Gilead

Chen Nuo leaned on the windowsill of the Boreas Family estate, his chin resting on his arms. Eris followed his example beside him, and the two of them looked down together, appearing quite in sync.

Despite their young age, they already gave off the vibe of a married couple.

Not far away, Philip was circling around a dark-skinned Beast Race swordsman with an explosive figure like a male dog in heat.

Beast ears and giant breasts—these two points deeply struck Philip's fetishes.

At first sight, he was deeply fascinated by her, and his originally clever brain began to be dominated by his lower half.

"Is this the new guard Father found for me?"

Eris's tone was a bit displeased; she now seriously suspected that Philip had found himself a new lover.

"This lady is a Sword King. It's said she was once a member of the S-rank adventurer party, the Black Wolf's Fang."

Chen Nuo's gaze fell on the beastwoman swordsman's chest, wondering exactly how much pressure that thin strip of cloth was enduring at this moment, and mentally requesting the correct force formula.

"Noah!"

Eris noticed Chen Nuo's gaze and angrily threw a punch over his head. Her red twin-tails fluttered up and down, brushing against Chen Nuo's face, feeling a bit ticklish.

"Hmm?"

Ghislaine looked up, casting a puzzled glance toward Chen Nuo.

'Strange, why did I feel a hint of danger just now? Could it be just an illusion?'

"What sharp perception."

Chen Nuo muttered. He had only applied a slight amount of mental pressure, yet it was actually discovered.

Was this the innate sensory talent of the Beast Race?

"Who are those two?"

Ghislaine asked Philip beside her.

"The red-haired one is my daughter, Eris, who will be your primary charge to protect. The one beside her is Eris's fiancé, and also the most important member of the Boreas Family."

Philip intentionally squeezed his throat while speaking to make his voice sound more magnetic.

However, Ghislaine didn't buy it; she looked down on weak men like Philip.

The reason she accepted the invitation was, besides Paul's recommendation, mostly because she was fed up with the days of adventuring alone—it simply wasn't a life for a human.

A dignified Sword King being so hungry that she had to eat monster excrement—people would die laughing if they found out.

It was clear how poor Ghislaine's ability to live independently was.

In fact, if Paul's letter had arrived any later, Ghislaine would likely have been begging on the streets.

Speaking of which, Paul and Ghislaine belonged to the same adventurer party, and the two had once shared an extremely intimate experience. It was said that Ghislaine was in heat during that period.

"That kid is a bit dangerous."

Ghislaine narrowed her eyes, trusting her intuitive judgment.

"Uh..."

Philip didn't know what to say for a moment.

In his view, Ghislaine's judgment was indeed accurate. A mage who could easily kill three Advanced Swordsmen at close range was certainly worth a 'dangerous' evaluation from a Sword King.

But applying such a description to one of their own felt a bit inappropriate.

However, Philip could understand; after all, she was a beastman, and he happened to like this wild flavor.

Watching the furry ears twitching on top of Ghislaine's head, Philip's breathing deepened a bit.

Even though Paul had clarified his relationship with Ghislaine in the letter, he didn't care. It wasn't the first time they were 'fellow travelers'; they were damn brothers.

The mainstream atmosphere within the nobility was this indulgent and absurd.

And Paul and Philip were undoubtedly below the average line.

Chen Nuo pulled a reluctant Eris downstairs to officially meet Ghislaine.

Ghislaine's personality was simple and straightforward; as long as one didn't harbor malicious schemes, she was actually easy to get along with.

"Hello, Your Excellency Sword King, I am Noah."

Chen Nuo looked up. These twin peaks were indeed magnificent and grand. Crucially, their owner was very generous, directly revealing both the southern and northern hemispheres, which deserved a good review.

"Just call me Ghislaine, kid."

Ghislaine smiled and shook hands. Her fingertips exerted a bit of force, and feeling the feedback of strength, the interest in her eyes grew stronger.

"Sword King? Doesn't look like anything special."

Eris crossed her arms and spoke in a sour tone.

Wearing so little in the dead of winter—was she showing off on purpose?

"Eris."

Philip reminded her in a low voice; even he had to maintain sufficient respect for a Sword King.

"Strength isn't something that can be seen just with the eyes."

Ghislaine wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, she had a good impression of this fiery Little Chili from the first glance, possibly because the girl also had some wildness in her bones.

"Then let me experience it properly."

Eris, like a newborn calf, wasn't afraid at all.

During this time, her strength had improved rapidly under Chen Nuo's guidance. She could already be called a qualified Beginner Swordsman, and her confidence was at its peak.

"Alright, follow me."

Ghislaine said with a laugh, her chest swaying along.

