Earlier.
A knight of Sioule knocked open the door of the cathedral sacristy, and the moment the torches were lit, the entire sacristy suddenly became resplendent. The breathing of the people who followed immediately became heavy. When the group of cardinals left the holy city in a hurry, they did not have time to take away too many things, and many treasures were piled up here.
Candlesticks made of pure gold, mountains of exquisite relics, countless precious statues of angels and saints standing in shining splendor, and then velvet as bright as blood, silk as clouds... They walked in , frantically moving everything you see.
Several of them were placed in the most conspicuous place of expensive silk, which was enough to make the most beautiful girls fall in love with them when they were brought back to Siul.
They didn't know that the cloths had been wrapped around smallpox patients and soaked in pus before being placed in the sacristy.
They are picked up.
…………………
"It is never the devil that opens the gates of hell, but human beings themselves."
Prince Arthur tilted his head and looked at the Queen. His coat was only draped over his shoulders without buttons, revealing a snow-white shirt with lace inside. Like a pale and beautiful noble young master.
But there is no noble young master who is as crazy as him.
The Queen's hand was on Dalton's shoulder, preventing him from shooting Prince Arthur in a rage.
"I made a mistake that will never be forgiven," her voice was colder than ever. "I should have taken your life with my own hands. Thank you, and I will atone for it all my life."
"Look, the world has proved me right. You should have killed me with your own hands." said Prince Arthur, who came with only a few attendants in black. "But for that matter, don't you think it wouldn't have happened without me?"
"I think it is enough to represent the evil of mankind, but the viciousness brought about by the stupidity and greed of ordinary people is always beyond my expectation, just like the flowers of dead bodies can always bloom suddenly in the rotten mud." His words The speed is fast and low, and the blue eyes are like the sea before the storm. He never takes those ants to heart, just like a dragon who doesn't care about the dust around his feet. "What they do is better than me." The devil's much scarier to come."
"You will pay for your arrogance and ego."
The queen's hand on Dalton's shoulder was pale, cold and hard, and the candlelight danced in her deep red eyes.
"Me too."
"I've paid the price."
Prince Arthur laughed, with unprecedented anger in his smile.
"Since I can't get you, I will make your story and mine the most brilliant stroke in this era, I want our fates to be intertwined, and I want my life or death to be the most eye-catching stroke in your story. Both endings, no matter which one is the last, is my victory."
Flesh and blood grow old, empires fall, love fades, and even bones turn to dust six feet below.
Then what will be eternal
History is as vast as a long river, and it does not record personal love, hate, sorrow and joy. Only those who have made a lot of money in the course of the times will shine like stars.
The ancient faith was his chosen sacrifice.
She sent a "sage" to the Holy City, who snuffed out the roots of the ancient trees. He used violent means to trample the ancient empire with iron hooves. Nothing can hasten the end of the old world more than war, and he personally directed this grand show, shortening the process towards the inevitable end.
Hundreds of years later, thousands of years later.
When historians look back at the history of the sixteenth century, they see that it will not be just a war of Sioule against the Papal States, but a war of the New World against the Old World. The sun of theocracy was extinguished in this war, and the nation-states represented by the Roland Empire rose into the sky. The long dark age came to an end at this moment, and the war between them became a milestone in the new era.
Since then, their names have been repeatedly mentioned together in the same period of history.
"I want to see the sun rise and create an eternal legend, but these are almost destroyed by those stupid guys."
Dalton didn't want to listen to this lunatic at all. He turned the butt of his gun and threw it at Prince Arthur's face without hesitation.
"calm."
The queen tightened her fingers on Dalton's shoulders, but she didn't have any intention of stopping, and watched Prince Arthur coldly.
"So you blocked the holy city?"
"It can only be said that it is temporary. They want to return to Sioule when they get the ransom." Just now, Dalton's gun butt hit Prince Arthur with a long red mark on his cheek, and bleeding came from the corner of his eye. , the dark red liquid flowed down his cheekbones, he didn't care, "There is something good news for you, after those mice escaped, the Rhones also escaped a lot, the smallpox was hidden in the The sacristy, so it was the first to break out among the Xiul army."
"but… "
Prince Arthur smiled, no longer angry, but a sinister smile.
"I don't think you want to let these people go."
The queen didn't speak, her expression was cold.
