The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 57: Chaos 2

Chapter 57: Chaos 2

Fire! Fire!

Smoke filled the air.

"There is smoke everywhere!" someone shouted at the top of his voice.

The tired miners, who had already begun to doze off, jolted awake. They rushed to the door, pounding on it in an attempt to force it open.

Meanwhile, flames had spread from the kitchen. Realizing this, the men hurried toward the tool rooms. A few managed to break the door to their room first. Edward and the others seized the opportunity to help open another doors that were yet to be broken working quickly amidst the growing panic.

"Run to the tool room!" someone in the crowd shouted. The men immediately obeyed, pushing their way through the chaos. In emergencies like this, people often acted before thinking, so no one questioned why they had to run all the way there.

The fire soon attracted the attention of the guards, who rushed over. However, those who had escaped from the miners’ quarters had already mixed in with the ones who had set the fire in the kitchen.

"Put out the fire!" a guard commanded.

His subordinates hesitated, stunned. How had two places caught fire at the same time; especially on a night when most of the oil lamps had not been lit? Confusion and chaos spread among them. Eventually, the guards managed to organize the miners to fetch water to extinguish the flames. While they were able to put out the fire in the miners’ room, the kitchen was beyond saving. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, visible even from outside the forest.

"Investigate! Find out who started the fire," the head guard ordered.

He stood at the entrance of their hideout, closely monitoring the movements of the army camped outside. He had hoped that, after failing to locate an entrance, the army would be forced to withdraw within a few days. He hadn’t expected a fire to break out, potentially exposing their location.

"Yes, sir," a few guards bowed and hurried toward the area where the miners were gathered.

By this point, Prince Edward and his group had already convinced more than half of the miners to join their cause.

After over an hour of investigation, a guard returned to report.

"We have found evidence that someone deliberately started the fire. The guards in the kitchen and tool rooms are dead."

"Someone from the miners must be trying to escape," one guard suggested.

"But during the chaos, no one attempted to use any of the exits," another pointed out. "If escaping was their goal, why didn’t they take the opportunity?"

"Then why start a fire? Could it be that someone was simply hungry and wanted food?" another guard wondered aloud. Perhaps a miner had snuck into the kitchen to steal food, got caught, and started the fire as a distraction.

"I don’t think this was about escaping," the head guard said firmly. "Perhaps they heard about the army outside and decided to expose our location."

If someone had deliberately set the fire, there had to be a reason. He doubted it was as simple as stealing food.

"But could one person really have started such large fires in two separate locations?" a guard asked, skeptical.

"Interrogate the miners. It’s likely more than one person was involved," the head guard ordered after a moment of thought. He considered going himself but decided to remain at his post, keeping an eye on the army.

"Yes, sir," two guards responded. Just as they turned to leave, a loud shout echoed through the tunnels.

---

Meanwhile, back where the miners were being held, they had been closely watching the guards. Now, with confirmation that more than eighty percent of the men were ready to escape, Prince Edward seized the moment. Without hesitation, he killed the guard beside him.

"What are you doing?" one of the guards cried out.

Two of them rushed toward Edward, but they barely took a step before they were struck down by other miners nearby.

Realizing something was terribly wrong, the remaining guards drew their swords, but it was too late. The miners, though unskilled in combat, possessed immense strength from years of labor. Armed with pickaxes and sheer determination, they overwhelmed the guards within minutes.

A victorious cheer erupted from the group; the same noise that had reached the entrance where the head guard was issuing orders.

"Set everything on fire!" Edward commanded. "The more chaos, the better our chances!"

The men immediately agreed. A group followed Dorothy to retrieve oil lamps, and soon, flames spread through the mine.

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" one of the prince guards asked.

"There’s a secret exit," Dorothy said quickly missing how the guard had addressed Edward. "I heard there are only two guards stationed there, but they are highly skilled."

"Then lead the people that way. No matter how skilled they are, they can’t kill us all. If we go through that passage, we have a chance," Edward decided. Using the main entrance was out of question as they could not face the guards head on.

"But I heard the army is at the front gate," an older miner interjected. "If the guards pursue us, we could still end up dead."

"Let’s move first. You three will lead the way," Edward instructed. "Dorothy, point out the route. Go and get the army’s attention."

The two guards understood his intent. If the soldiers outside were from the Duke’s forces, they would surely move to rescue the prince.

"What about my grandmother and the injured man from earlier?" Dorothy asked anxiously.

"I’ll get them. You lead the way," Edward reassured her.

With the plan set, the miners began running eastward. When they reached the secret exit, they realized that only two people could pass at a time.

The two guards stationed there hesitated upon seeing the sheer number of miners. Instead of fighting, they struck a metal alarm bell to alert the other guards.

"Why should they go first?" some miners protested, eager to escape before others.

Prince Edward who arrived last because he had to help the injured guard and Dorothy’s grandmother shook his head.

These men were once cowards unwilling to take the risk, now they were making trouble to escape firstm

"Do you even know the way?" Prince Edward asked sharply. "Do you want to wander aimlessly and get caught again?"

He knew there was no point in explaining the plan to them. Self-preservation was human nature. So they would think anyone can alert the guards but Edward was unwilling to reveal his identity as it might put him in more danger.

The men, recalling the rumors of the illusion formation outside fell quite.

"There are still many guards, and they will come for us soon. Let’s work together and escape," Edward urged. Convinced by his reasoning, the miners formed a queue. Dorothy helped her grandmother, who Edward had brought along, to pass through first with the two guards.

---

Meanwhile, at the entrance, the two guards who had rushed inside earlier returned to report to the head guard.

The alarm bell from the hidden exit confirmed the miners’ intentions and location.

"Send half our men after them," the head guard ordered. "If we kill a few, the rest will surrender." He said confidently But he miscalculated.

Now so close to freedom, the miners refused to give up. They would rather die fighting than be enslaved again. Moreover, Prince Edward was highly skilled; he took down the first wave of guards with ease.

Seeing his prowess, the remaining guards hesitated. Fear crept into their ranks, while confidence surged among the miners. The two side fought for a while but the guards suffered heave losses.

"Let’s retreat and report to the commander!" the last few guards decided, watching their comrades fall one after another.

As the guards fled, the remaining miners supported their wounded and hurried toward the exit, determined to escape.