Her Graceful War Song

Still, as I saw Cari nearly every day—either she would come to the Inferno Guild to visit me, or I would go to the Pathfinders Guild to find her—I naturally still ran into Isaac from time to time.

Each time, he gave me such a resentful look, as though I had wronged him terribly.

Once, I could bear it no longer and asked him outright why he always glared at me. He said it was because I had spread rumours, saying he visited courtesan houses and other such places to look for women.

I was furious. He had behaved poorly, yet instead of reflecting on himself, he had the nerve to blame others. I had not spread any rumours. I had simply told the truth to my close friends. How was that gossip?

In my anger, I punched him and declared our friendship over.

Not long after that, Cari returned home to the capital. I thought, as before, she would stay for a month or so and come back. But this time, she stayed away far longer.

I went to the Pathfinders Guild to ask about her, but everyone kept their mouths shut. Not a single person would tell me a thing. In desperation, I planned to take Thia, Bun, and the others to the capital to find her.

But just before we left, Isaac came to stop us. For the first time, I saw a solemn, serious look on his face. He told us something had happened to Cari's family. Her father and brothers had died in battle, while her mother was gravely ill. Cari had to remain at home to care for her.

He said we were just children-barely in our teens-and knew nothing of how to handle matters of such weight. We would only cause trouble. Once things at

home were settled, Cari would return.

We were all heartbroken at the news.

I had met Cari's father once. He was a tall, commanding general, inspiring awe in all who saw him. I had also met Cari's second brother, who was just as handsome as Kyle, but carried even more authority in his bearing.

Cari had always loved to speak of her father and brothers. So, even if I had only met them briefly-or not at all—I felt as though I knew them well. They had been brave and noble men, true soldiers of honor.

And now, they had all perished.

Cari must have been devastated.

Death was no small thing. We wished to be at her side, but as Isaac had said, even the people of the Pathfinders Guild had not gone to her What help could we possibly offer? All we could do was remain at Meadow Ridge and wait for news, as well as her return. noveldrama

We waited day after day. Then, month after month. But not a single letter came.

None of us knew how she was. Eventually, we asked Isaac again. He said he didn't know either, but was certain that Sage Adrian did. He promised to try to find out what he could.

Isaac could no longer leave the mountains as freely as before. He said it was because of the "rumours"-Sage Everett had confined him to the guild because of them.

From time to time, Isaac would bring back vague news. One moment, he said Cari had gotten married. Next he claimed the marriage was false. Then, he would mention something had happened to her family, but he never knew the details.

It frustrated me to no end. Every time he brought news, it seemed unreliable, and there was no certainty in any of it. I decided then that I would go to the capital to find her myself.

I called on Thia and Rod, and just as we were about to pack, Sage Conrad arrived. He didn't say a word. He simply took me to the Pathfinders Guild, where Sage Everett was waiting to speak with me.

Sage Everett had a most frightening face. It wasn't that anything about him seemed overtly terrifying he had no more eyes, ears, or nose than any other- but something about his expression made one uneasy.

He fixed his stern gaze on me and said, "You're old enough to understand now.

We are of the martial arts world. If you go, you will only bring her trouble. Do you want that?"

Of course, I didn't want to cause Cari any more trouble. However, I couldn't understand why martial artists like us couldn't have contact with her. She herself had come from the Pathfinders Guild. She was one

of us-a martial artist, and part of

the martial arts world.

I didn't get to go. In my heart, I was unhappy. Each day, I became more and more

frustrated. Isaac came to see me and stayed with me for a few days to cheer me

up.

"Sage Adrian said that no matter what kind of life she's living now, she's definitely safe. She has the strength to protect herself. If she really encounters something she can't handle, she'll ask Sage Adrian for help.

"If she hasn't asked for help, it means she wants to overcome it on her own. Just like when you practiced the Inferno Sword Technique. You had to comprehend it and get to the highest level by yourself, didn't you?"

I wasn't sure if Isaac's words were true. I only knew that I missed Cari terribly.