"Let's start with those clown-like Janissaries. These past two years, these guys have really caused me a lot of trouble, and the only major defeat after the war with the Crimean Khanate was also caused by them. They're clearly almost discarded pawns, yet they tirelessly serve their Sultan. What troublesome things," Manuel Gavras frowned in disgust. Since he captured the remaining 20-odd Janissaries that day, he had them imprisoned in the newly built Yuzhne Prison, ordering the Dark Division to torture them to extract Ottoman-related intelligence, which his side still lacked.
As he pondered how to deal with these people, a spark of revenge quietly ignited deep within him. After some deliberation, he hid the pistol on his desk in his waist, summoned Badars, and told him that he would personally conduct the final interrogation of those Janissary prisoners.
"Your Highness, please leave these trivial matters to us. You don't need to personally intervene," Badars said cautiously.
"Just curious, it won't interfere with official duties. Besides, the expressions of these slave soldiers must be very interesting right now," Manuel smiled warmly, telling a small lie.
Seeing this, Badars no longer objected, but respectfully accompanied him to Yuzhne Prison, where these captured slave soldiers were confined.
By the time they arrived at Yuzhne Prison, it was already dusk. Under the setting sun, the prison's towering outer walls were bathed in a faint golden glow, and the faint reflections at the very top of the pointed towers would make anyone who looked directly at them feel uncomfortable. Its exterior, built from greyish-white stones, appeared whiter under the afterglow of the sunset. If one ignored the soldiers guarding it, it seemed no different from a normal building.
Manuel was very satisfied with this prison. Previously, due to being busy with various battles, although it had been completed not long ago, he hadn't had time to inspect it. This visit, in addition to being driven by a malicious desire for revenge, was also to inspect the operational model of Yuzhne Prison.
From the current perspective, at least in terms of appearance, it was almost exactly as he had envisioned.
Seeing their Highness arrive, the soldiers' expressions all became solemn, and they straightened up to salute, "Greetings, Your Highness! The Holy Mother is above, loyalty!"
Manuel responded with a smiling nod, and after encouraging them with a few words, he walked directly to where the captured Janissaries were held, led by Badars.
The place where these prisoners were held was completely different from the clean exterior of the prison: the atmosphere was chillingly eerie, and the only light source in the almost sealed space came from candlelight. The closer one got to the interior, the more terrifying sights one could see, and the faint screams of those being tortured could be heard.
However, Manuel did not pay much attention to this, because those who entered this prison were people who had committed serious crimes. Moreover, he had seen various horrific sights on the battlefield, so mere sounds were still within his tolerance. He even had the energy to joke with Badars: "The soundproofing isn't very good."
"Your Highness is absolutely right. I will send someone to further renovate Yuzhne Prison in the future," Badars responded half-jokingly, half-seriously.
They walked on like this, chatting with their guards, towards the room where the captured Janissary General Mahmud Kelir was being held. In less than a quarter of an hour, Manuel personally saw the enemy General who had caused him considerable trouble.
Kelir, who had been imprisoned and tortured for several days,, his bloodied and bruised eyeballs rolled when he sensed someone arriving.
"Be grateful, the esteemed Highness does not wish for you infidels to suffer, and has come to end your torment early," Badars's statement made Manuel feel a little awkward, but he had no intention of explaining anything further.
"Manuel Gavras?" Kelir turned around, trembling but fiercely.
"Presumptuous! How dare you call His Highness by his name!" a guard angrily shouted, wanting to execute the prisoner on the spot, but Manuel stopped him.
However, for some reason, no matter how Manuel thought about it, he couldn't feel any sympathy for the Janissary in front of him. So, when he noticed Kelir's venomous gaze, he calmly told him the truth out of malice, "Let me tell you, poor slave: you were abandoned by your Grand Vizier long ago." Manuel's eyes were full of amusement as he said this.
"That's impossible! You're talking nonsense! Chandler Pasha was…" Kelir clutched his head, crying out in pain.
"Old Chandler died not long after he sent you out. The younger Chandler Pasha, who succeeded him, feared that this matter would cause him trouble and make him fall out of favor with the esteemed Sultan, so he suppressed the incident. In other words, even if you die here, the Ottoman Sultanate will not avenge you," Manuel coldly informed him of the details.
Upon hearing this, Kelir fell into a resentful silence, and his mind began to subtly unravel. Manuel seized the opportunity to press further, "To be honest, I'm very curious, why do you so ridiculously cling to your mistaken loyalty and faith? Aren't you a Serb? How can you serve the Turk so willingly?"
Facing Manuel's question, Kelir laughed maniacally, "You simply don't understand! We Janissaries have been rigorously trained since childhood; we are the loyal hounds of the Sultan. Our old families and origins? What do they matter? They are worthless compared to our love for Allah and the Sultan!
"Therefore, surrender to our Sultan as soon as possible. He possesses all the wealth of Anatolia and the Balkans, and is the shadow of our Lord on earth; his will is the will of Allah. If you bow your head, convert, and beg for surrender early, you will still retain your title of Pasha…"
Manuel did not directly acknowledge the barking of the defeated man in front of him, but an unnamed fire of anger silently ignited within him. Then, while Kelir was still shouting, he had two guards hold him down firmly. He then took out the pistol from his waist, loaded it with gunpowder and a lead bullet, and then coldly aimed at the prisoner. After lighting the fuse, he shot him in the lower body.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah!" Kelir clutched his lower body, screaming, "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"
Soon after he finished speaking, Manuel disgustedly reloaded the pistol, lit the fuse, and shot him again, blowing out his left eye.
"W-ah-ah!" Kelir screamed again.
But Manuel remained unperturbed. He vaguely realized that he was projecting his hatred for the Ottoman Sultanate onto the Janissary in front of him. This was probably why he wanted to personally conduct the final interrogation.
"Was I really thinking this? How terrible," he couldn't help but mock himself inwardly.
But that was the extent of it. While reloading his pistol with gunpowder and a lead bullet, he calmly asked Badars, "Badars, have all the necessary information been extracted?"
"Yes, Your Highness, everything these prisoners knew, especially intelligence within the Ottoman Sultanate, has been revealed. The confession dossiers are available for you to review whenever you need them."
"Good. Organize them and give them to me tomorrow or the day after. We must be wary of the threat from these arrogant Kafirs."
"You'll go to hell, Kafir!" Kelir clutched his wounds, screaming in terror.
Manuel ignored him, slowly turning to aim at Mahmud Kelir's forehead. After lighting the fuse, he shot him, blowing out his skull.
"It's you who will go to hell," he whispered with disgust, "And don't worry. In a few years, your Sultan will also go down to join you."