Return of the General's Daughter

Anticipating the inevitable, General Odin had already sent several soldiers to secure Carles’ most important documents. They had gathered ledgers, maps, treaties—anything of value—and stuffed them into sacks, now slung over their shoulders as they dashed toward the back exit.

Outside, the team under Commander Cobar was already engaged in combat. The moment the first flickers of flame licked the edges of the building, Estalis forces had attempted to intercept the fleeing Northem soldiers.

But Cobar’s archers were waiting.

From the shadows, they let loose their arrows, striking down the advancing enemy before they could block the escape route in the West.

Meanwhile, inside the inferno, the heat was unbearable. The once-magnificent town hall was becoming an incinerator. Wooden beams groaned as the fire consumed them, the walls radiating scorching waves that seared the skin.

The Estalis soldiers, still bound and unconscious just moments ago, were jolted awake by the agonizing heat. Panic overtook them as they realized their prison was now a blazing deathtrap. Smoke filled their lungs, and their vision blurred with stinging tears. With no other option, they threw themselves at the windows, leaping blindly into the night—only to be met with a merciless fate.

Arrows whistled through the air.

One by one, the Estalis soldiers fell, their bodies riddled with projectiles. Groans of pain filled the night, blending with the crackling of the growing fire.

Then, from their elevated positions, the Estalis archers noticed something unsettling. In the glow of the flames, they saw the band in the arms of the men they had just shot.

The realization struck like a hammer to the chest.

Their targets—the men writhing in pain on the ground—weren’t Northem soldiers at all.