Chapter 1299  Before dawn, the carriages from Redstone Manor set off.  The manor’s guards saw Oliver off, as he had previously insisted on personally escorting Celeste and their young son.  The procession slowly began to move forward.  Originally, there were only five carriages. But after leaving the manor, several more joined them. These were arranged by Carl ahead of time. Now, Carl and his men rode ahead on their warhorses, clearing the path  It didn’t matter if they were spotted–Oliver and his men were just seeing them off and would return afterward.  But when night fell and Oliver had still not returned, the manor’s guards began to grow anxious. They hurried to find Louis and Timothy.  However, the manor’s guards couldn’t find them. Louis and Timothy had left the manor not long after the dinner last night, only to begin feeling dizzy and vomiting soon after. As they didn’t share the same room, the guards attending them assumed it was simply the result of drinking too much, so they had the kitchen prepare some hangover soup.  After drinking the soup, they continued to vomit. Once they were done, they felt a little better and fell asleep.  By afternoon, they had still not woken, and the guards began to realize something was wrong. When they inquired further, they discovered that all those who had dined at the manor the previous evening had similar symptoms. They immediately called for the physician.  The military physician, Brandon, examined them and was stunned. “They’ve been poisoned by toxic mushrooms.”  At once, Stuart, Louis‘ subordinate, was sent to Redstone Manor for an investigation. If they had been poisoned, there was a good chance that Oliver had been poisoned as well.  This was serious–how could they go to war with both the marshal and the generals incapacitated?  At the manor, they were told that Oliver had left to escort his wife back to the capital, and that he had not returned since.  1/3  Chapter 1299  Stuart felt uneasy, but he never imagined that Oliver had fled. He simply assumed that the commander had fallen ill along the way, causing a delay in his return.  The priority was to investigate the poisoning–whether it had been an accident or a deliberate act.  The manor’s cooks explained that the mushroom soup had been made with ingredients sent by Zoey, the Earl of Silverstone’s wife, and they assured Stuart that it couldn’t possibly be poisonous.  They still had some of the mushrooms left, so the cook took them out for Stuart to inspect. Not being familiar with identifying mushrooms, Stuart had them sent back to Brandon for further examination.  After a thorough inspection, Brandon confirmed that the mushrooms were safe to eat, and he decided to personally visit the manor for a more detailed investigation.  The cook explained that everyone had finished the leftover soup from the previous night, and none of them had shown any signs of poisoning. This meant the issue lay with the specific bowls of soup that Louis and the others had consumed.  Brandon’s expression grew serious. “If that’s the case, then they were deliberately poisoned. The person responsible knew exactly what they were doing–ensuring they wouldn’t die, but only suffer vomiting and fainting.”  Stuart’s face shifted, and then a sudden realization hit him. His eyes widened in horror.  No, it couldn’t be it was impossible!  That would be a crime punishable by the beheading of an entire family.  For Oliver to do such a thing… He must have lost his mind!  Without wasting a moment, Stuart sent word to track down Oliver, unsure if the marshal had fallen ill from poisoning and stopped to rest, or if he had truly fled.  Seven full hours had already passed since Oliver left. If they followed the direction he took, they might catch up. After all, with his family and so many carriages, it wasn’t hard to follow their trail. At first, they were able to find the right direction, but as they continued, no one had seen the convoy.  It seemed likely that Oliver and his men had scattered in different directions.  They couldn’t catch up, but in just one day, rumors spread like wildfire–whispers claiming that Oliver, fearing the advance of Sandoria’s forces, had fled with his  2/3  +2% BONUS  Chapter 1790  family.  There were even tales claiming the Southern Frontier to be a place where generals went to die. After all, the legendary Hector and his sons had all perished there despite their prowess.  Some claimed that Sandoria didn’t bring an army of 250,000 men, but a staggering 800,000.  With rumors swirling, the morale of the troops began to falter.  After all, if the marshal had fled under the cover of night, what did that say about the chances of victory? It was a signa