Chapter 273: Proof

Chapter 273: Proof



Upon hearing the messenger's words, Rain couldn't help but feel curious and looked up at him.

As if organizing his thoughts, the messenger said, "Rain, due to confidentiality, I only know that there are Swordbearer squads from other provinces coming this time."

Hmm?

Other provinces' Swordbearer squads?

"Additionally, Lady Olenna and Lord Umaz have coordinated with other special departments."

Rain nodded and said, "So they're all reinforcements?"

"Well, I'm not too clear about that. Lady Olenna will personally come tomorrow to coordinate this operation. You can ask her when she arrives."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, Lady Olenna should arrive here before tomorrow afternoon." The messenger replied.

"Since that's the case, I don't have any issues. Let's wait for Lady Olenna to arrive tomorrow, and we can discuss the specifics then." Rain said.

"Okay, Rain. By the way, Lady Olenna asked me to inquire if you have any other requests?"

Rain furrowed his brows in thought.

"Help me get ten bars of Tempered Steel."

"Tempered Steel bars? Okay, I'll get them for you." The messenger nodded, a bit puzzled.

The next day, Olenna, the efficient matron and Vice-Minister of the Swordsman Division's Task Hall, arrived in Meyster just after noon.

In the Count's reception room.

Upon meeting, the efficient matron smiled and said, "Congratulations, Lord Rain!"

"Hmm? Congratulations for what?" Rain looked puzzled.

Was Olenna congratulating him for the two Golden Rank tasks he had completed in Wales County?

"Hehe, Lord Rain, you don't know yet?"

"That's right, you weren't in Minster before. The division found that your merits were sufficient, so they helped you apply for the title of Viscount. The approval came down from above just yesterday. Congratulations, Viscount Rain!"

"Thank you!" Rain's expression showed realization, as he was aware of this matter but didn't expect it to be so quick.

Apparently, the envoy Javier, father of Alyosha, had played a role in expediting the process.

Indeed, 'It's easier to get things done when you have connections in high places,' even in a different world.

"Knock knock knock!"

At that moment, a male servant announced, "Lord Rain, there's a carriage outside. They say they're from Nom Province."

"Looks like they've arrived. I'll go and greet them. Would you like to come along, Lord Rain?" Olenna smiled and stood up.

"Sure." Rain had just finished speaking when he realized he hadn't had a chance to ask about the other province's Swordbearer squad, which piqued his curiosity.

The two of them arrived at the entrance, and at which point three people emerged from the luxurious carriage, seemingly having spotted Olenna and Rain.

All three were men. A tall, skinny young man in leather armor got off and looked around, then smiled at Rain and Olenna.

The second person to get off was a young man in a robe, holding a book in his hand, which he nodded at the two of them and then refocused his attention on the book.

The last one to get off was a middle-aged man, wearing a knight's longsword at his waist and clad in knight armor, with a stoic expression. Based on his aura, he seemed to be a High Knight, likely the leader of this squad.

"This must be Captain Roland. I'm Olenna, Vice-Minister of the Minster Swordsman Division's Task Hall. Nice to meet you." Olenna took the initiative and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello." The robust middle-aged man named Roland nodded at Olenna and then looked at Rain.

Roland seemed to take in Rain's appearance but quickly averted his gaze, scanning the surroundings with a slightly disappointed expression.

"Captain Roland, this is Viscount Rain..." Olenna introduced.

Roland waved his hand dismissively and said, "Let's head to the conference room. It's too noisy here."

"Okay, Captain Roland. Let's go to the conference room." Olenna glanced at Rain and noticed there wasn't any anger on his face, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, young people tend to be more hot-headed! This Captain Roland is quite something. Olenna thought to herself.

Rain nodded but didn't go out of his way to engage further with Roland.

At that moment, the young man in leather armor spoke up, "Don't mind him. Our captain is just like that."

"By the way, you look very young, and you're already a viscount? Are you from Habus? The son of Count Habus?"

"No." Rain shook his head, feeling a bit speechless.

The squad from Nom Province had a captain with a stoic demeanor and a talkative team member.

The group walked into the luxurious conference room of the Duke's residence.

On both sides of the walls hung a painting, shields, axes, and other weapons. In the corners stood four fully-armored knight dummies, their silver armor polished to a brilliant shine.

Looking around, a burly man named Roland spoke up with a hint of displeasure, "Lady Olenna, where is your division's squad? Haven't they arrived yet?"

