Chapter 11 – Knight

The first floor of the tavern was brightly lit, and even from outside, the sounds from the hall could be heard.

Most of the people here were burly men from mercenary groups, having just returned from the perilous Central Forest. They had stopped at the tavern, and it was inevitable that they would indulge themselves a little. However, what reached Lin Wei’s ears was not the usual laughter and clamor of a tavern, but the sound of a heated argument.

This somewhat dampened Young Duke Lin Wei’s mood. Just as he was about to board the carriage to find another place, he noticed Duan Yu frowning slightly. “A Mage?”

“Here?”

The argument inside the tavern faintly reached their ears: “The Count’s convoy just lost some cargo, and now the two of you suddenly have intermediate-level magical beast crystals and pelts in your hands, and you’re trying to sell them off quickly?”

The response came from a female voice, sharp and seemingly belonging to a young girl: “My brother and I hunted these in the forest ourselves! Why are you accusing us? You just want to steal our things!”

Loud, mocking laughter followed. “Little girl, I’m not trying to be mean, but even the lowest-level magical beast could tear your belly open! Sure, your brother’s a warrior, but what kind of warrior would be stupid enough to take a liability like you deep into the forest to get themselves killed?”

The girl’s voice shot back: “We really did hunt these! Only people like you would think this stuff is worth stealing. How could this possibly be the Count’s cargo?”

“Wait,” Duan Yu closed his eyes, carefully sensing the situation inside the hall. “It doesn’t seem like a Mage either… I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Hearing this, Lin Wei also closed his eyes. His mental energy spread out like ripples on water, and wherever it passed, everything related to magic elements was revealed in clear, detailed outlines.

As his mental energy passed through the tavern’s walls, Lin Wei’s vision was filled with a chaotic array of human shapes.

Ordinary people appeared as faint, scattered points of light. Mages, on the other hand, were glowing spheres centered around their bodies, with elemental vortices slowly rotating within them, and the elements around them were much more active.

Among ordinary people, warriors also appeared as scattered points of light, but these points were much denser.

However, amidst these scattered or dense clusters of light, Lin Wei’s eyes were immediately drawn to one that stood out from the rest.

It was a complete human figure.

The magic elements were so densely concentrated that even the limbs were clearly discernible. This was impossible for an ordinary person, and no Mage had ever appeared in this state under the observation of mental energy.

In fact, it was even possible to tell that this was a slightly shorter, slender figure—perhaps even a woman.

“My goodness…” Haitie, who had also released her mental energy, noticed this unusual phenomenon.

“I say,” Daniel swallowed hard, “what are you all thinking?”

The contents of the countless books he had read over the past year flashed through his mind like lightning, leaving behind only one answer.

“A Knight.”

Lin Wei and Haitie exchanged a glance, almost speaking in unison.

The Age of Knights, The Glory of Knights, Knights and Honor, The Decline of Knights…

That’s right, the Imperial Family kept a so-called “Royal Knight Order,” and the few Grand Knights at its head did possess formidable power. But they were only “Royal Knights,” not true Knights.

According to the records in the Magic Academy, true Knights had completely disappeared nearly a thousand years ago.

And the “warriors” of today were merely faint remnants and traces of bloodline left behind by the once glorious civilization of Knights.

“Mages rely on mental energy to perceive and control the magic elements in their surroundings, while Knights forge their bodies with condensed magic elements. They possess strong physiques, honest souls, and unwavering faith.”

“Knights are the best companions for Mages, a gift carefully crafted by the Creator God for each other.”

Yes, that tightly condensed, finely detailed human figure matched the characteristics of an ancient Knight perfectly.

But—weren’t Knights supposed to have vanished from the continent long ago?

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Lin Wei said.

When Lin Wei lifted the animal skin curtain at the entrance to the hall, the girl involved in the argument was clearly already enraged. “How could the magical beast not have been killed by my brother and me? Suke, I’m telling you, I’m a warrior too!”

Suke, the burly man, and his companions immediately burst into malicious laughter, with some even whistling.

“Hahaha, little girl, are you joking? Even if you told me you got this stuff by climbing into bed with one of the Count’s guards, it’d still be more believable than saying you’re a warrior!”

Lin Wei followed the sound and his gaze landed on a slender, seemingly fragile silver-haired girl in the center of the crowd, who was currently standing with her hands on her hips.

His pupils contracted.

It was her!

“Is it the girl in the middle?” Haitie whispered.

Daniel nodded. “But she doesn’t look anything like a Knight…”

Lin Wei lowered his voice to those around him. “Whether she is or not, we need to help her out of this situation first.”

