Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
The local government had taken notice, but since the people didn’t cause trouble and only made a living by farming the land, the authorities chose to turn a blind eye.
Sophie 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.
Sophie 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 Sophie 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.”
Rafael had originally disagreed with such an extensive search, believing it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He thought it better to monitor their movements closely, to see who they interacted with, who brought in supplies, and how much was sent. He felt that would be more efficient and safer than heading into the mountains right away.
He also believed the food wouldn’t be stored 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 for thousands of people.
However, Salvador’s letter insisted that only by uncovering weapons and armor could they confirm the conspiracy and label it as rebellion. Once confirmed, they could destroy the weapons and use nearby forces to eliminate them.
Rafael had brought fewer than twenty people, 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 meet back up in five days.
Five days later, only Rafael and Dylan had not returned. Everyone else had regrouped at their designated meeting point.
by
They waited for another day, but with growing concern over their safety, they decided to venture back into the mountains to search for them. It wasn’t until a few days ago that they discovered a sign 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 danger or injury when they left it.
The orchid mark was a special symbol used by the Pathfinders Guild members. If injured, a petal would be missing. If they were in danger, one of the corners would be gone. If their lives were at risk, only half a petal would remain.
Seeing the full blossom confirmed that they had been unharmed when they left the signal.
“But it’s been 20 days without any word. I’m still worried,” Sophie said, her brow furrowed. “Is there any news from Tiberius? Could he have discovered our arrival?”
“We’ve had one person specifically tailing him these past few days,” Kyle said. “He’s been frequenting the local brothels and coffeehouses, or hosting his friends for lavish meals at his estate. It seems the Realm Defender has been living quite comfortably.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “And his relationship with the local authorities-is it still as we originally investigated?”
“The local officials are openly disgusted by kim, but they’re too intimidated to act,” Travis answered. “He’s been maintaining a household army-just about 50 or 60 men, some of whom are decent fighters. He treats them well and keeps them well fed. In return, they help him lord over the area. It’s a combination of his title and the loyalty of these lackeys that lets him run wild.”
Sophie paused for a moment, then pressed on. “Has there been any evidence linking him to Stone Village?”
Travis shook his head. “We’ve been here for a while now, and while it’s neither a short nor long time, we haven’t found any sign of his people having been to Stone Village. So, it’s hard to say.”
Sophie felt that no matter what, she had to go into the mountains to search. Everett should arrive within a day or two, but until they came, she could only use the most straightforward method to find them.
The weather in mid-February was still very cold. It wasn’t as dry and harsh as the northern winds, but there was a damp chill that felt even worse. The cold seeped into everything, making her already anxious and restless heart feel even more uneasy and heavy.
That night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Her thoughts kept circling back to the fact that the mark Rafael had left was several days old, and she wondered whether they had encountered other dangers in the mountains.
What if the people from Stone Village had discovered them and ambushed them?
In those deep mountains, a massacre could occur and no one would know.
Even though she knew the climb ahead would take a lot of energy and she should be getting some rest, sleep eluded her. She finally gave up and rose before dawn.
As the early morning market stalls were opening, Sophie hurried to buy the provisions they would need for the journey into the mountains. By the time she returned, everyone else had begun to stir.
For this expedition, they would split into three teams.
Sophie would lead one group consisting of those from Meadow Ridge. The second group would be 30 members of the Mystic Army, led by Michael. The third group would consist of 20 members of the Mystic Army, led by Kyle.
The Meadow Ridge team was a small group-just Violet, Cynthia, Bun, Travis, Claire, Alana, and Leah. Aside from Bun and Travis, all of them were women.
The night before, Bun and Travis had talked for a long time. Bun felt that Travis had been carrying a heavy burden and could no longer tease him with the nickname “Shit Stick”.
Travis, too, noticed how much calmer Bun had become, and he had also grown thinner. The nickname “Chubby Bun” no longer seemed fitting.
The members of the Meadow Ridge team had all grown up together, so they were especially in sync with one another. This was why Kyle had been confident enough to let them go as a separate group. Once they entered the mountains, Sophie quickly realized just how bad the situation was it was far worse than she had imagined.
The mountains rose in three massive, sweeping ridgelines. As Kyle had said, finding someone here was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The three teams split to search the three sides of the mountains, and the only entrance was the single northern pass. They had to avoid the guards and climb over the mountains, going around the village along the way.
Sophie searched from dawn until dusk, covering very little ground. If the mountain were like a target with ten rings, then in one day, they had only circled the outermost ring.
That first night, they camped in the mountains. To avoid drawing attention from Stone Village, they found a small cave and scatteredet powder around to ward off snakes and insects. The cold was biting and they needed a fire to stay warm, or else they would freeze in the mountains.
Given the need for fire, someone had to keep watch. Fortunately, they had enough people to take turns. Sophie volunteered to take the first shift. She climbed a nearby hill, about 200 feet from the cave, and found tallest tree to sit in. The view was obstructed, so she couldn’t see Stone Village, but at least she could sense any movement in the surrounding area.
The others took turns standing guard, trying to get what rest they could.
By morning, they put out the fire, buried the ashes in the dirt, and covered it with grass and a few broken branches to make it look as though no one had been there.
On the second day, they found nothing.
On the third day, they were forced to turn back, as their provisions were running low.
Around noon, everyone was exhausted and took a break in a relatively flat spot. They had been searching for two days without finding any leads, and Sophie felt a sense of numbness creeping over her.
Violet, noticing her distracted demeanor, sighed and said, “I hear a stream. Let’s go wash our faces.”
There were streams and springs in these mountains, and they had passed a few during their search. Sophie didn’t feel like going but was coaxed by Violet.
“Come on, you look like you’re about to lose it. Let’s just wash our faces.”
Sophie knew everyone was concerned about her, so she forced a smile and stood up. “I’m just tired, but alright, let’s go.”
They walked toward the sound of running water, less than a mile from
??????