Chapter 459: Going forward

The group decided to make another trip through the ice-covered expanse of the winter forest. Thanks to the map, they could avoid being discovered by Frantian patrols and encampments, moving as stealthily as possible through the bone-chilling frost and snow.

Every step they took caused the snow to crunch beneath their feet, but the sound was muffled by the wind blowing through the bare branches higher up.

They moved deliberately and without any sense of urgency as if they were a natural component of the wilderness. The eerie stillness of their surroundings provided a striking contrast to the fierce battles they had fought only a few hours earlier.

Erik led the group with a steely determination in his eyes while holding the map firmly in both hands. He would signal for them to pause whenever they got close to a designated patrol route or camp, and while he did so, he would trace invisible paths on the map with his fingers.