Chapter 457: Nothing But The Truth

“Oh, he plans to gather all the chieftains to report what he learned during his scouting mission?” The corner of Leone’s lips rose up after hearing Kael’s report.

“Yes, Great Chieftain,” Kael replied. “The meeting will be held in three hours.”

The young man smiled faintly. During the past three days, he made sure to spread some rumors about Hagen colluding with the Aurellion Empire with the intention of betraying the barbarian tribes.

Of course, the Grimhowl Tribe vehemently denied these allegations. They even threatened that they would leave Eden if Leone continued to throw mud at their chieftain’s reputation.

And what was Leone’s reply to their threat?

“Go ahead and leave,” Leone stated. “The gates are open for all of you. Do you still need me to hold your hand as you go? What are you waiting for?”

The young chieftain’s complete disregard for the Grimhowl Tribe made their warriors and Elders feel angry. However, none of them dared to leave.

They couldn’t possibly do that!

Leaving Eden during its time of need was not an option. It was their holy land, their pillar in the Borderlands.

The moment it fell, the barbarian tribes would have nowhere to go. The only option after that would be to become the subordinates of the Barbarian King of the West in exchange for asylum.

Realizing that Leone remained unfazed by their threats of desertion, the warriors and Elders of the Grimhowl Tribe decided to compromise with Leone.

“If you can prove that our chieftain did collude with the Aurelion Empire, he will be banished from the Grimhowl Tribe.”

Leone accepted this proposal, for this concerned Eden’s safety.

Now that Hagen had returned and asked for a meeting, he would make sure that the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe would spill out everything even if he puked blood.

“Very well.” Leone nodded. “Where will this meeting be held?’

“Where do you want it to be held, Great Chieftain?” Kael inquired with a mischievous smile on his face. “Just say the word, and it will be done.”

Leone liked the expression Kael was showing him right now. It seemed that his vassal understood what he wanted to happen.

He then stood up from his chair and looked at the city of Eden from the balcony of his fortress.

“Let’s make it a public discussion since it concerns the security of the Borderlands,” Leone said calmly. “The venue will be the plaza of Eden.”

Nothing beats having the public witness this meeting so that they could see and hear with their own eyes and ears that everything was done in a fair and just manner.

The young man then waved his hand, and a round table appeared at the plaza. Soon, several chairs meant for the chieftains appeared.

Since others would also be present, Leone made sure to add more chairs.

A tarp then manifested above the plaza, shielding everyone from the rays of the sun.

This sudden development surprised the people who were minding their own business just a few seconds ago.

But since something similar had happened in the past, like the creation of the Aslan Tribe’s fortress, as well as the newly improved walls of Eden, they all knew who was responsible for these changes.

“It must be Kael of the Aslan Tribe,” one warrior patrolling the plaza said.

“Definitely Kael of the Aslan Tribe.” Another warrior nodded in agreement.

After admiring his work from afar, the young man told Kael to inform everyone that the meeting would be held in the plaza.

“As you command, Great Chieftain!” Kael said before leaving Leone’s side.

A few minutes later, Jason and Tianna appeared while walking hand in hand together.

After Jason won the tournament, he also won the right to marry the Oracle of the Warclaw Tribe.

The Oracle’s brothers, Ragnar and Wayne, had tried to push their sister to marry Leone instead of Jason.

However, Leone staunchly declared that he would never marry Tianna. She would make a great wife, but for the man who loved her, Jason.

He also added that Jason was his right-hand man, the second-in-command in the Aslan Tribe.

Jason rarely made use of his authority and left control to other vassals like Ulric and Kael, but his privilege always existed. Leone had granted it to him after he and his tribe became the first members of the Aslan Tribe.

Godwin could tell that his daughter also had feelings for Jason, so he no longer made things difficult for them. He simply asked Jason to take good care of his daughter and love her unconditionally.

On that day, Jason made an oath to the Earth Mother to love and cherish Tianna for all his life.

This oath actually made the Oracle blush until the tips of her ears had become red.

After receiving everyone’s blessings, the two agreed to marry after Leone was crowned as the Barbarian King of the Borderlands.

“Great Chieftain, I heard Hagen has returned,” Jason said.

“Mmm.” Leone nodded. “He arrived half an hour ago. We will be meeting him in the plaza in three hours to hear his report on his recent scouting mission.”

The young chieftain then shifted his attention to Tianna. A few days ago, he had asked her if she could commune with the Earth Mother and receive some kind of vision or prophecy from her.

“The Earth Mother hasn’t mentioned anything to me as of late.” Tianna shook her head. “She doesn’t really interfere with the affairs of the mortal realm. It is up to us to solve the problems we face.”

Leone nodded in understanding. In fact, he was wondering why he hadn’t received any new missions after completing the mission of defending the Borderlands from the Britannian Army.

Daedalus assured him that a new mission would soon appear. But for now, he advised him to focus on his war preparations.

However, just to be safe, the grimoire insisted that Leone’s true body must remain in Grimjaw Mountain.

He should only direct the war through the vessel that he and his clone shared together.

“This is to prepare for any type of unforeseen accidents,” Daedalus said in a serious tone. “War is very unpredictable. Not only do you have to defend against the enemy from outside your walls, but you also have to be wary of the enemies within.”

This was sound advice, so Leone didn’t insist on bringing his real body to Eden.

A few hours later, the chieftains, the Elders, and the warriors started to gather at the plaza.

It was a cloudy day, so the sun was hidden behind the clouds.

The temperature was just right, and it wasn’t too hot. Perfect for a discussion outside.

When everyone had gathered, including Hagen, Leone decided to speak first.

“Before we start, I would like to say that this meeting is a matter of Eden’s national security,” Leone stated. “As such, I will require the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe to make an oath to the Earth Mother that everything he will say is the truth and nothing but the truth.”

As soon as he spoke these words, Marcus and Elias were ready to throw hands. But, Hagen raised his hand to stop the two of them.

“Very well,” Hagen said calmly. “I just have to make an oath to the Earth Mother that everything I say will be the truth and nothing but the truth, right?”

“Yes.” Leone nodded.

Hagen raised his hand and made the oath to the Earth Mother, vowing that he would speak the truth and nothing but the truth.

As soon as the vow was taken, everyone listened to the chieftain’s report about the skirmishes between the barbarian scouts and the scouts of the Aurelion Empire.

Leone allowed Hagen to finish his report, listening to it calmly. Once it was over, Leone raised his hand, catching everyone’s attention.

“I’d like to ask you a question, Hagen.” Leone smiled at him. “Tell me, did you meet up with the Commander of the Blue Wolves from the Aurelion Empire? I believe he is called Commander Evander.”

After he interrogated the Elders of the Grimhowl Tribe, the name of the Commander of the Blue Wolves came up.

They said that Hagen and the Commander had a few exchanges in the past, so Leone decided to “fish” for information.

Hagen hadn’t expected this question to come up, making him subconsciously clench his fists.

He thought Leone would simply ask about his scouting mission, which he planned to answer with facts, avoiding anything that might cause misunderstandings between him and the tribes of Eden.

But now that this question was asked by the youngest chieftain of the Borderlands, Hagen knew that staying silent was the same as admitting that he had met with Commander Evander.

While he didn’t answer right away, he gave Leone a long and scrutinizing gaze.

This was a tricky question. If he handled it poorly, then it could spell the end for him and his family.

Hagen’s mind raced as he considered his options. He needed to answer carefully without compromising his position as one of the chieftains of the Borderlands.

The longer he remained silent, the more solemn everyone’s expressions became.

Finally, Hagen took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

He was ready to give Leone his answer.

An answer that would take everyone by surprise.