。 Harold's escape lasted three days. In this escape, he gave up his dignity, honor, and the vast majority of the remaining Valangi mercenaries. Except that on the second night, I raided a farmhouse and ate a little bit of unpalatable brown bread, unseasoned, half-cooked roast. For three days, he and the eighteen remaining Valangi mercenaries around him did not eat anything.

Norman hussars whizzed past them. Harold has forgotten how many times he escaped at the hands of these galloping cavalrymen. Every time it was just a little bit closer, almost the cavalry would find him. There were even a few times when the other party noticed the presence of other Valangi mercenaries beside him. and drove them out. Killed them like wild dogs. A blessing in luck. Those people died without revealing the existence of other people. And the hussars just seem to treat them as ordinary routs. And did not continue to search the surroundings.

"Sure enough, the heavens are still watching over me. If you don't die in a great disaster, you will have a blessing. "If it was in a normal state, then the thoughtful leader of the Valangi mercenaries would have already seen that something was wrong. But at this moment, Harold was panicked like a lost dog, and he was as anxious as a fish that had slipped through the net. There is a mess in my head, and I can't tell things clearly. Therefore, such a conclusion has been reached.

However, it all comes to an end. Three days later, dozens of Valanji mercenaries, tired and hungry, supporting each other like refugees, finally saw the towering walls of Rome again at noon that day.

Although it was midday, the gates of Rome were closed, apparently for security reasons. There are quite a few soldiers patrolling the city. However, the Valangi mercenaries can't take care of it for a while. After a brief cheer, they gathered around Harold and ran toward the city of Rome. As he ran, he shouted: "We are from the Holy See! General Harold is back! Open the gates and let us in!"

However. Soon, for a long time, the perception that had been cultivated on the battlefield, and the group at the head of Rome looked relaxed and playful. There were even some hideous soldiers who made Harold sense that something was wrong. Just as he was about to shout, ready to call the attention of his companions. Suddenly, a large number of soldiers armed with bows and crossbows appeared at the top of the city. The group of soldiers was no longer disguised, they were dressed in Norman white phoenix robes and Norman-style armor. Harold will never forget such a well-dressed enemy for the rest of his life.

"Run!" Harold simply said the word, then turned away, running without looking back. And at the same time, the head of the city. Surrounded by a group of soldiers, Emperor Egil looked at the embarrassed Harold and laughed maliciously. With the emperor's triumphant whisper, thousands of arrows were fired at the top of the city, and the flying locusts also shot at the dozens of Walangi soldiers.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Harold was in turmoil at the moment. I really can't figure out how the other party captured the city of Rome faster than himself. And the idea of revenge on Emperor Egil was gone. The current leader of the mercenaries wanted nothing more than to flee for his life - heard behind him. Slow reaction due to lack of physical strength. The screams of the mercenaries who didn't dodge the arrows at all. Harold was a few minutes faster—but not faster than the arrow.

Heartache. An arrow hit Harold in the left leg, causing him to fall to the ground with a "plop". Intense pain spread from the wound to the whole body. Harold tried to get up, but immediately fell again. But. This guy seems to be scared crazy. After falling to the ground, he still desperately used his hands and the intact leg to drag the injured leg forward. It was as if something extremely terrifying was chasing him behind him. ...,

"Tsk......" Egil smacked his lips easily. A stretch of hand. Stopped the soldiers who wanted to keep shooting. Ask the left and right, "Isn't it scary?" and the knights around him laughed playfully. After that, the emperor measured the distance again. Shook his head. He said, "It's a pity, at this distance, my fire gun doesn't seem to be able to hit." Immediately, someone else made amusement and handed over the pulley crossbow that had been wound.

Egil took aim with great interest, and with the help of a crossbowman centurion, he quickly learned to correct it. So, the Emperor mischievously aimed at Harold's arm and pulled the trigger.

"Ah!!" Harold, who was desperately crawling forward, suddenly pierced his left arm. The sheave crossbow was so powerful that the bolts shot shot pinned his arm to the ground. Harold trembled, and with his other hand, tried to pull the bolt out - and then, with another scream, Harold felt like he was about to die of pain - this time, the Emperor aimed at his unwounded other leg.

