Chapter 197
The entire place had become a frozen graveyard. Not a single drop of blood remained, no footprints, no corpses — only the biting cold wind and the silence of death. The frost-covered trees stood still, like sentinels watching over those who had vanished.
Standing afar, the Scar-eyed Captain Eager took a long drag from his cigarette, his breath fogging in the freezing air. His sharp eyes scanned the area with growing frustration.
"What the hell is this situation?" he muttered, the bitterness in his voice cutting through the silence. "How can an entire squad just disappear without a trace?"
"That's what I'm thinking too, Sir," replied Vice Captain Jamie, stepping beside him, his face pale from the cold and tension.
Eagerly exhaled smoke, the tip of his cigarette glowing faintly. "I'm sure the Ice Elves had a hand in this. They're denying it, of course, but it reeks of their doing."
"I think the same," Jamie nodded, his breath trembling in the air. "We just need the evidence. Once we find something, we can confront them."
Eager stopped mid-drag and glared at Jamie. "Are you an idiot?" he snapped. "Confront them? For what? So we can start a war with the Ice Elves and lose thousands of soldiers in a frozen wasteland? Even if we win, what's the point? Who the hell wants this damned icy land?"
"Also, don't forget. Our current aim is the Heinz empire, not the Ice Elves."
He cursed under his breath, his thoughts darkening. Mira… That fiery woman with too much pride and not enough sense. Talented, yes. But arrogant to the bone. She'd been gunning for the top hundred ranks. A few powerful bastards in command liked her wild attitude too much.
"Tsk… I told them not to send her," Eager muttered to himself. "Too damn reckless."