Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1316

When Carissa and Violet returned and told Jacob and Kyle about the events, both of them agreed that it would be wise to carefully investigate the people at Willowbrook Estate, including Chaya.

They had already conducted an investigation into the estate before and found no suspicious individuals. A few of them had been brought back to the capital by Hayden and had been loyal to him for many years—calling them trusted confidants would not be an exaggeration.

The rest of the staff had been purchased from a merchant during Hayden's return to the capital. Jacob had even personally looked into their identities through the merchant, tracing their family histories. He discovered that they had all been sold by their families, who were struggling financially.

Carissa and Violet had spent the day walking around Willowbrook Estate, but they found no servants who seemed skilled in martial arts. Even if there were any, they would likely be avoiding them.

Jacob suggested they conduct another round of checks at Willowbrook Estate and look for any changes in the staff.

A few days ago, when Rafael left for the Southern Frontier, he had made sure to disguise himself. He even went as far as to choose a different horse and not his own. He took a horse from the stables that was known for its endurance.

While traveling, Rafael's thoughts were focused on reaching the Southern Frontier and finding Louis. He intended to join the army as a low-ranking soldier and blend in. As soon as he entered Southern Frontier territory, news reached him that Oliver had fled with his concubine.

Panic spread like wildfire, with rumors flying in all directions. Some said Sandoria had raised an army of 800,000, and the Southern Frontier army was bound to fall. Others claimed that the people of Sandoria had vowed to massacre the city, turning the streets into rivers of blood.

There were even reports that Salvador had killed the Hell Monarch to prevent him from leading the army.

Many of the people believed these rumors and packed up their belongings, abandoning their homes in fear.

This land, just beginning to show signs of life, braced itself in its broken state for the approaching war.

Such rumors spread quickly among the common folk, and naturally, they made their way into the military ranks as well.

The most devastating rumor was the claim that Salvador had killed the Hell Monarch. This infuriated the former soldiers of the Hell Monarch Army.

To them, the Hell Monarch had been a loyal and capable leader. His tragic death at the hands of the king seemed to prove that the latter was foolish and incompetent.

Why should they continue fighting for him?

Many decided to abandon their posts and return home.

Louis and Timothy tried to quell the rumors and calm the troops, but their efforts were in vain.

So, Zachary reasoned that perhaps the rumors had a basis after all.

Before the battle had begun, he had sent an urgent report to the capital, detailing every rumor that was circulating among the Southern Frontier Army. He asked Jeremiah to relay the message to Salvador, hoping that if the king had not truly killed the Hell Monarch, they would send him to the Southern Frontier to calm the troops and quell the rumors.

At the same time, Zachary wanted to confirm if the rumors were true or not. As long as Rafael was alive, given the current situation, Salvador would definitely send him to the Southern Frontier.

The only question was, how long would they have to wait?

The court officials sat comfortably in their high positions, unaware of how intense and brutal the battles were. Even if urgent reports were sent back, they had to pass through many hands before reaching the king. Salvador would then deliberate and hesitate, as he always did.

Didn't Hector die because of delays like this?

Now, the silence in the camp was deafening. The proposed plans had all failed. Morale was at its lowest, and the army was in disarray. Charging into battle at this point would only lead to certain deaths.

They had never felt so utterly hopeless.