Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

“Can I really give it a name, my lord?” Galanar asked hesitantly while gently running his fingers through the surface of the blade.

Alaric nodded with a faint smile on his face. “Of course! The sword is yours from now on so you should be the one to name it.”

Galanar rubbed his chin and said after a moment of thought. “In that case, I shall name it ‘Despair’.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow. He thought that Galanar would give it an imposing name, but the name he gave was quite ordinary. “Is there any meaning behind this name, Sir Galanar?”

Galanar scratched his head and replied with a hint of embarrassment. “My reason is simple, my lord. I want my enemies to know that when I use this broadsword, only despair awaits them.”

“I see. You may leave and familiarize yourself with your new sword.” Alaric chuckled. It might sound simple, but it displayed Galanar’s domineering spirit and confidence in his strength.

Hearing this, Galanar lowered his head. “Thank you for the reward, my lord. I will cherish it.”

He then left with quick footsteps, looking incredibly eager to practice with his new weapon.

After he left, Alaric remembered another important matter.

I should visit Mount Tegere. My grandfather has never left the mountain since those warriors were buried.

Alaric stepped out of his study and headed to Mount Tegere.

The mountain had already become an important place in the estate. Many warriors and even the residents of the town would come to visit to pay their respects to the fallen heroes.

The area around the mountain was tightly guarded by the warriors of House Silversword. Every visitor had to be inspected before they were allowed entry into the sacred mountain.

When Alaric arrived, the guards were stunned.

“My lord!”

The warriors stopped the inspections and stood neatly in front of him, greeting him with the utmost respect.

“Greetings, Lord Alaric!”

Alaric waved his hand and nodded his head to acknowledge their greeting. “Proceed with your tasks. I came here to pay my respects to the warriors who had fallen in battle.”

The guards allowed him to enter the sacred mountain.

This place has become more vibrant with life. The remnant mana within the fallen warriors’ remains must have improved the mountain’s environment. Mount Tegere is now worthy of being called a sacred mountain.

This mountain was just an ordinary mountain before, but it had become an entirely different place after being exposed to the mana of the fallen warriors.

The air was filled with a dense amount of mana which caused the surrounding vegetation to flourish. Insects and even animals were attracted to the bountiful energy, making the mountain full of activity.

As Alaric climbed the stone steps, he passed by some people who had come to visit the tombs of the warriors. Most of them were families of the fallen, while others were simply there to show their gratitude to the heroes.

Soon, he finally arrived on top of the mountain where the remains of the soldiers who had died in Copperglade were buried.

In the middle of the rows of tombstones, he saw an old figure kneeling with a look of remorse.

“Please forgive me! Because of my selfishness, you guys lost your lives! It’s my fault.”

Alaric could hear the old man’s words in between his sobs.

Seeing his grandfather filled with enormous guilt, Alaric sighed and shook his head.

The death of these warriors was indeed largely due to his decisions, but Alaric couldn’t bring himself to hate his grandfather for he was just the same. For the sake of fulfilling his goals, Alaric knew that there would be bloodshed and violence.

However, he was prepared to carry this immense burden for he believed that he had been brought back into the past to correct these very mistakes.

He waited for an hour without approaching his grandfather, but Anton Keller remained kneeling while continuously expressing his guilt and regret for making the decision that day.

Suddenly, Alaric sensed two familiar auras. He turned around and saw Warrick whose upper torso was covered in bandages. A grim-faced Fredrinn was also there walking half a step behind him.

The two warriors were about to greet him, but he made a ‘shushing’ gesture and pointed to his grandfather as he whispered. “I want you two to look after my grandfather. If he collapses, bring him to the clinic immediately.”

The two warriors nodded upon hearing his words.

Warrick seemed to have something to say, but he couldn’t utter a word.

Alaric noticed this so he asked. “Do you have anything to say, Sir Warrick?”

