Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Four days into their trip to Midgard, the army set up camp between a hill and a river.

This river was connected to Lake Ventura and due to its unique location and natural environment, the water from the river was drinkable.

They chose to camp here for this very reason.

At this moment, Alaric was cleaning his swords with a cloth when he noticed someone approaching him.

“Your Highness, a letter from our scouts!” It was Aldrin riding on his horse towards Alaric.

The second he arrived in front of Alaric, he jumped off his horse and handed him a sealed letter.

Alaric gently put down his swords before he took the letter from him.

Based on the special markings, the letter indeed came from their scouts.

Written in the letter was a coded message that only Alaric and a few people from House Silversword could understand.

A tunnel?

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows.

The letter mentioned the discovery of a tunnel, and according to the scouts, there was a high chance that it was a shortcut that led directly to Midgard.

If that were true, they could save a few days of travel if they were to make use of the tunnel.

However, Alaric felt that something was suspicious about this.

“What happened? What is written in there?” Asked Giovanni who was seated on a log next to him.

He felt curious when he saw the change in Alaric’s expression.

Before responding, Alaric waved to Aldrin, motioning for him to leave.

The latter understood his intentions and immediately left after giving the two princes a deep bow.

After he left, Alaric burned the letter and said. “Our scouts discovered a tunnel that they believe is connected directly to Midgard.”

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a good thing? If what they said is true, then we can save a few days of time.”

Alaric shook his head. “I feel like it’s too coincidental.”

“Why would they make a tunnel that is directly connected to their city? Don’t you think it’s suspicious?”

“It’s like they want us to enter the tunnel.”

Hearing his words, Giovanni frowned. “Now that you mention it… It’s indeed sketchy.”

“Maybe they are trying to lure us into the tunnel, and when our army is inside, they will bury us all!” He exclaimed at his own conjecture.

Alaric stared at him in surprise. “Since when were you this smart?”

With a furious look, Giovanni grabbed a stone from beneath his feet and threatened to throw it at him. “Say that again.”

Alaric ignored him and rose to his feet. “I think you are right about it. They must have prepared that tunnel for invaders or looters..”

Hearing this, Giovanni let out a smug smile. “Those idiots! Did they think that we would fall for their tricks?”

Suddenly, Alaric thought of something and revealed a cunning smile. “Hold on… I have a plan.”

Giovanni sent him a questioning look. “Alright. Let’s hear it.”

Alaric grinned and beckoned to him. “Follow me to look for Lord Ignatius. You two can hear it together.”

Giovanni was a bit displeased, but he still followed Alaric. “Fine.”

A moment later, they found Ignatius in his tent, getting some shut-eye.

With Ignatius’s powerful perception, he immediately sensed their presence even though he was asleep.

He opened his eyes, stepped out of his tent, and gave them a deep look. “What happened? Why did you two come to see me?”

Alaric told him about the scouts’ report and he also told Ignatius about his suspicions.

“A tunnel that directly leads to Midgard… that is indeed suspicious. No sane official would agree to build something like that, unless there is something wrong with that tunnel.” Ignatius rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“My lord, we could make use of that tunnel to…” Alaric told them about his plan.

Ignatius was initially disinterested, but when he heard his plan, his eyes flashed with approval. “Not bad. We can do that.”

Giovanni was also impressed and sent him a thumbs-up. “You are indeed my cousin!”

“We will make them think that we entered the tunnel and then…” Alaric explained the next steps of his plan.

***

Meanwhile, in a fort inside Midgard, tens of thousands of warriors could be seen doing their military drills.

The person monitoring their activity was a tall and muscular man with long, wavy black hair.

“Stab!” He shouted with authority.

As soon as his words fell, the warriors on the drill ground stabbed out their spears in unison.

Their synchronized movement created a snapping sound in the air.

“Pull!”

“Stab!”

The man repeated the commands over and over again, but no one emitted a word of complaint.

This continued until a messenger came and rushed to the man’s side to report something.

“Commander, our scouts spotted enemy troops heading to the tunnel.”

Hearing this, the man frowned and muttered. “So they have come…”

“Tell our scouts to continue monitoring their movements. If they enter the tunnel…”

His eyes suddenly turned cold as he muttered. “Bury them all at once!”

The messenger took a deep breath as he nodded. “Yes, sir! I will deliver your words to the scouts!”

Loras dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand.

I haven’t gotten word from Atarkan for a while now. Had it fallen into the enemy’s hands?

Thinking about this, he narrowed his eyes.

Since they had gotten word that Astanian troops were heading to Harune, he couldn’t get a proper sleep.

He still hadn’t forgotten how they had been defeated in Aklan Pass. They only managed to occupy a few small villages and cities, but they were quickly driven out when Astanian reinforcements arrived.

What made him more furious was how his comrades unjustly died because of Limuel’s stupid decisions.

(Author’s Note: Limuel is the old strategist who participated in the battle of Aklan Pass.)

Limuel, that goddamn bastard! I will find a way to kill him soon!

Because of their defeat, Limuel also received severe punishment. He was stripped of his noble title and was banished to Halona.

Loras had been thinking of ways to kill the old man, but Limuel had hidden himself well so he couldn’t find the chance to eliminate him.

He shook off his thoughts and looked at the warriors before him.

“Attention!” He shouted.

The warriors immediately lowered their spears and looked at him with straight faces.

“My brothers! Astanian troops are heading to Midgard as we speak! Their numbers are reported to be three hundred thousand! Are you afraid?!”

“NO, SIR!!!”

Their resounding response echoed across the city.

Loras nodded in satisfaction. “Make your preparations! We are heading into battle soon!”

“YES, SIR!!!”

***

The next day, Alaric stared at the collapsing tunnel with an unreadable expression.

“Now, let’s see how they will respond.” He mumbled.

He turned around and nodded to Ignatius. “My lord, everything is going according to plan. Any minute now, the enemies should receive the report about the collapse of the tunnel. Once they send their troops to check the situation, it is time for us to strike!”

Ignatius nodded. “You have done well, Your Highness. Leave the rest to me.”

Alaric cupped his fist. “Yes, my lord.”

Now, what they needed to do was wait for the troops of Midgard to take the bait. They would then attack them from three directions and sandwich their troops.

…

When evening came, Midgard’s troops finally appeared to check the situation.

Alaric who was hiding in the bushes with his troops felt the ground tremble as the enemy troops headed to the collapsed tunnel.

Squinting his eyes, he roughly estimated the number of enemies.

There are only about a hundred thousand of them. They must have left half of their troops in the city, but that is a big mistake!

Thinking about this, he sent a hand signal to the archer behind him.

The archer nodded and lit the tip of his arrow before sending it flying into the air.

Bang!

The arrow exploded as soon as it reached its peak.

In the next moment, Alaric unsheathed his swords and squeezed his legs.

“Charge with me!!”

“For Astania! Kill them all!”

Their sudden roar caught the enemy by surprise which caused confusion in their formation.

Meanwhile, Giovanni and Ignatius who were hidden in separate locations also led their troops to charge at the enemies.

With three armies attacking them from different directions, Harune’s troops fell into disarray.

However, something unexpected happened.

An army that numbered over a hundred thousand rushed out from another direction.

“I knew something was up! Do you think I would be stupid enough to fall for your tricks!” Loras bellowed as he led his troops to join the battle.

Soon, the sounds of weapons clashing echoed.

Alaric frowned when he noticed them rushing towards the rear side of Giovanni’s troops.

My dear cousin, just try to hold out for a while.

“Do not falter! We will claim victory tonight!” He shouted to the surprised troops.

His words ignited everyone’s morale.