After the success of the siege and the complete annihilation of the enemy army, the Hysin soldiers were looting all buildings without exception. They were breaking into homes, and when they found nothing of value, they would set the houses on fire. They dragged thousands of people out of their homes by force, and then they slaughtered half of the people they had dragged out.
I witnessed the operation, and I was a part of this... this massacre. I wanted to complain. I wanted to resist. But that seal restricts my freedom, and I will always be a slave to them. And if I try to resist, perhaps they will think I'm useless, just like the others...
They will dispose of me... This might seem hypocritical, but this is the world. Not just here, but in any world, where power is justice. And this world is bound by that rule too...
Julius looked at the remaining people with clear disgust on his face. That's normal when you look at your enemy's army.
"Listen to me well. Take these and chain them up so they don't rebel. I've sent a message; the army will come soon and prepare carts for these prisoners. Don't overdo it."
The soldiers nodded their heads in agreement and gave him a slight smile. Some of them in the back were laughing because of the hidden meaning in his words. I probably knew what he meant, but I didn't want to find out.
I looked towards the prisoners. They were crying even though they didn't know what the soldiers were talking about. They knew their fate was sealed the moment they were invaded.
"O Giant of Hysin, Atlas."
When he called me, I looked down, lowered my body slightly, and looked at him. My shadow almost covered the entire square.
"Yes?"
It was just one word from me, but I saw expressions of fear and admiration on their faces, and Julius tensed up a little and steeled his nerves. This is normal. It's like a mouse talking to a tiger.
"You have made great contributions in your first battle. I appreciate this. You can rest now."
He said this to me. I nodded my head in agreement and went to a place near the wall and sat down, causing a slight tremor. After this, Julius turned and issued instructions to the rest of the army....
I saw how he issued them and how everyone went to their places. I was just watching what they were doing.
After they finished, they began extensive sweeping operations and took any supplies found in the storerooms and placed them in their carts. They were taking the necessary amount.
Hmm?
I saw two soldiers carrying two bags of gold heading to a specific place. They were near me, and I heard their conversation.
"Man, this war is so easy!" the first soldier spoke happily.
"Yeah, thanks to this big boy," the second soldier spoke, nodding his head towards me.
"I hope there's always someone like him in the war; it will be easy," the first soldier spoke.
"Man, if it weren't for the fact that he's the son of that man, that giant wouldn't be on our side," the second soldier spoke.
"His son?" Atlas thought internally.
"We're lucky, man."
The two soldiers went away. I wondered what they meant by that. Is there something hidden here that I don't know? Perhaps I was in an isolated place, under surveillance in every move I make. In addition to the seal, I was completely restricted in my choices.
I saw Zander, who was eating chicken meat while walking happily. I extended my hand slightly and poked him gently.
"Huh? Who is it?!" Zander looked angrily, but his expression changed when he looked up. "Atlas? What's the matter? Is there a problem?"
"I have a question," I spoke in as low a voice as possible to avoid many people hearing it due to my huge size.
"Go ahead," Zander spoke, crossing his arms.
"Is Julius the king's son?" I asked in a low voice.
"What?" Zander replied in disbelief.
"Because he seems like a good leader. Since I'm here, I thought he was the king's son."
"What, he's not his son?! Pfft, you mean because he's the son of that annoying Marquis," Zander spoke mockingly.
"Who is that?" I asked curiously.
"Ah, right, you barely know things about the real world... Hmmm," Zander spoke, scratching his beard and thinking a little.
"So let me ask you, why do you think the king chose him?" he asked.
"Umm, because he's the army commander?" I replied.
"Wrong, boy. Let me tell you the truth of the matter," Zander spoke.
"He was the son of a Marquis. His father is Julius Din Dislenro. He was one of the biggest supporters of the king and had great loyalty to him, even before he became the new king of the kingdom. In short, he's a lucky bastard who won the bet," Zander spoke in an annoyed tone while continuing his speech.