Warrick sighed and took a deep breath as he replied. “My lord, the death of those warriors wasn’t entirely Lord Anton’s fault. I underestimated the enemies which…”

Alaric raised his hand and tapped his shoulder. “I understand, Sir Warrick. I don’t blame you for making that decision, but you must reflect on this. No matter how weak the enemies are, you must never underestimate them. Even when killing an ant, it is never wrong to use a dragon-slaying sword!”

Warrick and Fredrinn felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing his words.

“Yes, my lord. I will remember your words.” Warrick saluted.

Alaric was pleased with his response. He then moved his gaze to Fredrinn and asked. “How are you, Sir Fredrinn?”

He had been told about the terrible experience that Fredrinn had endured under the hands of that bastard, Xavier. Just the thought of the humiliation that Fredrinn had suffered made his skin crawl.

Fredrinn lowered his head as he responded. “I am recovering well, my lord. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Hearing this, Alaric nodded. This man was indeed the Steel Bastion. Even his willpower was as tough as steel.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Alaric didn’t bother to ask him about Xavier.

Xavier was still in the hands of Fredrinn, suffering untold torture and endless torment.

After some small talks with the two warriors, Alaric bid them farewell and headed down the mountain.

There were already hundreds of tombs on the mountain, which contained the remains of the soldiers from other houses.

Alaric felt the weight of responsibility when he saw those tombs. He hardened his heart and vowed to always remember their sacrifices.

He didn’t rest after visiting Mountain Tegere. He headed straight to the beast garden, a special place where the household’s tamed beasts were kept. The Saber-fanged Wolves and the Frost Horses were also brought to this place to get proper care.

The caretaker of the beast garden was an old servant of his father, a retired Elite Knight named Cassius.

Alaric came here to check the condition of the Saber-fanged Wolves and the Frost Horses after they had been fed with the Bedeviled Cornelia.

The renovations on the beast garden are much better than I expected.

Alaric injected some funds and manpower into the renovations of the beast garden. This was because he planned to take in more beasts in the future. He didn’t want to waste his Monster Affinity trait.

At the entrance of the beast garden, two Knight Apprentices greeted him.

“My lord!”

Alaric waved his hand and asked. “Where is Sir Cassius?”

“Sir Cassius is feeding the beasts, my lord. Do you want me to bring him here?” One of the Knight Apprentices replied.

Hearing this, Alaric shook his head. “There is no need for that. I will go inside and find him.”

He didn’t want to disturb the retired warrior. He entered the beast garden and navigated the vast land that housed numerous savage beasts. Most of these creatures had already been tamed, but there were still a few unruly beasts who refused to listen.

Roar! Roar!

Grr!! Grr!!

Keekeke!

Distinct animal sounds echoed around him. The diversity of the beasts made him fascinated.

Just this small part of the beast garden already has dozens of beasts. I should hire more servants to help Sir Cassius in taking care of this place.

Just then, he saw an old man wearing a straw hat in the middle of a beast pack. He was stroking the fur of the pack leader with a gentle smile on his face.

As if sensing his aura, the old man turned his head. “My lord!”

[Do you want to use Appraisal on the selected target?]

[Yes] [No]

Alaric hadn’t checked the old man’s attributes yet and he could no longer hold back his curiosity after seeing the system prompt in front of him so he clicked [Yes].

Cassius [Elite Knight] EXP: 960/1000

Potential: B

Traits: Swordsmanship (B), Shield Mastery (A), Horseback Riding (B), Archery (C), Hunting (B), Tracking (C), Beast Affinity (S), Beast Whisperer (A), Farming (C), Calligraphy (D)

Strength: 201

Stamina: 180

Agility: 192

Vitality: 215

Endurance: 220

Mana: 230

What?! Sir Cassius is actually this formidable! He even has an S-rank trait!

He had rarely seen traits above A-rank on someone and those who had them were unique individuals with high potential.

This old man’s potential wasn’t any less compared to the young prodigies he had unearthed, but his age had already caught up with him.

I heard that he is already above eighty years old, but he looks like he is in his forties.

Alaric was impressed with the old man’s attributes.

“How are you, Sir Cassius? I hope I didn’t disturb you with my sudden visit.”