Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Taking Down Paris’s Arrogance (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch Additional Update 17/22)
In the castle’s grass field.

Paris brandished her great sword, sending Rondo flying with a swift response.

Waiting his turn for the rotation battle, Lasse felt a tingling on his scalp, “Baron, where did this female mercenary come from? She’s incredibly violent.”

“How would you rate her strength?” asked Liszt, watching the battle with pride.

“Rondo couldn’t last five rounds, and my strength is similar to his… Her strength must be at least that of an Elite Earth Knight.” Lasse spoke honestly, though feeling it made him sound weak, he quickly added, “But in a battlefield situation, it’s hard to say. Her fighting style isn’t suited for charging.”

Liszt agreed with this assessment, as Paris’s fighting style was close-quarters and quick strikes, making her very effective in sword fighting but hard to judge in a charge.

However, he was only hiring a protector, and excellence in sword fighting was sufficient. He then said to Lasse, “After Rondo’s defeat, it’s your turn.”

Lasse took a deep breath, drew his fine steel longsword, and with a resolved expression, he charged forward.

Five rounds later, just like Rondo, he was sent flying.

Having defeated two Earth Knights in a row, Paris hardly seemed out of breath. The power of the wraith greatly enhanced her physical capabilities beyond those of an Earth Knight imbued with Dou Qi. Earth Knights could unleash the power of their Dou Qi Manuscripts, but Paris, with magic power inside her, couldn’t use Dou Qi, for she held a special magic power belonging to Light Dragons.

It granted her the ability to alter the surrounding light, cloaking her body behind it.

In battle, she would manipulate magic power to twist and tug on the light, often causing confusion for her opponents, who could only manage to exhibit seventy to eighty percent of their abilities.

Clap clap clap!

Liszt clapped his hands, satisfied with Paris’s strength, and he believed she was indeed worth a high salary of one gold coin per month, “Splendid fight. Rondo, Lasse, you worked hard—it was tough competing in a sword fight, which isn’t your forte. Take a good rest, have some milk tea… Paris, it’s hard to imagine how wonderfully you wield such a two-handed great sword.”

Hiring Paris as his guard wasn’t an impulsive move, nor was Liszt inexplicably smitten with her beauty—in fact, that terrifying monster arm of hers had left a deep impression on him, disrupting many of his pleasant fantasies, making it impossible for him to see Paris as a beautiful woman anymore.

The reasons he hired Paris were manifold.

Firstly, it was a form of reward for the Smoke Mission, which he couldn’t bear to pass up; secondly, as a Black Dragon Childe, she held secrets about dragons that Liszt was curious about and hoped to study by keeping her close; thirdly, there were extenuating circumstances to her killing a noble, a blotch that could be cleared; and fourthly, with Maggie in Fresh Flower Town, it was unlikely Paris would pose a threat, so it would be a waste not to retain such strength.

Lastly, there was his instinct—he sensed that Paris wasn’t a very shrewd woman.

She had a flamboyant style, relying on her modest abilities. She was seriously trying to save her sister, yet she couldn’t resist bursting into the study to check out a handsome guy. Taking into account her background, her incomplete magic education, being used as a lab rat, turning to thievery, and ultimately being tricked into a suicidal mission.

And how she lowered her worth by coming to him after being swayed by his smooth talk.

No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem like a sage.

It’s not good for women to be too shrewd, and even worse for powerful women to be shrewd. Someone like Paris, with great strength but average intelligence and not much cunning, was actually more reassuring.

“Baron, don’t you want to come down and test my strength yourself?”

On the other side, Paris, oblivious to being labeled as “brainless despite her brawn,” nonchalantly swung her sword as tall as a person, issuing a challenge.

Facing such provocation, Liszt remained emotionally unmoved.

Still, he smiled and said, “You can rest now.” He had no equal in Fresh Flower Town, and sparring with Paris seemed like a good idea.

The Eye of Magic could see through the Invisibility Technique, just the thing to humble her pride.

