"My lord, 2,437 hostages have been arrested. Among them we have only Baron Creus; the rest of the traitor nobles, according to versions from the survivors, died under the attack of the cannons."
"Oh, bring him before me; I want to ask him a few questions."
André was surprised that only Baron Creus had survived. It should be known that these people are the ones who most value their lives and would be the first to escape.
A moment later, kneeling in front of André was an old man with a pale face. André almost did not recognize him when he saw him: he seemed to have aged ten years in the time André had not seen him.
"Do you want to mock me, boy? Well then, here I am. I don't care about anything, since I lost… this old man accepts it. I will only tell you that I wait for you in hell, puh." Baron Creus tried to spit in André's face, but the latter dodged it.
André looked deeply at Baron Creus, without hatred for his actions now. Instead, he was trying to see his line of thought. After an analysis he said suddenly:
"You are looking for me to kill you, right? What made you lose attachment to your life? I don't believe it was the recent defeat."
Upon being discovered by André, Baron Creus no longer hid and said what he had in his heart:
"What does it matter? Please do a favor for this old man and end my life. My wife died and now my son died in front of me. I no longer have the strength to continue in this world."
Upon hearing Baron Creus's words, André then realized what was happening to him. Seeing his son die in front of him must have been a tremendous shock, and this old man lost all longing for life. Fearing that whatever he said would not change his mind, André decided to fulfill his wish and execute him right there. After all, he had already won and carried out a thorough cleaning in the viscounty.
"Very well, may you meet your family in your other life."
André drew his pistol and was ready to execute Baron Creus.
"Wait!" Then the old man said suddenly, causing confusion in André. He had not expected to have seen wrong.
"Did you regret it when you saw death near?" André asked jokingly.
"No, I only want to thank you for not embarrassing me further and fulfilling my wish."
Then Baron Creus searched inside his armor and took out an object with a thick cloth wrapping. He handed it to André.
"This is my treasure. When I was young I found it in an ancient tomb near Death City. I believe it contains a great secret regarding this world. It's just that the book seems very damaged and most of it cannot be read. There is also a map that I do not understand, but I am certain it is in the mine. I hope you have better luck than I in this matter."
André took the object, which was not very thick, and was surprised by the old man's words. Then he put it away in his clothes and continued with what he had to do.
"Then, goodbye, Baron Ángel Creus. I wish you had not rebelled; we would have been great friends."
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Two shots in the chest and one in the forehead. Then Baron Creus could not be more dead.
"André!" Then André heard a voice full of concern and reproach behind him. Upon turning around he saw Rose and Alicia approaching with tears in their eyes.
"Why did you have to do that personally? You should have left it to the soldiers." Alicia scolded André's behavior a moment earlier, and Rose at the side nodded accordingly. Both had listened from the beginning, so they knew why it happened, but they did not agree that André should do it personally.
"It is something I must do personally, to show him a little respect."
"But you are barely eleven years old," Alicia said something that even André forgets very often.
Even though he was in the Middle Ages, it was not normal for an eleven-year-old child to execute a person without showing any reaction. There was the concern of the two.
"Colonel Hugo, arrange these prisoners to do forced labor in the mine. Send them all to the confidential area."
"Yes, my lord."
"As for Baron Creus and his son, bury them on their lands."
This was the last favor André did for him.
"Let's go and talk in the carriage." André indicated to the two girls that they follow him.
After much persuasion, André convinced the girls that everything was fine.
After a moment, André prepared to investigate what Baron Creus had given him before his death.
"Let's see what we have here."
Unwrapping the package, what he found was a book in very poor condition. It seemed to be a diary, which made him doubt whether what the old man said was true. Then he looked at the title: César Conte | First General of the World Empire.
André was very surprised. The World Empire was the first and only empire to unify the world.
"Wow, let's see what things the first general of a unified world has to say."
André tried to open the book with great expectation.
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