"Let me introduce you to Viscount Rain, who represents our division's squad," Olenna quickly replied.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered a question.

Although Rain was the squad leader, his other two teammates weren't present, and Rain had come alone to carry out Myister's task, which she had approved herself.

However, the current issue was that this would give the wrong impression to the Nom Province's Swordbearer squad.

Olenna's words clearly startled several people.

"Aside from this young man, where are the others? For example, where is the squad leader?" Roland glanced at Rain and then turned to ask Olenna.

"This..." Olenna's face turned slightly embarrassed as she thought, 'As expected.'

"I am the squad leader, and currently, our squad only has me available for this task," Rain explained.

"Hmm?" Roland and the other two men all turned their attention to Rain.

"Lady Olenna, your division seems to be taking this task too lightly, sending just one person as a squad," Roland said in a low voice, his face showing displeasure.

"Originally, the task was within your province, and you should have taken the lead. But now it seems like a very dangerous matter."

Task leadership?

Rain didn't mind this, but the other party seemed to be going a bit too far.

At this moment, the butler came to report again, "My lord, at the door..."

"No need to report, hey~ Viscount Rain, we meet again!" A voice that Rain was somewhat familiar with suddenly sounded at the door.

Immediately, a female Grand Knight wearing a half-body armor, her wasp waist still visible, entered with a smile.

"Aleksandra?" Rain was quite surprised.

The day before, he had heard from a messenger that other special departments might also send someone, but he didn't expect it to be an 'old acquaintance', Aleksandra.

"Yes, Viscount Rain, didn't you know that this time it's our Fang Bear Squad coming over?" Aleksandra brought a fragrant breeze as she sat down next to Rain, chatting as if no one else was around.

Although not every member of the Fang Bear Squad was among those Rain had saved that time, they naturally all knew Rain, and they smiled and greeted Rain before sitting down as well.

Beautiful women tend to attract attention wherever they go, and the three Swordbearers from Nom Province looked at each other, all of them wondering why this Fang Bear Squad of the Earthshaker was treating this young man with such familiarity.

"Well, Lady Olenna, since everyone is here, shouldn't we discuss the task?"

"Of course, Captain Roland, please go ahead."

"First, let me introduce the situation on the Serpent Sect's side. This time, the Serpent Sect has sent two people, one is the High Priest Canon, and the other is the High Priest Holand, both of whom are Sorcerers. However, we have almost no information on Canon."

"But this Holand is a Sorcerer who has merged with the essence of the Shadow Serpent and can use the innate sorcery of the Shadow Serpent, making him very tricky."

Hmm?

A High Priest and a High Priestess?

Rain's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

A High Priestess represented a leader within a province, and even if she wasn't a leader of the entire province, she was certainly one of the top few within that province.

"As for their purpose, do we know it now?" Olenna asked the question Rain had been thinking about.

"It's still unclear at the moment, but it seems there's something the Serpent Sect values highly in Myister, so these two people came here," Roland replied with a slight shake of his head.

After Roland's introduction, Olenna began to introduce the situation:

"Everyone, let me introduce the situation of the Blackflame Cult in Myister County. According to the latest intelligence, the Blackflame Cult in Myister County is roughly divided into two groups."

"One group is led by a man nicknamed 'Bloodburner' Laksoor, and it's this group that has caused multiple tragedies in Myister, conducting various blood sacrifices and prayer rituals."

"The other group's movements are more secretive, led by a man named Freeman. They seem to be searching for something in Myister as well, but we can't discern what they're looking for."

"According to our analysis, 'Bloodburner' Laksoor is in the open, and everything he's doing seems to be a distraction to draw our attention."

"As for Freeman, he's in the shadows, and currently, we can't discern what they're searching for."

"However, we've basically confirmed their area of activity, which means what they're searching for is very likely within this area."

"That's all the intelligence, and the specific actions will require further consideration."

After Olenna's introduction, many people showed thoughtful expressions.

"Since we can confirm their approximate area of activity, my suggestion is to concentrate our elite forces and take out one enemy first, the Blackflame Cult, while the Serpent Sect is still here!"

"I suggest our Blade Squad and the Earthshaker's Fang Bear Squad go directly to Wolf Ridge, and as for Viscount Rain, he can choose to stay here.

Roland glanced at Rain and said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the five members of the Earthshaker Squad raised their heads, staring at the burly man named Roland with astonishment, as if they were looking at a fool.

