Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Their discussion ended on a positive note.

“Venerable One, are you planning to return soon?” Garandel asked on their way out of the treehouse.

Lucas found his new title quite awkward, but he still nodded and replied in a calm tone. “We will return once our injured soldiers are ready to go.”

“I see. Then I will inform our healers to prioritize the recovery of your warriors.” Garandel didn’t insist on making them stay. He knew that Lucas still had to take care of his territory.

“That would be great. Thank you, Your Majesty.” Lucas responded with a look of gratitude.

A moment later, they finally stepped out of the treehouse.

“This is as far as I can take you, Venerable Lucas. I still need to take care of some things so I hope you will understand my situation.” Said Garandel in an apologetic manner.

If he could, he would follow Lucas all day and deepen their friendship. However, he was bound to his duties as the king of the Greenwood Kingdom.

Lucas waved his hand. “Of course! Let us talk again sometime, Your Majesty. I will take my leave first.”

He cupped his fists at the elven king as he bid him farewell. He then turned around and left.

Garandel watched him leave with a complex expression.

I wonder what kind of storm he will make once he returns to the empire.

Garandel had visited Astania before during his younger days so he knew a thing or two about the empire.

I wonder if I have the chance to be a Venerable…

Garandel was amused by his own ridiculous thoughts.

***

Meanwhile, Alaric and Yvanna had already stepped outside the treehouse. They tacitly agreed to go on a walk to prevent themselves from making the same mistake earlier.

“Yvanna, I am curious about something. Do you know who engraved the ability on General Ryzel’s sword?” He had witnessed the sword’s power and he was certain that it was on the same level as his Frigid Dragon Sword. The only difference was that Ryzel’s sword had a major side effect if repeatedly used. Whereas Alaric’s sword had no such detrimental effect.

Hearing this, Yvanna thought of a certain person and replied with an emotional voice. “It was my mother…”

Alaric’s eyes widened at her response. “I am sorry, I did not know…”

No wonder I could not find someone with the berserker monster integrated trait. It turns out that it was Yvanna’s mother who had engraved the ability on that sword.

Yvanna shook her head. “It is alright. I might as well tell you since we are on the topic.”

“My mother was the strongest elf in the kingdom. She was a 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster. Her main monster integrated trait was Blood Berserker. It was an ability that made her stronger the more blood she absorbed from the enemies she had slain…” She told him a few things about her mother, and for the first time, Yvanna revealed her vulnerable side.

She tried not to cry as she told him this story.

When Alaric heard that her mother was a 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster, he was stunned.

This was an expert who could stand above Astania unfettered and unbound by any law!

A 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster was someone who had formed a mana ring around their heart- a special vessel that stores mana. With the help of this vessel, they could wield unimaginable amounts of mana which also made casting skills easier for them.

That was the reason why experts at this level were feared in the empire. Even a ten thousand-man army of skilled warriors would collapse under the terrifying might of a 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster!

“Your mother was a great queen.” Alaric sighed as he patted her back. It was lamentable for such a powerful woman to meet her end in such a tragic manner.

According to Yvanna, the late elven queen had to sacrifice herself to kill two Catastrophe-grade monsters all for the sake of their kingdom’s survival.

“Three Catastrophe-grade monsters attacked our kingdom at that time. My mother managed to kill two and severely injured the last one, but she was also not spared from death after that battle.” A mixture of emotions flashed in Yvanna’s eyes.

Alaric sensed her sorrow, her regret, and her rage.

Suddenly, he realized something important.

“Wait… You mean there is still one Catastrophe-grade monster that survived that battle?”

“That is right, but you do not need to worry. Its injuries were so serious that it might not be able to recover in the next century.” Yvanna replied.

Alaric felt a bit relieved to hear that, but he still felt unsettled knowing that such a formidable creature was hidden somewhere in the Enchanted Woodlands.

“But you cannot ignore the possibility that it might recover faster than you all had anticipated.” Alaric reminded her with a stern voice.

Yvanna narrowed her eyes and nodded. “We have been preparing for that too.”

The elves had also thought of this possibility so they had made measures in case the monster would return to exact revenge, but she didn’t disclose the information to Alaric for this was related to the core secrets of the Greenwood Kingdom.

“It seems I was overthinking it.” Alaric shook his head.

The two were silent for a while before Yvanna spoke. “You must come here and see me often. If you don’t, I will come and find you.”

Alaric’s mouth twitched upon hearing this. “Of course. I will visit you often. I promise.” He sent her a reassuring smile.

“Bring that young lady named Hershey with you the next time you come here. I want to get to know her better.” Yvanna didn’t have friends in her age group since her identity was very special. No one dared to get closer to her because the elves were very strict about hierarchy. The only friend she had was Neo, but he was way older than her so they don’t share the same interests.

Alaric wasn’t against the idea. He felt that it was only right for them to know each other. “Alright.”