The Duke nodded and said, "Yes, Miss Vivian."
"Not bad. How's the progress on the Giant Whale Breathing Technique?" Vivian asked casually.
"I've currently progressed to the third level," the Duke replied.
"Third level?" Vivian was somewhat surprised, carefully examining the Duke.
She seemed to remember something and said, "You seem to be the person who mastered the Breathing Technique the fastest. Reaching the Mid-level Knight Attendant in three months, it seems your aptitude is quite good."
Back then, when the Duke was the first to master the Breathing Technique, Vivian had a glimmer of hope for him.
However, the Duke wasn't able to advance the Breathing Technique to the second level within a month, which also meant he hardly had any hope of being promoted to an Official Knight.
But now, just three months later, the Duke had become a Mid-level Knight Attendant, indicating he still had some potential.
"Perhaps it's because I've been eating Magical Beast Meat recently, which sped up my training progress," the Duke said.
"I see. It seems your body's absorption capability is quite good, so the effect of Magical Beast Meat is better for you," Vivian pondered slightly.
In fact, the effect of Magical Beast Meat varies from person to person. It's not that everyone's Breathing Technique progress can improve significantly by eating it.
Vivian then added, "I didn't expect you to complete my commission task. You've only been in contact with the Breathing Technique for three months and managed to capture the Twilight Deer; it seems you are quite extraordinary."
She was well aware of how difficult it was to capture a Twilight Deer, especially alive.
The Duke's strength was average, yet being able to capture a Twilight Deer showed that he had outstanding qualities.
"It was just luck. By the way, Miss Vivian, why didn't you directly assign the task to us but instead had it posted at the Adventurer Association?" the Duke asked curiously.
The Nightingale had many capable individuals, and capturing a Twilight Deer alive should be quite simple. Going through the Adventurer Association seemed like unnecessary trouble.
Vivian said, "The Nightingale belongs to the Acosta Clan, not to me personally. I wanted the Twilight Deer for personal reasons, so I wouldn't let the Nightingale handle it for me."
The Duke hadn't expected Vivian to be so clear about the distinction between public and private affairs, which was rather uncommon in this era.
Particularly for nobles, using the Nightingale to capture a deer wouldn't even qualify as using their resources improperly; it could be considered a matter of course.
After a while, a servant brought over a small golden box, handing it to Vivian.
Vivian then handed the box over to the Duke. Upon receiving it with both hands, he felt the weight, and from the noise inside, it was apparent that it contained a pile of Gold Coins.
"This is your reward for this mission. Additionally, since you're one of our Nightingale, do you want a bit of an extra reward?" Vivian asked.
The Duke was taken aback. Naturally, he was hesitant to ask for any reward.
In his view, a hundred Gold Coins fully compensated the effort put into the task, perhaps even more than deserved.
"Here's the thing, I'll teach you a combat skill. Whether you can master it or not depends on you," Vivian said.
"Combat skill..." The Duke's spirit was uplifted. He didn't expect to receive training in combat skills.
Combat skills are powerful abilities only usable by those who have mastered the Breathing Technique, essentially a higher-level utilization method of Fighting Spirit.
The Duke's use of Fighting Spirit was still in the preliminary stages, which involved using it to strengthen the body, enhancing strength, speed, and so on.
This was a relatively rudimentary but certainly practical application, sufficient for most people.
But the world never lacked geniuses who used Fighting Spirit across more domains, developing various new applications.
However, such combat skills are usually confidential secrets of each faction, something they cherish and typically don't pass on to others.
Vivian teaching the Duke a combat skill implies she truly started valuing him, thus nurturing him in this way.
"This combat skill is called the Dragon Spine Burning Wave Sword Technique. It's my personal skill, so I can teach it to you. Without my permission, you cannot teach it to others, or I will reclaim it," Vivian said softly.
Vivian didn't mention how it would be reclaimed, but the Duke could imagine that it certainly wouldn't be done gently.
The Dragon Spine Burning Wave Sword Technique was Vivian's personal combat skill and not owned by the Acosta Clan, so it didn't require Earl Hardy's approval.
Seeing Vivian emphasize this point, the Duke thought of many things.
Earl Hardy had a total of seven children, and Vivian was the youngest, just sixteen years old.
The Hardy household was large and wealthy, and among so many children, some noble struggles were bound to be involved.
Vivian's actions indicated she was also cultivating her own core followers for this reason.
Even though all she cared about was knight training and had little interest in power struggles.
Being in the chess game, however, one cannot remain uninvolved merely by saying they're not interested.
"I understand!" The Duke placed his right hand over his heart, bowing ceremonially.
Vivian nodded gently and then said, "Mastering a combat skill is extremely difficult. Many never learn one in their lifetime; it requires significant talent. Teaching you this combat skill is also a test for you."
She then began to detail the content of the Dragon Spine Burning Wave Sword Technique, which comprises four levels: Initiation, Proficiency, Mastery, Perfection.
Each time the skill reaches a new level, there will be a qualitative change.
The very first stage is to learn the advanced method of using Fighting Spirit, to learn how to attach it to the sword.
This step is extremely difficult. Without sufficient talent, it is hard to learn and will weed out many who are not sharp enough.
Fighting Spirit can strengthen the body, and naturally, it can fortify weapons.
Even an ordinary iron sword, when infused with Fighting Spirit, can slice through iron like mud, greatly enhancing its attack power.
However, this method consumes a lot of Fighting Spirit, and even a high-level Knight Attendant cannot use it multiple times.
In fact, combat skills are predominantly designed for Official Knights. Knight Attendants lack sufficient Fighting Spirit, making many combat skills unsustainable and generally usable only as a killing strike.
Vivian placed the battle-axe aside and retrieved a longsword from a nearby weapon rack, unsheathing it and pointing its tip to the ground.
Immediately after, something shocking happened.
The longsword in Vivian's hand suddenly erupted in a surge of flames, completely enveloping the blade, turning it instantaneously into a Flame Sword.
The flames appeared extremely hot, and the Duke, standing several meters away, could feel a wave of heat.
In actual combat, this kind of Flame Sword would be unstoppable; perhaps only full-body armor could defend against it.
"Don't be surprised. If you can cultivate the Dragon Spine Burning Wave Sword Technique to perfection, you'll also be able to convert Fighting Spirit into flames to achieve such an effect," Vivian's cool voice emanated from the armor.