Daniel glanced mischievously at the crowd in the hall. “Why don’t you, Lin Wei, pretend to be someone from that Count’s family they’re talking about and take the girl away—you’ve been acting all high and mighty these past few days anyway, you could definitely fool them.”

Lin Wei crossed his arms and gave him a sidelong glance. “That won’t be necessary.”

Daniel was confused. “Then what do we do?”

“It seems you haven’t yet understood the rules of the continent, Daniel.”

Daniel looked even more lost. “What rules?”

Lin Wei straightened his collar and said, “Forget about counts and marquises… Just watch.”

With that, he pushed the curtain aside completely and strode into the noisy hall.

The hall was brightly lit, and all eyes immediately turned to Lin Wei.

A young nobleman dressed in luxurious clothing, with fair skin and a physique that had nothing to do with “burly,” was a rare sight in a small place like this, filled with mercenaries.

The three people who followed this young nobleman in black also caused the onlookers to widen their eyes in surprise.

Lin Wei walked expressionlessly toward Suke, and the people around him quickly made way.

Nobles—these common folk knew better than to provoke them. Who knew if there were guards and private soldiers waiting outside the tavern? It was best to stay far away.

When he reached Suke, Lin Wei raised his eyes slightly to look him over, exuding arrogance from head to toe.

“You were saying… she stole the Count’s cargo?”

Suke had only meant to hassle the girl into handing over the magic crystals and beast pelts, but now he found himself in this situation. He could only stick to his earlier words.

“That’s right, young master. It must have been her!”

The girl’s cheeks flushed with anger. “Suke, you beast! My brother is still lying in bed with serious injuries, and I had no choice but to sell what we hunted to pay for his treatment!”

Suke turned to Lin Wei, trying to curry favor. “You see, young master, it must be because her brother needs money for treatment that she resorted to theft…”

Lin Wei ignored Suke’s words and instead stared directly at the girl, his expression dark. “Come with me.”

The girl hurriedly defended herself. “I didn’t steal these! I’m a warrior, I can prove it to you!”

Lin Wei paid no attention to her protests and simply said coldly, “Daniel, take the young lady upstairs.”

The tavern owner, who had been waiting attentively for the instructions of these esteemed guests, immediately scurried to the stairs to lead the way.

Daniel, who had been unexpectedly tasked with this, stepped forward and grabbed the silver-haired girl’s arm. She struggled angrily a few times, but when she saw the man holding her wink playfully, she seemed to understand and obediently let Daniel lead her up the stairs and into a room.

After Daniel and the girl entered the room, Haitie gently closed the door.

However, the sound of the door closing seemed to make the girl uneasy. “What… what are you going to do?”

The nobleman who had been so cold earlier now smiled at her. “I’m sorry about that earlier. We’re not from the Count’s family, so you don’t need to worry.”

Only then did the girl realize that these people had helped her out of a tight spot.

The red-haired girl, who looked about her age, pulled her over to a chair. “Take a seat. By the way, what’s your name?”

The girl, who had been so bold in her argument with the burly Suke, didn’t seem the least bit shy. She sat down and said, “I’m Talin, a resident of this town.”

Haitie even brought Talin a warm drink, which made her feel a little overwhelmed.

Lin Wei didn’t immediately ask her about the Knight aura but instead said, “Your brother is seriously injured.”

At this, Talin’s eyes lit up with hope, and a fire seemed to ignite in her deep brown eyes. “Yes… The town healer said my brother might not last much longer. Are you interested in buying the magic crystals? With the money, maybe my brother could…”

“Perhaps we can help you,” Lin Wei said, looking into her eyes. “Miss Talin, if you can answer one question for me, not only will I buy your items, but I’ll also ensure your brother is treated.”

Perhaps out of excitement, Talin’s voice trembled slightly. “Alright… what do you want to know?”

“You said you’re a warrior, but your build doesn’t seem to match. Do you have some special training method?”

Talin’s face suddenly turned pale, and she stood up. “There’s nothing special. I’m just an ordinary warrior… I’m sorry, I need to go take care of my brother.”

With that, she bolted toward the door.

But just as her fingers touched the cold brass handle, another voice stopped her.

“Miss Talin.”

It was Duan Yu’s voice, calm yet with a hint of chill, like melting ice.

“Humility, integrity, compassion, valor.”

—These were the long-forgotten oaths of a Knight from a thousand years ago, buried in the tomes of the Magic Academy.

Talin froze, turning to look at them, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.

Duan Yu continued, “Justice, sacrifice, honor, soul… Has anyone ever said these words to you?”