Chapter 311: Commendation and Reunion

Chapter 311: Commendation and Reunion



Soon, Lady Olenna brought Rain to the top floor of the Administrative Hall, to Admiral Edward’s office.

"Viscount Rain, it’s good to see you again!" Duke of Minster greeted Rain with a smile as he entered.

"Your Grace, Admiral Edward, good morning to both of you," Rain bowed slightly and smiled.

After some pleasantries, Duke of Minster got straight to the point, saying, "Viscount Rain, to commend your outstanding contribution in handling the Black Flame Cult attack, I, on behalf of the Minster Administrative Hall, have decided to award you the Minster Province Medal for Outstanding Contribution."

"Furthermore, considering that you are new to Minster, you might need a residence befitting your status. I believe a former earl’s mansion in the Nobility District would be suitable for you." Duke of Minster paused here.

He then opened a well-crafted dark brown wooden box on the coffee table and took out a golden medal with a purple jasmine design.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Grace," Rain expressed his gratitude and leaned forward slightly to let Duke of Minster pin the medal on his chest.

He naturally knew that the medal’s symbolic significance outweighed its practical value.

The real reward was the mansion.

"Secondly, after discussing with Admiral Edward, we both agree that your achievements have met the criteria for an earldom. Therefore, we will soon write a joint recommendation to the higher-ups, recommending you for an earldom."

"However, since the Emperor is gravely injured, any elevation to an earldom or higher requires the Emperor’s approval, so this matter might take quite some time."

"Thank you very much for your recognition, Your Excellencies," Rain stood up and expressed his gratitude to both of them again.

The first reward was quite significant for Rain.

One must understand that the current situation in Minster Province is quite volatile, with many noble families from various county towns relocating to the relatively safer provincial capital.

This has caused the housing prices in Minster to rise continuously.

Forget the Nobility District; even in the Upper City, a decent mansion is hard to come by.

Now, Duke of Minster has directly allocated a former earl’s mansion to him, solving his immediate need. Moreover, the location is in the Nobility District, which is arguably the best area in Minster in terms of environment and security.

One of the reasons Rain has been staying at the Swordbearer Division is that the division-provided Diamond Rank Swordsman Captain’s suite includes a training room.

As for his current mansion near the division, it doesn’t even have a training room, and there are only five bedrooms, which is barely enough for his family.

Regarding the second reward, the application for an earldom, Rain is not particularly anxious about it.

Given the current situation, even if he were to be granted an earldom and have his own hereditary territory, the defensive pressure would be immense.

This can be seen by looking at the situation of Clara, who is in the Habsburg family.

At this moment, Duke of Minster stayed for a while longer before leaving.

Being responsible for all of Minster’s administrative affairs, he is quite busy.

Rain noticed that during the short time he was there, his bodyguard was called three times with urgent messages from different county towns.

At this point, only Admiral Edward and Rain remained in the office.

Admiral Edward then said apologetically, "Rain, regarding the request to the headquarters to have an Imperial Guardian help remove your mark, we have received a response."

"Due to the recent battle in the Imperial Capital, many Imperial Guardians were injured, and others are on urgent missions and not in the capital."

"So, your matter might be delayed a bit longer."

Admiral Edward then took out a gray wooden box from the drawer and continued, "Of course, don’t worry too much. This is an Advanced Purification Potion from headquarters. It won’t completely remove the mark, but it can suppress its influence on you for at least three months."

"Thank you, Admiral Edward." Rain bowed slightly and took the wooden box.

He had expected this outcome to some extent during the emergency meeting a few days ago.

Given the current state of the empire, every Imperial Guardian is likely to be quite busy.

In terms of priority, removing his mark would naturally be at the back of the line.

Of course, Rain’s confidence in facing this situation lies in the fact that he has already comprehensively suppressed the Black Flame Mark.

Moreover, through his struggle against the mark, he has benefited by rapidly enhancing his Will attribute.

Rain has a premonition.

He might be able to completely erase the Black Flame Mark once his Will attribute reaches ten points.

Of course, he plans to keep this to himself and not report it to Admiral Edward.

After all, it’s a situation that’s hard to explain.

If someone is known to have many secrets, the likelihood of others wanting to probe increases.

Rain does not intend to test human nature.

Admiral Edward, after saying this, had been discreetly observing Rain’s expression. Seeing Rain’s calm demeanor, he appreciated him even more.

