Chapter 326: The King of a Thousand Blades

Chapter 326: The King of a Thousand Blades



Sam paced back and forth in the reception room, deep in thought. "It seems we need to change our accommodation," he said.

"Garcia, continue to keep an eye on Rain's residence over there," he instructed.

"Yes, Captain. Oh, and there's something else. Rain has moved," Garcia added, remembering something.

"What? Moved?" Sam raised an eyebrow and looked up at Garcia.

"Yes, I went to check personally. The original residence is empty, and he has relocated to a new mansion in the Noble District. It's lavishly decorated, befitting a count," Garcia explained.

Garcia hadn't mentioned this earlier because Rain and the elven girl were both absent, and it was uncertain if the operation would proceed. There was no need to report this.

"That's a bit troublesome. The defense level in the Noble District is even higher than the Administrative District," the bald, burly man said, stroking his chin.

"No problem. Garcia, investigate the patrol frequency and defense strength in the Noble District and calculate the time available for our operation," Sam instructed after a moment's thought.

"Yes, sir," Garcia replied.

"Estevan, you'll be in charge of arranging the evacuation route after the mission. Remember to prepare the decoy personnel and mounts in advance," Sam said.

"Alright, boss," a tall, thin squad member nodded in agreement.

---

Myester.

Habsburg Castle, Training Room on the first floor.

"Evelyn, would you like to practice swordsmanship with me?" Claireya asked with a smile.

Evelyn was taken aback by this.

Did I just save Miss Anna from trouble?

Captain, you owe me a favor!

Evelyn glanced at Rain with her peripheral vision, and he seemed equally surprised. She thought for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Miss Claireya, I heard you're a Great Knight, but I'm a Peak Knight. I hope you'll go easy on me."

"Ahem!" Rain also sensed something amiss and coughed.

Just as he was about to say something, Claireya suddenly smiled and said, "It's just a joke. You're so pretty, Evelyn. If I accidentally hurt you, your captain would be heartbroken."

Claireya teased, her beautiful eyes glancing at Rain.

"If we're sparring, I'd naturally choose your captain, who's as tough as an old boot, for practice," she added.

Hearing this, Rain breathed a sigh of relief.

He instantly understood Claireya's intention.

I know about your red-haired beauty, but I'll give you face and won't embarrass her. However, my status is higher than hers.

"I'll go easy on you, Miss Claireya," Rain said.

However, Anna, standing nearby, was watching this scene with her bright eyes, her thoughts unknown.

In truth, it was only natural for her to feel a twinge of jealousy seeing a beautiful female member in Rain's squad.

But such matters were common among the nobility, and Claireya, having grown up in that environment, knew her place. However, it was also necessary to occasionally display her own prowess.

That was the reason for her earlier actions.

Claireya held her great sword with both hands, standing in the center of the arena. The next moment, a green aura began to swirl around her slender legs.

"Huh? Is that a bloodline talent ability?" Neor, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, it's a speed-enhancing talent," Vieri confirmed with a nod.

Wizards and wizard apprentices often found it challenging to deal with opponents with such speed-boosting talents.

"Swish!"

Claireya lunged at Rain with incredible speed, her great sword slicing downward.

Rain calmly raised his staff to block the attack.

But upon contact, he felt that Claireya's strength and speed had improved slightly.

"Ding ding dang!"

As both of them moved at lightning speed, sparks flew as the great sword and the tempered adamantium staff clashed repeatedly.

With each clash, a white aura rippled outward.

Before one wave had fully dissipated, another would explode, and often multiple white rings of energy could be seen in the air.

These rings formed the path of their movements.

The originally blurred figures became clearer as they moved at high speed.

Rain could clearly sense Claireya's increased strength.

He wasn't sure why, though.

Had Claireya's bloodline been awakened, entering a period of rapid growth?

Or was it because she saw Evelyn and him sparring and felt a bit unhappy?

It couldn't be that their intimate moment had awakened Claireya's bloodline potential, could it? Rain shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Regardless, he had to give way to this future countess with whom he had just shared an intimate moment.

