บททั้งหมดของ Provoking a Graceful Bloom: บทที่ 361 - บทที่ 370

Torrin still couldn't reason it out. Hartshire was hardly a wealthy place. If a handful of ruffians had merely entered the town to steal for their own survival, it might have been excusable.But Nathaniel had come to eradicate the people who had crafted those terrifying Thundershells. Anyone capable of forging such weapons couldn't be taken lightly. Such men would never trouble themselves with a poor town like this. There was no profit in it."Lady Campbell..."Selena exhaled slowly. "I imagine he studied the tactical model, examined it thoroughly, and chose his course only after that. Who prepared the tactical model?""It was Ivy Yarrow. She is ranked seventeenth among the Yelwyn Cavalry, and is a master of tracking and reconnaissance," Torrin replied.Anything Ivy built was rarely in error.Selena looked at him with mild surprise. "She is a woman?"Torrin started as if stung. Something had clearly occurred to him, and he hurried to explain, "She may be a lady, but her manner i

"The Yelwyn Cavalry isn't always in the capital. Half our men are busy across the realm. Ronan and I are the only ones of the level you require who accompanied His Highness on this journey, and Ronan followed him to Mount Iron. I was left here to guard Hartshire," Torrin replied, feeling his chest tighten as Selena's words sank in.Suddenly, the sequence of events became clearer to him. No wonder Nathaniel had ordered him to stay behind. By the time the prince rode to Mount Iron, he had surely already understood this danger.Those men didn't merely intend to strike the prince at Mount Iron, they also planned to create chaos here in Hartshire!"But even if they captured Hartshire, they wouldn't be able to hold it once reinforcements from the surrounding cities arrived. Taking the town would be of no use to them," Torrin pointed out.That was why Hartshire's garrison was so small.Selena pressed her lips together, her eyes growing cold and merciless. "According to their plan, the pr

Torrin finally left, taking the thousand Hartshire soldiers with him.Left behind were the remainder of Nathaniel's troops, now disguised in the uniforms of the local garrison soldiers. Torrin had selected several of his finest men for Selena, and though she knew them to be exceptional warriors, none possessed true command experience. Even they themselves lacked confidence.But she truly had no time to seek help from any other generals. As for the original commander stationed in Hartshire, she didn't know him, nor did she know how loyal he was to the Obsidian Monarch. Should he secretly serve another faction of the royal family, her plan could be ruined.At last, after one final study of the tactical model, she changed into her armor and prepared to leave the tent.Before she could step out, a soldier hurried in. "My lady! A few people have intruded into the camp. The men have surrounded them."Selena's eyes narrowed, moving swiftly toward the commotion.She was soon met by anoth

Selena and Qiana had barely left when the town was indeed attacked. But such matters were far from their minds. After traveling through the mountain valleys for an entire day and night, they finally arrived at the stone forest's entrance just as dawn broke."According to the map Ivy made, this forest is twice as large as the previous two," Selena said, pausing at the edge. "We have no idea where they are. To rush in blindly would make finding them nearly impossible."She looked up at the surrounding mountains, taking note of the numerous high slopes. Curiously, they had passed one of those slopes just moments before, but when they looked down from it, all they could see was a vast expanse of white. They couldn't see the stone forest at all."This is the Mystic Eightfold Arts? How can such a vast forest be turned into a formation so formidable?" Qiana murmured.She had no knowledge of battle arrays, but the scale of the forest alone was enough to convince her that human effort alone

There was no one! Even the assassins must have found it bewildering. How could the stone forest be entirely empty? Where had Nathaniel's men gone?The assassins gathered together, whispering and gesturing. Though Selena could see them, she was unable to hear what they were saying.Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by several more in rapid succession. Selena's eyes narrowed, and she raised the magic spyglass toward a distant ridge. On the slope opposite her, a flash of white flickered and vanished.Before she could make out who it was, she seized Qiana's arm and ducked behind the nearest boulder."What is it?" Qiana asked, moving with astonishing swiftness.Though she didn't yet understand what had happened, she instinctively knew to follow Selena's lead. Their coordination required no training; it was instinctual."There's someone on the opposite ridge, directing those assassins," Selena whispered, her gaze sharp as she carefully trained the magic spyglass on th