Chapter 22: “Old Friend”
The next morning, dawn broke over Vikarn Port, the horizon glowing faintly, but the city remained shrouded in a light mist.
The news of the demon’s appearance, combined with the recent string of incidents, had fueled widespread panic.
The people of Vikarn Port finally realized they were caught in a dangerous, unpredictable maelstrom.
Countless citizens packed their belongings overnight, preparing to leave, or rather, flee Vikarn Port.
Just as they had fled cities under demon attack during the war, a pattern repeated for centuries.
But just then, a Garrison Knight unit stationed in Vikarn Port suddenly mobilized.
However, instead of searching the city for the demon, they set up checkpoints on the roads leading out of Vikarn Port, blocking all departing citizens.
“Why!”
A man stepped forward at the southern port checkpoint, his face flushed with anger, shouting at the impassive Garrison Knights.
“Why won’t you let us leave! You don’t try to deal with the demon in the city, but you stop us from escaping it!”
“Yeah! We don’t pay you to stop us!”
“All you do is attack your own people! Go kill the demon if you’re so capable!”
The surrounding crowd joined in, the situation escalating.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please step back. Do not approach the checkpoint.”
A Garrison Knight, armed with a spear, stepped forward, pushing back the citizens attempting to breach the barricade. His expression remained unchanged.
Xu Bai was among the crowd, but she wasn’t trying to leave Vikarn Port. Her destination was simply closer to the southern port, and she had come to see what the commotion was about.
“It seems Glaimond is getting impatient…”
Seeing the heavily guarded checkpoint, Xu Bai understood. Glaimond was accelerating his plans, though he still needed time.
Ice Lily wasn’t with her. Xu Bai didn’t want her to know about Sister Neily’s death, so she had made an excuse to come alone, intending to investigate her past, and Sister Neily’s.
Ice Lily hadn’t questioned her too much, only giving her a rune and instructing her to activate it in case of danger.
But the southern port, usually the quietest part of Vikarn Port, was now unexpectedly chaotic.
“Well, nothing to see here.”
Xu Bai quietly slipped away from the crowd, her small size proving advantageous.
The man who had first spoken was about to shout again, his face red with anger, but a spear struck him across the face, silencing him.
“Alright, everyone, please remain calm and don’t interfere with our work.”
A figure in heavy armor emerged from behind the Garrison Knights, retrieving the fallen spear.
Xu Bai, about to leave, froze upon hearing the voice.
“That… that’s…”
“You… you dare hit me! I’ll report you to your superior!” The man, sprawled on the ground, glared at the knight.
“Superior? My apologies, but you’ll have to report to His Majesty in the capital.”
The knight removed her helmet, revealing a surprisingly young, handsome face.
Her clear eyes held a hint of heroism, her shoulder-length hair neatly tied back in a ponytail. A faint smile played on her lips, but she exuded an undeniable authority, silencing the crowd, sending shivers down their spines.
“The newly appointed Garrison Knight Commander—Lin Yan!”
Like Xu Bai’s name, it originated from an ancient empire that had been at the forefront of the war against the Abyssal Demon Realm.
The early stages of the war had been a devastating conflict between that empire and the demons, ending in the empire’s complete annihilation, leaving only a few scattered descendants.
Even the current North Empire, the only surviving human empire, couldn’t compare to the power of that ancient empire.
Lin Yan’s family was one such lineage. After Commander Lugner’s retirement, Lin Yan, already renowned within the Garrison and the Empire, had naturally assumed the position of Commander with her family’s support.
However, she hadn’t inherited the authority of a Ninth-Order Legendary Knight, not because she was a woman, but because she was too young to be considered a successor.
Xu Bai, a veteran of the front lines, naturally knew Lin Yan. Or rather, Lin Yan wasn’t just her former comrade, but also… a sort of rival.
After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted in chatter again.
But this time, it wasn’t chaotic. Their tone was respectful, even reverent. Several young women gazed at Lin Yan with admiration, their faces flushed.
Xu Bai was familiar with this. Lin Yan was strikingly handsome, her heroic demeanor more captivating to some girls than most men.
“Still as arrogant as ever.”
Xu Bai noticed a hint of pride in Lin Yan’s seemingly gentle expression, a slight smile playing on her lips.
From the crowd’s discussion, Xu Bai learned that Lin Yan was now the Garrison Commander, which wasn’t surprising.
Unlike Glaimond’s position as Eastern Front Commander and General, the Garrison Commander had to fight on the front lines alongside the Knights, responsible for immediate command in battle.
The Commander, on the other hand, oversaw troop movements and held strategic command.
In terms of rank, the Commander and the Garrison Commander were equal, but in actual combat, excluding the influence of Lugner’s personal prestige, Garrison Commanders typically followed the Commander’s orders.
Moreover, now that the war was over, the city-defense-focused Garrison Knights had largely lost their purpose. The Empire had other Knight units, and the Garrison wasn’t as crucial as it had been during wartime.
Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that Lin Yan, relatively inexperienced, had been appointed to this now largely symbolic position, especially with her family’s influence.
“How nostalgic…”
Xu Bai recalled her past skirmishes with Lin Yan in the military, shaking her head wryly.
All of that was gone now, along with the quiet young man, buried forever in the ruins of Saint Noyes.
“But I didn’t expect Glaimond to be able to command even Lin Yan… Is it because of her family?”
Xu Bai looked at Lin Yan, her expression unchanged from her memories, but she noticed a hint of fatigue on her face.
“Perhaps… everything surrounding Vikarn Port is far more complicated than it appears…”
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