"Alright… alright." Rhett blinked in surprise, not expecting that ckstar had apanion who had already infiltrated the enemy''s ranks. However, he added, "I’ll be observing the situation here. If things get out of hand, I’ll step in to assist."


    "Thank you, but I doubt that will be necessary," ckstar replied confidently.


    With those words, a dark aura surrounded ckstar as he cast a Dark Cloak spell, merging seamlessly into the shadows and disappearing from sight. Yet, Rhett could still sense ckstar through his mental perception, feeling the dark element envelop him as he gradually moved toward the building.


    Trusting ckstar''s confidence, Rhett and Tylers waited patiently nearby.


    "Father, who was that person just now?" Tylers asked once ckstar was out of sight. "That little guy seemed really mysterious…"


    "Hmm, Tylers, it’s not polite to address someone like that," Rhett replied with a raised brow and a smile. "As for his identity, he is indeed mysterious. I don’t know much about him either. All I can say is that the force behind him is not to be underestimated. Keep tonight’s events to yourself."


    "I understand." Tylers nodded thoughtfully.


    A few minutes passed, and suddenly, shouts of anger erupted from the direction of the building. Soon after, the sound of fierce fighting and agonized screams filled the air.


    It wasn’t long before someone emerged from the building, covered in blood and looking terrified. Rhett noticed that as soon as someone tried to escape, a tall woman with short golden hair and a masked face quickly followed.The tall woman wielded an unusual weapon—a long whip instead of the moremon sword and shield. As she swung the whip, it sliced through the air with a sharp crack, glowing blue as it wrapped around the fleeing man’s head. With a sharp tug, she decapitated him, his head rolling across the ground.


    "It seems that woman must be ckstar''spanion," Rhett thought, impressed by her skill but also concerned. "She wasn’t supposed to kill anyone! What happened to keeping them alive?"


    Since the woman had broken their agreement, Rhett decided it was time to intervene. However, just as he took a step forward, ckstar emerged from the building, gesturing to the tall woman and saying a few words. After a brief exchange, the woman nodded and adjusted her approach, focusing her whip strikes on non-lethal areas.


    Seeing this, Rhett rxed and continued to observe. Still, he couldn''t help but be surprised by the tall woman''s abilities. For a third-level knight, her speed was remarkable, even without using any special footwork techniques. Her agility wasparable to that of an ordinary knight using lower-tier movement techniques.


    Rhett guessed that, like ckstar, this woman had likely taken a bloodline potion that enhanced her speed and agility, enabling her to perform at such a high level.


    Half an hourter, the battle seemed to be over, and all sounds from the front had ceased. ckstar leaped down from the roof and waved to Rhett.


    "Let’s go," Rhett said, patting Tylers on the shoulder as they made their way toward the wooden house.


    ckstar wiped the blood from his hands as Rhett approached and said, "As promised, these viins have been defeated. You can handle the rest."


    "Thank you," Rhett replied with a smile.


    "Wait a moment!" The tall woman suddenly interrupted, cing one hand on her hip and speaking in a clear voice. "ckstar, didn''t you say this guy would finish them off? If he just takes them away, I’m not okay with that. These scum need to die here and now! If all the viins in the world are dead, then we’ll be the only viins left, and we’ll be the strongest viins."


    "Defeating them is enough!" ckstar countered.


    "How can that be enough? If they aren''t killed, they coulde back stronger!"


    "Then we''ll defeat them again."


    "Too much trouble! Better to eliminate them for good," the tall woman retorted, shaking her head. She was about to continue arguing when Rhett interjected, "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure these people won’t see the light of day again. They will rest here forever."


    Without waiting for a response, Rhett ced a firm hand on Tylers’ shoulder and said, "Remember your task—finish off the remaining bandits. Don’t leave any behind."


    As he spoke, Rhett nced at the injured foes scattered around and took a few moments to cast Earth Spikes, further injuring them to ensure they wouldn’t survive. Then he looked at the tall woman. "Satisfied now?"


    "Hmm, this will do," the tall woman said, her tone softening as she crossed her arms, emphasizing her figure.


    Up close, Rhett noticed that while the woman had a great physique, her face was covered with a mask, making it impossible to see her true appearance. Judging by her voice, she seemed young, but Rhett knew that voice alone couldn’t urately indicate a knight’s age. Some female knights, even those in their seventies, or older, could still sound like young girls.


    Through the earlier conversation between ckstar and the tall woman, Rhett deduced that they were both part of the same organization. Their ultimate goal was the same—to be the strongest viins. However, their methods differed. ckstar was content with merely defeating viins, leaving their fate to chance, while the tall woman took a more extreme approach, leaving no one alive.


    As Rhett''s thoughts drifted, a system notification appeared, lifting his spirits.


    Standing face to face, ckstar and the tall woman exchanged a few silent nces with Rhett.


    ckstar wasn’t one to talk much, and having achieved his goal, he nced around the area before turning back to Rhett. "Sir Rhett, if there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now. Until we meet again."


    "Farewell!" Rhett replied with a smile. "I hope you both be the strongest viins soon!"


    "We will!" the tall woman dered first.


    ckstar gave her a sidelong nce and then added calmly, "So will I."


    With those words, the tall woman leaped into the air,nding on a rooftop. In a few quick movements, she disappeared into the distance. Simultaneously, ckstar once again cast Dark Cloak, blending into the shadows as he followed in the same direction.


    "Father, are they gone?" Tylers asked, stepping out of the building after finishing off another bandit.


