Chapter 23: I Was Careless!
Lin Yan’s arrival quickly calmed the situation, quelling the brewing unrest.
Her primary task was to reassure the panicked citizens, on the verge of collapse due to the demon’s presence.
However, regardless of Lin Yan’s own intentions, the Garrison Knights under her command were now effectively under Glaimond’s control.
This was a crucial piece of information.
Xu Bai had also served under the Garrison Knights. The “Sharp Assault” squad, a special operations unit on the Saint Noyes front line, had reported directly to Commander Lugner.
Back then, the Garrison Knights were an independent force, nominally answering only to the Emperor.
In reality, however, they were entirely under Lugner’s control.
But now, everything that had belonged to Lugner, including his life’s work, the Garrison Knights, was gradually being absorbed by Glaimond.
Glaimond’s intentions were clear.
“The position of Ninth-Order Legendary Knight…”
There were only nine, and could only be nine, Legendary Knights in the entire North Empire.
Xu Bai knew that the title represented more than just status; it also granted immense power, far beyond human limits.
The nine Legendary Knights were the pillars supporting humanity’s fight against the demons.
Glaimond’s ambition was evident. He wanted to become one of the nine, and the vacancy left by Commander Lugner’s “death” was the perfect opportunity.
But what about Commander Lugner?
Was this what he wanted?
Xu Bai didn’t believe Lugner was unaware of Glaimond’s machinations, yet he had still been attacked, almost as if he had been expecting it.
“…This is so troublesome.” Xu Bai sighed, shaking her head wryly.
Perhaps Sasha was right. She shouldn’t get involved in such complicated matters.
The crowd at the checkpoint gradually dispersed under Lin Yan’s reassurances, leaving only a few stubborn individuals who sat in front of the Garrison Knights, grumbling and refusing to budge.
Lin Yan ignored them, letting them be.
Suddenly, she noticed a little girl, no older than eleven or twelve, standing nearby, looking lost and confused, seemingly separated from her family. Lin Yan frowned slightly.
“Whose child is this? Bringing her here and not looking after her.”
Without a second thought, she walked towards the girl, intending to help.
Xu Bai, having pieced together the situation, realized the crowd had mostly dispersed. She looked up to see Lin Yan approaching.
“Oh no, she’s spotted me…” Xu Bai’s heart sank, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger on her back.
“Little girl…”
Lin Yan approached Xu Bai, crouching down and forcing a friendly smile.
Before she could finish, a dagger was pressed against her throat. She looked up in surprise, meeting a pair of sharp, hostile eyes.
“Enemy attack!”
The surrounding Garrison Knights instantly raised their spears, activating their psychic circuits, aiming them at Xu Bai.
The standoff lasted less than a second before Xu Bai withdrew her dagger, lowering her eyes to conceal her gaze.
“…I was careless.” Xu Bai inwardly groaned. Why had she reacted like that?
She had known Lin Yan from her time in the Garrison Knights, but they hadn’t been on good terms. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Their encounters often involved physical altercations, usually initiated by Lin Yan, but always ending with Xu Bai soundly defeating her.
Xu Bai had never seen Lin Yan as a normal girl, considering her a troublesome and persistent nuisance.
So, seeing Lin Yan approach, she had reacted instinctively, drawing her dagger without thinking. Fortunately, she had regained control at the last moment.
Lin Yan was startled, but the scene felt strangely familiar.
And those sharp eyes… she felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as if she had been on the receiving end of that gaze before.
The appearance and disappearance of the dagger had been instantaneous. Now, Lin Yan saw only a small, timid girl, her head down, seemingly trembling.
Lin Yan examined the girl. She looked like any ordinary child, perhaps a bit prettier, though her current disheveled appearance made it difficult to tell.
It seemed she had simply been wary of a stranger approaching, and then frightened by the knights raising their weapons at her.
In these turbulent times, it was normal to be cautious of strangers… right?
“But those eyes… well, it must have been my imagination.”
Lin Yan shook her head. She must be overworked and stressed.
Sighing softly, resolving to get a good night’s sleep, she turned to the Garrison Knights and said in a low voice,
“Lower your weapons. She’s just a little girl.”
“Commander Lin, but…” The Garrison Knights hesitated, but lowered their spears slightly, no longer pointing them directly at Xu Bai.
“There are no buts,” Lin Yan paused, glancing at the still-cowering Xu Bai. “If she wanted to kill me, she would have done so already, not waited for you to react.”
“Besides, she couldn’t hurt me.”
The Garrison Knights sheathed their weapons, though they still gripped them tightly.
Lin Yan crouched down again, softening her voice as much as possible.
“Little girl, where are your parents?”
“I… I don’t know…”
Xu Bai, head down, struggled to maintain her composure. It was surreal to hear Lin Yan, who had always been so aggressive, speaking to her in such a gentle tone.
Just controlling her expression and remaining silent was difficult enough; she didn’t dare look up.
But Lin Yan mistook the girl’s silence for fear. She scratched her head.
“You don’t know?”
Lin Yan felt a pang of frustration. She had never dealt with lost children before; she had no experience and didn’t know what to do.
She had interacted with girls her own age, but this… ahem, this was new territory.
Leave a Reply