Without further delay, Aiven turned around and continued his assault into the city.
Allowing the Pirates to wreak havoc and plunder the city, even with the City Guard resisting, would result in unknown casualties and losses, something Aiven could not tolerate.
"Ah—"
"Spare me!"
"Flee quickly—"
Each pirate, who appeared fierce and evil, now fell before Aiven's sword like timid lambs.
Aside from leaders like Billy, ordinary pirates stood no chance against Aiven in close combat.
Even more fortunate, most Pirates had already exhausted their firearms' ammunition during the initial attack on the city and in the fierce battle, there was no opportunity to reload, including Black Bear Billy.
Even when reaching for their firearms, it was merely an attempt to bluff Aiven, who had already noticed this when confiscating Billy's gun.
As long as he wasn't targeted by collective fire, Aiven, having reached the height of mortal skill, was like an ancient fierce general mowing down foes fearlessly!
Thus, in the street battles against Pirates armed only with blades, when faced with less than three Pirates, it was almost unilateral slaughter, and it was at this moment that he experienced the raw power he possessed.
As time ticked by, more Pirates fell under Aiven's sword, and he also occasionally rescued City Guard soldiers who were losing ground.
Wherever cries for help or shouts of battle echoed, Aiven would charge to that spot.
Finally, after ruthlessly killing Pirates looting a jewelry store,
Boom—
Boom—
Gunfire rang out across the city, indicating reinforcements had finally arrived.
"Not too late, after all."
At this point, as long as the Pirate Captain wasn't foolish enough to fight to the death, the retreat signal should soon be issued.
Aiven checked the time, realizing that his interference had prevented the Pirate Gang from quickly annihilating the City Guard following the initial wall collapse, thus delaying the city's downfall significantly.
Although the Pirates' siege had begun much earlier, only twelve minutes had passed since the breach. Given the current military's quality to assemble and provide reinforcements so swiftly, it was already quite remarkable.
Whistle—
As expected, soon a sharp whistle sounded from outside the city, prompting Pirates to rapidly retreat upon hearing it, regardless of loot.
Not taking further actions to intercept the Pirates, Aiven took the opportunity to check his own potion shop and Sangji's house, ensuring no signs of Pirate invasion. Once stability returned, he relaxed and went directly home.
However, upon returning home, cleaning and freshening up, barely settled in,
Gleam burst in, disheveled, and upon seeing Aiven at home, gleefully grabbed him to head out.
"Aiven, come quickly! Lord Nabri wants to see you. It's good news! Let's go!"
"Lord Nabri?" Unable to refuse, Aiven was pulled out of his house by Gleam.
Of course, Aiven knew who Lord Nabri was, a renowned City Guard commander and a famous swordsmanship expert in Leopold. He felt he had little to do with this Lord and wondered why, amidst the post-battle wrap-up busiest time, he was being specifically called.
On the way, Gleam recounted his experiences after they separated.
Indeed, cunning as a fox, Gleam watched Pirates storm into the city but, instead of brandishing his hunting knife against them, he immediately reported battlefield intel to greet the reinforcements.
As an informal hunter scout, his actions might not sound honorable, but were beyond reproach.
No wonder Aiven hadn't seen him while chasing Pirates; only now did he realize Gleam had joined the reinforcements before daring to return to the battlefield.
When the combat subsided and the Pirates retreated,
Lord Nabri, upon hearing reports from the first group of wall-defending soldiers, learned of Aiven's formidable strength with a bow and was eager to meet this Divine Archer.
Given the enormous contribution during the Pirate invasion, courtesy dictated the stationed commander should express appreciation.
Soon, at a small post near the collapsed wall housing the City Guards, Aiven met Lord Nabri.
This Lord of Leopold, known for his swordsmanship, dressed not in military uniform but wore a luxurious longsword at his waist, resembling a comfortable noble rather than a kingdom officer.
After a brief exchange of greetings,
The Lord invited Aiven to sit on the encircled sofa, observing Aiven's clean and handsome visage, upright posture, and calloused hands clearly accustomed to wielding swords, asked with interest:
"A noble?"
Aiven responded with a polite smile, neither confirming nor denying.
Noticing Aiven lacked any identifying house emblems, Nabri nodded, assuming he understood something. He refrained from further probing but noticeably warmed his attitude.
Unknown to Aiven, within a brief moment,
Lord Nabri had pegged him as a scion of a fallen noble family, possessing heritage, insight, and ambition to restore family name, yet missing the opportunity.
Similar to Nabri's younger self.
Such instances were common, especially as emerging commercial nobles rose, many traditional nobles faced bankruptcy and had to leave home. Beyond titles, all they retained was "noble demeanor," and Aiven had been categorized accordingly.
For one's identity could be faked, but intrinsic demeanor and speech were beyond disguise.
The Tulip Alliance's top nobles, including the Royal Family, had intermarried over centuries, granting many leading figures multiple recognized titles.
There was little barrier between nobles of different nations, as long as noble decorum was sustained, they swiftly integrated into local circles.
For Aiven, who couldn't maintain basic noble decorum, yet exhibited courage during city crises, Nabri saw traits of a traditional noble.
Thus, instead of disdain, he felt a small fondness for talent.
As a traditional noble with extensive knowledge eager to mentor juniors, and one possessing advanced insight seeking understanding of kingdom's elite info, unexpectedly, they found plenty in common, and conversations were lively.
"Sir..." At that moment, Nabri's deputy entered, glancing oddly at Aiven, whispering in the Lord's ear.
Apparently, post-battle cleanup was already finished.
Personnel and property loss totals would only be tallied tomorrow, but collected Pirate corpses had been accounted.
The soldiers, during corpse counts, unexpectedly discovered Boatswain Black Bear Billy from the Blood Anchor!
A renowned figure on the Navy's bounty list. The Lord was certain, apart from himself, nobody among the City Guard could rival Billy.
Moreover, Nabri had already obtained intelligence that the Blood Anchor's captain stayed onboard, with Black Bear Billy being the assault leader and main culprit!
With the Pirate siege leader slain, what seemed bad for Leopold could turn auspicious, especially for him as the principal responder, hugely significant.
For the first time, Lord Nabri facing Aiven straightened up, abandoning the relaxed posture an upper-ranked officer might display before a lower-ranked individual.
Aiven's encounter with Black Bear Billy was witnessed by soldiers during their initial clash with Pirates.
Thus, deducing the killer's identity wasn't hard, and the fatal sword strike demonstrated remarkable swordsmanship, exceeding Billy's.
Duly astonishing!
That wasn't all.
Just then, the deputy reported, combining sword wounds with arrow kills inflicted by him alone, Aiven had nearly taken down a third of the Pirates, akin to half a City Guard's merit.
No longer treating this refined, courteous, young man with ordinary lenses, Nabri hesitated to voice recruitment amid heated talk.
Several times wanting to speak but stopping short, ending with wide-eyed fascination at Aiven, finally managing only:
"Your swordsmanship is impressive! I hope for a chance to spar in the future."
Aiven replied with a smile: "There will be a chance, Sir!"