Aleksandra and one other person had been rescued by Rain from the Bloodfeather War Eagle's den, so they naturally knew how strong this young Lord Rain was.

He was a monster who could save them from the hands of the ‘Tide Piercer’, a knight comparable to a titled knight.

Now, you want to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's lair, but you want to leave such a powerful expert at home?

Is this a joke?

What kind of ridiculous suggestion is this!

Of course, everyone in the Earthshaker Squad could tell that the burly man speaking was very strong and not someone to provoke. However, Aleksandra was not one to indulge the other party and muttered, "What kind of joke is this! Leaving Lord Rain behind? And then let Lord Rain save us again?"

Her voice was just right, so everyone in the meeting room could hear.

At first, Roland felt uncomfortable under the gazes of the members of the Fanged Bear Squad.

Now, hearing the words from the beautiful High Knight, he immediately felt a bit angry and embarrassed.

Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the knight dummy at one corner of the meeting room.

"Swish!"

"Clang!!!"

A silver cross-shaped light flashed, and the knight dummy was instantly sliced into four pieces, falling to the ground.

"At least the Intermediate Technique of swordsmanship,"

"Combined with the strength of a Peak Grand Knight, it is indeed very strong!"

Immediately, the members of the Fanged Bear Squad stopped staring at the other party and started whispering to each other.

"I think my plan should have no problems," said Roland, retracting his knightly longsword and looking around the room with a deep voice.

Rain originally didn't mind who would lead this mission.

But when the leader of the Blade Squad, Roland, made his suggestion, he felt he needed to speak up.

Because Rain knew that the Darkflame Cult was already hard to deal with, and now with the addition of the Serpent Sect, he still needed help.

If these people acted rashly and suffered heavy casualties, it wouldn't be a good thing for him either.

"The strength of this ‘Bloodburner’ Laksor is probably much stronger than an ordinary High Priestess. Add to that an unpredictable Freeman, and I don’t recommend you do this."

"It’s very likely that the surprise attack will fail, and instead, there will be heavy casualties," Rain said.

"How do you know that this Laksor is much stronger than an ordinary High Priestess?" Roland countered.

"Because the Darkflame Cult High Priestess of Waler County I killed a few days ago was once this Laksor's deputy, and she was already hard to deal with. So, I believe this Laksor is very strong,"

Roland was taken aback, looking seriously at Rain, seemingly a bit disbelieving, "Mm? You killed a county's evil cult High Priestess by yourself?"

"How do you prove it?"

"I can vouch for Lord Rain!" Olenna, the strong young woman, straightened her back and said.

Although Olenna said this, the members of the Blade Squad, including Roland, still looked at Rain with suspicion.

This made Rain feel quite displeased.

He was kindly reminding them, and they treated him like he was a fool.

However, although displeased, he still needed to stop them.

Rain glanced at the knight dummy in the corner. He thought that perhaps he should also demonstrate his strength like Roland to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Once a battle occurred, his strength would be exposed sooner or later. It might as well be revealed now.

Thinking this, he saw Rain stand up and walk to another knight dummy in the corner.

Everyone couldn’t help but look at Rain with some curiosity.

Many people secretly guessed, wouldn’t

the next second, Rain suddenly pull out the Skull Warhammer and, under the shocked gazes of everyone, swiftly strike the knight dummy.

"Buzz!!" A piercing oscillating sound came.

Following that, "Crash!" in an instant!

The steel knight dummy directly shattered into small steel pieces the size of fingernails, scattering all over the floor.

"High-grade Technique!" The talkative young man of the Blade Squad stared dumbfounded at the scene.

The young man who had been holding a gilded-cover book also looked up and seriously examined Rain.

Roland, on the other hand, stared at the scene in front of him with wide eyes!

This person, who didn’t look more than twenty, had already mastered a high-grade Technique?

Roland felt as if all the time he had lived had been spent on a dog’s body!

Rain, on the other hand, looked at the pile of small steel pieces and thought to himself, 'I wonder if this knight dummy is an antique. I hope Kraya doesn’t blame me when the time comes.'

"Cough, since Lord Rain doesn’t think it’s appropriate, let’s put it on hold for now," Roland forced a smile onto his face and said.

The meeting soon ended in a friendly atmosphere, and the final consensus was to first investigate the enemy situation.

Everyone left and went to the pre-arranged guest rooms to rest. The number of guest rooms in the Duke's residence was still sufficient.

