Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

After another three days, Galanar and the others finally arrived at Berming Island, but he didn’t hurry to leave since there was still a mountain of tasks to do.

Many cities, towns, and villages had been attacked by Harune, leaving countless families homeless. There were also many who had lost their loved ones, truly a tragedy.

Alaric couldn’t leave the residents like this. It didn’t sit well with him as someone who carried the blood of the imperial family. He felt that he had the responsibility to take care of the people.

At this moment, Alaric was in a meeting with various Western leaders. They were discussing how to handle the large number of refugees.

“Your Highness, most of our territories were damaged from the invasion. We would need resources to repair the infrastructure. I am afraid that it would be difficult to take in those refugees.” One of the western lords spoke in a regretful tone.

Some shared the same sentiment and they also voiced out their concerns about accepting the refugees.

Alaric understood their difficulties so he didn’t make things hard for them. Forcing them to accept those refugees would only earn their discontent.

There are more than ten thousand refugees. Accepting them is indeed a heavy burden to these noble houses. Is there really no other way?

He thought of bringing those people to the northern region, but the distance was too long and some of the refugees might not survive the trip.

While he was deep in his thoughts, a messenger suddenly came in with an urgent expression. “My apologies for the disturbance, Your Highness. I have something important to report!”

Alaric turned his head and signaled for the man to speak.

Seeing this, the messenger immediately said. “His Highness Giovanni has arrived! With him is the Western Sword Marquis, Lord Marco!”

Hearing this, everyone squinted their eyes. The arrival of another prince might not be good for them. Furthermore, the second prince, Giovanni Astania, didn’t have a good reputation.

Some leaders revealed expressions of anticipation.

On the other hand, Alaric had a serene look.

If it were before, he might have felt anxious when facing the second prince, but now that he was a Transcendent Knight, his worries were gone. Moreover, he had also received reports from his subordinates about the second prince’s actions.

Giovanni was showing signs of change in his personality.

For him, this was a good thing since Giovanni had played a big part in the civil war that happened in his past life. If he somehow turned over a new leaf, the Civil War might be avoided.

“Alright. You may leave.” Alaric dismissed the messenger who left right away.

The atmosphere became a bit tense.

Everyone was worried that the two princes would clash. If that happened, they didn’t know which side to take.

A quarter of an hour later, Giovanni entered the VIP hall with Marco.

Upon their arrival, everyone immediately rose to their feet and greeted them.

“Welcome, Your Highness!”

“Welcome, Lord Marco!”

Everyone could tell that Marco was injured based on his pale complexion. Despite this, the marquis took his time to greet the people present one by one. He exuded none of the arrogance that most in his position possessed. He carried himself humbly, making the western lords feel relaxed.

Meanwhile, the second prince merely nodded his head to acknowledge their presence. He then turned his head to Alaric and approached him briskly.

Some people revealed a look of interest, waiting for a good show to watch.

Galanar was about to stop him when Alaric raised his hand, signaling him to stand back.

“Cousin, I am glad to see you unharmed.” Alaric stood up and smiled at Giovanni.

Giovanni furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a slight sense of discomfort in his heart. Deep inside, he still couldn’t accept Alaric as part of the imperial family. However, the other party displayed unparalleled talent which forced him to acknowledge Alaric.

“Is it true that you have become a Transcendent Knight?” Giovanni asked while staring deeply at him.

When he first received this news, he found it incredulous. Alaric wasn’t even twenty so he couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Even someone as talented as the emperor took a few decades before he became a Transcendent Knight.

Everyone turned their gaze to Alaric. They had also heard of this news, but they didn’t dare confirm it out of respect for Alaric’s identity.

Sensing everyone’s curious gazes, Alaric exhaled a breath and smiled faintly. He then released a wisp of mana from his energy core to his fingertips.

Knights couldn’t freely control mana. Most of them could only use it to strengthen their bodies and improve their health.

As for Elite Knights, they could control mana to some extent. They could transfer their mana into their equipment to make it more powerful. They could also cover their bodies with mana for additional defense.

The degree of control varied from one to another. The greater their strength, the more freely they could control their mana.

On the other hand, Transcendent Knights had already surpassed this level. Unlike Knights and Elite Knights, they possessed energy cores which gave them the ability to store more mana.

With a huge surplus of mana at their disposal, they could wield abilities far beyond what one could imagine. Some formidable Transcendent Knights could form an affinity with certain elements, making their mana more potent and powerful!

However, not everyone had this kind of luck. In the entire empire, only a handful of Transcendent Knights had formed affinities with the elements of nature.

At this moment, what Alaric had revealed was the power of his energy core, making everyone feel stupefied.

Giovanni felt a mixture of emotions upon seeing him display his ability.

“So it is real…” He mumbled.

Alaric retracted his mana. “Why don’t you join our discussion? Maybe you can help us think of a solution for the issues at hand.”

Giovanni recovered from his stupor and absentmindedly nodded his head. “Fine.”

Alaric grinned and signaled at everyone to settle down.

Once Giovanni had taken his seat, Alaric announced. “Let’s resume the meeting.”