Chapter 24
The next day, even more exciting news arrived. Tisaphnis announced that the Greek mercenaries would be allowed to plunder in the area for supplies.
Everyone cheered, but Devers was silent. Looting … It was revenge against Little Cyrus! But what did the people here have to do with Little Cyrus's rebellion? … No! Just because they lived here, they had to suffer this disaster! Tisafniss was indeed vicious! But what about the Greeks? …
In the afternoon, Menon's mercenaries rushed into a village.
The quiet village was soon filled with screams and cries …
Devers saw with his own eyes that most of his comrades, who were usually close and friendly to him, had turned into bandits. They stabbed the Persia men who tried to stop them, kicked the old men who held them and begged, picked up the crying Persia women, broke into every house, took away the livestock, robbed the gold and silver, and carried away the food … Each of their faces showed a ferocious expression of greed and madness, which made Devers feel so strange.
Devers wandered weakly in the village like a wandering ghost. The soldiers who saw him cast surprised looks at him. There were Persia people lying on the ground, covered in blood, pointing at him and cursing. There were stumbling old men holding him and begging … Although he did not understand, he knew what they were cursing. What were they begging for? But there was nothing he could do.
As if avoiding the plague, he staggered and wanted to run to a deserted place to avoid the angry gazes that made him feel guilty. At the same time, he comforted himself in his heart, 'This is war. This is war!! I am forced … '
At this moment, a sudden scream woke him up. It was Olivers's voice!
Devers shivered. 'Olivers might be in danger!'
He quickly followed the sound and broke into a house. In the yard, a Persia man had fallen in a pool of blood. He didn't have time to think and kicked open the unlocked door. Olivers was naked, lying motionless on the bed. A woman was curled up at the head of the bed, and a girl about ten years old was standing next to the bed, holding a large rock in her hand, and her whole body was trembling …
Devers saw the situation and could roughly guess what had happened. Obviously, Olivers had taken a fancy to the beauty of the female owner, so he killed the male owner first, then forcibly carried the woman to the bed and ravaged her. Just as he was enjoying himself, his daughter, who was hiding, ran out and threw a stone at him …
Shameless! He cursed in his heart, but out of concern for his comrade, he shouted, "Olivers, are you alright?!"
Olivers did not answer, but the little girl woke up with a start. She quickly turned her head and saw another Greek soldier standing at the door. As if greatly agitated, she screamed, "Robber! Bandits! I'll smash you to death!! I'll smash you to death!! She threw the stone in her hand at Devers, and at the same time sprang at him.
The Devers subconsciously used the round shield in his left hand to block the rock, revealing the spear in his right hand.
The girl ignored the shining tip of the spear, and didn't dodge. She lunged at it like a madman.
Devers didn't have time to dodge. He only felt his right hand sink, and the girl's hands had just grabbed his face when she fell on him weakly.
The woman on the bed let out a desperate cry and threw herself at him naked. Devers took a few steps back weakly, and let the woman hug the girl with the spear in her chest tightly. The heart-wrenching cry was like a sharp knife stabbing into his heart, making him feel dizzy. He was about to faint, but someone held him up.
"Are you alright?!" In a daze, Devers heard Hilos' voice.
"I'm fine." He pushed Hilos away and slowly walked into the courtyard.
Hilos had noticed that something was wrong with Devers, so he had been following him. At this moment, although he was worried about Devers, he was even more worried about the safety of Olivers, who was in the house. He quickly rushed into the house …
When he walked out of the house, he found Devers sitting by the roadside, leaning against the wall, looking at the sky with a blank look in his eyes. He didn't move, and no one knew what he was thinking about …
Hilos wanted to pull him up, but he didn't think it was appropriate. After thinking for a while, he simply sat with Devers …
After an unknown amount of time, Devers suddenly stood up. He used a strange voice to shout loudly and repeatedly, and hot tears flowed down his cheeks …
After a moment, he calmed down and asked, "Where's the woman?"
"She's crazy." Hilos sighed.
Devers was silent for a long time, and then said, "Her husband and daughter died. Maybe going crazy is the best release for her …"
"Yes." Hilos felt the compassion in his words and said, "Olivers is fine. He was just knocked unconscious. He woke up just now and is resting in the house."
Devers didn't say anything. Hilos saw the cold light flashing in his eyes, and his heart couldn't help but shiver.
"Now, we have to ask the people in this village if there is anyone who is familiar with the geography of Persia." Devers stood up.
Hilos hesitated for a moment. "We just robbed them. I'm afraid they won't be willing to tell us."
"There will be a way to make them talk." Devers said calmly, but it made Hilos feel a chill. The Devers in front of him seemed to be a little different from before. Hilos didn't know whether this change was good or bad …
At dusk, the mercenaries left behind the village that was in a mess and crying, and returned with a full load. Devers also found the person he wanted — a Persia businessman. In order to make him talk, Devers also let Hilos and the others capture his wife and daughter. Although Tisafonis had ordered that no Persia was allowed to be captured as a slave, the Menon Barracks turned a blind eye to what Devers had done and even covered it up for him.
Devers successfully brought the man back to the barracks.
… …
"You mean our team has been heading northwest?" Devers looked at the Persia businessman named Marigi and asked. The interpreter next to him repeated Devers's words in Persia.
The short, slightly fat Persia man, who claimed to be a small businessman, glanced at Devers carefully, then quickly lowered his head and gestured with a branch on the grass. "According to what you said before, you are going back to Ionia. Ionia is in the Aegean Sea in the west. You have passed through Babylon, Audis, and now here … If you keep going west, not only is the journey long, but there is also the Taurus Mountains that are difficult to cross, and you have to take a detour … "
He looked up at Dyvers again. Seeing that Dyvers was listening attentively, he raised his voice. "So, you obviously went northwest along the Tigris River, passed through the Dukea Mountains, entered Amelia, and finally arrived at the Yoke Sea (the Black Sea), took a ship, and returned to Euria …"
"Oh, so that's how it is! It seems that Tisafonis's route arrangement makes sense, "Olivers shouted in sudden realization.
Devers noticed that Marigi's whole body trembled when he heard this. He immediately glared at Olivers.
"Shut up!" Matonis scolded in a low voice. Olivers, who usually liked to bicker with Matonis, actually stopped talking.
Devers stared at the sketch on the ground, looked at it carefully for a while, and asked, "Where do you think the march will be more troublesome in the future?"
Marigi said without hesitation, "The Dukea Mountains! The savage and fierce Dukea people live there, and they will not let strangers pass through their land easily, but … "He glanced at Olivers and quickly said," Your team is very large, and there are Persia people leading the way, so it should be easy to pass through. "
"How do you know that our team is large?" Devers immediately asked.
"Because … because before I came in, I saw your barracks one after another …" Marigi's voice began to tremble.
Devers patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, you have good observation skills. Do you know Tisafonis? "
Marigi immediately shook his head. Suddenly, he thought of something and began to nod vigorously, and his voice trembled even more, "I only heard that … because he once … accused our lord Cyrus of treason … and almost got his head chopped off …"
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