He genuinely likes this young, humble, and powerful subordinate.

(The chapter ends here)

"Rain, rest assured, I've written to Archbishop Osborne of the Imperial Capital's Church of the Goddess regarding your situation. He's an old friend of mine, and I'm certain he'll have a solution, no matter how dire the circumstances."

"By the way, how is your body holding up after the last battle?"

"There aren't any major issues, Admiral. Is there a particularly challenging mission coming up?" Rain was grateful to Admiral Edward.

"Not at the moment, but I have a bad feeling about this. Perhaps you'll be assigned a task soon." Admiral Edward furrowed his brows.

"During the last emergency meeting, I mentioned the headquarters' requirements: first, to investigate and protect all Sealed Gateways within the province, and second, to eradicate the cult."

"With our limited manpower, we can't handle both tasks separately. After discussions, we decided on a preliminary plan to combine the two tasks and assign them based on divided zones."

"Given the limited number of Diamond Rank Swordsmen, the plan is to assign one Diamond Rank team for every two county towns, along with two to three Gold Rank teams and multiple Silver Rank teams to handle these tasks."

"The regular search and combat missions within the assigned zones will be handled by these Silver and Gold Rank teams. If they are unable to manage, that's when you'll step in."

"Regarding the choice of counties, Rain, do you have any preferences?" Admiral Edward asked.

Rain knew that Admiral Edward was offering him a favor, as he was well aware that Rain was from Mayst.

Rain thought for a moment and decided not to decline.

After all, Claire was still there, and Vinica was in Fishing Harbor Town.

"Admiral, how about Mayst and Rosby County?" Rain smiled and suggested.

"Of course, but right now, the Sea Tribe is putting immense pressure on that area. Although the Imperial Navy is dealing with the main battlefield, unexpected situations may still arise."

Admiral Edward reminded him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Admiral. I'll keep that in mind." Rain nodded.

Back at his residence, Rain continued to practice with Vieri and Angus, using daggers.

In the center of the training room, Rain instantly manifested two different phantom forms, one leaping down for a stab and the other turning for a left-sided strike. These two states simultaneously attacked Vieri.

Although these phantoms were merely illusions that would soon disappear, unlike the Spell 'Phantom Technique' which was a form of energy manifestation, they could still serve to confuse enemies in battle.

In battles between experts, a moment of distraction could decide the outcome.

The phantoms before them caused Vieri to momentarily hesitate, and Rain's dagger grazed the hair at the tip of his left ear.

Instantly, a small clump of hair was severed!

Angus, standing beside Rain, also had his forehead hair brushed by Rain's other dagger.

Both Vieri and Angus were defeated.

"Captain, was that just now an... Secret Technique?" Angus asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

For the past few days, Rain had been practicing daggers with them.

At first, they thought their captain had a sudden urge to practice with daggers.

But after two days, as their sparring partners, they knew all too well how exaggerated their captain's progress was.

From initially sparring one-on-one to later taking on two opponents!

This was no sudden urge!

In just a few days, Rain had achieved what would take others years of effort!

Rain nodded, "I had a sudden epiphany, and this is the Secret Technique of Brakar's Assassination Dance Step—Shadow Step."

As he spoke, Rain glanced at the system prompt:

【Congratulations, you have grasped the Secret Technique of Brakar's Assassination Dance Step: Shadow Step.】

"Shadow Step! Another Secret Technique completed!"

"Now, I only need to master two more Secret Techniques in different weapon categories to meet the requirements for class advancement."

At the same time, on the Weapons Master (Legendary) panel, Rain noticed a new icon above 'Brakar's Assassination Dance Step'.

The icon depicted three slender men in different attacking postures, each holding a dagger.

Upon closer inspection, the side figures appeared slightly blurred, as if they were phantoms, while the central attacker was the real person.

In the lower left corner, the description of the Secret Technique read:

Shadow Step (Basic Secret Technique): Use a special step that combines Primal Force with leg strength to create two additional phantoms within a three-meter radius, confusing the enemy.

(To upgrade Shadow Step to Intermediate Secret Technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Brakar's Assassination Dance Step level 14 or higher (Specialization can substitute for levels). 2. Dragon Breath Technique level 12 or more. 3. Strength 30 points, Agility 38 points, and Constitution 34 points or higher. 4. Consumes 1 Golden Skill Point.)

At that moment, Vieri and the others nearby opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

In the past few days, they had been astonished by their captain's abnormal learning ability.