Aleksandra deliberately walked in front of Rain, swaying her curvaceous hips.

When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned around, saying:

"Sir Rain, I haven't thanked you for the last time. Why don't you come to my room and sit for a while?"

As she spoke, she licked her red lips with her pink tongue.

Rain was taken aback!

Sit for a while?

More like do some things, right!

At that moment, Aleksandra slowly reached out and placed her hand on Rain's broad chest, her beautiful brown eyes gazing at him intently.

This made Rain feel extremely uncomfortable!

"Uh, Aleksandra, what happened last time was just what I should have done."

Suddenly, Rain felt a gaze from the side and looked up.

He saw Shadiya, dressed in a maid's uniform, standing at the end of the corridor. She calmly looked at Rain and Aleksandra, then pursed her lips.

Although she didn't say anything, being seen by Shadiya made Rain feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Cough, Aleksandra, I need to go to the training room to practice my combat skills. We can talk next time."

"Oh? Sir Rain likes the training room? That's no problem." As she spoke, Aleksandra suddenly noticed Rain's unease and followed his gaze.

She saw a woman in her thirties, with a dignified appearance, standing at the end of the corridor.

Aleksandra glanced at Shadiya, then at Rain, and immediately laughed, saying:

"Oh? Sir Rain, so you like this type."

"Someone who looks like a nun on the outside, but is wild in bed. So you like contrasts! I understand now, sister."

Aleksandra didn't deliberately lower her voice, and Shadiya naturally heard everything clearly.

Her originally calm face couldn't hold it anymore, turning bright red as she turned and quickly left.

"Phew! Such a flirtatious wench, I'll have to leave it to Miss to deal with her!" Shadiya said indignantly.

However, for no reason, the image of Rain's young and muscular body floated through the maid's mind that night.

---

In Myester County, southwest of Flashgold Town, at the Eilim Mine.

A group of black-cloaked figures gradually entered the depths of the mine.

Soon, after passing a fork in the mine, several of the black-cloaked figures stopped at a newly excavated area with an amber-colored, semi-transparent wall in front.

A huge creature could be vaguely seen through the amber wall, seemingly sealed inside by some great power. However, over the long years, the energy sealing it had been nearly depleted.

The two members of the Serpent Sect were immediately excited, but the High Priest Canon quickly calmed down and said:

"This is the Earth Serpent, no doubt about it!"

"Sir Laksur, what do you need us to do?"

Laksur looked at the other person approvingly, thinking to himself, indeed, the old man is up to the task.

"Our mission this time is to destroy the Dragon Empire's rule in Myester. Currently, there are two things we need your sect's help with."

"The first thing is a small problem we've encountered. There is a veteran Grand Knight named Rain guarding the Myester Governor, Duke Habsburg, and his heirs. I hope your sect can help us deal with him."

"Hmm?"

"Just a veteran Grand Knight?" The High Priest and Holand exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief.

Such a simple exchange condition?

"Don't underestimate him, Your Excellencies. Although he is just a veteran Grand Knight, he is the captain of a Golden Rank Swordbearer team, and his combat strength is not to be underestimated."

Laksur saw the expressions on their faces, thought for a moment, and decided to tell them all the information he had.

After all, if these two from the Serpent Sect failed, it would be no benefit to his side. Moreover, the Serpent Sect would think he was trying to trick them.

If he explained the situation clearly, and they still failed, he wouldn't have to take the blame.

"Golden Rank Swordbearer?" Canon High Priest continued to smile, nodding and asking: "How strong is he?"

"A veteran Grand Knight, who has mastered intermediate or advanced hammer techniques, with great power. Additionally, he seems to have a talent for physical endurance, allowing him to use his techniques multiple times without tiring."

As he spoke, Laksur handed over the information he had gathered from the two surviving novice cultists to the two.

It wasn't that Laksur was deliberately hiding anything; the matter of the Golem Guardian was a sect secret and couldn't be directly revealed. However, he believed he had explained everything else clearly.

Additionally, at the time, there was a thin mist in the forest, and the two surviving novice cultists were most impressed by Rain repeatedly knocking down the Golem Guardian, but they didn't see clearly the moment when Rain transformed into a shield to block the attack.

"Special talent, and he has mastered intermediate or even advanced techniques?"

"Indeed, it's a bit tricky. I'll leave this matter to you, Holand." The Serpent Sect's Canon High Priest's smile faded as he turned to Holand and said.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end