Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

“So you want us to establish a third faction that would maintain the balance…” Lucas dribbled his fingers on the table. He was already convinced by Maria’s explanation, but this matter involved the future of the household so he had to be prudent.

“Let’s proceed with the engagement between Alaric and Hershey first. Once we are tied with the Paxleys, they will have no choice but to take our side. We can start with them and gradually expand our influence over the households in the North.” Maria glanced at Alaric when she said this.

Alaric wasn’t opposed to the idea so he didn’t voice out any disagreement.

Lucas leaned on his seat and crossed his arms.

“Alright. I’ll give you my approval. However, this has to be done discreetly. We can’t afford to offend both princes at the moment.” He sternly reminded them.

Maria smiled as she nodded her head. “I will host a gathering with the wives of the nobles in the surrounding cities and towns. We might find some trustworthy companions among them.”

She shared her plans to the baron, while Alaric quietly listened in amazement. His mother’s ideas were even more foolproof than what he had come up with.

After a thorough discussion with his parents, Alaric left the study room with Fredrinn.

“My lord, you can rest assured. I will not tell anyone about the things I heard, not even my wife.” Fredrinn muttered as soon as they stepped out of the room.

The things he heard were too big and if they got out, things would get troublesome and his family might even be affected.

“I know. I trust you.” Alaric smiled and tapped the man’s shoulder.

Fredrinn was overwhelmed with emotions. It wasn’t even long since they had met Alaric, but he was actually willing to trust him without hesitation. He even had an unusual feeling that Alaric might have already known him for a long time.

On their way down the stairs, Alaric said. “The soap business is very crucial to the household’s growth and development so you must keep an eye on the things there for me.”

“I will send more people to come with you. They are warriors that I have trained so you can trust them. Do you remember Mark?”

Hearing this, Fredrinn thought about the hunter who was their fellow slave for a while.

“He will be coming with you. Train him well. He has the potential to become a Knight.” Alaric casually mentioned.

“I understand, my lord.” Fredrinn nodded.

“I’ll take you to see your subordinates. You must train them well since you will be leading them in the future.” Alaric smiled at him.

In the past few months since his regression, he had trained dozens of new warriors to improve the household’s military power. And now, he was handing some of those warriors to Fredrinn.

***

In the central area of the Astanian Empire, there was a big city known for its impressive defensive structures that almost made it look like a mega fortress.

It was the home of over one million inhabitants, making it one of the most populous cities in the empire- the City of Nallegam.

There were four households that ruled over Nallegam; House Magdalaga, House Codera, House Urgel, and House Lanzon.

On the surface, it seemed that all four of them were equal in power, but this was far from the truth. The strongest of the four households was House Lanzon, the earldom helmed by Earl Dave Lanzon.

At this moment, there was a secret meeting being held in the estate of House Lanzon and it was hosted by the earl himself. Furthermore, the attendees of the meeting were lords of notable households and individuals with high status.

“Gentlemen, thank you for gathering here on short notice.” Uttered Earl Dave, a man of majestic bearing who looked to be in his fifties.

As soon as he spoke, all eyes gathered on him.

“As you already know, we have already invited a majority of the surrounding powers to join our side, but we have encountered some issues in the North.”

The earl’s voice turned grave when he said this.

“Our representative from the North was killed.”

Everyone narrowed their eyes upon hearing this.

“My lord, how did he die so suddenly? Didn’t he just boast that he would give us the North in a few years?” Someone muttered in a mocking voice.

Some people laughed at his remarks.

Earl Dave gave them a stern look, making everyone shut their mouth.

“It is unfortunate.” He shook his head.

“Charles was a careful man, but he made a glaring mistake that ended in his untimely death. I’m sure you are aware of his situation.”

Everyone nodded. They all knew some information about their members.

“Charles was publicly executed by his nephew and that idiot revealed our existence before he was beheaded!” The earl smashed his fist into the table, breaking it into smithereens.

Everyone held their breaths when they sensed the earl’s rage. No one dared to speak a word.

“Now, we have two options. The first one is to force Lucas to replace Charles. The second option is to find another replacement.”

Everyone discussed in hushed voices as soon as they heard this. They were divided. Some of them wanted to have Lucas on their side, while the others suggested finding another household to be their representative in the North.

“Silence!” Earl Dave scanned everyone’s faces and pointed at someone randomly.

“What do you think we should do?”

The person he had casually pointed took a deep breath before he responded. “My lord, the North is too scattered so even if we appoint a new representative, we wouldn’t get any substantial results in a few years. I think we should focus our manpower on the central cities. Most of the powerful households are gathered here so if we get them to join our side, we would have the upper hand against the second prince’s forces.”

“So are you saying that we should abandon the North?” Earl Dave frowned.