Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [22]

Captain Gepard’s assigned defensive line was located in the rear, at the plaza intended to become Belobog’s central recreation center. This space, which was supposed to be a hub of daily life, had remained half-finished, with construction indefinitely suspended once the new rift spread here, now threatening even the inner city’s safety.

Gepard was the ideal choice to defend it, given his expertise in holding defensive lines.

Meanwhile, Bronya’s front line was at the transit hub. As one of Belobog’s primary transport junctions, it allowed people access to every corner of the city. Unfortunately, that accessibility worked for the monsters as well. They could traverse the entire city through this station alone. Knowing this, Bronya’s elite squad was stationed here with strict orders to hold their ground until dawn.

Lieutenant Dunn had proposed retreating so that Bronya and her troops could regroup with Gepard’s unit directly behind them, allowing them to encircle the monsters. This tactic would lead to a clean sweep by dawn and permit them to return and fortify for the next fight.

However, there was no telling how many monsters would escape during that time, which, though unfortunate, had seemed their only option.

Fortunately, with the help of Venti—who proudly called himself Belobog’s finest bard—they didn’t need to retreat. They’d achieved victory early, sparing countless lives.

Now, only cleanup remained as they awaited the arrival of the delayed reinforcements.

As Venti and Bronya spoke, the Silvermane soldiers who’d finished their sweeps began to reassemble. Any lingering creatures hidden among the buildings had also been quickly dealt with.

And they had Venti to thank for that. With his ever-watchful winds guiding them, the Silvermane soldiers were able to spot and eliminate any lurking threats, further reducing their casualties.

The Silvermane Guards, who had become accustomed to exchanging heavy losses for a hard-won victory ever since the current Supreme Guardian assumed power, never imagined that sweeping the battlefield could be this simple.

All they had to do was follow the breeze’s subtle hints, locate the monsters, fire, confirm the kill, and move on.

Even if a monster managed to fight back, the wind would harden into a shield, blocking the creature’s blows for them.

The seamless flow of power in Venti’s hands left Lieutenant Dunn in awe.

“I never thought power could manifest with such freedom and adaptability,” he murmured. “I suppose one could say it’s the liberty of the wind at work.”

Though he marveled, Dunn knew how difficult it was to shape one’s power so naturally. Even he, with his mastery, could only channel his Path of Preservation to protect himself. Gepard, a rare talent, could extend that power to defend others. But wielding power like Venti, effortlessly bending it to his will—that was beyond imagination.

Even now, Dunn didn’t know Venti’s Path. However, as the bard was Bronya’s friend, Dunn felt no need to pry.

Once he had finished his conversation with Bronya, Venti respectfully hung back, assisting wherever he could. When they finally wrapped up their mission, Bronya glanced back at him, her eyes bright with curiosity and newfound trust.

She, too, was curious about Venti’s powers. Out of respect, however, she refrained from asking, preferring to wait for him to share in his own time.

Instead, she offered him a formal apology.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, but someone had to stay at the front. If I were to abandon my post, I’d be letting down my comrades and the people of Belobog.”

“No problem, no problem! For me, it was an exciting change of pace.”

After all, this had been his first time witnessing the Silvermane in action firsthand. He hadn’t done so before due to… other reasons.

In the beginning, Venti hadn’t possessed this degree of control over his power. Only as his goals clarified and he actively sought to fulfill them had he gradually unlocked more of his abilities.

It was only recently that he had come to fully understand his powers as the Anemo Archon, along with another, stranger force that remained largely hidden yet undeniably real.

As for his power as an Archon, it hadn’t been at the level it once was during the time of the Seven. He could no longer remake the land or reshape entire realms as he had in records of the past. Yet those legends merely recorded his few moments of unleashed strength—they weren’t the limits of an Archon’s might.

How else could Barbatos, once no more than a wind spirit, have guided a young hero toward victory?

In truth, the Archons’ strength stemmed not only from their Gnosis. First came victory in the Archon War, and then came the Gnosis—an important order of events.

Much like the immortal shogun or the elderly sage who ruled their distant neighbors, the Gnosis represented an emblem of authority rather than the sum of their power.

Although Barbatos was neither as powerful as the two nor had claimed his throne by force, his unique abilities were not to be underestimated.

Perhaps, by universal standards, his powers wouldn’t seem all that impressive. But to a world struggling through centuries of ice, he might just be the strongest entity around.

Add to that the Path power that still eluded even him, and his might became unmatched.

Of course, his plan to obtain a Stellaron as his “Gnosis” had been an attempt to attain greater freedom. After all, if he planned to travel the stars, he’d need a few tricks up his sleeve.

Otherwise, he might end up hijacked by space pirates, left organless on some black-market ship, or worse—forced into a wind-powered generator! What a fate that would be.

Besides, taking things by brute force wasn’t his style. He wanted his journey to be a quest for learning and discovery.

Only by embracing each experience would he be able to grow and embody his ideals.

In simpler terms, it was like a player savoring a video game, confident they could overcome every challenge.

Lost in thought, Venti didn’t notice Bronya’s silence. She stood beside him, respecting his quiet, until the dawn broke over the city walls, casting a gray light on Belobog’s awakening.

When Gepard arrived with reinforcements, and the supply convoy pulled in, Bronya felt reinvigorated. The arrival of familiar sights lifted the exhaustion from her shoulders.

After formally handing over command to Captain Gepard, Bronya took the belongings of her fallen comrades, departing amid the reverent gazes of the Silvermane. Naturally, as the most eye-catching figure in the group, Venti attracted plenty of attention.

Yet no one dared question his presence.

The Silvermane soldiers, though perhaps not scholars, had their own wisdom. Military life was a melting pot of people and perspectives, and they could tell that Bronya’s personal guard held the poet in respect.

If they could accept him, then he must have earned his place.

Besides, there was another reason.

Gepard turned, taking in the scene of the battlefield before him. The area, looking as if a tornado had ravaged it, was a testament to Venti’s handiwork. The eerie absence of elemental activity made it hard to believe this was once a deep rift zone.

This poet, it seemed, wasn’t only his sister’s dear friend—he was a force to be reckoned with. A force, Gepard decided, that would require careful attention.

—

T/N: Of course Serval would have already met Venti!

FUTURE ME HERE SHE HASNT