Chapter 510: I Am Not As Soft As My Son

Godwin, Hagen, and Lord Azar finally returned to the fortress after they met with the Barbarian King.

They informed Leone of how things stood, and even relayed the exact words Alaric and his cronies had told them during the meeting.

"How dare they call our Great Chieftain a fake King?!" Kael was the first to react.

"Just who does he think he is?" Vlad was the second to erupt in anger. "He only managed to invade the Kingdom of Britannia so easily thanks to our hard work!"

Leone’s other vassals were also incensed, while the other chieftains had expressions of contempt.

While the chieftains of the Borderlands held the Barbarian King of the West in high regard in the past, that was all in the past.

After seeing Leone’s battle, they deemed him worthy to be crowned as the Barbarian King of the Borderlands. After all, he managed to gain the favor of the Earth Mother, whom they worshiped.

It didn’t matter even if Alaric looked more like the ideal Barbarian King than Leone.

If Leone ordered them to fight against Alaric and his men, then they would do so without batting an eye.

"Everyone, calm down," Leone, who had just been insulted, said calmly.

Now he understood why Daedalus didn’t give him the fine details of the meeting between Godwin, Hagen, Lord Azar, and Alaric.

Perhaps the grimoire wanted their envoys to personally pass over Alaric’s words so Leone would receive them unfiltered.

Daedalus also wished to see how Leone would react after being called a fake King by the Barbarian King of the West.

"Whether Alaric and the Beast Kingdom accepted our offer of alliance or not, it doesn’t affect the bigger picture," Leone stated. "My selfish goal remains the same. I know I am dragging the tribes to war for my personal problems, so if any of you don’t want to participate in it, you are free to leave."

A soft sigh escaped Hagen’s lips. "This is why you still lack the qualities of becoming a King."

The other chieftains looked at Hagen in surprise for daring to talk smack about Leone right in front of his face!

However, Hagen was still not done with whatever he had to say.

"You are now the Barbarian King of the Borderlands," Hagen declared. "Even if the formal ceremony hasn’t been held yet, all of us recognize you as one. In other words, although it’s not correct to mobilize the tribes for war due to personal reasons, it is still within your rights as our leader.

"Wars are waged for the most stupid of reasons. In fact, your cause is still better than others. Also, this is the perfect opportunity to show the Barbarian King of the West what you and the tribes of the Borderlands are made of. Hold your head high. Remember that we’re always here to back you up."

Hagen paused for a bit as he scanned the faces of the other chieftains inside the room. Just like him, all of them were thinking the same thing.

"Just say the word and the tribes will obey," Hagen declared. "We don’t give a damn if Alaric calls you a fake King. In our eyes, YOU. ARE. KING!"

Kael and Vlad exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time. The two sensed that Hagen was planning to become one of Leone’s bootlickers, which might endanger both of their positions.

Because of this, they decided to form an alliance to fight the usurper, who was using a different method to become a part of Leone’s inner circle!

If Hagen only knew what the two bootlickers were thinking, then he might have already spat in their direction.

He was not trying to bootlick Leone. Instead, he was simply telling him the truth about the frustrations he felt whenever Leone looked down on himself.

Leone had defeated Hagen in a duel, forcing him to recognize the young man as his superior.

Of course, he had no idea that the one he fought was actually Leone’s clone, not the person sitting before him.

Either way, it didn’t matter. After witnessing the battle in Eden, Hagen no longer had any intention of butting heads with Leone, fearing that if he were to kick the bucket, the Earth Mother would make him suffer in the afterlife.

Helen, who was quietly listening to this discussion from the side, couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing how passionate these chieftains were made her truly realize that her son had reached a height that made them all recognize him as their King.

She was even beginning to feel a little thankful for King Augustus, who exiled her son.

Not only did he grow to become a better person since the last time she saw him, but Leone had also managed to gain a strong backing through his efforts in the Borderlands.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.

However, she set this aside for now. The most important thing for them right now was to rescue her husband.

