Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Chapter 438: Cassius’s Profound Knowledge

The old man’s words were like a sledgehammer pounding into them and shaking their very core. However, their hesitation only appeared in an instant before it vanished without a trace.

“We understand that this is a dangerous endeavor, but we have already made up our minds.” Spoke Aliya who was silent the entire time.

Hearing her words, the young warriors smiled, nodding their heads.

Looking at their faces, Cassius felt a sense of déjà vu.

I was just like them when I was young, full of confidence and enthusiasm.

I just hope that they won’t meet the same tragedy that I experienced.

With a soft sigh, Cassius shook his head. “Since you young ones have already made a decision, then I won’t dissuade you anymore.”

He then tapped Rigor’s shoulder and said. “You can speak with them. I will go tend to the beasts.”

Rigor nodded promptly. “Uh, yes, sir!”

The old man didn’t linger. He put on his straw hat and left.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a brief moment.

Rigor faked a cough to break the silence.

Ahem!

“I will not promise you anything, but I will inform His Highness about your request.”

The faces of the young warriors brightened upon hearing this.

“Thank you, Sir Rigor!”

“Thank you, sir! We will never forget this!”

Hearing their excited voices, Rigor raised his hand while shaking his head. “Don’t be happy so soon. The final decision is still in the hands of His Highness.”

“Then can I go with you, sir? I would like to speak with His Highness.” Rasmus suddenly said.

Rigor raised an eyebrow and stared deeply at him.

This kid was one of the best young warriors he had taught.

Rasmus had also left a deep impression on him since Alaric had told him to keep an eye on the young man.

Back then, he thought that Alaric only wanted to give Rasmus the chance to achieve his dreams of becoming a Knight.

However, after months of training, Rasmus had exceeded his expectations. He had become one of the leading figures of the young warriors in the household.

After some thought, Rigor nodded his head. “Fine.”

Rasmus clenched his fists underneath the table.

My chance has finally come! I have been waiting for this moment since I followed His Highness.

He had chosen to follow Alaric to fulfill his dream of becoming a respectable warrior like his adoptive grandfather, William. He didn’t have any big ambitions at that time, but after witnessing Alaric’s kindness to him and his siblings in the orphanage, he decided to wholeheartedly serve Alaric.

They stayed for another half an hour to chat about random matters.

“Let’s go say goodbye to Sir Cassius before leaving.” Said Rigor as he stood up from his seat.

Everyone nodded at his words.

Rigor brought them out of the thatched hut and searched for Cassius within the beast garden.

They later found the old man feeding a large herd of foals.

Cassius turned his head when he sensed them approaching.

“Don’t scare the foals!” He reminded them.

The group immediately retracted their mana when they heard his reminder.

“These foals are born from the union of ice horses and common war horses. They are still young, but when they reach adulthood, there might be one of them that will become a Catastrophe-grade war horse.” Cassius spoke with so much pride.

Everyone could see the old man’s dedication to his task.

“They are that awesome?!” Wolf exclaimed in shock.

“Awesome? Of course they are!” Cassius laughed heartily.

Like a curious kid, Wolf rushed to the old man’s side and asked. “When will they reach adulthood, sir? I would like one for myself.”

Cassius chuckled and shook his head. “Do you think it’s easy to raise these creatures?”

“A normal war horse will need over five years to reach adulthood and a special breed will need close to ten years. As for these horses, it will take them ten to twelve years to fully mature.”

Wolf looked downcast upon hearing this.

“Is there no way to speed up their development?” Renante joined the conversation as he looked curiously at the foals.

The young warriors were also interested.

As warriors, which of them hadn’t dreamed of riding a Catastrophe-grade mount?

Cassius stroked his beard with a mysterious smile. He took something out of his pocket and showed it to them.

It looked like a small piece of ginger which emitted a strange smell similar to that of cooked meat.

“This is a rare magical plant called Star Mandragora. It’s relatively useless for Knights and beast soul warriors, but to monsters, it’s like a tonic or an elixir. This piece alone can accelerate the growth of any monster by a few months.” Cassius explained, showing his profound knowledge in raising monsters.

“So there is actually something that amazing…”

With a faint smile on his face, Cassius added. “It’s amazing. That is true, but this plant is hard to find. I tried growing them on my own, but the results weren’t great. If I had enough supply of this plant, I could grow these foals into their full potential in just a few years!”

“Whoa!”

“That’s amazing, Sir Cassius!”

Looking at the old man happily sharing his knowledge the young warriors, Rigor let out a smile.

This is truly where you belong, Sir Cassius. I’m happy to see you in such good spirits.

After returning from the war years ago, Cassius had always been gloomy.

He looked like he had aged a few decades at that time, but it seemed like his mental state had improved recently.

You have finally overcome your trauma, sir.

Rigor didn’t disturb them and just quietly waited at the corner.

After some time, Cassius turned his head to look at him. “Are you guys going to see His Highness?”

Rigor nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I see. You guys may leave. You can visit me here anytime you want.” Cassius waved his hand.

Rigor bowed to the old man and gestured at the young warriors to do the same.

“Thank you for your hospitality, sir! We will visit you again soon.”