They marched and marched. No one spoke and instead focused all their attention on walking. People feared that they would collapse to the ground once they stopped and continued to march whether it was night or day. Having won a battle didn’t seem to mean that much now. 

Half of them had survived, and now the question remained whether or not they would be able to survive through thirst and hunger. Chi-Woo in particular had no strength to even talk, and he was in an extremely dire state. His throat was burning like he had swallowed scorching coals. His head felt dizzy, and he came to the realization that his stomach was hurting from prolonged starvation. He could no longer feel his feet. However, he knew he had to endure, and the hope that everything would be better once they arrived at their destination compelled him to continue. 

Something similar had happened in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. When the Wei soldiers struggled to keep marching due to severe thirst and depleted strength, Cao Cao told his men that if they pushed themselves a bit more, they would soon be able to have as many plum fruits as they wished. The soldiers’ mouths watered at the thought of a plum’s sour taste, and they forgot their thirst temporarily and managed to reach their destination early. It was the same for the recruits and the natives. If they went a bit farther, they would soon enjoy the safety of a fortress, sleep warmly, and find food and drinks. With these hopes, they forced their frigid, heavy feet to move. When the sun rose to the middle of the sky the next day, they finally saw their destination.

Everyone stopped walking.

“…” Eshnunna looked up and saw an old, worn-out castle juxtaposed by a completely upright, tall mountain.

“…We have arrived.” When she was leaving the base camp, she had wondered if she would ever be able to arrive at their destination. In the end, she had reached this place alive. Hearing her, everyone pushed their...