Star Forge Titan

Although that is also very useful in a sense, since I am relatively free now, can I consider formally learning swordsmanship?

As for Lind, according to the information in his memory, the easiest and relatively practical sword technique at the moment seems to be... the Iron-Headed Rough Man Sword?

Ivan's thoughts wandered to a strange place. Of course, that name was not a formal name. It was a nickname or misnomer given by players based on the characteristics of the sword technique. The official name of the sword technique he was about to learn should be Lind's Armored Sword.

The Linds were once renowned for their martial virtues; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to occupy the most fertile central region of the Palladia world for so many years. They even developed a custom of passing down armor from generation to generation. Even the most ordinary knight family would pass down a complete set of armor.

The Lind armored sword is a sword style based on this tradition.

The characteristics of this swordsmanship are very simple and straightforward, that is, to use armor to resist the opponent's attack, and then take this opportunity to cause maximum damage to the enemy. It is a swordsmanship that leaves defense to armor and launches attacks with all its strength.

Hence, the incredibly brutal nickname "Iron-Headed Rough Man Sword." But this doesn't mean that Lind's armored sword is a mindless swordsmanship. Besides using weapons to inflict maximum damage to the enemy, knowing how to use armor to protect oneself and defend against enemy attacks is also crucial to armored swordsmanship.

It can even be said that learning to take a beating first is the true foundation of this swordsmanship.

As for why Alvin planned to learn this swordsmanship, it was of course to prepare for his promotion to the Ash Knight.

He possesses additional talents that can greatly enhance his defense, such as [God-given Armor - Invisible Scales], [Steel Blessing - Immortal Iron Bones], [Bone Armor], and [Iron Muscles], plus the job skills he will inevitably obtain after completing the promotion - Ash Armor, and the professional talent [Immortal Body·Magic Blood] that can convert magic power and vitality into each other.

By then, his defensive advantage will become even more exaggerated.

Therefore, this kind of swordsmanship is simply the most suitable swordsmanship for Alvin at this stage and even in the future.

As for how to get the tome related to the armored sword...

Glancing at His Majesty Conrad, who still had a chin, Alvin felt that this should not be a problem.

Diana glanced at the two sloppy men and didn't bother to remind them that Swan Castle would not allow people who were not dressed properly to enter. She drove the car directly to the back door of Swan Castle.

Although this place is usually only visited by servants, there are still a large number of royal guards on duty here. The magical fluctuations emanating from the leader show that he is an extraordinary person in the field of combat.

Although it is natural for extraordinary people to exist in the royal guard, the appearance of a third-level Rock Guard here is obviously not normal.

The sturdy young man with chestnut hair is named Galar. As the son of a powerful earl and a third-level transcendent, although he is young, he has been the captain of Conrad's guard for many years. After all, the two have been playing together since childhood.

The young guard was extremely anxious at the moment, because according to the agreement, the emperor who had escaped and was fishing should have contacted him fifteen minutes ago.

Even though Conrad was a lazy bum and a playboy who often sneaked out to have fun, at least he had never made any mistakes in this regard in the past. Even if he was having a lot of fun, he would hide in the bathroom at a fixed time to contact me and make sure that the truth of his sneaking out was not exposed.

But today...

Just when Galar could no longer suppress his anxiety and wanted to go back to find "His Majesty" sitting on the emperor's throne to report this unusual situation, a voice came from afar that made him so angry that he almost bit his white teeth.

Chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp

Two short and one long bird calls came from the bushes close to the iron fence.

Galar's thick eyebrows twitched constantly. He finally thought of an excuse to send the other guards away, and then he parted the bushes to look outside the fence.

Sure enough, a disgusting blond guy was waiting there, clinging to the fence. His face was squeezed between the two bars and was distorted, looking extremely ridiculous.

"Gallard, open the door, let me in!" Conrad lowered his voice and said nervously through the fence:

Looking at Conrad, who was wrapped only in a shower curtain, the honest-looking Galar had an expression that said, "I knew you'd do something like this one day!"