So, Rain mostly defended, not attacking. Fortunately, the extraordinary combat skill he was practicing, 'Rockdiloro's Guardian Staff,' was primarily defensive.

A few minutes later...

"Clang!"

The two collided, their weapons clashing loudly.

Claireya's ample chest heaved as she caught her breath, clearly exhausted from the intense battle. Despite being a Great Knight with awakened bloodline powers, the clash had taken a toll on her.

The members of Rain's squad watched in awe.

"Wow, are all of the captain's friends this formidable?" Vieri exclaimed.

"Miss Claireya looks younger than me, but her combat prowess surpasses mine," Vieri added, his jaw dropping.

Although he had grown accustomed to witnessing Rain's extraordinary abilities, Claireya's strength still left a profound impression, especially considering her gender.

"I can barely hold my own, let alone win," Angus said solemnly, nodding in agreement.

Evelyn, too, was astonished. She had never imagined that Claireya, a Great Knight, could be so powerful, especially given her youthful appearance. Evelyn had assumed that even with her peak Knight status and some magical abilities, she would still fall short in a contest of strength.

Rain, meanwhile, glanced at his system prompts:

[Your skill, Rockdiloro's Guardian Staff, has improved. Experience gained: 981]



[Congratulations! Your skill, Rockdiloro's Guardian Staff, has reached level 6]



[You have engaged in combat. Weapon Master (Legendary) experience gained: 43]



Seeing that Rockdiloro's Guardian Staff had reached level 6 (277/3000), Rain's eyes lit up. The training with Claireya had proven even more effective than Angus's, and he was eager for more.

"Rain, let's go again!" Claireya said, taking a deep breath and regaining her composure.

Huh?

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room became tense. Everyone's expressions froze, their eyes widening as they looked at Claireya and then at Rain, silently agreeing to remain quiet.

"Your body..." Rain hesitated, then spoke.

"My body is fine," Claireya replied, her face briefly flushing with embarrassment, thinking Rain was referring to her recovery after their intimate encounter the night before. However, Rain was merely concerned about her exhaustion from the intense battle.

"Alright, let me know if you get tired," Rain nodded.

With Claireya's assistance, Rain managed to level up Rockdiloro's Guardian Staff to level 8 just before the evening banquet.

At the banquet, Claireya regained her composure as the lady of Habsburg Castle, engaging in elegant conversation and ensuring everyone felt welcomed.

After the banquet...

As Rain contemplated returning to the training room, a sudden message from the Blood Feather in the sky caught his attention. Anna had left Habsburg Castle alone.

Rain was taken aback. Without a word to the others, he quickly followed Anna from a distance.

Soon, Rain found himself in a wooded area within the noble district of Myerst, where Anna had headed.

A loud eagle's cry echoed from above.

A massive eagle circled twice above Anna's head before diving down rapidly.

Rain's heart tightened, but he soon noticed Anna's calm demeanor, and a realization dawned on him.

He remained still, observing from a distance.

As the eagle landed, its massive wings flapping, it transformed into a tall, graceful elven woman who appeared beside Anna.

"Aunt Delana, why did you come yourself?" Anna asked, her head bowed like a child caught doing something wrong.

"If I hadn't come, you'd have run off to the Imperial Capital!" Delana chided, her tone both scolding and affectionate.

Despite the mild rebuke, it was clear that Delana's words were filled with love and concern.

"Did you sneak a peek at the secret letter in my drawer?"

"Yes," Anna replied, her head lowering further as if trying to bury it in her chest.

"You see, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry constantly about your mother's situation," Delana explained.

In her eyes, Anna was still just a child.

"Aunt, I know. Their headquarters are in the Imperial Capital of Temriel, and the auction house itself is a complex web with numerous shareholders, and even each branch has local influential nobles as investors."

Anna's eyes sparkled, and she looked at her aunt with a hint of stubbornness.

Delanna's eyes widened, and this time, she was genuinely surprised!

It was as if she had just realized that the little child in her eyes had suddenly grown up.

"You really know?"

"No, what you said isn't a special secret, but it's not information that you could easily come across. Anna, who have you been in contact with recently?"