But Prince Arthur was right. After learning that smallpox had broken out in the Holy City, the Queen made up her mind not to let this group of Xiulers retreat. Currently, they are the subject of infection with smallpox, which can have an incubation period of up to two weeks. If they left from the holy city, they would inevitably spread smallpox on a large scale on the way back.
The Roland Empire borders the Pope's country, and once a large-scale smallpox occurs in the Pope's country, it will soon spread to Roland.
Whether it's to protect Roland's people, or because she doesn't want to see other innocent people in the Pope die, the Queen must seal the Holy City to the end.
The Xiulers would not be willing to stay and die. The reason why they were restrained by Prince Arthur in the holy city was that they could not give up the benefits brought by the deal with the queen through the holy city.
They will leave soon.
Not to mention that these Xiulers were their enemies in the first place. As far as smallpox is concerned, they must die here, and even their bones must be turned into ashes.
"They want to defeat Siul and you with the plague, and want to destroy my masterpiece and rebuild their empire on the ruins."
Prince Arthur's pale and slender fingers intertwined, his smile became cold, like a devil showing his arrogant fangs again, the sky was full of the shadows of the crows he had brought, and crimes spread rampantly wherever he passed. His voice was soft and low, with a deep sneer.
"What joke are they talking about?"
… … … … … … …
It's a sunny day.
The sun is staggeringly harsh, and the ground is tiresomely dry at the turn of autumn and winter.
General Moussa waited anxiously.
As the nominal general of Sioul, he and Queen Roland should have negotiated, but Prince Arthur smiled and asked him to stay in the holy city, and he did not need to participate in the negotiations. Faced with such a devil, can he say no
he can not.
So he stayed, and waited with great impatience. If it was he himself who negotiated, I am afraid that no matter how low the bargaining chip Roland offered, he would agree. There were rumors—mainly monks and laymen—that the plague was a punishment from the gods for the heretics, who had not only killed people in the church but also opened the reliquary.
General Musa certainly wouldn't believe these rumors, but the problem is...
In order to be able to leave as soon as possible when retreating, the army is stationed in a relatively low residential area in the northeast. The holy city has a long history, and has suffered several catastrophes. The buildings have collapsed and been rebuilt many times. The houses are densely packed and the streets are narrow. As time went by, more and more people were infected and died.
Xiul's army has always been known for its unity and has no habit of abandoning its companions, but now facing a terrible disease, more and more people feel fear, and even refuse to take care of their sick companions. As for the doctors... Most of the monks who mastered medical skills escaped, and most of them were slaughtered by the soldiers a few days before entering the city, leaving very few. General Musa could only watch his soldiers die.
They must leave as soon as possible.
With this in mind, General Musa walked into his temporary house.
The moment he walked in, he saw in the distance several servants dressed in black standing in the shadow of the corner like ghosts. Immediately after, there was a deafening bang, and the stone slabs were smashed down in large chunks, and the smell of gunpowder smoke and sulfur rose into the air in the smoke. And then there's the flames...
The day Prince Arthur chose to negotiate with the Queen had frighteningly good weather.
In the dry weather of late autumn and early winter, the fire spread with frightening speed in the rare blinding sunshine. Before the knights of Siul had time to realize what had happened, the houses in the holy city were densely packed, with too many wooden overhanging houses and hanging windows... Soon the entire residential area was on fire. Horrific explosions occurred one after another in several fortresses guarded by Siul's army.
It's like God poured brimstone and fire on this city.
The fire was so powerful that even people standing on the plain far away could see the black smoke and hideous light it raised.
"Since the first catastrophe of the holy city, successive popes have strengthened its military power as one of their tasks." Prince Arthur said unhurriedly, "It has its own metallurgical factory and gunpowder factory, and there are three in the city. There are more than 600 tons of black powder stored in the warehouse."
That's why St. Trefus II had the confidence to give the order to stick to it.
The Xiul people ignored this, just as they did not notice that the houses they lived in temporarily had too many wooden materials. Although they are gradually using firearms, their long-term habits still make it difficult for them to be vigilant about it. Otherwise, they should control the weapon warehouse in the city as soon as they enter the holy city.
But they didn't, they didn't even notice when the attendants in black had finished placing the gunpowder.
A raging fire swept through the city of gods on earth.
The devil pouring down brimstone and fire calmly looked at the demigod-like secular monarch. The monarch took the gun from her general and calmly pointed it at the devil in the world.
"Look, from now on, your name and mine will be recorded in the history books as a milestone between the old and the new."
Prince Arthur was smiling.
The queen pulled the trigger.