Chapter 21: The Fall of Sword and Blossom

Five days later.

Tulip Manor.

Lin Wei rode at the head of a column, astride a warhorse, with several dozen road-weary Tulip Guards trailing behind him.

"Lin Wei, congratulations on your triumphant return!"

Naken, bearing a greatsword on his back and clad in full heavy armor, called out his congratulations from horseback.

Lin Wei answered with a faint smile, dismounted in a single fluid motion, and offered a respectful bow to Naken. "Lord Naken."

Naken laughed heartily and likewise dismounted, landing with a thud. He strode to Lin Wei's side and clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Well, how did it go? Was everything smooth?"

Lin Wei nodded. "It went well enough. The casualties were within acceptable limits, but my lieutenant, Wesker, and a few brothers did not make it back."

A deep sadness briefly clouded Lin Wei's features as he spoke.

Naken sighed. "Such things, you will get used to them in time."

"There is one more thing," Lin Wei continued. "The mayor of Ketu, Shatule, is one of the Sword and Flower's people."

Naken's brow furrowed. "I would never have guessed… Even the local elites have been infiltrated?"

Lin Wei let a faint, unconcerned smile cross his lips. "It was only possible because Ketu lies at the edge of Tulip territory, where oversight is lax. This shouldn't have any significant impact on the Count's rule."

Regarding Wesker’s disappearance and any news involving Irene and the other wizards, Lin Wei deliberately chose to remain silent.

"Lord Naken, if you’ll excuse me, I must seek an audience with Young Master Jon."

After a few more courteous exchanges, Lin Wei took his leave. Though the Count now favored him and he had established himself among the Tulip Guards, in name he was still Jon’s squire.

Naken chuckled. "There’s no need for that."

"Hmm?" Lin Wei looked at him in puzzlement.

"Because two days ago, Young Master Jon was sent by the Count to study at the War Academy."

A look of gratification softened Naken's stern features. He had watched Jon grow up and was wholeheartedly in favor of Jon entering the War Academy.

"The War Academy?!" Surprise flickered in Lin Wei’s eyes.

The War Academy, renowned as the foremost military academy on the West Coast, was located in Saint Elvican, the imperial capital of the Glorious Moon Empire, one of the three great empires. Every graduate of the War Academy possessed at least the strength of a knight’s squire and was required to have deep and broad scholarly knowledge. It was said that the Count of Tulip himself was a distinguished alumnus of the academy.

For this reason, countless nobles exhausted every means to send their children there, hoping they would return as elite members of the aristocracy after rigorous training. The Count, out of fatherly affection, had naturally drawn upon his vast network of connections to secure Jon’s place.

"Furthermore, the Count has already assigned a new squire to Young Master Jon. As for you, you are now under my command." Naken clasped his hands behind his back, his expression encouraging. "From this day forth, you are captain of the Tulip Guards’ Tenth Company."

This truly caught Lin Wei off guard. Previously, he had only held the title of captain of the First Purge Squad—a temporary appointment. Once the task was complete, his role would be dissolved, and he would revert to an ordinary status.

But the captaincy of the Tenth Company was a real, substantive position. With this appointment, Lin Wei would be directly under Naken’s command, ranking just below Naken and the two other vice-commanders—a position of genuine authority. The Tulip Guard numbered six thousand; Lin Wei was now responsible for six hundred men.

"Lord Naken…this is…" Lin Wei seemed hardly able to believe it.

Naken was pleased with his reaction, waving a hand dismissively. "No, this is rightfully yours. Ever since Young Master Jon was first attacked, your actions have drawn the Count’s eye. During the subsequent purge, your conduct was exemplary. You are a born warrior and leader. The Count’s judgment is never wrong."

"And one more thing—you should know, the leader of Sword and Flower has been captured." An indescribable look passed across Naken’s face.

Seeing this, Lin Wei sensed the matter was not as simple as it seemed and frowned slightly. "The leader—there’s something unusual about him?"

Naken nodded. "Indeed. You would never guess. The leader of Sword and Flower turned out to be the Count’s own brother."

"Fifteen years ago, the Count, as the primary heir, inherited the old Count’s authority and renown. But his brother, full of resentment, attempted to assassinate him, failed, and was banished from Tulip lands. Out of brotherly feeling, the Count spared him, yet he repaid that kindness with betrayal. After five years in hiding, he crept back, founded Sword and Flower in secret, and used it to stoke the ambitions of the lower classes, turning them into tools of his revenge."

"Noble against noble—what a farce, should word ever spread. The Count has already had him executed in secret, and the news has been suppressed. The era of Sword and Flower is over."

Naken sighed, as though the Count’s brother still held a trace of old friendship in his heart.

Yet Lin Wei cared little for any of this. He listened, a heaviness growing in his chest, his gaze flickering with deep thought. "In this world, without power, is one fated always to be used as a pawn?"

He thought of Duvier, captured while trying to assassinate Jon; of Felix, who embraced death for freedom and justice; and of Irene, who had died murmuring prayers for the glory of Sword and Flower. All these brave souls, who fought to overthrow noble rule—were they nothing but tools for the nobles themselves? How bitterly ironic.

A chill crept through Lin Wei.

"Who is truly at fault…" He questioned his own heart, waves of emotion surging within him. "The arcane power of the wizards, the boundless continent of Xing Tong—I am but a silent ant, powerless to change any of this, able only to be swept along by the current. Yet if one day I could truly change this world, to make it a utopia, why should I not?"

A slight smile touched Lin Wei’s lips. "Only power… Only the wondrous mysteries are my eternal pursuit!"

Naken watched Lin Wei’s shifting expression in silence, understanding that Lin Wei was making some inner decision.

"Hmm?" Lin Wei suddenly realized he had neglected Naken. "Forgive me, Lord Naken, my thoughts wandered for a moment."

"No matter," Naken replied lightly. "You’ve been laboring hard. Rest well for a few days. Soon, you will train with me again. See if you can break through to knight’s squire quickly."

Lin Wei straightened, unconsciously exuding an extraordinary presence. "Lord Naken, I have already become a knight’s squire."

"What?!" Naken seemed not to have heard clearly. "You—already…a knight's squire?!"

In truth, Lin Wei had already reached the pinnacle of the knight’s rank, but, wishing to conceal his strength, he revealed only the level of a knight’s squire.

Lin Wei nodded solemnly.

"Genius…a genius!" Naken’s eyes went wide, and then he burst out laughing.