Chapter 43: Lin Yan, and Him
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Under the shade of the trees, a young woman with a determined gaze and her hair tied back in a ponytail wielded a heavy spear, its size seemingly disproportionate to her frame. The powerful gusts of wind sent leaves swirling around her.
If she hadn’t been carefully controlling the spear’s trajectory, the surrounding trees would have been ripped apart.
After a while, she stopped, panting.
“Twenty-seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds…”
She wiped the sweat from her brow, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Not bad. Eleven seconds faster than last time…”
It was an astounding feat. Even adult knights rarely wielded such a heavy spear continuously for more than ten minutes, yet she had done so for over twenty-seven, without pause.
And she felt she could do even better. This was far from her limit.
Typically, such heavy spears were used for short bursts in charges and formations, not sustained combat, but she seemed determined to make it her primary weapon.
She was confident, certain she could surpass anyone.
A middle-aged man in servant’s attire emerged from the shadows, bowing slightly.
“Miss Lin Yan, that’s enough for today. Your father requests your presence at the banquet in the capital tonight—”
The young woman was Lin Yan, ten years younger. She frowned slightly, a hint of impatience in her expression.
But she quickly composed herself. “I understand.”
As the most talented member of the current Lin family generation, despite being a branch member and still young, her status and influence were considerable.
Even her father’s standing within the family and the Empire had risen because of her.
Since her talent first manifested, her father had paraded her around various banquets, like a prized possession.
Lin Yan resented her father, and by extension, the leering nobles at these events, which contributed to her aversion to close contact with men.
However…
Within the Clock Tower of Vikarn Port, Lin Yan gripped her spear, her gaze fixed on Glaimond, her voice cold and resolute.
“Glaimond, you took what doesn’t belong to you… Now, I’m taking it back. For him.”
For as long as she could remember, Lin Yan had been at the top of her peer group. This young woman of both noble and humble origins might not have won every fight, but she had never truly lost.
Even the Empire’s most promising princes could only barely match her.
Among her peers, there had never been an opponent who could push her to her limits, forcing her to fight with everything she had.
Her talent and dedication were undeniable. Even Lugner, the Empire’s most senior Legendary Knight and Garrison Commander, had made an exception, naming her, a woman, as his successor.
Lin Yan believed she deserved all of this. She was destined to become the next generation’s leader in the fight against demons.
—Until she met him.
“You lose.”
Her spear clattered to the ground, but the young man’s voice was flat, almost detached, as if stating an obvious fact.
His gaze was calm, unmoved by the outcome of their fight.
He seemed completely unaware that he had just effortlessly defeated the “undefeated” girl of the North Empire.
His focus wasn’t on petty rivalries with his peers. His true enemies were the demons, far beyond human strength.
Was she resigned to such an indifferent defeat?
No, she wasn’t…
But she also felt a strange sense of exhilaration. For the first time, she had a goal, someone to strive towards.
Even if all she saw was a lonely figure, his eyes never acknowledging her.
“I will defeat you…” She had made a silent vow.
From that day forward, every time she made a breakthrough, she sought him out for a spar.
Although she was always soundly defeated, each loss revealed her weaknesses and pushed her to improve.
Through their frequent battles, she had come to know the solitary, almost reclusive, young man, Xu Bai, who often talked to himself.
To Lin Yan, Xu Bai wasn’t just a comrade, but a friend, their conversations spoken through the language of combat.
Although they rarely exchanged words, Lin Yan knew he considered her a friend as well.
Their unspoken words were woven into the fabric of their fights.
It was the same for him.
They were kindred spirits.
But then, without warning, that lone figure… vanished.
“Xu Bai, age nineteen, birthplace unknown, Eighth-Order Grand Knight (peak Collapse Class, combat strength comparable to mid-Destruction Class), perished along with his squad in the Battle of Saint Noyes, winter of the North Calendar Year 536.”
The news of Xu Bai’s death, delivered by Uncle Lin without warning, accompanied by a simple obituary, which Lin Yan still carried with her, not even mentioning his name.
“I’m sorry, Miss Lin Yan. Saint Noyes was ceded to the Abyssal Demon Realm in the truce negotiations. He… he’s not coming back.”
“Are we just going to abandon our heroes, leaving their bodies to be defiled by demonic power, to be turned into monsters?!” she had argued.
But Uncle Lin had only sighed, his expression troubled.
“I’m sorry. They were valiant warriors, but our hero is General Glaimond, the one who received the accolades… you know the Empire needs a hero, a living hero.”
“No, Glaimond. You’re not a hero,” Lin Yan said coldly, her gaze fixed on Glaimond.
“Commander Lin, or should I say, Miss Lin,” Glaimond’s face darkened, his voice sharp. “Are you certain you want to abandon your duty, your loyalty, to protect a demon?”
“Bai is not a demon. She… like him, is my friend,” Lin Yan whispered, her eyes filled with the same unwavering determination as before.
She had seen his shadow in Bai countless times, her mind superimposing Bai onto him, like an illusion.
But when Bai had called out “Miss Lin Yan,” she had felt his presence, a tangible echo.
The shadow she had chased for so long had finally drawn closer.