The two, one large and one small, walked out one after the other.

Chen Nuo was about to follow to watch the show when he was gently pulled by Philip.

"Noah, you can't have designs on Ghislaine. I already plan to propose to her."

"??"

Chen Nuo slowly typed out two question marks in his mind.

No, you two just met for the first time. Isn't this life-changing decision a bit too hasty?

Seeing Chen Nuo's confusion, Philip said with a serious face.

"You don't understand. For a man like me, it's hard to feel this excited and impulsive toward a normal woman anymore, let alone one who is a Sword King."

"I get it. You're lusting after her body. You're despicable."

Chen Nuo nodded and gave his conclusion.

This was true; in every sense of the word, Philip was lusting after Ghislaine's body.

Philip moved his mouth but couldn't find an explanation. Sometimes he also felt he was quite despicable, hehe.

Men, being a bit despicable isn't out of the question, after all, it's to take care of our 'little brother.'

"But I don't think she'll be interested in you."

Chen Nuo spoke bluntly, but Philip had a different view on this.

"Don't underestimate me. If even Paul could land a woman like her, with my status and position, I definitely can too."

"Whatever makes you happy."

Chen Nuo didn't dampen Philip's confidence further. Just as he stepped out of the room, he saw Eris's figure flying through the air, landing right into his arms.

"For a little girl, your strength is already very impressive. Who taught you swordsmanship?"

Ghislaine's hearty voice came over, her eyes filled with some novelty. She had just sensed something in the swordsmanship Eris displayed that was different from existing swordsmanship systems.

"My swordsmanship was of course taught by my swordsmanship teacher, but Noah also gives me pointers normally."

Eris, defeated in a single move, wasn't angry. On the contrary, she acknowledged Ghislaine even more.

Although the Little Chili was arrogant and impulsive, she respected strength very much.

Ghislaine's strike just now had converted the gap between them into a heavy sense of recognition.

"Oh~."

Ghislaine felt more and more that Chen Nuo was not simple. Her palms began to itch slightly, but having spent so many years training outside, she had learned a bit of social grace. She didn't strike directly but instead asked.

"Kid, interested in sparring with me?"

"Wait a moment."

Chen Nuo lifted Eris's wrist, gently brushed over the swelling on it, and used Healing Magic to remove the muscle damage inside.

Although Ghislaine had held back her strength just now, she had still caused Eris a bit of injury.

"Chantless Casting?!"

Ghislaine's eyes were sharp as she exclaimed in surprise.

"You better be careful, Ghislaine. Noah is very strong."

Eris gave a warning, and then her forehead was poked neither lightly nor heavily by Chen Nuo.

The Little Chili was a bit mischievous; she wanted to see Chen Nuo suffer a setback.

After all, whenever the two of them sparred, she was always the one who lost out.

"Then I'll have to be truly serious."

Ghislaine took those words to heart. Her exposed single eye revealed a bit of wild sharpness; she was truly treating Chen Nuo as an opponent now.

A beastman's intuition was indeed unreasonable sometimes.

Even though Chen Nuo looked so cute and harmless.

"Let's agree first, only swordsmanship."

Chen Nuo walked in front of Ghislaine and stopped a few steps away.

"Then aren't I getting a huge advantage?"

Ghislaine had already seen a bit of Chen Nuo's attainment in magic.

"It's fine, my swordsmanship is also very strong."

Chen Nuo opened his palm, and the wooden sword belonging to Eris that was lying on the side of the field was delivered into his hand by a breeze.

"Then I won't hold back."

Ghislaine wasn't a pretentious person and took her stance first. From her opening posture, it wasn't hard to tell that she was a Sword God Style swordsman.

Chen Nuo held the sword with both hands as a response.

The air was briefly silent for a second.

Ghislaine then charged in front of Chen Nuo almost as if teleporting. Even with a wooden sword that hadn't been sharpened, she could display a sharp edge capable of shattering stone and rending metal.

This wasn't the enhancement of any high-level sword technique, but merely the manifestation of personal stats and skill.

Ghislaine's beastman physique was too compatible with the Sword God Style.

Eris only truly realized upon seeing this strike just how vast the gap between her strength and the opponent's was, and she subconsciously began to worry for Chen Nuo.

However, just as her heart rose into her throat, she saw Chen Nuo sidestep and swing his sword with extreme lightness, parrying Ghislaine's blade to the side.

This way of exerting force and circulating qi was very close to the Water God Style, yet it differed from the Water God Style Ghislaine was familiar with.

With her extraordinary sixth sense, Ghislaine soon perceived that the difference lay in the breathing and rhythm.

