Chapter 130: You're Not Going to Eat Alone, Are You?

Chapter 130: You're Not Going to Eat Alone, Are You?



At the same time, in the dining hall of the Harris Manor in the county town of Myester County, several middle-aged men dressed in obvious noble attire were having breakfast.

Among them, a bearded man wearing black-trimmed noble clothing was elegantly cutting a large piece of beef rib. The pure silver knife and fork in his hands were skillfully manipulated.

One piece after another, the neatly cut beef was stuffed into his mouth.

In contrast to Baron Alonso, who was heartily enjoying his breakfast, the two men across from him were visibly perplexed, and their eating pace was almost half as slow.

If Rayen were present, he would have realized that these two were none other than Knight Lloyd and Swordmaster Perez from the Habsburg Manor in Shangjin Town.

Although they had received a message from Alonso, the eldest son of the Harris family, to join him for breakfast, they couldn't understand why. They had a rather ordinary personal relationship with the baron.

Therefore, when they received the message, they were still surprised, but as knights under the Habsburg family, they couldn't afford to offend the eldest son of the count's family for no reason.

Initially, they thought that Alonso must have invited them for breakfast to discuss something important.

However, as breakfast was coming to an end, the baron had yet to bring up any significant matters, merely inquiring about the recent situation at the Habsburg Manor.

This left the two knights perplexed.

Was this a ploy to win them over? Could a single breakfast be enough to sway two knights?

If so, then knights were not worth much.

At this moment, a beautiful maid politely handed over a hot towel.

"Knight Lloyd, Swordmaster Perez, are you satisfied with the breakfast?" Baron Alonso asked with a smile.

"Of course, thank you for your generous hospitality, Baron," Knight Lloyd nodded.

"It's very satisfying, thank you, Baron."

Just then, the butler Michelle hurriedly approached Alonso and said, "My lord, Baroness Crowley is here, and it seems to be an urgent matter!"

"Hmm? Jennifer?" Alonso was somewhat interested in this young and beautiful baroness who also had a keen business sense.

Usually, she would avoid him at all costs.

But this time, she had taken the initiative to seek him out.

This left Alonso a bit puzzled about her intentions.

Could it be that the two family knights of the Crowley family had finally pushed her to her limits, and now she was seeking his help? If so, it would be good news!

Knight Lloyd stood up, ready to take his leave. "Since you have a guest, Baron, we'll be heading back to Shangjin Town."

"Wait, Knight Lloyd, Swordmaster Perez, please hold on for a moment," Alonso hurriedly called out to the two.

Alonso's eyes flashed, but now was not the time to let them return to Shangjin Town, especially with the Black Flame Cult's blood sacrifice ritual taking place there.

"Michelle, please ask Baroness Crowley to join us in the dining hall," Alonso instructed the butler after some thought.

"Yes, my lord," Michelle replied.

Soon, Baroness Crowley, dressed in elegant attire, entered the dining hall. Her stunning beauty, towering figure, and fair skin immediately captured the attention of the three men.

Although all three were nobles and not lacking in female company, they couldn't help but take a second glance at such a beauty.

Especially for knights, their extraordinary physical prowess often led to heightened hormones, and their desires in this regard far surpassed those of ordinary people.

"Oh! Knight Lloyd, what brings you here?"

Baroness Crowley's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Knight Lloyd. She had met him at several noble banquets in the past and knew that he was in charge of the Habsburg Manor in Shangjin Town.

"Huh? Am I not supposed to be here?" Knight Lloyd was perplexed.

Baroness Crowley's heart skipped a beat when she saw his bewildered expression.

"Don't you know that Shangjin Town has been attacked by heretics?"

"What!" Knight Lloyd's expression changed dramatically, and after a quick glance at Perez, he realized that this wasn't just about breakfast. I've heard some rumors, and it seems they might be true!"

Alonso was taken aback by this revelation.

How could a noble lady, accustomed to a life of luxury, be so well-informed?

However, when he noticed the knights' suspicious gazes directed at him, he inwardly exclaimed, "Oh no!"

Now, he couldn't stop them even if he wanted to.

"Is this true, Baroness Crowley? Are you certain of your information?" Alonso stood up, feigning shock.

"Of course, Jenny is currently in Shangjin Town," Baroness Crowley affirmed.

"Baron, please excuse us," Knight Lloyd said, not waiting for Alonso's response and turning to leave.

This was somewhat impolite among nobles.

The expressions on the knights' faces as they looked at Alonso were clearly suspicious.

Baroness Crowley, with her keen observation skills, noticed the subtle expressions on their faces and began to ponder their true intentions.

"Wait, Knight Lloyd, I'll be joining you. After all, Jenny is in Shangjin Town, and I'm concerned for her safety."

