Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Despite the danger, Rafael and Everett managed to reach safety with their burdens.
Once Felix and Thomas were settled, Everett and Rafael slid down the cliff. Descending was relatively easy. When they reached a certain point, t, they grasped the small trees and slowly turned around. With a final leap, they made their way back down.
Jacob and Dylan were waiting on the ground. They would only go up after everyone else had been safely carried up.
After just one trip, Rafael and Everett were already breathless. They took a brief moment to rest before continuing.
Everett made five trips, so Rafael had to make six. The last trip was for Lawrence. He needed to be secured to Rafael’s back as he was unable to hold on himself.
So, even though Everett didn’t have to make another trip, he descended with Rafael for the final trip.
“You carry him up. I’ll follow behind and watch your back for any issues,” Everett said. Sweat soaked his back, and his hair was damp and sticking to his scalp.
“Understood!” Rafael had to bend low for the final trip up, making it more difficult. Dylan and Jacob would accompany him. Effectively, there were three people providing protection for Rafael and Lawrence.
Those above watched with anxious anticipation. Lawrence couldn’t hold Rafael on his own, and tying him up would limit Rafael’s agility, making this the most dangerous trip.
Everyone held their breath as they watched Rafael leap to grab a small tree. After catching his breath, Rafael made a second leap to another tree and gripped another tree, which held steady.
The process continued with the third and fourth trees, which he could grip steadily.
However, Rafael’s bent posture made the ascent extremely challenging.
When reaching for the fifth tree, his hand brushed against the tree, but he couldn’t grasp it firmly. His heart skipped a beat as he spread his
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hands to brace against the cliff. This left him upright against the wall, causing Lawrence’s head to tilt backward and Rafael to balance.
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Everyone covered their mouths, watching in terror as the scene unfolded.
Oh god, it looked like Rafael and Lawrence would fall any minute!
At this critical juncture, Everett and Dylan rushed forward, each grabbing one of Rafael’s hands. Their other hands held onto the small trees. However, the distance between them was too great for them to pull Rafael up. Additionally, the two small trees were bearing the weight of four people, which was extremely perilous.
At that moment, Thomas quickly lowered a grappling hook and rope, just long enough to reach Rafael’s right hand.
Dylan exchanged a look with Rafael. As they nodded to each other, Dylan let go. Rafael quickly grasped the rope with his right hand. Then, Everett released his grip, allowing Rafael to grasp the rope with his left hand as well. With both hands holding onto the rope, it meant the people above could only pull up Rafael and Lawrence.
The rope wasn’t long enough to secure to a tree above. Thomas had lowered it with one end of the hook, which was necessary. Without it, the rope would have swayed in the air and wouldn’t reach Rafael’s hand easily.
Without a tree to anchor the rope, Thomas and others had to rely on their own strength to pull Rafael and Lawrence up. The few who were uninjured were already exhausted. They clenched their teeth to the point of bleeding as they managed to pull Rafael and Lawrence up just shy of a yard.
Jacob made it up successfully, but Dylan and Everett dared not leave just yet. They remained on guard to protect Rafael and Lawrence, ready to intervene if the rope came loose. However, a stalemate had occurred.
The people above couldn’t pull them up, and those below had no foothold. Lawrence remained unconscious, his head tilted back. If this continued, his injuries would worsen.
Thomas anxiously searched for nearby vines that might extend the rope, hoping to use them to brace against a tree trunk.
However, the vines available were thin and easily breakable. They would offer no real support.
The situation was critical. Thomas clung tightly to Tobias’ waist to prevent the group from being pulled down, despite the severe injury on his back.
Ultimately, this was not a solution. They needed to get Rafael and Lawrence up, or they would exhaust all their strength. If that happened, the group above would be able to do nothing and watch helplessly as Rafael and Lawrence fell.
–
Above them, a group of people emerged from the dense forest. Due to the obstructing trees and underbrush, they could only faintly see the figures of the people dressed in black below. The group couldn’t identify who these people were, as the numbers didn’t match and it didn’t seem like Rafael was among them.
The only thing the group could see was that the people dressed in black appeared to be holding onto a rope.
“Go down and check,” Timothy suggested.
With a dozen men by his side, he felt confident they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even if they encountered Sandorian soldiers.
“Let’s go!” Louis agreed. He could somehow sense the urgency of the situation, so it was better to investigate.
Thomas heard footsteps behind him, and he strained to turn his head while clinging to Tobias’ waist. A group of people was descending the steep mountain. When the leader of the group came into view, Thomas felt his blood rush to his head.
He shouted in disbelief, “Timothy! Timothy, help us!” Timothy was stunned.
That voice…!
Timothy hurried down the slope and saw a group of men, struggling as they pulled on a rope. The voice calling him sounded eerily familiar, but the face was unfamiliar.
“Timothy, it’s me! I’m Thomas!” Thomas cried, his voice choked with emotion.
“Oh!” Timothy stumbled forward, tears streaming down his face. “Thomas… Yes, I’m here!”
“It’s Thomas?” Louis exclaimed in shock. “Oh my god! It really is you!”
“Prince Rafael is below!” Thomas said through gritted teeth, refusing to loosen his grip on Tobias’ waist. “Hurry, help!”
Felix clung to the rope, his back to the new group of people who had appeared. His face was flushed with exertion, and he couldn’t afford to relax even a little. Though he heard his brother, Louis’ voice, he didn’t dare let up or call out to him.
“Come on!” Louis shouted, and his group moved in unison. One by one, Louis and the others took over the exhausted men’s positions and gripped the rope tightly.
The exhausted men collapsed onto the ground in relief, gasping for breath. They were too exhausted to even lift a hand.
With Louis and Timothy’s help, Rafael and Lawrence were soon pulled up. However, they sustained scratches from the rocky cliff, which were inevitable. Rafael lay on the ground, directing them to carefully free Lawrence.
Felix buried his face in Louis’ embrace, sobbing loudly. “Louis, I thought I’d never see you again!”
Louis stared in stunned silence. He had seen this tanned-faced man just now, but he had never imagined it was Felix. He never even considered it!
Louis abruptly pushed Felix away, and scrutinized him closely. He looked different from before, but Louis recognized him.
Tears mixed with laughter on Louis’ face. “You’ve aged, and you look so ugly now. How did you become like this?”
“Don’t just focus on your reunion. Check on our other brethren,” Rafael gasped, his hands trembling uncontrollably. Lawrence had been laid on the ground after being taken off Rafael’s back, but he still hadn’t woken up despite their attempts. Louis and Timothy looked at the eleven surviving men, tears welling up in their eyes. It was such a relief to see so many of them alive.