"...How did you end up like this? Wait! Did you finally give up and seduce a married man, only to be caught red-handed by his husband?!?"

"Of course not! There's no time to explain, just get me in." Conrad slapped his forehead and almost wanted to cry out.

At this time, Galar noticed a rental magic car parked not far away, with two young men on it looking at this side with amusement on their faces.

"Could it be that you owe someone money for the car and can't pay it back?" Galar pinched his eyebrows and felt a sharp pain in his head.

"Well, in a sense, it's more troublesome than owing car money." Conrad paused and looked to the side with a guilty look.

"..." Galar didn't say anything more. He just stretched out his hand and deformed the iron fence, revealing a gap that someone could get in.

This behavior should have set off a magical alarm, but it could not prevent the well-prepared "house thief", who in a sense was the biggest "house thief" in this country.

Conrad walked through the iron fence and waved to Ivan and Diana who were still waiting for the fare outside, and suddenly his expression became extremely serious.

"Those two are my friends. Find a way to bring them in later. I'll go find Catherine to take over the shift. And..."

"Gather all your royal guards, I need to go out again!"

Realizing that this unreliable boss and childhood playmate was serious this time, Galar's face turned serious.

"Are you planning to... bring the Royal Guards back to get revenge?"

"No, believe me! Even I wouldn't do such a thing, okay! I still have some moral integrity!" Conrad held his head and wailed.

At this moment, the sound of conversation between His Excellency Armand Richelieu, Chief Cardinal and Chief Finance Minister, and other Cardinals was suddenly heard not far away.

"As you can see, there's a serious waste problem in the kitchen of Swan Castle alone. This shows how much aristocratic families value..."

"Oh, I forgot. The main gate is under construction today, so you distinguished gentlemen can only exit through the side or back doors." Galar slapped his head and said belatedly:

At the same time, the conversation among the cardinals suddenly stopped. They looked at the slovenly and disheveled Conrad in the distance, wearing only a shower curtain around his crotch. If they remembered correctly, they had just bid farewell to another dignified and solemn 'Conrad' a few minutes ago.

Emperor, there are... two?

When the ministers turned their uncertain eyes to the suddenly appeared King Conrad again, they found that he had pulled down the shower curtain to cover his entire head, and at the same time, he ran wildly to the other end of the corridor with his hairy legs, leaving behind a series of excited screams from maids and court ladies along the way.

"catch him!"

Chapter 121 Please Take First Place

“What a farce.”

In the restaurant, Catherine sat at the long wooden dining table with one hand supporting her forehead. With the other hand, she held a thin silver fork with a dolphin pattern carved on the end. She was poking the fish fillet on the white porcelain plate with an annoyed look on her face. She poked with so much force that she almost turned the whole piece of fish into minced meat.

The frustration and helplessness in her heart caused the two diamond-shaped golden braids on the Duchess of Loire's head to droop slightly.

Sitting opposite her were Ivan and Diana, who were being entertained by her.

Although it was not yet the palace's designated mealtime, the chef quickly prepared a simple meal to entertain the two sudden guests, and also provided one of them with appropriately dressed clothing.

Although Diana had a blank expression on her face, she rubbed her hands slightly as she looked at the 'simple meal' in front of her, and she was obviously a little overwhelmed.

As an ordinary (probably) girl born in the downtown area, she had never experienced such a situation. Even if she had another car chase with the cultists, she would not feel as nervous as the current environment.

The base color of the wall is pure white, but there is almost no truly blank area on it. A large number of murals and decorative paintings created by Linde's art masters in the past hundred years fill the entire castle. The same is true for the wide dome structure inside the house, which is painted with a huge picture of God. It is a magnificent scene of God Jupiter holding thunder and fighting fiercely with evil demons in the dark night sky.

In addition, wooden furniture with a light golden hue is even more luxurious than decorating it with real gold.

Although it was just a so-called "light meal," a simple meal prepared in half an hour by the palace chef using pre-prepared semi-finished products, the full meal still included an appetizer, main course, side dishes, dessert, and even an extra serving of cheese, coffee, and a wine to pair with the main course, as well as a digestif.

