The next day.0

Around midday, Bear arrived outside Gemhill County. He slipped in through the north gate alongside a crowd of refugees, then hurried toward Little Ink Village. By the afternoon, he finally reached his home village.0

At first, the villagers didn’t recognize him, but once they did, they gathered around in surprise, bombarding him with questions. After all, many of their men had been conscripted and were now missing, their fates unknown. Seeing Bear return made them hopeful for news.0

He had already prepared a lie. He'd been knocked unconscious during a major battle. By the time he woke up, the fighting was over, and he had crawled out of a pile of corpses in some far-off place. He wandered a long time, fell in with a traveling merchant, earned a little money, and only managed to return when the caravan passed nearby. As for everyone else, well…they were likely dead.0

Once his story was out, Bear asked about the situation at home.0

“Your wife didn’t make it through the winter,” an old villager replied with a sigh. “She fell ill and died. We buried her in a small plot outside the village.”0

“That so…?” Bear thought of his sallow-faced wife but felt little sorrow. She was gone, so what? With the Fragrant General’s forces behind him, he figured...0