Stepping over the dirty ground and the drunken crowds, Arel walked up to Akad.
The army commander was currently gnawing on a pig's leg with one hand, while holding a wine cup in the other, enjoying the feast with bites of meat and sips of wine.
Gathered around him were the nobles of the Bulgar Army, who also appeared unrestrained; the accompanying Imam stood aside with a frown, clearly disapproving of the scene, but powerless to do anything, he could only observe.
Their words were filled with flattery for Akad; occupying Kashin had restored his reputation from the negative impact of his improper actions, and it could be said that his prestige was now at its peak.
Many people wore their finest clothes, but now these clothes were stained with wine and grease, though no one cared; these Bulgar nobles were reveling like barbarians.
Arel observed everything but remained silent, a habit he had developed while by Khan's side: to evaluate matters internally rather than speak rashly.
He silently walked up to Akad, and the commander, who was feasting, also noticed his arrival.
"Ah hahaha, Arel, you're here! How are things with the mining? Have you found any ore?"
On the second day of occupying Kashin, Akad had ordered the resumption of production at the Kashin mines. The small amount of silver ore left by the Rus' in Kashin was not enough for everyone to share; they still needed to mine, as that was why they had come.
Thus, the captured prisoners and remaining miners were driven into the mine, beginning excavation under the whips of Bulgar overseers, and Arel was responsible for this task.
To Akad, Arel was not one of his own, and never could be, so such arduous tasks were best left to him, while his confidants enjoyed themselves here.
Once the Bulgar side sent professionals, it would be easy to use his authority to replace him.
"Quite a bit of ore has been produced, but there's also bad news—more precisely, very, very bad news."
Arel's words were like a basin of cold water splashed on the commander's face; Akad was very sensitive to such matters, which immediately sobered him.
Akad narrowed his eyes, looking at Khan's confidant, "What did you discover?"
Arel merely bowed again, his tone still neither humble nor arrogant, "You had best see for yourself; I cannot explain what happened with words."
Dropping his wine cup and food, Akad looked into Arel's eyes; he saw no hint of amusement there, only seriousness.
The army commander sighed, praying internally that it was nothing too terrible.
— — — — — — — —
Following Arel on horseback to the mine entrance, Akad's heart sank at the sight that greeted him.
Fully armed Bulgar soldiers had blockaded the mine, their hands on their swords, as if they would draw them and fight at any moment.
Inevitably, some found this strange display of vigilance alarming, but they were forcibly ordered to disperse; if they did not leave, they would be beaten with scabbards and spear shafts.
"My Lord."
Seeing Akad and Arel arrive surrounded by numerous guards, the leading Bulgar warrior in scale armor immediately bowed to both of them, his expression very tense, as if wary of something.
"How are things inside?"
Arel asked casually as he dismounted, as if inquiring about something ordinary.
"The situation has been handled according to your orders, but the water…"
As the warrior spoke, he occasionally glanced at Akad, as if fearing something, but Arel merely waved him away, which made the warrior visibly relax.
"Arel, what exactly are you up to?"
Akad couldn't help but ask, his tone quite anxious; this scene made his unease grow stronger.
"Emir, you will know once you follow me inside; once you see it all, you will understand everything."
Arel used Akad's title, a designation not commonly used in daily life, but Arel's use of it now showed his seriousness, and he did not forget to make a gesturing invitation.
With questions in mind, Akad entered the mine. Passing through the passage supported by wooden scaffolding, Akad first saw bodies.
Bodies, countless bodies were piled there. They all bore clear sword wounds, and these people had not been dead long; blood still flowed from their wounds.
Bulgar soldiers were continuously pouring animal fat over the piles of bodies, while spearmen stood guard around them. Judging by their attire, they were Rus' captives and slaves who had worked in this mine, but now they had been killed for reasons unknown.
Witnessing the deaths made an alarm bell ring loudly in Akad's heart. What did this fellow want to do? Subconsciously, his hand rested on his sword hilt, ready to draw his blade and fight Arel to the death at any moment.
What did Khan's loyal dog want? Did he want to turn hostile here? The Emir pondered how many minutes it would take for the guards outside the mine to break in, while scanning the brightly lit space, illuminated by numerous torches, searching for other opportunities to change the situation.
However, when his gaze then fell upon the passage to the lower mine, he stopped, and his hand dropped from the sword hilt.
Because he saw that the mine had been submerged by water, and several bodies were even floating on it, all appearing to be Rus' miners from here.
"What is going on?!"
Ignoring everything else, Akad roared, his tone filled with terror and bewilderment. He was terrified because he saw the mine was flooded, and bewildered as to why it had become like this; yesterday, when he inspected it, there had been no unusual sounds apart from some seepage!
"Everything is as you see, Lord Akad. We dug into an underground waterway, and the water flooded the mine. Everything happened too suddenly; the water gushed out madly in an instant, and those who were slow to run were drowned below."
"As for why I had to kill the Rus', the situation was too chaotic at the time, and I could only do this to temporarily keep the secret. You know, this news absolutely cannot get out. This is also why I insisted you come and see for yourself; if you couldn't see it with your own eyes, you would never believe anything I said."
Arel's words were still filled with indifference, and a hint of barely perceptible schadenfreude, as if it had nothing to do with him.
And that was true; after all, the noble Emir before him was responsible for this conquest, not Khan, and not him either.
"No! No! Allah above, this isn't real! This isn't real!"
Akad knelt before the flooded mine, his face filled with disbelief; he could not accept any of this, this wasn't real! None of this was real!
— — — — — — — —