My Kingdom Building Done Right!

After traveling for several days, the Darkmane Tribe had finally arrived at the forest two miles away from Grimjaw Mountain.

By the time they were only half a day away from their destination, the intensity of the archer’s attacks had reached a new peak.

Otto deemed the Darkmane Tribe could no longer turn back, so he no longer held back and went for the kill.

Within that half day, over three hundred warriors died, and hundreds more were injured.

Troy, Jafar, and their commanders tried everything in their arsenal to capture the mysterious archer.

Unfortunately for them, Otto was as slippery as an eel. He was like a guillotine, hovering above the army’s heads, threatening to fall anytime.

Traumatized by the assassinations, some warriors even developed panic attacks, triggered whenever they hear someone scream in pain within the vicinity.

They didn’t fear death on the battlefield.

But dying like this, without even seeing the face of their enemy, was a first even for them.

The psychological pressure they were forced to endure every waking day was enough to drive people mad.

They lived in fear, thinking it would soon be their turn to die.

Even now, as they set up their camps, everyone was anxiously anticipating the next whistling of wind, followed by a scream that confirmed their executor’s return.

However, Otto, Hassan, Blitz, and Arion had already returned to Grimjaw Mountain.

They had already completed their part, and Leone even welcomed them with open arms and praise.

"We have returned, My Great Chieftain."

*Squeak!*

*Neigh!*

Hassan only bowed respectfully and refrained from calling Leone "Young Master" in front of the gathered members of the Aslan Tribe.

"Great work, everyone," Leone said calmly. "All of you have worked incredibly hard, but I’m afraid war will knock on our doorstep in a day or two. With that said, please rest for now. You all deserve it."

They had indeed gone all out to ensure that Leone’s orders were carried out without fail.

Ulric, Kael, Jason, and Brann dragged Otto with them to hear the finer details of what happened during their mission.

On the other hand, Blitz and Arion returned inside the underground city to rest, while Hassan transformed into his mist form and floated toward Leone’s shadow to resume guarding his mistress’ son.

Leone then walked up to the first floor, where the VIP Guests of the Aslan Tribe would stay. This was the same place where Godwin and his daughter Tianna had stayed a few days ago.

Tianna had left with the White Falcon Merchant Guild, who had stationed themselves a mile away from the forest to watch the battle from a safe distance.

Soon, Godwin noticed Leone, who was standing at the grand balcony while looking in the direction of the Darkmane Tribe.

They were setting up their tents to rest from their long journey before the final battle began.

If Leone wished for it, he could ask Otto to continue harassing them. However, he didn’t do that.

This was his own way of showing mercy to the tribe who would soon understand just who they were dealing with.

"I still didn’t expect that someone as young as you could become the chieftain of a tribe," Godwin said as he stood beside Leone. "And to make matters worse, you are now about to fight one of the high-ranking tribes of the Borderlands.

"On top of that, you had burned down their city before the battle even started. Regardless of the victor, they would have no home to return to. With that said, not only are you decisive, but very ruthless as well."

Leone didn’t answer and simply continued to stare off into the distance.

After observing the young man for a while, Godwin could feel it in his bones.

If Leone was allowed to grow, he would grow into a very dangerous individual whom none of the high-ranking tribes could control.

The chieftain glanced at the warriors of the Aslan Tribe that stood in the distance, serving as Leone’s bodyguards.

They were at least ten meters away from them, so if Godwin were to extend his hand to grab the young man’s neck, none of them would really be able to stop him.

But he couldn’t do that.

His pride wouldn’t allow it.

As someone who aspired to become the Barbarian King, he must meet challenges head-on and not resort to underhanded tactics.

Yet, even then, Godwin was wavering.

Would he swallow his pride and nip the danger in the bud? Or would he stand down and watch as the battle between the Darkmane Tribe and the Aslan Tribe commenced?

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had grown to like Leone during his stay at Grimjaw Mountain.

Godwin had a special ability, which allowed him to see the aura of others.

And to him, Leone’s aura was fiery gold.

Given his aura’s purity, he could tell that the young man was a righteous person by heart.

Though he also noticed that there were two other colors mixed in Leone’s aura.

They were very faint, but he could see them.

One was crimson, giving off a feeling of danger and brutality that made even Godwin feel alarmed.

The other one was purple, giving off a mysterious feeling that he couldn’t put a finger on.

Godwin could tell that these two auras didn’t belong to Leone. And yet, they felt like they also belonged to him at the same time.

Because of this, he came to a conclusion.

’There are two spirits haunting this child,’ Godwin thought. ’Dangerous spirits.’

It was then that he sensed someone staring at him from behind.

In response, Godwin turned around, only to see Gundar, who looked like he was ready to attack the moment the disguised chieftain of the Warclaw Tribe tried to harm Leone in any way.

He didn’t know if the great shaman could see through his disguise or not, but Godwin still gave Gundar a brief nod before shifting his attention back to Leone.

’It seems that the news about the great shaman favoring him is true,’ Godwin thought, sighing internally.

He had a very close call.

If he attacked Leone earlier, Gundar would have made a move and ended Godwin.

’It’s a good thing I held back,’ Godwin thought as he continued to stare at the young man, who currently seemed to be deep in thought.

Suddenly, he heard Leone heave out a deep and long sigh.

"When I was exiled here in the Borderlands, my only wish was to survive," Leone said. "However, surviving here was not easy. I had to travel all the way here to Grimjaw Mountain and risk my life to fight Astravor, who ruled this domain."

Godwin knew that Leone was referring to the Gryphon, who seemed to have taken a liking to throwing rocks at the giant Raptor, Boris, for its own amusement.

"I thought I could live in peace once that battle was over," Leone added. "But after that battle, Arlo and the Black Wolf Tribe came knocking on my doors."

The young man continued to stare off into the distance, as if reminiscing his early days in the Borderlands.

"One thing led to another, and eventually, the Riverfang Tribe joined us," Leone continued. "After that, the Black Wolf Tribe joined us, and then the Aslan Tribe was born. Back then, I thought we would no longer need to fight. I thought no one would disturb us in this little corner of the Borderlands... But I was wrong."

Leone then placed his hands on the railings, as if using them as support. He wasn’t aware that Hagen, Malik, and their bodyguards had noticed that Leone was having a conversation with the merchant from the White Falcon Merchant Guild, and quickly decided to join them.

As the two chieftains and Gundar walked toward Leone and Godwin, the young chieftain’s words reached their ears.

"The barbarians hold a special place here in the Borderlands. I believe you called it Eden, right?" Leone asked.

"Yes." Godwin nodded. "Eden is our pride."

"Right." Leone agreed. "And this place is my pride. My Eden of the East. A place where I only wanted to live in peace. However, my mother said that if I want peace, I should be prepared for war. And thus... war is upon us."

"Your mother is right," Hagen commented. "If you want peace, you must be prepared for war."

Leone didn’t even turn around because Daedalus had already informed him that Hagen, Malik, and Gundar were already headed in their direction.

"Why do I feel like you can really turn this place into the Eden of the East?" Malik said in a teasing tone.

"Because I can," Leone said calmly. "I know that all of you are wary of me, and... even want to eliminate me before it’s too late."

At those words, Godwin and Hagen looked at the young man with conflicted looks on their faces. However, this gaze only lasted for a few seconds before their expressions returned to normal.