Ch. 155 Interrogation

Psh—

A head flew up in front of Artoria.

Perhaps such a scene was a bit too violent for a young girl in a white dress.

But that’s war.

Bloodshed and death are unavoidable.

As long as the enemy is dealt with cleanly, there is no such thing as cruelty.

“This is the last one.” Merlin was also holding a sword.

Though he was a magus.

Clearly, he was better at eliminating troublesome enemies through physical means.

Artoria’s white dress was stained with the blood of enemies; she wiped an itchy spot on her face, leaving a streak of red on her palm.

She casually wiped it off on her clothes.

Aside from the corpses, there was only an empty expanse around them.

“Baaa—”

A sheep stepped over the corpse of an Anglo-Saxon, wandering across the grass.

The knight sat on his horse not far away.

With bloodshot eyes, he scanned the fields before him.

Then he blew the horn signaling the end of the battle.

Just like what people occasionally heard in the village, it followed a unique pattern.

Anyone who had heard this sound before would likely be drawn to it.

Mia had already gathered a group of survivors where she was.

“Are you an angel?” a young girl asked Mia, who was comforting her; the girl sat on the ground, her clothes stained with crimson blood.

“I’m just a magus,” Mia said truthfully.

It was quiet after the battle; the Soldiers were gathering the remains of the victims. The civilians who had survived the ordeal watched from a distance; aside from the relatives and friends of the deceased, not many people were crying.

Perhaps it was because Mia had previously shown her abilities as a magus, giving some people unrealistic expectations of her.

“Can you save my dog?” a herdsman asked with a mournful face, holding a sheepdog that had been dead for quite some time.

The loyal sheepdog had shielded its master when he was attacked, sacrificing its own life.

“…No.” Mia didn’t know how to face such a request.

It wasn’t that the villagers were greedy—Mia had saved many of their lives, but some still wanted more.

Rather, these people had nothing left to lose.

Livestock losses were heavy in this raid.

Most had run into the wilderness or woods in their fright.

Before long, the Soldiers had compiled statistics on the casualties.

Among those Mia couldn’t save were four Soldiers and twenty-one villagers.

Other losses were countless: property taken by fleeing Anglo-Saxons, livestock that couldn’t be found anywhere, and so on.

The only good news was that after Egde blew the horn three times, all the survivors had returned.

No one was missing due to the raid.

“We caught a live one!” several Soldiers pushed an Anglo-Saxon into the crowd.

People looked at him with rage, wishing they could eat him alive.

It was the Anglo-Saxon leader who had been sent flying by Wilden earlier.

He was held up by two Soldiers, his mouth covered in blood.

Knight Egde had long since dismounted; he sat on a crate, looking at the Anglo-Saxon who was brought before him and kicked to his knees.

The Anglo-Saxon mumbled something and then spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.

“Does anyone speak the Anglo-Saxon language?” Egde asked loudly.

“I’ll do it.” Mia had been watching the Anglo-Saxon for a while.

She knew very well why these villagers were fleeing and also knew Egde’s thoughts.

“You and your companions have truly been a great help to us, Miss Mia,” Egde said, shaking his head slightly.

He sighed with emotion.

These travelers from elsewhere had left a deep impression on him.

Without Mia, Artoria, and the others, this raid, where the Anglo-Saxons had the numerical advantage, would surely have ended in the defeat of the Britons.

And more than that.

It would have been a true massacre.

“It’s fine,” Mia smiled. “I never feel like I’ve done too much when people are thanking me.”

“What do you want to ask, Knight Egde?”

Egde pondered for a moment. “Ask him why he’s here and when their main force will arrive.”

Mia nodded and relayed Egde’s questions to the Anglo-Saxon.

The Anglo-Saxon wasn’t surprised that he could understand Mia’s words.

He actually spoke the British tongue as well.

The Anglo-Saxon cursed in the British tongue.

No translation from Mia was needed; everyone heard it.

Egde’s face darkened. “I’ll ask again: why are you here, and where is your main force?”

The Anglo-Saxon had a tooth knocked out; with his hands tied behind his back, he had no way to resist.

“You’re all going to die soon, Christians. Nothing will be left of you,” the Anglo-Saxon threatened.

“We are only a small part. All the clans are gathered under our King’s command; he will lead us to crush you.”

“Your King?” Egde frowned and leaned forward.

“Ptooey—” The Anglo-Saxon spat blood in Egde’s face.

The knight’s face instantly turned black with rage; he stood up furiously and kicked the Anglo-Saxon to the ground.

The Anglo-Saxon laughed loudly on the ground. “The King of Anglia, Vortigern! He will soon crush you like grains of sand.”

“You can wail and beg for mercy all you want, but death is certain. You’re a bunch of cowards, Christians!”

The Anglo-Saxon struggled to crawl back up and knelt on the ground.

“A warrior’s axe will split your skulls, and we shall find glory in battle. The Anglo-Saxons are the chosen kings of this land!”

Smack—

The Anglo-Saxon’s shouting was interrupted by a crisp slap.

It was Artoria.

“Is your so-called glory invading others’ lands and massacring their people?”

“Twist it however you want with your talk of cowards and losers,” the Anglo-Saxon glared at Artoria. “If I agree with even a single word you say, let Hela drag me down to the deepest abyss of Helheim.”

“Enough.” Egde stood up. “Hang him, then string up his corpse.”

The Soldiers who had been suppressing their anger for a long time stepped forward.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Anglo-Saxon, who had been so arrogant and acted ready to die, began to struggle violently.

“Coward! Have the guts to fight me! Kill me in battle!” He kicked his legs desperately as the Soldiers dragged him further away.

People scrambled to crowd around, wanting to see the last moments of this Anglo-Saxon bandit leader.

“Those heathens,” Egde said, looking toward where the crowd had gathered. “They believe only those who die in battle can go to heaven. Truly a bunch of savages.”

The knight made the sign of the cross on his chest.

The Anglo-Saxon was hanged from a tree.

Acknowledgments Chapter

I haven’t been feeling well these past few days, and I haven’t thanked everyone for the tickets. I’ll open a special chapter to make up for it.