Even Scroll Master Neor was speechless at Rain's talent.

With such an extraordinary Knight talent, was there a need to also study Wizardry?

Rain, on the other hand, was considering a different issue.

'Brakar's Assassination Dance Step' was an extraordinary combat skill, and its name hinted at its unique nature. It differed from other dagger-based skills in its philosophy.

The founder of this extraordinary skill, Brakar, believed that the most important aspect of an assassin with a dagger was swift attack speed and agile movement.

Thus, he created this skill to focus on enhancing and improving movement speed, while also generating illusions to confuse enemies through rapid and special steps.

After comprehending the secret technique 'Shadow Step', Rain's weakness in mobility was somewhat compensated for.

Although his plate armor allowed him to accelerate in a straight line without fear of any opponent, his agility in movement was somewhat lacking.

But now, things were different.

"Should I upgrade Shadow Step to an intermediate secret technique?"

Rain glanced at the remaining sixteen Golden Skill Points on his attribute panel and decided to upgrade 'Shadow Step' to an intermediate secret technique.

After spending two Golden Skill Points to upgrade Brakar's Assassination Dance Step and another point to break through, the system notification sounded again:

[Congratulations, you have comprehended the intermediate secret technique of Brakar's Assassination Dance Step: Shadow Step!]



At the same time, the Weapons Master (Legendary) panel showed some changes to the icon of Shadow Step, the extraordinary technique of Brakar's Assassination Dance Step.

In the icon, the male figure holding a dagger became five people.

In other words, the number of phantoms increased from two to four, in addition to the real person.

Indeed, Rain confirmed this in the textual description of the extraordinary technique:

Shadow Step (Intermediate Secret Technique) Effect: Use a special step that combines Primal Force and leg strength, leaving four additional phantoms within a five-meter radius around yourself to confuse enemies.

(To upgrade Shadow Step to an advanced secret technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Brakar's Assassination Dance Step lv16 or higher (specialization can offset some level requirements); 2. Dragon Breath Technique lv14 or higher; 3. Strength 35 points, Agility 42 points, Constitution 38 points or higher; 4. Consume 2 Golden Skill Points.)



"The range has increased, and the number of phantoms has also increased."

"This secret technique is very practical!" Rain was delighted.

At the same time, in Mayorst City.

Anna, who had never been to such a prosperous city, was filled with curiosity, looking around as she walked along the main street of Mayorst City, Levensworth.

Along the way, various shops and the gradually ascending cityscape, with the vast landscape of the Dorn Plains in the distance, amazed Anna.

After walking for a while, Anna arrived at the Mayorst Trade District.

The surrounding shops and stalls, as well as the bustling pedestrians, left her a little overwhelmed.

But soon, Anna froze, staring at a tall building with an elaborately decorated exterior not far away, lost in thought.

On the large sign above, 'Axson Auction House' was written.

"Is this Axson Auction House?" Anna muttered to herself.

"Mother's missing clue"

For a moment, the six characters 'Axson Auction House' seemed like a black hole, drawing Anna in unconsciously.

At this time, among the people entering and exiting the auction house, there was a middle-aged man in a black wizard's robe, accompanied by several well-equipped individuals.

They chatted casually:

"I heard that Lord Oren had to give up and sell his shares in the Axson Auction House branch in Rosby County."

"Yes, I heard that too. It's said that the Blood Crown Mercenary Group was completely wiped out."

"That powerful? Scorpion Woman and Iron Man are not easy to deal with! Especially the leader of the Blood Crown Group, Asimov, is almost as strong as the boss. How did they all escape?"

"Yes, this time the beautiful woman is their representative."

"Is that beautiful woman the new shareholder? She's indeed quite a catch. Boss, should we go and find out more about them?"

"Don't cause trouble! We're leaving for Nom Province tomorrow." The middle-aged man in the black robe spoke in a low voice.

However, as the man passed by Anna, he paused and sniffed.

"Hmm? This scent..." His eyes lit up, as if he had discovered something.

Immediately after, he turned to look at the slender girl he had just brushed past, sensing her carefully.

"No mistake, it's the scent of plant essence. This girl..." The man's eyes widened in surprise, and he fell into deep thought.

Then, he stared at Anna's slender figure, revealing a meaningful smile.

"What good luck, to come to Mayorst for a meeting and encounter an Elven maiden. If I offer her to Duke Dramm, I'll surely get many good things in return."

