Chapter 169: The Invitation

Chapter 169: The Invitation



Rayne accepted the invitation, and a vague suspicion began to form in his mind.

The invitation was printed on a unique pale green paper, but what truly astonished Rayne were the five majestic dragons soaring through the sky on its surface.

He opened the invitation and read the words inside:

"You are hereby invited, Rayne Kalan, to participate in the 'Swordbearer' selection three months from now in the Imperial Province of Minster."

Upon closer inspection, he noticed a small line of text in the bottom right corner, specifying the time and location of the selection: the last day of the Month of Vigor, in Minster, at No. 1 Avenue.

It was indeed an invitation to become a Swordbearer!

However, it was quite different from what Rayne had initially expected.

He had always assumed that the invitation would grant him direct membership in the Imperial Swordbearers, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

The true meaning of the invitation was to offer someone the qualification to participate in the selection process.

It was similar to how, in his previous life, a film crew might be invited to a film festival, but winning an award was not guaranteed; the underlying message was, 'Your crew's film is impressive, and we on the jury have taken notice. You might win an award!'

Likewise, the Swordbearer's invitation conveyed the same message: 'Rayne, your performance is impressive, and we have taken notice. You might succeed!'

Nevertheless, Rayne believed that with this opportunity, he could seize his chance.

From another perspective, most people would never have such an opportunity in their lifetime, nor would they ever come into contact with a Swordbearer's invitation.

Although there would be a selection process, this was undoubtedly good news.

With two consecutive pieces of good news, Rayne couldn't contain his excitement.

At that moment, Theo Viscount, standing nearby, noticed that Rayne had finished reading the invitation and smiled, offering a gentle reminder:

"Not every new knight who receives an excellent evaluation will get an invitation to become a Swordbearer. Only a select few among those with excellent evaluations will receive an invitation."

"By the way, Rayne, you should probably start thinking about designing a noble emblem to represent your barony."

"A noble emblem?" Rayne snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

He remembered that the Crowley family's carriage, which had come to pick him up multiple times, bore their family emblem: a kite-shaped shield with a rose-like flower on it.

However, according to Jenny's explanation, the design of noble emblems seemed to follow certain customary rules.

These rules had gradually become a consensus among the nobility over the years since the establishment of the Dragon Empire.

For instance, patterns like lions and crowns were typically reserved for ducal or marquis families, and families of lower ranks would rarely incorporate them into their emblems.

Similarly, a shield in an emblem might indicate that the family was renowned for their shield-related combat skills, or it could represent sword and shield, hammer and shield, or other combinations.

But if a family was not skilled in shield-related combat, using a shield in their emblem would make them a laughingstock among the other nobles.

Rayne realized that he would need to consult with either Baroness Crowley or Jenny about this matter when he returned.

"Yes, of course. You have plenty of time, Rayne. Just let us know once you've decided, and we'll submit it."

"There's also an annual ceremony on the last Sunday of the Month of Greenery, where all new barons and viscounts in the province of Minster must travel to the provincial capital, Minster, to receive their official titles from the Duke of Minster."

"Of course, this is merely a ceremony. As of now, you are already a baron and entitled to all the privileges that come with the title."

"The Duke of Minster is merely representing His Majesty the Emperor in bestowing these titles upon you. It is a pledge of loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire."

Theo provided a detailed explanation, knowing from Rayne's background that he was of commoner descent.

Rayne nodded, indicating his understanding.

The Month of Greenery?

The invitation mentioned the Month of Vigor, which, according to the calendar in his previous life, corresponded to March, while the Month of Greenery represented April.

It seemed that in three months, he would have to make a trip to Minster.

"Additionally, after becoming a baron, you will enjoy a series of noble privileges, such as the right to participate in political affairs, immunity, and more. You can take your time to familiarize yourself with these rights when you return."

As Theo spoke, he handed Rayne a small booklet.

"Rayne, I look forward to your future achievements. If all goes well, we might meet again in Minster." Theo Viscount smiled and left the room.

The two guards at the door followed, and the group departed from the Navy Home Inn.

For Rayne, this trip for the enlistment examination had concluded almost perfectly.

He hadn't expected that within just three days, he would receive the examination results and an invitation to become a Swordbearer.

The Empire's efficiency had taken him by surprise, and he decided to pack his bags and return home early to share the good news with his parents and his sister, Mint.

However, as Rayne descended the stairs, he was surprised to see a captivating figure waiting for him on the first floor of the Navy Home Inn.

Major Marika smiled warmly at Rayne, who was carrying his luggage, and took a few steps forward, asking, "Rayne, Knight, no, Baron Rayne, are you preparing to return home?"

"Major Marika, please continue to call me Rayne," Rayne replied, sensing no ill intent in her words.

"Baron Rayne, have you considered joining the Navy?"

