Chapter 456: A Dangerous Crossroad

Three days after meeting with the Commander of the Blue Wolves, Hagen returned to Eden.

When he neared the city, he struggled to recognize the place.

The walls protecting the city were now thirty meters tall.

The banners of the different tribes fluttered in the breeze, including the banner of the Grimhowl Tribe.

Hagen watched this scene with a calm expression on his face. Seeing the banners representing the tribes of the Borderlands made him remember his dream of becoming the Barbarian King of the Borderlands.

But now, that dream was put on hold.

Yes.

Put on hold.

Hagen still had not given up. As long as Leone was taken out of the picture, he could start all over again. He didn’t care how many years it would take. As long as he managed to sit on that coveted throne, every sacrifice would be worth it!

His gaze then landed onto the banner of the Aslan Tribe, the blue banner with a golden lion roaring towards the sky.

The tribe, that had only been founded for a few months, was now the leader of all the tribes in the Borderlands. But more importantly, the one that ruled them wasn’t a barbarian.

No.

He was an exile from the Kingdom of Britannia.

The chieftain pushed his thoughts to the side as he gestured toward his men to follow him into the city.

‘This reminds me of the walls of the Aslan Tribe,’ Hagen thought. ‘There’s no doubt about it. It seems that Kael was ordered to fortify the defenses of Eden.’

Except for Gundar, everyone still believed that the one who had the power to build things out of thin air was Leone’s vassal, Kael.

Of course, the shaman was more than happy to take the spotlight since it prevented anyone from knowing that it was actually the great Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe who possessed this miraculous ability.

The gates of the city opened, allowing Hagen and his men to enter.

He didn’t waste any moment and headed straight to the residence of the Grimhowl Tribe, wanting to ask his sons about what happened inside the city while he was on his “scouting” mission.

A few minutes later, Hagen sat comfortably in the living room, while his sons updated him as to how the meeting unfolded.

“Leone is sowing seeds of discord among our people, Father,” Marcus said. “He stated that you actually went out of the city to contact someone from the Aurelion Empire in order to betray us.”

“He did?” Hagen didn’t show it on his face, but he was actually surprised by this development. “What did the others say?”

“They didn’t say anything,” Elias commented. “However, they didn’t say anything to defend you either. Even Great Uncle chose to keep silent.”

“Is that so?” Hagen narrowed his eyes.

To his sons, their father looked like he was offended by Leone’s baseless accusations. But in reality, Hagen was a little anxious.

He didn’t know whether or not Leone was truly aware of his meeting with Commander Evander. But if he knew about it, things might become more complicated than he expected.

“Where is Leone now?” Hagen inquired.

“He’s been cooped up in the fortress he built outside the city,” Elias answered. “He rarely comes out. Usually, the other chieftains come to find him.”

The two young men then continued to badmouth Leone while reporting everything that happened in the past few days.

Hagen pondered a bit as he tried to sort out the information he had gathered from his sons.

From their statements, he believed that Leone had no evidence about his secret meeting with Commander Evander.

But what really surprised the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe was Leone’s declaration that he had forced the Kingdom of Britannia to retreat with just the forces of the Aslan Tribe.

Hagen would have believed this story if the Kingdom of Britannia had fought the Aslan Tribe in Grimjaw Mountain.

However, that wasn’t the case.

Instead, they fought out in the open. Without any casualties on their side, the Aslan Tribe managed to emerge victorious against their foes.

Still, when he heard that the army Kingdom of Britannia was forced to retreat after learning the kingdom was under invasion by the Radiant Empire and the forces of the Barbarian King of the West, Hagen thought that Leone just got lucky.

“Father, your standing within the tribes have also started to take a hit,” Marcus warned. “Leone kept telling everyone that you have no honor because you have no intention of honoring your oath to the Earth Mother to recognize him as the Barbarian King of the Borderlands.”

Elias nodded in agreement, but his face looked a bit anxious. “Actually, he warned us that if you don’t report to him about everything that happened in your latest scouting trip, he will exile you from the Borderlands. All the other chieftains have also agreed to this proposal.”

“He dares?!” Hagen clenched his fists so hard that the cup filled with water in his hand shattered. “That damned brat! What did Gundar say?”

Marcus sighed. “He only said that since Leone is now the leader of the tribes, he has the power to exile those whom he believes are collaborating with the Aurelion Empire. Father, it seems that bastard Leone is really out to get you!”

Both Marcus and Elias believed that their father couldn’t do anything wrong. He was their role model, after all. That being so, they couldn’t stomach Leone’s accusations of him becoming a traitor.

However, they had no idea that Hagen was already at the stage where he was willing to hold hands with the Aurelion Empire in exchange for power and influence.

If anything, the only thing stopping him was the news of the Aslan Tribe’s victory over the Britannian Army.

While he knew the enemy had been forced to retreat at the news of their own kingdom being attacked, that didn’t change the fact that Leone and his tribe had clashed with them and successfully delayed their advance into the Borderlands for a few days and with limited manpower.

Hagen pondered whether he could have achieved the same had he been in Leone’s shoes.

But after careful consideration, he believed it would be difficult for him and the Grimhowl Tribe to replicate what the youngest chieftain had accomplished.

Hagen lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, not paying attention to the broken cup that now lay on the floor beside his feet.

He knew that if he didn’t treat this matter carefully, then the young might actually send him into exile.

If that happened, then it wouldn’t matter what kind of scheme he had.

The moment he was taken out of the picture, it would be very hard for him to make a comeback.

“Tell the chieftains that I will meet with them three hours from now,” Hagen said to his sons. “Make sure to inform Leone as well.”

“”Yes, Father.””

Marcus and Elias left the room to carry out their father’s orders. They could tell that he wanted to be left alone for a while.

The Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe was at the crossroads of his life.

One path led to damnation, while the other led to stability in exchange for his ambition.

“If only you didn’t exist,” Hagen muttered.

Years of careful planning and scheming had gone to naught due to a single variable no one had expected to grow so fast in the Borderlands.

“If only you didn’t exist,” Hagen repeated.

A cold glint flashed across the chieftain’s eyes as several possibilities crossed his mind.

He remembered Commander Evander’s proposal.

Back then, he had considered it nothing more than a last resort.

But perhaps, that last resort had arrived sooner than he expected.