Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

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, which wouldn't attract the attention of the grassland tribes. Also, Victor would surely not dare to follow.

They had been running without a break. Rafael managed to endure, but the others were struggling. They were so tired that their legs were shaking.

Moreover, a few had been injured during the rescue. Thomas could still walk at first, though he was slow and needed some support. But eventually, he had to be carried.

Although Rafael was not injured, he had exhausted much of his inner force during the skirmish with the garrison troops at Sandoria's border city and had yet to recover.

needed a

He closed his eyes to listen for a moment, and then said, "They're almost here. That was fast. It must be Victor's elite troops. We must ascend the mountain immediately." Rafael took

wounds showed signs of redness and pus. There

face. "Lawrence, we need to move on. I'll carry you. You must hold on.

fluttered open slightly. He looked

while he was speaking, Rafael crushed the medicine and forced it into Lawrence's

fell on Rafael's back, his voice faint as a whisper. "If something...you have to...leave me behind." Though his consciousness was fading, he was aware of the danger. If his presence jeopardized the escape of everyone, he wouldn't find

a single person will

at the others who were supporting each other as they walked. We're only one mountain away Once we cross this mountain, we'll reach the grasslands, and Simonton City will

welled up in their eyes. "We

go. Home is within

was high and treacherous. Unlike the mountains they had climbed before, which

climbed higher. Above the halfway point,

was effectively no