Fruits of Training and an Enemy Attack

It was the thirteenth day since their departure. The farther north they traveled, the dimmer the Sacred Source 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 gash. It had become a vast, distinct blood-red eye, staring greedily down at the mortal world.

Though the party bound for the Graymist Defense Zone was still some distance from the Eternal Night Wall, they had already stepped beyond absolute shelter. Demonic Beasts could emerge from the shadows at any moment.

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

Its once-loose formation had been rearranged. The front and rear of the convoy now interlocked, forming a solid 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 a 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 wagon formation and the fires, reinforcing barricades, hauling timber, and sharpening arrowheads...

All for Shien's promise that "a thousand work credits will buy back your name." 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 bishops.

But compared with the loose, chaotic band of ten days ago—and with the forces of the four other lords who had set out for the Eternal Night Wall at the same time—it was unquestionably tighter and more orderly.

Of course, Shien had never stopped farming Grace Value during those ten days.

But with limited resources, he could not hand out lavish rewards. Instead, he broke his favors into countless small, frequent acts.

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

During morning inspections, he would stop to speak quietly with ordinary soldiers.

When a craftsman repaired a crossbow, he recorded the military merit on the spot. Those who stood watch on rainy nights received an extra half day's work credits...

In just ten days, Shien was no longer, in their eyes, the cold-faced youth who cut off traitors' heads at the drop of a hat. He had become a lord who planned carefully, rewarded and punished fairly, and knew how to listen.

And so their gratitude began to settle deep, no longer vanishing at the slightest touch as it had at first, but rising steadily.

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

Ivan, for example, received glory and weapons.

Fabien and the other Church personnel received dignified respect—on the surface, at least.

Shien might not truly believe in their doctrine, but he nodded along when the occasion called for it.

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

Sometimes Shien even discussed theological insights cobbled together from memories of his previous 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.

As for the craftsmen and alchemists, Shien gave them treasures they could not refuse: resources and a future.

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

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

Ivan received glory, Fabien received affirmation of his faith, and the craftsmen received respect...

The pale green above their heads gradually deepened, the ashen white faded, and several shades of dark green were already nearing blue.

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

After ten days of such careful moves, the character of the force had quietly changed.

By the time night had fully fallen, the temporary camp had taken shape. The wagons were positioned, shield boards filled the gaps, and wooden stakes jutted outward.

Crossbows had been 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 Wall, the defenders remained vigilant.

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

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

The brief respite after the army made camp was one of the force's rare peaceful moments. Apart from the sentries taking their turns on the perimeter, most people could finally breathe easy.

The most popular entertainment in camp now was neither dice nor drink...

It was gathering around the open ground to watch their calm, commanding lord get rubbed into the dirt.

Although 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 withstand the strain from nothing.

There was only one shortcut to making Battlefield Perception and bursts of Battle Aura truly instinctive: forcing them out through fierce battles, again and again.

So after making camp each day, Shien took off his noble's cloak, put on armor, and sparred with Ivan and the other knights using a wooden sword.

Bang!

The dull clash of wooden swords burst across the open ground, sending a wave of air rolling through the dust.

Ivan was built like a brown bear, and he fought with sweeping, unrestrained strokes. Every blow carried a heavy whistle that tore through the air.

As a Third Tier Resonance Realm knight, he forcibly suppressed his Battle Aura to Shien's second-tier Bodyguard Realm level, afraid he might cleave his lord in two if he failed to hold back. Inevitably, his movements grew somewhat hesitant and constrained.

But he was a born fighter, and his combat prowess remained formidable—far beyond that of an ordinary second-tier knight.

Yet Shien never tried to weather that storm of sword strikes head-on.

His movements were nothing like the rigid forms of noble swordsmanship. He was quick and endlessly adaptable.

With basic Battlefield Perception sharpening his senses, every move Ivan made seemed magnified in Shien's eyes, letting him predict it in advance.

He slipped out of the heavy sword's path like a falling leaf, then thrust from an uncanny angle toward a hidden flaw in Ivan's movement.

Clang!

Ivan whipped his wrist around and barely parried, but a storm surged through his heart.

His lord's rate of improvement over these ten days was almost terrifying.

During the first two days, Shien's movements had still carried the stiffness typical of a noble learning to fight, and the force of Ivan's strikes had often grazed him. But now...

"Is he really only second-tier? I swear Ivan was wiping the ground with him yesterday." An old knight squeezed into the front row, staring so hard his eyes nearly popped 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 shaken they became. Even the craftsmen set aside their work to watch from the edge.

Fabien stood behind a fire, his brow deeply furrowed. He had caught a glimpse of the pattern in Shien's circulating Battle Aura. This was not something a noble could achieve by practicing for a couple of days.

It seemed this young lord truly was a genius.

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

Now.

He drove off the ground, advancing instead of retreating, and aimed straight for an opening beneath Ivan's sweeping heavy sword.

The Battle Aura within him ignited in an instant, racing along a brutally violent path.

Short-Term Battle Aura Burst!

Boom!

His strength surged to its peak in a heartbeat, pouring down Shien's arm and into the wooden sword.

He lifted it in a single stroke toward the blind spot at Ivan's throat. His timing was enough to make scalps prickle.

Ivan's pupils contracted sharply.

His fighting instincts, honed on the edge of life and death, overrode reason. He could not help releasing all the Third Tier power he had been suppressing!

Vmmm—!

A wave of protective aura belonging to the Third Tier Resonance Realm exploded outward, lunging like an enraged beast.

Shien was hurled back. His foot slipped, carving a furrow through the mud, and he slid nearly three meters before regaining his balance.

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

The open ground fell deathly silent. Everyone watching froze, forgetting even to breathe.

Clatter!

Ivan flung aside his sword. His face drained of color, and his massive frame crashed down onto one knee.

"My lord! I've sinned! I... I lost control and used my Third Tier strength!"

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

More shocking still, in that fleeting instant, Shien's explosive speed and the flow of his Battle Aura had faintly resembled Ivan's own.

In the ruthlessness of his timing, he had seemed even more like a knight who lived on the edge of death than Ivan himself.

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

"Get up. It wasn't your fault." His voice was composed, as though someone else had just been blasted away by a Third Tier shock wave.

The onlookers exchanged glances and swallowed without realizing it.

"What kind of monster is our lord...?"

"Ten days ago, he was getting knocked around like some pampered young noble. Now... he looks like a warrior who fought his way out of the Wall."

"No wonder that bear Ivan is willing to kneel to him."

Shien had no attention to spare for the others. He was keenly aware of the power inside him rapidly adapting.

The Canon of Grace and Righteousness's absurdly powerful ability was beginning to show. Copied skills did not become perfect replicas at once; they still required practice and learning. But the speed at which he adapted was almost cheating.

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

If I can 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 passed through his heart.

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

Wooo—!!!

That was... the emergency horn reserved for threats beneath the Blood Moon.

This was no ordinary Demonic Beast. The signal was sounded only when the night sentries had no time even to assess the danger before it reached the special-threat level.