I don't bother renting a room at the boardinghouse for the rest of the night. Instead I head out of town once I'm done picking up my things at Sylwia's place, which really is the place of her friend. It's a nice enough night after all and considering that half the district outside the wall is still abuzz with activity after the house collapse, I'm more likely to find some peace and quiet under a nice tree a little outside of town. This, thankfully, isn't the first time I'm doing this thus I already have a decent place in mind.

I don't waste any time making any makeshift bedding either, despite knowing full well that my regeneration might suffer because of it. It's a trade off I'm willing to accept in exchange for getting some shut eye while it's still dark. I just make sure to pick a spot under the tree where I won't sleep on a root or an uncomfortable stone. Overall I certainly sleep well enough and only wake up due to some farm boy herding sheep on the nearby pasture some time later, well after dawn. He eyes me cautiously, but doesn't make a fuss as I don't make any move to bother him or his sheep either.

[*Ding!* You slept. Not bad, but not terribly well either! Health increased by 0! Mana increased by 6!]

Oh? I blink in surprise. Not at the notification in general. No, those I'm well used to by now. What surprises me is the surprisingly high regeneration, something that certainly comes in useful after last night. My Mana reserves are still half empty though. Maybe I should meditate a little for a change.

Nodding to myself I sit up, with my back against the tree's trunk. That way I have some support and I can enjoy the warming rays of the morning sun in my face too. Bit by bit I calm my breathing as well as my heartbeat. At the same time I empty my mind until I reach the desired meditative state and the passage of time loses importance just as the world in general seems to be something that is very far away. I keep it up for a while, but let the notification that eventually brushes my mind pull me back out of my meditative state again.

[*Ding!* Through Meditation your Mana increased by 3!]

It's not much, but still better than nothing. And, of course my [Meditation] skill has improved a little too. It's not enough for a level up, but that is only a question of time and dedication.

If I had kept going I might have recovered some more Mana and earned that level up, but I don't have all day. I want to drop by the tavern at the waterfront to check in with Jerzy and, of course I want to check out the available quest at the adventurers' guild too. In fact I might just do the latter first. I'm already a little late as is.

Thus I get up, shake out my cloak, gather my things and head back into town. That neglected hovel that has come down in the night is still the topic just about everywhere. I suspect it will be for a while. It's not a bad thing though. Judging by what I get to hear it gets people thinking about their own homesteads and their state too. There might just be a shortage of skilled labor, or labor in general, regarding construction for a while, but overall the city probably will be better off in the end.

The path I pick steers well clear of the location in question, just in case. At the gate I make sure my guild tag is easily visible and it works like a magic spell deflecting attention. That the guards prefer to focus on merchants, especially the ones that look like they have some spare coin, probably helps too.

At the guildhall it's rather quiet. The usual morning rush is already over and most adventurers are already out and about. I greet the clerks at the counter in passing and head directly to the board with the remaining requests which I then study in. Well I don't study all of them. I don't even bother with the really dangerous ones or the ones that require a group of like minded adventurers. Since the board is well organized it's not much trouble though. Filtering out the quests that would take me to another town or region in general is a little harder, but not much.

In the end it doesn't take me terribly long to find something of interest. Another request by the lord's household, via lady Justyna, for a sparring partner for the young lord's training at arms. It's a request I'm immediately familiar with. I pick it up without any hesitation and head over to the counter to check it out.

The veteran behind the counter nods as he sees which quest I'm bringing.

"Very well. You have done this before, so you should be well aware of everything you need to know or consider. Good luck."

And just like that I'm off again, paperwork in hand, to the keep right across the central market place. Sadly the squire who was on duty the last time I visited isn't on duty at the keep's gate today. Ha, that would have been too easy, right?

Instead a knight who has seen a few more turns of the seasons takes care of me and my request today. I hand him the quest papers before he can even ask what my business at the keep is and he nods after reading through the paperwork. He takes his sweet time. Maybe he doesn't know his letters quite as well as most others? Or he could just be very careful. I hope it's the latter, but in the end it doesn't really matter anyway.

What matters is that his identification skill actually manages to pierce my [Shrouded Soul] skill when he uses it on me. He doesn't seem too pleased with the result anyway, but he keeps his tone cordial.

"Please wait here. I'll have lady Justyna summoned for you. Please do not wander off on your own within the keep. And keep your hands off your weapons and to yourself too, please."

I nod in response and, after summoning a valet to deliver a message to Justyna, he turns his attention to the next person in line, while I step aside to wait for my chaperon of sorts to arrive. I don't have to wait long either.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The young noblewoman flashes me a welcoming smile as soon as she spots me.

"Viviona! I'm so glad you made it!"

I in turn bow respectfully before I hand her my quest papers with a smile of my own.

"I'll be in your care then, please lead the way."

I must be doing something right, because I can feel my [Etiquette] skill improve a little. This bodes well. Should I get my hopes up? Is it within the realm of the possible that I might earn yet more level up notifications today? That would be sweet. So very sweet indeed!

