She was no longer a knight of the empire's glory. She was merely a Noxian skeleton held together with mud and muscle.
"Riven." Chen Ce spoke her name in a low voice.
There was no response.
"Riven," he called again.
Still, there was no response.
Ahri, who stood nearby holding an umbrella, quietly reminded him, "Boss, you could try getting closer when you call her."
"...Pay attention to the mood." Chen Ce's eye twitched. He slowly stepped forward.
He crouched down less than half a meter from Riven.
Only then did he realize that something was seriously wrong with her mental state. Her face was a sickly red, her breathing was rapid, and she looked dazed.
Perhaps... she was sick?
"Riven, can you hear me?"
"You're..." At last, the exhausted female knight responded. "A Resistance Army soldier... Have you come back as a ghost to take revenge on me...?"
"A ghost?" Ahri jumped in fright. "Boss, you're a ghost? No wonder your humble servant couldn't charm you!"
"Shoo, shoo, shoo..." Chen Ce waved the fox girl away like a kitten.
Then, to keep her out of the rain, he pulled Ahri back again.
"I'm not a ghost, Riven. I'm still alive, and doing just fine. I came here specifically because of Elder Souma."
"Elder... Souma..." Riven shook her head hard, but her consciousness only grew hazier. "He died... I heard the news... I was the one who caused his death..."
"At least you're still clearheaded." Chen Ce nodded. "Then stand up and come with me—as a war criminal or a prisoner."
"War criminal... prisoner... war criminal... prisoner..." Riven repeated the words over and over, swaying.
Thud. In the end, she collapsed straight to the ground.
Days of wandering without rest or sleep, with not a drop of water to drink, had already left her utterly exhausted. On top of that, the unrelenting thunderstorms of the wet season had battered her defenseless body. Her mind and body had completely given out.
What she had endured over this period had been a nightmare, a tormenting specter destined to haunt her for the rest of her life, crushing her in both body and spirit.
In the end, it had become too much for her to bear.
But she didn't deserve pity.
She didn't deserve the compassion of a single Ionian.
Not even Chen Ce's.
"Ahri, take her to Yasuo."
"Oh, okay... Heave-ho!" Ahri struggled to hoist Riven up, then used several tails to coil around the broken sword on the ground.
Riven's trial would have to begin ahead of schedule—far earlier than in the original timeline. But Chen Ce didn't feel any relief.
He had a feeling...
Noxus's attack would also stray from the course of the original timeline.
Chapter 33: Riven's Trial
As a seasoned warrior who had grown up surviving in the narrow space between battle and death, Riven was far stronger than an ordinary person. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't come down with something as minor as a fever.
But this time, not only had she caught one, it was severe.
Days without food or water, battered by wind and rain, had completely broken down her body, already damaged by chemical fire. Her fever had soared to forty degrees.
Yasuo and Yone stood silently beside the bed, staring at the Noxian who was very likely responsible for Elder Souma's death. Their eyes barely concealed their desire to kill.
They wanted nothing more than to cut her to pieces with their swords right then and there, but they couldn't.
They even had to save her and keep her from dying of the fever—which filled them with fury.
Fortunately, Chen Ce didn't need them to do anything. They only had to stand guard at the door.
"Ah, there goes another half bottle of Corrupting Potion..."
Chen Ce took the oddly shaped bottle from his bag and poured the Corrupting Potion into Riven's mouth under Ahri's envious gaze.
Before long, she slowly regained consciousness. A fever wasn't a serious illness, and half a bottle of Corrupting Potion was enough to restore her most basic bodily functions.
Painful murmurs and delirious muttering gradually filled the room. At last, the sinful female knight slowly opened her dark brown eyes.
Then she saw the Ionian Resistance Army soldier who should have died in Dragonspine Canyon—a young man about her age.
"It's you..." She blankly turned her head away and looked at the ceiling. "Did you save Irelia? The esteemed leader of the Resistance Army..."
"Yes. She's fine, and she wasn't badly hurt at the time." Chen Ce answered calmly, though his tone carried a hint of coldness. "Thanks for asking, but now may not be the time to talk about that."
"You've come to judge me... haven't you...?"
"Before I judge you, there's someone else who will."
"Who...?"
"Yasuo."
"I don't know him..."
"Elder Souma's disciple. The disciple of the elder you caused to die."
"..." At that, Riven fell silent.
She shook her head in pain, trying to remember something, but the terrible pain stopped her.
Perhaps she'd lost her memory to some extent.
But that didn't matter. If she couldn't remember, others would help her.
Yasuo approached with heavy steps, his breathing turning fast and labored. He gripped the sword at his waist, more than once wanting to cut the Noxian before him to pieces.
But in the end, he held back.
He drew his sword in front of Riven, then used the swordsmanship Elder Souma had taught him to create a tiny whirlwind.
