Chapter 484: The Plan To Reclaim Eden [Part 1]

"You look worried, Leone," Yuni said as she climbed up the bed to lie by the young man’s side. "What’s wrong?"

After four hours of travel, they had finally arrived at their destination.

The first thing Leone did was hold a meeting with the chieftains. Gundar, Otto, and Lord Azar had also been invited to update everyone about the current situation of Eden.

Of course, Daedalus had been regularly updating Leone, so he already knew everything about the current situation, more than anyone else.

Thanks to the grimoire’s constant monitoring of high-ranking officials like Magnus, the Supreme Commander of the Aurelion Army, he acquired confidential information without too much effort.

Now that King Druvis III knew about him, he planned to share it with King Augustus of Britannia just to rub salt in his wounds.

While the chances of the King believing the news that the young man he had exiled was now a chieftain in the Borderlands were still up for debate, Leone had no intention of taking any chances.

He made sure to inform his family right away about the dangers they would face should the Kingdom of Britannia vent their frustrations on them.

When the meeting ended, Leone had gone to his room within the temporary fortress that he had created with Yuni.

Although he did his best to look calm during the meeting, his mind was elsewhere.

He didn’t share his concerns with anyone, unwilling to distract them from preparing for the counter-offensive against the Aurelion Empire.

"Yuni, the truth is..." Leone told the young lady about his worries.

She listened to him from start to finish until he unloaded some of the burdens he was carrying in his heart.

When he was done, Yuni pulled him closer and lightly patted his head, which was resting on her chest.

"I’ve only talked to your mother once, but I could tell that she is a woman with a good head on her shoulders," Yuni said softly. "I’m sure she will handle this matter well."

"Yes, my mother is a very competent person." Leone agreed. "But I’m still worried about my family."

"Worrying about them is fine. Besides, I’m sure they’re just as worried about you too," Yuni said softly. "Let’s aim to return safely from this battle, okay? Then you can talk to your family again."

"Thank you, Yuni." Leone nodded gently and hugged Yuni back. "I feel much better now."

"Do you want me to give you a massage so you will feel more relaxed?" Yuni asked.

"Yes, please."

"Okay."

While Yuni was doing her best to let Leone take his mind off things, Troy and the other chieftains were holding a strategy meeting with Gundar, Lord Azar, Kael, and Vlad, as well as Conall, who led the mercenary group Lost Paradise.

Since Leone couldn’t concentrate during the meeting earlier, he had asked Kael and Vlad to take over his role for the time being.

"So the plan is to wait for a few more days before we launch our grand offensive," Kael said firmly. "Our Great Chieftain said we should wait for four days before we take action. We’ll be resting and preparing in the next two days. After that, we march to Eden."

"That’s good and all, but what’s the situation inside Eden right now?" Godwin asked. "Have they managed to enter the dungeon?"

"No." Kael shook his head. "The magic seal is still active. They are still trying to break it."

"I see." Godwin felt more relieved after hearing the shaman’s assurance. "Great Shaman, you have fought against the Guardian of the Aurelion Army in your report. If you were to fight him one-on-one, what are the chances of you winning against him?"

"I can beat him if I go all out," Gundar answered. "But if possible, I hope we can make them retreat before reaching that point."

Gundar didn’t tell anyone that he could only unleash his full might one last time.

Sure, his lifespan might have been extended by a few years thanks to the potion he received from the Wheel of Fortune, but that didn’t change his age. He still didn’t have long to live.

Once he unleashed his full power, he would have to sustain it with his lifespan.

And with his age...

He would last no more than two minutes.

Hearing the great shaman’s assurance that he could beat the Guardian of the Aurelion Army made the chieftains feel relieved.

As long as Zepharion was dealt with, they were confident about reclaiming Eden.

The strategy for their attack was really simple. They would wait until nightfall, then Kael would use his ability to destroy the city, plunging the Aurelion Army into chaos.

Then, the united tribes would use that momentum to unleash their ranged attacks, raining death on those who managed to survive Kael’s surprise attack.

The new and improved Fireshard Catapults would set the city ablaze, killing more people in the process.

Leone wished to reduce the casualties on their side during this war. However, he also understood that even the best plans could fail because of variables outside their control.

Originally, Troy proposed that as soon as the city was destroyed, they would use that opportunity to charge straight to the city and massacre everyone in their path.

It wasn’t a bad plan. In fact, many of the chieftains supported this plan.

But there was one problem.

The Guardian of the Aurelion Army. The moment Zepharion moved, those who would charge through the city would be the ones who would be massacred.

However, if Gundar joined the charge, this risk could be minimized.

Leone would have favored this plan if not for the fact that many warriors would also die in the process.

That was why he chose to use the Fireshard Catapults instead. With them, they could obliterate the enemies from a safe distance.

Even so, using this plan also posed a disadvantage.

While they could wipe out a good number of enemy soldiers, it would also give the enemy time to regroup and form a resistance force.

If possible, they didn’t want to give the Aurelion Army that opportunity, so they hoped to submit this proposal to Leone the next morning to get his approval.

They noticed his mind had been elsewhere during the meeting. For that reason, they suggested that he rest early so they could properly discuss the specifics the next day.

For the time being, all of them brainstormed a strategy that would work against their enemy, who was also expecting them to arrive within the next few days.