Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

An hour later, Alaric returned to the estate and immediately reported the situation to his parents.

“I’m planning to send an Elite Knight to keep watch at the store. What do you think, Dad?” There was no one else around so he didn’t bother to use honorifics.

The baron leaned on his seat and rubbed his chin while looking at him. “Who are you sending there this time? You just recalled Galanar so it would be unfair for him if you send him again.”

Alaric shook his head and replied. “I will be sending that person to the store.”

Hearing this, the baron thought of the man he had brought recently.

According to his subordinates, Alaric brought back an Elite Knight from his recent trip. He had forgotten about this since he had been busy the whole week. Now that Alaric had mentioned it, he finally remembered the matter.

“Can you bring him to me first? I’d like to speak with this man.” Lucas didn’t want to intervene in his son’s matters, but the situation this time was different so he wanted to be careful.

Alaric nodded. “I understand. I will bring him here.”

He immediately left the study room and sent someone to look for Fredrinn.

About twenty minutes later, Alaric returned to the study room with Fredrinn.

“Greetings, my lord, my lady.” Fredrinn cupped his fists at the baron and Maria.

Maria smiled at him, while Lucas nodded calmly.

“Please take your seat.” The baron pointed at the seat in front of his desk.

“Thank you.” Fredrinn was a bit nervous. He knew that Lucas was a powerful warrior, someone who had etched his name on the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard.

As if sensing his anxiety, the baron smiled faintly. “You don’t need to be nervous. I just want to see the person that Alaric brought back from his trip.”

Fredrinn squeezed out a smile.

The baron asked him a few more questions, but the things he asked were mostly about Fredrinn’s situation and personal experiences.

Fredrinn had nothing to hide and he answered everything honestly.

Lucas didn’t sense any deception in his words so his face relaxed.

Alaric is so lucky to find someone like Fredrinn.

Charles’s death caused a severe impact on House Silversword’s military strength, but because of the growth of Alaric’s forces, this somehow filled the gaps in their ranks.

Fredrinn’s arrival in particular was a huge boost to their military strength. Not to mention the advancement of Arthur and the emergence of new Knights like Owen.

“Son, I feel that this matter isn’t just about the soap business. Are you hiding something from us?” Maria was sharp enough to notice the deeper details in his report.

Alaric’s face hardened. He knew that he couldn’t hide it from his parents anymore.

He took a deep breath and said. “My lord, my lady, I think the two princes are already preparing for the battle for the throne.”

Lucas frowned, while Maria raised an eyebrow.

“How is this related to the situation in your store?” Maria asked.

Alaric adjusted his sitting posture and responded with a serious look. “Before Uncle was beheaded, he mentioned something about…”

He told them what Charles said before he was executed.

“Are you saying that your Uncle might have been approached by one of the princes?” Lucas’s face darkened upon hearing this.

Alaric nodded. “That’s right, but I don’t know which one he had sided with.”

“I see. If that’s true, then everything makes sense now.” Maria mumbled, her countenance turning cold.

“I think the people behind Charles are deliberately provoking us. This must be their way of checking if we are already affiliated with someone. If my guess is right, someone will visit us soon and ask us to join their side.”

“What will happen if we reject them?” Lucas asked.

Maria pondered for a moment before she opened her mouth. “It depends on what kind of person we are dealing with. They might give us a warning or they might eliminate us since we are a threat to their cause.”

The baron rubbed his temples, feeling vexed because of the situation.

His brother had left a huge trouble for them, and now, they had to clean up his shit.

“What should we do?” Alaric’s plan was to join the crown prince’s side again. He knew which people would take his side so he had some room to maneuver if it really came to that.

Maria crossed her arms as she responded. “We could join one of the princes or we could establish a neutral side and invite like-minded people to join us. The former could save us from this predicament, but we need to carefully consider which side to support. As for the latter, it carries greater risk since we might offend both princes by choosing neither of them. Furthermore, we would need to find more allies who will take our side.”

“Both choices have their advantages and disadvantages, but I think the best option for us is to remain neutral.”

Maria’s response surprised Alaric.

“Why do you think so?” Lucas stared deeply at her.

As if she had already prepared her answer, she said. “At the moment, both princes should still be gathering their forces so the chances of them attacking us are slim. This means that we have some time to gather more people on our side.”

“If we support either of them, we would be forced to join the civil war. Whether we win or lose, the empire’s overall power will be affected.”

“That’s why there has to be a neutral side who would mitigate the damage caused by their dispute.”

Lucas was silent as if he was trying to comprehend her words. Meanwhile, Alaric who had seen the future was amazed by his mother’s foresight.

“My lord, I agree with my lady’s idea. I think we should establish a neutral side.” In his past life, he chose to support the crown prince and it ended in his death.

Alaric didn’t want to repeat his mistakes so something was needed to be done.