Chapter 449 Helpless

Luga inspected the battlefield and unknowingly walked to the fishing village, which was razed to the ground by the swarming Vandal army. In addition to the broken arms and wreckage, there were corpses all over the ground, which were those of the simple and innocent civilians.

At noon, the weather was not good. Such a scene should have been accompanied by heavy rain to reflect the tragedy of the scene, but the sky cleared up and the sun was shining brightly. The heavy rain stopped when the killing began. Everything seemed so vibrant, which was completely incompatible with the deadness in front of the eyes, as if God had refused to pay for the deaths of this conflict.

A gust of sea breeze blew by, and Luka couldn't help but shiver. Even though it was a sunny day, the sun didn't feel warm on his body. He rubbed his right arm symbolically, which only made his arm feel a little warmer, but it was insignificant for the whole body. As for why he did this, I'm afraid he himself couldn't explain why, and simply thought it was just personal psychological comfort.

The two squads of cavalrymen followed behind Luga to protect his safety. Because the fishing village was full of corpses and broken walls, it was difficult for the horses to move, so they had to dismount and follow behind Luga. They moved slowly among the corpses, searching around, hoping to find survivors.

"The Vandals were really thorough," Andrew pointed at the corpses on the ground beside Luca. There were men, women, old people, children, and even livestock. "They killed all the life here. Nothing alive could survive in this muddy land."

After listening to this, Luka shook his head and replied, "No, there are still some. Look, there are two more here." After that, he pointed forward, in front of a small house not far from the seashore, where a man was kneeling. He was motionless like a statue, and he was holding a woman tightly in his arms. The woman had been dead for some time. Her face was pale and bloodless. But even so, it could still be seen that the girl was still good-looking, although not to the point of being stunning.

The man just knelt on the ground and hugged her tightly. He said nothing and didn't even cry. Next to him stood another old man with dishevelled hair and dirty face. His clothes were clean and he didn't seem to be affected by the conflict.

He was the first one to notice Luga , "That man is the fisherman who informed us, he is Franco." The messenger soldier who followed closely whispered in Luga's ear, which made Luga's expression relax a lot when he looked at Franco in front of him.

"It seems that he lost his most precious thing in this conflict." Luga said slowly, and couldn't help shaking his head slightly. War means death, and death means don't be anxious, no matter how reluctant you are.

Luca walked up and squatted beside Franco. Franco was still immersed in sorrow and didn't notice that Luca had come to his side.

Luca knew that Franco was immersed in extreme sorrow at this moment, and thought that he must be helpless and confused at this moment, so he mustered up the courage to ask in a low voice: "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

Franco didn't realize Luca was approaching until he heard Luca's voice. He raised his head and looked at Luca with horrified eyes. The Roman soldier's attire immediately made him let down his guard. He lowered his head again and hugged the body tightly, as if it was a priceless treasure, afraid that he would lose it if he was not careful.

"Would you like to buy some fish, sir?" Franco signaled with his eyes the fish barrel that Luca had placed next to him. There were a few small fish in the barrel, which had become dying after being away from the ocean for so long.

Luca didn't say anything. From his expression, it was not difficult to see his confusion at this moment. Facing this stubborn young man, he didn't understand what was the point of doing business at this time? "I don't understand what this means?" Luca shook his head and looked at Franco.

"Sir, please, these are just a few fish that I caught on the sea in the pouring rain." Franco looked up at Luca and said to him with a voice that was almost exposed, "They are not expensive. Just a few Fulli copper coins are enough for me to get one Suledus. Then I can find someone to exchange them for one Suledus!"

"What do you want that for? Bury her?"

"No! It's not like that!" Franco shook his head. He kept stroking the hair of the female corpse in his arms and kissing her cold forehead. Then he said to Luca, "Carmen has only seen others have Soledes, but she has never owned one or even touched it. So I want to earn a Soledes gold coin and give it to her personally. This is no longer a coin, but a gift, a proof of my love for her! So I beg you, sir, buy these fish!" Franco said, and took out an old cloth bag from his pocket. He opened it, and inside was a pile of Fulhu copper coins and a few Denarius silver coins. This was all his savings, and he was only a few copper coins away from making up for a Soledes gold coin.

"How long have you been busy?" Luga was speechless and asked him softly.

"Half a year, sir." Franco held the coins tightly and continued to say to Luca, "Because I work alone, the fish I catch are far less plump than others, so not many people are willing to buy my fish, so I can only sell them little by little until I have enough."

"Is it worth it?" Luca couldn't bear it, but still asked. Franco didn't answer, but just hugged Carmen's head tightly and kissed her forehead constantly.

"Sir, do you agree to buy my fish? Believe me, sir, you will like the taste of this fish!" Franco still insisted. Until now, he had not shed a tear, which deeply touched Luca.

"Half a year, I can't even earn a single Soledes gold coin. Should I blame this infatuated fisherman or this aging country?" Luca asked himself in his heart. Of course, he had experienced poverty before, but not to this extent. At that time, he felt that he was the most pitiful guy in the world, but it was not until today that he felt the mercy of God. At least she was still alive. Although she had changed her heart, at least she was still alive, lifelike, with warmth, not as cold as Franco's arms!

No, his sensitive nerves were touched again. Luga quickly turned his head away and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes as quickly as possible without anyone noticing.

Franco closed his mouth and still hugged Carmen tightly. His eyes were empty and dull, and he was lifeless, like a body with the soul taken away. He was alive, but it was as good as dead.

"She is so cold, her whole body is icy. No matter how hard I try, I can't warm her up. Sir, can you tell me why?" Franco asked Luca. Luca was speechless, looking at the female corpse in his arms. There was a big hole in her chest, and the blood had coagulated. She was pierced by the Vandal's spear. She was dead! Luca quickly turned his head away and stopped looking at him, so as not to be moved by the scene and burst into tears, which would make others laugh at him.

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"Here, this is your money from selling fish." Luca took out a purse from his pocket and threw it into his hand. He stood up, grabbed the fish barrel, turned his back, and said to Franco, "Stick one on each eye, one in your mouth, and two on each sole of your feet. After cremation, God will naturally accept this poor soul."

Franco was attracted by the money bag. He opened it with golden light in his eyes. "Merciful sir..." he murmured, looking up at Luca's receding back. Tears finally broke through the restraints of his eye sockets and flowed down the corners of his eyes.

(End of this chapter)