Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Looking at Rasmus’s youthful face, Alaric recalled the powerful warrior he was in his past life.

At that time, Rasmus didn’t have any support, but he still made a name for himself on the battlefield. He advanced by leaps and bounds through sheer effort and talent.

He is right. This war might give him the chance to become a full-fledged Knight.

Not just him, all the young warriors in his batch are talented individuals.

Given their potential, I’m pretty sure that some of them will become Knights if they survive the war.

Thinking about this, Alaric let out a heavy sigh.

“Alright. All you young warriors will follow Sir Rigor as part of our infantry. If you are not satisfied with this arrangement, then prove yourselves in battle.”

Rasmus’s eyes brightened. He bowed his head and exclaimed.

“We will not disappoint you, Your Highness! We will show you the results of our training!”

Alaric smiled faintly. “I shall await to see that day.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Rasmus couldn’t wait to deliver the good news to his friends.

“You can rest assured, Your Highness. I will keep an eye on them.” Rigor was also happy.

Rasmus and the other young warriors were his students. He considered it an honor to fight with them on the battlefield.

“With Sir Rigor guiding them, I feel more at ease.” Alaric chuckled.

He then waved his hand and signaled at them to leave. “You two may leave. I still have important matters to discuss with His Lordship.”

Hearing this, Rigor and Rasmus nodded. “We will not disturb you any further.”

A moment later, the two eagerly left the room.

“It looks like your subordinates have grown into reliable warriors.” Lucas’s voice drifted into his ears.

“Indeed. In just a year, they showed remarkable progress in their training. Some of them are even close to becoming Knights.” Alaric was proud of their growth.

Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully and suggested with a smile. “Why don’t we give them the first batch of Purple Mist Fruits?”

Alaric was taken aback.

During their march towards the goblin colony more than two months ago, they encountered a Purple Mist Tree, a spiritual tree which produces a rare fruit called Purple Mist Fruit.

The said tree had been transplanted successfully in their back garden with the help of Yvanna’s Nature’s Blessing integrated monster trait.

The fruit of this spiritual tree was not that helpful to high-level warriors, but when eaten by a Knight Apprentice, they would immediately advance to the Knight realm!

“What are you hesitating for? I thought you got that tree for those young ones.” Lucas chuckled.

Alaric smiled awkwardly. He had indeed thought of rewarding the most excellent young warriors with those fruits, but he hadn’t had the chance to mention it to his father.

Now that Lucas had taken the initiative to bring up the topic, he no longer hesitated.

“In that case, I will have the fruits ready for them.” Alaric cupped his fists.

Lucas waved his hand. “You go and handle this. I need to prepare for my trip to the capital.”

Alaric took this as his cue to leave. He stood up from his seat and lowered his head. “Thank you, my lord.”

After bidding his father farewell, Alaric turned around and left with Caecus.

…

Meanwhile, Rasmus went to find his friends to deliver the good news.

Seeing him run with such excitement made Rigor sigh while shaking his head.

Silly kid… I hope you guys will not regret this choice.

Soon, they arrived at the training ground where Renante and the others were waiting.

When they saw Rasmus and Rigor approaching them, they quickly stopped what they were doing.

“It’s them! They are back!” One of them exclaimed.

Rasmus waved his hand excitedly and rushed to their side. “Good news, everyone!”

Seeing his joyful expression, everyone revealed a look of anticipation.

“How was it? Did His Highness agree?” Renante asked.

The others stared anxiously at Rasmus and waited for him to speak.

With a smile on his face, Rasmus nodded. “That’s right! His Highness gave his approval! We will join the battle as part of Sir Rigor’s infantry unit!”

Hearing this, everyone cheered.

“Great! Good job, Rasmus!”

“I was right about you! I knew you could convince His Highness!”

“Hahaha! Not bad, Rasmus!”

The cold-faced Aliya also curled her lips upward.

Suddenly, an indifferent voice interrupted their celebration.

“You guys… His Highness is looking for you.”

The young warriors turned their heads and saw a stone-faced Caecus standing behind them.

