Chapter 382: Undercurrents

Chapter 382: Undercurrents

"Alright, Donald," General Augustus said, lightly tapping the table with his fingers and making a decision.

"Rain, based on the current situation, your actions seem to be in self-defense. Of course, the headquarters will still investigate. So, for the next two weeks, you cannot leave the Imperial Capital Timorail. Do you have any issues with that?"

"Of course not, I will cooperate with the headquarters' investigation," Rain replied with a smile.

"Very good."

"By the way, Rain, you completed the task of killing the Venom Dragon as soon as you arrived at the headquarters. Well done. Your task reward will be settled as usual before the investigation results come out."

"Thank you, General Augustus," Rain bowed slightly in gratitude.

Apparently, General Augustus seemed to be biased towards him, as evidenced by his initial suppression and subsequent praise.

Although Rain didn't know the specific reason, it didn't affect the settlement of the task reward and the exchange of special items, which was naturally more than welcome.

Ten minutes later, Rain left the conference room.

He first went to the task hall, settled the task of the Venom Dragon, and then headed towards the detached accommodation area exclusively for Electrum Rank Swordsmen.

It couldn't be called a villa because there was almost no courtyard.

In fact, it was already quite an achievement for the Swordmaster Headquarters to allocate a separate area for detached accommodation for Electrum Rank Swordsmen in the land-scarce Imperial Capital Timorail.

Moreover, this condition far exceeded the treatment of the Shining Gold Town's Diamond Star Swordsmen, so Rain had no complaints.

The first floor was a training room, the second floor had a reception room and a dining room, and the third floor was a study and bedroom.

The training room was on the first floor, considering that some Electrum Rank Swordsmen, following the path of knighthood, had exceptionally powerful physical strength. Even with reinforced floors, the second and third floors were still prone to being penetrated.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Just as Rain entered his detached residence, knocking sounds echoed.

"Sir Rain, General Augustus asked me to inform you that you are not allowed to leave the Imperial Capital for the next two weeks," said the young female Brigadier General who had been present at the meeting, smiling at Rain.

"Okay! Please tell General Augustus that I understand," Rain nodded.

Although Rain didn't know the reason, he wasn't overly curious. He believed that he would find out soon enough.

At the same time, in a luxurious mansion within the inner ring of the Imperial Capital.

Butler Owen hurriedly walked down the carpeted corridor, ignoring the greetings of the servants on both sides. He only slowed down when he reached the study.

After straightening his collar and taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a deep voice sounded.

As Butler Owen entered the study, he saw Duke Dram reviewing documents at the large rosewood desk. "Your Grace, the mission failed!" he reported in a low voice.

"Hmm? Was it because the 'King of Assassins' from the Black Blade Organization didn't arrive on time? Or was there a problem with the Venom Dragon mission?" Duke Dram hadn't expected Rain to 'one-shot three' them, so he instinctively thought there was an issue with the coordination.

"No, the 'King of Assassins' from the Black Blade Organization arrived on time, but including the Venom Dragon, they were all killed by Rain," Butler Owen replied.

Upon hearing this, Duke Dram paused, his quill hovering in mid-air. He was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, realizing that the mission failure his butler was referring to was different from what he had in mind.

"What about Greenwood?" Duke Dram asked anxiously.

"Greenwood is also dead, killed by Rain," Butler Owen replied.

"What!" Duke Dram stood up abruptly, his face filled with shock. "And what about Greg, the 'Corpse Splitter'? Did he escape alone as a family advisor?"

"Er... Greg, the advisor, also died on the spot!" Butler Owen said, his eyes still holding a trace of horror.

When he first received the news, he was more shocked than Duke Dram was at that moment.

For a while, the entire study fell silent.

After a long pause, Duke Dram sat back down in his large chair, his entire body seeming to slump, and he asked slowly, "Tell me the whole story."

"Yes, Your Grace," Butler Owen replied.

Immediately, Butler Owen recounted the intelligence he had obtained, word for word, to Duke Dram.

After a moment of contemplation, Duke Dram asked, "So, you're saying there are witnesses?"

"Yes, there are five witnesses: three from the Blade Squad of the Num Province Swordmaster Branch, and two who accompanied Rain from the headquarters."

"Contact the Num Province and arrange for that Swordmaster Squad you mentioned to go on a mission. Then, contact the Black Blade Organization and ask them to clean it up nicely, preferably as an accident."

"Tell them that due to their previous mistake, the Drakum family suffered heavy losses, and hopefully, there won't be any more problems this time." Duke Drakum spoke in a low voice.

"Yes, Your Grace. What about the two people from the headquarters?"

"Since no one dares to act recklessly within the imperial capital, the previous great battle has made it so that no one can easily take action. If they weren't from the imperial capital, it would be best to contact them to leave the capital and deal with them on the way."

"Understood, Your Grace. That way, there will be no witnesses." Steward Owen's eyes lit up.

"What about the evidence? Without witnesses, it won't be enough."