Justyna leads the way into the keep and I follow her like I did the squire the last time around. The path we take is the same one as last time too and I suspect that will be true for our destination as well.

The eerie quiet of the place strikes me once again. I can't help it. I feel there should be more people around. Guards and servants alike. It's almost like we are walking the halls of a haunted house. I don't get to dwell on the feeling for long though, as we reach our destination, which indeed is the very same fencing room I already know.

One thing is different this time around. I'm not the first to arrive, but the last. Lady Izolda is already helping her young ward put on their armor. I come to a stop a few steps away, as Justyna closes the door behind us. I bow towards the duo already present.

"Lady Izolda, I'm here as requested from the adventurers' guild, for the young lords swordsmanship lessons. I'm at your disposal."

She nods, while the barest hint of a smile finds its way on her young charge's lips.

"You know the drill. Please deposit your weapons over there again. Justyna will help you with the armor today."

I don't waste any time and do as the head maid requested of me. And the moment I have deposited weapons, pack and papers at the indicated spot Justyna begins to help me into the same set of armor as last time. Brigandine vest, greaves and gauntlets. And I have to admit, I actually feel comfortable wearing it this time around.

Once both Szymon, who I suspect to actually be a Szymone by now, and I are ready, lady Izolda gets both of us a buckler and a rapier again. The weapons of course do not hold an actual edge. They are training weapons, just like last time. Lady Izolda too grabs a buckler and a rapier as well to demonstrate attacks and defenses too. She doesn't need to prompt us to assume our positions at the center of the room this time though. We move there on our own, assuming a casual ready stance, to wait for further commands. The head maid in turn nods, obviously satisfied.

"Very well, neither of you has forgotten their previous lessons. Let's repeat the basic patterns of attack and defense as a warm up exercise."

We do just that. We go through basic attack and defense patterns to limber up a little. The armor we wear properly settles too, as we do, which is an additional benefit.

Afterwards things get a little more involved though. Lady Izolda calls out which way she wants us to attack, quick jabs, powerful thrusts, slight cuts and feints, without going into detail though. The latter she leaves to us. An important difference to the last lesson. Making these decisions on the fly is an important part of any actual fight after all. Curiously enough she doesn't do the same for defenses, which are, thanks to our bucklers and armor, almost as versatile. She restricts herself to commenting one the ones we pick in this case, suggesting alternatives at time.

Overall it's quite the workout. Enough so that I even begin to forget that I'm in the presence of nobility after a while, as my skills keep improving little by little. [Melee Weapons], [Blades], [Shields], [Parry] and [Dodge] all improve a little. Only the progress I make with my [Block] skill warrants a level up notification though.

[*Ding!* Your racial skill Block has leveled up to level 5!]

With this one my masked mediator class edges another little bit closer to the next level up as well. Good. Very good indeed. I'm already very pleased by the time lady Izolda calls for a quick break so we can eat, drink and in general recover a little.

The food is terribly bland once again, but I don't comment on it this time around. That's just the way things are. I feel a little sorry for my sparring partner though. Has she ever had a chance to taste properly seasoned meals?

As I have a little time I take note of something else though. The brooch lady Izolda is using to secure her neckerchief. It looks somewhat familiar, like something I have seen elsewhere recently.

Then it comes to me. The foreigner duo at the fighting ring. They wore something similar. Except theirs were tigers carved from orange jade while the head maids brooch features a black raven in a similar style.

It seems my moment of recognition hasn't gone unnoticed. The lady in question does not hesitate to ask either.

"Is something the matter, Viviona?"

I blush a little and clear my throat to buy myself some time.

"Please excuse my curiosity. It's your brooch. Is it per chance in some way heraldic? I think I saw something similar in passing recently."

"You saw something similar? Care to elaborate?"

Her counter questions sound guarded and she actually tenses a little, which in turn puts me on edge too. In fact my [Danger Sense] skill reacts as well, making the short hair at the back of my neck stand on end.

I try to sound as casual as possible in turn, to not escalate the situation.

"Yes. A student and teacher pair if I'm not mistaken. Traveling warriors of some kind. Their's featured tigers and they were carved from an orange reddish stone. The style was very similar though."

That apparently was the right thing to say. Izolda relaxes again. As much as she ever does anyway.

"The Legacy of the Nine Tigers Sect. And yes, they are traveling warriors of sorts, you aren't mistaken in that regard. To answer your actual question, yes these pendants or brooches are heraldic. A means to identify nobility in the Dawn Empire. They are both a sign of a noble heritage and merit. I received mine after graduating from the Towers of Midnight."

She leaves it at that. It's already enough food for thought anyway. Instead of elaborating further she steers the conversation in another direction.

"Are you two ready to resume your training? We should get back to it."

I'm quick to nod and resume my position at the center of the room. I'm a little lost in thought though. Sure, Liang Zhenhua, is a noble scion, which would account for the heritage aspect. What kind of merit does he have to his name though to already wear a pendant like that? Is there more to him? Or is it just good old nepotism?

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.