"That's not human at all!" exclaimed Baroness Crowley, as she witnessed Rain's sudden transformation from a weary and feeble state into a vigorous and agile fighter.

—

In the courtyard of the church in the town of Shining Gold, Metri, despite his haste, did not foolishly engage in close combat with Rain. Instead, he opted for a long-range attack to deal with the seemingly exhausted Rain.

Metri halted about twenty meters away from Rain and cautiously manipulated a black flame fireball, launching it precisely towards Rain.

Rain inwardly lamented, "What a pity."

"Whoosh!" Rain sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the black flame fireball.

In the next instant, Rain dashed towards Metri with remarkable agility and fluidity, showing no signs of fatigue or exhaustion.

Metri's pupils contracted in shock, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible?!"

"How can you not be injured at all?"

"Shouldn't you be utterly exhausted?!"

Metri's mind struggled to comprehend how Rain could have transformed from a weakling to a formidable opponent in the blink of an eye.

Just half a second earlier, Rain's muscles had been trembling, and he had been struggling to stand while leaning on his greatsword. Even the best minstrels or opera actors I've seen couldn't have pulled off such a realistic performance!" Metri thought to himself.

In that brief moment of Metri's distraction, Rain covered the distance between them, closing the gap to less than ten meters.

Metri's expression turned to panic. He quickly retreated while simultaneously summoning more black flame fireballs.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Metri seemed to have some sort of enhancement, as the speed of his black flame fireballs surpassed even those of the previous Black Flame Adepts.

"Limit Break!"

With Rain's Limit Break activated, his strength, body, and agility increased by 35%, and his speed further enhanced.

The incoming black flame fireballs, aimed at Rain's swift movements, missed and struck the ground behind him, exploding and sending up clouds of dust.

The distance between the two rapidly closed.

Rain swiftly dodged two more fireballs with a quick side-step.

Then, with a rare upward slash of his Radiant Greatsword, he severed Metri's right hand, which held a peculiar bone staff.

Immediately after, Rain's Level 6 Grizzly Sword Technique kicked in, and he instinctively took a step to the right, followed by a swift downward slash with his greatsword.

"Ssss!"

Rain's left foot abruptly halted, maintaining a sideways slashing posture as he came to a stop from his high-speed movement.

"Ahhh!"

A shrill scream emanated from behind Rain.

"Thud!"

Rain's wrist trembled slightly, and the crimson hue on his greatsword diminished.

He slowly turned around.

The Black Flame Adept, Metri, had been slashed diagonally from his right shoulder to his left hip by Rain's greatsword. The sound of the heavy object hitting the ground was the sound of Metri's upper body falling to the ground.

The formidable vitality of the Black Flame Adept now became a torment, preventing him from dying swiftly and forcing him to face death slowly.

This fear of death was an innate instinct shared by all living beings, and so Metri continued to scream in agony.

However, Rain paid no heed to Metri's plight. Instead, he walked forward, picked up Metri's severed right hand, and took hold of the peculiar bone staff it had been gripping.

It seemed that this very object had significantly enhanced the Black Flame Adept's long-range fireball attacks.

Rain recalled how this bone staff had played a crucial role in the recent evil ritual. At that moment, a faint scent of blood wafted from the blood-colored crystal atop the staff.

Just as Rain grasped the bone staff, the system notification suddenly sounded.

Rain was taken aback by the notification:

【Ding! Unknown artifact detected. Host is eligible for class change - Black Flame Adept!】

【The prerequisite for promotion to Black Flame Adept is having any Extraordinary Occupation Panel and 12 or more Spirit points. Additionally, you must worship the God of the Hunt or utilize the unknown artifact. Do you wish to change class to Black Flame Adept?】

Huh?

Rain was surprised that his Extraordinary Occupation Panel system allowed him to change class to a Black Flame Adept, which was clearly an evil class.

The enigmatic black flames were undeniably powerful, and the Black Flame Adept seemed like a fusion of a wizard and a knight.

If not for my Extraordinary Trait 'Iron Skin Level 2,' I might have died several times already!" Rain thought to himself.

However, the memory of the 'Serpent Waist' scene sent shivers down his spine. "While enhancing my strength is my desire, I don't want to become a grotesque creature like that."

"Moreover, after the class change, it will undoubtedly overwrite my current Knight (Extraordinary) panel since I already have the maximum of 4/4 panels."

After silently pondering, Rain shook his head and chose 'No.'

At that moment, two knights entered the church and respectfully bowed to Rain, gesturing towards the dismembered body on the ground. "Lord Rain, should we move this outside as well?"

Rain nodded in agreement.

