The Red Keep

Frozen City Castle - The Red Keep

From kilometers around, a red building was shining. It was the red keep. It was also the only building made solely out of the precious Red Stone. It was not very big, but it was built high enough to see everything in the city from the highest tower. With Drake's vision, he could see everything, and it allowed him to keep his citizens safe. Criminals were apprehended quickly, and those who opposed him were conveniently investigated and sent to mines if proven guilty. As for the 'clean ones', they served as a counter-power to his reign. Most of them were elected judges or held high positions in the city council anyway.

Drake didn't only need followers, he also needed opponents to better improve the city. And people who voiced their interests and thoughts aloud were precious to him.

[Name - Drake Moonfall | Age - 15 Years Old

Race - Human / Wereraven

Demonic Raven Bloodline (Stage I) - 24% Purity

Attributes:

Strength - 3.2 (+1.5) | Agility - 2.6 (+0.5) | Vitality - 5.2 (+1.5) | Magic Power - 8.0

Perks: Demonic Raven Bloodline (Stage I: +0.5 Strength, +0.5 Agility, +0.5 Vitality), Knight Physique (+1.0 Strength, +1.0 Vitality)

Skills: Moonfall Knight Swordsmanship (82), Magical Knowledge (45), Etiquette (40), Archery (56), Horsemanship (38), Cartography (26)...

Spell: Demonic Raven Vision (48), Shadow Touch (26)]

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Drake smiled wickedly.

His magic power growth had exceeded his expectations. It had reached the limits of the beginner acolyte realm. Anyone with 8.1 magic power or above would qualify as an intermediate acolyte after all.

Still, Drake couldn't break through. And Frozen Leaf Tea didn't have much effect anymore besides a calming effect. His 'hunting parties had just been a pretext for him to swipe the mountain clean of Frozen Leaves.

He had gathered 38 pounds of Frozen Leaves. Of course, his personal consumption had halved his findings. It would be a luxury to purchase a serving of frozen leaf tea. One that even he only tasted twice before coming in Frozen City. Yet he had consumed 380 servings (19 pounds) in a year. The more you consumed a resource, the less efficient it became. But it would still produce effects if you consumed enormous quantity of them.

As for the remaining 19 pounds, Drake sold fifteen pounds to Fang Zheng in exchange for a spell book [Death Touch], which absorbed the lifespan of the target upon contact. This spell eventually turned corpses into ash, so it was the perfect cover for the bloodbath. Plus, the spell could heal his wounds in close combat, making it particularly fitting for him.

Drake's vitality had reached 6.7 points. Even Yetis, or intermediate realm beasts didn't possess such high vitality. Upon reaching 6 points, Drake realized another perk of having high vitality.

He didn't need to sleep as much as before. And he could train much more than before. His body could handle it. Thanks to the blood crystals, he could train five, perhaps six times more than before, thus multiplying his growth rate.

As for his swordsmanship, daily sparring and teaching increased his understanding by more than 7 points in a single year. He expected to reach 100 points of proficiency, which was reserved to Grand Knights, by the end of the year.

*TOC* *TOC*

"Enter!"

An armoured female entered the room.

She was his personal guard. Rather than a guard, she was his errand girl. She also happened to be the most talented preparatory knight under in the Order. She was called Evangeline Heart, and she was the daughter of a Fallen Noble who resided in Frozen City. The Heart Household used to be a barony, but it was conquered by the Count Marshall, a bloodthirsty man with great ambitions. The Heart Household didn't receive support from the Crown either, due to its lack of power as it was facing orc invasions in the North, and threats from Eastern Kingdoms.

"Your uncle arrived. He was almost killed at the gates, had he tried to hit the guard", she said, "Now, he is gathering information. He expressed no desire to see you"

Drake nodded: "Alright. You can leave"

However, Evangeline didn't obey right away.

"Do you have something to add?", Drake asked, a bit annoyed

"I wanted to ask you a question about the personal notes you gave me", she said, "I want to become stronger, faster...better"

With his biochip, Drake could easily find flaws in his subordinates' swordsmanship in morning training while fighting them. Merely pointing them out was insufficient. As a result, he decided to write them down and give them to the individuals themselves. Personalized notes was extremely effective, and even the worst members of the Order reached 20 points of proficiency in the Porfield Military Swordsmanship. As for the talented ones, they reached 30 points of proficiency.

Evangeline was a sword genius. Drake decided to teach her more seriously, and gave more advice in his notes. Although she was already trained before she was conscripted to the Order, she had reached 40 points of proficiency.

"Thirst for knowledge, huh?", Drake analysed. Putting his hands against her throat, he said: "I could kill you right here. Isn't it what the people say about me? In public, they might praise me. Fools might even like the fact that they can eat on a daily basis, but people do not forget that easily. Many call me a demon, and I am fine with that"

Evangeline started to cry: 'That...This man...No, he isn't a man. He is just sixteen years old. What kind of nightmares has he been keeping to himself for him to doubt the obvious goodwill of people? Everyone is praising him, yet he only sees the darkness of nightmares. What a sad boy'

Evangeline was in love. She was in love with a boy much younger than her, yet much stronger than her. But she didn't love him for his strength, status or wealth. She loved him for his love of swords.

"You won't do it. You are severe. But you judge people impartially. People trust you. I trust you"

Drake shook his head, denying her words: "Just ask your question. I am tired...You did not even try to parry my attack just because you are acquainted with me. I guess you could use some willpower training. Battlefields are gruesome places. If someone attacks you, you attack back first, and think afterwards"

Evangeline's eyes trembled, both in empathy for the boy who was exiled by his own family and because he saw her as nothing but a soldier. However, she knew she could not show any sign of weakness.

"I think I understood your advice on thrusting. But I can't produce the same sound as you when I thrust. Is it because of our strength difference?", she said. Unsheathing her sword, she thrust and it cut through the air, producing a whistle.

Drake sighed: "You now thrust with your whole body. That's good. However, you don't transfer all of your strength from your legs to your arms. The rotation is useless. It might work on flesh, but in the end, you weaken your wrist resistance...This kind of movements is only possible if you train your joints, but muscles grow faster than joints. I would advise you to keep training on the basics for the next six months, before attempting to do more advanced moves...You can complement your sword training with weight lifting and body exercises to improve both your strength and mobility. I am not talking about the mandatory training in the Frozen Knight Order, but more advanced strengthening exercises. This will be of great help to you, I believe. I will send the specific training regiment in the afternoon."

It was the middle of the evening, yet Drake began to tutor Evangeline on a swordsmanship lesson. Evangeline's eyes dried up instantly, and she entered a deep state of concentration, listening to each word with passion.