Chapter 55

They rested at an inn that evening. Both Lightning and Carissa managing a good night's sleep. Being away from home made her unusually alert. She rose before dawn, washed up, and covered her face with a black cloth before continuing on her journey.

The journey was naturally arduous, made worse by the biting cold that even the cloth couldn't shield from, roughening her skin considerably.

The previous night at the inn, she had looked into a mirror. Her once smooth skin was now red and almost cracking. She applied camellia oil to prevent it from worsening—it wasn't about beauty, but avoiding pain.

On the fifth morning of travel, she arrived at the Southern Frontier. The absence of supply convoys on the road along the way troubled her. It meant that the Hell Monarch thought victory was assured, and didn't need to constantly obtain provisions.

However, there was still a fierce battle ahead.

Upon reaching the Southern Frontier, she inquired and learned that only two cities, Ilyrian and