"Fuck, when nobles like you squabble among yourselves, is killing me supposed to lock in your victory or something?"
"Or do you see me as just a chicken, a warning to the monkeys? Or an ant, to be simply wiped out?"
"Shit! Being weak is a sin indeed!"
Hamilton glanced at the stony-faced Rein, although he didn't know who or what kind of power Rein had offended.
One thing he was curious about, however, was why Rein didn't go to his 'teacher' Perez for guidance.
Maybe it was because he was his superior?
"Rein, don't be in a hurry to retaliate when your own strength is still relatively weak. There will naturally be opportunities after you've grown stronger," he advised.
Rein nodded, his expression clearing slightly.
Shit, he too wanted revenge without delay, to just go out and slaughter whoever was behind this.
But alas, his strength did not permit it!
So, he could only inspire himself with the thought that 'a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years.'
"But ten years is too long."
"Seize the day, that's the spirit of us young people!"
With that in mind, Rein looked up and asked,
"Lord Hamilton, do you have any good methods for dealing with assassination attempts?"
Clearly, if the other person didn't succeed this time, based on what Rein understood about the nature of nobles, there would likely be a next time.
Hamilton furrowed his brow slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Besides increasing your own strength, strengthening your defenses might be a good way to deal with assassins."
"Right, I have a suit of board armor here that you might find useful."
Hamilton then stood up and gestured for Rein to follow as they went to the small compartment behind his office.
Aside from the rack of swords, there was also a large clothes rack against the wall in the compartment.
During Rein's last visit, he had been so drawn to the various longswords on the sword rack that he had completely ignored it.
Hamilton took down a waistcoat that appeared to be made of cotton and handed it to Rein.
As soon as Rein took it in hand, he was slightly surprised by the weight. He hefted it and found the cotton waistcoat to be quite heavy, weighing about twenty to thirty pounds, obviously concealing a secret.
Indeed, in the lining between the front and back of the garment, Rein could easily feel small, hard, two-finger-wide strips of metal.
Additionally, it seemed for weight reduction, no metal plates had been placed in the arms.
Upon turning the inside out, Rein fully understood the concept of 'board armor.'
This armor wasn't strictly board armor; its exterior was cotton, and inside were more than ten vertically aligned strips of metal.
These strips overlapped each other and were connected by horizontally arranged rivets inside the lining of the cotton garment.
So, from the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary cotton waistcoat, but in essence, it was completely different.
"With this board armor, defending against ordinary assassination attempts will be somewhat easier," Hamilton motioned for Rein to put it on.
Once Rein had donned the heavy 'board armor,' his sense of security increased substantially.
If he encountered an assassin like the last time, who aimed a dagger at his chest or abdomen, Rein felt almost confident to take the hit and then retaliate with a fierce move.
"Regarding the cost of this 'board armor,' Lord Hamilton, I only have eighteen Imperial Gold Coins on hand. I will make up the rest to you later," Rein said as he took a small cloth bag out of his bosom and handed it to Hamilton.
It was the assassin's money pouch.
Originally, it held eight gold coins and a number of silver coins. Combined with the ten Gold Coins Rein received from exterminating the fish-men, it amounted to roughly eighteen Gold Coins.
Hamilton waved his hand and said, "Rein, as a member of the Night Watchman and I as your superior, this is perhaps one of the few things I can do for you."
Rein left Hamilton's office once more, this time with a suite of board armor.
Of course, he also took back the pile of bottles and the black Dagger.
Moreover, based on what Mister Abel had previously recited, Rein used a goose feather pen to label the names of these poisons and antidotes, such as wound poison, lethal poison, and paralytic poison, and so on.
Rein realized that the biggest gain of the day was the batch of poison and antidote he had acquired.
Although poisoning may not be the most honorable tactic, it ultimately comes first in saving one's own life.
"Greatness is the epitaph of the noble; meanness is the passport of the mean."
Rein strongly agreed!
Rein knew very clearly that whether you are noble or despicable, the most important thing is to survive first.
So, it would be foolish to let nobility influence you when the enemy employs poison.
When he got back, he planned to further study the toxicity of the poisons, perhaps test their duration on small animals, for instance.
Then he would smear a bit on his Fine Steel Greatsword.
The blade is so long, would it require more poison?
Since these poisons were essentially picked up for nothing, what's the harm in wasting a little!
If they really worked well, he might consider keeping them in stock.
In his past life, he had heard of the 'Lime Martial Saint'; perhaps becoming the 'Poison Sword Saint' in this world wouldn't be too bad either.
At this point, Rein remembered he hadn't checked the system notifications that had come during the earlier fight.
Immediately, Rein concentrated and began to check:
[Your skill Giant Bear Sword Technique has improved, Experience +101]
[You have experienced a battle, Night Watchman Professional Experience Points +55]
The progress bar for the Giant Bear Sword Technique had jumped significantly, from lv3 (398/500) to lv3 (499/500), missing just 1 point to level up.
In addition, the Night Watchman's Profession Level also showed a significant increase, reaching lv2 (207/300).
After a moment's thought, Rein stepped into a secluded area of the woods and began to practice the Giant Bear Sword Technique with swift "swish swish" motions.
Shortly after, a smile appeared on Rein's face.
System notifications arrived:
[You have trained in the Giant Bear Sword Technique, and your comprehension has improved!]
[Your skill Giant Bear Sword Technique has improved, Experience +1]
Instantly, the Giant Bear Sword Technique advanced from lv3 (499/500) to lv4 (0/1000).
Pieces of fragmented Giant Bear Sword Technique training memories began to flood into Rein's mind. He quickly absorbed and mastered these memories, embedding them into his muscle memory.
At this point, Rein had gained a deeper understanding of the Giant Bear Sword Technique!
By the time Rein arrived home, it was already past the dinner hour.
But upon opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of his mother waiting at the dining table.
"How come you're so late? I heard today that you went out on a mission?" his mother said, taking the pies from Rein's hand.
"Yes, and it went quite well."
"Really?" His mother gave Rein a skeptical look, as she distinctly remembered him wearing different clothes, but now he had changed.
"What about these clothes?" his mother asked, pointing to Rein's attire.
"Hm?" Rein looked down and realized why his mother found something amiss.
"Oh, this is a 'brigandine' Lord Hamilton gave me."
"Actually, you can let go of your worries now."
Rein slapped the brigandine forcefully, producing a series of dull 'thumps'.
"Wow, there's such clothing?"
His mother touched the garment, her face revealing a surprise when she noticed the difference.
"So now, when I go out on missions, you won't have to worry all the time."
Rein took the opportunity to comfort his mother.
After a hasty dinner, Rein returned to his room to start tallying the gains from this trip.