Chapter 29: Contribution Points and a Return Gift

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Contribution Points and a Return Gift

"With your strength, you could easily get revenge for your mother yourself. Why haven’t you?" Roy asked Catherine. "Can’t bring yourself to do it, or have you just never killed anyone before?"

Catherine’s skills were quite good, but he always felt her fighting style was too by-the-book, giving him the impression she’d never personally killed anyone.

"It’s both of those reasons."

"I’ve told you everything I need to. Whether you go to Rose Street to assassinate him is your decision."

"As for the Brotherhood’s token, if you really don’t want to join, just keep it as a souvenir."

Catherine said slowly, pulling her helmet back on.

She truly wanted to recruit Roy into the Second Son Brotherhood.

But if Roy was unwilling, she couldn’t force him to join.

Though they were both Peak Knights, she knew she was no match for Roy.

After thinking for a few seconds, Roy said slowly, "If everything you’ve said is true, I might consider joining the Second Son Brotherhood."

"But before I do, there’s one thing I want to clear up."

"What’s that?"

Catherine asked immediately, without hesitation.

"I want to know the real reason you’re trying to recruit me into the Second Son Brotherhood."

"Is this a mission for you, or do you get some kind of reward for recruiting new members?"

Roy asked, looking at Catherine with a serious expression.

"If you join the Brotherhood on my recommendation, I’ll receive ten percent of the Contribution Points from your first ten missions," Catherine replied quickly.

’So that’s how it is!’

’No wonder they both wanted to recruit me into the Second Son Brotherhood!’

"One last question. Are your recommendation slots limited?"

Roy asked Catherine.

"Of course, they’re limited."

"Every full member only gets five recommendation slots."

"If you use them all up, you have to spend Contribution Points to buy more slots—that’s what the Copper Coin I gave you is for," Catherine replied.

"Alright, I understand."

"My deal with John Compton is to capture Jeremy alive so John can have his revenge personally."

"Jeremy was responsible for your mother’s death. If you want to get your revenge in person, I can hand him over to you instead."

"You don’t have to pay me. Consider it a thank-you gift," Roy said slowly.

Capturing someone alive was more difficult than simply killing them.

But for him, it wasn’t much of a challenge.

Catherine didn’t answer Roy right away. She fell silent.

After ten or so seconds, she finally said, "Alright."

"After I catch him, how do I get in touch with you?"

Roy asked.

"You don’t have to. I’ll go with you,"

Catherine replied quickly.

’Go with me?’

Roy looked at Catherine, a little surprised.

Although that wasn’t what he’d had in mind, he didn’t dwell on it. "Going together works," he said slowly. "Saves me the trouble of dragging him away. Do you know the next time he’ll be at his mistress’s house on Rose Street?"

"He has a habit of spending every Saturday night at his mistress’s place," Catherine said slowly.

"Then let’s do it this Saturday."

"I’ll wait for you on Rose Street at this time on Saturday," Roy said.

Catherine said nothing more and just nodded.

...

After agreeing to act with Catherine on Saturday, Roy didn’t go anywhere else, returning directly to Ice Wolf Castle.

He rested for a moment in his bedroom, then with a mere thought, he entered the gray, fog-shrouded Chaos Square. He opened his Skill Proficiency Panel and glanced at the Skill Levels for his Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique and Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.

[Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique: Tier Three (243/3000)]

[Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method (Fragmented): Tier Five (4257/10000)]

In order to break his Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique through to Tier Three faster, he had recently reduced the time he spent on his Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method cultivation.

Even so, his cultivation progress on the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method was still not slow.

While both benefited from the cultivation-accelerating effect of Chaos Square, the boost to the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method was clearly much greater than the one for the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique.

Closing the Skill Proficiency Panel, Roy sat down in the center of Chaos Square and began his cultivation of the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.

「Rock Lion Castle.」

「The study on the fifth floor.」

Clad in golden armor, Count Rock Lion sat expressionlessly on a high-backed chair, his eyes closed, not uttering a word.

Jeremy sat ramrod straight across from Count Rock Lion, not daring to make a sound.

He and Count Rock Lion had come to the study right after dinner and had been sitting here ever since.

Though he remained silent, Jeremy had been cursing the Dark Night Knight and the Compton family in his mind for hours.

Even now, he didn’t think raping Chris was such a serious matter.

’So what if I raped a Baron’s little daughter?’

’What’s the big deal!’

’It’s not like she was some Princess or a Duke’s daughter!’

’I should have just killed their whole family that night!’

’And that ridiculous Dark Night Knight!’

’Just a mere Peak Knight, daring to accept a contract to assassinate me!’

Time trickled by.

Before he knew it, more than an hour had passed.

Jeremy was not a patient man to begin with.

If Count Rock Lion hadn’t been sitting right in front of him, he would have lost it long ago.

Having lost all patience, Jeremy looked at the still-silent Count Rock Lion and said, "Father, it looks like the Dark Night Knight isn’t coming tonight."

"He probably already knows we captured John Compton."

Hearing this, Count Rock Lion opened his eyes and said slowly, "Did I give you permission to speak?"

Jeremy quickly shook his head, clamped his mouth shut, and began frantically cursing the Dark Night Knight in his mind.

When he was done, Jeremy closed his eyes as well, mimicking Count Rock Lion.

An unknown amount of time passed before he faintly heard Count Rock Lion’s voice.

"You may go."

Jeremy groggily opened his eyes.

Count Rock Lion, who had been sitting across from him, was gone.

The oil lamps in the study had all been extinguished.

Sunlight streamed in through the study window, draping over him like a light veil.

The lingering grogginess vanished, and Jeremy was instantly wide awake.

After silently hurling the most vicious curses he could think of at the Dark Night Knight, he stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and left the study, heading for his bedroom.

「Ice Wolf Castle.」

Sitting in the center of Chaos Square, Roy slowly opened his eyes, ending his cultivation of the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.

[Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method (Fragmented) Skill Level +628]

[Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method (Fragmented): Tier Five (4885/10000)]

Looking at the message before him, Roy revealed a satisfied expression.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he could break his Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method through to Tier Six.

Even though breaking through to Tier Six would only allow him to form five Will Runes through Meditation, each additional Will Rune would significantly strengthen his Spiritual Power.

Closing the message panel, Roy willed himself back to his bedroom.

...