The Weight of War

By this point, three days had passed since Lisa Kael and Jiu Hui departed from the Royal City.\n\nFor these three days, the group had deliberately avoided entering any cities they passed, instead choosing to camp in the forests each night. Though news of the war’s outbreak had spread nationwide, its true impact hadn’t yet permeated most cities. The scent of gunpowder hadn’t reached them, and for many, the conflict felt distant, almost unreal. A considerable time had elapsed since the last war, causing the common folk to forget the harsh realities of battle. No, more accurately, their profound desire and longing for peace had led them to fully immerse themselves in a fleeting, illusory tranquility, blinding them to the cold, restless aura of war that was once again spreading.\n\nLisa Kael harbored no desire to shatter their illusions. She couldn’t bear to witness the disappointment and anguish of her people, dragged from their peaceful fantasies into a harsh reality by her own hand.\n\nBeautiful things invariably inspire lingering affection. This was especially true for a hard-won happiness, found after enduring prolonged suffering—such precious joy was all the more cherished.\n\nYet, if such beauty were to be shattered once more, the stark plunge from heaven to hell would drive people to madness!\n\nThus, Lisa Kael neither wished nor dared to bring the specter of war back to her subjects, who were so deeply engrossed in their beautiful, peaceful existence.\n\nShe vividly recalled the first night, when she led her soldiers to the city just outside the Royal City. As Lisa Kael stood at its gates, gazing upon the bustling, tranquil settlement, a sudden wave of fear washed over her, a profound unease settling in her heart. ‘Why had I ascended the throne in the first place?’ she wondered. ‘What could I truly accomplish sitting upon that seat? What could I bring to this kingdom?’\n\nObserving the lively scene within the city gates, with every face alight with joyful, relaxed smiles, Lisa Kael halted her steps and fell into a heavy silence.\n\nJiu Hui, seated before Lisa Kael, subtly turned her head, observing Lisa Kael’s troubled expression. With a hint of confusion, she softly spoke.\n\n”Are we… not going inside?”\n\nLisa Kael gazed at the city before them. After a long moment, she let out a soft sigh.\n\n”Let’s not go in,” she decided. “We’ll spend the night outside the city today.”\n\nTurning her horse, Lisa Kael quietly departed.\n\n****\n\nAfterward, Lisa Kael returned to the troops stationed not far outside the city. Facing her assembled soldiers, she announced loudly.\n\n”Tonight, we rest here! No one is to enter the city! Disobey, and face execution!”\n\nThe soldiers regarded Lisa Kael, their expressions tinged with confusion. Nevertheless, their military discipline ensured their obedience to the Queen’s command, and after a unanimous “Yes, Your Majesty!” they began to settle down for the night.\n\nThat night, Lisa Kael lay on a sturdy tree branch, gazing at the colossal moon in the sky. Her heart was heavy with sorrow.\n\n****\n\nReturning to the present, three arduous days of travel had seen the group pass beyond the first city. They were now not far from the second, expecting to reach it by tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow morning at the latest.\n\nAs they galloped across the boundless wilderness, Jiu Hui noticed that the closer they drew to the battlefield, the graver Lisa Kael’s expression became. Her beautiful face was marred by a grim, cold demeanor that utterly contradicted its natural charm.\n\nNaturally, the perpetual smile on Xiao Lü’s face, riding behind them, gradually faded as the battlefield loomed nearer. By now, it had completely vanished, replaced by a certain aloofness. Xiao Lan, beside her, also wore an an utterly blank expression. Even Aivy, the young girl, unexpectedly displayed a flicker of remembrance and pain, as if haunted by unpleasant memories.\n\nLooking further back, the expressions of the soldiers were no longer merely solemn with a hint of relief, as they had been upon leaving the Royal City. Now, a chilling aura of savagery emanated from them, and their eyes, from time to time, revealed flashes of murderous intent and bloodlust.\n\nJiu Hui observed the expressions on everyone’s faces, her own mood growing heavy. The oppressive atmosphere permeating the entire company was so profound that it left her feeling breathless.\n\nPerhaps, having never witnessed a battlefield herself, Jiu Hui’s understanding of war was profoundly superficial. She knew battle was cruel, yet she hadn’t grasped the true extent of its brutality. Without seeing the fields strewn with corpses firsthand, any imagination of it remained too meager, utterly failing to convey the authentic desolation and bloody essence of war.\n\nIt seemed she had taken the concept of war far too lightly before.\n\n****\n\nMeanwhile, as Lisa Kael and her companions approached the second city, that very city was under attack!\n\nOutside the city, only four or five figures stood. At their forefront was a burly middle-aged man, his robust physique encased in battle armor. His fiery red hair blazed atop his head like a living flame, while a pair of dragon horns, one on each side, exuded an aura of fierce arrogance. His crimson vertical pupils burned with an intense fighting spirit. Notably, a long saber scar marred his right eye, stretching from beneath it all the way to his forehead.\n\nBehind the middle-aged man stood four younger individuals: one male and three females. The male bore an utterly indifferent expression, radiating an aura that warned all to keep their distance. Though his frame was lean, a long saber was sheathed at his waist. His icy eyes, as he surveyed the city before them, occasionally flickered with a hint of disappointment. A pair of silver horns adorned his head.\n\nThe three young women beside him, however, watched the city with impassive faces.\n\nConversely, outside the city on the opposing side, a dozen or so people stood. Each wore soft armor of varying colors, long sabers at their waists, and their expressions were uniformly grim.\n\nA young woman, leading this group, faced the burly middle-aged man opposite her. Her countenance was glacial.\n\n”Igor, what brings you here again?” she challenged. “And with only these few? Has my last saber strike addled your brain, making you believe you can breach my city with such a paltry force?”\n\nThe young woman stood before the city gate, gazing at the Dragon Race members opposite her, her voice dripping with mockery.\n\nThe middle-aged man met her gaze with a booming, wild laugh.\n\n”Hahahaha, relax,” he boomed. “We haven’t come to besiege your city this time. We’re merely here for a fight. Of course, if you can’t hold us back, then capturing the city along the way would certainly be a pleasant bonus!”\n\nHearing this, the young woman’s expression darkened considerably.\n\n’A fight?’ she thought, utterly disbelieving. ‘She was certain this man had brought a truly formidable individual, intending to cripple them directly and minimize casualties among their ordinary Dragon Race forces!’\n\nLost in thought, the young woman’s gaze swept past the middle-aged man to the figures behind him. After briefly observing the three young women, her eyes landed on the lone male youth, and her pupils instantly contracted!\n\n’This fellow…’\n\n’So powerful!’