27 - Old Fox

"Ding~ Ding~"

In the evening, in the backyard of the Pedrol Manor, Lynn struggled to defend against the relentless attacks of a young girl, Ivana, who continuously pressed on.

Despite being mentally prepared, Lynn found Ivana's ruthlessness surprising. She showed no mercy, striking for vital points with every move. It felt less like a practice and more like a life-and-death battle.

After the twenty-first exchange, the brown-haired girl once again struck horizontally, causing Lynn to lose his grip on the wooden sword.

They had fought several rounds, battling for nearly an hour. Both Lynn and Ivana were on the verge of exhaustion. Their arms and shoulders hidden beneath their clothing were covered in bruises, and their energy was almost depleted.

Lynn, not skilled in close combat, couldn't break Ivana's record. Baron Pedrol, who was observing, didn't seem too concerned. He could see that Lynn's swordsmanship had improved, which was the whole point of the exercise.

What made him even happier was that Lynn had finally taken his advice to heart. During the fight, Lynn was no longer as clumsy as before; he fought with more determination.

"Stop now, it's over for today," Baron Pedrol waved his hand and put an end to the fight. His gloomy expression finally revealed a hint of a smile.

"Well done, my son. You've finally made some progress. If you continue to practice and refine your skills like this, you'll have a seventy percent chance of passing the knight's examination."

This year, there were two extra slots in the knight's examination, so the standards were likely to be lowered. Plus, he had made some generous donations to the priests of the Church, so he should be able to negotiate a bit.

With these thoughts in mind, Baron Pedrol's mood improved, and he turned to address Ivana.

"Ivana, your swordsmanship is excellent, but you can take a break from practicing it in the future and focus on other areas."

"The Duke of Nordland's son is indeed obsessed with swordsmanship, but if you appear too dominant, it may not sit well with him..."

Baron Pedrol earnestly advised Ivana on how to use her shared interest to gain the Duke's son's attention and protect his fragile ego.

He was quite satisfied with his daughter. She not only had exceptional looks but also had outstanding swordsmanship talent. If she could use this as an opportunity to marry the Duke of Nordland's eldest son, the family would have a chance at revival.

Listening to Baron Pedrol's words, Ivana gritted her white teeth, her delicate face filled with frustration and resentment.

However, Baron Pedrol didn't notice Ivana's expression. After giving his guidance, he left.

Considering the chaos caused by those devil worshippers, many important figures who were rarely seen in the port town had appeared. This was a great opportunity to make a good impression.

After the Baron left, Lynn looked at Ivana, a bit pityingly.

To have such strong swordsmanship at the age of sixteen, Ivana had clearly put in a lot of effort. She probably wanted to earn her father's approval and change her destiny.

Unfortunately, Baron Pedrol always saw his daughter as a tool to curry favor with the powerful.

Perhaps Ivana's situation would improve once Lynn left.

Lynn thought for a moment, then put away his wooden sword and prepared to offer a few comforting words, fulfilling his duty as an older brother.

He remembered from the diary that Lotte cared a lot about this sister.

However, before Lynn could speak, Ivana raised her head and coldly said, "Are you finally going to make a move on me, my brother?"

When the radiant light of the full moon once again illuminated the night sky, a bewildered Lynn returned to his room under the guidance of a servant. Despite thinking about it the whole way, he couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind the young girl's final words.

Who would have thought that even in a small baron's mansion, relationships could be this complicated?

"Never mind, it's not my business to meddle in," Lynn shook his head helplessly. He was merely temporarily assuming Lotte's identity, not a family mediator. Otherwise, he'd have a massive headache.

In comparison, he was more concerned about what Baron Pedrol had mentioned, the devil worshipers captured by the Church during their return journey.

Lynn couldn't be sure whether it was Jenny, Dove, or perhaps both who had been captured by the Church.

But one thing was certain: Archbishop Anluke, who had suffered greatly at Lynn's hands, was prepared for a showdown. He had secretly stationed a guard of three thousand soldiers inside and outside the town, most likely to deal with Lynn.

Lynn guessed that in a few days, the Church would announce the public execution of devil worshipers, probably on Monday, to lure him into rescuing them.

Lynn couldn't help but shudder when he thought about rushing into the Church's trap with no preparation.

Without a doubt, if a thousand crossbowmen fired in unison, he would turn into a pincushion instantly.

Planning an early jailbreak seemed like a good idea since he could use his shapeshifting magic and disguise skills to infiltrate.

As long as he knew precisely who had been arrested and in which prison cell, Lynn was confident he could rescue them.

Then he would have to figure out how to escape from the port town.

The more Lynn thought about it, the more overwhelmed he felt. He wasn't truly Karl, and he had no emotional connection with Jenny and the others. Still, after going through life and death together, he felt compelled to help if he could.

"071, is there anything that can help me go up against three thousand elite soldiers?" Lynn asked in his mind.

The next moment, a long list appeared in his mind.

[Agni-V, plasma railgun, antimatter bomb, high-energy beams, intergalactic long-range warship...]

"I only have a few days. Give me something more realistic." Lynn sighed. If he could produce these items, he would have already kicked the Pope off the throne and transformed this dark, otherworldly realm into a bright medieval one.

With this request, the lengthy list was condensed into a few lines, and Lynn was quickly drawn to an image in particular. He immediately thought of something he had seen in a store in the port town but had forgotten.

After some contemplation, Lynn had a plan. However, it was clear that he couldn't handle everything on his own. It would be best to find some reliable allies.

Lame Laut.

The familiar name leaped into Lynn's mind once again. He was the most accessible help in the port town, deeply involved with wizards, and highly unlikely to betray Lynn.

The remaining challenge was how to flush out this cunning old fox.