Chapter 684: The Surname of the Light Sword

This chapter is an additional update sponsored by the Father of Guoge.

——

The Fortress of Thorns has begun construction on its second floor and is certain to be fully completed within the year.

After touring the Fortress of Thorns with Acheronides, night had already fallen. The chefs of Port Town prepared a lavish banquet, attended by nearly all the key officials of Black Horse Island and the elite Earth Knights.

The reason was simple.

Tonight’s banquet was Liszt’s formal introduction of Acheronides to everyone, ensuring the territory understood her status to avoid future misunderstandings.

No matter how the officials and knights speculated, the Lord had officially gained another sister.

Over the next three days, Acheronides worked with Mary and other vampires to research magic for storing clothing while organizing a batch of magical experiments for Cris to study. Regarding matters of magic, Liszt had largely washed his hands of it, entrusting them to Acheronides and Cris.

He also stopped tinkering with magic books—having been traumatized by the constant update demands. The Count nearly sent messenger knights daily to inquire about the completion of *Liszt’s Sky Notes*.

In the past, with no one pressing him, writing had been an intellectual pastime, a refined pursuit.

But once pressured, it became a burden, devoid of joy.

He much preferred practicing Dragon Resonance with Leo, soaring through the skies to observe the world from a dragon’s perspective—its kaleidoscope of colors and hidden patterns. Both man and dragon grew rapidly, their strength increasing by the minute. Leo could now even traverse the sea between Coral Island and Black Horse Island with ease.

In the past, as a young dragon, even a hundred kilometers of flight would exhaust him.

But now, crossing this expanse of sea came easily—though he still couldn’t manage distances exceeding five hundred kilometers without a place to rest and recover. Dragons were indeed miraculous and powerful, but their energy consumption was immense, especially for young dragons whose high magic continuously condensed into ultra-magic, constantly leaving them famished.

Once fully grown, with ultra-magic fully consolidated, their stamina would increase exponentially.

Beyond soaring the skies, Liszt and Leo spent much of their training studying the *Dragon Aura Manual*, aiming to develop a fighting style unique to dragon riders.

For now, the *Dragon Aura Manual* remained a puzzle. They were limited to practicing techniques such as *Crimson Sunflare Surge*, hoping that through continuous practice, they might decipher the mana flow within Leo’s body and design new moves accordingly.

Each day overflowed with activity. Newly empowered as a dragon rider, Liszt refused to waste a single second.

Just as Acheronides worked tirelessly to master her new power as an Archmage.

Even Parris had begun mastering her new body, stripped of the Light Dragon's magic, attempting to retrain. Liszt directly encouraged her to pursue both mana and magic, walking the path of a Lightblade Knight.

"Your magic must be light-based, and your mana must also be light-attuned. Though the Light Dragon’s power has been expelled, your body has already transformed—you can only refine light-attuned mana and absorb light-based magic. But this isn’t necessarily bad. It might even be advantageous."

"My Lord, can I regain my former strength?"

"Yes," Liszt affirmed. "Your potential has clearly increased. Your future looks even brighter. Perhaps you’ll become the first Lightblade Knight to achieve both the rank of Great Magician and Sky Knight. Once you surpass yourself, I’ll grant you a new surname."

Parris asked eagerly, "What surname?"

"Lightblade. Parris Lightblade."

Surnames based on swords were not uncommon—Alvin Eaglesword, Black Horse Island’s sole Iron Knight, bore one. But while Parris’s "Lightblade" might sound like a sword’s name, it actually denoted her profession—the entirely new path of the Lightblade Knight.

"Parris Lightblade..." The ex-mercenary's fingers tightened around her greatsword, her fighting spirit reigniting. "My Lord, I *will* earn the name ‘Lightblade’!"

"I believe in you."

Liszt smiled, a warmth like the first spring sun in his expression.

Parris momentarily lost herself in that smile. Perhaps it had been this very smile that once drew her soul from darkness’s grip.

...

Time passed in a flash.

Only one day remained until the celebratory banquet for the Count's promotion to Marquis.

The messenger knights from Tulip Castle arrived early at Flower Town to inform Liszt: "My Lord Viscount, the Lord requests your presence in Flower Town today. Many guests have already arrived at Tulip Castle, including your uncle's family."

"Understood."

If it were any other guests, Liszt wouldn’t have bothered—be they high lords or petty nobles, in a few years, they would belong to different nations, rendering social ties meaningless. He was, by nature, someone who disliked social engagements. Though he could act more nobly than any aristocrat, deep down, he still longed to escape the clamor.

But with Mexiro’s family arriving, it’d be unseemly to stay away.

He soon set off for Flower Town, intending to catch up with his uncle’s family. By the time he arrived at Tulip Castle, the bustling castle grounds erupted in fervor. All the nobles rose to greet him, gathering at the castle gates to catch a glimpse of the second mightiest in the Duchy.

"Father."

Liszt, no stranger to pomp, betrayed no unease.

First, he paid respects to Marquis Niuwei, then spotted his uncle, Mexiro of the Longyam [family], and greeted him with another bow: "Uncle, Aunt, Meopo, Angela, welcome to Tulip Castle." He maintained the noble etiquette of the Tulip family, signifying his unbroken ties to the main house.

Some might find it strange—some minor nobles would split from their families upon obtaining a single spirit bug—yet Liszt, a name celebrated throughout Sapphire, remained undivided.

No one raised objections, however.

"Liszt, your presence is even more impressive than when you were in the Kingdom of the Eagle," Mexiro laughed heartily, clapping Liszt on the shoulder with evident pride—his nephew was a credit to him. Having such a relative bolstered the Longyam family’s standing.

His cousin Meopo was even more excited: "It hasn’t been that long since we last met, and you’ve already become Sapphire’s Pride. It’s truly enviable."

Princess Angela chimed in, "For Sapphire to have a knight as powerful as you is the nation’s glory."

Liszt responded with a smile.

Then, under Marquis Niuwei’s introductions, he exchanged greetings with other nobles, familiar or not. He was neither overly arrogant nor excessively humble, exuding polite detachment—even as a Dragon Knight, inherently above them, he still upheld his belief in equality.

He saw no real distinction between nobles and commoners.

He didn’t believe noble blood was by rank above them or that commoners were born inferior. Given enough meat, commoners could produce genius knights—his youngest follower, Emily, was a prodigy born from humble origins. To him, they were little more than ants.

Once the greetings concluded,

amid a sea of flattery, Marquis Niuwei finally urged everyone back into the castle’s hall. Liszt, disliking crowded gatherings, steered Meopo toward the Marquis’s study for a private chat.

"Cousin, did you receive the formula I sent you?"

"Yes, and I’ve already asked a great magician to prepare it according to the instructions. The potion should be ready by the time I return." Meopo hesitated before adding, "But... can this potion truly invigorate the spirit bug?"

"It shouldn’t be fake. Cyril wouldn’t dare deceive me. Since he offered the formula, it must be effective."

"I hope so. The pressure’s been crushing lately."

"Don’t stress. Relax. The more tense you are about conceiving, the harder it becomes. Take the potion and stick to the regimen I sent, and it won’t be long before you succeed." After a few words of comfort, Liszt asked, "How is Grandfather’s health?"

"So-so. He has good days and bad. But Grandfather’s in good spirits—he calls each day a gift. He misses you, Levis, and Lvera dearly."

"I miss him too. I’ve been meaning to visit, but things kept getting in the way. Once Father’s celebration is over, I’ll accompany you to Red Crab Island."

"Good. Grandfather will be overjoyed to see you."

[End of excerpt]