My Kingdom Building Done Right!

A sigh escaped Travis’ lips as he laid down on his bed.

It had been a long time since he had last slept in his own room, and the reality that he was finally home finally began to sink into him.

Memories of what happened during his stay in Leone’s domain surfaced in his mind, especially the words the young chieftain had told him before the representatives of the Darkmane Tribe had arrived to pay their ransom.

—————

"You don’t have to believe what I told you right away," Leone said calmly. "You can judge whether I’m joking or not after my war with the Darkmane Tribe ends. However, once I prove it to you, I hope you will make the right decision when the time comes.

—————

Travis wanted to disregard Leone’s words as a joke. Yet, there was a nagging thought at the back of his head, telling him, "What if he was right?"

Leone had broken Cain, starting from stripping him of his arrogance. And Cain had felt like an insect.

And the funny part?

Travis was the one who broke him.

In the past, their youngest did not even dare to raise his head in the presence of his brother.

Cain was the firstborn. On top of that, he was the favorite to become the next chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe.

This was why Travis was desperate to earn merits in any way possible. He believed that as long as he showed his father that he was more competent than his older brother, he would pay more attention to him.

Every time he and Cain crossed paths, the former would ridicule him in front of his peers, taking joy in Travis’ humiliation.

And that repressed anger and humiliation he felt in the past surfaced like a raging tide after what happened.

With Leone’s blessings and Blitz’s help, Travis beat up his brother day and night.

Because of this, Cain had grown very fearful of him.

He made sure that his brother’s body remembered.

He made sure that his mind remembered.

He made sure to make him understand that defying him was not an option.

Travis relished his moments of superiority over the person who had once stepped on him over and over like a bug.

Thanks to what had happened, the tables had completely turned. Even after returning to their tribe, Cain didn’t dare to talk or even look at him.

’It feels good.’ Travis smiled faintly as he recalled those wonderful memories.

However, he also noticed his father’s lack of concern for them after they returned to their tribe.

Troy didn’t even spare them a single glance.

He didn’t even talk to them.

Instead, he treated his own sons as if they didn’t exist.

That was how disappointed he was at them.

Yet, Travis wasn’t worried.

Troy only had three sons after all, and only one of them would inherit the Darkmane Tribe.

Remembering Leone’s proposal, Travis found himself feeling just a little excited for the future.

—————

"I will give you the opportunity to thoroughly break your father like what you did to Cain," Leone promised. "It will not happen right away. But, you will know whether I am capable of it or not after this war ends."

—————

Aside from that, Leone also promised him one more thing.

Something Travis had wanted all his life.

His offer was similar to the temptation of a devil. However, after tasting the sense of superiority and power that the devil offered, Travis could no longer turn back.

The feeling of trampling on those who had looked down on him in the past felt like an addictive drug.

For the first time in his life, he truly understood why powerful people enjoyed wielding authority over others.

It wasn’t merely about strength.

It was the satisfaction of watching others bow their heads.

The satisfaction of knowing that their fate rested in your hands.

And once he experienced that feeling, he found it difficult to let go.

"Father..." Travis muttered softly.

A complicated expression appeared on his face. Deep inside his heart, a part of him still wanted Troy’s approval.

He wanted his father to acknowledge him.

To praise him.

To tell him that he had done well.

But after years of neglect and disappointment, that tiny hope was slowly dying.

Leone had noticed it. The young chieftain had seen through him completely. That was why his words struck deeper than Travis wanted to admit.

The Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe knew this feeling all too well. After all, he also had a father and a mother whom he wanted to impress with his achievements.

"If the person you want to impress refuses to acknowledge your worth, then why continue seeking his approval?"

Words Leone had casually said to him were now starting to make sense.

And yet, he still feared and respected his father.

That was why this war was important to Travis.

If even his proud father were to return as a loser, then wouldn’t that mean that Leone was right?

Wouldn’t that mean that his father wasn’t as invincible as he thought he was?

Wouldn’t that mean that he was also inferior?

"Hah... I hope this war starts already," Travis muttered.

He didn’t really care who won or lost. If Leone lost, he would be happy.

If his father lost, he would rejoice.

It was a win-win situation for him, so he wished that the war could start sooner.

Soon, laughter spread inside Travis’ room as he imagined his father’s defeated figure.

It was not only Cain who had been broken during his stay at Grimjaw Mountain.

Travis had also changed due to Leone and Daedalus’ brainwashing.

If Troy only knew that his son was actively seeking his own downfall, what would he have felt at the time?

Would he feel regret because he didn’t raise his sons properly?

Or would he roar in anger at their betrayal?

Travis rose up from his bed and walked towards the window of his room.

From his vantage point, he could see the war preparations that were being done by the warriors of his tribe.

Since Leone wished for him to see his father’s downfall personally, then Travis would march alongside the army.

In less than a week, the warriors of the Darkmane Tribe would march toward Grimjaw Mountain and clash with the forces gathered under Leone’s banner.

And somewhere amidst that chaos, the answer to the question that had been haunting him for days would finally reveal itself.

Was Leone truly a fool who overestimated himself, or was he really capable of bringing down the Darkmane Tribe?

This was the question that had been in everyone’s mind as of late.

Somewhere in the Borderlands, within the city of the Bonegnash Tribe...

"We have confirmed that the Darkmane Tribe and the Aslan Tribe are about to clash with each other," a warrior reported.

"Good." A middle-aged man nodded. "Make sure to send someone to monitor the battlefield. Also, make sure to coordinate with ’IT’."

"Understood." The warrior bowed respectfully. "I will see to it that it is done, My Chieftain."

The middle-aged man grinned in return, showing his teeth as black as obsidian.

While everyone was waiting for the outcome of the war, the Bonegnash Tribe was waiting for something else.

Something that no other high-ranking tribes could foresee. Something that would drastically change the order within the tribes in the Borderlands.