The table was filled with a variety of large plates with only a piece of food in the middle. There was originally a waiter standing nearby holding a bottle of wine with gloves on, but Catherine waved him away. She needed a relatively private space for conversation.

After all, the content of the subsequent conversation may lead to the serious consequence of the complete social death of a certain emperor.

Compared to Diana, who had a blank expression but was actually very embarrassed, Ivan seemed to be indifferent.

To be honest, as a former modern man, he actually had no feelings about the surrounding decorations. Instead, he felt that the aristocratic style popular in Linde was a bit too old-fashioned.

As for the food, isn't it all about taste? What's the problem? It's not like he's eating a table. Well, with his current physique, he should be able to digest an ordinary wooden table.

Seeing her companions start to eat without hesitation, Diana hesitated for a moment, then picked up the fork with a stern face and tentatively picked up a mussel stewed in white wine from the plate. In addition to the expensive white wine from the noble winery, this dish also added side dishes and seasonings such as butter, onions, bay leaves, parsley and thyme.

So, when Diana dug out the tiny clam meat and slowly put it into her mouth, a delicious feeling with a touch of aquatic sweetness quickly spread from the tip of her tongue, making the short-haired girl, who had a serious face, suddenly become more lively.

"It seems to suit your taste." Catherine couldn't help but smile when she saw this. Compared to the black-haired barbarian who was dressed like a Genoa Playboy when they first met and pushed the person into the aquarium when they met the second time, the short-haired girl in front of her made her feel much more friendly.

Moreover, although she had a stern face and looked aloof, the happy expression she showed when she ate the delicious food was much more genuine than those ladies and noble ladies who came up to her with bright fake smiles at the ball. This made Catherine, who had almost no playmates except her brother since childhood, unexpectedly want to get close to her.

"Thank you." Diana wiped her mouth with a napkin and said softly with a slightly red face:

After learning that the aristocratic girl with blonde hair in front of her was the famous Grand Duchess of Loire, she could no longer be as relaxed as she had been when racing with her in the past. The luxurious decorations and environment around her made Diana, who came from an ordinary family, feel even more nervous.

On the other side, Alvin, who heard the conversation between the two, stuffed the last piece of nomadic steak made of raw beef into his mouth, with an interested smile on his face.

This dish is a Lind specialty that Catherine suggested the chef to prepare. It originally came from the nomadic people in the distant frontier, so it exudes a wild atmosphere. Originally, she wanted to use it to intimidate this guy, but she didn't expect that although Alvin had no habit of eating raw food, he felt that since he was in this other world, he should try the food from all over the world.

As the saying goes, you have to eat both nutritious and poisonous food. Anyway, with his current physical condition, he would not get an upset stomach unless he ate Nurglings (a kind of little demon belonging to Nurulph). Naturally, he would try this Lind specialty food.

I tried it, and the taste was surprisingly good.

In addition to the exotic food, Diana's performance also made Ivan feel novel and interesting, but he could fully understand why the girl seemed so embarrassed.

After all, the 'Valkyrie' of this time period was, after all, just a commoner girl from the lower city. She was very different from the bold and decisive battlefield White Knight and Lind Valkyrie in his memory.

"So, Your Excellency, is there any reason why you are hosting us like this?"

After eating and drinking, Ivan stared calmly into Catherine's narrowed emerald green eyes and asked in a very straightforward manner:

"Hmph, it's extremely rude to stare at a lady like that." Catherine raised her eyebrows, but the smile on her face didn't change.

But soon, looking at the perfect expression on that handsome face, the already irritated Grand Duchess suddenly felt even more unhappy.

What she hates most is the feeling of having the initiative taken by others!

The two men stared at each other, the atmosphere between them growing increasingly tense, and the phantoms of a roaring tiger and a spear-wielding savage seemed to appear behind them.

Diana, who was standing by, had just picked up the white wine to go with the meal, but because she felt the momentum, she brought the glass to her lips and didn't know whether to put it down or continue drinking. As a result, she choked and her face turned red.