    "Yes, they’ve left. Is something wrong?"


    Hearing the confirmation, Tylers stuck out his tongue. "Nothing, it’s just… they’re so childish. The way they go on about being the strongest viins is so immature. They’re more childish than the most immature characters in all the novels I’ve read."


    "Hahaha," Rhett chuckled, shaking his head. "Don’t worry about them. Finish off the rest of these bandits so we can head home!"


    "Got it!"


    A few minutester, after several more system notifications shed before his eyes, Rhett’s fate points reached 290.


    Between Skam''s group and this one, therge number of second and third-level knights had granted Rhett a total of 121 fate points. Although this was a significant amount, it was still far from enough to break through to a fifth-level mage.


    Last time, breaking through from the third-level to mage-level had cost Rhett over 800 fate points. This time, he estimated it would take at least 1,000.


    He also recalled that ckstar and the tall woman had left without taking anything with them. While Rhett admired their financial confidence, he couldn’t help but smile as he entered the building to im the spoils.


    Knowing that Skam had nned to trade with this group, Rhett assumed they must have brought a substantial amount of gold.


    Excitedly searching through each room, Rhett eventually found arge sack of gold coins in the central hall.


    However, upon closer inspection, Rhett was stunned.


    The sack only had a thinyer of genuine gold coins on top. Beneath them were counterfeit coins made of ordinary iron, coated with ayer of gold dust!


    "These bandits, always up to no good! Who could expect them to deal honestly?" Rhett kicked the sack in frustration before shaking his head with a sigh. "No wonder ckstar and the tall woman didn’t bother with it. They probably realized it was worthless…"


    Rhett then searched the bandits'' bodies for anything of value.


    Their swords, shields, and other equipment couldn’t go to waste. A quick inspection revealed that these items had all been refined, with good quality and decent mana conductivity—at least the work of a professional cksmith. They would be useful for his knights.


    Additionally, each bandit carried some amount of wealth.


    In total, Rhett collected over 400 gold coins, along with various valuable pieces of equipment.


    Skam’s group also had some equipment and coins, which had already been confiscated before their burial and were stored at the town gate.


    Overall, looting the bandits didn’t yield much. Although they had likely amassed far more wealth from their past crimes, these resources had already been spent on training and equipment. Unlike dragons hoarding treasure, these bandits reinvested their loot to further their strength, which ultimately led them to Rhett—a lord who stockpiled both grain and weapons. Their evil lives hade to an end.


    ...


    The next morning.


    The family gathered in the first-floor hall of Deep Rock Castle, enjoying a hearty breakfast.


    Tucker patted his stomach, a satisfied grin on his face.


    Tylers finished his milk, licking his lips and wanting another ss.


    Mina offered her half-full cup, but Tylers shook his head with a smile.


    Ryle wiped the grease from his mouth with a white napkin—he was about to embark on another trade trip and wouldn’t have many opportunities to enjoy good food along the way. So, before setting off, he indulged in a bit more than usual, even eating an extra piece of juicy, pan-fried steak.


    He nced around the table, his gaze lingering on his wife, Clyna, who was wearing a blue dress. His eyes were filled with affection.


    Clyna noticed her husband’s gaze and returned his smile, her expression gentle and warm.


    Her smile eased the sorrow in Ryle’s heart fromst night when Nina had fallen into a deep sleep.


    After tossing the used napkin into the trash, Ryle stood and addressed his father. "Father, now that breakfast is over, it’s time for me to lead the trade caravan on its way."


    "Ryle, my son, I wish you a safe journey," Rhett replied with a loving smile. After a moment, he added, "But before you go, there’s something I need your help with. It might dy you a little."


    "What is it, Father?" Ryle asked as he adjusted his cor. "As long as I can leave today, it won’t be toote."


    "It will only take a few dozen minutes—not too long," Rhett assured him with a slight smile.


    "No problem!" Ryle agreed, curious about what his father had in mind.


    Rhett led Ryle outside the main castle of Deep Rock. As they strolled through the estate, they encountered McCoff, who waved at them from afar. "Good morning, Rhett, Ryle. Ready to set off?"


    "Good morning," Rhett replied with a smile. As they approached, Rhett added, "There might be a slight dy—just a few dozen minutes. If you’re interested, feel free to join us."


    McCoff raised an eyebrow with curiosity. "What are you nning?"


    Rhett responded with a mysterious smile. "You’ll find out soon enough!"


    Turning to Ryle, he said, "I need to borrow White Tiger."


    "Of course," Ryle nodded and then whistled toward the manor’s gate.


    Thump, thump, thump!


    At the gate, White Tiger, who had caught the attention of the two guards, perked up upon hearing Ryle’s call. Its sleepy eyes lit up as it sprang into action, rushing into the estate.


    When it reached Ryle, it slowed down, yfully pouncing on his leg in a show of affection.


    "Haha, what a gentle Wind Tiger. It’s almost like watching a big cat," McCoff chuckled.


    Rhett approached and patted White Tiger on the head before turning to Ryle. "I’m nning to try and tame Firewing today. But the chances of sess with a direct approach might be slim, so I’d like to borrow White Tiger to stage a little scene."


    "A scene?" Ryle’s eyes sparkled with interest. "What exactly do you have in mind, Father?"@@novelbin@@


    "Firewing is quite spirited, and it might be difficult to tame him quickly using conventional methods. So, here’s the n…"


    As Rhett exined his strategy, McCoff listened and nodded in agreement, while Ryle’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, that sounds like a great idea!"


    ...