The pitch-black night.
Emerging from the prison, Yabo looked up at the hazy void above. He stopped for a long time outside the jail, glancing back at the mounted soldier legion, everything as usual.
Those on patrol were patrolling, those keeping watch were keeping watch.
No one paid any mind to him, a prisoner who had been pardoned and triumphantly escaped.
“Hey, if you guys don’t come and arrest me again, I’m really leaving.” Seeing no one paying attention, Yabo proactively shouted towards the mounted soldier legion behind him, “If I leave, I’ll be leaving the city directly. Your Lord Mayor won’t be able to find me if he wants to arrest me again.”
His call was heard, and the patrolling members of the legion looked up at him.
Still, no one paid attention.
“Hey!”
“What do you want?” Lauren, with a sword at his waist and clad in fine armor, approached with a frown, his eyes revealing a chilling killing intent. “The Lord Mayor has already released you, so be grateful for his mercy and don’t cause trouble here.”
“What a loyal dog.”
With a sneer in his eyes, Yabo scoffed dismissively.
“Lauren, I’m quite disappointed in you. We both served this city, and we both worked hard to reach respectable positions. Unfortunately, you’ve become a loyal dog to those high officials and nobles. Even under such oppressive rule, you obediently serve as their trained vicious dog. Do you care that much about the position of deputy commander?”
“I am loyal to this city,” Lauren said with utmost seriousness.
“Noble.”
Yabo’s expression was contemptuous, and his gaze upon Lauren was filled with genuine disdain.
In the past, they were both high-ranking officials in this city, holding considerable power. When the city began to crumble, they had taken different paths.
He looked down on those who served the city’s nobles.
“You are too extreme,” Lauren said calmly, looking at Yabo’s eyes with indifference. “Frankly, if the Lord Mayor hadn’t said to release you, I would have ended you right then and there. Uncle Ali said that everything you’re doing now is for this city, but in my eyes, you are not that noble. I equally detest anyone who takes advantage of the city’s crisis to satisfy their own desires.”
“You can make your move now.”
Yabo spread his hands, his expression full of nonchalance.
“The Lord Mayor wishes to spare your life,” Lauren remained indifferent. “I understand the Lord Mayor’s actions. The city is in ruins, and it needs an infusion of new blood to get back on track. You might be someone worth using; he still has expectations for you. My dislike for you is my personal opinion. The future of the city surpasses everything. Hurry and disappear from my sight, and discard your ridiculous vigilance. No one wants to do anything to you in secret. If the Lord Mayor truly wanted to kill you, do you think he would resort to such petty tricks?”
“Hmph, you have so much confidence in him.”
“At least I see hope in him, and therefore I am willing to dedicate everything I have to this city. This is the oath I took when I joined the mounted soldier legion.”
Gripping the sword at his waist, Lauren turned indifferently and returned to his post.
Yabo stood motionless, watching Lauren’s departing figure, savoring Lauren’s words, and murmuring softly.
“A knight, truly rare.”
It was indeed rare to see someone with a true knight’s heart in such a decadent kingdom. In this corrupt environment, it was too difficult to find people who adhered to the knightly code.
Yet, Lauren was such a person.
Everything he said was from the heart, whether it was his dislike for Yabo or his loyalty to the city, there was no falsehood.
“You two know each other?”
Chen Yu, who emerged from the prison shortly after, uttered a soft word as he watched Lauren meticulously return to his post at the jail.
“My Lord Mayor,” Lauren gave a standard knight’s salute upon seeing Chen Yu. “We served in this city together before and had some contact.”
“You… seem to have quite an opinion of him.”
“Yes.”
“Then, if you two were to work together in the future, do you think it would affect you?” Chen Yu raised his eyebrows. Lauren pondered for a moment and then shook his head, “If the Lord Mayor really intends to re-employ Yabo, I won’t object. As long as he dedicates himself wholeheartedly to this city in the future, I will put aside my prejudice against him.”
“You think he is worth using?”
“Worth it.”
Lauren’s answer was concise.
Regardless of his personal views on Yabo, he did acknowledge Yabo’s abilities. During their time working together, Yabo had performed admirably as the Deputy Commander of the City Guard, and he had always strived for the city’s improvement, although his methods were not accepted by Lauren.
However, these factors could not be reasons for him to deny Yabo’s capabilities.
For the sake of the city, he had no selfish motives.
“Alright, I understand,” Chen Yu patted Yabo’s shoulder. “I’ll trouble you with the people in the prison. Your burden will be lighter in some time.”
“Please rest assured, My Lord Mayor.”
Lauren continued to perform his knight’s salute with meticulous care.
For some reason, Chen Yu felt an inexplicable sense of awe towards Lauren. Perhaps it was his unwavering knightly faith that inspired a sincere respect in Chen Yu.
He could not sense any falsity in him.
His purity was truly formidable.
Chen Yu hadn’t fully understood the spirit of chivalry before. Although he had tried to understand it, searching for explanations about knights.
However, none of it was as impactful as witnessing a true knight in person.
Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Courage, Compassion, Honesty, Spirituality, Justice.
Lauren was a knight who truly possessed the soul of a knight. Chen Yu finally understood the skills imbued in his sword; it was indeed a blade that only a knight should wield. He was fortunate that Lauren was loyal to him.
Otherwise, Chen Yu wouldn’t have known how to defeat him. He couldn’t find any weaknesses in him that could be exploited.
At this moment—
Yabo, released from prison, returned to his residence. He had been pondering the matter all the way. Pushing open the door, he saw his few brothers busily packing their belongings.
Seeing Yabo appear, the men in the room showed expressions of joy.
“Brother, you’re back!”
“What are you doing?”
Yabo frowned as he looked at the packed luggage.
“Leaving the city,” the fox-man said with a thoughtful expression. “We don’t know how, but we were all released. That Lauren also said you would be released soon. So, we came back quickly to pack our things. When you return, we’ll leave the city directly and live in another city.”
“Abandoning the city?”
“How can this be considered abandoning the city? This city no longer has a place for us. If our actions within the city are discovered by the Lord Mayor, will we still have a chance to live? Since they’ve released us all, it’s best to find another place to make a living.”
“Put down your luggage.”
Yabo let out a deep sigh. The faces of Ali, Lauren, and Chen Yu flashed through his mind as he murmured.
“This city has a future.”