"Ah~ I feel lighter," Strax said as he let the pickaxe, stained with blood, fall to the ground. He was completely calm, despite having just killed three people, one of whom had been tortured.
"Young Master, what happened to you?" Jason questioned. Strax really thought about what to answer and even considered saying "I have been reborn," but he just comnted, "I have matured."
"Maturity doesn't make soone kill another through torture without any remorse, kid. You killed three n." Those were Jason's true thoughts, however, he was content.
"Now you can cultivate and still fight with a sword... even if it's clumsy and needs polishing, your technique is solid," he judged as he watched the man, who was still a child to him, climb the stairs.
"What? Are you staying here?" Strax questioned, and Jason shook his head, beginning to ascend the stairs and following him.
Strax climbed the stairs and encountered two staff mbers and a maid who had heard the noises and awakened. Strax didn't have much to say, just comnted, "Intruders, and a traitor. Miss is in my room resting, prepare a bath for her, Monica," Strax said to the maid. Her na was Monica, and she was one of the oldest employees in the place.
Despite Beatrice's managed city being very small and everyone knowing each other, Monica was truly loyal to the Baron's family.
"Was it Oswald?" She questioned. Of course, she had always stood by Strax's innocence, she had known him since he was a child, despite being around thirty years old.
"Sharp as always. His body is in the basent. If you don't have a weak stomach, ask one of the n to go down and set fire to his remains, and they will remove the two corpses from Miss's room," Strax ordered, as if he were the Baron himself, sothing Monica didn't doubt could happen, as she knew quite a bit about Beatrice.
"Jack, Mason, listen to what Strax said. I believe Lady Beatrice would agree with your orders, bury the bodies," she ordered. Now, the two n truly listened to her and quickly began the work.
"Rember to prepare the bath for Beatrice, and please, sothing to eat, she's tired now," Strax said, and Monica nodded.
"Help those n bury the bodies. I'll check on Beatrice." Strax said to Jason, who agreed and comnted, "Don't forget what needs to be done, we need to go to the Duchy." He reminded Strax, who sighed in agreent. "All in due ti," he comnted and climbed the stairs again, this ti, however, heading towards his room.
He walked, seeing so remnants of the fights, and began to think about what he would say to Beatrice. Strax wasn't soone with good relationships, and he could hardly talk, especially about such a delicate matter.
He crossed the cold corridor and passed by Beatrice's room, where the corpses of the n who had tried to kidnap her were still lying. "Disgusting," he said and continued walking.
"First, I'll deal with the problem with Beatrice and then... I'll go after those stupid thieves who wanted to use her." He comnted ntally as he walked down the corridor, finally reaching the door.
He thought about knocking, but rembered this was his room, so if she wanted to complain, she could do it elsewhere.
Turning the doorknob, he entered the room. Fortunately, Beatrice was sleeping peacefully, covered by a blanket with her hair spread out over the bed.
Strax looked at the scene, illuminated. The moonlight stread through the window, surely touching Beatrice's face, who looked like an angel sculpted by the heavens.
Strax sighed with passion for a mont, but soon began to remove his clothes, stained with blood on all sides. 'Fortunately, she didn't wake up, that would be complicated to explain,' he thought, taking off his shirt and throwing it into a corner while grabbing a fresh set of clothes from the small wooden wardrobe.
He headed to the bath, turning on the water and letting it cleanse his whole body. He wet his hair, looking at the floor.
"That was insane," he said, for a mont thinking about everything that had happened in the last few hours, from the mont he saw the drunks fighting, to finding Jason and saving Beatrice. "That was really insane."
"But... it felt so good..." The taste of power, that was the feeling he truly sought, the feeling of being strong in front of the weak, the feeling of being able to do sothing, the feeling of being a sovereign in what he wanted.
"This feeling... it's very good," he thought and looked at the window beside him. "You seem quite interested in what could happen, don't you? Strange system."
[Level: 10]
[HP: 171/171]
[Vitality: 12]
[Resistance: 10]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Defense: 5]
[Points to be distributed: 7]
"Distribute everything to Intelligence," Strax said, and so the System did.
[Level: 10]
[HP: 171/171]
[Vitality: 12]
[Resistance: 10]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Defense: 5]
[Points to be distributed: 0]
"I still don't really know how the system works, but I'll keep the points balanced until cultivation starts to be effective. If my guess is right, maybe the stats can also increase with each level of cultivation," Strax thought.
He didn't have much to think about, he just wanted to tread the best path, but without understanding the system, sothing had to be done, even if only he had to test it until he understood.
"Now... let's get to the point."
[Skill: Brutal Cut (1*): A fatal and lacerating cut, the user's strength increases by 80% to deliver a crushing blow to finish off the target, can only be used for finishing.]
"It seems strong, but it's a pity it can only be used as a finishing blow. Ah~ I wish I had a sword technique. Maybe I can improve it and create my own style? I don't know, these swords are so... useless. It feels like sothing is missing in them.
Has my perception of them... improved?" he thought. The feelings of the Old Strax were still clear in his mind. When he held the sword, he felt nothing, not even a trace of the will to wield it. The current... he felt like the sword rejected him, as if his style didn't match it, as if his aura denied it.
"I don't have ti for this," he said as he left the bathroom only in a towel. When he opened the door, he saw Beatrice standing in front of the door, staring at him.
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