Rewinding time to right after the Battle of Liguang's conclusion, near an inconspicuous cliffside, vines and leaves crisscrossed to hide a narrow cave entrance. No one would notice it from outside, nor would anyone come by with the closest town a far distance away. It was perfectly hidden! The dark sky rumbled as a streak of lightning shot across, booming with thunderous power. Rain began pouring down and showering the little snowfall that remained, shrouding the land in a misty haze. Water seeped into every crevice and crack, and eventually found its way through the earth and into the cave. Drip… A cold raindrop fell on a person's face and splashed them awake. Their eyes eventually opened to the unfamiliar ceiling and a massive headache assaulted them. What happened? And where was this? The last thing she remembered was getting captured. Since this was not a prison cell, then… She heard someone talking in the cave, but not enough to make out its contents. Did someone save her or were they her captors? She wanted to move or say something, except her body refused to do anything more. It took every bit of her energy to stay conscious! Before long, the girl fell unconscious again.
An unknown time later, the girl woke up. The bright morning sunlight pierced through the cave vines and illuminated the dark interiors. Her eyes narrowed in pain. How long was she unconscious for? Hours? Maybe days? She had no way of knowing, except by the growling hunger in her stomach. She was starving! She felt like she could eat an entire cow with how famished she was. The feeling was so painful that the girl jumped up to find something to eat. However, she immediately regretted it. Her knees buckled, and all her muscles gave out. She collapsed! Coughing out blood, the girl realized how severe her injuries were. They must have reopened when she strained herself! Considering what happened in the Battle of Liguang though… this much was expected. The girl looked inwards using her Magic Perception and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Magic Energy inside her Core was slowly condensing into a single drop. This was the qualitative breakpoint for Half-Condensed Drop Core Level! She thought that the backlashes would have crippled her, but thankfully her fears were averted. In fact, she progressed further! Unsurprisingly, this person was Elizabeth!
(You're finally awake,) someone whispered.
"Who said that?" Elizabeth almost jumped in fright.
(Look within.)
(Teacher! Where were you?)
She grew furious. Elizabeth knew that this mysterious teacher of hers was by no means weak. Although she had no idea how strong Rena truly was, she was certain that with Rena's help in the battle, then the outcome would have been very different. They could have broken through the large-scale beguilement array, regrouped with the reinforcements outside, and lasted long enough for the main armies to arrive! All those meaningless sacrifices could have been avoided! Yet, Rena did not lift a finger. The spirit refused her calls and practically disappeared on her. Their side's biggest trump card was absent! There was no way that Elizabeth would not be furious. She was on the verge of erupting when her coughing acted up again. She spat out blood in misery.
"Damn it… Why didn't you do something? I know you could have done something!" she shouted and punched the ground, too angry to speak in her mind. "Everyone died because of you… because of you!"
(I asked this once before but… Why should I do anything?) The response was extremely cold and logical, as though lecturing an ignorant child. There was not a single shred of emotion behind it!
"You're my teacher, aren't you? Shouldn't you be helping us when we're in danger!" Her voice was echoing throughout the cave now. She had lost all composure!
(I never said that I would. You were the one who misunderstood,) the spirit said, causing Elizabeth to hurl out more curses. (Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about them more than me? Look around.)
Elizabeth was about to unleash another round of rage when she realized that there were people around her. They were unconscious and lying down, so she missed them the first time. Her anger quickly transformed into relief because they were Benedict, Shirley, and Freon! Aside from them, there was also Sir Winstin, Lady Mingyuu, Cardinal Hui, Imperian Qiang, Princess Xiuying and Ming, Protector Chang, and Ten Dawn Yvonne and Rosemary. Even Ten Dawn Iris was present! In total, these were the final survivors from the final moments of the Battle of Liguang! However, they were drenched in blood and a myriad of injuries. It would not be surprising if they were already dead. Elizabeth rushed over, placed her ear to their chests, and searched for their heartbeats. It was very faint and slow… but it was there. All of them were still alive!
"Did you save them, teacher?" Elizabeth sighed in relief, but her teacher was silent. She was used to her teacher's eccentric habits, so she decided to forget about this matter for now. What mattered was figuring out their current situation…
Now that her composure returned somewhat, she stood up and properly assessed her surroundings. This cave did not lead further inwards, while the entrance was located halfway up a cliffside. This meant that any predators, or unwanted guests from the Imperial Council, would struggle to discover this place. They were safe for the time being. She glanced outside and saw a generic-looking forest. Without any landmarks for as far as the eye could see, she was completely lost as to where they could be, but they were probably still in the Samfeng Province. Any further and it would be a stretch. She pondered on her next move carefully.
Either she could leave first and search for help or stay here and wait for everyone to recuperate. There were pros and cons to both. With the former, she could quickly get help and reorganize against the Li Family's betrayal and the Imperial Council's attack. It was bound to be pandemonium out there with what happened in Liguang. The people here also needed professional medical care, and not half-baked measures. The problem was that she had no idea where they were, nor was she sure that she could find the kingdom's forces. If she found the empire's forces by accident, then it would be disastrous. It would also be difficult to find her way back, and there were too many uncertainties in trying things alone. On the off chance that something happened to her, then everyone here was basically left to die. The latter choice to stay and depart together was the safer option, though it would take longer, and they knew the land better than her. That was what she ultimately chose.
Over the course of the next several days, Elizabeth diligently hunted for food, searched for water, and tended to the injured. Equipped with a bow and her Half-Condensed Drop Core, it was trivial to hunt for game. Even for large predators that would threaten normal hunters, she could kill them before they knew what happened! Her killing potential was immense. And thankfully, she did know her way around because she often snuck out to the forest on New Havens whenever she was bored. As long as she stuck close to the cave, it was hard to get lost. Tending to the injured was the hardest part. Elizabeth did cover medicine in her royal training; however, it was all rudimentary theory. Applying it in practice without prior experience would be a terrible idea. Fortunately though, no one's injuries were too severe and their conditions were rapidly improving. Someone had treated everyone before Elizabeth woke up. Whoever that was remained a mystery.