Nuta City had sealed itself off due to internal strife, making it difficult for people and news to leave. Similarly, it was hard for those outside to enter or send messages in.

The situation in the Wildwind Highlands was quietly undergoing changes unknown to the public.

Night fell over Anjik Fort, bringing a rare quiet.

This sturdy fortress, standing before Storm City, had become unrecognizable after enduring the relentless assaults of the Orc Great Army.

Its front walls were nearly collapsed. They relied entirely on Earth Mages constantly using magic to fill the breaches, thus maintaining a semblance of a usable wall before Anjik Fort.

Hibel, clad in armor, walked along the uneven city walls, inspecting the defenses.

After an entire day of battle, the human defenders were completely exhausted, resting behind the parapets.

Wherever she looked, it was hard to find anyone without injuries.

The fortress had no reserves left to relieve them; every able-bodied soldier was already on the walls.

There was no one left to even clear the corpses from within or without the walls.

The soldiers all ignored the bodies of Orcs and comrades alike at their side. No one believed Anjik Fort could be held until tomorrow.

If it couldn't be held, then whether the bodies were cleared or not was of no consequence.

Hibel walked in silence.

She used to think that war was romantic, a poem of blood and iron.

The first time she stood atop the walls of Anjik Fort, witnessing the rolling approach of the Orc Great Army, her heart had filled with a longing for battle.

She believed that she could definitely become a general renowned throughout the world.

But now, her face was blackened by soot, her sturdy white-gold armor marred with grievous damage. Her aura was no longer flamboyant but had become an inner coldness that deterred anyone from approaching.

Hibel didn't know how many Orcs she had killed, nor how many human warriors had perished beside her.

She felt utterly numb now, and her eyes must hold the same emptiness as the other soldiers.

No fear of death, no longing for life.

Like a War Machine devoid of emotion, programmed only to fight until death.

This must be why Father never wanted me on the battlefield.

Hibel stopped to look beyond the city walls.

In the darkness, she couldn't see far, but could vaguely make out Orc totems erected in the distance.

The Orcs were brave warriors—formidable and respectable enemies.

"Miss Hibel," Donna caught up from behind.

In her hands, she carried a tray with freshly baked bread, sausage, and a bowl of sweet vegetable soup.

Hibel had promised Yan Xing she would help train Donna. When Hibel was transferred to Storm City, she had brought Donna with her.

Later, when she followed Marquis Anderson to Anjik Fort to join the war, Donna became Hibel's close attendant.

Although Donna was young, the brutal war had changed her considerably.

The trials of life and death had also caused her strength to improve by leaps and bounds.

Hibel had Donna place the tray on the parapet. She then picked up the bread, tore off a piece, inserted a piece of sausage into it, and dipped it into the sweet soup before taking a bite.

Chewing, she asked Donna, "Did the Marquis leave any orders?"

Donna replied truthfully, "I haven't seen the Marquis at all since the Orcs retreated this evening. Even his personal attendants haven't seen him. No one knows where he went."

Donna's answer stunned Hibel.

Marquis Anderson, as commander of the Wildwind Highlands Legion, had personally led from the front. It was his steadfast defense at Anjik Fort that had repeatedly repelled the Orc Great Army's assaults.

Whenever the Orcs retreated, Marquis Anderson would issue numerous commands: shoring up defenses, reallocating troops, and preparing for the next battle.

Sometimes, he would even walk a circuit of the walls to bolster the soldiers' morale.

This time, not only had no orders come from him, but he himself was nowhere to be found.

What had happened?

This anomaly made Hibel lose all appetite for her meal.

She wanted to find Marquis Anderson, but her duty was to guard this section of the wall and prevent a nighttime Orc assault.

Where could he have gone?

Just then, Donna said, "Miss… I feel like today's battle was easier than the past few days. Does that mean the Orcs are also exhausted? Is the war about to end?"

Hearing Donna's question, Hibel laughed. "Silly child… The Orcs have far more troops than we do. They can attack in shifts, always having a portion of their forces resting in the rear. We, on the other hand, are the ones who are truly exhausted. You think today's fight was easy because…"

Hibel suddenly paused mid-sentence.

Indeed, today's battle had been somewhat easier than the previous days. While the Orcs had attacked relentlessly from morning till night, by the afternoon, their determination had clearly waned.

They had even retreated early in the evening.

This was highly abnormal.

Hibel looked outside again. The ground beyond the city wall was littered with Orc corpses. Usually, by this time, the Orcs would have sent out parties to retrieve their dead.

They would come unarmed, and the city's defenders wouldn't attack them. The defenders would even toss out any Orc bodies from within the city.

The Orcs would not only retrieve their own dead but also gather the bodies of the human soldiers, leaving them for the city's defenders to collect.

During this unspoken truce, the Orcs would also refrain from launching sneak attacks.

On this battlefield, though mortal enemies, both sides afforded the utmost respect to fallen warriors.

Today, the battle had ended early, yet the Orcs still hadn't sent anyone to retrieve their dead.

Something must have happened!

Hibel extended her hand, sending a beam of Illumination Magic out beyond the walls. The beam shot forward, then gradually faded.

The light didn't reach far enough for Hibel to clearly see the Orcs' situation.

But she could sense an eerie desolation around the distant totems.

A premonition grew stronger and stronger within her.

She raised the whistle from her chest and blew it. Soon, a massive figure landed beside her.

Hibel leaped onto the back of the Royal Griffon.

Just as the Royal Griffon was about to take flight, Donna cried out in alarm, "Miss Hibel, what are you doing? Marquis Anderson's last order was that no one is to leave the city!"

Hibel gazed into the distant darkness and said to Donna, "I'm going to check on the Orcs. I'll be back soon. Wait here for me."

With that, Hibel urged the Royal Griffon to leap from the city wall. The magnificent creature spread its wings and flew towards the Orc Great Army's encampment.

Donna couldn't bear to let Hibel go alone. She blew her own whistle, summoning a Battle Griffin, and mounted it.

She then shouted to the nearby guards, "Miss Hibel has left the city! Immediately inform the Gryphon Knights on duty to provide support! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

After issuing her commands, Donna rode her Battle Griffin out from the base of the wall, pursuing Hibel's receding figure.

The Royal Griffon was incredibly fast, carrying Hibel as it streaked over the Orc totems.

These totems marked the starting points of the Orcs' assaults.

Normally, a unit of elite Orcs would always be guarding them.

Yet now, not a single Orc was visible near any of the totems.

Something major must have happened!

Hibel became even more convinced of her suspicion. She urged the Royal Griffon to fly faster towards the Orcs' main camp.

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