The cemetery was vast, with most of the fallen soldiers buried here. A large gravestone stood prominently at the entrance of the cemetery.As they moved further in, they passed several small buildings where the cemetery guards lived. These guards had been captured and confined in one of the buildings. They were bound and gagged, unable to call for help.Before Rafael and his team began their rescue mission, they had prepared supplies of food and water. The reason for this was mainly due to the anticipation that Septimus would be tortured. After all, the Sandorians had suffered a great defeat, so they would seek vengeance. Assuming Septimus would have severe injuries, they would not be able to travel immediately.However, Rafael and his team hadn't anticipated that there would be so many injured, so the amount of supplies they had prepared was insufficient.When they returned, Dylan was already tending to Law's wounds.Rafael set Thomas down. Without pausing to take a breath, Rafae
Everyone looked at him with sympathetic eyes, but at the same time, they were also reminded that their own wives might have married someone else in their absence.Among the group, only Ivan was unmarried. He was the maternal nephew of Thomas' mother, a young soldier on his first battlefield experience.Scott and Wilfred were from Stonebrook District. Like Ivan and Tobias, they were just ordinary soldiers.Felix was Logan's elder brother. He had been adopted by Audrey, and was not her biological son. Lacking success in his studies and with a passion for martial arts, he had ended up on the battlefield. After several years of service, he had become a centurion before being captured.Before Felix went to war, he was engaged. But with news of his death reaching home, it was likely that his fiancee had found another suitor. The head of the Quinton family was kind and virtuous. He would never ask someone to remain a widow and condemn her to a lifetime of misery.Felix also hoped his fia
The weather grew hotter, and the people in Hell Monarch Estate had already begun using ice on a daily basis to keep the place cool.Rafael still hadn't sent any letters back, and Carissa was growing worried. Although he had gone with her martial uncle, the mission to rescue the hostages in the Sandoria border city was extremely dangerous, especially with Sandorian soldiers stationed there.According to the information Claire had gathered, there were plainclothes guards stationed around Valor Estate. They changed shifts day and night. It seemed the king was aware that someone intended to harm Aurora.The situation in Westhaven remained unclear. However, the special investigator, Patrick, had returned to report on the case in Brightmoor District. The massacre of Lola's family had been clarified—someone had used a Soulgrip Threadworm on Lola, causing her to lose her sanity and murder her entire family. The culprit was a local small merchant named Mason.The murderer had already confes
When Carissa indicated that something was wrong, Violet naturally sought confirmation. Violet approached Claire, asking her to assign someone to keep an eye on Harvey. Violet also instructed Claire repeatedly to avoid leaving any traces, and to ensure that no one discovered she was monitoring the people in Hartstone Estate.When assassins had infiltrated Valor Estate, Carissa had stepped in to help and had been summoned to the palace to explain the situation. Salvador had grown suspicious of Rafael, so everything must be done carefully.On the day Serena was to enter the Marquis of Ironridge's family, a sudden downpour arrived unexpectedly.Through the heavy rain, a small carriage entered through the side gate of Ironridge Estate. Serena had brought no noteworthy dowry, and cast a resentful glance at Barrett before stepping into the carriage.Once inside the estate, Serena greeted Jessica respectfully and served her a glass of wine, as was customary. However, Serena didn't even g
Violet and Travis both understood the implication of Carissa's words.The situation in Westhaven was bound to change drastically. Once the current crown prince, Edmund, ascends the throne, the first order of business would be a thorough investigation of Fawnrun City. There were three reasons for that—revenge, consolidating his own political power, and redrawing the borderlines.If Barrett still had any sympathy for Viola, he should let her return to her family.But if he kept Viola with him to force Oliver to stand up for the Warrens, then he and Aurora were essentially the same—utterly selfish.Feeling playful, Violet said, "Let's make a bet. Will Barrett give Viola a divorce letter? I think he won't."Though he held Barrett in low regard, Travis still remembered the man's bravery on the battlefield and was willing to give him a small measure of support. "He might. At least he showed responsibility on the battlefield."The two looked at Carissa. "What will you bet on?"Carissa
On June 19th, Oliver dispatched Timothy and Louis with three thousand soldiers to the mountains outside Simonton City. They were there to wait for the Hell Monarch and Septimus.While Oliver chose not to concern himself with the rescue operation's details, it was crucial that the pickup went smoothly. To secure his position as marshal, everything had to be executed flawlessly. If the Hell Monarch’s rescue attempt failed and they fell into the hands of the Sandoria forces, it would spell disaster for Oliver. He couldn’t afford to send troops to the Sandoria border city.Louis and Timothy reached the highest mountain outside Simonton City, and left a thousand men behind to stand by. They led the remaining two thousand further, hoping to intercept Rafael as soon as possible. However, after crossing another mountain, they ceased advancing. Beyond lay the nomad grassland tribes, where bringing two thousand soldiers would likely result in a battle.In truth, once Rafael reached the gras
In the end, Louis and Timothy decided to go together. After all, their troops were stationed here and hadn't crossed the border nor entered the grassland tribes' territory. Only a hundred soldiers in teams of ten would be going in.As expected, passing the grassland in small groups didn't draw the attention of the grassland sentries. They reached the top of Crow Mountain, and waited there. Although Crow Mountain was vast, they occupied the high ground and could see any movement from afar.They couldn't just rush down blindly, as Crow Mountain was divided between Sandoria and the grasslands, and a misstep could lead to conflict.They knew this, so they left some people behind to keep watch and call for help if needed. Then, Louis and Timothy continued on with a dozen or so people.-Meanwhile, Rafael and his group had already reached the base of Crow Mountain. Once they crossed it, they would be on the grassland. They were only a small group of people entering the grassland, whic
There was no time to hesitate—their pursuers were close behind.Everett and Rafael exchanged a glance. Even if it was stupid and risky, there was only one method they could use—flying while carrying their burdens.Dylan and Jacob could fly on their own, but the other eleven men needed to be carried. That meant Everett and Rafael needed to do at least five or six trips back and forth.Under extreme fatigue and with their internal force severely depleted, it was a life-threatening task."Sir, I'm truly sorry for the trouble," Rafael said, his eyes full of remorse.Everett sighed. "You're my only apprentice, and you've married the most troublesome girl in all of Meadow Ridge. If I don't feel for you, who will?"Rafael wanted to say he was happy, but under his master's compassionate gaze, he swallowed his words. They would just have to carry their burdens. He knew that his master had a stubborn streak—if Everett disagreed with Rafael, the former would have made it clear. There was