grim and squalid place, to say the least. The buildings in the town were dilapidated and cramped together closely with patchy and leaky roofs, hardly providing the occupants with sufficient protection. Narrow streets force her to slow down her horse. And if that weren't bad enough, the air is permeated by a foul stench coming from who knows whence.

Lieutenant General Sarika had been involved in several campaigns in the north before. She supposedly used to smell unpleasant odours before. This time, though, it was so intolerable that she had to cover her nose using a handkerchief.

"I can't believe these people live in this condition." She said with disgust.

Nolan surveyed the pitiful state of this place, "Before, the town was not like this. It was once a thriving place, filled with economic activities."

It was evident that the previous ruler had neglected the town, leaving it in disarray.

Sakira gave her soldiers orders with authority in her voice, "Spread out and search every building. Take all valuable items and drag the townspeople out. Kill only those who resist."

The soldiers fanned out, breaking down doors and turning the entire town upside down. Gradually, the desolated town square filled with people and spoils of war. The townspeople huddled together, scared and uncertain. Sarika made sure that the soldiers treated those who surrender with respect, avoiding unnecessary violence.

As instructed by her superior, she's not allowed to not conduct a mass killing of the inhabitants. Barlia intends to use war captives as free labour.

The female lieutenant general dismounted from her horse and stand in front of the townspeople. There are approximately five thousand of them, looking famished with hollowed eyes and sunken cheeks. Their skin was pallid, lacking the healthy glow of nourishment. Some of them are in worse condition than poor Barlians.

Honestly, she couldn't understand why these people don't have enough food when they were living on fertile land.

Nevertheless, their well-being wasn't a part of her concern. Her job is to take their land, not take care of them.

"Hear me, people of Dunston!! My name Lieutenant General Sarika Klover. I came from the Principality of Barlia in the north to conquer this land. Fight me, you and your family will be destroyed. Surrender to me, you and your family will be safe. The choice is yours." After giving a short speech, Sarika adds. "Just to remind you, it won't do you any good going against me. Death would be the last thing granted to you."

Shortly thereafter, a small contingent of soldiers she sent earlier returned. Together with them is the ruler of Dunston. He was dishevelled, his clothes dirty and torn, and fearful as he was being hauled in front of Sarika.

She looked at a portly man in his fifties with a mix of contempt and pity. What she would hope to find from an incompetent lord who can't manage a small town.

"Where do you find him?" She asked.

"On his way to the port town, Caushilbo. He had attempted to flee southward through the sea." The soldiers passed a small bag of Ryntum gold he snatch earlier to his lieutenant general.

"Really?" Sarika was taken aback. Her eyes were fixed on the intricate, perfectly round gold coin she heard so much from the merchants. "It's hard to believe he ran that far with his physique. What about his family?"

Instead of the same soldier, a feminine voice replies to her question. She had silver-streaks dark hair with piercing blue eyes. "They're in Bagyarosia's new capital, Weymeswesto, Ma'am!"

Frowning, she promptly asked the identity of this woman in front of her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Vanessa Viener, an agent in charge of this region. I was sent to assist you." The former maid of Reina who was once a Twig has risen in rank and become a Branch of Caushilbo in just two years. She's now standing as equal with her former superior, Jack Cooper.

"Ah!! The infamous Blackout, I see." She nods understandably. "I never thought to find a woman my age working as an agent."

"Well, I need to put food on the table somehow. Anyway, what do you wish to do with his family? I must say, they're enjoying quite a luxurious lifestyle in the capital while Dunston left like a ghost town."

Hearing these two young women leisurely talking about his family's future, the lord of Dunston pleaded. His voice quivered, "Please, General. Have mercy on my family. Spare them and take my life instead."

"Silence, fat ass!" She thundered. "You're in this circumstance because of your own negligence. I don't care sh*t about your family."

"Y-You!!" Lord of Dunston stammered. He tries to come up with a way to scare them. Suddenly, he got the idea. "Do you think Ryntum would stand idle, watching you ravaging this land? You Barlians better prepared to be crushed by—"

Thump—

Before he can finish his sentence, Sarika's solleret kisses his face. The strong impact produces a loud fracturing sound, together with a laceration on his face, resulting in him bleeding profusely.

Sarika ordered her soldiers in a commanding voice, "Detain this fat ass and prepare his execution right away." She turns to her major general. "Nolan, arrange soldiers to secure this town."

"No!...Nooo! You can't do this to me."

The Barlia soldiers ignore his plea and take him away. As per her order, they quickly secure the town, taking control of the key locations and setting up a temporary base. She won't stay here for a long period of time as she would depart for another town.