“`
But thinking about it, his room was already full, and with the addition of Lagaray, there was simply no space left.
Moreover, the threat from the hyena gang had long been resolved, and it was only fair for Anna to go back to her own place. Besides, with Lagaray’s strength, protecting Anna would be more than enough.
After some thought, Rein didn’t seek out Lagaray and the others but returned to his own room.
Lying in bed, Rein was still reflecting on the battle with the black flame monk.
He had won that fight by the skin of his teeth.
Now, recalling the event carefully, Rein felt a chill run down his spine; if the black flame monk hadn’t been injured by Hamilton, he probably would have stood no chance of defeating him.
No, it wasn’t just unlikely that he would defeat him.
He probably would have been forced to flee in a panic, and even his life would have been at risk.
Moving at such speed and agility with a sword wound in the abdomen, Rein could only imagine how much faster the monk would have been uninjured.
His finishing move could easily have been dodged by the opponent.
“I really need to improve my strength!” Rein muttered.
Soon, Rein, exhausted from the day, fell into a deep sleep.
The next two days in Flashgold Town were calm and peaceful.
Rein finally learned Lagaray’s shield technique, and it showed up on the Night Watchman’s panel as ‘Skill: Shield Defense lv1’.
In the following days, Rein also reflected on some of the combat skills he had used in recent battles, feeling that he had gained a lot from the experience.
Additionally, with Lagaray’s careful instruction by his side, Rein’s shield defense improved rapidly, reaching Shield Defense lv2 (124/300) just recently.
Having a sparring partner made a significant difference.
It reminded Rein of the time when Cleya was still around, and how his learning of the Giant Bear Sword Technique had progressed by leaps and bounds.
With Lagaray as his sparring partner, his swordsmanship and shield defense improved day by day.
It seemed that due to the affair with the Black Flame Church stronghold, the County Town had yet to send a team to investigate the Evil Spirit Knight, which left Lagaray feeling somewhat dispirited.
Early on the third day, Rein received a message from the guards, informing him that Hamilton wanted to see him in his office.
This left Rein somewhat puzzled. Could it be that there was news about the Black Flame Church so soon?
He walked into Hamilton’s office.
Although the office was filled with the scent of healing potions, Hamilton, dressed in noble hunting attire, was energetically attending to his duties. Clearly, the destruction of the stronghold and the defeat of the black flame monk had left Hamilton invigorated.
“Rein, take a seat,” he said.
“The reason I asked you here is to promote you to the position of Night Watchman captain,” Hamilton said with a smile.
…
In a study room on the second floor of Habsburg Castle.
The door suddenly opened without a knock.
This displeased the room’s occupant, Dennis, who was about to reprimand the intruder when he looked up and his pupils constricted.
“Father… Father!” Dennis hadn’t expected the person opening the door to be his father. As he rose to his feet, his voice trembled with fear.
His father, Kroos Norman, was a retired colonel of the Dragan Empire Navy, many of whose strict and decisive ways were reflected in his behavior.
Since childhood, Dennis hadn’t been spared hardship. This time, by using the pursuit of Cleya as an excuse, he had managed to spend a short term away from his father’s iron grip at the Habsburg estate. But now, due to Rulse’s death, his father had come in person.
“Come with me,” said the imposing middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows that gave a sharp and forceful impression. He glanced at his son and spoke coldly.
Without any thought of resisting or even uttering a word of rebuttal, Dennis obediently followed behind, heading to the estate’s main gate.
When the two reached the gate of Habsburg Castle, they saw a black carriage waiting for them, with a striking black and gold double-headed wolf crest on its panel, the family emblem of the Normans.
Once on the carriage, Baron Norman handed Dennis a dossier without a word and passed it to him.
“`
Dennis was initially startled, then realized what was happening, and immediately took the documents, browsing through them swiftly in front of Baron Norman.
Upon first glance, Dennis couldn’t help exclaiming, “This is that farmer’s son Rein’s…”
He then looked up at his father in surprise. He hadn’t expected his father to start investigating the farmer’s son Rein, who had killed Rulse, so quickly.
But Baron Norman’s face was still expressionless.
This made Dennis feel uneasy; he knew what his father meant: he was to finish reading the materials before they talked.
Additionally, his father at this moment was the most terrifying, for he was suppressing the anger within him, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
As he continued to go through the materials, Dennis grew more and more alarmed; many of the documents were new to him.
“…Exterminating the murlocs at Glimmer Lake…”
“…Promoting Rein to an elite Night Watchman…”
“…In dealing with the Elim Mine incident, killing the Crystal Stone lizard… slaying the injured Tunneling Stone monster….”
“…Rein, highly regarded by the peace officer of Flashgold Town, Hamilton…”
The recent information about Rein was incredibly detailed, as though it had been copied directly from the Night Watchman archive in County Town.
As for the record of Rein killing the Black Flame Monk a couple of days ago, the archive didn’t have it, which suggested that this information was obtained three days ago.
“Finished?” asked Baron Norman in a deep voice, resonating within the enclosed carriage.
“Yes,” Dennis nodded.
“I got it a few days ago with the help of a former naval colleague,” Baron Norman explained.
“Rein’s strength, although he’s not yet a formal knight, is certainly not just that of an elite Night Watchman. I judge his strength to be at least at the level of a third-grade knight’s attendant, or even… a prospective knight!” Baron Norman spoke firmly.
“What? How is that possible? It’s only been a little over a month since Cleya approached him. How could he possibly have improved so fast?” Dennis exclaimed with a shocked expression!
Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr
“Only a little over a month? Was it Cleya who approached him first?” Dennis let slip some information that Baron Norman didn’t know, to his father’s considerable surprise.
“That…should be impossible,” Baron Norman mused after a moment.
After all, to cultivate the breathing technique from zero to the level of a prospective knight in just over a month was talent that was beyond comprehension.
“It’s true! Father, I’ve seen Rein a little over a month ago; he was thin and looked just like an ordinary person!” Dennis explained, his face flushed with earnestness.
“If it’s true, as you say, then his knightly talent is greater than the most talented genius of our Meister County. Do you realize what this means?” Baron Norman frowned.
“It means he’ll soon be promoted to knight?” Dennis guessed, looking at the baron with a puzzled expression.
“Wrong! It’s highly possible that he’s already discovered from Rulse’s belongings that Rulse came from the Norman family. Giving such a genius more time to grow means he will become a major problem.”
Dennis suddenly realized, “So, Father, you’re planning to take care of this personally…”
But Dennis was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
“Wrong! It’s not appropriate for me to act, given his sensitive identity. Phil Kraz will take care of it in a day that’s not too far off.”
Phil Kraz?
Why did that name sound so familiar?
Dennis pondered, certain he had heard of this person before.
“The Black Sail pirate?” Dennis couldn’t help but whisper.
He remembered then. Phil Kraz was the deputy commander of the Black Sail pirates, possessing not just the strength of a senior knight but also excelling in archery. He was a rare sharpshooter among pirates with the nickname ‘Bloody Shooter.’
When his father had served in the empire’s navy, he had bestowed favors upon some pirate groups, who in return offered extra protection to the Norman family’s merchant ships. The Black Sail pirates were one of them.
Seemingly aware that Dennis had made the connection, Baron Norman slowly revealed a secret: “Phil Kraz, the deputy commander of the Black Sail pirates, owes me a big favor.”
“They had plans to join forces with several other pirates and launch raids on several small towns in Meister County soon,” he continued.
“….”