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“Damn it.”

Wiping blood and flesh off his face, Dian cursed.

Meanwhile, Linus had already reached the command post of the human alliance and was furiously confronting the officers.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Launching people with catapults?!”

The corps commander looked baffled by the sudden appearance of a young man and turned to his staff.

“Who the hell is this bastard?”

“I believe he’s one of those people from the Palace, mentioned recently.”

Upon hearing the report from a staff member, the commander raised an eyebrow and straightened his posture.

“Apologies. You don’t look like the typical noble. So, you’re from the special unit of the Imperial Palace?”

“What’s the meaning of this? Why are you launching demons instead of projectiles?”

“Oh, that.”

The commander glanced at the catapults launching demon prisoners again.

“They’re demon prisoners we captured. They’re low-ranking soldiers with no use to us, so we’re sending them to demoralize the ones holed up in the castle.”

“You think the demons will surrender because of that? They’re retaliating by launching our prisoners back at us!”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

From above, several humans fell and exploded upon hitting the ground. Some collided midair, causing a gruesome scene.

“Damn it!”

“Uweek!”

Soldiers covered in the debris cursed or vomited violently, retreating in horror.

Seeing this, Linus shouted in anger.

“Stop this immediately! This is unacceptable!”

“What’s acceptable in war? You do whatever it takes to win.”

“There’s no law that allows the execution of prisoners like this. This only results in our prisoners being killed in retaliation!”

“Haha, you special unit folks don’t get it.”

The commander laughed, tapping his baton on the table.

“We’re fighting demons here. These horned bastards don’t play by normal rules. We’re in a desperate gamble where it’s victory or annihilation.”

“That doesn’t mean we should become like them. Stop this at once.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll exercise the authority granted to the special unit by the Imperial Palace.”

Debating the treatment of enemy prisoners in such a critical battle was inappropriate.

Ivronic Castle was crucial for both the Demon King’s army and the human alliance. It had to be taken and defended at all costs.

However, for Linus, destined to be a hero, the act of launching defenseless prisoners with catapults was an intolerable atrocity.

“Who are you to dictate our operations?!”

The commander exploded in rage at Linus’s words.

“That’s nonsense! The law? Prisoners? They started it! Look at the cliff over there!”

The commander pointed to Ivronic Castle’s wall.

There, bodies were strung up in a long line.

“They did that first! You might not know because you just got here, but they were alive at first! All of them!”

“What did you say…?”

“They tied up living prisoners on the cliffs to prevent us from using siege weapons! If you didn’t hear the cries of those dying prisoners, shut up!”

Linus was speechless, and the commander, seething with rage, ordered his staff.

“Keep launching the prisoners! Ignore the special unit!”

“Calm down, Linus.”

Just then, Dian, who had reached the command post, patted Linus on the shoulder.

“Now is not the time for internal conflict.”

“And who are you? If you’re here to interfere, get lost!”

The commander spat, but Dian raised his hands, smiling.

“I’m not here to interfere. I’m here to end this mess quickly. So listen to my plan.”

Dian quickly explained his strategy, which he had devised on the way to the command post.

“We’ll infiltrate through the cliffs, clear the inside, and open the gates.”

The commander and his staff were aghast at the seemingly insane plan, but Dian shrugged.

“Do you have any other ideas? Before I arrived, I heard they’re using poison gas and mines. There’s only one approach route, and sending infantry through it is madness. Anyone else got a brilliant idea?”

Dian exaggeratedly looked around, but no one offered an alternative.

With all approaches blocked, scaling the cliffs was the only feasible option.

“But… how do you plan to climb the cliffs? It’s high, and we haven’t figured out a way to…”

“That’s our job, so don’t worry about it.”

“Alright. We have nothing to lose. But don’t meddle with our operations.”

“Sure thing.”

The commander agreed to Dian’s plan, and at midnight, Linus and Dian began their infiltration of the cliffs.

# # # # #

“Linus, we have no choice.”

