Work Prophet
Chapter 348 - 106 Mortal World Tragedy

Chapter 348: Chapter 106 Mortal World Tragedy

As the first ray of morning light shone upon the battlements of Duolin City, an army brandishing various colored flags also appeared on the main road outside the city.

Unlike those slender, pale-faced new soldiers.

The warriors in this army were generally broad-shouldered and robust, clad in armor, wearing leather boots, and their waists were adorned with glittering steel swords; cavalry accounted for as much as thirty percent.

In addition, they had prepared siege equipment in advance, with more than twenty catapults and giant crossbows, and seven siege towers of various sizes.

Once the civilians had filled the moat outside the city, these siege towers could be pushed to the edge of the city walls, aiding the attackers inside in taking control of the battlements.

The Church Protection Army was ostensibly commanded by Priest Martina, fighting for the goddess, but since Priest Martina was not skilled in military strategy and warfare, the actual commander was Dordot from the Marier family.

Dordot was the uncle of Judith, the Family Head of the Marier family, a graduate from the Royal Capital’s First Knight Order, who had served as an Imperial Guard for the Emperor, dedicating twenty years to the Imperial Family and participating in the war between the Imperial Family and the Weiting Family.

After returning to the Western Territory, he was appointed as a military advisor by Judith and later joined forces with Hels to undertake a dragon-slaying mission, which, although unsuccessful, was not Dordot’s fault.

For one, the Black Dragon’s strength was formidable, far beyond the common perception, and secondly, Hels, the Commander at the time, had no intention of fighting properly, leaving a stand-in to die while he took flight first, leaving Dordot powerless to act.

And even though the Alliance Army suffered a crushing defeat and Hels "died in battle" on the spot, Dordot still managed to preserve most of the troops and even wounded the dragon.

It must be said that Ireya and the Double Rest Sect’s success in slaying the dragon later on also owed a small part to his effort.

Unfortunately, history only remembers the victors.

This time, Dordot led the Church Protection Army to attack Duolin City, intending to avenge his previous disgrace.

However, things did not go as he had imagined. As Dordot’s army approached Duolin City, he saw no sign of Hirodod’s new army, and there was hardly any resistance.

At first, Dordot thought Hirodod had also realized the new army’s lack of training and planned to rely on Duolin City’s strong defenses and wage a war of attrition against him.

Dordot was not alarmed but pleased, because for such a scenario, he had already devised a plan in advance.

What Dordot did not expect, however, was that before his army had even properly encamped outside the city, the gates of Duolin City were opened ahead of time from within.

Then, an envoy from the Raimondi family emerged from inside.

The man claimed to be Shapiro, the second son of Sir Ed, the City Lord, and as soon as he left the city, he called out to see Priest Martina.

Dordot did not know what game the Raimondi family was playing, but he still ordered for Priest Martina to be summoned and then dispatched two squads of elite warriors to ensure Priest Martina’s safety, keeping her separated from Shapiro.

Shapiro protested a few times to no avail, and in the end, he could only stand ten steps away from Priest Martina, steeling his heart, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Priest Martina, the Raimondi family has already seized the gates of Duolin City for you and the goddess!"

???!

Dordot doubted his own ears, what did it mean that the Raimondi family had already seized the gates of Duolin City for her and the goddess?

Pull anyone from the western territories, and they would know to whom Duolin City belongs, and wasn’t it Hirodod and the Raimondi family that he brought troops from afar to fight against?

However, Shapiro’s voice continued, "Before you left Duolin City, you sought my father’s help, hoping to use the Raimondi family’s power to oppose Hirodod and his secret forces. My father agreed to help you.

"But unexpectedly, Hirodod struck first, leading a surprise attack on your residence. My father, upon hearing the news, rushed there to protect you as swiftly as he could, only to find that you had already left the city.

"Later, Hirodod took control of the entire Church Court with speed, and nearly all of Duolin City were followers of Pisya, including the Raimondi family’s guard. Although my father was the City Lord, he couldn’t openly defy Hirodod.

"Thus, he could only temporarily feign allegiance, and as Hirodod’s new army grew more arrogant, he completely disregarded my father. My father’s forces were limited and he had no choice but to bide his time in the mansion.

"It was not until last night, taking advantage of the instability within the new army, that he suddenly launched an attack, and after a long battle, he finally seized the city gates for you."

Shapiro spoke with emotion.

But the listeners beside them were all stunned, evidently not expecting the Raimondi family to stoop to such shamelessness, first betraying Priest Martina to Hirodod, forcing her to leave Duolin City overnight.

And then, seeing that Hirodod’s side was failing, they switched sides once again, opening the gates of Duolin City for Priest Martina.

Dordot couldn’t hold back any longer and said, "Your father is indeed a paragon of loyalty and righteousness."

And Shapiro, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm, replied solemnly, "That is natural; my father hates nothing more than those who are fickle and deceitful."

Priest Martina, who was of noble birth herself, was well aware of the shamelessness of some of these people and had no desire to entangle with the Raimondi family over past issues, so she cut straight to the point.

"Where is Hirodod now?" she asked.

Shapiro’s face then showed a hint of embarrassment, "We have not found him yet."

"But he’s still in the city, right?" Priest Martina frowned.

"That is..."

Seeing Shapiro’s hesitant appearance, Priest Martina understood that Hirodod had most likely already fled and sighed, "Let’s enter the city for now."

...

Victory without a fight and capturing Duolin City should have been a cause for celebration, but upon entering the city, Priest Martina’s face did not show much joy.

Beyond the fact that the main culprit Hirodod had not been captured, what shocked her more was the scene inside the city.

Just over a month ago when she left, the city was bustling and thriving. Now, upon her return, at least a quarter of the districts had turned to ruins.

And the rest of the places were too pitiful to behold. Aside from the nobles who were protected by guards, other civilians, even if they luckily survived the heathen tribunal, could not escape the great plunder that swept through the city last night.

The loss of wealth was secondary; many people’s wives and daughters had been defiled by the rogue soldiers of the new army, and those who tried to stop them were killed outright by the new army, now blinded by their looting.

Tens of thousands of people lost their homes and families in this doomsday revelry, and those deserters were still rampaging through the city.