When did he?!

Rigor who was standing nearby was stunned. He didn’t even feel Caecus’s presence.

It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

The young warriors were nervous in front of Caecus. Even Aliya who was the bravest of the group was fearful of this man.

“Sir Caecus!” They greeted him respectfully.

Caecus’s eyes remained serenely calm as he spoke. “Follow me.”

The young warriors glanced at each other.

Seeing this, Rigor immediately kicked their asses and gave them an earful. “What are you guys standing there for?! Go and follow Sir Caecus!”

Hearing this, Rasmus and the others quickly followed Caecus.

“I hope those kids won’t say anything that would displease that man,” Rigor mumbled to himself as he watched them leave.

…

“Why do you think His Highness is looking for us?” Rasmus asked in a whispering voice.

“Do we look like we know something?” Wolf glanced at him as if he were looking at a fool.

Rasmus glared at him and sneakily elbowed his back.

Wolf was about to take revenge when Renante stood between them.

“Stop arguing you two! You are only embarrassing yourself in front of Sir Caecus!” Renante chided them with an exasperated expression.

On the other hand, Aliya snorted as she muttered with disapproval. “How childish.”

Caecus secretly observed them through his peripheral vision. He could feel himself envying their friendship.

I wish I also had the same luck as these children… Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet him so soon…

Soon, they arrived in front of Alaric’s study.

“His Highness is waiting inside.” Caecus reminded them as he opened the door.

Upon entering, they saw Alaric sitting behind his desk.

There were two beautiful ladies standing by his side. The one with monolid eyes was massaging his back, while the valiant-looking lady was serving him tea.

“Greetings, Your Highness!” Rasmus and the others bowed at him.

Alaric smiled and nodded in response.

“I have something important to discuss with you. Come and take your seats.” While saying this, he sent a signal to Celine.

(Author’s Note: In case you have forgotten, Celine is the big-breasted slave he got from Giovanni. She is also a former Knight of Harune.)

Celine understood his intentions. She put down the pot of tea and walked towards a nearby drawer to get a wooden box.

The young warriors curiously watched the box she was holding, wondering what was inside it.

Ignoring their curious glances, Celine placed the wooden box on the floor in front of them.

“Earlier, Rasmus came to me and informed me about your desire to join the war.”

Alaric’s voice echoed inside the room.

“I have thought it through and decided to give you guys the chance to participate. However, the battlefield is a very dangerous place. You will face numerous challenges and even witness the death of your comrades.”

When he mentioned this, the faces of the young warriors turned serious.

“You are the most talented young warriors in the household and I would be disheartened to see you fall in battle…”

“Inside that box is something that will help you increase your survivability. Open it up.” Alaric sent Rasmus a look.

Sensing his gaze, Rasmus didn’t dawdle and stood up to lift the lid.

As soon as he opened the box, they saw ten purple fruits lying inside, emitting a strong, tempting scent.

“Your Highness, these fruits…”

Looking at their baffled faces, Alaric smiled faintly. “It seems like you don’t know anything about those fruits. In that case, allow me to explain…”

He told them everything he knew about the Purple Mist Fruit.

Upon hearing his explanation, they immediately understood what was going on.

“Your Highness, we can’t possibly accept something so precious! We haven’t done anything worthy of receiving this kind of reward.” Aliya, the proudest of the bunch was the first to express her opinion.

“She is right, Your Highness. I don’t think we deserve to eat these fruits.”

“Your Highness…”

The others also voiced their rejection.

Instead of being angry, Alaric merely chuckled while shaking his head.

“I understand your feelings, but this is something that you must accept. Just think of it as me investing in you guys.”

“But…”

“No buts. This is an order.” Alaric sternly insisted.

Seeing that there was no way for them to refuse, they could only helplessly accept his gift.

“There are ten fruits inside that box. You can give the remaining fruits to those who deserve them. I trust that you guys will give it to the most deserving people.”

There was one more fruit, but it was a bit special so he decided to hold onto it for the meantime.