Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Back to the present time.

Before the sun rose, the residents of Alverton had already cleaned up their stuff to prepare for the trip.

It was already the 10th of February and they still hadn’t reached Vale. This was mostly due to the snow-covered terrain and the warriors’ consideration of the safety of the residents.

At this moment, Alaric was about to climb up his horse when he saw Galanar approaching him.

When he saw the latter, his eyes lit up.

Galanar had been absorbing the energy of the Orc Lord’s beast soul crystal so Alaric hadn’t seen him for a while. Now that he had come out, this could only mean that Galanar had already advanced!

“My lord, I bring you good news!” The giant bowed his head, the thrill in his voice was evident.

Alaric smiled and nodded while gesturing for him to speak up.

Galanar’s lips slightly curved upward as he said. “With the beast soul crystal you gave me, I managed to break through the bottleneck and successfully advanced. I am now a Transcendent Knight, my lord.”

“That’s great, Galanar!” Alaric was ecstatic.

Including his father, House Silversword now had two Transcendent Knights. Once this leaked out, it would definitely shake the power structure of the North!

Thinking about the possible consequences, Alaric’s expression turned serious as he reminded in a stern voice. “Hide your aura and don’t let anyone know about your advancement.”

Hearing this, Galanar nodded without asking for the reason. “Yes, my lord. I will be careful.”

“Oh! By the way…” Galanar seemed to have recalled something important. He took out something from his pocket and handed it to Alaric.

It was the beast soul crystal of the Orc Lord, but more than two-fifths of its energy had been depleted.

“There is still over half of its energy left. I think it will be better to give this to someone close to breaking through.” Galanar suggested.

He felt that it was too wasteful to use it on his own so he had come to this decision after his advancement.

“Alright. I will give this to someone suitable. Alaric nodded.

The first person that came to his mind was Fredrinn, but the guy was still not ready to advance. The next candidate was Warrick. He was the most loyal subordinate of Lucas and he had also followed Alaric in his past life after the baron died.

I’ll keep it for now…

Later that day, the group finally saw the towering walls of Vale in the distance.

The residents were excited since this meant that they were close to their destination.

The officials of Vale had already been informed about the mass relocation so the city guards weren’t alarmed after seeing them.

Surprisingly, the retired warrior, William, came to help with the evacuation and he didn’t come alone. Following respectfully behind him were a hundred warriors armed to the teeth.

“Lord Alaric, I’m here to help with the evacuation. I also brought some men to provide support.” The retired warrior pointed at the warriors behind him.

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at those people.

Hold on… Those guys look very familiar…

After a few seconds of confusion, he finally realized the identity of the warriors.

“Wait. Aren’t they Jeffrey’s mercenary group? But why are they following you, Sir William?”

William chuckled as he nodded, confirming his guess.

“That’s right.”

“After being involved with Charles, no one dared to hire them anymore for fear of offending you. They ended up working as temporary members of the city guards under my recommendation.” He explained.

“I see.”

“What about you, Sir William? Do you have any thoughts of returning?” Alaric probed with an inquisitive look.

William saw through him right away. He shook his head and uttered. “I haven’t thought about it, my lord. I don’t want to leave my wife and the orphanage.”

“Look at you. I’m just asking casually. There’s no need to be so serious.” Alaric laughed and waved his hand.

The old man laughed in amusement. He knew that Alaric was keen on recruiting him. If it weren’t for the orphanage and his wife, he might have positively considered Alaric’s recruitment.

Just then, the old man noticed the giant silently following behind Alaric. William was familiar with this man since he had seen him on multiple occasions at the soap shop.

Strange. Why can’t I sense his aura now?

William felt that something was different about Galanar. It seemed like he had become even more mysterious.

“I’m curious, my lord. Just what happened in Alverton that requires a mass relocation? I tried asking the officials, but they were tight-lipped. Is this perhaps related to the recent orc attack?” William had been curious about this for a while, but no one told him the details.

Alaric frowned and nodded. “This is indeed related to the orc attack.”

“We discovered that there is a large orc settlement near Alverton so there is a high chance of another orc invasion.”

William’s eyes flashed upon hearing this. “That’s concerning.” He muttered.

Alverton was close to Vale so it wouldn’t be surprising if the orc army would come after them next now that their initial target was gone.

If that happened, William couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences. He finally realized why the officials were unusually tight-lipped about the situation.

Sensing the change in his mood, Alaric tapped the old man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sir William. I won’t sit idly by knowing that there is a hidden danger in our territory.”

With a cold look in his eyes, he uttered.

“Once the residents of Alverton have settled down, I will call upon the warriors of the North for a large-scale subjugation against the orc settlement.”

William didn’t expect to hear this, but knowing Alaric’s personality, he was certain that the latter would do this.

“When that time comes, I might join you in battle, my lord.” He didn’t mind breaking his promise if it meant protecting Vale.