"The body and weapons of the 'King of Assassins' from the Black Blade Organization, as well as the body of the family advisor, 'Corpse Splitter' Lord Greg." Steward Owen replied respectfully.

"What does the Black Blade Organization's assassin have to do with Lord Greenwood? Without witnesses, a single body holds no significance."

"Lord Greg's body isn't at the Swordmaster Headquarters, is it?" Duke Drakum frowned slightly.

"No, Lord Greg's body is still at the Swordmaster branch in Num Province, but it should be sent to the Swordmaster Headquarters next."

"Then there's no problem. Arrange for someone to deal with them on the way." Duke Drakum waved his hand.

"Without witnesses or evidence, we regain control of the situation."

"The most troublesome thing about Rain is his family in Minster. Your Grace, should we send someone..."

"No, it won't have any meaning and might provoke them to do something irrational. If they go as far as to directly assassinate me, can you stop them?"

"Oh, sorry, Your Grace. I overlooked that." Steward Owen bowed deeply.

"By the way, Your Grace, there's another matter. Our investigation found that Rain has close ties with the Bavaria family and is currently residing in their mansion."

"It's normal for Duke Minster to have the intention to draw such talent from his own province. I'll have a talk with the Bavaria family."

"Also, Rain's strength..." Steward Owen hesitated, still feeling awe at Rain's power, and reminded him.

At this moment, Steward Owen had a rough idea of Duke Drakum's plan.

Erase all evidence unfavorable to their side and then frame Rain for attacking his own squad members. Once he is deemed at fault, the room for manipulation will be vast.

"I heard that Rain's family is in Minster. Your Grace, should we send someone..."

"No, it won't have any meaning and might provoke them to do something irrational. If they weren\t from the imperial capital, it would be best to contact them to leave the capital and deal with them on the way."

"No, it won't have any meaning and might provoke them to do something irrational. If they weren't from the imperial capital, it would be best to contact them to leave the capital and deal with them on the way."

"Understood, Your Grace. That way, there will be no witnesses." Steward Owen's eyes lit up, replied respectfully.

Steward Owen already had a rough idea of Duke Drakum's plan.

Erase all evidence unfavorable to their side, and then frame Rain for attacking his own squad members. Once he is deemed at fault, the room for manipulation will be vast.

"I heard that Rain's family is in Minster. Your Grace, should we send someone..."

"No, it won't have any meaning and might provoke them to do something irrational. If they weren't from the imperial capital, it would be best to contact them to leave the capital and deal with them on the way."

"Understood, Your Grace. That way, there will be no witnesses." Steward Owen replied respectfully.

Steward Owen already had a rough idea of Duke Drakum's plan.

Erase all evidence unfavorable to their side, and then frame Rain for attacking his own squad members. Once he is deemed at fault, the room for manipulation will be vast.

Swordmaster Headquarters.

Training Building.

Rain was seen asking, "Is there a sorcery power testing room here? By the way, I want a single room."

"Yes, sir. Here's your Mithril Insignia."

The young female clerk's eyes widened slightly, and her face showed surprise as she respectfully took the insignia. "Sir, please follow me."

Soon, Rain followed the female clerk to the third floor. "Sir, this row of single rooms are all second-rank sorcery testing rooms, and the last two rooms are third-rank sorcery testing rooms."

"Let's go to the third-rank sorcery testing room."

"Yes, sir." The female clerk knew that Rain was a Mithril Rank Swordmaster, so she didn't find it inappropriate for him to go to the third-rank sorcery testing room.

As the female clerk opened the door, Rain saw that the room had an area of at least 400-500 square feet. At the same time, there were facilities such as four Gatling gun-like machines for testing defensive sorcery, and a giant cylindrical metal ingot with magical silver coating for testing offensive sorcery, which was much larger than the one in the Minster branch, weighing at least several dozen tons.

Viking leaps into the air, and a silver giant net appears out of thin air, shooting towards the testing metal block!

"Hiss!"

The second-rank sorcery 'Cutting Net' directly hit the testing metal block, and the block shook slightly on the rail due to the impact.

This wasn't because Rain's sorcery power was not strong, but because the 'Cutting Net' sorcery's characteristic determined its power, which was extremely condensed and didn't release outward.

If it were a fireball sorcery with a strong outward release characteristic, the metal block would have moved violently.

At this moment, the black wisdom tablet beside him displayed a shocking value - 185!

Relying on his super-advanced metal element affinity and advanced Steel Heart Meditation, Rain's sorcery power was close to the lower limit of third-rank sorcery, which was generally between 120~200 degrees.

This wasn't even Rain's sorcery strike 'Multi-Cut Net'.

Right after, Rain tested the damage of his sorcery strike.

"Metal Transformation Sorcery!"

"Cutting Net!"

"Sorcery Strike: Multi-Cut Net!"

As Rain's lips slightly closed, three tightly packed metal nets appeared in front of him and instantly rushed towards the testing metal block!

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

This time, the several dozen-ton metal block shook violently on the rail, the amplitude was not big, but the frequency was very high.