"With the abilities you've demonstrated during the enlistment examination, you will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the Navy. We need talented young people like you."

"Rayne's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. He hadn't expected Lieutenant Commander Marika to directly recruit him into the Imperial Navy.

To be honest, if he hadn't received the Swordbearer's invitation, he would have seriously considered her suggestion.

After all, in terms of opportunities and the scale of the organization, the Imperial Navy, no, just the South Sea Fleet alone, far surpassed Master County.

The chances for promotion and the potential to come into contact with various magics were naturally far greater than in the remote Master County.

However, at this moment, this recruitment held little appeal for Rayne.

On the contrary, the process would involve many trivial matters that would consume a significant amount of his energy.

Currently, Rayne planned to settle his family affairs and then find time to travel to the Golden Coast to seek out Master Gunther for further improvement of his strength.

This was the most efficient and risk-free choice for enhancing his abilities.

Of course, handling mysterious events had brought Rayne substantial rewards, but the risks involved couldn't be entirely ignored.

"Thank you for the invitation, Lieutenant Marika. I've longed to join the Imperial Navy, but unfortunately, I've already received an invitation from the Imperial Special Department, so... I'm truly sorry." Rayne spoke sincerely.

He chose not to mention the Swordbearer to avoid giving Marika a sense of boasting.

"Hmm? So soon?" A hint of surprise flashed across Marika's beautiful face.

How could the Imperial Special Department have contacted Rayne so quickly? Who had the power and efficiency to make this happen?

"Baron Rayne, the Special Department you mentioned, could it be the Imperial Swordbearers?" Marika asked curiously, unable to contain her curiosity.

"Huh? How did you know? Yes, it's the Swordbearers," Rayne nodded.

This time, it was Rayne who was surprised. Viscount Theo would most likely not proactively spread such news, which meant that Marika had guessed it herself.

Lieutenant Commander Marika, on the other hand, had a sudden realization written all over her face.

No wonder when she was chatting with General Silva about 'why Rayne wasn't invited to the South Sea Fleet,' General Silva had jokingly said, 'You might give it a try, but I'm definitely out of the question.'

It seemed that General Silva already knew about Rayne receiving the Imperial Swordbearer's invitation at that time.

As a result, she eagerly took on the role of the 'mediator.'

The 'old fox' was testing to see if he could attract Rayne to stay.

Understanding this made Marika's face flush with embarrassment.

Rayne looked at Marika in front of him, feeling a bit puzzled.

Why was the lieutenant commander blushing? However, her navy uniform and shy expression indeed made for a beautiful sight.

Several men nearby were already staring in awe.

"Well then, Baron Rayne, I wish you fair winds and following seas! Remember to write to me," Marika quickly adjusted her mindset and waved goodbye with a smile, having no hope of Rayne joining the navy.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Marika. I will, and you are always welcome in Master County," Rayne replied with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Marika, Rayne, carrying his luggage, arrived at the stables on the side of the Navy Home Inn. He placed his luggage on the brown horse and mounted the black horse, merging into the flow of people on the street.

However, Rayne didn't head north towards Master County. Instead, he rode west of Rosby City towards the noble mansions.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of a luxurious mansion. The servant at the door immediately opened the gate and greeted him, "Knight Rayne, Miss Evelyn is currently training with her friends in the arena."

This was Evelyn's home.

Since the last time Rayne had met Evelyn at the Nightingale Market, their relationship had quickly become close.

The day before, Rayne had accepted Evelyn's invitation to visit her home. Therefore, the servants at the entrance were familiar with Rayne as Miss Evelyn's new friend.

Initially, Baroness Norman was curious and slightly worried that her daughter had invited a young man she had never met before to their home.

After a brief encounter with Rayne, she realized he was a commoner, which was quite different from Evelyn's status and background.

Even though he was a newly appointed knight.

But when Evelyn said, 'Mother, Rayne is likely to be the top candidate in the Enlistment Examination,'

Baroness Norman immediately stopped objecting and instead strongly supported her daughter's decision, saying that they should show their hospitality as hosts.

This left Evelyn speechless.

Training with friends in the arena?

Rayne didn't think much of it and stopped the servant from leading the horse to the stable. Instead, he followed the servant, riding directly to the arena located next to the mansion's rear garden.

He planned to greet them and then return to Shangjin Town.

In the arena, Evelyn, with her fiery red hair, was sparring with a young man of similar age. Aside from the servants and guards in their uniforms, three men and a woman, dressed in noble hunter's attire or knight armor, were watching from the sidelines.

As Rayne rode his black horse into the arena, he immediately caught the attention of these noble heirs.

Rayne glanced at them and recognized several familiar faces among the crowd from Rosby County who had participated in the examination.

Although Rayne didn't pay much attention to them, these noble heirs were curious about his appearance and took the time to size him up.