World domination could wait until they were all safely reunited again.

"Godwin, Hagen, and Lord Azar, thank you for taking the dangerous mission for my sake," Leone said calmly. "For now, please rest. I will need your strength in the days to come.

"Our invasion of Britannia shall begin tomorrow at noon. It will be a very long day, so I hope everyone gets a good night’s sleep."

Before Godwin, Hagen, and Lord Azar arrived, he had already explained his plan to destroy the teleportation gates that connected the important cities of the Kingdom.

He also planned to send Daedalus with Blitz and Hassan to look for the hidden gates his mother had warned him about.

These were the same gates the Shadow Guards used to travel. They were very different from the commercial ones used by everyone.

Dominic and the Gryphon Riders would stay at the fortress to defend it.

Lost Paradise would also stay to act as Leone’s bodyguards.

The Orion Troupe would mobilize and move alongside the barbarian army, which would invade the lands of Britannia.

The chieftains told Leone that he should remain in the fortress for now, certain that he had yet to fully recover from the Battle of Eden.

They were actually right. Leone was simply forcing himself to look fine through sheer willpower.

Just as everyone was about to leave the room, the Chieftain of the Warclaw Tribe gave Leone some parting words.

"You should trust us more, Leone," Godwin said with a smile. "We promise that while you rest here, we will conquer the lands that you wish to conquer."

"Thank you, Godwin," Leone replied. "I’ll leave the rest in your capable hands."

When everyone left the room, with the exception of Leone’s mother, Blitz, and Maximus, Leone leaned back on his chair and heaved a long and deep sigh.

He felt very lethargic at the moment. Even acting like normal drained a lot out of him.

"Get some rest, Leone," Helen said as she hugged her son from behind. "We are safe now, so you can sleep a little better."

"Thanks, Mother," Leone replied. "Max, can you carry me back to my room?"

"Of course, Master," Max replied. "Please, excuse me."

Max then carried Leone like a princess and took him to his room.

Blitz accompanied them while Helen left them halfway.

She said she had something important to do, so she headed to the prison of the fortress where Armand was kept.

A few minutes later...

"You are..." Armand looked at the guest that had come to visit him.

"Helen Frontera," Helen introduced herself. "I have something to ask of you, Sir Armand."

"I will not betray my Kingdom," Armand stated. "You can kill me, but you won’t be able to pry any answers out of me."

"Is that so?" Helen snapped her fingers, prompting Zero to appear beside her. However, he wasn’t alone.

Armand’s wife was in his grasp, which made the former Commander of Stoneguard Fortress glare back at Helen. He quickly realized what she intended to do.

"I am not as soft as my son, Sir Armand," Helen said in a tone that made the Commander shudder. "My hands are drenched in blood, and I am currently very upset about my husband being unjustifiably imprisoned. I can’t guarantee that I can hold myself back from venting my frustration onto your family... including the son you left in the military."

"Y-You wouldn’t dare!" Armand roared in anger.

Helen’s response was simple, yet effective.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Armand’s wife cried out in pain as Zero dislocated her shoulder.

Tears fell from her eyes as she sobbed helplessly, while doing her best to prevent more cries of pain from escaping her lips.

"I have already sent out people to capture your son," Helen said with a smile. "I may look like this, but I am a family-oriented woman. So, I also want you to reunite with your family. Of course, whether your son will be alive when you reunite with him will depend on how useful you are."

Armand knew that he was dealing with the devil. He was a man who had fought many battles before, so he knew that Helen was telling him the truth.

Her eyes were the eyes of a killer, and the number of people she killed couldn’t have been small.

"What do you want from me?!" Armand asked, doing his best not to curse the woman in front of him.

"You just said you won’t betray your Kingdom, didn’t you?" Helen smiled evilly. "I would like to put that to the test."

The Commander looked at his wife before gritting his teeth, as if he were fighting a great internal battle with himself.

In the end, he chose to bow his head toward Helen, hoping she would show mercy to his family in exchange for his submission.