Chapter 440 312: Still Drooling Even After Being Cured

At first, the Nobility took his counsel seriously. But as time went on, they came to feel that while his advice may have been well-intentioned, it was always doomed to fail through foolishness and naivete, causing needless losses for the Nobility and the pilgrims.

He may have been a valiant Warrior, but his command was utterly irrational. He seemed eager to lead the Knights who trusted him to their deaths, all while waving his banner and shouting curses, accomplishing nothing of substance.

When he wasn't fighting, he spent all day fussing over his clothes. His soldiers were the best-dressed in the army.

Yet this same incompetent man had, in the short year of his captivity, shown astonishing Courage in front of these Frank and German nobles.

Since the beginning of the year, the Turkic People had been trying to break them. Every week, they would select one of the nobles and subject them to brutal torture.

In the beginning, a total of fifty-seven nobles and Knights were imprisoned here. Now, only thirty-one remained. The twenty-five who had vanished were precisely the nobles the Turkic People had chosen for torture.

At the start of last month, they chose Yuge. All the other nobles assumed he would break immediately. To their surprise, he did not.

Moreover, to spare the other nobles from the same fate, he had endured for two full months. Even though each session left him covered in bandages and riddled with new wounds, he showed no fear.

This scion of noble blood, with his immense determination and Courage, had won the respect of every captive noble.

"It... it's me, it's me. Stop shouting. You're giving me a headache. Just let me rest for a minute."

Yuge slapped away a hand that tried to peel back his bandages. He refused all help, re-wrapping the gauze around his head himself. He began to crawl on his hands, dragging his legs behind him, his bandages instantly soaking up the filth on the floor.

It was such a tragic sight that even the most hard-hearted man would be moved. Some of the nobles couldn't stop themselves from weeping.

Yuge leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath of the foul air. His hand trembled as he raised it to wipe at the mud-caked bandages obscuring his vision. Despite being "covered head to toe in wounds," his gaze was remarkably firm. He scanned the faces of the weary and despairing nobles, his eyes finally landing on the burly German noble.

"Enough." His voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Brother, please let him go. Do not let anger blind you, nor let fear destroy our souls."

The German noble hesitated for a moment before letting go. The young man collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. Yuge gave a slight nod and continued:

"In our eyes, he may be a coward, perhaps even a traitor. But who among us can say we are entirely without sin before God..."

Before Yuge could finish, the cell door was kicked open once more.

'So soon?' Yuge instinctively clutched his lower back. 'I really don't have a single drop left.'

"What did you say, Lord Yuge?" a noble asked, confused.

"Ahem," Yuge cleared his throat, quickly correcting himself. "I... I just said my back hurts a bit. These Turkic People burned me pretty badly... they used a branding iron on my back, and it's still throbbing." He coughed and shifted his position, looking rather awkward.

Several Turkic Guards stormed in, their movements swift and practiced. They quickly bound a few of the nobles, threw sacks over their heads, and started shoving them out of the cell.

His words were not yet finished when the cell door was violently kicked open again.

Several Turkic Guards stormed in, their movements swift and practiced. They quickly bound a few of the nobles, threw sacks over their heads, and started shoving them out.

Yuge was instantly alarmed. 'I've endured all this just to make it to the honey trap gambit, how can I let these guys get chosen first!'

"You dishonorable Turkic dogs!" Yuge shot to his feet, his voice filled with fury. "Take me! If it is God's will, let any and all punishment be inflicted upon me! I am fearless! I will never surrender!"

A few Turkic Guards instantly tackled him and threw a sack over his head. Yuge, for his part, put up a token struggle.

The Frank nobles present couldn't help but marvel at what a devout God's Warrior he was.

However, before they could even applaud Yuge, the rest of them were also dragged out of the cell.

After being marched for about half an hour, the Turkic People kicked them to the ground and ripped the sacks from their heads.

Yuge was the first to scramble to his feet. Without even getting a clear look at his surroundings, he ripped off his own riding breeches, waved them in the air, and charged forward, screaming, "I'll take on ten of you! I'll take on ten of you!"

He only made it a few steps before a punch caught him square on the chin, sending him flying backward.

"This one's clearly lost his mind," Eric said, shaking out his wrist. He shook his head at Yuge's prone form, then turned to Turandot. "Can we cut his ransom in half? Even if he recovered, he'd still be a drooling imbecile."

Turandot just gave him a weary, sidelong glance.

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