August, early morning.
Although according to the solar terms, it is still summer in the north.
However, in the northern border in late summer, there is already a hint of chill in the wind.
Goethe walked to the windowsill with his feet closed and pushed open the window. He needed to clear his mind. After a night of reading mysterious knowledge, even Goethe, who had a body 20 times that of an ordinary person, felt his temples swelling.
Ever since Tesin announced a month ago that 'it's all a misunderstanding' and was willing to compensate for all losses in the North, the war has been just as the Grand Duke said: over.
In addition to the Second Northern Legion stationed in Tusca Fortress.
All returned to Harest.
Except for Simle.K.
Fapol was in a state of panic not only in the country but also in the inland sea because of the loss of the Grand Master of the Order of the Rose. The cannonballing activities that used to be a routine only two or three days a month became a daily routine, and the number of shells also increased from three or five to thirty to fifty.
Faber used this action to express his dissatisfaction.
What a twisted dignity!
This is how Gjerl commented on Faber's behavior.
A group of roosters that are about to enter the oven are still discussing a guy with an elegant posture!
Enmle.K was much more direct, and he was just short of mocking and insulting Faber.
And Goethe?
Not only does he have mysophobia, but he also doesn't want to talk to fools or comment on their behavior - are you talking about Sheila?
That's an exception.
Well, exceptions.
The only exception was that the other party disguised himself so well at the time.
All, exceptions occurred.
Goethe swore that this was the last exception.
More?
He can't stand it anymore.
When Goethe thought of Xila proving the purity of her bloodline every now and then, his temples, which had been relieved a lot, began to swell again, so much so that he had to divert his attention.
[Attributes: Heart: 2.2 Skill: 7.7 Physical: 20.9]
…
Goethe looked at his attribute column.
The [Heart] attribute is still insufficient, but the [Body] attribute has reached the level that can be promoted to the third level.
Not only in terms of attributes, his strongest skills [Thunder] and [Thor] are also quite close to the level of ordinary third-level skills - this is the conclusion Goethe came to after fighting with the Grand Duke and members of the Grand Duke's Guard several times over the past month.
"Those who master a single secret technique are collectively called transcendents. The combat power they can exert is around the level of a blade to the level of explosives!"
"After completing the first and second extreme baptisms, this combat power will reach the level of a tank or fighter plane!"
"When you complete the third extreme baptism and step into the level of a 'professional', you will be a transcendent who can exert the power of a 'strong' level. At this time, you are at the first level!"
"Similarly, when a first-level extreme professional is promoted to the second level, he will be able to exert the power of the 'ferocious' level!"
Goethe summed up his experience over the past month and had a more direct division of his own strengths.
It was obvious that the previous branch leader of the 'Rose Knights' was not at the Extreme Baptism level. Facing the strength of the second level of the Extreme Baptism, he was basically powerless to fight back.
wrong!
Not baptism!
It should be 'Bloodline Awakening'!
Goethe corrected his mistakes.
As for Fabol's so-called "blood awakening", both Enmle and Gejier's notes recorded the entire process in detail.
Except for some necessary items and rituals like baptism.
The real core is one's own bloodline.
Or to put it another way, whether your parents, grandparents and grandparents are strong.
It's absolutely true that the strong will always be strong.
Of course, if you have money and buy enough potions, you can become powerful.
besides……
Look at the face!
For example, the Grand Master of the Order of the Rose was extremely lucky and underwent some kind of mutation, thus possessing a very special bloodline.
But those are very rare, and there are very few of them in the history of Faber.
Most people don’t even have to consider it.
Instead of choosing to look at one’s face, it is better to choose a baptism ceremony to gain strength.
However, the Fabers consider this to be inelegant and disrespectful.
Especially the Ke family in the northern border, they were called barbarians and savages by the other side.
"A bunch of idiots!"
Goethe muttered to himself, and then looked towards his second baptism ceremony.
[Defeating a powerful opponent alone: ​​30/1]
['Heart' ≥ 0.6, passed! ]
[The 'Sharpening' ritual has been completed, and the result has been passed! ]
[Yes/No to start the 'bloodbath' ritual]
…
During the past month, in addition to catching up on his knowledge of the mystical side, Goethe fought with members of the Grand Duke's Guard every day. Aside from the 20th time that was achieved with the branch of the 'Order of the Rose Knights', the remaining 20→30 times were all 'brushed' among members of the Grand Duke's Guard.
But this is already the limit.
Because the same opponent did not increase the number of times.
Among the Grand Duke's Guard, there are only 10 second-level professionals.
"If it's more than thirty times..."
"It should be okay, right?"
Goethe talked to himself.
Then Goethe shook his head.
30……
This number made him, who had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, feel uncomfortable.
It's exactly the same as 19→20.
