Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

With Nivis watching him, Alaric couldn’t concentrate on his training. He felt like he was being judged and it made him uncomfortable.

After getting the rewards for completing his daily mission, Alaric left the training ground.

Nivis silently followed him like a shadow.

Alaric ignored her and just headed straight to the mansion.

On his way to his study, he encountered Caecus.

“Your Highness, I have deciphered the coded messages.” He calmly reported.

Hearing this, Alaric nodded and responded. “Good work. Follow me to my study and show it to me.”

Caecus nodded.

A moment later, they arrived at the study.

Alaric took off his wet training clothes and changed into a loose shirt.

“You two may sit.” He motioned for the two to sit on the sofa adjacent to his desk.

Caecus and Nivis sat next to each other without saying a word.

After wiping off his sweat, Alaric took his seat and looked at Caecus. “Did you write it down?”

Caecus nodded and handed him a piece of paper on which he had written the deciphered message.

“They only exchanged four lines in the short moment they saw each other.”

Alaric grabbed the paper and read the deciphered message.

– Alaric is a Venerable.

• The poison will be sent in three days.

– I will keep an eye on him.

• You know what to do once you are discovered.

Alaric frowned as he put down the paper.

It was as he had suspected. Samantha was part of the cult. He finally understood why the empress was acting weirdly during their encounter. It must have been caused by the poison or perhaps they used other methods to confuse the empress’s mind.

Feeling curious, Nivis snatched the deciphered message from him.

“I knew it! I told you we couldn’t trust that woman!” She scoffed.

Alaric leaned on his seat with a grim look. “Just what kind of poison is it that it could even affect the mind of a Venerable?”

Yskaela Veronica was no ordinary Mythical Knight. She was considered one of the apex Venerables in the entire continent. Ordinary poisons wouldn’t work on someone at her level.

“Ignorant!” Nivis shook her head in disdain.

“There are many kinds of poison that can attack the mind and they are quite common in where I came from. There are even poisons that could kill your so-called Venerables in just minutes.”

Alaric looked at her and asked. “Is there any way to make those poisons ineffective?”

Nivis crossed her arms and replied with a nod. “Of course. You just need to make an antidote.”

“Then… do you know how to make one?” Alaric stared at her with anticipation. His vitality was mostly similar to Yskaela’s. Which means that he was also vulnerable to it.

He wanted to prepare an antidote since he was their next target.

Nivis shook her head. “How would I know? I’m not an alchemist.”

Alaric’s face twitched at her response. He subconsciously exerted strength on his hands which almost pulverized the desk.

“Tsk! Tsk! It looks like the table needs to be replaced.” He smiled faintly while shaking his head.

…

Three days later, the senior inspector, Jaymund Felton, returned to the mansion with about five hundred inspectors from the inspection department. Most of them were just ordinary people with no traces of mana in their bodies. Fifty of them were at the level of Knight Apprentices and there were only three Knights.

Alaric quietly observed them and used his Appraisal to see who would be useful for him. Unfortunately, he didn’t find anyone remarkable.

Other than the senior inspector who had a decent level of investigation trait, the rest were mediocre. However, Alaric wasn’t too disappointed.

“Your Highness, this is the largest number of personnel I can mobilize.” Jaymund sent him an embarrassed smile.

He came from a commoner household and it took him years of effort to climb his way to his current position. He didn’t have generational wealth that allowed him to have a wide array of network.

“Good job, Senior Inspector Jaymund. This is more than enough for what I need.” Alaric smiled as he tapped the man’s shoulder.

The senior inspector was relieved to hear this. “What do you want us to do, Your Highness? Just give us the word.”

Alaric looked at the inspectors and announced. “I want you all to keep an eye on the suspected members of the heretic cult. For your safety, you don’t need to be in close proximity to them. You just need to observe them from afar. You will then make a report on what you have observed and submit it to me.”

The task didn’t sound difficult, but it still carried some risk.

The inspectors looked nervous. They had never directly confronted the heretic cult. Whenever there were cases that involved the heretic cult, the inspection department would immediately pull out after some surface-level investigation.

Sensing their concern, Alaric reassured them. “You don’t need to be worried. You will be accompanied by the imperial guards so your safety will be guaranteed. If a fight occurs, you may leave the scene immediately.”

“For added security, each one of you will receive an amulet that can defend against minor curses,” Alaric added.

The heretic cult was known for its powerful curses so he asked the empress to send amulets for the inspectors. Fortunately, she agreed with his request.

Alaric gestured at his subordinates to bring the items.

Ten wooden boxes were placed neatly in front of the inspectors. Each box contained fifty amulets.

“Senior Inspector Jaymund, please distribute the amulets to your subordinates.” Alaric nodded to the senior inspector.

Jaymund Felton sent Alaric a look of gratitude. He knew that those amulets were precious items, but Alaric didn’t even hesitate to give them to the inspectors.

After receiving the amulets, the inspectors became less worried. They also had a good impression of the Astanian Prince so they chose to accept the job despite the dangers involved.

Alaric invited the senior inspector to his study to discuss the details of the work.