"And when the war broke out, most of the nobles caused a fuss because their sons would go to war without exception. (Sigh) These stupid rich people never stop causing problems, even if the fate of the kingdom is at stake. It's good there are only a few of them, otherwise I'd suffer from a huge headache because of them," Zander spoke, putting his hand on his head as if suffering from a slight headache.
"So what happened?" I asked in a low voice.
"The king decided to send his two sons, Andres and Gryphus, to war on two different fronts. This calmed the atmosphere a bit among the nobles. But those annoying people caused a fuss again about Julius, and then the king decided to appoint Julius as the war commander on the Northern Front to silence the nobles, and to ensure his safety, he sent you to ensure his safety."
Ah, so it's something like nepotism. I've seen things like this before. No wonder the soldiers mock him. Most of them are here for the war, while a group of them know about this matter. I understand.
"So what about Myard? Isn't my presence in the war because of Myard's attack?" I asked.
"That's the second reason, not the first," Zander replied mockingly.
"Oh."
"You don't know much about the outside world, do you? The only things you know are fighting in the style of a living siege weapon, right? You're lucky, Atlas. A damn lucky bastard because you don't have to deal with all this nonsense," Zander spoke in a tired tone.
"It seems difficult. Shouldn't they be by the king's side in times like these?"
"I know..... Hey, since you're free like this, come and help us clean up the square. There are still a large number of corpses that need cleaning..."
".....Okay."
I got up and went in a certain direction and began the work Zander told me to do, and I was still feeling some psychological pain inside.
I was walking in the square, gathering them.
I was collecting the corpses of the Myard soldiers as if they were small dolls in my hand, putting them in a cart I carried with my other hand. I was grabbing groups and placing them on the cart. After the cart was full, I placed it in that place where the soldiers were sorting their loot.
They were stripping their armor, or their belongings, and a small mountain of blood-stained armor was forming. They threw the corpses into a specific pile when the corpses were of no use.
They saw me and moved away a little. I steadied the cart, and many corpses fell in a specific spot, creating some dust.
"Damn, you're fast," a soldier spoke, protecting his face from the dust.
"He's making us work quickly," another soldier muttered while taking a corpse and doing his work.
As I was getting up, I saw some houses, and there were soldiers guarding them. Those houses were packed with people inside. That was their way of ensuring they didn't try to escape.
They were looking at me with fear and hatred. I felt as if they were cursing me, with their eyes full of pure hatred towards me, for I was the cause of all this.
I ignored them and continued my work. As I walked, my eye was twitching violently... I know. But there's no going back now. It's done. There is no salvation for me from them. I am the enemy, and they are my enemies. There is no sympathy in war.
This is war. You are either the victor or the defeated.
.
.
.
In a place inside the occupied castle, the hallways that were once decorated with elegant furniture and carpets were now covered in blood. In the Lord's room, there was a person with his head cut off, wearing luxurious clothes. His body had been taken away by the soldiers. Julius was sitting with his hands clasped on the table, looking at two people.
"So, how are things going, Baron Edmund?"
"Going smoothly, young master Julius. Thanks to your wisdom and the strength of this giant, it will be easy," replied Edmund, a slender man with black hair and a long mustache, wearing armor more elegant than most knights.
"Please stop saying that. I'm 19 years old. We are at war, not in our home," Julius replied jokingly.
"So, what do you think of our current situation now?"
"Our situation is good. We haven't lost a large number of soldiers at all, we haven't even started using our supplies yet, and we have already taken control of the fortress. I managed to lead the soldiers and control the population quickly and effectively. I'm sure your father is proud of you," Edmund spoke.
"But do you think the King will praise me?" he asked with a straight face.
"Just look around you, Master Julius. You managed to take control of this fortress in less than a day. This is a remarkable achievement; it might one day be recorded in history books. I'm sure the King is proud of your accomplishment."