"Don't tell me it's through your good friend Rain. With my understanding of the administrative system of the Dragon Empire, it's impossible for a small-town deputy security officer to know such information."

Delanna emphasized the words 'good friend' and looked at Anna with a serious expression.

"It's not like that, Aunt Delanna. Rain is no longer a small-town deputy security officer; he's now a viscount!"

Upon hearing Rain's name, Anna's face flushed slightly, but she quickly realized what she was implying and waved her small hand, correcting her aunt's 'mistake'.

"Hmm? A viscount?" Delanna paused for a moment, but her heart was filled with disbelief.

The long lifespan of elves and their relatively well-preserved records allowed most elves to have a better understanding of the human empire's structure.

"How is that possible? He wasn't even a baron half a year ago. How could he have become a viscount? Anna, you need to be careful. Human men are very skilled at sweet-talking."

Hearing this, Rain couldn't help but speak up.

Moreover, he also understood the purpose of their visit, and although it was out of concern for Anna, he couldn't let them 'slander' him, could he?

"Cough"

"Who's there?" Delanna immediately became alert, and her eyes were sharp.

"Oh, Rain! You..."

"I saw you sneaking out in the middle of the night, and I was worried about your safety, so..." Rain slowly emerged from the dense forest, wearing a smile.

"You're Rain?" Delanna's vigilance slightly relaxed, but the puzzlement in her eyes intensified!

The Rain she remembered was a skinny boy shorter than her, but now, the tall and muscular boy in front of her wore secret silver armor, exuding an extraordinary aura.

His eyes were bright, like the brightest stars in the night sky.

"Yes, Miss Delanna. We met once before, by the carriage. Do you remember?" Rain took two steps forward and bowed slightly to Delanna.

Rain naturally respected this aunt who cared for Anna.

Hearing Rain mention the details of their previous encounter, Delanna began to believe that the boy before her seemed to have transformed.

"I'm starting to believe what Anna said. Your strength is more than enough to be an imperial viscount." Delanna's beautiful eyes scrutinized Rain as she spoke.

Rain naturally knew that she wasn't interested in him but was assessing his capabilities.

"Rain, are you really willing to help Anna? Are you going to the imperial capital together to search for her?" Delanna looked at Rain with serious eyes and asked earnestly.

"Of course."

"No request for repayment?"

"None needed."

"According to your human saying, not asking for repayment often means wanting to get everything." Delanna shook her head and sighed.

Rain was a bit dumbfounded for a moment. He hadn't expected Anna's aunt, Delanna, to suddenly say such a 'philosophical' sentence.

"Aunt Delanna, Rain is a good person." Anna weakly spoke up from the side.

"Alright, Rain. How do you plan to help, and are you going to the imperial capital together to search for her?"

"Well, Miss Delanna, I'm actually a shareholder of the Axson Auction House in Minster. So, I'll first use the auction house's channels to search for specific information about Anna's mother's whereabouts."

Rain thought for a moment and spoke the truth.

"Hmm?"

"You're a shareholder of the Axson Auction House in Minster?" This truly surprised Delanna.

For a while, Delanna didn't know what to say!

Indeed, if that was the case, then Rain was the best person to find her sister.

After a long pause, Delanna, who had digested the news, wondered.

"Rain, I'll go with you to Minster to see if what you said is true. If it is, I can agree to Anna staying, and with your help, we can search for Darlene."

"By the way, Darlene Eaglemoon is my sister and Anna's mother's name."

"Of course. In fact, I was planning to return to Minster tomorrow, but Miss Delanna, you might need to disguise yourself a little."

"After all, an elf's beauty can attract a lot of unwanted attention."

"That's great. Don't worry; I won't cause you any trouble."

"Delana nodded.

As soon as she finished speaking, Delana quickly began casting her sorcery.

Under the moonlight, a cluster of twinkling lights flashed across her face, and her originally exquisite features began to slightly distort. Her face became rounder, and her skin tone paled slightly.

Her pointed ears, once so distinctive, now resembled those of a human, but her noble aura remained exceptional.