Why can't it be 100?
Goethe asked himself this question more than once.
When he had accurately assessed his own strength level, an idea suddenly arose in his mind: to complete the second baptism's condition of 'defeating an opponent who is at least equally matched, preferably stronger than you, and must be completed alone' 100 times.
But Goethe was not a greedy man.
In other words, Goethe's caution made him not greedy.
According to Gejier, there are only 40+ second-level professionals with names in Tesin.
Even if he challenges them all, he is still 30 short.
This requires him to challenge the royal families of Faber, Rudes, Yatuk, and Lidar.
But is it possible?
This is simply impossible under normal circumstances!
Not to mention going to the royal families of Fapol, Rudes, Yatuk, and Lidar, it would be impossible for Tesin to complete this wave of challenges alone - once he reveals this kind of talent, he will be assassinated.
Continuous assassinations.
A second-level professional?
No!
Only third-level professionals will come!
Having learned from the previous incident of Simlek, the Tesin royal family will definitely not show mercy.
But that's normal!
Now?
Something is wrong!
Tesin was defeated.
George VI is dying.
Lord Scrooge was promoted to Legend.
"Any chance?"
“100 times!”
Goethe murmured to himself.
One baptism is comparable to that of an extreme second-level professional, which is enough to be called a monster.
But Goethe really wanted to try the second baptism comparable to the ultimate third-level professional.
Or rather...
He wants to be on par with legends at the first level!
It will be difficult.
But there is still a chance at this moment!
Goethe stood at the window, feeling the morning breeze, his eyes constantly changing - his cautious heart and adventurous spirit shifted and intertwined back and forth.
Eventually, a balance was reached.
He decided to take a chance.
Because Goethe was afraid that if he gave up without trying, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
“Do your best!”
Goethe told himself this, put on his clothes and shoes, and walked towards the dining room in the Klein family castle - one of the Klein family traditions was that unless there was an emergency, the Klein family must eat together every morning.
No one would object to this.
It's no use opposing it.
As an elder, the Grand Duke would educate the younger ones very well. The tools he used included but were not limited to belts, shoe soles, and scabbards; and the methods he used included but were not limited to beating, kicking, and hanging up to beat.
"Morning, Goethe."
Gajeel appeared, yawning.
Following behind him was a young girl: Ella.
Ella, the daughter of the mayor of the small town who had met Goethe once, lowered her head and stood there timidly, fiddling with her fingers constantly, looking very nervous.
"Is it her?"
Goethe looked at Ella in surprise.
Gejier's cleanup on the northern border was not going smoothly.
It lasted for nearly a month, and we only returned to Halest late last night.
At that time, Gejier wrote to say that some troubles had arisen.
It seems that someone 'accidentally broke into' his laboratory.
But what Goethe did not expect was that the person who accidentally broke into the laboratory would be Ella, the daughter of the small town mayor.
At the same time, with the appearance of Ella, Goethe also understood why Gejier never mentioned those experiments in the letter, and why the Grand Council, who had always been kind to the younger generation, was so strict and even beat Gejier with the soles of his shoes.
If I give it to him, don't even mention the soles of my shoes.
I should have shot this bastard into the wall.
"Goethe, are you thinking about something bad?"
Gejier keenly noticed that there was something wrong with the way his cousin looked at him.
"No, it's your illusion."
"But next time my uncle hits you, I might stab you once or twice."
Goethe smiled kindly.
He looked a bit like the Grand Duke.
"I swear!"
“This is the last time!”
"Besides, the guys I picked are all damned bad guys!"
"Only her..."
"It's an exception!"
Gejier pointed at the small town girl beside him, looking helpless.
The small town girl lowered her head even lower, not just out of timidity but also out of shyness.
Goethe could see that the other person's ears were red.
"What about 'accidentally'?"
"Well, it means 'accidentally'!"
"I'll take care of it!"
Gejier emphasized, winked at Goethe, and unconsciously glanced in the direction of the small town girl. Goethe understood and did not ask any more questions - he believed that Gejier had handled it.
Just as he knew that Gejil would definitely be beaten up by the Grand Duke in a while.
"Morning, Gergiel, Goethe!"
Enmle.K walked back from outside, his eyes half sleepy and smelling of powder.
It was obvious that the second son of the Grand Duke was even more tired.
Goethe saw the strawberries on the other's neck and a lipstick mark on one side of his cheek.
"It's just a show, yes, it's just a show."
Enmle.K noticed the gazes of his two younger brothers and explained immediately - but the tone of his explanation was very annoying. It was clearly an explanation, but inexplicably there was a feeling of showing off.
"Be careful of getting sick!"
Gajir said with envy and resentment.
"You just envy my life!"
Enmle.K snorted, his nostrils turned up to the sky.