"Aha, sorry for the long wait, both of you."

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant was opened from the outside. After going through all kinds of troubles, Conrad, who finally put on his clothes, walked into the house refreshed.

The young emperor, as if he felt nothing, sat down at the table with his head held high. With movements more skillful than a harbor sailor, he picked up a bottle of wine with one hand, bit the cork with his teeth, and pulled it out with a "bang".

Then, he blew several big mouthfuls of air into the bottle without any noble etiquette, causing the guard captain Galar, who was watching this scene from behind, to hold his forehead with an embarrassed expression of "I don't know this guy".

"Huh, it turns out that chilled wine is the most cheerful." Conrad let out a long sigh, his face flushed as he looked at Catherine with a dangerous expression.

"So, my dear sister, have you told the two of you about that?"

Hearing this, Catherine crossed her arms and gave her brother a cold look.

"Hmph, let you talk to them about that yourself."

"Well, it's not a big deal." Conrad shrugged and turned to look at Ivan and Diana who had put down their knives and forks.

"I hope you can achieve a good ranking in this Youth Magic Car Competition."

"Oh?" Ivan smiled slightly.

“How good does it need to be?”

"Well." Conrad paused and smiled brightly.

"First place is fine."

Chapter 122: Hidden Secrets of the Car Race

"Oh why?"

Ivan leaned back, even with a hint of a smile on his face, as if he didn't care at all that the two distinguished gentlemen sitting in front of him were a duke and an emperor.

"How should I put it? It's a bit complicated to explain specifically." Conrad stopped mid-sentence when he felt his sister's stern gaze coming from the seat beside him. His expression froze.

He sighed helplessly. Although he did not put down the bottle, he obediently took the goblet handed to him by the guard Galar, and then poured the wine into the glass goblet and drank it like a normal noble.

After downing a glass of iced wine, Conrad let out a loud "Ha!" like a fat otaku guzzling down a fat otaku's happy water, then put down the glass and continued:

“But it’s also very simple to put it simply.”

"You may not know that this magic car race is ostensibly to select the fastest magic car. But it will also determine the general specifications of Lind's future magic industry. By the way, don't worry about confidentiality or silencing. Anyway, this news is no longer a secret among Lind's top management." Catherine's undisguised cough beside him made Conrad curl his lips and stop those words that could easily be misunderstood, and then returned to the main topic.

"As a member of the Carolingian royal family, I personally find this very troublesome, but I don't have any thoughts on it..."

Feeling his sister's increasingly stern gaze, Conrad immediately frowned, clenched his fist, and swung it forward vigorously, then raised his voice and spoke righteously:

"But we can't really give up such an important power!"

"So, I hope that you, without any other forces behind you, can do your best to win the championship."

As he was speaking, the emperor, who had a serious expression just now, spread out his hands and shrugged his shoulders, looking like a lazy fish lying on a flat pan.

"..." Hearing his words, Diana, who was used to keeping a stern face, couldn't help but widen her eyes, opened her mouth slightly, and her facial expression changed significantly, which was very rare for her.

But Alvin couldn't help laughing. If it weren't for the third lung added by the Elrond Mystery, he would have almost choked on Conrad's words after just drinking a breath of water.

"Your Majesty, are you kidding? When did the Carolingian royal family ever need two unknown people from the Lower City to help win the championship?"

As he spoke, the black-haired boy put down the water cup in his hand, his eyes revealing undisguised teasing.

"Ha, if this is a joke, I have to admit it's a good joke." Ivan patted his forehead with one hand and combed his drooping bangs back, while laughing loudly towards the sky with an unrestrained attitude.

"Or, are you trying to say that all the masters of the Royal Society are idle salary thieves? Or that the knights who swear allegiance to the white iris flag are collectively too fat to fit in the magic chariot?"

Not caring that he was in Neuschwanstein Castle, the core area of ​​the Carolingian royal family, Alvin uttered a stream of undisguised bitter sarcasm.

"How rude!" Galar showed anger on his face and subconsciously pressed down the long sword on his waist.