Chapter 421: A Father’s Worry

*Squeak!*

Blitz raised both of its claws in surrender, making Marco almost do a double take.

An ordinary squirrel would have either run away without a second thought or died from his blade. In the first place, it shouldn’t have been able to stop in time.

However, Blitz was different. Its reflexes allowed it to move faster than ordinary squirrels, preventing it from getting poked through the nose by Marco’s sword.

"Well, well, well," Marco said with a smile. "What do we have here?"

Blitz eyed Leone’s father before looking around its surroundings, making sure no one was there to notice their meeting.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Lord Marco." Hassan, who was hiding inside Blitz’s shadow, spoke in a volume that only the Viscount could hear. "I am Hassan. I am one of the people who serve Lady Helen. Currently, I am serving Young Master Leone as his bodyguard."

After hearing the name Hassan, Marco realized that this was not a chance encounter.

He glanced at his surroundings before gesturing to the squirrel to follow him into the house that was currently his temporary residence.

As soon as Blitz entered the room, Marco closed the door behind him and locked it properly.

"You can now speak, Hassan," Marco said calmly.

In response, a black mist manifested beside Blitz until it transformed into the assassin.

Hassan bowed respectfully towards Marco before explaining the reason why they had come to visit.

When his report ended, he bowed once more before handing a blue card to the Viscount.

"You can talk to the Young Master as soon as you bind that artifact with your blood, Lord Marco," Hassan explained. "As long as you keep it in your possession, like in your pocket, you will be able to reach out to the Young Master at any time. The card also loses its effect when it’s inside a storage ring, so please keep that in mind."

Marco accepted the blue card without hesitation. He then took out a dagger from his waist and pricked his finger with it, then smudged the blue card with his blood.

A moment later, the card glowed faintly before its light disappeared completely.

The Viscount then felt some sort of connection form with the card, as if it were a part of his body.

Hassan had already explained how to use it, so using his thoughts, he called out to Leone.

"Leone?"

"I’m here, Father. Looks like Blitz and Hassan have managed to find you."

A faint smile appeared on Marco’s lips. He hadn’t talked to Leone too much since their chances to talk were very limited.

But now that he had the Whispering Card in his possession, he would be able to talk to Leone anytime during this campaign in the Borderlands.

"My son told me that the two of you should return to his side as soon as possible," Marco said. "Also, thank you for coming all this way to find me. Thank you very much!"

Hassan nodded before merging with Blitz’s shadow.

The flying squirrel then raised its paw to wave at its Master’s father and bid its goodbye.

*Squeak!*

Marco smiled and opened the door so that his guests could leave quietly.

Blitz gave another *squeak* before crawling up on the roof of Marco’s house and taking flight.

Marco then locked the door once more before returning back to his room to have a proper talk with Leone.

"Father, what is the situation inside the fortress?" Leone asked. "Did they realize what caused the disease?"

"Yes," Marco replied. "It’s the well water, right? They have already purified it. I have also received an order that any able-bodied soldier will march tomorrow at noon. The Black Tortoise General and the Gryphon Battalion Commander will act as the vanguard of the army.

"As for the Vermillion Bird General, he will stay in the fortress and wait for one more day before taking the remaining soldiers with him. Those who are still feeling sick are ordered to regroup with them as soon as possible."

"I see..." Leone quieted down for a bit as he and Daedalus digested the new information that was given to them.

A few minutes of silence passed.

Marco could tell that Leone was deep in thought, so he didn’t speak to him at this time. When Leone had finally regained his composure, he told his father his plan.

"Father, no matter what, please don’t go to the front of the army tomorrow," Leone said in a serious tone. "Stay in the rear. You will be safe there."

"That’s also my plan, but the Black Tortoise General and I don’t get along well." Marco sighed. "There is a chance that he will place me in the vanguard purely out of spite. If I refuse, he will use that as an excuse for insubordination."

"... That bastard."

"I know, right?"

If his father really was put at the front of the army, then he had to be extra careful with their opening barrage tomorrow.

"Just make sure to update me on your position tomorrow, Father," Leone stated. "Tell me exactly where you are and where our people are. I’ll do my best to fine-tune our attack on our side."

"I understand," Marco replied. "How are you, Leone? How many people are you bringing to face off against the Britannian Army?"

"Around three hundred, Father," Leone answered.

"Pardon?" Marco blinked in confusion.

"I’m only bringing three hundred people with me, Father."

"...Are you mad?"

Even if more than half of the army was sick, they could still mobilize at least twenty to thirty thousand people by noon tomorrow.

The Viscount’s mind was blown by the mere thought of three hundred people versus thirty thousand.

"Leone, are you serious?" Marco asked anxiously. "Even the Gryphon Battalion has over three hundred riders, and they will be part of the vanguard tomorrow. How can you possibly escape them?"

"I’m not afraid of Gryphons, Father," Leone answered in a teasing tone. "In fact, I am looking forward to meeting them!"

The more Marco listened to his son, the more he thought that the Borderlands might have made his son a little crazy.

But no matter how anxious he felt, Leone only assured him that everything was going to be fine.

Once their talk about the upcoming war ended, Marco then asked how Leone was faring in the Borderlands.

"Actually, after the war, I am going to become the Barbarian King of the Borderlands, Father," Leone said proudly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Marco chuckled. "If you are the King of the Borderlands, then I am the King of Britannia."

"Do you want to be the King of Britannia, Father?" Leone asked. "I can make that happen. Well, maybe not in a year or two, but I will definitely make it happen!"

"Sure. Make it happen. I’m looking forward to seeing your Mother become Queen."

"Indeed. That is going to be great."

Marco thought that his son was just joking with him. However, Leone was actually serious.

Once he dealt with the Aurelion Empire, he was seriously thinking of setting his sights on the Kingdom of Britannia and making his Father its new King. By doing so, he would have someone he could depend on when the going gets tough.

And while Marco believed that his son was merely dreaming too big, Leone knew that his dreams were simply the first step toward building a kingdom.

After all, if he was going to become the Barbarian King of the Borderlands, then why would his ambitions stop there?

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A/N: The animated version of "My Kingdom Building Done Right!" is now available in the Toonscroll (Just download the App if you’re interested). The animated story is not perfect, but it’s good enough to enjoy. Yuni is a real looker there lmao!