Chapter 651: Hunting In Thessaly
The chariot’s gradual departure from the gates of Larissa painted a contrasting picture of defeat and deceptive victory. Elassona, standing at the city gates flanked by his courtiers, exuded an air of triumphant relief. With arms crossed and a disingenuous smile playing on his lips, he waved towards the retreating chariot. The entire month of mental gymnastics, the exhausting battle against the inspection team, had finally borne fruit. His corrupt dealings had been cleverly masked, leaving him unscathed. With the interruption in his trade with the republics now a thing of the past, Elassona could feel his heart, previously weighed down with anxiety, starting to beat with a renewed, albeit sinister force.
Inside the chariot, the atmosphere was markedly different. A heavy silence hung over Alexios and his team, each member lost in their thoughts, grappling with the bitter taste of failure or others. Alexios himself sat, his gaze fixed blankly outside, lost in a sea of despondency. He had come to Thessaly with dual missions from the emperor and the government, filled with determination. Yet, a month had passed, and he had achieved nothing. Drowned in a deluge of misleading and incomplete data, he had failed to expose Elassona’s corruption or develop any economic strategies for the province, leaving with his tails. The weight of this failure bore heavily on him, his heart heavy with a sense of personal and professional defeat.
As the carriage trundled along the ancient unrepaired Roman roads, heading south as if towards an uncertain future, a sudden interruption pierced Alexios’s reverie. The guard beside him, noticing something unusual, nudged Alexios urgently. "Look! My lord! Look there!" he exclaimed.
Alexios, pulled from his thoughts, followed the guard’s pointed direction. There, on the roadside, was a figure that seemed to encapsulate the true cost of Elassona’s corruption. A man, a veteran by the looks of his tattered uniform, sat crippled and broken both physically and mentally. Before him lay a bowl and a signboard, proclaiming his once-proud status now reduced to begging for mere scraps without wealth, honour, and pride. The sight was a stark reminder of the consequences of greed and power abuse.
A pang of sympathy, mixed with a sense of suspicion, stirred in Alexios’s heart. It was unusual to see a veteran in such a state, especially in this empire where army comes before anything, and it aroused a deep sense of injustice within him. "Go, brother, give him a silver," he instructed his guard, handing him a coin.
As the chariot halted, the guard jumped down and approached the veteran. It was only then that the full extent of the man’s plight became apparent. He was young, not yet twenty, his eyes hollow with the loss of hope and dignity. His skin was marred with dirt and grime, his clothing barely more than rags, riddled with holes and offering scant protection against the chill. His shivering body, huddled against the cold, was a silent testament to the harshness of his reality.
As the silver coin clinked into the bowl, the veteran’s dull eyes flickered momentarily with a glimmer of gratitude, a brief spark in the overwhelming darkness of his existence. Alexios watched from the chariot, his heart heavy with a complex mix of emotions – empathy for the veteran’s plight, frustration at his own failure, and a growing resolve to seek justice in a system rife with corruption.
The encounter between the beggar and Lord Treasurer Alexios took a surprising turn as the guard prepared to leave. Alexios observed, his curiosity piqued, as the beggar suddenly reached out and gripped the guard’s arm with an unexpected strength. "Hey you! Please sir! You are an officer of the army, am I right? I have things to say! I have things to confess!" the beggar exclaimed urgently.
This abrupt change in the situation startled both Alexios and his guard. The guard’s annoyance was evident as his pristine uniform was sullied by the beggar’s grimy hands, his expression a mix of irritation and shock. Alexios, meanwhile, was momentarily taken aback, wondering if the man was mentally unstable. The guard instinctively tried to pull away, only to be held even more firmly.
"Sir, please! Have a look at this!" the beggar implored, hurriedly retrieving a medal from beneath his seat. The guard’s eyes widened in recognition upon seeing the medal – it was the first edition of the Medal of Bravery, awarded by the emperor himself to heroes of the sieges of Edirne and Constantinople. Such an honour had eluded even the guard during his military service.
