Chapter 35: Valarr

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“What does it mean to be strong?”

“Hmm… that’s quite a broad question, Miss Sylvia. If you’re specifically referring to Order Power, it’s about affinity with the Source. The stronger a person’s affinity with the Source, the stronger their Order Power should be theoretically, I’m sure Carlos has already told you this, right?”

“Yes.”

Of course Carlos had told me about it, but that guy was rather lazy, and he didn’t seem particularly good at teaching either. He would only give me a rough explanation each time, and whenever I wanted to dig deeper into the subject, he would give vague responses to brush me off. When he finally got impatient, he would make excuses saying I would naturally understand everything once I got to the Royal Academy.

So until now, I still only had a partial understanding of these matters.

“Affinity with the Source is a talent, and talent can’t be enhanced through training. From this perspective, the masked person you mentioned can only be considered third-rate at best, but he was able to utilize this power excellently. This is where you fall short compared to him, which is why you found him troublesome, ultimately, it comes down to a difference in experience.”

“Hmm——”

I tapped my chin lightly with my index finger, tilting my head as I began to recall the details of my fight with the masked man.

It was exactly as the Duke had said.

Compared to the masked man’s cautiousness, I was the type who fought recklessly, throwing ice spikes and frost mist at the enemy’s face without much thought. I rarely considered timing and didn’t deliberately try to conserve Order Power.

The masked man, however, was different. He used his Wind Order precisely each time. Although his Source affinity could only be considered third-rate and he couldn’t create powerful offensive techniques through wind, he still managed to cause me considerable trouble.

Moreover, since I had to be mindful of the surrounding residents’ safety, I couldn’t fully unleash my Frost Order, which meant I lost my biggest advantage. That’s why the fight became so passive.

Otherwise, the battle would have ended in 2 seconds.

Thinking about it this way, the difference between the masked man and me became clear. His Source affinity was probably far inferior to mine, but he certainly put more thought into how he used his abilities.

If a third-rate fighter was already like this, what about the first-rate ones?

“What about first-rate?”

“First-rate… those are people who have reached the limit. They usually possess innate talent, and such people are rare. For Wind Order, I can only think of two people, one was the former Sword Saint Ryan, and the other, well, you’ll meet her when you reach Order City.”

Her? A woman?

“Who is she?”

“The Queen of Isenbell, Elizabeth II, who is also a Pontifical Knight.”

The Queen of Isenbell? That sounds familiar… I remember she was the person Elia admired most.

“Is she… very powerful?”

“Quite extraordinary.”

“Why are you two talking about all these useless things! What are we going to do about Pey… Miss Sylvia being attacked? Can we catch the person or not?”

Madam Catherine, seeing our conversation drifting further away, interrupted impatiently.

She was just an ordinary person who didn’t understand anything about Order Power or first-rate versus third-rate, and she had no interest in or desire to care about these things. She only cared about Peylo’s personal safety. After disappearing inexplicably three years ago and losing her memory, she had finally returned, only to be attacked on the first day. No matter how you looked at it, it must be connected to what happened back then.

If they could catch the assassin, perhaps they might learn something about the past events, this was what mattered most right now.

“Don’t worry, I think I already know who the assassin is.”

I saw a chilling glint flash through the Duke’s eyes.

“Who is it?”

Seeing the lady’s anxious expression, the Duke didn’t immediately answer, instead turning his gaze back to me.

“Wind Order, hmph. Miss Sylvia, do you remember the hunter called Valarr from the workshop earlier today?”

I tilted my head in thought, then slowly shook it.

“I don’t remember.”

Valarr? Who was that?

Had I met this person during the day? I had no impression at all…

“Valarr? Isn’t he the captain of the first squad?” The Duchess showed a surprised expression, her beautiful eyes widening, “You mean… that’s impossible, isn’t it? He’s been following you for so many years, you suspect it’s him?”

“Catherine, you don’t usually concern yourself with these matters, so there might be some situations you’re not familiar with. Valarr is a person with too much ambition, yet he’s stubborn and self-opinionated. I don’t like him very much, but considering our past relationship, I’ve kept him as the leader of the Shanter Military First Squad, responsible for guarding the important workshop warehouse. Over these years, he has been diligent in his duties, though he probably harbors some resentment towards me.”

So who exactly is this person?

Perhaps seeing my confused expression, the Duke smiled at me.

“When we were at Pagos’s place, didn’t I send a hunter away?”

That’s when it finally dawned on me.

It was that annoying guy who had kicked Lucas several times. I remember he tried to talk to me then, but I ignored him because I disapproved of his behavior.

“If it’s him, taking a weapon from the warehouse would be an easy task. This fellow is quite clever, even knowing not to use his own weapon… what a backstabbing wretch.”

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