Within three days, all one hundred and twenty thousand reinforcement troops were all angrily discussing one thing: Carissa had been granted the title of fifth-rank Valor General without any notable achievements, solely relying on the prestige of her father and brothers.


    Under Aurora''s encouragement, the soldiers were incited to keepining to each other.


    "If she wanted to ride on the military achievements of her father and brothers, she should stay in the capital and enjoy her life of luxury. Why does she need toe to the battlefield and steal our military merits?"


    "We risk our lives to protect the country, all for the sake of honor and achievements. She did nothing and still got promoted to Valor General. How unfair is that?!


    "It''s well known that the marshal is strict in his military discipline. He rewards and punishes without any bias. Who knew that even he could show favoritism, giving such a big promotion to Lady Sinir for nothing? What''s the point of us fighting and killing on the battlefield? The enemies we kill might end up as her achievements."


    "The Southern Frontier is in urgent need of support. We''ve trudged through snow, rain, and wind, with many soldiers falling ill along the way. Yet, we didn''t rest for a moment. We marched day and night to reach the front lines."


    "General Yates even endured her old injuries to avoid wasting the military medics'' supplies, fearing there wouldn''t be enough at the front lines. She would rather suffer herself, only for the marshal to scold her upon arrival and use her of being jealous of Lady Sinir. He even handed overmand of the Mystic Army to a divorced woman. If word gets out, wouldn''t it be the biggest joke in Starhaven?" "Exactly! General Yates made decisive contributions at Victory Pass with just three hundred soldiers. Even so, she''s still only a fourth-rank Tactical General, while Lady Sinir, who was elevated by the marshal, is a rank higher."


    "Why do we go through such hardships? Ultimately, we''re just here to serve as someone else''s stepping


    stone."


    Such rumors and grievances led to extreme dissatisfaction among the reinforcements.


    Even within the Mystic Army, some were indignant, feeling that it was uneptable for their elite force to be led by a woman with no achievements or virtues. However, despite their discontent, they didn''t dare voice it. It was Rafael who had put Carissa in charge of them, and they needed to obey him without question. So, they could only harbor their resentment silently.


    But when Carissa came to train with the troops, most of them were uncooperative and looked at her with contempt.


    Carissa and Violet had been busy nning the training schedule these past few days, unaware of the rumors circting among the reinforcements.


    Confused by the Mystic Army''sck of cooperation, Carissa paused the training and asked Bun and a few others to investigate if something had happened recently. The findings left Violet and the others fuming.


    "This is outrageous! I''m Violet Spencer, ady of a prestigious family in Ebonflow and an apprentice of the renowned Inferno Guild. How dare they call me Carissa''s maid? Violet eximed, mming her palm on the table.


    Cynthia was equally furious, ranting, "I''m an apprentice of the Crystal Bloom Guild and was appointed as a battalionmander by the Hell Monarch himself. Now, they say I''m your foot-washing maid!" Bun was also full of anger and grievance as he added, "Apparently, I''m your attendant, along with Rod. They say that when you go to relieve yourself, we have to stand guard nearby and not let anyone approach,"


    Carissa was dumbfounded. "That''s so absurd!"


    "Of course it is! They also say you''ve never earned any military merits, that the marshal promoted you because of your father and brothers. They im the other generals'' achievements were credited to you. They''re shouting about their dissatisfaction and threatening to report to the marshal."N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Violet snapped her whip, her expression icy. "It was Aurora''s soldiers who started this. They called you a decorative pillow-pretty but useless.


    "Damn it! When we were attacking the city, you were the first to leap up and destroy the crossbow


    machines, then jumped down to open the gate, leading three thousand men to defend the supply depot. They wouldn''t have full bellies now if it weren''t for you. The food they brought could onlyst a few days."


    Cynthia angrily added, "Who does Aurora think she is? She''s just a troublemaker! Let them goin to the marshal. We''ll see what good it does them."