Lucas brought them to his study room.
As soon as everyone took their seats, Lucas muttered, his eyes sweeping over, eyeing everyone like a hawk watching its prey.
"Now tell me what happened on your trip…"
The Knights glanced at Alaric in unison. The matter was too big for them to say it themselves so they unanimously agreed to let him speak.
This was also Alaric's decision.
When he sensed their gazes, he looked at his father and replied. "Just as I had told you, father, I brought the Knights to the Red Toad Gorge to search for the cave mentioned in the rumors."
Lucas glanced over at the Knights and saw them nodding their heads.
Alaric continued. "We went inside the cave to investigate the rumors about the Dragon Tail Fern. There, we encountered an adult Spiked Grizzly Bear…"
Hearing this, Lucas furrowed his eyebrows, while Maria gasped in shock.
On the other hand, Elena who didn't know anything about monsters tilted her head in confusion.
Alaric's voice turned serious at this point. "We managed to kill the Spiked Grizzly Bear. Sir Rigor was injured in that battle to protect me."
When he mentioned this, Maria sent Rigor a grateful look.
"We found this in the body of the beast." Alaric took out the beast soul crystal of the Spiked Grizzly Bear and handed it to his father.
Lucas inspected the beast soul crystal before he handed it back to Alaric.
"Only powerful monsters can produce beast soul crystals. That Spiked Grizzly Bear must have been a tough beast." He remarked.
"That's right." Alaric nodded.
"If Sir Galanar wasn't with us, it would have been a dangerous battle."
Hearing this, the Knights nodded in agreement. As prideful as they were, they couldn't deny that it was Galanar who did the most damage to the Spiked Grizzly Bear. Their weapons couldn't even penetrate deeply into its sturdy body.
Lucas wasn't surprised by this. Galanar was an Elite Knight so it wasn't that difficult for someone like him to kill a Fatal-grade monster.
"As we headed deeper into the cave, we found a cavern with a crystal clear pond in the middle," Alaric explained what they had seen in the cavern, including the Iron Back Crocodile that was living in the pond. He also mentioned the presence of the Dragon Tail Ferns.
At this point, Lucas could no longer hide his surprise.
"You really found the Dragon Tail Ferns?" He stared at Alaric in disbelief.
Alaric smiled and made a gesture with his hand. "Knights, please show the patriarch what we have collected in the cavern."
"Yes, my lord!"
The Knights opened the sacks and revealed the contents.
"It's indeed the Dragon Tail Fern!" Lucas stood up from his seat to get a clearer look at the herbs.
Maria and Elena also went to take a closer look.
"Just how many Dragon Tail Ferns did you collect from that cavern?" Maria was shocked to see so many stalks inside the sacks.
"More than 700," Alaric replied with a grin.
"What?!" Maria covered her mouth in disbelief.
She mentally calculated the total value of the herbs inside the sacks and the result almost made her faint from shock.
Lucas managed to maintain his composure after a moment of surprise.
"What do you plan to do with these herbs?" He glanced at his son.
"Recently, I made a promise with someone," Alaric told them about his deal with the people from the orphanage.
"I see. Having those kids work on your product would have a lesser risk of having your recipe getting leaked. That was a good decision." Maria who has a great mind for business immediately grasped his thoughts.
"I learned it from you, mother." Alaric chuckled.
Suddenly, Lucas spoke.
"Funding the orphanage would make those kids loyal to you, but are you sure about training them to become Knights? Not everyone has the aptitude to become a Knight."
Hearing this, Alaric nodded. "I understand that, father. However…"
"…there are plenty of Knights who came from humble origins. They managed to overcome their lack of status and resources to become Knights. What would happen if we gave them the opportunity and the resources? The kids with potential would definitely reveal themselves and with the help that we provided them, they will be grateful and swear their loyalty to House Silversword!"
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
He could sense his son's overwhelming ambition, but it wasn't the kind of ambition that would bring harm to others. He could feel something more profound in the depths of Alaric's eyes.
Alaric had always been a normal kid with no ambition to speak. His potential was above average and his swordsmanship talent was ordinary.
He wondered what made his son change in just a short amount of time.
What is this kid hiding from me?
"It looks like you have already planned things. In that case, I will give you full authority in handling these Dragon Tail Ferns. Whatever you do with them will be your responsibility. Just don't do something that will make you regret in the future, my son." Lucas patted Alaric's shoulder while staring deeply at him.
Alaric was overwhelmed by his father's trust. He was already prepared to concede some of the herbs. Who would have thought that he would actually let him take everything?
"I will do my best not to disappoint you, father! I promise that everything I will do is for the sake of House Silversword!" Alaric lowered his head.
"That makes me feel relieved." Lucas's expression softened.
"Handling those herbs on your own might be difficult. If you need some advice, just ask for your mother's help. She is the best when it comes to anything related to money." Lucas didn't forget to remind him.
"Yes, father."
"Good!"
Lucas's gaze swept over, glancing at every individual inside the room. "This matter must not be spread to anyone. Am I clear?"
"Yes, my lord!" Everyone lowered their heads nervously upon sensing the baron's stern gaze.
Lucas dismissed the Knights and chatted some more with Alaric.
After almost an hour, Alaric was finally sent away with Elena.
"My lord, I'm glad that you're alright…" Elena's shy voice drifted into his ears.
"Were you worried about me?" Alaric held her small hand and squeezed it gently.
Feeling embarrassed by his direct stare, Elena looked away from him and hummed in response. "Mn."
"I'm sorry for making you worried, Nana."
"It's okay."
"I promised to hunt some animals for dinner, but you guys have already eaten…Why don't we cook some meat from the bear we hunted?"
Elena lifted her head in surprise. "But that isn't a normal bear, but a Fatal-grade monster! How could a servant like me eat such valuable meat?"
"How could you say that, Nana? Haven't you heard from my mother that you will soon be married to me?" Alaric sent her a teasing look.
"H-Huh?! W-What…are you saying, my lord?" The girl was flustered and she timidly averted her gaze, her cheeks blushing due to embarrassment.
"Hahaha! You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Nana."
Alaric stared at her with undisguised fondness.
I will never let anyone hurt you again, Elena. And I promise that I will make the man who hurt you regret being born in this world!
***
The next day, Alaric headed to the orphanage with Galanar and Harris.
The latter was one of his mother's trusted servants, a man talented in business management.
He specifically asked his mother to lend him this man.
Now that I have Harris, dealing with the Dragon Tail Ferns would no longer be an issue.
Although he had learned a few things from his mother, he was still a beginner in business. He would only make careless mistakes if he dealt with them on his own.
"My lord, we are here." The coachman said.
"You can come with me, Harris." Alaric looked at the middle-aged man sitting on the seat in front of him.
He was wearing a monocle and his graying hair was combed neatly to the side, giving him a clean look.
Harris bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."
"Stay here, Galanar." Alaric gestured for him to stay when he noticed that Galanar was intending to follow them.
Galanar immediately stepped back. "As you wish, my lord."
"Harris, let's go. I'll introduce you to the people here."