Including the previous corpses, there were now three bodies to be dealt with. Unfortunately, the most powerful one had self-immolated, taking the valuable loot with him.

As Rain exited the church hall, a familiar voice called out from a distance.

"Rain."

"Mother?" Rain instantly recognized the voice and turned in surprise.

There, he saw his mother, Emma, being escorted from a luxurious carriage by Jenny.

"These two are so mismatched!"

Rain didn't understand what was going on either.

"Rain, are you alright?" Mother Emma quickly walked over to inspect Rain's injuries.

"Mother, I'm fine! I have thick skin, don't worry!" Rain patted his chest reassuringly.

With the Extraordinary Trait 'Iron Skin Level 2', he estimated that his defense was not much different from the Iron Mane Bear, although he was most likely not as tough as the Bear King, but he was indeed thick-skinned.

After Mother Emma carefully examined Rain and found that it was only the flames that had caused the charring, and there were no injuries, she couldn't help but sigh in relief, finally putting her mind at ease.

"By the way, Rain, this is Miss Jenny, you know her, right? The one I saw last time, was it also Miss Jenny?" Mother Emma seemed to remember something and looked at Rain with a rather reproachful gaze.

"Yes, Mother, Miss Jenny is my friend," Rain turned to look at Jenny and smiled in agreement.

Rain's affirmation in his eyes made Jenny's heart leap with joy. She knew what she had done before, and it seemed to be even better than expected.

She cleared her throat and said, "Lord Rain, I happened to meet your mother."

Jenny briefly explained the situation. Rain turned to look at Mother Emma, and seeing her nod slightly, he couldn't help but acknowledge the young lady Jenny.

It was rare for someone to think of others' safety in such a dangerous situation.

"Mother, let me send you home first?" Rain thought for a moment and decided to send his mother home to rest.

"Yes, Mrs. Emma, you were startled today. Let's take my carriage and go home to rest for a while," Jenny immediately agreed.

"Okay, Rain, I'll go home with you first, and I'll come back later."

Before Rain left, he waved at the short Mateo and said, "Mateo, I'll leave this to you. I'll send my mother home first, and I'll come back later."

"Yes, sir! Rest assured, Lord Rain! I'll take care of it here," Mateo assured him, patting his chest.

So, Rain and Mother Emma got into Jenny's carriage and headed towards home.

On the way, Rain realized that Jenny had come to find him, but because of the attack on Shining Town, they hadn't had a proper chat yet.

"By the way, Miss Jenny, what brings you here this time?"

"Oh, Lord Rain, I almost forgot. Last time you mentioned that you wanted to learn Spirit Script. In addition to the two books from last time, this time, I found a book written in Spirit Script in our family's library, which I think you might be interested in, so I personally delivered it to you."

Jenny handed Rain an old book with slightly damaged covers.

Rain took it and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Although he was just starting to learn Spirit Script (Arcadian), this book...

Lloyd took the lead, followed by Perez, with Alonso and two teams of knights trailing behind, and at the very back were the carriage and guards of Baroness Crowley.

The group moved like a long snake, departing from the County City and rapidly advancing towards Shining Town.

When they were halfway through the journey, they met a Shining Town night watchman who was heading to the County City to deliver a message. So, they hurriedly asked, "How many of them are there? What about Sheriff Hamilton?" Lloyd asked anxiously.

"Sheriff Hamilton left with the church group early in the morning to go to the Night Song Forest."

"What?!" Lloyd and Perez looked at each other, both seeing the same worry in each other's eyes! Shining Town was probably doomed!

Neither Lloyd nor Perez were there!

The entire Shining Town had no Extraordinary power!

Relying on ordinary sheriffs and night watchmen, no matter how brave they were, it would be impossible to resist the cultists with Extraordinary power.

"Who is in charge of defending Shining Town now?"

"It's the newly appointed Deputy Sheriff."

"Rain?" Lloyd and Perez were both taken aback.

Recently, they had heard Sheriff Hamilton mention a young man named Rain, who was said to have great knight talent and had been appointed as the Night Watch Captain.

But when was Rain appointed as the Deputy Sheriff?

However, none of this was important.

What mattered was that Rain alone couldn't possibly withstand the cultists.

Alas! Shining Town was probably going to suffer the same fate as Moen Town!

Lloyd and Perez couldn't help but whip their horses anxiously as they rushed towards Shining Town.

Meanwhile, Alonso, who was beside them, listened to the conversation with a seemingly distressed expression, but his inner thoughts were quite the opposite.

When Lloyd and the others arrived at the outskirts of Shining Town, they saw smoke rising from the center of the town, and they didn't hear any cries for help. Their hearts sank.