One of the traditions of the Ke family: Only men who are 22 years old or above can stay out all night, but they must be back for breakfast.
As for women?
We must be back before dark.
Gejier was so angry that his teeth were itching. At this time, the small town girl behind him wanted to raise her hand to grab Gejier's sleeve, but Gejier dodged it without a trace.
"The accident?"
Enmle.K asked.
"Um."
Gajeel smiled bitterly.
"When your father hits you later, I will help him hold down your hands, and Goethe, you hold down your legs."
As he said this, Enmle.K was about to raise his hand to hook Goethe's shoulder, but Goethe dodged.
Godel took two steps away and said to Enmle. Ke quietly: "Oh, it's okay. Warts are nothing serious. The chance of getting a wart is gonorrhea. There's no need to worry about impotence. It's just a blister. I won't use medicine next time!"
After saying that, without waiting for Enmlek to react, he strode into the restaurant.
In the restaurant, the Grand Duke, Nina, and Sheila have already arrived.
"elder brother!"
Nina called out sweetly.
Goethe immediately smiled and touched his sister's head.
Sheila?
I am not good at anything, but eating is my top priority.
He was the first to arrive at breakfast every day, for which he was greatly appreciated by the Grand Duke.
However, the Grand Duke looked quite unhappy today. After motioning Goethe to sit down first, he stared at the door with a gloomy face. When Enmlek and Gejil came in, he shrank his neck.
Enmle.K moved his feet imperceptibly.
Gejil also wanted to, but he didn't dare, so he just stood there blankly.
"Sheila, I asked the kitchen to cook some blood-replenishing soup. Take Nina to the kitchen first to see why the soup isn't ready yet."
The Grand Duke said so.
"OK."
Sheila raised her hand and took Nina's hand and temporarily left the restaurant.
Just after the two of them left, the Grand Duke left the main seat, strode up to Gejier, raised his hand and slapped him -
Bang!
With a crisp sound, Gejil was blown away, and his face swelled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then the Grand Duke drew his sword and stabbed Gejil five times.
Puff puff puff!
Amid the sound of the sword cutting flesh, Gejil couldn't get up and his breathing became weak.
The small town girl nearby was so scared that she almost cried, but she didn't dare to say anything and could only stand there at a loss.
puff!
Another sword.
The sword pierced Gejil's thigh.
"Six people, six swords."
"The first time and the last time."
"Do you understand?"
The Grand Duke questioned Gejier.
"clear!"
Gajeel answered weakly but firmly.
The Grand Duke then turned around and looked at the town girl, and said with an apologetic and guilty look on his face: "I can't kill my own son, so he can only bear 6 swords, and I will take the remaining 3 swords for him."
After saying this, the hilt of the sword turned upside down.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Three swords in a row.
Unlike the previous mercy shown, these three swords directly pierced the Archduke's body.
The small town girl stood there in a daze, terrified.
"I, I, you, you, he..."
The small town girl, who could barely speak complete sentences, fainted.
Gejil, who was standing by, gritted his teeth and raised his arm to support the other person. At the same time, he wanted to support his father who still had a sword stuck in his body, but was slapped by the Grand Duke again.
However, it wasn't heavy this time.
"Help her well."
"When she wakes up, ask her what she wants and try to satisfy her. Now... apply medicine and eat."
The Grand Duke said this, drew his sword, and walked to the head seat at the table.
Enmle.K took out the potion.
Goethe took out the [Healing Stone].
However, the Grand Duke refused all of them and just asked the doctor to apply medicine and bandage the wound.
Afterwards, the atmosphere in the restaurant became extremely depressing.
Until Sheila came back with Nina carrying soup.
"Huh?"
Xila looked at the injured Archduke and Gejier.
"Just now there was a cockroach on Gejier's body, so I slapped it hard a few times, and it ran onto me, so I slapped myself a few more times."
The Grand Duke explained with a smile.
Even Sheila didn't believe such words.
But when he saw Goethe and Enmlek both nodded, he couldn't help but wonder if there really were cockroaches.
The breakfast afterwards was no different from the previous one.
Except for an unconscious small town girl.
"Sheila, take Nina to the small hall. I have prepared dessert there!"
The Grand Duke said.
After Sheila took Nina away, Gejier, who was holding on, turned pale all of a sudden, but he still hugged the girl from the small town and carried her away. The Grand Duke was helped out by Goethe.
As for Enmlek?
He went to look for more medicine.
After sending the small town girl back to her room, Gejil fell into a coma.
Enmle.K began to give his brother medicine and re-bandage the wound.
Goethe placed the [Healing Stone] on Gajeel and then tiptoed out of the room.
As soon as I went out, I saw the Grand Duke standing in the corridor.
The Grand Duke, whose bandages had already stained red, had a worried look on his face.
"Gergeel is fine."
