Once the enemies fully retreated, the kingdom roared victoriously. They never thought they would turn things around, much less survive to tell the tale. It was a miracle! Their victorious cries filled the heavens, as they collapsed from the exhaustion and stress with smiles painted on their faces. Everyone wanted to celebrate! However, if one looked closer, under the supposed joy and happiness, there was a distinct sadness and somberness in their eyes. Why? Because there were hundreds of corpses surrounding them, drenching their boots in red, and suffocating them in an air of death. Almost everywhere they looked, there was a new mountain of bodies. To see their comrade-in-arms, who ate and drank alongside them for months, now a decaying pile of flesh on the ground… No one could be too happy.
Elizabeth received the report and fell into a trance. There were over five hundred people deceased from their brief battle. Including the casualties and permanently maimed soldiers then that total scaled up to seven hundred, almost eight hundred people. That would mean that… more than eight of ten people here would never fully recover again. She saw the sea of corpses, where these soldiers, once brimming with vitality and hopes and dreams and friends and families… now laid to rest, and she felt extremely guilty. Although the Ten Dawns held the bow, she was the one who ultimately loosed the arrow. The choice to use large-scale tactical spells here was hers and hers alone. And to think that this small battlefield was just one of six battlefields on this front, which itself was another smaller part of the entire Siege on Yongtein where half a million people participated, it was a chilling realization. This battle… No, this entire Second Great Kingdom War was a plague on this world!
"The physicians will tend to the wounded while the officers and above will begin reorganizing and restructuring their units. Reestablish a defensive perimeter, and communication with the main camp. Find out what happened to General Christina and the Brigade Commanders," Elizabeth ordered.
"We obey, Your Highness!"
As they left, the girl exhaled loudly. Rena might have cured her physical, mental, and spiritual fatigue, but she still felt exhausted for some reason. Perhaps, this was due to the fatigue of the heart? It might not be something that magic could fix. Her mood remained abysmal.
"You should rest," Shirley said. "You can't keep pushing yourself like this."
"…I'll leave it to them then. Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need any help?"
"I'm fine now, but we almost died over there. After we passed out, someone healed us. You know who healed us, right?" Shirley wondered, leaving Elizabeth surprised. As expected, this girl was unusually sharp. She could tell that Elizabeth knew something but stayed silent for reasons unknown.
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you. It sounds ridiculous." She said it half in jest, except Shirley had a blank look on her face.
"We've seen giant talking birds, flying ships, and people that could fight in the skies… I don't think there's anything I wouldn't believe anymore," she said straight-faced.
"Well, I suppose that is true," Elizabeth replied dully.
The two drew quiet then started laughing at how ridiculous their situation really was. Shirley was completely correct. One year ago, before this war began anew, they never once imagined that things would develop this way. The Featherwind Sect? The five elder birds? Martial Energy? Rank 3 Kings? And entire armies of Perception Realms? Even the most creative storyteller would be unable to create a story like this. It was practically unbelievable from every direction imaginable! It almost felt like a dream with how everything played out. Elizabeth and Shirley shared a bittersweet moment.
Under her laughter, she said, "You're right. You'll probably believe me now if I told you. Do you remember I mentioned my master in Pelangi Fortress?"
"You showed us your bow."
"In truth… this bow is my master."
This made Shirley cock her head. "I don't get it."
"To explain it better, my master is inhabiting this bow. They don't have a real body, but I can communicate with them through my thoughts. Rena was the one who cast that grand recovery spell on everyone."
"Hm…" Shirley looked at the unresponsive weapon suspiciously before bowing earnestly. "I don't really get it, but thank you for saving us, Elizabeth's master!"
"Stop it. You're embarrassing me," Elizabeth looked at everyone eyeing them weirdly.
"Did Rena hear that?"
"Who knows? They've been ignoring me for a while now. They must be upset with me."
"Then make sure to give them my regards when you make up again."
"I will."
"…They're incredible, aren't they?"
Elizabeth traced Shirley's gaze to Benedict and Freon who were sat down currently, focused on stabilizing their advancements into Rank 2 Lord. Benedict had become a Perception Realm Novice, while Freon had become a Low Condensed Drop. They had officially broken through the realm of mortals into the realms of lords! Naturally, their strength grew by a wide margin. They needed time to adapt properly.
"They became Half-Rank 2 Lords later than us, yet they managed to become Rank 2 Lords before us," Elizabeth said helplessly. "How does that work?"
"That just means we'll have to work twice as hard!" Shirley encouraged.
"I guess you're right. We can't let the boys beat us." The two smiled again, showing a tiny glimmer of light in this otherwise dark world.
"Your Highness, pardon me for interrupting, but we should begin retreating towards the main army. Our forces here have been compromised, and it won't take long for the enemies to regroup and attack us again," Sir Winstin advised. "The quicker we move, the better."
Elizabeth's smile melted. "What about our vanguard forces? How are they faring?"
"Poorly. We suspect they'll lose in due time."
"…Then that's all the more reason we can't back down yet. Without our support, they'll be slaughtered. Besides, General Petra entrusted us with the main army's rear. We'd be risking her plans, and everyone else's safety if we fall back here."
"But everyone's injured," Ten Dawn Yvonne added. "That combined with the growing interference strength means we won't be able to display our large-scale tactical spells anymore. The degree of support we can provide would be minimal."
"I know but…" Elizabeth gritted her teeth. Although logically speaking, she knew that the decision to retreat was correct, the thought of abandoning her allies was a bit too cruel for her to make. However, it was like what Ten Dawn Yvonne said… No one could fight anymore. If she tried to force them into another hard-fought battle, forget whether they could win or not, there was a high chance they would riot before that. She had to consider everyone's feelings and… one look around was enough to tell her that. She sighed, "No, you're right. We'll do as you say. Give the order to retreat."
"As you command, Your Highness."
While they turned away to relay the orders, Shirley encouraged her. "You did the right thing. We can't save everyone, so it's enough to save those we can."
"Why do I feel like you're more mature than me?" Elizabeth joked.
"Well, I am older than you! Don't take on everything by yourself. That's what friends and family are for. Rely on us when you need to. We're here to share your burden."
The girl felt touched. "Thank you, Shirley."
"No need for thanks!" She blushed in embarrassment.
"Either way, this was for the better. We have to let General Petra know what happened here, so she can change her strategies and send reinforcements over. This is the only way we can help the vanguard. Not to mention, I'm worried about Auntie Christina and the other Brigade Commanders. I'm hoping she's alright."
"…" Shirley decided to stay her tongue and not share what Lord Xu said about doing to Lady Christina. It would unnerve her, and potentially make her decision-making worse. He could have been lying too. As cold as it may be, sometimes a little lie was the kinder gesture.
"How long did Benedict and Freon say they would take? I can't delay everyone for them."
"I'm finishing up now," Freon suddenly said. His wild and tempestuous aura abruptly shrank and calmed down. The powerful suppression of a Low Condensed Drop waned, as his normal self emerged again. He stood up and stretched. "My Core is still a bit unstable, but it's good enough. We can't afford to waste any more time."
"I'm done too," Benedict added. The explosive power that was raging throughout his body seemed to settle down. "Let's go."