Suddenly, the black wisdom tablet beside him displayed a value that made people stare in shock - 185!

"Last time I tested, I hadn't yet cultivated the second layer of Advanced Steel Heart Meditation, and the attack power value of the sorcery strike seemed to be 143 degrees.

"The power of this spell is almost beyond that of over 80% of third-rank spells." Rain contemplated.

"The exceptional metal affinity, combined with the advanced Steel Heart Meditation technique, results in an immense amplification."

"I should focus on collecting metal-based spells. Perhaps I can even combine them to create new Wizardry Strikes."

"There's only one third-rank spell left at headquarters, 'Thorn Iron Ball.' Afterward, I'll need to pay close attention to the school."

Ten minutes later.

Swordsman Headquarters Exchange Hall.

"Hello, sir. How may I assist you?" A young and beautiful female clerk noticed Rain approaching, bowed, and smiled sweetly.

"I'd like to exchange a spell." Rain said as he handed over his Golden Emblem.

"Of course, sir. Please wait a moment." The female clerk, startled by the Golden Emblem, immediately took it with both hands and inserted it into the card slot.

"Please exchange the third-rank spell, 'Thorn Iron Ball.'"

Upon hearing it was a third-rank spell, the young lady was even more shocked. This was a spell that only third-rank Crystalized Sorcerers could learn. Even at the Swordsman Headquarters, third-rank Crystalized Sorcerers were few and far between.

"Yes, sir. The exchange price is 3 Golden Emblems plus 27,000 Contribution Points. Are you sure you want to exchange?"

"Yes."

After completing the Venom Dragon assassination mission, Rain obtained two Mithril-rank evaluation badges and a large number of Contribution Points. After allocating a portion to Claire and Bianciana, Rain had enough to exchange for this third-rank spell.

After leaving the testing room, Rain decided to secure his gains first.

Since Greenwood was not an unknown figure at the Swordsman Headquarters, and with Mia and Chandler also being killed, the news spread like a whirlwind throughout the entire Swordsman Headquarters.

"Hey, did you hear? Greenwood and his group are dead." A young man who seemed to have just heard the news whispered to his companions nearby.

"What? The Greenwood from House Drakum?" A companion exclaimed.

"What mission was it?" A companion, assuming they died during a mission, asked.

"It wasn't a mission. They were killed by someone!"

"Which cult was it?"

"It wasn't a cult or anyone else. It was one of our headquarters' Mithril-rank Swordsmen!"

"What!"

"I'll be damned!"

"This is crazy!"

"Indeed, who would dare? Don't they know that House Drakum is a Guardian Family?" The Swordsman speaking was a native of the Imperial Capital Timorail, well aware of House Drakum's power.

At this moment, everyone turned to the first young man who spoke, hoping to hear more secrets.

Recently, the Swordsman Headquarters had many missions, and the difficulty was significantly higher than in previous years, so many Swordsman squads had casualties.

So, if Greenwood's group died due to mission failure, the number of deaths was a bit high, but it wouldn't cause such a stir.

No one could have imagined that these three were killed by their own headquarters.

This revelation carried a lot of implications.

"Hurry up and tell us, what exactly happened?"

"Well, I only heard a rough idea. You can find out more later." Thinking about it, he suggested they look into it.

"Hey, did you hear? Greenwood and his group were killed by someone." The speaker was an aristocrat's heir who was familiar with Greenwood.

Their situation was similar to Greenwood's group. They were all heirs of real power in Timorail.

"What! Is this true?"

"Absolutely. The one who killed them was a Mithril-rank Swordsman from our headquarters, named Rain!"

"Can House Drakum let this go? Even a Mithril-rank Swordsman can't handle this!"

This scene played out repeatedly within the Swordsman Headquarters.

At this moment, Rain, Luther, and Halowen arrived at the Bavarian Family Mansion.

Luther was chatting with Halowen.

"Rain, we meet again." Luther, seeing Rain's surprised expression, said with a smile.

"Luther, did you forget that today is the Dragon Knight Cadet registration day?"

"Oh?"

Rain finally remembered that the examination day was on the first Sunday of the Harvest Month. He had forgotten about the registration.

Luther's arrival made the Bavarian Family Mansion even livelier. As the host, Halowen arranged a grand banquet, which Rain and Anna both attended.

That night, Rain did not bring up the matter of Anna's mother's clues with her. He intended to clarify things before discussing it.

The next morning.

Rain and his group rode their flying mounts and arrived early at the Swordsman Headquarters.

The entrance was grand, resembling an ancient Roman Colosseum with a three-tiered structure, each level featuring Doric columns and archways.

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At the spacious main gate, eight fully armored guards with swords and shields stood at attention.

At the fountain by the gate, a group of over ten-meter-tall five-headed dragons stood, some soaring and others diving, vividly lifelike.

There were no words or signs at the entrance; the five-headed dragon pattern represented everything.

As Rain and his group slowly descended on their flying mounts, the guards seemed to take notice.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end