Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 900

Barrett fell into thought, his mind wandering back to past events.

"It was my idea to burn the supply depot in Fawnrun City. At the time, Westhaven had already suffered several defeats in a row, and it looked like they were about to retreat.

"General Shane said that our battles with Westhaven have always been sporadic skirmishes. But when it comes to real fighting, both sides tend to hold back. So, when Westhaven retreated, we grew complacent. We didn't expect them to launch such a fierce offensive. It was during that battle that General Dominic was injured..."

"No," Carissa interrupted him once more. "When you first arrived at Victory Pass, my third uncle lost an arm in the chaos of war, proving that the battle was already intense. If both sides were holding back, there wouldn't have been a need for your reinforcements."

Barrett explained, "The fighting had always been somewhat restrained. The reason it suddenly escalated was because Marshal Liam pulled back from the frontlines, replacing himself with his brother, Marshal Leroy, who's much more ruthless and fierce. He changed tactics completely because he wanted to push us back and draw a new borderline.

"At the time, the situation at the Southern Frontier was critical. Troops were dispatched from Victory Pass, which left an opening for Leroy to exploit. That's when His Majesty sent me to Victory Pass with reinforcements. This is all on record."

Carissa knew this already. She looked at Barrett and asked, "So, when you thought Westhaven was retreating, was it because Marshal Liam had returned to command the battle?"

replied, recalling the discussions he'd had in the command tent with Dominic and the others. "At the time, Uncle Shan... I mean, General Shane, said Marshal Liam's tactics were always like this-he didn't want a full- scale war or to sacrifice too many lives. Since we hadn't lost anything, we figured we could just hold our ground. But then, Marshal Leroy suddenly replaced Marshal Liam. They launched a vicious attack, catching

She pieced together that when Leroy took command, it likely meant that Liam had gone back to try to prevent the then Westhaven crown prince,

would have been far safer. Instead, he went to the battlefield, which was a

offensive. When Liam returned, Arthur showed up in Fawnrun City. It was clear that Liam hadn't

king's condition worsened, fearing

by then, Dominic had

he were more self-serving, he might have sent Liam away

After Liam disappeared, Leroy ordered the attack to

things down so he could recover. He had been hit by an arrow; it nearly cost him his life. That's when I proposed leading a small force into Fawnrun City to burn Westhaven's supply depot. Without their

Fawnrun City, Marshal Liam had already returned to the battlefield?" Carissa

later." Barrett wasn't surprised Carissa knew that. "When I took the troops into Fawnrun City,

take you to

seven days," Barrett

you and Aurora separate? Wasn't the plan