Chapter 93
The city walls were far from the open field, making it impossible for Aurora and the others to sense the inner force Carissa had displayed or see the cracks in the ground. They saw only Michael standing still, injured by Carissa's spear.
To Aurora, this was utterly laughable. It seemed Rafael was going to great lengths to elevate Carissa. Aurora's laughter faded, replaced by anger. “The Mystic Army is entirely at the marshal's command. They obey whomever he orders them to. But why put on such a farce? Do they think they can toy with the soldiers like this?”
Barrett was also puzzled. Rafael's orchestration of this setup seemed unnecessary. Carissa's skills were undeniably impressive, and even if Michael fought with all his might, he was no match for her.
Could it be that Carissa only knew a few moves? Did she have no other abilities? Regardless, today's so-called challenge was nothing but a joke.
Barrett felt a pang of anger as well. Fabricating achievements and stacking merits for nobility was not uncommon on the battlefield, but directly handing the Mystic Army over to Carissa and making such a mockery of it seemed to undermine the soldiers' morale.
“I’ll challenge her,” Aurora declared, unable to contain her frustration.
Barrett grabbed her arm. “Don't. She’s only commanding the Mystic Army, not other troops. If you defeat her, it would embarrass both the marshal and the Mystic Army. With the imminent war, we mustn't stir internal strife and destabilize the troops.”
“So what? The instability of the army isn’t my fault. It’s caused by the Hell Monarch's favoritism of Carissa!” Aurora retorted angrily.
Barrett lowered his voice. “Do you want to jeopardize your chances of gaining military achievements? The Hell Monarch is the marshal of this war, and he will report the final outcome of the battle to the court. Have you considered the consequences of offending him? We might end up with no achievements and a reputation for disrupting the army.”
Now reminded of the stakes, Aurora realized that Rafael held ultimate authority on the Southern Frontier battlefield. Besides that, many generals there were Hector's former subordinates, which was disadvantageous for her and Barrett.
She kicked the city wall in frustration. “It’s only because of her background that Carissa gets away with this. Such deceitful people are intolerable. If she doesn’t fight when the war begins, I’ll force her to.”
Barrett observed his wife’s flushed face and said, “Since the marshal wants to enhance the glory of the Duke of Northwatch’s family, Carissa will have to fight, but she will likely be well protected.”
Aurora’s eyes glinted with cold determination. “One person can’t dominate an entire battlefield. The cruelty of battle is something we experienced when we first arrived at Victory Pass. This battle will be far more dangerous.”
“Indeed, the battlefields of Victory Pass and the Southern Frontier are incomparable,” Barrett agreed, recalling the Victory Pass battle where he nearly lost his life. If not for Wyatt shielding him, he would have died.
Looking at the Mystic Army in the field, Aurora coldly commented, “On the battlefield, life and death are uncertain. If these fifteen thousand Mystic Army soldiers only protect Carissa and accumulate merits for her, I will definitely report it to the court upon our return to the capital. I’ll expose how she tarnished the late General Sinclair’s reputation.”
Barrett felt conflicted. On one hand, he hoped Aurora would refrain from causing trouble. Rafael’s actions were meant to uphold the Duke of Northwatch’s family name, which was understandable given Hector’s status as a model warrior and national hero. The preservation of his family would stabilize the army’s morale.
On the other hand, as a warrior himself, Barrett found the situation deeply unfair. On the battlefield, everyone risked their lives to earn military merits, while Carissa seemed to rise effortlessly under Rafael and the other generals’ protection.
He realized that both he and Aurora were facing a tough and somewhat tragic situation. Any lingering guilt towards Carissa vanished, replaced by disdain.
The "Comments" section was removed as it was empty. The changes made involved correcting spelling (e.g., "Impossible" to "impossible," "Carissal" to "Carissa"), punctuation (primarily commas and periods), and sentence structure for clarity and flow. Some phrasing was slightly altered for better readability.