With her exceptional beastman hearing, she could clearly hear Chen Nuo's heart beating much harder than before. That surging blood was like a rushing river, greatly enhancing his physical functions.

This was what allowed Chen Nuo to close some of the gap in stats.

A Sword King's physique was indeed too abnormal. Even without using high-level sword techniques, just relying on the passive strengthening brought by past swordsmanship, this beastwoman already possessed strength comparable to a dragon.

In fact, Ghislaine's strength was not limited to just being a Sword King. The Sword God who taught her back then had assessed her as having the potential of a Sword Emperor, but the young Ghislaine of those years still lacked some accumulation.

Now that many years had passed, no one knew exactly how strong Ghislaine was, as a Sword King was already hard-pressed to find opponents.

Just a single tentative clash was enough for both sides to gain a certain understanding of each other's strength.

Now, Ghislaine truly let loose a bit.

The wooden sword in her hand swung out a sky full of afterimages in the blink of an eye.

The explosiveness and swiftness of the Sword God Style were fully revealed at this moment.

Unlike the Sword God Style swordsmen Chen Nuo had seen before, Ghislaine perfectly integrated her beastman talent into her swordplay.

That near-magical intuition could easily capture the flaws and weaknesses in Chen Nuo's defense.

However, with Water Breathing as the foundation for the Water God Style sword techniques,

and after being refined and perfected by Sandrone, the most essential parts of the Water Breathing forms were retained and combined, raising the defensive attributes of the original Water God Style swordsmanship to another level.

Even Ghislaine found it difficult to break through for a while without using high-level sword techniques.

Her swift sword momentum would be worn away layer by layer by those continuous, endless waves once it entered the one-meter range around Chen Nuo.

This feeling made Ghislaine recall her past training about cutting a waterfall. It was just that Chen Nuo was even harder to deal with than that hundred-meter-high waterfall.

The sword momentum either layered like waves, or twisted and churned like a vortex. One second it was drifting and agile like sea spray, and the next it turned into a water droplet piercing through objects with precision.

Judging solely by the level of mastery and development of the Water God Style, this was no longer at the Advanced rank.

But unfortunately, Chen Nuo lacked the matching high-level sword techniques to fully unleash the intended power of the swordsmanship.

Seeing the situation fall into a stalemate, Ghislaine finally put in some real effort. Her Battle Qi was stimulated, and her offensive instantly rose to a new level.

This was no longer a gap that could be bridged by simple skill.

Chen Nuo looked up and saw clearly. His gaze met Ghislaine's without the slightest intention of backing down. His wrist turned, and the breathing rhythm that was originally like a rushing river instantly ignited like a flame.

That searing heat instantly overpowered the biting cold wind in the courtyard.

Sword God Style?!

Ghislaine was startled. She hadn't expected Chen Nuo to be a dual-style swordsman, and from his aura, his mastery of the Sword God Style didn't seem inferior to his Water God Style.

Is he going head-to-head?

This kid is quite delightful.

Ghislaine grinned, revealing her canines, and charged forward without hesitation.

In a daze, it felt as if one were placed in a blazing Purgatory.

(Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Purgatory)

Chen Nuo swung his sword, stirring the natural mana in the air. The Breathing Style from another world actually burst forth with a different kind of brilliant spark in this fantasy world.

The next second, the sword edges met, and the Ironwood Sword, which could no longer withstand the torment, instantly shattered and broke.

Ghislaine retreated several steps in succession, leaving several clear footprints on the bluestone ground.

As for Chen Nuo, he slid back several meters, leaving two long marks on the ground. The webs between his thumbs and index fingers had split into deep cuts.

Clearly, in this spar, he was slightly inferior.

Philip looked at the training ground, which looked as if it had been swept by a hurricane, and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

He had spent a lot of money to build this.

The blue-gold stones on the ground were hard for even an Advanced Swordsman to leave marks on, yet under Chen Nuo and Ghislaine's swords, they were like blocks of tofu.

Philip wasn't surprised that Ghislaine, as a Sword King, had such a performance, but isn't Chen Nuo being a bit unreasonable?

But on second thought, Philip was overjoyed.

"Noah, are you hurt?"

Eris noticed the crimson in the snow and ran over anxiously, lifting Chen Nuo's hand to check.

However, the split wounds had already finished healing by now.

Chantless healing was indeed a bit of a cheat.

Using the biological and medical knowledge accumulated from the Cyber World and presenting it through magic, it was truly hard to die unless Chen Nuo's mana was exhausted.

But unfortunately, his current total mana had not only broken through the King-tier level, but his recovery speed was also more than ten times that of a normal mage.

To drain Chen Nuo dry, it would take at least a hundred Sandrones attacking together without giving him a chance to breathe.