My Kingdom Building Done Right!

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[Territory Mission 2]

[Requirements to upgrade to Rank 3: 1/10]

[Second Mission: Defend Aslan Soleil For Seven Days!]

[Difficulty Rating: Hell Mode]

[Remaining Defense Time: 35:43:00 Hours]

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Leone should’ve been sleeping at this moment, but he couldn’t. Instead, just like when the Darkmane Tribe had approached Grimjaw Mountain a few days ago, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

What if the monster stampede managed to break past their defenses?

What if more than half of the Aslan Tribe died in battle?

What if the people precious to him died?

What if...

So many questions haunted his thoughts, and yet, no answers came.

In the end, Leone decided to get some fresh air. Soon, he left his house and headed toward the ramparts of the fortress to look at the starry sky.

The Aslan Tribe was on high alert even at night. So, the moment Leone appeared, the warriors of the Aslan Tribe moved to escort him.

He understood that they only meant well, so he didn’t reject their offer of protection.

Yet, when he arrived at the ramparts, he was surprised to see that someone else aside from the warriors on patrol was standing there, seemingly waiting for him.

It was none other than Natalia, the daughter of the merchant Conrad, whom he had long known was actually Tianna in disguise.

"Good evening, Natalia." Leone made sure not to call out her real name. He then asked his guards to back off a bit so the two of them could talk.

"Good evening, Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe," Tianna greeted. "Are you perhaps unable to fall asleep?"

"Yes," Leone replied as he leaned on the ramparts while looking at the sky.

A cold breeze brushed through them.

Leone welcomed the cold. At a time when anxious thoughts filled his head, it helped clear his mind.

"You know, I do a bit of fortune telling," Tianna said as she stood a meter away from Leone. "Would you like me to tell your fortune?"

"That sounds good," Leone replied. "However, I’ll only let you read my fortune if you allow me to do bone reading for you. How about it?"

Tianna blinked once, then twice, in response. This was the first time someone offered to read her fortune.

Truth be told, while she could see glimpses of the future through her visions, she couldn’t see her own.

The shamans of her tribe, who could also do a bit of divination, had tried to see what the future held for her back then.

Yet, none of them were able to see past the veil of destiny that protected Tianna’s possible future.

"Deal," Tianna replied after giving it some thought. "I’m also curious about my future. Sometimes, I think my future is as dark as the night."

After the two teenagers reached an understanding, Tianna asked for Leone’s hand.

However, as if on cue, Jason appeared on the ramparts, having come after hearing that his Great Chieftain was there.

When Tianna saw him, she immediately let go of Leone’s hands as if she had been electrocuted.

Leone then followed the direction of Tianna’s gaze and saw his handsome vassal.

"Oh? Now this is getting interesting," Daedalus said in a teasing tone. Unfortunately, only Leone had heard his words.

Leone glanced at Tianna and Jason, wondering if something had happened between the two of them.

"So you’re here, Great Chieftain," Jason said calmly. "I thought we all agreed that at least one vassal should be by your side at all times?"

"Sorry, Mom," Leone replied. "I won’t do it again. So, can you please turn a blind eye just this once?"

Leone pressed his hands together in apology.

A moment later, a soft chuckle broke the silence. It came from Tianna, who had finally regained her composure. The exchange between the Great Chieftain and his overprotective vassal had amused her more than she expected.

"Well then," Leone said as he extended his hand once more. "Shall we continue with your fortune telling?"

Tianna accepted his hand with a faint smile on her face.

For some inexplicable reason, Jason’s sudden appearance earlier made her feel like a wife who had been caught red-handed by her husband, even though she knew the comparison made absolutely no sense.

Holding his hand, Tianna took a deep breath and stared at Leone’s palm.

Despite it being dark, with the only source of light being the nearby torches, she could still see his hand perfectly as if it were day.

It was then that a vision appeared inside her mind.

A towering black gate with golden runes flickering on its surface stood before her. She suddenly felt a cold chill run down her spine as the gate trembled. At that moment, it was as if something or someone was forcing it to open.

Then, ever so slowly, the gate opened, creating a very small gap.

And in that small gap, darkness darker than the night stared back at her.

Tianna’s body shuddered the moment she saw that darkness.

"Child, has anyone told you before that curiosity kills the cat? If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back at you. But since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll let you see something good."

Back in the real world, Tianna’s body shuddered before she collapsed, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Fortunately, Jason was fast enough to grab hold of her, preventing her from collapsing completely.

"Are you alright, Natalia?!" Jason asked with worry.

When she arrived at the Aslan Tribe, Natalia would often look for Jason to talk with him.

At first, the young man believed that she was just trying to gather some information about the Aslan Tribe through him.

Yet, Natalia never asked any questions about Leone or any other members of the Aslan Tribe.

If anything, her questions were always about him.

"What is your favorite food?"

"What is your ideal woman?"

"What do you usually do when you’re free?"

"Are you going out with someone?"

These questions made Jason uncomfortable at first. However, after spending time with her, he began to realize that Natalia was actually a very smart and bold lady.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, it was very rare for him to interact with girls of the same age as him.

Sure, he often talked to Yuni, Aria, and even the other young ladies of the tribe. But for him, they were part of a big family.

He had no idea if it was Natalia’s eloquent skills or character that made him appreciate her company.

To him, her presence just felt right, and he had slowly gotten used to it. So, seeing her collapse like this made Jason panic a bit.

"I-I’m fine," Natalia said as soon as she regained her composure. "Don’t worry about me."

"You don’t look fine," Jason replied. "Your nose is bleeding."

The young lady moved her hand to wipe her upper lips in response, and sure enough, she saw that her fingers had some blood on them.

"Don’t worry, I’m really okay," Natalia insisted, but made no move to get away from Jason’s embrace.

"I’m sorry, but I am very curious," Leone suddenly interjected. "What did you see exactly for you to end up like this?"

Leone wasn’t lying. He already knew that Natalia was an oracle. Because of that, he was very curious about the future that she saw after she held his hand.

Natalia opened her mouth to reply, but immediately closed it before she could even utter a word.

There was no way she could possibly say what she saw earlier.

Her face reddened after recalling that memory. She even started to sneak glances at Jason, who still looked worried about her.

In the meantime, deep within Leone’s subconscious mind.

From beyond the black gate that towered at the center of his sea of consciousness.

A faint chuckle echoed silently.

A chuckle filled with mischief.

The being had shown Tianna a vision that scratched the itch of her deepest and darkest fantasies.

A fantasy the young lady had kept within the deepest and safest place of her innocent heart.