Several days had passed since they set foot on this road of escape. During that time, they had gone through dozens of battles, large and small! Even Punk felt physically and mentally exhausted under such intense combat, let alone those low-level warriors. And Princess Narsya, delicate as she was, no longer had the heart to speak; the beautiful princess who had often encouraged her soldiers was now silent.
The fervor once buried deep in the warriors' hearts gradually began to fade, replaced by confusion, numbness, anxiety, and a whole host of heavy emotions born from living beneath the shadow of death for so long. Negative energy permeated this small group.
Moreover, as the number of battles increased, the once moderately sized Princess Guard began to suffer continuous losses. Those losses steadily weakened the team's strength, making it even harder to face the next battle without reinforcements. Thus, a vicious cycle that gradually devoured all hope within the group took shape. Worse still, no one could break this frustrating, helpless cycle.
As they drew ever closer to the border of the Kingdom of Dilon, the enemy's pursuit became more frenzied and relentless. The severely weakened scouting team could no longer confront the pursuing forces head-on as they had in the beginning. It seemed that their chances of escaping Prince William's clutches were dwindling step by step. The only thing still giving the team even a sliver of hope was Lord Mainesi, who had always held an invincible place in the warriors' hearts.
Mainesi did occasionally put on a caring, sympathetic manner, comforting the young wounded soldiers whose injuries refused to heal in the overly damp environment. After battles, he also expressed timely grief over the fallen warriors and encouraged everyone to press onward during their breaks.
But he was, after all,