Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

“What?” Lucas couldn’t remain calm anymore.

There were only a few Transcendent Knights in the entire empire and all of them were famous warriors whose names were etched in the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard. Wherever they go, people would flock to see them. That was how special they were.

“Who else knows this?” Lucas asked in a low voice.

“I haven’t told anyone about this and I also told Galanar to keep quiet,” Alaric replied.

Lucas leaned on his seat and said. “You made a good decision.”

“If that is true, then we can make use of that to our advantage.” Maria suddenly spoke, her eyes gleaming with wisdom.

“Go on.” Lucas gestured for her to continue.

Maria nodded and adjusted her posture before she said. “The crown prince and the second prince both have powerful forces so if we want to establish a third force, it’s necessary to have sufficient strength to contend with their forces. That will make other undecided noble households positively consider joining our side.”

Lucas frowned upon hearing this. “If we expose his strength, we might attract unnecessary attention.”

“There’s nothing to worry about that.” Maria shook her head.

“With two Transcendent Knights on our side, people won’t take us lightly, and as long as they aren’t idiots, they won’t dare to attack us.” She added with a snort.

“However, we must create a stage for Sir Galanar to reveal his strength. That way, we can maximize the publicity and get those undecided nobles to support us, but first, you must accept that challenge and win overwhelmingly.” Maria glanced at her husband as she talked about this.

“Challenge?” Alaric was taken aback.

“Someone from the leaderboard challenged me.” Lucas chuckled while shaking his head, looking seemingly amused by this.

“Oh!” Alaric was stunned upon hearing his confirmation. He knew that his father had kept the 9th rank in the Astanian Dragon Leaderboard for a long time. He wondered which brave person dared to challenge him.

“I was postponing this since you were still out of town, but now that you’re here, I can go without worry.” Lucas’s lips curved upwards.

He then waved his hand and said.

“Let’s discuss the details later. We should eat first.”

As soon as he uttered those words, he called Bastian and told him to serve their food.

…

After breakfast, they headed straight to Lucas’s study and the baron also told Alaric to bring Galanar.

As soon as they gathered, the meeting began.

At first, the baron asked Galanar some questions about how he had broken through. It was only a simple question and answer so it didn’t take much time.

After that short interview with Galanar, they finally talked about the main objective of the meeting.

“If only there was a quick way for us to make Sir Galanar’s name known to the public,” Maria mumbled as she entered into deep thought.

Hearing this, Alaric thought about a brilliant plan.

“How about this?”

Everyone turned their gazes at him the moment he spoke.

Alaric didn’t shy away and continued. “Do you remember the large orc settlement close to Alverton?”

When this was mentioned, Maria’s eyes lit up.

“Are you thinking of subjugating the orc settlement?”

Alaric nodded. “Truthfully, I already thought of doing it when I suggested the relocation of Alverton’s residents.”

“That’s indeed a good idea. This matter is big enough to shake the North and we can also invite the other households to join the subjugation. This way, they will witness Sir Galanar’s power themselves.” The more she spoke, the more excited she became.

“Let’s do it this way…”

“Alright. I will send word to the noble houses of the North.” Lucas approved the plan.

With his help, Alaric was certain that more than half of the noble houses in the North would join the orc subjugation.

Lucas looked at his son and said. “I will leave this task to you since I will be going to the capital to accept the challenge.”

“You can rest assured, my lord. I won’t fail this mission.” Alaric promised

___

Mission: Orc Subjugation I

Mission Difficulty: Normal

A large orc settlement is built near Alverton and it has disrupted the peace of the nearby cities and towns with the increase in orc attacks. Gather a large force sufficient to destroy the orc settlement.

Rewards: 500 Battle Points, 30 EXP, 30 Stat Points, Random Trait Upgrade Card x1

Penalty for failure: None

___

A system mission suddenly appeared before him.

The missions are becoming more frequent and more difficult now.

Alaric thought when he saw the mission description.

Gathering an army might sound easy, but in truth, it was very hard to persuade those stubborn noble houses especially when they had nothing to gain.

Luckily, Dad will be sending a letter to those houses so things will be a lot easier.

…

When the meeting concluded, it was almost lunchtime. His parents invited him to join them for lunch, but Alaric told them that he had other plans so he rejected their invitation.

He left the main mansion and headed straight to the guest mansion where Yvanna and the rest of the elves were staying.

By the time he arrived, he saw that the elves were preparing a big meal for Yvanna’s birthday.

Alaric didn’t tell anyone about Yvanna’s birthday so only the elves were celebrating with her.

“Alaric.” Yvanna was pleasantly surprised to see him.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I had something to discuss with my parents.” Alaric apologetically said.

“It’s alright. Come in. The food is ready.” Yvanna invited him to the dining hall.

“Alright. I’m curious to try elven dishes.” Alaric nodded and followed her inside.

“Believe me, it’s not much different than human dishes. We just eat a variety of fruits and we also add more vegetables in our dishes.” Yvanna eagerly explained as she led him to the table.

There was no one else inside the hall other than the elves, but they still hadn’t removed their robes.

“It’s alright, everyone. You can trust Alaric.” Yvanna convinced them.

The elves hesitated, but they chose to trust their princess.