“Two Earth Knights, who don’t even measure up to elites, didn’t even tire me,” Paris said disdainfully. Lasse and Rondo had already gone to rest by the apple table and didn’t hear this insult.

Liszt wasn’t pretentious either; he patted Douson on the head, asking it to stay put, and then slowly approached Paris.

He slowly drew the Crimson Blood Sword—his opponent was a Black Dragon Wraith, imbued with dragon power, and so was he with the Crimson Blood Sword, so it wasn’t an advantage either way.

“By the way, Paris, I have a question for you. Does a confrontation like this consume your lifespan?”

“As long as I don’t transform, it’s just normal consumption. Otherwise, wouldn’t I become useless, dying years earlier with every skirmish?” Paris held her sword with both hands; her previously relaxed expression had been replaced with solemnity.

She felt the surging Dou Qi emanating from Liszt.

Much stronger than Lasse and Rondo from before. Facing this handsome, high-status, and quite capable Noble Landlord, she still felt somewhat inferior.

That was the overall societal atmosphere—mercenaries and thieves belonged to the lower-middle classes of society, while nobles were the true upper class. One could despise the hypocrisy of the nobility or avenge oneself by killing a noble, but given the chance, everyone wanted to be a noble. No matter the background, in the face of nobility, one felt inferior.

There was no snowfall; the sun hung in the sky, its gentle warmth melting the snow on the grassland.

The alfalfa grass underfoot insulated well against the mud.

Boots trod upon it, feeling soft.

Liszt did not use the Eye of Magic; he intended to first experience Paris’s battle technique of Light and Shadow Tug, also showing weakness to the enemy.

“Great Fire Wave!”

The technique from the “Fire Dragon Drill” Dou Qi Manuscript burst forth, the Crimson Blood Sword seeming to be composed of flames, its amplification effect greatly increasing the power of Liszt’s Dou Qi Manuscript.

Just with this opening move, Paris was forced to use Light and Shadow Tug to counter the fiery Longsword.

For a moment, Liszt’s vision blurred as Paris’s figure seemed to move instantaneously, stepping back. Instinctively, he wanted to adjust the trajectory of the Crimson Blood Sword.

But he forcefully suppressed the urge.

He still attacked the original spot.

Clang!

The Crimson Blood Sword was blocked by a great sword, and Paris’s figure reappeared in the same place, only having shifted a step to the right, so Liszt’s attack still missed.

In the following rounds, no matter how hard Liszt tried to control his sight, he still could not capture Paris’s true form.

This unpredictable Light and Shadow Tug was truly troublesome.

If it weren’t for his own powerful attacks and the wide reach of his Fire Attribute Dou Qi which had explosive properties, forcing Paris to carefully defend, he might have been quickly overwhelmed by her.

But it was precisely this strange way of fighting that caused Liszt’s combat experience to steadily increase, slowly learning to predict her movements and to attack where Paris would step next. Gradually, he turned the tide, beginning to press Paris into a firm defense, unable to counterattack.

“Your physical condition is about the same as Marcus’s. Without Light and Shadow Tug, I could defeat you at any moment!”

Liszt’s mind cleared, having discerned Paris’s true level, and so he no longer held back, quickly deploying the Eye of Magic.

The next moment, a figure composed of magic exposed Paris’s movement through Light and Shadow Tug.

The Dou Qi burst from the Crimson Blood Sword, and he furiously struck towards Paris’s retreating position, unleashing the Ultimate Mystery Technique: “Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!” To her astonished gaze, the Crimson Blood Sword, enveloped by the explosive Dou Qi, struck her through the thick great sword and sent her flying.

He elegantly twirled the sword.

The Crimson Blood Sword was sheathed back into its scabbard.

Liszt restrained the impulse to gasp for breath, walked over to the fallen Paris, extended his hand, and pulled her up, smiling, “I’ve now understood your strength. Without unleashing the power of the Black Dragon Wraith, relying on Light and Shadow Tug, you’re slightly better than the average Elite Earth Knight.”