"The middle-aged man, Sam Agil, was originally one of the many Slave Catcher Squad leaders under the main branch of Axson Auction House.

Due to his outstanding performance, he caught the attention of Duke Dramm, one of the shareholders of Axson Auction House. He became the Duke's agent, responsible for the affairs of the Axson branches in multiple provinces of the Empire.

This time, he came to Minster because of the shareholder change meeting at the Minster branch.

'Dixon, follow that person and see where they live. Perhaps, we'll take action tonight,' Sam said, pointing at Anna.

'Yes, boss,' Dixon, a lean man in leather armor, replied excitedly.

With many customers coming and going, and Anna immersed in her observations, she didn't realize she was being watched. After lingering outside the auction house for a while, she headed towards the Administrative District.

The servants at the Mayorst City residence of the Rain family told her to go to the Swordbearer Division in Minster to look for Rain.

Dixon tailed her all the way to the entrance of the Swordbearer Division in Minster.

'Hmm? Does she have a connection with the Swordbearers?' Dixon frowned, watching from a distance.

'This might be a bit troublesome.'

But soon, his frown relaxed, and he thought to himself, 'As long as it's not those few Diamond Rank Swordmaster Captains, with the boss here, we should be able to handle it.'

'No rush, I'll just observe for now.'

Soon, a tall young man emerged, walking swiftly with several others of similar age by his side.

These were Rain, Neor, and Vieri, among others.

Seeing this group, Dixon's heart relaxed.

Previously, he had heard that the Blood Top Mercenary Group was annihilated in Minster, and the culprit was a Diamond Rank Captain from the Swordbearer Division in Minster.

But the young people before him didn't seem to fit the profile of a Diamond Rank Squad at all.

In his impression, even if it wasn't a Diamond Rank Squad, a Gold Rank Squad would have members with rugged beards or stern faces, and the women would be mature and alluring, as they were at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Unlike the group before him, some of whom might not even be twenty years old.

The one carrying a shield seemed slightly older, but he was probably not much older than that.

Just a bunch of rookies.

At most, they were Silver Rank Squad members, and they might even be newcomers!

Dixon smiled, quickly jotting down the situation on a small piece of paper. He then released a small, swift swallow from his pocket.

As the swallow flew away, Dixon hummed a tune, following Rain and the others as they walked.

When Rain saw Anna, he was overjoyed. As soon as he heard the guard's report that 'a girl named Anna was waiting outside,' he rushed over immediately.

When his teammates saw the excitement and joy on their captain's face, they curiously followed him.

After seeing Anna, they all began to examine her.

'Anna, it's been a while. This time, don't leave without saying goodbye.' Rain originally wanted to reach out, but thinking of Anna's shy personality and the onlooking teammates, he lowered his hand.

'It's been a while, Rain! Wow~ Rain, you've grown so much! Last time, I was with Aunt Delana, so it was a bit awkward.' Anna's eyes lit up at the sight of Rain, gesturing to indicate their height difference, and exclaimed.

'You've changed a lot, too. By the way, Anna, did you come with your aunt this time?' Rain smiled, examining Anna, and realized she had changed significantly.

From her previous well-nourished and well-developed appearance, she now looked even more mature and voluptuous.

'Um, actually, I sneaked out secretly,' Anna said shyly, lowering her head.

Hearing this, the boys behind Rain exchanged glances.

Wow! Their captain sure knows how to charm girls! He made this young lady come all the way here by herself.

A Casanova!

Although the girl before them had a good figure and a neighborly quality, she just wasn't pretty enough, and seemed a bit of a mismatch for the captain.

Vieri examined the girl, then looked at the red-haired beauty Evelyn beside him, naturally preferring the more attractive Evelyn.

Rain led the way, accompanying Anna towards his residence.

Anna wanted to see Mint.

After walking a short distance, Rain suddenly stopped and said, 'You guys, there's someone behind us. Be careful.'

As soon as he finished speaking!

Rain left a shadow in his original spot and, with lightning speed, 'Whoosh,' appeared in front of Dixon.

It was the newly mastered 'Shadow Step'!

Dixon had been following Rain and the others, assuming they were Swordbearer newcomers, so he wasn't too far behind.

Suddenly, he felt a flash before his eyes, and a tall figure appeared abruptly in front of him, like a wall blocking his path.

He froze, his heart clenching in fear as he recognized Rain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end