"Do you remember this wind? That night, when the elder used it to shatter that accursed greatsword of yours!"
"..." Riven remained silent, but a flicker of awareness appeared in her vacant eyes.
Painful memories surged back like a tide, along with the betrayal by her homeland... Yes, she remembered everything. Her subconscious had only been trying to protect her, burying those painful memories.
The moment she saw the Way of the Wanderer, everything came back to her.
Her wandering over these past days, everything that had happened that night... She hadn't known at the time, but when she returned to this village, she'd heard of the old man's death...
She was the one who had caused the death of that highly respected elder.
"I... I didn't mean to... I asked him to break my greatsword... I never meant to hurt him... I didn't do it on purpose... I didn't..."
Riven clutched her head, her face twisting with pain.
Yasuo watched her, his anger growing even stronger.
But just as he was about to snarl, "Stop pretending," Riven suddenly stopped.
She no longer acted as if she were in pain. She simply placed a hand over her chest and fell silent.
After a moment, she said calmly, "Kill me."
"Kill you? You admit it, then!" Yasuo could no longer suppress his rage. In an instant, his sword was at Riven's throat. "You caused Elder Souma's death! You did!"
"Yes... Kill me," she replied calmly. "Avenge your master, and the Ionians I've hurt."
At her words, even Yasuo's sword hand began to tremble.
But... he still didn't strike.
The more calmly Riven faced him, the angrier he grew, and the harder it became to strike—not out of pity, but because of...
Resentment.
If he killed her outright, she wouldn't receive the punishment she deserved.
She should die in the midst of unbearable pain and hatred, in endless agony and struggle... not so quickly!
"Get up, you Noxian scum!" Yasuo grabbed her by the collar and roughly dragged her off the bed.
But Riven's gaze remained calm.
Or rather... despairing.
That hopeless stare, devoid of any desire to live, only irritated Yasuo further.
"What's the matter? Think killing me outright would be too easy on me?" Riven said calmly. "Then torture me slowly... Cut me apart piece by piece, or hack off my limbs before killing me. Do whatever you want."
"You beast!" Yasuo roared, and at last his sword fell.
Thud! The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out clearly.
But... Riven only furrowed her brow slightly.
The blade had pierced her shoulder, not her neck.
The moment blood gushed out, Yasuo finally regained some composure.
"That's right... I'm not going to kill you that easily..." He glared fiercely into her eyes. "I'll take you to trial first and let the magistrate decide your crimes... Then I'll kill you!"
"If that'll make you feel better... go ahead." Riven simply closed her eyes.
Yasuo gritted his teeth so hard he nearly cracked them.
Yone didn't waste any time. He was about to take Riven to face the judgment of the people.
The two swordsman brothers supported Riven on either side, already planning what testimony to present to the magistrate at the trial.
But the moment they stepped out of the room, everything changed.
A sharp arrow suddenly flew toward them.
Yasuo reacted in the blink of an eye. He drew the sword he had just sheathed and split the incoming arrow in two with a quick-draw slash.
But before he could figure out what was happening, dozens more arrows flew from the woods, each aimed at a vital spot.
Clang, clang, clang, clang! The sound of blades knocking arrows from the air quickly grew dense.
Yasuo and Yone were utterly confused even as they defended themselves.
Only Chen Ce, standing to the side, understood exactly what was happening.
"They came after all... Those Noxians are targeting you, Yasuo."
Chapter 34: The Path to Redemption Lies Within
More and more arrows flew from the shadows. The two swordsmen, Yasuo and Yone, fought to deflect them. They had little trouble holding their ground, but their confusion only deepened.
They couldn't understand why the Noxians had suddenly chosen to attack their village.
What was there to gain from attacking a small village of only a few dozen households, with nothing to offer but swordsmanship?
"You just said... 'after all'? Did you know the Noxians would attack this place?" Yasuo asked Chen Ce while deflecting the arrows.
"I didn't know for certain. I guessed," Chen Ce replied. "They want you dead, Yasuo."
"Why?"
"Because your Way of the Wanderer can counter their new chemical weapon—the same one behind the scene you witnessed in Dragonspine Canyon."
As he spoke, Chen Ce slowly removed Doran's Spear from his back.
Compared with the others, he seemed much calmer.
Yes, he'd had a feeling this would happen. Ever since Samira ambushed him, he'd suspected they would be attacked after he met up with Yasuo.
So he hadn't come unprepared.
He hadn't written just one letter that day.
The other had been sent to Placidium, informing Irelia of the ambush and warning her that Noxus might target Yasuo.
If everything went as expected, Irelia would send troops to this village as soon as she received the letter—but that would take some time.
Placidium was too far away. And not every soldier had the extraordinary stamina to travel day and night for several days straight like they did, so it would take a while to reach the village.
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