"My body is still too weak... A few months of training is far from sufficient." Napoleon immediately felt pain throughout his entire body the moment he stopped.
Fortunately, the internal energy from the Ravencrest Battle Energy Method circulated continuously, spreading like a spider's web with countless threads reaching every aching part of his body.
As the internal energy flowed in to nourish these areas, the previously painful spots began to tingle with a faint itching sensation.
"The effect is truly remarkable. This tingling should be the sensation of wounds healing and flesh regenerating."
Napoleon surmised in his mind.
After glancing at the corpses on the ground, he followed the gap through which Grimskull Magnus had entered.
On the other side of the gap lay another family's rear courtyard.
Entering the courtyard, Napoleon surveyed the footprints on the ground and followed them toward this family's house.
The moment he entered, his expression froze at the scene before him.
What met his eyes was Isabelle hanging from the roof beam, wearing only a thin white undergarment.
The girl had been rendered unconscious, most of her underclothes stripped away, revealing her snow-white tender buttocks. Her legs had been spread apart and bound, positioned in a shameful pose with her thighs wide open.
Had it not been for a small piece of fabric providing minimal coverage, her most private areas would have been completely exposed.
Her upper body was largely bare as well, with only tiny fabric scraps covering the tips of her breasts.
From the looks of it, had Napoleon arrived even a moment later, Grimskull Magnus would have certainly finished his vile deed.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
Napoleon hurried forward, removing his outer cloak to wrap around Isabelle's entire body before lowering her down.
This matter could not be known by anyone else, or Isabelle's reputation would be completely ruined.
Napoleon decided to conceal the fact that Isabelle had been captured.
In this era, if people knew a young lady had encountered such circumstances, who could guarantee that Isabelle hadn't been violated?
A maiden's purity was of utmost importance in these times.
Girls who lost their chastity before marriage could be stoned to death in some devout Holy Light families.
Holding Isabelle, Napoleon gently patted the girl's face several times.
If he could freely control his internal energy, he might have been able to channel it into another person's body to help heal them, as he had heard of such techniques.
Unfortunately, his Ravencrest Battle Energy could not be moved at will.
After repeatedly slapping her several times, Isabelle gradually regained weak consciousness.
Her eyes were hazy, still somewhat bewildered upon awakening.
Only when she felt the cold air on her entire body did she suddenly remember being defeated by those villains and bound up.
The strange condition of her body made her tremble all over. After realizing the situation, she stared at Napoleon, her eyes immediately reddening...
Tears filled her eyes, ready to flow at any moment.
"Quickly get dressed! The family will arrive shortly."
Napoleon urged her. Captain Garrett and the others should find this place very soon.
From when he entered until his battle with the Grimskull Brothers, only a very short time had actually passed. This timing provided sufficient buffer for Isabelle.
Isabelle's expression froze as she quickly understood the implications. She wasn't stupid—she knew what her elder brother meant by this.
Hearing there was still hope for salvaging the situation, she quickly struggled to support her weakened body, gathering her torn clothes scattered throughout the room. However, some garments were too damaged to be worn properly.
While dressing, her body was exposed, but she couldn't worry about modesty at this moment.
Napoleon tactfully turned away.
He only turned back after Isabelle had finished dressing.
Seeing her brother's consideration, Isabelle breathed a long sigh of relief. Though her face remained somewhat flushed, she felt much better than before.
"Brother, what happened to those villains?!"
Hatred appeared on her face.
"I killed them."
Napoleon replied calmly.
"What about Little Pine? I didn't see him."
"I'm not sure... I didn't see Little Pine come here."
After answering, Isabelle suddenly realized something and froze.
So many people, several experts, had actually been killed by her brother alone?
She found it hard to believe.
In her impression, Napoleon had always been the image of an elegant gentleman. Though he had recently begun martial training, those men's skills were so advanced that even if her master came personally, success wasn't guaranteed...
How could her brother alone possibly...?
"We'll look for Little Pine later. Are you ready? When they ask, we'll say I arrived and we fought those men together. Understood? When I arrived, you were engaged in combat with their disciples."
Napoleon prepared to coordinate their story.
"Yes!"
Understanding the serious consequences, Isabelle asked no further questions and nodded earnestly in agreement.
Yet thinking that her brother had probably seen her entire body, she felt a strange sense of shame.
She felt that even standing before her brother now was like being naked.
At this thought, her cheeks reddened again, and she quickly lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.
Napoleon made some minor adjustments to traces in the room, collecting the ropes that had been used to bind her.
When he had cleaned up about half the evidence, Captain Garrett and the others finally arrived.
A group of urgent footsteps poured into the adjacent courtyard.
Then came a chorus of exclamations.
"It's Bloodaxe and Grimskull Brothers!" an older guard shouted loudly.
Everyone became agitated, then fell silent for a while.
Captain Garrett's voice rang out again.
"Search for the Young Master and Second Miss."
"We're all right!"
Napoleon led Isabelle back to the previous courtyard.
Captain Garrett wore black martial attire, carrying twin blades in his hands, standing in the center of the courtyard.
