TOPWL 242

One by one, the others began to wake and fix their gaze on the soldier. Darham had not brought the man here for nothing. If they could enter through the water channels rather than a simple crawlspace, it would drastically change the number of troops they could bring inside. Access to the aqueducts would skyrocket their chances of victory. With a voice full of anticipation, Darham held onto the soldier’s shoulders.

“Gotha’s aqueducts are famous for their complexity. Do you remember the path through them?”

“I do, but… it’s no use. Those channels have already been blocked.”

“Blocked?”

“I told a friend about them; he had a lover outside the walls, but he was caught by a superior. They did maintenance work a few years ago and… sealed them off.”

The soldier spoke with an air of embarrassment. The small spark of hope that had just ignited seemed to flicker out.

“Even with maintenance, they wouldn’t have sealed every single path.”

Khalid, who had been sitting near the soldier, spoke up. The soldier didn’t recognize Khalid, but sensing he was a man of high rank, he nodded frantically.

“I, I wouldn’t know about that, sir. My apologies.”

“It seems worth investigating. What do you all think?”

Yudit addressed the group. Sensing that this was their final chance, the faces of those gathered grew grim and determined.

***

“Mister, is there anything interesting in there?”

Kani asked Jepetto, who was idly reading a newspaper after setting out his wares in front of the general store. Jepetto, sporting a thick, bushy gray beard, looked at Kani intently.

Kani, who had been left an orphan after losing her mother and having her father conscripted into the army, followed Jepetto like a father. Jepetto, having only two sons of his own, treated Kani like a daughter. Out of pity for her being alone, he had offered to let her live in his house, but Kani insisted on managing her own household at a young age, saying she had to be home for when her father returned.

Jepetto pulled a lollipop from his pocket, handed it to her, and spoke.

“It says the Imperial Army is withdrawing.”

“Really?”

“That’s what’s written in the paper.”

Kani clasped her hands together with a bright smile.

“That’s great news!”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

Jepetto had a very gloomy expression, in contrast to the happy Kani. Kani sounded perplexed as she asked.

“Why? Isn’t it good if the Imperial Army leaves?”

“It’s because of the First Prince. Right now he’s as quiet as a dead mouse because of the Empire, but will he really stay still once they’re gone?”

As Kani unwrapped the lollipop, she belatedly remembered that Jepetto’s sons worked as guards in the capital. She also recalled how the captain of the guard, who supported the Second Prince, had allowed the Second Prince and the Imperial Army into the castle.

The First Prince’s tyranny was already legendary. Even as a young prince, he was quick to use violence against anyone he disliked. Back then, it was just beatings, but after he beat a young man to death in a crowded square just for stepping on his foot during an undercover outing, he developed a taste for murder. He was now killing one or two people every month. Although it was kept quiet, the commoners knew of his brutality through word of mouth. Since one of his sons worked at the palace, Jepetto knew better than anyone.

‘The First Prince is insane. He tore a courtesan limb from limb just because she gave him a disease. Now he kidnaps younger and younger girls to use as playthings before killing them and throwing them away. Just the other day, he ordered my colleague to kidnap a girl who was only nine years old!’

His son’s voice, bordering on a scream, rang in his ears. Jepetto closed his eyes. Even a low ranking soldier like his son was that tormented, so it was only natural that the captain of the guard, who saw the First Prince’s actions firsthand, would support the Second Prince. The problem, however, was what would happen after the Imperial Army left. Since they had opened the gates to the enemy, the lives of the captain and all the guards were in peril.

“But why are they leaving so fast after coming all this way?”

Kani asked while sucking on the lollipop Jepetto had given her. Jepetto looked down at the newspaper and spoke with a sigh.

“They say Prince Hiore killed Prince Azil. It seems that has caused some trouble.”

“Who are they?”

“Princes of the Empire.”

“Ah.”

Kani sat on a chair next to Jepetto and swung her legs. Just then, a sound drifted from down the road.

“Mister, don’t you hear something?”

“Hm? What sound?”

“Like… footsteps…”

By the time Jepetto finally heard the rhythmic thumping of the army’s march, his [Read on]face had frozen like stone.

“Oh no.”

He quickly scooped Kani up and scrambled to clear the chairs away.

“Get inside, Kani. Now! Hurry!”

As soon as her feet hit the floor, Kani scurried into the shop. Jepetto threw a heavy tarp over the modest goods he had displayed outside and followed her in. He bolted the door and drew the curtains, plunging the once sunlit shop into sudden darkness.

“Mister…”

“Shh.”

Jepetto pressed a forefinger to his lips, warning her to stay silent. Kani immediately clamped both hands over her mouth. Crouching down, Jepetto lifted a corner of the curtain just enough to peer through the crack.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. With a chilling, mechanical precision, the soldiers marched across the road. Red cloaks, the color of the Adenauer national flag, fluttered in the wind. It looked like the winding progression of a long serpent. The Imperial Army was leaving. Jepetto closed his eyes.

Tens of minutes passed until the sound of footsteps finally faded into nothing. Only then did Jepetto stand. A heavy silence had pooled over the street where the army had just passed. He turned to see Kani still blocking her own mouth. He pulled the frozen child into an embrace and stroked her back.

“It’s over now. It’s okay.”

“Mmm… okay.”

Kani’s small frame was trembling. To those without power, the sight of an army of that scale; regardless of whose side they were on, was enough to turn the blood to ice. Kani clutched the hem of Jepetto’s shirt with her tiny hands. As he patted her back, the lines around Jepetto’s eyes deepened with worry.

 ****

“.…..”

Jepetto stepped into the storehouse to check the status of his supplies. There were three sacks of flour, two sacks of mixed barley, oats, and beans, three bottles of oil, a jar of honey, bundles of herbs, hardtack, and a small pile of dried fruits and nuts. His stock of candles and lamp oil was also nearly depleted. He had hoarded these things when his sons warned him that war might break out, but after selling small amounts to pleading neighbors, almost nothing remained. He supposed he should be grateful the war was ending before his supplies ran out completely.

As he meticulously recorded the quantities in his notebook, the dust in the storehouse made him cough. A single ray of sunlight pierced through a hole in the wall, illuminating the dancing dust motes. Once finished, he hammered a wooden board over the hole to block the light and shut the storehouse door. He secured it with three separate padlocks and tucked the ring of keys deep into his clothes.

Jepetto had just finished cleaning the empty display counters and was about to open the shop when the door burst open. Kani stood there, her face contorted as she gasped for air.

“Kani?”

“Mister… quick, to the square…!”

Even as she struggled to breathe after her long run, her face remained deathly pale. Jepetto felt a knot of fear form in his stomach.He raced toward the square [visit our site]without even bothering to close the shop door.

“Hah… hah…”

The square was already crowded with people. When Jepetto looked toward the far end, the blood drained from his face. A gallows had been erected there, a massive execution platform capable of hanging more than ten people at once. He began to shove his way through the crowd, desperate to reach the front.

“Ah…!”

“Stop pushing!”

“Who does he think he is?”

The people he jostled voiced their complaints, but Jepetto didn’t have a second to spare for apologies. He focused entirely on moving forward. A line of men stood atop the gallows. They were the guards who had manned the back gate, including the captain. Jepetto squinted, scanning the row of men. And then, in that line, he saw the person he had prayed never to see there.

His face twisted in agony as he whispered.

“My son…”