'Time to go back inside, Topaz.'

'Kyuu…'

Topaz was reluctant, but she still obediently returned to Vaan and disappeared inside his body after he gave her the order.

Shortly after, Vaan stepped outside his room after organizing Lady Solana's books and research papers into a neat stack and leaving them on the bedside table.

"Quite an early bird you are, Sir Vaan," a voice directed at him as Vaan exited the room.

"I believe the term 'early bird' is inappropriate when neither of us had gotten any sleep, Lady Solana," Vaan calmly smiled at battle-ready Lady Solana, who leaned against the second floor's balcony.

At that moment, Lady Solana's ashen hair was neatly tied up, and a long sword was strapped to her side. The innkeeper vibe was gone. The air around her was replaced by one who had mastered the sword.

"I've neatly placed your books and research papers on the bedside table."

"How was it? Did you find anything useful?"

"Yes, my Lady," Vaan calmly nodded and said, "I've gained a better understanding of abominations thanks to them. That being said, I still plan to visit the libraries in Redpine City to further my research."

Vaan lied as naturally as he breathed.

He had already gained enough information from Lady Solana's research papers and abomination-related books.

However, Vaan wasn't in a hurry to inform Lady Solana of his solutions, whether it was for her benefit or his own.

"I see… It wasn't enough, huh?" Lady Solana muttered with a sullen look before suddenly changing the topic. "Anyhow, I have some information you might be interested in. Do you want to hear it?"

"I am all ears, Lady Solana," Vaan replied respectfully with a slight smile.

"A few people were snooping around outside the inn last night—three people, to be exact. They were likely the assassins. Unfortunately, they were careful enough not to trespass on my estate. Otherwise, they would be forced to leave their lives behind," Lady Solana spoke with a sharp glint.

It was as if her gaze alone could pierce through a person; they were as sharp as swords.

'Three people, huh?" Vaan muttered with furrowed brows. As prudent as he was, he did not notice such people lurking outside the estate.

His Magic Vision was far from being omniscient.

Vaan was made aware of the assassins' abilities to hide the mana in their bodies. Of course, there was another yet less likely possibility; they had no mana in their bodies.

Nevertheless, Lady Solana gave him a valuable piece of information. Vaan knew not to trust his Magic Vision unconditionally.

"The information was beneficial to me, Lady Solana. How should I repay you?" Vaan asked.

"How, huh?" Lady Solana smiled ambiguously before shaking her head. "Never mind that. We can decide the next time we meet."

Vaan's eyes flickered before he nodded, "As you wish, Lady Solana."

"Are you heading outside now, Vaan?"

"That's right, my Lady."

"I see," Lady Solana uttered without adding further, ending the conversation there. Vaan took it as his cue to leave.

…

After leaving the Golden Peacock Inn, Vaan headed right over to Captain Rhys's training location. The swishing sound of strong sword swings was quickly heard.

Heup!

Captain Rhys practiced his double-handed vertical sword swing over and over again, kicking up a strong gust of wind each time.

His upper body was bare, and sweat glistened under the morning sunlight, highlighting his well-defined muscles.

Nevertheless, Captain Rhys quickly ended his sword practice upon spotting Vaan approaching. He sheathed his sword and picked up his towel by the bucket of water before taking the initiative to greet Vaan.

"G'morning, Brother Vaan. Which pleasant wind brought you to see me?" Captain Rhys wiped his sweat with a warm smile before glancing up at the sky. "I believe there is still a lot of time before our scheduled departure."

"We'll be leaving ahead of schedule. It's best to wake up all your men and prepare food to eat on the road. There won't be any time to dine at an inn, Captain."

"Oh? Brother Vaan did hint that we would be leaving earlier than the schedule… But it's this early, huh? Very well, I will go wake up my men. They must be sleeping like logs, but they only have themselves to blame for drinking so much last night."

"Well, we aren't that much of a hurry. I am just giving you a heads up, Captain. That aside, you're quite diligent."

"Haha, you think so?" Captain Rhys chuckled before saying with a soft sigh, "Well, there's no shortcut to training aura. Only intense exercise can increase the synchronization between mana and blood in the body. I still want to reach Rank 3 in this lifetime."

"Only Rank 3? If you're going to dream, you should at least aim higher. Don't you think so, Captain?"

"Aim higher, you say? Haaa, even if I want to aim higher, I have to consider whether such a goal is achievable, Brother Vaan. Rank 3 is already impressive; Rank 4 is simply a legend. Something like that is impossible for me," Captain Rhys smiled wryly and self-deprecatingly.

"Not with that attitude," Vaan cracked a smile.

"Hahaha!" Captain Rhys suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Are you trying to say that a man should be more ambitious? You're a very interesting fella, Brother Vaan. I believe you have what it takes to advance very far in life."

"Weren't we talking about you? Why the sudden focus on me?" Vaan casually replied with a calm look.

"Hahaha…" Captain Rhys chuckled without replying before changing the topic with a shake of his head. "Alright, I will head inside to wake up the boys now."

"Alright," Vaan acknowledged.

Shortly after Captain Rhys headed inside the nearby inn, Vaan didn't linger either. He went ahead to explore a bit of the town.

…

Inside the neighboring inn, Captain Rhys entered the rooms booked by their Steelguard Escort Group one by one and kicked the beds of the young men.

"Get up! We need to get ready for departure!" Captain Rhys hollered.

However, the young men remained unresponsive. They simply groaned and adjusted themselves into a more comfortable sleeping position.

Seeing that, Captain Rhys became more forceful. He directly flipped them out of bed.

"I said get up, ya little bastards! It's time to work!" Captain Rhys roared.