Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Alaric didn’t waste any time. He assembled the strongest warriors of House Silversword—a total of ten Transcendent Knights.

Galanar, Caecus, Scilla, Azazel, Butch, Einar, Fredrinn, Warrick, William, and Nivis who was in her human form.

Looking at the ten warriors, Alaric recalled when House Silversword had only a small number of elites. At that time, he couldn’t even summon ten Knights at once.

Alaric sighed as he thought of this.

After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth and spoke in a serious voice.

“We will be heading to Veronica to look for the people who killed the bishop. I know we just got home from Harune, but we cannot let those people get away!”

Alaric looked calm on the surface, but the ten Transcendents could feel his rage.

In the next moment, Alaric made a whistling sound.

Roarr!!

Zephyr appeared in the sky and descended before them with a ‘whoosh’.

Alaric jumped onto the Draconic Lion’s back and said. “Hop on. We are leaving now.”

Hearing this, the ten Transcendents jumped onto Zephyr’s back one by one.

Before they left, Alaric looked at the group of people gathered in front of the mansion to send them off. His parents were there so were his wife and the others.

He sent them a deep look. No words were spoken, but they understood the message in his eyes.

It was a quiet farewell.

Alaric looked away from them and whispered. “Let’s go, Zephyr.”

The Draconic Lion responded with a mighty roar.

Roaar!!

It ran a couple of meters to gain momentum before it jumped and flew into the sky.

“Why didn’t you bring the elven woman or any of those maidservants of yours? You might get bored on this trip.” Nivis stood next to him, her blue hair fluttering wildly against the wind.

Alaric shook his head and replied. “I don’t know what kind of enemies we would have to face there. Even a 3-Ringed Beast Soul Master like the bishop was killed. I can’t let them go somewhere so dangerous.”

Nivis moved closer to him. He could smell her tantalizing jasmine-like scent. It was irresistible.

She leaned forward, exposing her tempting cleavage, and whispered in a seductive voice. “If you want, I can make you feel good.”

Her warm, fragrant breath touched his skin, making Alaric feel a certain urge. However, he stopped himself from having unhealthy thoughts because he knew that Nivis was just teasing him.

He gently pushed her shoulder and distanced himself from her. He then stared into her eyes and muttered. “Stop pushing your luck.”

Nivis shrugged. She faked a disappointed look while clicking her tongue.

Tsk. Tsk.

This centauress has been learning bad things from Mathilda. From time to time, Alaric would have to face her temptations.

She was wearing a tight-fitting leather armor that only covered the vulnerable parts of her body. Her slender arms and long legs were exposed.

“Why did you choose to wear something like that? You could have worn something more comfortable.” He remarked after taking a few glimpses of her exposed skin.

Nivis noticed his eyes roaming all over her body, but she didn’t seem to mind it. She let out a smile and said. “I heard from Mathilda that you like to see her wear these kinds of clothes. I thought it would be fun so I borrowed some from her.”

Alaric awkwardly coughed upon hearing this. “Did she really tell you that?”

“You shouldn’t carelessly listen to her advice. You should learn more from Hershey and Yvanna instead.”

Nivis scoffed. “Why would I learn from them? I don’t want to offend you, but all they talk about is art, dancing, and other boring things.”

She sounded displeased at the idea of learning the things she mentioned.

I should punish Mathilda next time.

The journey wasn’t boring with Nivis there to entertain him. She had become more talkative and she would even occasionally say provocative words to tempt him.

She was very distant and even cold to him when they first met, but she had become a completely different version of herself after they had gotten closer.

It wasn’t a bad thing for Alaric, but he had to endure her occasional teasing and temptation.

A few hours into the flight, they left the borders of Astania.

They later encountered a large flock of monster birds, but they were scared away by Zephyr’s overwhelming aura.

Several hours later, they finally saw traces of human activity.

They saw hunters and caravans traveling through the dense forests. They also discovered small villages hidden in various corners.

“Why do some people choose to live in dangerous places like this?” Nivis suddenly asked as they flew over a small village with twenty to thirty mud houses.

“Because they don’t want to face oppression.” Alaric calmly replied.

“Oppression? From who?” Nivis raised an eyebrow.

With a sigh, Alaric responded. “Commoners like them always have to face the oppression of aristocratic families. These noble houses impose higher taxes and force their people to work under harsh living conditions.”

“Those who couldn’t endure the oppression would choose to leave their country and live in secluded areas like this. Although it’s dangerous, they are free.” He added.

Nivis sneered. “That’s the problem with you humans. You torment your own people and wage wars against each other. If you guys could just unite under one banner, no race would dare to stand against you.”

Alaric wasn’t offended by her words because it was all true, but there was something that made him curious. “Were there humans from where you live?”

Nivis nodded. “Of course, but the humans there are more resilient compared to the people here. They can survive in harsh environments with limited resources. The only problem is that they are not united.”

Alaric found it interesting.

From her descriptions, the continent she lived in was winter all year round. The inhabitants would have to face harsh snowstorms and freezing temperatures.

Alaric couldn’t imagine how humans could live under such conditions.