Realising the significance of this discovery, the guard attempted to help the beggar to his feet. "Come here son, come here," he said, his tone shifting to one of respect. It was only then that the guard noticed something crucial – Nikolaos’ legs were not just injured; they were broken, rendering him incapable of walking. This realisation brought a new level of gravity to the situation, as it underscored the severity of the veteran’s plight.
Seeing this, the guard’s actions softened further, his previous irritation replaced by a sense of empathy. He carefully supported Nikolaos, ensuring not to cause any further pain. Alexios, observing from the carriage, understood the depth of the veteran’s suffering. With a swift decision, he signalled his men to gently lift Nikolaos into the carriage, taking utmost care to accommodate his injuries.
As they carefully positioned Nikolaos inside, Alexios ensured that he was comfortable, drawing the curtains closed for privacy. The chariot then resumed its journey, leaving the city of Larissa behind.
"Do not be nervous, my son," Alexios said soothingly, trying to calm the visibly agitated man. "I see that you are a veteran, and I see that you have obtained a war medal ... Oh Gosh! The Medal of Bravery from Constantinople!"
Even Alexios was momentarily taken aback by the significance of the medal. Quickly composing himself and adopting a more official demeanour, he looked intently at the man and asked, "Now, my son, you have a story to tell me, am I right?"
Before responding, the veteran, whose name was Nicolaos, sought to ascertain Alexios’s allegiance. "Before that, lord, may I know if you are working in Elassona’s court, or for the local government?" he asked cautiously, eyeing the distinguished man before him.
Alexios replied with a slight grin, his confidence unshaken. "I work neither for Elassona nor the local government." He gestured upwards towards the heavens. "I work for His Majesty directly."
...
In the dimly lit, secluded room of a roadside tavern, an hour had passed since Alexios and his team had ushered Nikolaos inside for a private discussion. The atmosphere was tense yet focused, with a palpable sense of urgency.
Nikolaos, with a ravenous hunger evident in his every move, devoured the food brought to him by a servant. It was clear he hadn’t eaten properly in a long time. Alexios sat by patiently, his attention divided between the frail veteran and the crucial task at hand. His guard commander and the team of investigators maintained a vigilant stance near the doors, their eyes alternating between the busy street outside and their own group. The air was thick with suspicion; they knew that there is definitely an imposter among us, someone who had undermined their mission and eroded the trust of their leader.
Alexios, however, was singularly focused. He had no time for distractions or internal disputes. He was engrossed in studying the principal map of Thessaly, scrutinising every detail while listening intently to Nikolaos’s account. He tried to ignore the almost overwhelming stench emanating from the veteran, concentrating instead on the gravity of the information being revealed.
"So you are saying that the governor of Thessaly has been imposing additional charges on top of the state-mandated grain tax?" Alexios asked, his frown deepening. He understood the enormity of such actions - they could devastate the local population and agriculture, potentially pushing the region towards a catastrophic famine.
"Oh yes, my lord!" Nikolaos replied earnestly, pausing his eating to answer. "Some of my family members protested, but the governor deployed his personal troops. Those who couldn’t pay the tax were forced into taking ’loans’ from Genoese merchants with exorbitant interest rates, to be collected aggressively the following season..."
Alexios’s eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Wait, wait... Personal troops? Genoese loan merchants? Are you certain of these accusations?"
Nikolaos nodded vigorously. "Absolutely, Your Highness. Everyone in my village has seen them. They ride across the plains, destroying our crops."
Hearing this, Alexios took a deep breath, his grip tightening on the table. The information was alarming, and its implications far-reaching.
"Nikolaos," Alexios said, striving to maintain composure, his voice as calm as he could muster in his entire life. "Are you absolutely certain that everything you’ve told me today is accurate?"
"Yes, my lord, guarantee plus chop." Nikolaos’s response was firm, his eyes holding a mix of earnestness and a plea for justice.
Alexios took another deep breath.
"Everyone! It is time to leave! Go ! Go! Go! Leave here at once!"