Goethe said immediately.
"Well, Goethe will walk with me."
The Grand Duke nodded and said.
The two walked into the corridor again.
The Grand Duke looked at the empty flower garden and suddenly sighed softly.
"If Xiao Moli knew what I just did, she would definitely beat me up severely and then ignore me for at least ten days."
"Some things, even if they are covered up, I need to let Gejier know that covering up does not mean that they do not exist. You must take responsibility, otherwise..."
"If he does something wrong and does not accept punishment, he will only become arrogant, ignorant, and eventually die."
As he spoke, the Grand Duke sighed again.
When he was in his "hometown", Goethe had heard more than once from his only friend, the fat man, that educating children is a very troublesome thing. Not only do you need to pay attention to basic things like teaching in accordance with the students' aptitude and being patient, but also because if you don't educate your children well, when others educate them for you, it will be too late and you won't even have time to cry.
Goethe clearly remembered that while he was thinking about this, the fat man ate the only two remaining roasted kidneys.
At that time, he felt that he had been educated.
But, it wasn't as shocking as the scene just now.
He was right next to him just now. When the Archduke stabbed Gejil with his sword, although he avoided the vital parts, he really stabbed him and was not just pretending.
In case I make a mistake...
Unconsciously, Goethe thought of this.
Then, he shuddered.
He didn't want to be stabbed by a sword.
Was my previous attitude towards my uncle unfriendly?
Goethe began to reflect on himself.
The Grand Duke sat down and stared at the flower garden in a daze.
After a full ten minutes, Goethe finally broke the silence.
"You want to challenge the second-level professionals from various countries?"
"To complete the second baptism to the greatest extent possible?"
Faced with Goethe's idea, the Grand Duke was stunned for a moment and then laughed.
"Of course!"
"It would have been difficult in the past, but this time we have a good chance - because of the war, Tesin will give us a considerable amount of compensation, and they are very unwilling to accept it!"
"So, if we add a clause to the compensation terms and let their second-level professionals go to the border, we will challenge them there, and if any of them wins, we will give up the compensation!"
"I think these guys are going to come running!"
"Of course, this is something that was arranged at the last minute!"
"Initially, we will come in your own name - you must announce in private with an arrogant attitude that you are a genius and powerful as a second-level professional. You have challenged my guards and have never been defeated. You are the strongest among the second-level professionals. Even the second-level professionals of the Tesin royal family are not good enough... Remember to proceed step by step and make it clear that you have already stepped into the second level!"
"Once the popularity reaches a certain level , you can declare in your personal name that you are willing to use the 'Svetla Territory' as a bet. As long as you win your second level, you can obtain this territory."
"I will have people fan the flames on the sidelines. When things reach a climax, I will come out and use your 'ignorance' as an excuse to withdraw your previous words. But at this time, the Tesin royal family will definitely not give up. Fabol, who has always been upset about the fact that the Grand Master of his own 'Rose Knights' and Simle ended in a tie, will definitely get involved!"
"With the combined efforts of the two families, they will definitely press on and make it difficult for us to back down. In the end, I had no choice but to sign the compensation clause!"
"At the same time, Svetla will also be used as a bargaining chip on the table. We certainly can't afford to suffer any loss, so we will start the second round of wrangling with them - let them also exchange more things for chips and put them on the table."
"at last?"
"hey-hey."
The Grand Duke said with a smile.
Old silver coin!
In an instant, this word popped into Goethe's mind.
It's really insidious!
His original idea was to use the victory of this war to force the royal family of Tesin to send people to fight him, but what about the Grand Duke?
Not only should the Tesin royal family take the initiative to propose it, but Fapore should also be taken into account.
Even, you have to get some benefits.
this……
It's just like selling out people and asking them to count money for you!
Moreover, it gave him the best cover-up.
Completely conceal his "talent".
The fact that he was baptized once turned him into a second-level professional.
This has a hundred benefits and no harm for him!
At least, you won’t be targeted and it will be easier to act!
"With your strength, Goethe, it won't be difficult to win this battle!"
"And the only one who cares, George VI, will definitely add fuel to the fire in this matter - that guy 'can't hold on for much longer' and needs a more reasonable exit."
"Of course, he will think that I am using this to find his 'hidden man'!"
"But, most likely, his 'hidden chess piece' is not among them at all!"
"But in a place none of us could have imagined!"
"However, in order to reassure me, he will definitely help us complete this incident!"
“So, this is a rare opportunity!”
The Archduke looked at Goethe with a look of support.
Goethe met the Archduke's gaze and finally nodded.
That night, a piece of news came out secretly from Harest: Archduke Scrooge K's nephew was promoted to the second rank in an instant, and fought with the second-rank professionals in the Archduke's guards...
Ten battles and ten wins!