Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Alaric stayed in the estate for the next five days to catch up with his family and the people of the household.

He also didn’t miss his daily missions. He even went to tutor Elena who was eager to learn swordsmanship from him.

At this moment, Alaric had just completed his fifth daily mission.

He checked his attributes and smiled faintly upon seeing his progress. Although slow, the slight increase still made him happy.

“Uncle!”

An excited voice drifted into his ears.

Who was it other than the little troublemaker, Dudu?

Turning his head, Alaric saw Dudu dressed in her new pink dress, happily skipping towards him.

“Dudu.” Alaric smiled as he lifted the little girl.

Hehehehe

The little girl giggled, her face filled with joy.

Alaric put her down and asked while pinching her cheeks. “How was your first day with your teacher? Did you learn a lot from her?”

Dudu swatted away his sweaty hand and replied with a pout. “I don’t like her.”

“Why? She is your teacher. That’s not good to say.”

Dudu crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. “She said that Dudu must walk and sit properly to be a graceful lady. The teacher made me do this and that. There were so many things to remember but I forgot them all.”

Hearing her complain, Alaric chuckled and gently rubbed her head. “Dudu, all ladies must learn this. If you want to be a good older sister for Gwenaelle, you must be patient and learn how to behave properly. Do you understand?”

Dudu looked displeased, but she still obediently nodded her head. “Okay.”

Growl.

A soft growl suddenly echoed from Dudu’s stomach.

The little girl rubbed her tummy and mumbled pitifully. “Uncle, I’m hungry.”

“That’s not good. Dudu must eat something so that your tummy won’t hurt. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Alaric grabbed her chubby hand.

“I want a big piece of meat!” The little glutton eagerly followed with small, but quick steps.

In the kitchen, they encountered Mathilda who was receiving servant training from Elena.

Alaric’s gaze was complicated, but he still greeted them.

“How is Mathilda’s training going?” He casually inquired while helping Dudu take her seat.

Elena sensed the awkward atmosphere, but she still replied.

“She is doing well, Your Highness. Although a little bit clumsy sometimes, she is a quick learner. With a month of training, I’m sure that she will master everything.”

Alaric nodded and waved his hand. “That’s good. You two continue with your tasks.”

Elena and Mathilda bowed to him before they left.

Looking at Mathilda’s figure, Alaric sighed.

He had never touched her in the past five days.

Her Lustful Cauldron trait made it difficult to avoid the temptation, but he managed to stop himself upon remembering his conversation with Hershey.

Alaric pulled his eyes away and shook off the distracting thoughts.

He then asked for some freshly grilled meat from the servants and helped Dudu cut the meat into smaller pieces before giving it to her.

“Here’s your food, Dudu.”

“Meat! Meat!” Drooling, the little girl clapped her hands excitedly.

While he was watching her eat, a warrior suddenly came to his side and whispered into his ear. “Your Highness, the elves have sent an emissary to discuss something important. He is already in Lord Lucas’s study.”

Hearing this, Alaric raised an eyebrow.

That was quick.

He nodded to the warrior. “I will be there. Stay here with Dudu and give her more food if she asks for it.”

The warrior acknowledged the command with a salute.

“Dudu, I need to go somewhere. If you want more, just ask your uncle to get you more. He will get it for you.” Alaric rubbed the girl’s head.

Dudu nodded. “Okay.”

…

Inside Lucas’s study.

“How have you been, my lord?” Neo smiled as he removed the hood that covered his face.

Lucas gestured at him to drink the freshly brewed tea as he replied with a smile. “I feel great!”

“The tea from your kingdom made me feel better. It cured me of my recurring headaches.”

Neo took a light sip of tea and chuckled at his words. “I’m glad that you liked it. I will send you more the next time I visit.”

“That sounds good!”

The two exchanged pleasantries before they went into the main topic.

“So to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” Lucas asked, his expression turning serious.

Neo put down the teacup and responded with a frown. “We are allies so I won’t keep it from you, my lord.”

“The reason why we are willing to cooperate with the barbarian tribes is because we recently spotted a growing monster colony over three hundred miles from our kingdom. And this isn’t just a regular monster colony like the ones we destroyed before.”

Lucas’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

Neo continued in a grim voice. “According to our scouts, the colony is jointly built by three types of monsters; goblins, orcs, and ogres. They now number approximately seventy thousand and their numbers are still growing.”

“The even have ogres?!” Lucas exhaled a deep breath.

Orcs were already troublesome, but ogres were way worse.

A normal orc warrior was about three meters tall, while the average ogre was double that!

Neo nodded. “They are far from our kingdom, but we can’t exclude the possibility of them invading us.”

“We have reached out to the barbarian tribes, but those sand dwellers are quite stubborn. We might need your help in the coming meeting with the various barbarian chieftains.” Neo lowered his head, his tone filled with helplessness.

“Please lift your head, Sir Neo. As your ally, we will definitely help you.”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A series of knocks suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Hearing this, Lucas said.

“You may enter. The door is unlocked.”

Alaric pushed the door open and entered the room.

“Sir Neo!” He was taken aback when he saw that the emissary was Neo.

This guy was Yvanna’s closest confidant. He was a mentor and like a second father to her.

“It has been a while, Lord Alaric. Oh, please pardon me. It’s Your Highness now…” Neo stood up to greet him.