Chapter 54: Knight Commander Vivian
The North Empire was now a collection of city-states.
Besides being forbidden from directly commanding a Knight unit, they were essentially small, independent nations, with their own tax systems and laws.
Most of them were the remnants of the smaller nations that had emerged after the fall of the ancient empire.
After the ancient empire’s collapse, humanity had been in a constant state of retreat against the demon legions, and even the splintered nations had fallen one by one over the centuries, until only the North Empire remained.
The remnants of these fallen nations had been absorbed into the North Empire, under the rule of the capital.
And so, each city-state had its own unique customs and traditions, a fact Bai was only vaguely aware of.
The western city-states bordered the Bewildering Forest, and during the war, they had been the main target of the Vampire Knights’ invasion.
And with the invasion, Vampire culture had also infiltrated these city-states, creating a unique, hybrid style.
War was a cruel, yet effective, form of cultural fusion.
Of course, the customs and styles that remained in the western city-states now had little to do with the Vampires.
In any case, the scenery of the Vampire territory was a surprise to Bai. If not for the obvious Vampire features of the inhabitants, she would have thought she was back in the North Empire.
“You there—how should we address you?” a Vampire Knight asked, his tone a mixture of firmness and deference. As they had promised, until Bai’s identity was confirmed, they would treat her as a princess.
“My name is Bai,” she replied.
“Very well, Princess Bai. Her Majesty’s palace is just ahead. I’ve already informed the Knight Commander. She will be waiting for you at the entrance,” the knight said, though a flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes.
When he had informed the Knight Commander, she hadn’t been surprised, simply instructing him to bring “Her Majesty’s sister” to the palace.
Could it be… she really was Her Majesty’s sister?
But in all the thousands of years, he had never heard of Her Majesty having a sister…
Although her origins were a mystery, and anyone who had tried to dig into her past had been… erased, no one dared to pry into Queen Shaya’s history.
So, now, besides a few of the older Vampire Knights, few remembered that she wasn’t a native of the Abyss.
That was why the Knight squad leader had not immediately denied Bai’s claim, and had even stopped the other knights from acting rashly.
“The Knight Commander was the first of our clan to meet Her Majesty… she must know something.”
That was why he had taken the risk, had brought Bai, and the other two non-Vampires, back with him.
“I see,” Bai nodded, then looked at the gloomy palace in the distance, a faint, familiar sweet scent in the air.
Iradace had been taken away. Queen Shaya’s palace was not a place just anyone could enter, especially not a well-known demon like her.
Ara, however, was still on Bai’s back. The knights had decided it was unnecessary to separate them.
After all, if Bai’s identity was confirmed, she would have the authority to bring anyone she wanted into the palace. And if it wasn’t… well, it wouldn’t matter.
They were now approaching the palace, a place where even these Vampire Knights were not permitted to enter.
They stopped, saluted Bai, then stood guard, their gazes fixed on her as she walked away.
Bai, with the sleeping Ara on her back, walked towards the palace, where a slender figure was waiting for her.
…
Vivian, even now, after thousands of years, could still remember the first time she had seen Her Majesty.
A mane of dark red hair, adorned with countless silver-white flames, a destructive aura that seemed to burn the very air, so intense that even the void recoiled.
And her scarlet eyes, with a hint of an unquenchable silver fire, a being who had been touched by destruction, yet had survived.
From that first moment, Vivian knew she had found her queen, a being she would follow for the rest of her life.
Her Majesty was omnipotent. The warring Vampire clans, who had been in a state of chaos for years, had been united under her banner in a matter of decades.
And soon after, she had led the new Vampire race across the Abyss, conquering almost every demon race she encountered.
Even with the arrival of the Abyssal Lord, the “Day of Divine Advent,” even when Vivian had seen that familiar, silver-white destructive flame again, she had never doubted that Her Majesty would prevail.
But now… she had failed.
Yes, to Vivian, Shaya’s choice to sacrifice herself to maintain the seal was a failure.
“How could Her Majesty fail? She cannot fail. But… I…”
Vivian closed her eyes, and the image of a small, scarlet figure appeared in her mind. “I will be her knight. I will follow her through everything… even failure…”
Tap, tap, tap…
A soft, unhurried footstep echoed through the empty palace.
Vivian knew her long-awaited guest had arrived.
She looked up, and a figure emerged from the moonlit darkness, her long, dark red hair a perfect match for Her Majesty’s, her resolute, indifferent expression so similar that Vivian, for a moment, thought she was seeing her Queen again.
At the same time, Bai approached the palace and saw the Knight Commander.
To her surprise, she looked… delicate. Even with her sharp Vampire fangs and seductive scarlet eyes, she had an air of innocent fragility.
Bai looked at Vivian, and Vivian looked at Bai.
And in that moment, the memory of her past, of her Queen, merged with the image before her.
So similar…
But…
“Your opponent is,” Vivian said, raising her sword, “the Chief Knight Commander of the Vampire Knights, and the Commander of the Royal Guard, Vivian.”
“Your Highness, Princess, this is a knight’s duel, for the honor of Her Majesty, Queen Shaya.”
