Semua Bab Her Graceful War Song: Bab 821 - Bab 830

On the day of the assessment, Carissa ordered that all leaders of the Mystic Army, even if they were just captains, had to be present unless they were on duty.At first, Alistair thought this was a direct dig at him. After a long rant about Carissa to his wife, he finally stepped out the door. Women could be so petty! With someone as small-minded as Carissa in charge of the Mystic Army, who knew how many troubles were going to arise in the future?When he arrived at the Capital Guard headquarters, he quickly learned that the day's assessment wasn't just about him—it was tied directly to the Civil Department's evaluations. That realization made him nervous. He had offended Carissa. If he performed poorly today, he could face penalties like a salary deduction or even a demotion. If he had known, he would have prayed more before leaving the house and sought blessings from his ancestors.Barrett was also there, but he wasn't participating in the assessment since he had just taken

Violet smiled slightly before launching herself at Carissa, who sidestepped to avoid her, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back. In a split second, Violet executed a backflip and soared through the air.The two exchanged blows for what felt like an eternity, their movements so swift that it was nearly impossible to follow. The sound of their strikes cut through the air like thunder, and on more than one occasion, their flying kicks shattered nearby flagstones into pieces, leaving the onlookers in shock.Their match made everyone reconsider the earlier assessment—it felt like the true test was taking place right before their eyes. Based on what they were seeing now, Carissa could have easily taken them down in just a few moves.After over a hundred exchanges, the two finally came to a halt, stepping back to catch their breath. Despite their intense battle, their appearances were only slightly disheveled.Barrett watched from the sidelines, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. He had

After returning home from the apprenticeship ceremony and banquet, Violet turned to Carissa and said, "I can't shake the feeling that this whole apprenticeship ceremony was a farce. I wasn't even a good apprentice myself, and now I'm supposed to take on students—students who are older than me and from the Mystic Army, no less! If I can't teach them well, won't I just be dragging you down?"Carissa took Violet's hand and motioned for Rafael to head back inside. She wanted to take a stroll with her friend in the garden."If you really don't want to do it, then just pretend the ceremony and banquet never happened. You can remain their instructor. As for whether you teach well or poorly, there's no need to worry. A mentor can only guide. The rest is up to the individual. Your skills are excellent, and you can certainly keep them in line. If they struggle to learn, that's on them, not you.""It's just… They're court officials. Teaching them martial arts in the way of the martial world mi

"The medicine has been delivered, but we haven't heard back yet on whether it's effective," Jacob said.Kyle, who usually stayed out of political affairs, chimed in, "The situation in Westhaven is complicated right now. Crown Prince Edmund is acting as regent, but their king hasn't passed yet. Half the old officials in the court oppose Edmund's aggressive policies. Even though Edmund was close with the late crown prince, Arthur, he completely disagreed with his methods. Liam was once a fervent supporter of Arthur, so I'm afraid the situation won't improve even if he survives.""The old king sure has a strong will to live," Violet remarked. "He's been on the brink of death for ages. What's keeping him alive and clinging to life?"Kyle replied, "It's certainly the chaos in the country. Arthur had the support of the people, and the transition between the old king and the crown prince was almost complete. Now, with the late crown prince gone and a new one in place, the court is mostly f

At Valor Estate, Viola gradually calmed down as her pregnancy progressedHowever, Rebecca's health continued to decline with the onset of winter. The more medicine she took, the more wan she appeared.Sebastian still refused to come. Whenever Rebecca felt particularly unwell, she would complain that Viola lacked the skills of Carissa, who had truly vast connections.Viola refused to indulge her mother-in-law. Not only did she not attend to Rebecca's needs, she didn't even bother to check on her. She left the older woman's care entirely to Amelia, the eldest daughter-in-law.Rebecca lamented to Barrett, "You're now the Crown Guard's commander, yet you can't even manage your own wife? She's disrespectful and rebellious, and is always contradicting me. A poor choice in a wife can bring disaster for three generations!"Barrett was in the midst of his career's ascent, and he didn't want to quarrel with Viola. Every argument left him drained and exasperated, so he had to comfort his mom