Fruits of Training and an Enemy Attack

It was the thirteenth day since their departure. The farther north they traveled, the dimmer the Most Holy Origin Furnace's glow became.

The orange-red halo that shrouded human civilization had dwindled to a thin trace on the horizon.

Meanwhile, the Blood Moon hanging high in the night sky was no longer a distant rent. It had become a vast, distinct blood-red eye, staring greedily down at the world.

Though the group bound for the Graymist Defense Zone was still some distance from the Eternal Night Wall, they had already passed beyond its absolute protection. Monsters could emerge from the shadows at any moment.

Fortunately, Shien's force was almost unrecognizable from the one it had been ten days earlier.

The once-loose formation had been reorganized. The front and rear of the convoy supported each other, forming a sturdy crescent-shaped defense.

Drunken shouting and complaints no longer disturbed the night.

After all, Hans's shriveled head still hung from a wooden post on the supply wagon, coldly watching anyone tempted to take their chances beneath the Blood Moon.

The greatest change was among the convicts. No longer numb and listless, they hurried between the wagons and campfires of their own accord, reinforcing barricades, carrying timber, and sharpening arrowheads...

All for Shien's promise that "a thousand work points would buy back their names." Their obedience bordered on devotion, and they showed more initiative than even the Church's fanatics.

The force was still far from perfect. It had a long way to go before it could compare with the Holy City Army led by the Bishop.

But it was unquestionably tighter and more orderly than it had been ten days ago, or than the forces of the four other lords who had set out for the Eternal Night Wall at the same time.

Of course, Shien had never stopped accumulating Grace Value over those ten days.

With limited resources, however, he could not hand out lavish rewards. Instead, he broke his favors down into countless small but frequent acts.

When knights returned from night patrol, for example, he personally reviewed their reports and called out their names before everyone.

On his morning rounds, he would stop to speak quietly with ordinary soldiers.

When craftsmen repaired crossbows, he recorded their military merit on the spot. Those who stood watch on rainy nights received an extra half-day of work points...

In just ten days, Shien had ceased to be, in the eyes of the others, the cold-faced young man who would cut off a traitor's head at the slightest provocation. He had become a thoughtful lord who rewarded and punished fairly and knew how to listen.

Grace thus began to take root. It no longer vanished at the slightest touch as it had at first, and it was steadily growing.

At the same time, Shien paid close attention to people with special skills.

For Ivan, he offered honor and weapons.

For Fabien and the other Church members, Shien offered dignified respect, at least on the surface.

He might not truly believe in their doctrine, but he knew when to nod along.

He let Fabien lead the daily prayers and placed the Holy Fire Altar at the center of camp, making him a spiritual anchor for the soldiers.

Now and then, Shien even discussed theological ideas pieced together from memories of his past life with Fabien. The priest was repeatedly astonished, convinced he had met a truly devout Long Night Lord.

With his faith acknowledged, Fabien's Grace Value deepened rapidly.

For the craftsmen and Alchemists, Shien offered treasures they could not refuse: resources and a future.

Refined Steel, Holy Silver, modest funding, and, above all, genuine respect.

To people long treated as tools, it was almost a gift from heaven.

Ivan gained honor, Fabien gained affirmation of his faith, and the craftsmen gained respect...

The pale green above their heads gradually deepened as the gray-white faded. Several had already turned dark green, nearing blue.

As for those whose preferences Shien had yet to pin down, he spent Reward Value to obtain hidden information from the Sacred Canon and used it to make plans.

Through these efforts, the character of the force had quietly changed in ten days.

By the time night fell completely, the temporary camp had taken shape. The wagons were in position, shield boards filled the gaps, and stakes jutted outward.

Crossbows were loaded in advance, arrows stacked in batches, and horses tethered in the shadows of the inner ring. Though they were still some distance from the Great Wall, the defenders remained vigilant.

Wind swept through the camp, stirring only the crackle of flames. The Blood Moon hung high, and low animal growls occasionally sounded from the woods.

Yet there was no panic in the camp. Everyone was at their post, and everyone knew what to do.

The brief rest after the army made camp was one of the force's rare peaceful moments. Apart from the sentries on duty around the perimeter, most people could finally catch their breath.

These days, the most popular entertainment in camp was neither dice nor drinking...

It was gathering at the edge of the clearing to watch their calm, imposing lord get thoroughly thrashed.

Though the Canon of Grace and Righteousness had imprinted Ivan's skills directly into Shien's mind, it could not conjure muscle memory, reflexes, or bones strong enough to bear the strain out of nothing.

There was only one shortcut to making Battlefield Perception and Battle Aura Burst truly instinctive: forcing them into shape through fierce fights, again and again.

So every day after making camp, Shien took off his noble's outer robe, donned armor, and picked up a wooden sword to spar with Ivan and the other knights.