"Thank you. But I don't think I'm the one who will be mentioned in the books," Julius spoke, looking out the window.
All the people in the room looked towards Atlas, who was carrying soldiers who looked, from a distance, like dolls and placing them on carts. He could be easily seen due to his great height; he was taller than the castle itself.
"This giant... he really scares me... I honestly don't know why the King placed him beside us. I mean, we could win easily without him," Edmund spoke with arrogance and fear.
"Yeah, right?" Julius muttered sarcastically.
"What?" Edmund asked, not hearing what he was saying.
"You may leave now, Edmund. I have some business with this knight here," Julius spoke, smiling at him.
"It's always an honor to serve you, young master," Edmund spoke as he left.
"So, Oslo, what do you think?" Julius spoke, indicating the second person after Edmund's departure. He was a knight, but bulkier than the other knights and fully armored, carrying a unique warhammer on his back.
"Good... not bad, for now. The idea of killing half the population to control them and instill fear is precise and effective. The King will look favorably upon the battle achievements," Oslo spoke.
"Just say it. I know you were one of the King's guards before becoming an official knight beside my father, who sent you to me personally. Tell me what you think. Will he look at my achievements?" Julius asked bluntly.
"..."The king will only look at the results of the Titan to see how useful it is and perhaps he will look at how you are leading and he may praise you, but ultimately, it is all tied to how Titan is able to change the course of the war, and your job is just to ensure the front is secured and reduce the pressure of the war on the kingdom so that we can respond to our neighbors."
"I see.... Hmmm," Julius spoke, thinking deeply.
"What if we tell the King that he is useless and caused nothing but trouble? We could bribe the soldiers. This way, we maintain and increase the impact of my achievements, and my fame grows," Julius said.
"That's far-fetched. He has the slave seal. The moment the King command him, he will tell the truth immediately. And when the King finds out, he will be... the marquis will be on an awkward situation," Oslo replied, refuting his idea.
"What about killing him in his sleep? I know what he's capable of, but he won't be alert. We'll tell the commanders he rebelled against us, and we can use that as a good excuse?" Julius said while crossing his arms.
"Did you hit your head on something this morning?" Oslo asked, crossing his arms.
"What? No, why?" Julius asked suspiciously.
"The previous kings put a lot of effort into those giants, not to mention a high-level slave seal. Do you know what that means? It means the moment he dies, his last moments will be seen by the king himself, and when he learn about what happened, the entire Din Dislenro family will be executed."
"So, unless you want your entire family's domain burned and the entire Din Dislenro lineage to die because of a stupid thing called fame and glory, don't mess this up. Do you understand?"
"My role here is to watch over you, specifically to prevent you from committing such stupidities. The Marquis warned me. He was afraid you might do something foolish, and his intuition was right because not even one day has passed, one day! (He raises his finger) and here you are, about to cause the death of your family," Oslo spoke with anger in his voice.
"Just act like a war commander. We are not playing a game, Julius. We are at war. And any stupid action will not only destroy your family but the kingdom as well. So, act as you should act here. Is that understood?" Oslo asked in a threatening tone.
"Yes, Oslo," Julius replied submissively.
"Good. And remember this: this conversation never happened," Oslo spoke as he left through the door.
Julius let out a sigh as he stood up and looked out the window. He saw that Atlas had finished his work.
"Atlas, you are the strongest weapon the kingdom has ever found. A weapon so powerful and big that you overshadow me. Unless I find a way to distinguish myself in the war, or get rid of you, no one will see me as a suitable heir to the family."
"It would have been better if they replaced you with some soldiers, or some mages. Then, dealing with them would be easy. But... life is always like this, extremely annoying. Just like you, giant."
Julius looked at Atlas from the window, looking at him with hatred and malice, while gritting his teeth with suppressed anger.
Atlas felt something strange and looked towards the window, sensing Julius's presence. At that moment, they both looked at each other in silence, each continuing on their own path.