Three limbs were wounded. Heavy blood loss, extreme fatigue. Harold's face was horribly pale. In front of me, I was blackened by massive blood loss. He felt like he was going to die. Still, he wanted to try. Try to move. Even if it's just a little bit. Even if it's just a millimeter, if you can move farther away from that person, that madman, that demon......

"Tsk, it's amazing that you can still move. Egil did not hesitate to evaluate his opponent with the greatest malice. At the same time, pass the pulley crossbow. Ask his knights of the guard to help him wind and reload his bolts. Respectfully handed it back again.

But Egil didn't take it. He shook his head and walked down the wall. In a few moments, the gates of the city of Rome opened. The Norman Emperor rode out on his horse and under the protection of a group of knights of the guard. All the way to Harold, who was still trying in vain and wanted to climb forward. Jumped off the horse, then walked over to Harold and crouched.

"Hey. You're going to die. Do you have any feelings, like regretting going against me or something?" asked Egil as he turned to Harold in his dying state. Unexpectedly, Harold, who was already convulsing and could barely move, suddenly opened his eyes again after hearing his voice. Fear, extreme fear made the body, which had no strength anymore, move again. Harold's face contorted, his right hand digging deep into the dirt, desperately trying to crawl forward. And even because of this, the flesh of the left hand nailed to the ground was not pulled. He muttered to himself. The voice was so small that Egil couldn't hear it clearly.

"Huh?" Egil was a little curious, and moved a little closer, trying to hear what he was talking about—however, at this moment. Sonya, his personal guard, saw that something was wrong. shouted, "Danger!" and saw Harold, who was originally on the ground like a dead dog, turn around sharply and "click" and "click" twice, and actually broke the wooden poles of the two crossbow arrows that nailed him to the ground. Egil had been warned beforehand. Immediately stood up and jumped backwards. But he was still smashed to the chest by a handful of things that Harold had gouged out, making a muffled sound.

"Dirt?" looked at the dirty piece of armor. Egil furrowed his brow and muttered something quietly. Thinking of Harold's performance before he died, I felt that I understood him a little. Over there, Harold was proud to see Egil like this, and he laughed at the end, and then the only intact right arm hung down weakly. Eyes rolled. He's dead......

"Damn bastards!" Seeing that such things were happening under the protection of his own group, the knights of the guard were furious. Draw your sword and draw your tomahawk, slashing at Harold's corpse. By the time Egil stopped it, the body had already been torn apart, and no human form could be seen. ...,

“...... It's a good burial, it's a character......" Egil shook his head, inexplicably sad. After saying this, he turned around, mounted his horse, and ran back towards the city of Rome.

Behind Egil, a group of knights of the guard also mounted their horses and returned to the city. After a while, some more ordinary soldiers, as well as priests accompanying the army, left the city. Harold's body was collected, placed in a coffin, a pit was dug on the side of the road, a monument was erected, and a burial was buried.

In this way, the wheels of history continue to roll forward, crushing all those who oppose the truth. No matter what the scenery was in life. After death, it is only a three-foot square territory...... Thinking so, Egil's mind couldn't help but sink a little. However, it soon returned to normal. I looked happy.

Rome has been successfully occupied. The Pope is now in his own hands. Pinch and knead the circle as you like. The whole of Europe, Europa, is now up to itself! Build a great country comparable to the Roman Empire, and create a golden age of its own! This is a victory of its own!!

Egil thought as he went up to the temple with his armor all over his body and his sword on his feet. With his soldiers, he walked into the Vatican. The residence of the Pope.

...... Rewind the clock to four days ago. At that time, the Norman army and the Holy See army had rested for a few days and were preparing for a meeting tomorrow. The city of Rome was shrouded in tension. The Holy See waited anxiously for news from the front. That's when it happened. The Norman Offshore Fleet, which had been in a wait-and-see stance in this war, suddenly appeared on the coast of the Papal States near the western Mediterranean.

At this time when the Holy See was at its emptiest, tens of thousands of Norman sailors landed on the territory of the Holy See. Although not an opponent of a professional army. But the descendants of these Vikings, the combat effectiveness is still worth looking forward to. They organized their arrays, armed with rudimentary siege equipment, and advanced towards Rome. At the head was none other than the Supreme Commander of the Norman Offshore Fleet, Field Marshal Carter!