The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 72: The Latecomers

James's POV:

Evelyn was shaking with rage. She gripped her riding whip and pointed ahead. "How dare you!" she snapped. "Once I get inside, I'll charge you all for disrespecting a superior officer!"

The heavy city gates slowly opened.

The moment we entered, the contrast hit even harder.

The streets still showed signs of war—cracked stones, scorched walls—but everything had been cleaned.

People were already repairing their homes. Vendors stood by the road, calling out as they sold steaming stew.

The air smelled of food. Not rot. Not death. Nothing like what we had breathed in for weeks.

Soldiers and civilians on both sides of the street stopped what they were doing. They stared at us like we were some strange animals on display.

"So this is the reinforcements?"

"They look like refugees."

"I heard they got lost in the swamp for two weeks. Wow, we're almost won the war. Why are they here? For free food?"

"Shh, lower your voice. Look at that woman. That's Evelyn. They say her temper is terrible."

The whispers stabbed into my ears like needles.

My face burned.

So this was our grand arrival? We looked like clowns who showed up after the feast was over, good for a laugh, useless for anything else.

Evelyn heard it too.

Her face turned dark. The cheers and admiration she had imagined were nowhere to be found. Instead, there was mockery and cold stares. For someone as proud as her, it was almost unbearable.

"General Nolan and General Rusell."

At that moment, steady footsteps came from ahead.

A squad of guards in polished armor approached us. The officer leading them spoke without emotion. "Prince Adam is waiting for you in the council hall. Please follow me."

I took a deep breath and forced myself to stand straighter.

No matter what, I had brought tens of thousands of troops. That was a real strength.

If I were given a chance, I could still earn credit in the battles to come.

Yet a faint bond I could not ignore stirred inside me. I felt it clearly. From the tower not far away, a pair of cold, silver eyes was watching everything in silence.

That gaze was once so familiar to me. Now, it felt painfully distant.

Cindy's POV:

I stood on the high ground and looked down at the army below. They looked like they had crawled out of a mud pit.

James had lost weight. His eyes were sunken, filled with confusion and deep exhaustion.

As for Evelyn—the once-proud general who used to rule the battlefield—she still held her chin high, but the bravado was fake. Anyone with eyes could see it was all for show.

"That's them?" Viola stood beside me, chewing on a strip of jerky, her face full of disgust. "Wow. 100,000 troops turned into this mess. Wasn't Evelyn called the Blood Rose? It took her two weeks to cross a swamp. What was she doing in there, hunting frogs?"

"They took heavy losses," I said calmly. "Look at their formation. The supply corps is almost gone. The sharpshooter unit is missing at least half its people. Seems like the dreadbeasts in the marsh treated them very well."

"Serves them right," Forrest snorted. "I told you that swamp is trouble. They just had to show off. Now the hyenas are gone, and they show up to pick at the leftovers?"

I reached up and touched the cold Silverfang Medal on my chest.

Prince Adam had pinned it on me himself three days ago.

By King Ryken's order, my identity would stay hidden for now, but this medal said more than enough.

"Let's go," I said, straightening the clasp at my collar. "Since old acquaintances have arrived, it's time we meet them."