However, after just a few glances, they realized that Rayne was not one of them.

The horse bore no additional decorations, appearing overly simplistic.

Rayne was also clad in a set of chrome-iron armor, a rather ordinary set of knight's armor.

As Rayne approached, they could clearly see that the front of the knight's breastplate bore no noble insignia.

Therefore, they could almost certainly conclude that Rayne was not of noble birth but rather a commoner.

"He seems to be one of the newly appointed knights from other counties who participated in the Enlistment Examination. I saw him at the Navy Home Inn." said one of them.

"Yeah, I remember him too. He was hanging out with that commoner knight from Haas."

"How did he end up here?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember too. But on the night of the examination, I don't think I saw him. I went to the 'Ruler' while you went to the 'Hooked', right? Did you see this guy?"

"No!" said a young man named Osby, who had been staring at Rayne's black hair for a few seconds.

"Hehe, so he's one of those who went to the Small Fortress?"

"Then it's unlikely that Evelyn invited him here. He's probably one of her suitors."

"There are people who don't know their limits in every county." said the young man beside him with a snort.

". "

Rayne didn't pay any attention to what the onlookers were saying, glancing at them briefly before looking away.

However, his gaze lingered on Evelyn's opponent, examining him closely.

Male, Peak Knight, wielding a sword and shield, with exquisite combat skills, and quite a formidable strength.

Due to the opponent's strength, Evelyn caught a glimpse of Rayne from the corner of her eye but didn't have the chance to stop and greet him.

The error-free version is available at 69+Book Bar! 6=9+Book Bar's exclusive novel.

The two quickly exchanged glances, a hurried greeting.

"Bang!"

Evelyn's shield clashed with her opponent's, and they both took two steps back, causing the battle to come to a brief halt.

At this moment, Evelyn spoke, "Stop! Salem, let's call it a day here."

"Hmm? Evelyn, we were just getting into the fight, why stop now?" The opponent removed his knight's helmet, revealing a head of golden hair. He was a handsome young man with high cheekbones, around eighteen or nineteen years old.

"A friend of mine has arrived." Evelyn pointed at Rayne, who was mounted on a black horse.

At this moment, the young man named Salem narrowed his eyes and sized up Rayne.

Evelyn's friend seemed unfamiliar to him.

However, from Evelyn's attitude, it seemed like she held this friend in high regard. Could he be a competitor?

Hmm, judging from his attire, he didn't seem to be a noble.

Moreover, he probably wasn't from Rosby City either. If he were, and had reached the level of a formal knight, Salem would have likely encountered him at some point.

At this moment, Evelyn waved at Rayne and looked at the bag behind him, saying, "Rayne, are you planning to return now? Why not stay a few more days?"

Seeing Evelyn approaching, Rayne dismounted from his black horse and smiled, saying, "Yes, Evelyn, I'm planning to head back to Maester County now, so I came to say goodbye."

"Evelyn, is your friend here also participating in the Enlistment Examination?" Salem asked as he approached.

Seeing Salem take the initiative, Evelyn knew that not introducing him would be rude.

"Salem, this is Rayne, from Maester County. I met him during the Enlistment Examination."

"Rayne, this is Salem, the second son of the Zeman family."

"Hello!"

The two nodded at each other, a brief greeting.

At this moment, a few onlookers approached, and one of them said to Rayne, "Sir Rayne, why don't you leave tomorrow? It's rare for us to gather like this, and we can exchange combat techniques."

"This..." Rayne pondered.

The people before him seemed like decent 'experience-grinding' targets, as his Tokkarkar Hammer Technique was already at level 4 (843/1000).

Practicing his hammer technique with these people seemed like a good idea.

Perhaps he could even level up.

"Haha, Osby, don't make things difficult for Rayne."

"Perhaps only I and Salem can spar with Rayne, although we'll likely be no match for him." Evelyn, understanding Osby's intentions, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In Evelyn's impression, Osby wasn't a bad person, and they were old acquaintances. She didn't want him to be embarrassed in public, so she spoke up.

"Hmm?"

Hearing Evelyn's words, the noble heirs present knew that Rayne was no ordinary person.

In an instant, four or five gazes focused on Rayne.

Rayne seemed unaffected by these scrutinizing gazes, maintaining a calm expression.

However, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Alright! Evelyn, you're scaring away my 'experience NPC'. Rayne thought.

"Rayne is likely the top ranker in the Enlistment Examination for the Province of Minster. Do you understand what I mean?" Evelyn explained with a smile.

"What?" Their eyes widened, and their mouths hung open, expressing extreme surprise.

"F-First? That's... too exaggerated, isn't it?" The young man named Osby was stuttering.

Osby's eyes lit up, as if he had an idea, and he asked, "Even if Sir Rayne is strong, the examination results haven't been announced yet, right?"

