STARTING WITH AN SSS-RANK SWORDSMANSHIP TALENT

More and more guests arrived to join the celebration. The northern lords who didn’t participate in the orc subjugation even came to flatter him, hoping that House Silversword wouldn’t alienate them.

They experienced major financial losses after House Silversword had cut off their supply of metal ores and other raw materials. It was then that they finally realized how big of a mistake they had made.

Facing these shameless people, Alaric only responded halfheartedly before he excused himself from them.

A few hours later, one of the most anticipated parts of the celebration, the friendly duels, began.

This had already become a tradition in the North and it was a common segment in every important event.

This time, only Knight Apprentices were allowed to participate so most of them were young warriors below the age of 30.

Alaric sent the three best young warriors from the last batch of trainees to represent House Silversword.

To prevent serious injuries, the participants were only allowed to use wooden weapons.

“My lord, I think it’s overkill to send those three. We could have sent Mark or someone else instead of them.” Rigor whispered after Alaric decided to send Rasmus, Aliya, and Renante.

He was the main instructor of the last batch of trainees so he had a clear understanding of their abilities.

Alaric smiled lightly at him and replied. “Don’t you want to see them show off their might in front of this crowd?”

Rigor could only smile wryly at his response.

“Even Mark could beat those guys. If it’s those three, I think it won’t be a friendly duel anymore, but a one-sided beating…” He helplessly shook his head.

Alaric shrugged and chuckled in amusement. “Just relax and let them have fun.”

Rigor no longer said anything and turned his attention to the ongoing duel.

The guests sent their best representatives for the friendly duel. Some of the northern lords even sent their children. One of them was Theo, the heir apparent of House Paxley. He was also the crowd favorite since he was the most famous among the participants.

Although he was not a prodigy like Alaric, he was still a rare genius in the North.

As the friendly duels continued, the crowd started to take notice of the three young warriors sent by House Silversword. This was because they all won in an overwhelming fashion.

Most of their fights ended in just a single move. This was especially true for the girl named Aliya.

She was like a tigress, fierce and unstoppable.

All her battles ended with her opponents being ruthlessly beaten in one move. The most shocking thing was that she hadn’t even used her weapon.

“Who is that girl? Man, she’s beautiful, but she’s scary when she fights.”

“I heard that she is one of the trainees who has graduated from the rigorous program of House Silversword.”

“If not for those scars on her face, she would have been a real beauty. What a pity.”

The spectators discussed as they watched Aliya’s performance with great enthusiasm.

“Those two guys from House Silversword are also doing great! They ended their battles within three moves!”

“Just how did they train those kids? They don’t look old, but they fight like they have years of experience.”

Other than the three of them, there were also a few participants who displayed superior skills compared to the rest. Theo was one of them.

His swordsmanship was impressive. Although he focused heavily on being flashy, he was able to defeat his opponents with ease.

Not bad. With more practical experience, he will be forced to remove those flashy tricks.

Alaric thought to himself.

“Theo has trained really hard for this day. He wanted to become a Knight, but he still fell short in the end.” Remarked Hershey who was standing beside Alaric.

“Is that so? No wonder his skills have improved.” Alaric looked at Theo and used his Appraisal trait on him.

Theo Paxley [Knight Apprentice] EXP: 88/100

Potential: D

Traits: Horseback Riding (F), Swordsmanship (E), Close Combat (F), Archery (E), Hunting (F), Business Management (E)

Strength: 19

Stamina: 18

Agility: 17

Endurance: 18

Vitality: 18

Mana: 5

He is indeed close to becoming a Knight. He just needs a little bit more physical training and exposure to mana.

Theo was still a Knight Apprentice so he couldn’t use herbs like the Dragon Tail Fern that had high levels of mana. Without sufficient physical strength to handle mana, his body wouldn’t be able to handle the energy and he might even suffer a backlash if he forced himself to absorb those kinds of herbs.

However, there were tonics that could help with increasing muscle growth and even improve the physical condition of the body. The only issue is that using these tonics was extremely painful and not everyone could handle this pain.

In his past life, Alaric also used these tonics to improve his physical condition.

Suddenly, he heard the crowd cheering excitedly.

The reason for this excitement was that Theo would be fighting Rasmus in his next match. Furthermore, Aliya’s opponent was another crowd favorite, Renante.

Only these four young warriors remained and everyone was eager to know who would proceed to the final match.

I am sorry, brother-in-law. It seems like you are not destined to win this friendly duel.

Even without using his Appraisal trait, he knew that Rasmus was way stronger than Theo.

The former had used tonics since he began his physical training and he had also participated in numerous practical combat missions. He also focused on improving his battle skills. Unlike Theo who had to handle administrative duties, he was also free to train all day.

While he was silently lamenting the fate of his brother-in-law, the referee had already called their names.

“Who do you think will win?” Hershey glanced at him.

Alaric sent her a rueful smile as he replied. “I am sorry, Hershey, but your brother stands no chance against Rasmus.”

Hershey sighed and shook her head upon hearing this. “Whatever happens, I hope my brother will not be disheartened.”

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