Overall, Delana at this moment looked like a graceful and dignified noblewoman.

When Rain and his group returned to Habsburg Castle, as soon as they entered the hall, where Neor, Angus, and Evelyn were chatting leisurely, they turned to look at them.

Seeing their captain, who had been gone for some time, and now returning with an unfamiliar noblewoman, they exchanged glances in surprise.

'This is my Aunt Delana, she will be returning with us,' Rain explained.

'Greetings, Ms. Delana!' Neor and the others hastily stood up, their faces showing a hint of shock as they bowed slightly in greeting to Delana.

Aunt of Miss Anna?

Is it time to discuss marriage already? Has her family come to visit?

But what about Miss Claireya, with her formidable aura? How did the captain manage that?

'Hello,' Delana nodded, but she could sense that they seemed to know she was an elf, and their gazes held a hint of suspicion.

This made Delana wonder if her long absence from using 'Disguise Magic' had caused her skills to deteriorate, allowing them to see through her disguise.

That night, Anna and Delana shared a room.

As for Claireya, with Rain's team staying at the castle, it was natural that she wouldn't sneak into Rain's room in the middle of the night.

So, at that moment, Rain was alone in his room.

'Women are indeed troublesome, especially when there are more of them,' he thought.

However, Rain quickly refocused his thoughts and practiced the Dragon Breath Technique, which he had reached level 18.

Perhaps due to the advanced level of the technique, Rain felt a subtle warmth in his body as he performed the movements.

Just then, two system prompts quietly appeared:

【Congratulations! Your Constitution Attribute has been enhanced!】

【Congratulations! Your Agility Attribute has been enhanced!】

'Hmm? With this, I just need a little more to meet the strength and agility requirements of 50 points each to advance to the Epic Class 'Thousand Blade King',' Rain thought.

Suddenly, Rain, who had planned to rest early, became energized.

He was just one step away from advancing to the Epic Class 'Thousand Blade King', lacking only the Extraordinary Combat Skill 'Staff of Guardianship'.

'I'll finish it tonight!' Rain couldn't contain his excitement at the thought of the Epic Class.

After some thought, Rain left his room.

Of course, after a moment's consideration, he called Angus and Vieri from their dreams.

'Captain, is this really necessary at this hour?' Angus and Vieri exchanged glances, their mouths bitter.

Their captain was a bit too extreme!

It was almost midnight, and he was calling them out to train.

'I just had an epiphany,' Rain smiled and explained.

Two hours later, a system prompt sounded:

【Your skill, Staff of Guardianship, has been enhanced. Experience gained: +634】

【Congratulations! Your skill, Staff of Guardianship, has reached level 9】

'Alright, you can rest now. Well done!'

Rain suppressed his excitement and thanked the two exhausted men.

He then added a skill point to the Extraordinary Combat Skill 'Staff of Guardianship'.

As memories of practicing the Staff of Guardianship flooded Rain's mind, another system prompt followed:

【Congratulations! You have comprehended the Basic Secret Technique of Staff of Guardianship: Guardian Staff!】

'Guardian Staff?! Excellent! I've finally mastered this last Secret Technique!' Rain exclaimed, his heart racing as he read the prompt.

At that moment, he had no time to examine the new icon on the Weapon Master (Legendary) panel or the description of the new Secret Technique 'Guardian Staff'.

Instead, he immediately began allocating points!

After Rain added points to both Constitution and Agility, reaching 50 points each, the long-awaited prompt for the Epic Class advancement appeared!

【Ding! Host detected triggering the special advancement of Weapon Master (Legendary) to Thousand Blade King (Epic)!】

【Prerequisites for advancing to Thousand Blade King (Epic): 1. Extraordinary Combat Skill, 2. Level 18 or higher in any breathing technique, 3. Strength, Agility, and Constitution above 50 points each. Current conditions met. Do you wish to advance to Thousand Blade King (Epic)?】

【Note: Advancing to Thousand Blade King (Epic) will overwrite the Weapon Master (Legendary) profession panel.】

Without hesitation, Rain mentally affirmed, 'Yes!'

【Initiating advancement.】

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end