Back in Vienna, at that moment.
"Why are you here?"
Haynau already had victory in his grasp, but he had no interest in answering Lieutenant General Molka's question any further. There was only one word on his mind.
"Kill!"
"What? You dare!"
Lieutenant General Molka clearly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He thought he had already surrendered, and he was a nobleman. Surely, whatever else happened, he shouldn't die here?
For now, Lieutenant General Molka was merely buying time. His real trump card hadn't even made its appearance yet! Had Haynau, that uncouth brute, that lowborn scoundrel, discovered his secret?
"Impossible!"
Molka roared inwardly, struggling as he shouted.
"By what right do you kill me? By what right do you execute me without a trial and the House of Peers' approval? I'm a nobleman! I demand a fair trial! You damned Jewish bastard! You have no right to judge me!"
"Traitors have no right to a trial! What are you waiting for?"
Haynau turned to the soldiers nearby, and they immediately felt a chill pressing down on them. They were in a difficult position. The man was a noble lord, after all, while they were nothing but a bunch of miserable foot soldiers.
If the authorities decided to pursue the matter, they probably wouldn't do anything to Haynau, a noble lord like Molka. The ones who'd end up in trouble would be them.
Lieutenant General Molka was a shrewd man, and he understood the mindset of these low-ranking soldiers all too well. Otherwise, he could never have rallied an army of more than ten thousand in Vienna. But he had put all his cleverness and connections to use in the wrong places.
"Do you dare?! Do you know who I am? If you lay a finger on