Bang!

The dull clash of wooden swords erupted across the clearing, sending dust swirling on a gust of air.

Built like a brown bear, Ivan fought with sweeping, forceful strokes. Every swing carried a heavy whistle as it tore through the air.

As a Third Tier knight of the Resonance Realm, he forcibly suppressed his Battle Aura to match Shien's Second Tier Bodyguard Realm strength. Afraid he might cleave his lord in two if he failed to hold back, he could not help moving with some hesitation and restraint.

But he was still a gifted fighter, far more formidable than an ordinary Second Tier knight.

Faced with that relentless storm of sword strikes, Shien never tried to stand his ground.

His movements were far removed from the rigid conventions of noble swordsmanship, shifting with remarkable agility.

With Basic Battlefield Awareness aiding him, every move Ivan made seemed magnified in Shien's eyes, allowing him to anticipate it.

He slipped past the heavy sword's path like a falling leaf, then thrust from an unexpected angle at a hidden opening in Ivan's movements.

Clang!

Ivan twisted his wrist and barely parried, but shock surged through him.

His lord's growth over the past ten days was almost terrifying.

For the first two days, Shien's movements had still carried the stiffness typical of a noble taught to fight. The force of Ivan's swings had often clipped him. But now...

"Is he really only Second Tier? I swear Ivan was still wiping the floor with him yesterday." An older knight squeezed into the front row, his eyes nearly popping out.

"How did he improve this fast?"

"It's only been ten days, and he can already hold his own against that monster Ivan? Seriously?"

"Shut up and watch."

The longer the crowd watched, the more astonished they became. Even the craftsmen put down their work to watch from the outskirts.

Fabien stood behind a campfire, his brow tightly furrowed. He had noticed something in the way Shien circulated his Battle Aura. This was not something a noble could achieve after a couple of days of casual practice.

It seemed this young lord truly was a genius.

In the instant Ivan's attention wavered, a cold glint flashed through Shien's eyes.

Now.

He suddenly drove forward instead of retreating, aiming for an opening beneath Ivan's sweeping heavy sword.

The Battle Aura within him ignited in an instant, surging along a fiercely violent path.

Short-Term Battle Aura Burst!

Boom!

His strength soared to its peak in a heartbeat and rushed down his arm into the wooden sword.

He lifted his blade toward the blind spot at Ivan's throat. His timing was chillingly precise.

Ivan's pupils contracted sharply.

The fighting instincts honed on the edge of death overrode his reason. He could not stop himself from releasing all the Third Tier power he had suppressed!

Whumm!

A protective shockwave born of the Third Tier Resonance Realm exploded outward like a charging beast.

Shien was driven back. His feet slipped, gouging furrows through the dirt, and he slid nearly three meters before steadying himself.

With a crack, the wooden sword in his hand snapped in two.

The clearing fell deathly silent. Every spectator froze, forgetting even to breathe.

Clatter!

Ivan flung down his sword. His face drained of color, and his massive frame dropped to one knee.

"My lord! I'm guilty! I... I lost control and used my Third Tier strength!"

He had nearly hurt the lord he had sworn to serve.

More startling still, for that one instant, Shien's explosive speed and the flow of his Battle Aura had faintly resembled Ivan's own.

In the ruthlessness of his timing, Shien had looked even more like a knight accustomed to walking the line between life and death.

Shien brushed the dust from his clothes and tossed aside the broken sword hilt. His chest rose and fell slightly, but his expression remained calm.

"Get up. It wasn't your fault." He spoke with such composure that it was as though someone else had just been hurled away by a Third Tier shockwave.

The spectators looked at one another and swallowed.

"What kind of monster is our lord?"

"Ten days ago, he looked like some pampered young noble, getting knocked all over the place. Now... he looks like a warrior who fought his way out of the Great Wall."

"No wonder a bear like Ivan is willing to kneel to him."

Shien had no attention to spare for the others. He was keenly aware of the power within him, and how rapidly his body was adapting to it.

The near-absurd power of the Canon of Grace and Righteousness was becoming clear. Its copied skills were not perfect from the start and still required practice, but his rate of adaptation was almost like cheating.

As long as his body could keep up, there was no bottleneck to his growth. His Battle Aura also rose quietly as he grew accustomed to the skills.

If I could copy more abilities from people even stronger than Ivan...

Shien's gaze swept over the soldiers and knights staring at him in awe, and a flicker of ambition stirred in his heart.

Just as Shien prepared for another round of sparring, a warning horn suddenly tore through the night.

Woooo!

That was... the emergency horn sounded under the Blood Moon.

This was no ordinary monster. The signal was blown only when the night watch had no time even to assess the danger before classifying it as a special-level threat.