Prisco, who was having fun in his room with a nun, didn't listen when the door to his room opened.
"Father, we are in serious trouble.
The emperor has ordered to blockade the city and now we are surrounded by a large group of knights led by the son of Duke Gautier. "
Prisco, who had not stopped the movement of his hips, frowned at his son's words.
"Order the city guard to prepare their weapons. We don't know what the hell they're thinking, but we can't allow them to enter the city.
We will have to wait for them to send a courier themselves before we even think of delivering the city.
I just hope it's all a misunderstanding otherwise Dean, it is a fact that we will die in this place unless we manage to cause a civil war.
But for that, we can only trust your mother's family so that they can convince the group of nobles who do not agree with the emperor.
Although it would be enough if some son of Emperor Ludovico wanted to rebel against his father.
So many options and none of them are so easy to do.
Either way, bring Chaplain Amis, I think that fat idiot will have to dive into the muddy waters of the tunnels under the city. "
Amis a young but fat chaplain was doing his chores cleaning the outside of the church with a group of slaves.
"They have to clean that wood very well because we do not want it to start to rot and the church suffers a misfortune.
I remind you that if something happens, you will be the first to suffer the consequences. "
While supervising the work of the Amis slaves, he began to walk among the different male slaves while trying to choose one that he would like.
It didn't take long for him to choose a muscular adult, so he walked over to him, so he could pat him on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Hey, Slave at night you will accompany me in my rooms in exchange your family will receive a double ration of flour tomorrow."
The slave who knew that refusing was useless just nodded his head and continued with his work while thinking that his children could eat some more.
It was at that moment that Dean left the church and, accompanied by two soldiers, arrived with Chaplain Amis.
"Chaplain, my father wants to see you at this time, it is quite important that you stop what you are doing and for that reason, I will accompany you so that you can arrive without any problem."
Amis who was a bit angry because he had interrupted their private moment followed duke Dean into the church.
When they returned us to Bishop Prisco's room, they found the bishop already changed and working on writing on parchment while the nun with whom he was having sex before was lying in bed completely naked and asleep.
"I'm glad you two have reached each other now I would like you to come closer as I will explain what to do."
Dean scratched his head not understanding what his father meant "Father, but you didn't say you only needed Chaplain Amis."
Bishop Prisco shook his head. "During the short time you told me the news, I was able to think enough, and I realized that if you stay in this place, you are going to die, and possibly I will too.
So you will go out with the chaplain through the tunnels below the city and you will have to reach the Duchy of Westphalia
Where you will meet with your mother's family in the city of Soest, you will have to talk to them and give them these scrolls that I am about to make.
If God wants it and the nobles can pressure the people of their lands as hard as they can, we can start a rebellion in the north by cutting off the emperor's access to the rest of the empire.
This can create an opportunity big enough that perhaps some of Ludovico's sons want to reveal themselves.
We only need one of them to do it, and then your chance to become king will not be far behind.
But you must remember to be careful because if the emperor's troops come to capture you, you will be dead and I am sure it will be in a very painful way.
As for you Amis, you must guarantee my son's safety at any cost, but due to lack of manpower, I can only grant five guards to take care of you.
Not to mention that if I give you more, it would be too easy for spies to know that something is wrong and they could be caught immediately. "
After saying those words, Prisco continued writing and while he did, he sighed "You are going out at night and remember to be very careful in the underground tunnels.
According to some stories of the soldiers who captured this land from the Saxons, it is said that inside the tunnels lie the bones of thousands of warriors who were lost inside and who could never reach the exit.
Fortunately, the Charlemagne Emperor ordered to review them as best he could, and of all, there are only three tunnels that have an exit far from the city.
And only the emperor and your father the duke knew of the existence of these tunnels, so the tunnels that have an exit are marked with Latin text on the walls.
You will only have to follow the texts and for nothing in the world do you dare to go in the tunnels that have skull marks or bloody warnings since those will only lead them to certain death.
Of the two hundred troops that entered the tunnels, only five returned, but they did so completely fearful of their surroundings.
In the end, four committed suicide because of the fear they felt and everything they could see, but the soldier who did not do it will be one of the guards who will accompany them.
His name is Cornelio.
Remember to follow his instructions while you are in the tunnels and now come out that I have to write some scrolls to guarantee our safety. "
When they finished hearing this, Dean and Amis left the room and began to prepare things for the trip.
In the afternoon Cornelio, who was drinking some beer in a tavern in the city, looked at the bubbles of the beer with some discomfort.
As he remembered how some of his companions who were trapped in the water of the caves slowly drowned, leaving only a few small air bubbles coming out of the water.
But to avoid continuing to remember, Cornelio drank all his beer in one gulp and after that he wiped his mustache and later raised his hand, calling the bartender's attention.
When the bartender saw Cornelio's sign, he just smiled and from the table where he was, he took a clay jug with beer.
When he got to where Cornelio was sitting and without saying a single word he refilled his beer mug. While he did so, a soldier entered the tavern.
It didn't take long for the soldier to look through all the tables until he could find Cornelio, who seemed to be lost in his memories as he looked at his mug of beer.
Walking slowly, the soldier reached Cornelio's place, and, sitting in front of him, he made a few small touches on the wood.
"Cornelius, I know you are listening to me and I have orders from the Bishop and the Duke."
Cornelio, somewhat annoyed by the interruption of his thoughts, raised his head and looked at the young soldier in front of him.
"Because I should be interested in what the bishop or the duke does.
As far as I understand I am a veteran and a free man, I don't need to listen to either of them. "
The soldier angrily knocked on the table and pointed towards the door "I don't know how long you've been in this place but you should know that outside the city is completely under siege.
All this because of the fury of the emperor who says that we betrayed the empire, as far as I'm concerned you stopped being a free man and I stopped being a soldier, we are only rebels.
So you cannot refuse the orders of the Duke and the Bishop. "
Cornelius, who was holding back the urge to hit the young soldier in front of him, raised his mug of beer and drank it completely in one big gulp.
"Tell me what are the orders you want me to do, how can a veteran help who all he's trying to do is survive in this place."
The soldier to see that his words had worked took out a small scroll from his side, which he handed to Cornelius.
"Since this place is quite unsafe, you will have to accompany me to church."
Cornelius reluctantly received it and accompanied the soldier to the church. Once they arrived, he removed the wax seal from the parchment and began to read the contents.
As his eyes roamed the Latin words his face quickly changed from angry to fearful and in the end, he could only maintain a melancholy face.
"You are all a bunch of damn fools, if you want to die so bad it's better to get out of the stupid city and surrender to the imperial soldiers.
What you want to do is a real suicide and you do not understand the consequences of your actions. That place is very far from God and close to hell.
What I saw I have not forgotten yet, corpses everywhere, bodies in a state of putrefaction and roads which have no way out.
But what they should fear is not the caves but what is in the groundwater.