Chapter 697: Village Of The...?
Even the emperor noticed it, as his face grew dimmer and dimmer.
Yes, the houses were in perfect condition, decorated with everything the villagers could find, from bricks to flowers and mead. The roads were also paved with gravel and stones, making them the only village in the region to receive such honour. The entire village seemed anew, obviously having gone through a major clean-up before the emperor’s arrival.
However, he realised one thing – most, actually almost all, of the villagers, who were veterans, had either lost a limb or two, standing in a frail shape along the roads welcoming the emperor. They had strong grins on their faces, as they eyed their emperor with the most eager and loyal looks possible. Antonius even noticed quite a few familiar faces in the crowd who used to fight closely by his side. There was just one thing, though – none of these veterans, even those in their thirties, seemed to have the same well-built bodies they once had. Instead, they all looked like those fresh out of refugee encampments, starved to the bone.
Of course, the crop fields that Antonius had rewarded to these veterans remained uncultivated, but that was expected, given their condition.
Despite this, the emperor still dismounted with the help of his guard and went forward to each of these veterans, kindly addressing, greeting, and asking about their well-being. But the more he talked to these men, the more he realised one thing: some of them had fresh scars on their wrists and necks. It was apparent to Antonius, as a man familiar with various injuries, that these injuries were fresh, likely appearing within the past year.
With his mind growing increasingly concerned, Antonius asked the veterans, "How are your living conditions so far?"
The veterans immediately responded in unison, displaying the same level of military discipline they had years ago. "Oh, we are fine, Your Majesty! We are living happier than ever!"
The emperor continued, "Are you, in any way, being discriminated against or treated unfairly by any town folks, officials, or others?"
The veterans shook their heads.
The emperor frowned as he saw more and more veterans in such a pitiful state coming in. Finally, he asked, "Then what wish do you all have, my brothers?"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the veterans lit up with excitement. They stared at the emperor with a thirst in their eyes and yelled out the one wish they all had in mind. "Please, Your Majesty! Bring us back with you! Bring us back to the army! Bring us to the battlefield once again! Please, Your Majesty!"
Soon, others followed, going down on their knees one after another, holding their remaining arms up high, and screaming their requests with high spirits. "We can still fight, Your Majesty! Please, give us our blades, bring us back into the lines, bring us back on the ships! We can still spill our blood for you and the empire!"
"Yay!"
The cries grew louder and more impassioned, with each veteran trying to outdo the other in proving their loyalty and willingness to return to the front lines. The fervour in their voices echoed through the village, a poignant reminder of their past glories and their current despair. It was clear that their bodies were broken, but their spirits remained unyielded.
Antonius watched all of this before his eyes. Instead of feeling motivated, he felt shocked and saddened. He saw these men, obviously no longer combat-fit, acting as brave and energetic as possible. Their desperate yearning to return to the battlefield, despite their evident physical limitations, tugged at his heartstrings. These were the men who had once stood by him in the fiercest of battles, and now they were reduced to shadows of their former selves, yearning for a past that could never be reclaimed.
The young Leo, observing his father’s reactions, sensed the deep sorrow and helplessness that washed over Antonius. The boy, who had been so eager to explore and learn from this journey, now felt a heavy weight of reality. The tales of glory and honour were intertwined with suffering and sacrifice, a stark contrast to the excitement he had initially felt.
The commotion died down immediately as the emperor raised his hands. Silence fell over the gathered crowd, their eager faces turned towards him, waiting for his words.
"My brothers, tell me, with truth in your hearts, why do you really want to go onto the battlefield once again? If yes, tell me my brothers, why?"
"Your Majesty!"
A voice shot out from the crowd. Antonius looked at the man and recognised him immediately. It was Markos, a close associate who had once commanded a ship, guarded the Hagia Sophia, and was eventually pushed to retirement after losing an arm in the battle against Zaganos’ armies in Anatolia.
"Your Majesty, we are extraordinarily grateful to you for giving us a home, a sanctuary for the useless us when we were already incapacitated, unable to survive and thrive on our own. You even gave us arable lands we had long dreamed of when we were younger. Yes, we are extraordinarily grateful to you, Your Majesty. But we know ourselves, Your Majesty, that after a long time getting our hands dipped in the blood of the battlefield, enjoying the never-ending conquests across the known world, we are no longer the pure, immature boys we once were. It is indeed impossible for us to go back."
"Yes, Your Majesty," another man followed up. "Often we wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, with our spines shivering, our palms full of cold sweat because our hands still long for the feeling of grabbing a blade. Our noses are already used to the scents of war. All of us dream in the middle of the night about the deaths of our comrades, about slashing our blades through the necks of foes, and about armies of cavalries charging towards us. We dream it all. Our hands and hearts are already tainted with blood, and it is indeed impossible for us to return to this peaceful way of life now."
Antonius’ face dimmed as he looked at the group of veterans who had lost their ability to live a normal life.
"Your Majesty!" Another man rosed up on the ground. "I have no intention of saying this, but your Majesty! Our minds, and souls have been already completely defeated! We belong to no where but army camps! This kind if life in the countries are no longer made for us! Please, your Majesty!"
Antonius closed his eyes and sighed. A tear fell down Cerberus’s cheek as he stood by the emperor’s side, witnessing his old comrades in such a state. Young Leo stood behind, appalled by the sight before him.
"Let us go, Leo." The emperor reached out his hand, and the young boy grabbed it. They walked away, with the massive group of veterans following closely behind, as if still in their ranks.
As they ventured deeper into the village, Antonius realised that most of the houses were not like the ones he had seen earlier. Instead, more and more houses appeared poorly decorated, some without doors or windows, and others without beds. Most importantly, there were no women, no crops, no grains stored in barns, and no livestock in the pens. The village was a hollow shell of what it should have been.
As the wind blew, Antonius looked back and saw an old veteran, in his fifties, with a ribcage-like chest, skinny to the bones. He sat lifelessly, not even opening his eyes.
Antonius went to the old veteran, slowly bowed down, and whispered, shaking the old man’s hand. "My brother, wake up, wake up!"
The old veteran remained silent.
"Hey, my fellow old brother, it is your emperor here! Speak up!"
The old veteran still made no noise. As Antonius shook his body harder, the old veteran collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.
Antonius was appalled by the scene before him. He stood there for a moment before roaring at the sky. "What the hell is going on?" He coughed loudly, feeling suffocated, while Cerberus hurriedly came forward, afraid the emperor might fall.
After a few deep breaths, the emperor continued. "Who is responsible for this veteran’s village?"
"What?"
"Who is responsible for all of this?" The emperor, in sheer rage, roared again turning to the bunch of Veterans behind him.
Cerberus immediately turned around and called out to the veterans. "Who is the village chief?"
"I am, Your Majesty!" a voice came from the back. Another veteran hurriedly came forward, bowing before the emperor. "I am the village chief appointed to be in charge of this village, Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately grabbed Cerberus’s blade. He lunged towards the man before him, blade high in the air, roaring, "Why are my treasured veterans, my old brothers, like this? Where have you embezzled all of my money to? Spit my fundings out!"
