Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 1258

Carissa and her group arrived in Lunvale, posing as traveling merchants. After gathering information about Stone Village, their first priority was to contact Kyle and Travis.

She marked the inn where they were staying with an orchid drawn in a conspicuous spot, leaving a secret signal. Anyone familiar with the code would be able to find them.

That evening, Kyle and Travis arrived, both looking exhausted. They were covered in dust, their clothes wrinkled, their hair hastily combed with their hands, their shoes caked with dirt. It was clear they had just come down from the mountains.

Carissa had been on edge the entire journey, her heart heavy with worry. Upon seeing them, she quickly asked about their situation.

Kyle first tried to ease her tension. "When we sent the pigeon post, we had lost all contact and there was no trace of them. But just a couple of days ago, we found something. In the old forest south of Stone Village, we discovered a mark left by Rafael. It proves they had been there, and it should have been just a few days ago.

That news allowed Carissa to breathe a little easier. But then Kyle explained the reason for their temporary disappearance.

"We received a secret directive from the king to investigate where the grain and weapons were hidden in the mountains," Kyle continued. "So, when we got the message, we set off to search for it."

in a haystack. He thought it better to monitor their movements closely, to see who they interacted with,

in large quantities in the mountains. They would only need enough to last through the winter, as more supplies would have to be brought in come spring. After all, they were looking at provisions

the conspiracy and label

brought

just the four of them, along with some guards. After receiving the secret directive, they split into groups and entered the mountains, agreeing beforehand that no matter what they found, they would

had not returned. Everyone

by

left Rafael, high up on the southern mountain. The mark was carved into a tree—an orchid with all its petals intact. This was a good sign-it meant they hadn't encountered any immediate

a special symbol used by the Pathfinders Guild members. If injured,

in danger, one of the corners would be gone. If their lives were at risk, only half a

that they had been

word. I'm still worried," Carissa said, her brow furrowed.