Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Inside a tent, Alaric was reviewing the battle map together with Yskaela, Bellator, and several other Unfettereds.

”We could make use of this location. Do you all see this part right here?”

”Oh, isn’t that the hill we discovered yesterday?”

”Right. We can place archers here on standby during wartime. If enemies come, the archers can buy us enough time to prepare our defenses.”

”How do we even lure our opponents into such an obvious trap?”

The various leaders presented their war strategies, but most were met with harsh criticisms. When they heard of a possible attack from the golden lion tribe and its vassal forces, the leaders gathered for a meeting to discuss their plans.

Just then, a warrior came in and whispered something to Alaric.

”Lord, there are beastkin warriors outside who wish to speak with you.”

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows. ”Which tribe is it?”

”They have the features of a goat and a humanoid lower body, so I think they are from the goat beaskin tribe.”

Alaric relaxed upon hearing this.

The goat beastkin tribe was only a minor vassal of the golden lion tribe. They number only in the thousands and they only have a handful of strong combatants.

”Bring them in,” Alaric instructed while gesturing at the various leaders to pause the meeting temporarily.

Yskaela approached him and asked. ”What did he say?”

”Our friends came to visit,” Alaric responded with a faint smile.

”Friends?” Yskaela raised an eyebrow, unable to understand his words.

A moment later, the warrior returned with three goat beastkin warriors. Two of them were familiar to Alaric and Yskaela, while the other one was a stranger.

”I remember you two.” Yskaela chuckled as she looked at Dolfi and Ralof. These two were the gatekeepers she captured and interrogated recently in the small beastkin village they found.

This woman had beaten them up and tied them to a tree so Dolfi and Ralof were both annoyed to see her. They grunted and looked away from her, feeling displeased.

Sensing the rising tension, Orlov cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

Ahem!

”Hello, human experts! I am Orlov, the chieftain of the goat beastkin tribe. This is Ralof and Dolfi. They are both my warriors.”

”What do you want from us?” One of the human Unfettereds asked in an unfriendly tone.

Orlov noticed the coldness in everyone’s eyes. Although he was nervous, he forced himself to calm down and replied. ”We did not come as enemies. We came here to seek your protection.”

”You want our protection? Why would we protect you? Aren’t you a vassal of the golden lion tribe?”

”Did you come here to spy on us?”

Orlov quickly shook his head to deny the accusations. ”No! Although we are indeed a vassal of the Golden Lion tribe, we did not come under their orders.”

He sorted his thoughts and continued, his voice slightly shaking under the pressure.

”There is another vassal tribe that is hostile toward us. They have repeatedly attacked our folks and many of our hunters had already gone missing. Some of them are even found dead, their remains half eaten.” When he said this, his eyes flashed with anger and sadness.

Hearing this, the eyes of the human experts gleamed.

Factional disputes are quite common. Even in their own countries, such matters are not unheard of. There are always times when subordinate forces compete against each other, either for benefits or for a small reason like grudges.

Looking at Orlov’s face, Alaric recalled the experiences in his past life.

He raised a hand to stop everyone from speaking. He then looked deeply at Orlov and said. ”You should have informed the golden lion tribe of this matter. Can’t they resolve this for you?”

Orlov shook his head with a helpless expression. ”We tried. We sent letters and we even sent messengers to inform them about the situation, but they kept brushing us off. This has been ongoing for almost a year now.”

”At first, the opposing tribe only insulted us or stole our prey, but they became more aggressive and rampant in the past few months. I am afraid that they might come to attack our village if we don’t do something.” He added, looking incredibly forlorn.

They had been loyal to the golden lion tribe. They didn’t miss the yearly tributes and offerings. They even sent some of their young warriors to serve the golden lion tribe. However, the very lord they served had turned a blind eye to their suffering. It made Orlov feel disappointed and betrayed.

Alaric pondered deeply.

If this matter is done beautifully, it might bring us unexpected results.

Thinking about this, Alaric placed a hand on Orlov’s shoulder. ”Which tribe is the enemy that you speak of?”

Orlov raised his head and responded with hatred. ”The grey wolf tribe!”

Alaric nodded as he silently calculated what should be done in this situation. ”Other than your tribe, is there any other tribe that faced oppression from the grey wolf tribe?”

The various human Unfettereds didn’t understand why Alaric was taking his time to listen to these beastkin warriors. However, some shrewd people were able to guess his intentions.

”I don’t know. We are too focused on our own safety to care about other tribes, but...” Orlov thought about something and hesitated.

Alaric gestured for him to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Orlov nodded and said. ”We didn’t hear about the grey wolf tribe attacking other tribes, but we did hear that several weaker tribes have been bullied by the crocodile beast tribe.”

Hearing this, Alaric rubbed his chin. He then waved his hand. ”Alright. I have heard of your matter. For now, you can stay in our camp to await our decision.”

Orlov was reluctant to leave after getting this vague answer, but he had no choice. They came here to seek protection so it would be unwise to offend the other side.

”I hope to hear your positive response.” Orlov left with his subordinates after saying this.ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