"That's right, and the results are only categorized as Excellent, Good, and Qualified. Evelyn, how do you know Rayne is the top ranker?"

"Salem also questioned from the side."

"Yeah!"

"Also, Evelyn, you might not know this, but the one I followed, a man from Done County named Bridge Sanchez, was even more formidable!"

"On the way, I saw him kill Captain Bilger Jamal of the Hooked and at least five Bloodsail pirate leaders with my own eyes." Osby stretched out five fingers and gestured as he spoke.

"Sir Rayne, even if you're more formidable, it's unlikely that you'd surpass Bridge Sanchez, right?"

After hearing this, several people nodded in agreement with Osby's analysis.

"Yeah!"

"He killed a Bloodsail pirate captain and five leaders; such a feat is almost impossible to surpass!"

Even Evelyn, who only killed the master-at-arms of the Bloodsail, the flagship of the Bloodsail Pirates, would have a higher value than the master-at-arms of other pirate ships.

But Bridge Sanchez, from Done County, had killed the captain of the Hooked.

The Rayne before them, if he surpassed Bridge Sanchez's achievements, would it mean he had directly eliminated an entire ship of pirates?

That's impossible!

"Huh?" Evelyn was first surprised, then had an enlightened expression.

This made the few nobles beside her even more surprised, their gazes shifting to Evelyn.

To Rayne, it seemed like a 'student eagerly awaiting the teacher's announcement of final exam results.'

This made Rayne, standing beside them, find it a bit amusing.

But at this moment, it was obviously inconvenient for him to say anything, whether it was boasting or self-deprecation, it wasn't in his character.

"Rayne turned the Sunken Ship into a real sunken ship. Didn't you hear that loud explosion?" Evelyn asked in return.

Although this sentence was a bit awkward, for some reason, when Evelyn said it, there was a hint of pride and satisfaction.

Additionally, at this moment, she also felt a bit strange.

Because usually, it was she who was in Rayne's position, being cited by friends, but now the roles were reversed.

If Rayne could understand what Evelyn was thinking at this moment, he would immediately realize it.

It's like a close friend from his previous life winning the school's 100-meter dash, and then when someone asks, "Who's the person beside you?" He would proudly say, "This is the school's 100-meter champion. Don't you know him?"

"Huh?"

"Wasn't it said to be caused by the Imperial Navy's actions?"

"Yeah, the Sunken Ship was blown into two pieces. How could such power be achieved by a newly-enlisted knight?"

Several people immediately started questioning and arguing.

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But I saw it with my own eyes." Evelyn shrugged.

Hearing Evelyn's words, the group fell silent.

Because they knew Evelyn never lied.

So, they once again focused their attention on Rayne.

"Sir Rayne, although I believe what Evelyn said, it makes me even more curious about your strength. Can we have a spar?" Salem, standing beside them, spoke seriously.

He was a newly-enlisted knight from the previous enlistment examination, also receiving an 'Excellent' evaluation.

Although he obtained an 'Excellent' evaluation, he knew that among those with the same rating, the difference between the first and the last could sometimes be significant.

Some people earn an 'Excellent' evaluation by giving their all, while others receive it because they are just below the highest rating, merely 'Excellent.'

The first place often belongs to the latter.

Rayne was first stunned, then delighted.

Indeed, he had just regretted missing out on some experience that would have slipped through his fingers.

But now it seemed that the NPC with the highest 'experience' had returned.

Since Rayne wouldn't actively seek a spar with Evelyn, his female friend, the strongest among the crowd was undoubtedly the count's second son.

"Of course." Rayne nodded in agreement.

To prevent Evelyn's interference, he had already taken steps towards the center of the field.

Evelyn's red lips trembled twice, but seeing Rayne's enthusiastic expression, she wore a worried look.

This made the other female knight beside her feel a bit strange, asking, "Evelyn, didn't you say Sir Rayne was the first? Why are you worried about him?"

"I'm not worried about Rayne, but I'm concerned that Salem might get seriously injured." Evelyn spoke while recalling that night when Rayne's hammer shattered the sturdy Sunken Ship.

That time, she was truly shocked!

The others looked at each other in surprise.

Impossible!

Salem wasn't an ordinary person; he was also an excellent knight from the previous enlistment examination. Even compared to Evelyn, they were on par.

Even if he might not be Rayne's match, the gap in strength shouldn't be that significant.

At this moment, Rayne and Salem had reached the center of the training ground and stood still.

Rayne took the Pig-headed Hammer 'Unbreakable Force' from his back and held it in his hand, his gaze fixed on Salem, whose heart skipped a beat under Rayne's intense stare.

Salem had a strange feeling, as if Rayne was looking at him as if he were an... item? But it didn't feel like he was looking at a living person.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end