The other guards and attendants were scattered about, searching and examining the corpses and traces in the small courtyard.
"Master Napoleon! Thank goodness you're safe!" Captain Garrett's eyes relaxed, and the fierce aura surrounding him quickly softened.
"This is not the place for discussion. We should return first before speaking."
After speaking, he glanced at Isabelle behind them. His expression grew thoughtful—their deception might fool ordinary people, but it couldn't deceive an old veteran like him.
Napoleon nodded, knowing the estate had already reported to the authorities. The two led Isabelle and the attendants outside, where they flagged down a carriage.
The three rode in the carriage while the others traveled on horseback or on foot, swiftly returning along the original route.
Several people were left at the courtyard to handle negotiations with the municipal authorities.
They returned to the estate all the way.
Then tightly closed the main gates.
Lord Marcus and Stepmother Margaret, along with other family members, were already waiting in the main hall.
After Isabelle changed clothes, she was brought to the main hall.
Napoleon didn't go. He explained the entire situation to Captain Garrett, except he changed the version about Isabelle—claiming that when he arrived, Isabelle was still entangled in deadly combat with the enemies' disciples.
Afterward, he excused himself due to injuries and went to rest.
The estate's physician also came to examine his injuries.
Multiple muscle strains, minor bone fractures, some internal bleeding, shoulder bone displacement, and other issues.
Napoleon found these formal inquiry sessions most tiresome—with everyone taking turns to speak, a simple matter would take half a day to explain.
After washing up, Petite tearfully helped him remove his outer garments and get to bed for rest.
Once the physician left, Napoleon felt that in this short time, his injuries had recovered considerably. He felt energetic and vigorous, with abundant qi and blood—showing no signs of having been in a major battle.
After reaching the peak of Ravencrest Battle Energy Method, this healing ability was truly formidable.
Lying on his bed, Napoleon touched his belly, having just finished a bowl of ginseng chicken soup. His entire body felt warm and comfortable.
"This was quite a false alarm.
Who would have thought that what Second Sister stirred up wasn't demons or monsters, but two murderers and wanted criminals from years past."
He had been anxious precisely because he had previously encountered something amiss on that street.
So he had acted with extraordinary caution.
The result was unexpected—it wasn't supernatural, but human evil.
He lay in bed carefully recalling his combat process today.
"From start to finish, my attacks could have been more efficient. If I could flexibly utilize that numbing sensation produced by the Black Tiger Blade's tiger roar, I might have avoided that direct clash with those two."
His brows furrowed as he began self-reflection.
"When facing opponents stronger than me, it's indeed troublesome. As a swordsman, strength shouldn't be my weakness. Perhaps I should find some external martial arts that increase physical power to practice."
He had never tried those hard-style external martial arts, unsure what effects they might have after modification by the Gold Finger.
......
Bonaparte Estate Main Hall.
Lord Marcus sat in the main seat, his expression dark as he stared at Isabelle below.
Beside him sat Stepmother Margaret and other family members.
The entire extended family had gathered for this formal inquiry.
Isabelle and Captain Garrett stood below, along with several attendants.
"...That's roughly the situation." Captain Garrett refined the version Napoleon had given him and recounted it to everyone.
"I've already spoken with the authorities about this case. This achievement belongs to Master Napoleon—no one can take it away." Captain Garrett smiled when mentioning this.
"Master Napoleon enjoys martial arts, but who would have expected him to consecutively kill Bloodaxe and Grimskull? This shows his abilities are quite remarkable. This is exceptional talent—a late bloomer indeed!"
"I'm very satisfied and relieved about Napoleon."
Lord Marcus's expression softened slightly. His original anger was much soothed by having such an accomplished son.
Now looking at Isabelle again.
"Isabelle, look at your brother, then look at yourself.
Besides causing trouble for the family and your brother, can you do anything constructive for the household?"
Lord Marcus spoke sternly.
"I sent you away to learn martial arts, not to return and cause chaos!"
"Father... your daughter knows her mistake." Isabelle felt regret in her heart. Had it not been for her brother's timely arrival, her entire life might have been ruined.
"You know your mistake? Don't you always say that? What happens then? It's the same every time!"
Lord Marcus grew increasingly angry.
"After you recover from your injuries this time, I'll find you a husband. Getting married and bearing a son should finally settle you down."
"No!"
Upon hearing about marriage, Isabelle reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, nearly jumping up.
"I don't want to marry! No! Father, your daughter was wrong. I'll definitely help the family properly from now on and won't cause trouble! Please trust me!
Really! This time it's absolutely true!"
Lord Marcus ignored her, turning instead to the physician who had just entered.
"How are Napoleon's injuries?"
This physician was actually a distant relative of the Bonaparte family, just with different duties. After the Bonaparte fortune grew, they had all been brought together.
"Not too serious, just some external injuries. Ten days to half a month of recovery should heal them completely."
The physician quickly replied.
"That's good. When the time comes, we'll ask him again if he still wants to go to the military academy at Kaer Trolde."
Thinking of this, Lord Marcus felt somewhat troubled.