The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 20 - The Next Day

Even more exciting news arrived: Tissaphernes announced that the Greek mercenaries could plunder the area to obtain supplies.

The soldiers cheered, but Juleios remained silent. Plundering... a revenge against Darius the Younger? But do the people here have anything to do with Cyrus's rebellion? ... No! They're suffering just because they happen to live here. Tissaphernes truly is vicious. And as for the Greeks...

That afternoon, Menon's mercenaries stormed into a village.

The once-peaceful village was soon filled with screams and cries.

Juleios witnessed his usually friendly and close comrades transforming into bandits. They stabbed Persian men trying to stop them, kicked over pleading elders, carried away wailing Persian women, broke into homes, took livestock, looted gold and silver, and seized food supplies. On every face was an expression of greed and frenzy, a grotesque distortion that Juleios found alien and unsettling.

Like a ghost, Juleios wandered aimlessly through the village, drained of energy. His soldiers cast him puzzled looks. Blood-soaked Persians on the ground cursed him, while staggering elders clung to him in desperate pleas. Though he couldn't understand their words, he knew what they were cursing and begging for. But he was powerless.

Stumbling as though escaping a plague, he fled to a secluded spot to avoid those angry, accusing eyes that deepened his guilt. He kept trying to comfort himself: This is war. This is war!! I was forced into this...

Suddenly, a piercing scream brought him back to his senses—it was Olivers' voice!

Juleios shuddered. Olivers might be in danger.

He rushed toward the sound, barging into a house. In the courtyard, a Persian man lay dead in a pool of blood. Without hesitation, Juleios kicked open the half-closed door. Inside, Olivers lay motionless on a bed, naked. At the bedside, a woman curled up in fear, and beside her stood a ten-year-old girl, trembling as she held a large stone.

Taking in the scene, Juleios could piece together what had happened: Olivers must have been attracted to the woman's beauty, killed her husband, and then forcibly dragged her onto the bed. During the assault, the hidden daughter emerged and struck him down with a stone.

Shameless! Juleios cursed inwardly but still called out in concern for his comrade, "Olivers, are you alright?!"

Olivers didn't respond, but his voice startled the girl. She turned her head and, seeing another Greek soldier at the door, screamed shrilly as though deeply provoked: "Robbers! Robbers! I'll kill you! Kill you all!"

Instinctively, Juleios blocked the incoming stone with his round shield in his left hand, revealing the spear he held in his right.

The girl ignored the shining spearhead and, in a frenzy, lunged straight at him.

Juleios had no time to evade. He only felt a weight on his right hand as the girl's hands clawed weakly at his face before collapsing onto him.

The woman on the bed let out a desperate scream and, still naked, threw herself at Juleios. He staggered back, allowing the woman to embrace the girl, who now had the spear embedded in her chest. Her heart-wrenching cries were like daggers stabbing Juleios' conscience, leaving him dizzy. Just as he was about to faint, someone caught him.

"Are you okay?!" In a daze, Juleios recognized Xilos' voice.

"I'm fine." He pushed Xilos away and slowly walked to the courtyard.

Xilos had been following Juleios, noticing his odd behavior. Although worried about Juleios, Xilos was more concerned for Olivers and quickly ran inside.

When he emerged, he found Juleios sitting by the roadside, leaning against the courtyard wall, staring blankly at the sky, lost in thought.

Xilos hesitated to pull him up, feeling it wasn't the right time. Instead, he sat down beside him.

After some time, Juleios suddenly stood up and, in a strange voice, let out repeated cries. Tears streamed down his face.

Moments later, he calmed down and asked, "What about the woman?"

"She's gone mad," Xilos sighed.

Juleios fell silent for a long while before saying, "She lost her husband and daughter. Perhaps madness is her best release..."

"Yes," Xilos agreed, sensing Juleios' pity. He added, "Olivers is fine. He was just knocked unconscious and is now resting inside."

Juleios didn't respond, but a flash of coldness in his eyes made Xilos shiver.

"Now, we need to ask if anyone in this village knows Persian geography," Juleios said, standing up.

Xilos hesitated. "We just looted them. They probably won't want to tell us anything."

"We'll find a way to make them talk," Juleios said lightly, sending a chill through Xilos. Something about Juleios seemed different now. Xilos couldn't tell if the change was good or bad...

By dusk, the mercenaries left the devastated village, laden with spoils. Amid the chaos, Juleios found the person he was looking for—a Persian merchant. To make him talk, Juleios had Xilos capture the merchant's wife and daughter.

Though Tissaphernes had explicitly forbidden taking any Persians as slaves, everyone in Menon's camp turned a blind eye to Juleios' actions, even helping him cover them up.

Juleios successfully brought the merchant back to the camp.

"You're saying our army has been heading northwest this whole time?" Juleios asked the Persian merchant, Marigi. A translator repeated the question in Persian.

Marigi, a short, slightly plump man claiming to be a small-time trader, glanced cautiously at Juleios before lowering his head and drawing on the ground with a stick. "Based on what you've described, you're trying to return to Ionia. Because of the mountains, you'll have to take a detour..."

Seeing that Juleios was listening intently, Marigi's voice grew louder. "It's clear that you're marching northwest along the Tigris River, through the Tukhia Mountains and Armenia, and eventually to the Euxine Sea—the Black Sea—to board ships back to Ionia."

"Oh, so that's the plan! It seems Tissaphernes' route is reasonable after all," Olivers exclaimed in realization.

Juleios noticed Marigi shudder at Olivers' words and immediately shot him a glare.

"Shut up!" Matonis growled softly. The usually argumentative Olivers obediently fell silent.

Juleios studied the ground sketch carefully for a while before asking, "Where along our route do you think we'll face the most trouble?"

Marigi replied without hesitation, "The Tukhia Mountains! The locals are fierce and won't let outsiders pass easily. But—" He glanced at Olivers before quickly adding, "Your army is large, and you have Persians leading you. You should pass through easily."

"How do you know our army is large?" Juleios asked immediately.

"Because... because before I came in, I saw your camps stretching one after another..." Marigi stammered.

Juleios patted his shoulder and smiled. "Don't be afraid. You're observant. Do you know Tissaphernes?"

Marigi shook his head vigorously but then, as if remembering something, started nodding. His voice trembled even more. "I only heard of him... He once... reported our lord Cyrus for treason... almost getting him executed..."

Juleios stared at him, and Marigi avoided his gaze nervously.

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In that bloody era, survival forced Juleios to adapt. War was cruel.