Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

“What? His Highness is also here?”

“Does this mean that all princes are gathered here today?”

Everyone was surprised by Dominic’s announcement.

They all thought that only Alaric and Giovanni would participate in the war. They never would have imagined that even the elusive crown prince, Leighnard Exlor Astania, would also be here.

At this moment, someone from the crowd stood up. He was wearing a hood that covered his face and his entire body so no one recognized him.

The person removed his hood and revealed his face.

“Your Highness!” Someone exclaimed upon seeing who it was.

It was the crown prince, Leighnard.

Smiling lightly, Leighnard cupped his fists to Dominic before walking towards the stage.

Tsk!

Alaric heard someone clicking his tongue behind him. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that it was Giovanni. Only that guy had a beef with Leighnard.

Upon taking the stage, Leighnard displayed a map of Harune. More specifically, a map of its outermost region which was composed of more than twenty cities and over a hundred towns and villages.

Leighnard pointed at the map and spoke.

“Attacking Harune would be incredibly difficult.”

“By now, they should have already fortified their defenses and stationed more troops to guard their borders…”

He pointed out several locations on the map and added. “These five cities are our targets, but they are well-defended so we must…”

“Your Highness, can I ask something?” Someone from the crowd raised his hand.

Leighnard glanced at the man and nodded. “Alright. You can go ahead and ask.”

After getting his permission, the man stood up. “Is there something special about those cities? From what I see, they are harder to penetrate if we consider the terrain. We will have a much easier time if we choose different cities.”

Hearing this, some people nodded to agree with his words.

“That’s a good question.” Leighnard motioned at the man to be seated.

“You are right. Attacking these cities would be a lot harder due to their locations. However, I didn’t choose these cities randomly…”

He shook his head and circled the five cities on the map.

“Look here… These cities hold strategic locations…”

The crown prince explained it simply to make it easier for everyone to understand.

At first, everyone was skeptical about his plans, but when they heard his explanation, they realized that it was the ideal route for them.

It was brilliant and well-thought.

“Our first target is this city… Atarkan.” Leighnard pointed the stick he was holding at a specific city.

Everyone looked at the map and furrowed their eyebrows.

Atarkan was a city built on top of a mega mountain.

It was a fortress city once built to defend Harune from foreign invaders. Through the years, it had become one of the largest and most thriving cities of the empire.

“From the information we gathered, Atarkan is defended by more than a hundred thousand warriors. Its walls are also equipped with mana cannons and trebuchets…”

Leighnard mentioned the defensive capabilities of the city which made everyone’s face turn grim.

If it was so heavily guarded, how the hell could they invade it?

That was what everyone thought and Leighnard could already tell it from their expressions.

“There is a reason why I chose Atarkan as our first target. This is because they have one major weakness despite their strong defense.”

Hearing this, everyone raised their eyebrows.

Leighnard took out a painting of a middle-aged man and pasted it on the wall.

“This is Fibrio Quentin, an aristocrat of Harune who holds a barony. He is a spy we sent decades ago to infiltrate Harune. With his efforts, he managed to climb his way up to become a baron, and now, he has full control of Atarkan’s southern gate.”

The crowd was astonished. They never thought that they actually had such a high-level spy within the enemy territory.

Leighnard didn’t even need to continue his explanation. Everyone understood how this would play out when he mentioned Fibrio’s identity.

At this moment, a lord from the eastern region suddenly raised his hand.

“Your Highness, if I may ask, what if Fibrio has already joined the enemy’s side?”

The moment he mentioned this, the military officers frowned.

They couldn’t deny the possibility that Fibrio might have already betrayed them.

“I understand your worries, but you can rest assured. I have sent my trusted subordinates to speak with Fibrio in person and they have guaranteed that the man is still on our side. However, if he has indeed chosen to side with Harune, I already have a counter strategy prepared for that.”

Leighnard told them about his plans.

Soon, the worries in everyone’s hearts disappeared and were replaced with utter astonishment.

Leighnard’s schemes ran deep, making them a bit scared of his cunning mind. They even felt fortunate that he was on their side.

“He is weak, but at least he has a useful head,” Giovanni mumbled.

Alaric was amused when he heard this.

The meeting continued for two more hours before it concluded.

…

“That was a great strategy.” Praised Alaric as he approached the crown prince with Giovanni.

“You flatter me, cousin.” Leighnard chuckled.

The two exchanged pleasantries, while Giovanni occasionally sneered at Leighnard.

To his remarks, the crown prince merely laughed. He wasn’t even offended since he was already used to Giovanni’s hostility.

“Knowing that your father will join us in this expedition is very reassuring. I’m glad that His Majesty has approved Lord Lucas’s request.” Leighnard commented.

Alaric laughed proudly at his words.

Although Lucas might not be as powerful as Dominic and Ignatius at the moment, he has the highest potential among them. He was way younger than the two, but his skills had already caught up with them.

In a few more years, he would definitely surpass them and become the strongest warrior of Astania.

“By the way, where is Zephyr? I heard that it was injured during your trip to the Enchanted Woodlands. Hasn’t it recovered yet?” Giovanni suddenly asked.