"It seems the cultists have already attacked!"

Alonso, seeing the same situation, felt a bit of joy in his heart. It seemed the Black Flame Cult had completed the blood sacrifice quickly.

They should have already evacuated by now.

Calculating the time, it was about right.

As Baron Alonso entered the town, the sound of wailing filled the air, confirming his suspicions. The sight of the town's dire situation made him even more certain of his decision. It seemed all he needed to do was go through the motions.

The only regret was the original plan to have the pirates raid Shangjin Town to cover up the Black Flame Church's blood sacrifice ritual. But now, that wouldn't be appropriate.

It seemed the Black Flame Church's secret would no longer stay hidden.

Baroness Crowley, sitting in the carriage behind, saw the town's terrible state and felt a knot in her heart. "With so many dead, I hope Jenny is safe."

As they neared the church, the sight of emaciated corpses being carried out one by one caused Lloyd and Perez to furrow their brows.

When they reached the church, they saw a group of Night Watchmen and immediately rode forward.

"Who's in charge here?"

"Me!" Mateo, the short man, turned at the sound. "Knight Lloyd, you're finally here!"

Lloyd's expression darkened. "Have the heretics left?"

Mateo shook his head and pointed to a carriage in the church courtyard. "The heretics are there."

"Hmm?"

The group looked over, puzzled.

On the carriage lay what appeared to be corpses, covered in blood and flesh.

"You mean the heretics are dead?" Lloyd asked, surprised.

Mateo nodded. "Yes, all four of them were killed by Lord Rain!"

"Impossible!" Baron Alonso blurted out.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly added, "I mean, didn't they have any Extraordinary Powers?"

"Of course. There were four Extraordinary ones among them."

Baron Alonso breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally understood what the Night Watch Captain meant; the heretics they killed were lying there.

Mateo, finding the group's reaction strange, explained, "The bodies of three of the four Extraordinary heretics are here."

"What? You killed three out of four Extraordinary heretics?" Alonso's eyes widened in disbelief.

At this moment, he thought he was hallucinating!

"How is that possible? How did you defeat them?" Lloyd wasn't doubting Mateo but found the situation hard to believe.

Twenty-odd ordinary Night Watchmen had repelled four Extraordinary heretics and killed three of them.

Even a bard's autobiography wouldn't dare write this!

Perez also stared at Mateo in astonishment.

The beautiful Baroness Crowley, at this moment, lifted the curtain of the carriage and stared at Mateo in disbelief.

From their conversation, she had heard Lord Rain's name.

She knew Lord Rain was powerful, but she couldn't believe he could fight to this extent!

Seeing the attention from these important figures, Mateo felt the pressure.

However, he found these county city dignitaries strange, as if they didn't believe in their strength.

He felt the need to correct their misunderstanding, as it was related to their merit rewards.

Although Lord Rain had the most significant contribution, the Night Watchmen as a whole deserved some credit.

"Sir, it's not three, but four Extraordinary heretics that were killed!"

"Look! The fourth one is over there, turned into ashes!"

Mateo pointed to a pile of black ash in the church courtyard.

Everyone, including Lloyd and Perez, stared at the black ash in disbelief.

The atmosphere became silent.

---

In a valley east of Shangjin Town, seventy to eighty men armed with various weapons were gathering. Among them was a one-eyed man carrying an oversized bow, Phil Kratz, the vice-captain of the Black Sail Pirates. A seasoned Knight, he was an exceptional archer among pirates, earning him the nickname 'Bloody Archer'.

Pacing back and forth, he looked perplexed. This wasn't according to the plan with the Black Flame Church!

Earlier, they had agreed that around ten o'clock, upon seeing the signal flare, they would raid Shangjin Town. The Black Flame Church even paid them a substantial sum for this.

But it was almost half-past ten, and there was no signal flare in the sky above Shangjin Town.

Instead, they saw several plumes of black smoke, probably from some households preparing an early lunch.

Damn it, the brothers were starving!

Additionally, he had promised Baron Norman to take care of a young man with Quasi-Knight potential, said to be a talented Night Watchman in Shangjin Town.

Of course, this was just a side task!

The main issue was the lack of a signal, which was becoming problematic.

Should they retreat or attack?

"Damn it, what are those sneaky heretics up to?"

"We've been waiting for ages!"

A pirate spat out the grass in his mouth, impatiently complaining.

"Boss, why wait for their signal? Can't we just go in?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Do we, Black Sail Pirates, need to follow those heretics' orders?"

One pirate's question ignited the temperamental pirates.

They had rushed from the coast in the middle of the night, skipping breakfast, hoping for a big score.

But now, there was no news from those heretics.

Were they planning to go solo?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end