Just before climbing, Dian patted Linus on the shoulder.

“It might not seem right to you, but what can we do? Right now, the corps is blinded by vengeance.”

“I understand. It’s just… I can’t stand it.”

“Then let’s finish this quickly. It’s the only way.”

The infiltration up the cliffs was far from smooth. It couldn’t be.

They had to climb through corpses, smeared and stuck to the cliff in unrecognizable bloody masses.

All the while, both sides continued to launch prisoners at each other with catapults.

Splat!

A demon soldier, launched off-target, crashed above Dian, showering him with blood and an unidentifiable, slimy chunk.

Dian spat out the blood and removed the gooey piece from his mouth—a bloodied eyeball stared back at him.

This marked the start of shredded body parts and sticky blood covering Linus and Dian.

Climbing through this grisly waterfall, they had no choice but to use the dangling corpses as footholds.

“Ugh! I’m sorry…”

Every time a corpse, weakened by exposure, tore under their weight and fell, Linus grimaced and apologized to the dead.

Eventually, they scaled the wall, slaughtered the defending troops, and rescued the prisoners waiting their turn to be launched by catapults.

Few survived, and those who did were left with permanent injuries from severe torture.

Linus’s expression was one of unspeakable grief as he looked at the survivors.

“Dian… I don’t know…”

Despair etched deep into his face, Linus asked Dian.

“Was I right to protest to the commander about the demon prisoners?”

“It’s not about right or wrong. Everyone has values and ideals they strive for, which often conflict.”

“I see…”

“Otherwise, why would wars happen? The Emperor and the Demon King could just sit down, have a cup of tea, and shake hands, couldn’t they?”

Linus slowly shook his head.

“I think I was wrong… Here, the commander was right…”

“Well, we’re not just stopping at reclaiming Ivronic Castle, are we? After we take the Demon King’s head, we can think about it again.”

Dian smiled and tore up the Demon King’s army flag, scattering the pieces.

“Let’s go down. We need to tend to the surviving soldiers.”

Dian and Linus descended the blood-stained tower steps side by side.

# # # # #

“This is the very tower! This is where Sir Linus tore the Demon King’s flag right after reclaiming the castle.”

The guide stood on the tower, explaining.

“You’ll see this moment depicted grandly in the Ivronic Reclamation Mural inside the castle. Let’s move on.”

The clean stone steps bore no trace of the past bloodshed as we descended into the inner castle. A few elderly people were trimming the courtyard trees with pruning shears—likely the caretakers.

“When the Demon King’s army occupied the castle, the remaining people here were all taken as prisoners.”

The guide paused in the courtyard to explain.

“At that time, the Demon King’s army frequently violated the laws of war, abusing and executing prisoners. Thus, very few prisoners from Ivronic Castle survived. These are the surviving veterans.”

The guide pointed to the elderly caretakers.

“These veterans miraculously survived but were left mute from the Demon King’s army’s torture. So, the Ivronic Castle management hired those who wished to work here as caretakers as part of our support and gratitude.”

As the guide introduced them, the elderly men turned to us, smiling warmly and tipping their straw hats in greeting.

“Let’s give a round of applause to these veterans who fought and gave their lives for our present.”

The students clapped, and the veterans bowed deeply in response.

“Now, please follow me! Next, we will see the mural of Sir Linus tearing the Demon King’s flag.”

The students followed the guide into the castle.

“Uh, uh, uh!”

As I passed the veterans, one of them suddenly pointed at me and made a sound.

“Yes? Me?”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!”

Then, the other veterans rushed towards me, pointing and making noises.

“Oh! Oh… uh…”

With tears streaming down their faces, the veterans grabbed my hands with their calloused, rough ones.

I was momentarily confused but quickly understood and smiled.

They still remember my face.

“It’s been a long time. I’m glad to see you’re all doing well.”

As I embraced them, pulling them into a hug, the veterans cried even harder, bowing their heads in sorrow and relief.