Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 223 Late
"Rean, didn't you sleep well last night?"

It is quite rare for someone to not only get up very late, but also miss the morning exercise.

Especially when he sat at the dining table, he was listless, as if he hadn't slept at all yesterday.

"I slept so well, so well."

Rean touched his head; he felt a bit of a headache.

He never expected to be dragged into Lex's memories and forced to spend the whole night there. When he checked in the morning, the progress of the Heroic Soul Card was still stuck at 49.9%, and all of it was counted as invalid memories.

Rean was speechless. Was this an overflow of his soul and memories, yet he still stubbornly refused to admit it?
You seemed to have a great time last night. What happened later that made you so withdrawn?

"Well, another problem has arisen: the Queen's attitude."

The look in someone's eyes when they want to kill them is impossible to hide. Putting himself in Rex's shoes, Rean was certain that Rex really had no interest in the eldest princess. To be precise, if you had to name the three people in the royal city that Rex most wanted to beat up, the former princess and the current queen would definitely be among them.

Reality isn't a romance novel, and the chances of finding a bickering couple are extremely slim.

The two were really incompatible. Mariana hated Lex the most, finding him rude, immoral, womanizing, and disrespectful of knowledge.

In reality, Lex wasn't a magnanimous person either. If it weren't for Rosalind, he would have taken revenge on that arrogant princess sooner or later.

"Headache. Thank you."

Seeing that Rean was not feeling well, the mechanical maid Ria, who was on her apprenticeship, came over and rubbed Rean's arm. The force she used was probably too much for an ordinary person to handle.

But Rean knew that this was the result of her recent hard work in training.

Yesterday, the walls didn't break, the plates didn't break, and the bed frame didn't break. She's already done her best.

And now, perhaps a little "massage" to the point of a split head is needed to help him recover.

Last night's dream wasn't a complete memory; some parts were blurry, and others flashed by, but the key points were quite clear.
"Uh, I feel like I'm not pure anymore either."

Lex was quite adept at everything, and at this moment he was particularly excited and his memory was exceptionally clear. The various ways he played opened Rean's eyes.

His memories of those battles were rather hazy, as if he could win with just a casual swing of his sword. Well, he really could win with just a casual swing of his sword all the way through.

That was a personality and fighting style completely different from his own.

My goal is to collect as many cards as possible and then adjust them based on the actual situation. The more cards I have, the stronger I become.

Lex, on the other hand, never cared how many cards he had, as long as he sat down at the poker table.
"He never even considered the possibility of losing. Where does this unfounded confidence come from?!"

Always brimming with confidence, always rationally and proactively seeking opportunities to win, he was 100% on the offensive and on the move. He was a truly perfect fighting beast, a monster who captured every opportunity.

More than 100%? Every move he makes is an active creation of opportunities. He always seems to instinctively hit the other person's sore spot, or forcefully create it if there isn't one.

This is a monster that can easily unleash ten times the fighting power with only one unit of strength.

It was only because he was also a swordsman that Rean realized how terrifying this talent was. Not to mention himself, even Lana, whom he had previously thought was a swordsmanship genius, was completely incomparable to Rex.

"It's like someone who doesn't seem strong on paper, but once you actually fight, you can feel that you're uncomfortable in every way, as if you're being completely suppressed. You have a feeling that you're bound to lose from the very beginning of the fight. Is this what 'single-mindedness' means?"

Rean only experienced that fleeting feeling, as if the entire world had disappeared, leaving only himself, his sword, and his opponent.

Looking at the Heroic Soul Card, his feelings became increasingly complicated. This guy was truly incredibly strong. Rean no longer doubted whether he was stronger than other Heroic Souls.

That unprecedented feeling of battle, even if it is not strong enough for the time being, will eventually lead it to the top of the continent.

To tell you something pretty absurd, Lex only took three hours to go from an ordinary person to a professional; he just swung his sword and that was it.

He went from a first-tier warrior to a seventh-tier hero in less than two years, and spent most of that time playing around. He probably only spent less than three months seriously cultivating.

When he practices swordsmanship, there is only the sword in the sky and on the ground.

When he was fighting, he could clearly sense even his enemy's breathing, heartbeat, and pulse. How could such a monster end up like this?
"Even mages pose no threat to him. He can always anticipate the opponent's spellcasting and counter accordingly. Regardless of his character, as a warrior, he is indeed top-tier, and he is also equipped with the Warrior's Set, which greatly increases his strength in desperate situations."

Rean had no doubt that he would deliberately create a desperate situation in the battle in order to gain a chance to turn the tide with a single, decisive blow.

Rean shook his head. He couldn't believe that even when faced with an opponent he couldn't defeat, this man would still retreat without hesitation after being beaten head-on.

Contrary to popular belief, he had no loyalty or respect for the royal family whatsoever.

When will His Majesty arrive?

It'll probably be noon soon.

Rean glanced at the Heroic Soul Card again. What's the point of you stubbornly refusing to be awakened? The "Princess" is almost here, and the other awakening condition has been met.

The progress bar stuck on a level will not be wasted. As mentioned before, it will be "converted" into the completion status of the hero's mission after the hero card is awakened, which is directly converted into satisfaction and synchronization rate.

So, not only will the reward be calculated in advance, but Rean will also be stronger when he is possessed by a heroic spirit?
"Should we go later? We should be able to get closer." Sallyman really didn't want to go, but some things just couldn't be helped.

Rean had a compelling reason to go.

"In order to survive, I must go."

Previously it was just a guess, but the "Princess in the Tower" in my dream last night, and the "Poetry" I happened to encounter at the Whisperer Museum, matched up.

That basically confirms it was a trap set for me. At the same time, I must have been someone who knew about the events of that year, and might even have known my identity.

Who is most likely to be it? Rean seems to be the obvious choice.

Since she's been targeted, she can't rely on the other party's mercy to survive. In the dream scene, the being that seemed to be the incarnation of the owl looked like a "madwoman" who had completely fallen into the abyss.

"The changes are too great; that adorable little Rosalind, and that madwoman from my dreams."

After breakfast, Rean went downstairs to practice his swordsmanship.

Partly to kill time, and partly because he felt it was unlikely he would get through the day peacefully, so he wanted to warm up his skills first.

Judging by the time, Rean arrived at the city gate to wait. Luckily, the convoy was heading towards the South Gate area, which wasn't too far.

From afar, Rean could also see the princess leading her knights, lined up in preparation to greet her.

The presence of the city lord, the archmages, and many other powerful figures reassured Rean somewhat.

However, even by the afternoon, there was still no sign of the convoy.
"what happened?"

"It seems there was a slight mishap along the way? But it's alright, the convoy will be a little late."

It seems the convoy was attacked and arrived a little later than expected. They were supposed to arrive late last night and enter the city in the morning light.

Some people left, while others continued to wait. Rean could only mingle in the crowd and wait patiently.

Finally, around three or four in the afternoon, the people who were supposed to come arrived.

The royal carriages at the head of the procession slowly entered, with the white lion banner fluttering in the air, signifying Her Majesty's arrival.

She opened the window and waved with a smile to the welcomers.

"She's lost weight, and she doesn't seem to be doing well." Suddenly, a strange feeling swept through Rean's heart.

Even at this moment, the Heroic Soul Card still did not meet the activation requirements.

This means the worst possible outcome, a reality that Rean had vaguely sensed yesterday.

"The princess in the activation conditions is indeed Rosalind."

Rean thought this was destined to be delayed, but he was willing to wait. Was anyone else willing to wait? The shadow in the darkness was almost going crazy waiting for this moment!
(End of this chapter)