"I was told to go easy on you, so can you dial down on the trash-talking? It's making me cringe."

The guard frowned a bit at Aces's remark.

"Are you looking down on me? Perhaps it's because I haven't introduced myself." The guard grinned even more. "Abel Grimes, Warrior class, Master rank."

Aces simply stared, not uttering a word while carrying an unimpressed look on his face.

"Are you speechless? It's not every day you run into a Master-ranked warrior. I guess that stupid lord of yours only has a name for himself when he is leading small fries like you."

Aces's eyes widened a bit. Initially, he was holding a single short blade, but soon he reached for the other and stretched both out sideways.

"Aces, assistant commander of the first division. Grand Master class, Warrior," he glared. "Prepare yourself for a duel."

As he spoke, mana leaked from his body, flexing his growing power as he took steady, slow steps towards the guard.

While the guard was still trying to process how Aces was a Grand Master, he knew he didn't have time to ask these questions since his opponent was already on the attack. Thus, he readied himself.

"Screw you!" Abel roared, thrusting his spear forward. A wave of raw mana erupted from the tip, a concentrated blast of emerald energy aimed squarely at Aces.

But Aces was already a blur. He sidestepped with impossible speed, leaving a shimmering afterimage as the mana blast whizzed past, tearing a gouge in the stone wall behind him.

"Too slow, old man!" Aces taunted, his voice a disembodied echo.

Abel growled, spinning his spear in a dizzying arc. With each rotation, the air crackled, gathering mana into a whirling vortex around the shaft.

"Then try this, you little brat!" He slammed the butt of his spear onto the ground, and tendrils of glowing mana shot out, snaking across the floor like predatory vines, attempting to ensnare Aces.

Aces grinned, a flash of white teeth in the dim light. He darted and weaved, the glowing tendrils unable to keep pace with his lightning-quick movements.

A sudden burst of electrical energy rippled around him, and in the next instant, he was gone, reappearing a mere foot from Abel, his short blades already blurring towards the guard's exposed flank.

Abel reacted on instinct, throwing his spear up to block the strike.

The impact sent a jarring shockwave up his arm, and sparks flew as steel met mana-infused wood. Aces pushed, his speed lending incredible force to his attack, driving Abel back a step.

The guard gritted his teeth, veins bulging as he channeled more mana into his spear, attempting to parry Aces' relentless assault.

"Is that all you got? For someone with such a foul mouth, I assumed you would put up a better fight," Aces's voice was a low growl, each word punctuated by a swift, precise strike.

He feinted left, then slashed right, a streak of blue lightning arcing from his blade. Abel barely managed to twist, the lightning singing his shoulder as it grazed past.

Abel roared again, desperation creeping into his voice. He swept his spear in a wide, powerful arc, a wall of pure force pushing outward.

Aces, caught in the sudden outward pressure, was momentarily forced to leap back, giving Abel a brief reprieve.

"Hah! Damn you!" Abel gasped, clutching his spear. He began to chant, a guttural series of words that caused the air to thicken and hum. The tip of his spear glowed with an intense, emerald light, growing larger and more unstable.

Aces watched, his expression unreadable, but a faint smirk played on his lips. As Abel brought his spear down, ready to unleash a devastating explosion of mana, Aces moved.

With an almost ethereal shimmer, rather than a dash. With his hand already on the guard's wrist and the short blade lightly pressed against his throat, he vanished into thin air directly in front of Abel.

The glowing mana on Abel's spear sputtered and died, the chant dying with it. His eyes widened in shock, not just at the speed, but at the sheer audacity of Aces' move.

"Checkmate," Aces whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You put up a decent fight, for a Master. But you're no Grand Master."

Abel sagged, defeated. The fight was over.

All while this happened, from the beginning to the end, Baron Telia was jaw-dropped, watching as his soldier, the best he had, was getting trashed by Aces.

From what he had heard, Aurelian had two Lord-ranks under their rule; that alone was enough to put fear into anyone's heart before they thought of attacking them.

That said, the information on the rest of the soldiers was completely nonexistent.

This made many people, including Telia himself, believe only those two Lord-ranks had something to write home about.

But after witnessing this fight, the question surfaced… Are all Aurelian soldiers this powerful?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Dorian clapped at the side, a devilish look on his face as he gave Telia the side-eye, locking gazes with him. "Looks like I managed to win. Just my luck, I guess," he uttered. "Now then, about that contract."

Telia gritted his teeth in frustration.

There was nothing he could do. He lost. If he were to act stubborn and refuse, then there was a high chance Dorian wouldn't think twice before killing him as he initially intended.

His plan had backfired; he never had a chance to begin with.

"I played right into your trap, didn't I?" Telia sighed. "Was this truly the reason you came here to see me? You simply wanted to test my military strength?"

'Military strength? Does Forgriam have a military to begin with? If I remember correctly, the kingdom barely recognizes them due to how useless they have been over the past years.' Dorian fully turned around to face the baron.

"I am simply making sure you won't be any threat in the future, and after this battle, it's safe to say you won't be a threat. So do not worry."

Telia sighed. "You say that, but I can't help but feel I am still walking into a trap."

'You are,' Maria and Seraphina uttered in their minds with a sigh of their own.

…

After getting the baron to sign the contract as planned, Dorian and his wives went on to find an inn where they could spend the night.

Lili and the third-division soldiers were still out spying and gathering useful information pertaining to the elf trafficking rumor.

Because of this, Dorian had no choice but to remain in Forgriam for a while longer.

The inn was big enough to contain all three of them, and as for the soldiers under Aces, they took other rooms in the inn as well.

In the meantime...

[All skills have been leveled up to the max.]

[A total of 19300 E-points has been deducted.]

[4500 E-points remaining.]

Dorian stared at the screen while lying on the bed in his white robe. He had just stepped out of the shower and was busy leveling up his skills.

Since Maria and Seraphina were still having their shower, it was the best time for him to gauge how strong he had truly gotten.

...

[A/N]

I know i made a warning in the previous chapter, but it still stands. anyway, do enjoy this chapter. Struggling with motivation lately, but I'll keep publishing regardless.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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