Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)

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 grassland, the Sandorians would hesitate to enter. They would likely only send a few elite troops after him. With a manageable number of pursuers, Rafael could handle the situation if he was uninjured.

They waited for two days. On June 21st, Timothy grew increasingly anxious.

He said to Louis, "Waiting here doing nothing isn't going to help. Here's the plan-I'll take a dozen men down into the grassland, cross another mountain, and see if we can find Prince Rafael. I'm worried he might have been injured when he rescued Septimus." Louis replied, "Don't rush. Taking just a dozen men won't make a difference. The mountain is so vast and dense with forest, and there's no direct path. It'll be too difficult to locate anyone."

"But waiting here accomplishes nothing," Timothy insisted. "In fact, the marshal's decision to station so many men here is pointless. If they manage to cross the grassland, it means they're safe. Whether we have three thousand or a thousand men, we can't traverse the grassland and climb the mountain."

Louis lowered his voice, "He's just trying to show full cooperation with the rescue mission, all to impress the king. He doesn't care if sending us with three thousand men actually makes a difference." Both men sighed.

They had served under the best marshals and had little respect for Oliver, but the king valued Oliver highly.

Fortunately, there were currently no ongoing battles. The task was simply to guard Simonton City and prevent the Sandorians from counterattacking.

Moreover, the Southern Frontier had

endured years of warfare, rampant looting, and mountain bandits and robbers Causing trouble. So, it was essential to have a strong military presence to maintain order and allow the appointed officials to

govern effectively.

"Enough! I won't wait any longer, Louis." Timothy devised a compromise. "How about we split into teams of ten and cross the grassland that way? Do you think it will work?"

Louis considered the plan. "Alright, we'll send out ten teams of ten men each to cross the grassland in shifts toward Crow Mountain. You stay here to guard, and I'll go."This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"No, I'll go." Timothy placed a hand on Louis' shoulder, his expression serious and solemn. "Even though His Highness didn't tell me much, he looked at me several times when he mentioned going to rescue Septimus. I suspect that Septimus is actually the eleventh son of my family, Thomas."

Louis looked at him in shock. "Do you also think so? Don't get your hopes up too much."

When the two kingdoms exchanged prisoners, Louis and Thomas had hoped to see their own relatives. They had eagerly identified the prisoners one by one. However, Louis didn't find Felix, and Timothy didn't find Thomas.

They joined in the laughter and celebration, welcoming the returned prisoners with joy. As leaders of the Sinclair Army, they embraced everyone, offering encouragement and toasting with them.

But once they turned away, their tears were unstoppable. That night, neither Louis nor Timothy could sleep.

After experiencing such

disappointment, Louis was hesitant

to hope. Felix wasn't of the Quinton family by blood, but having served under Hector together, their bond was even stronger than that of brothers. Perhaps it was because the two of them were the only ones in the Quinton family who had served in the army, making their connection all the more special.