My Kingdom Building Done Right!

As everyone made casual talk after dinner ended, Vlad approached Leone and sat beside him without even asking for permission.

The teenage boy looked up at the young man, only to then ask him a question that made everyone glance in his direction.

"Sir Leone, are you a Hero?" Vlad asked in a serious tone.

"A Hero?" Leone blinked. "What made you ask if I was a Hero?

"Because my sister said Heroes are people who shine brightly even in the darkness," Vlad said in a serious tone. "When I first saw you, your entire body was shining."

Leone chuckled and casually patted the boy’s head in return, which made Zed flinch. No one in the Borderlands had dared to pat the head of his Young Lord due to his position.

And yet... this upstart chieftain who came out of nowhere was doing just that to his Young Lord?

Unforgivable!

But before Zed could tell Leone to stop treating his Young Lord like a pet, the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe had already pulled his hand back.

"I am no Hero," Leone replied. "But I do admit I aspire to be one."

"I knew it!" Vlad’s eyes almost sparkled after hearing the young man’s reply. "Although you’re not a Hero yet, you are destined to be one!"

"I-I guess?" Leone found the younger man’s gaze too intense, and he even wondered if the other could see his Status Page.

If Vlad could really do that, then he would see that Leone’s Unique Class was Hero King. Of course, if the teenage boy really saw it, then he might start worshiping him then and there!

"Sir Leone, the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe is a prideful person," Vlad said solemnly. "Now that you have used his son as a hostage, he will definitely pay the ransom.

"However, he will not take the humiliation lying down. I’m afraid he might truly declare war against you once Travis is returned to his people."

Leone smiled faintly. "Thank you for telling me this. Although it is possible that the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe might declare war upon us, he would also need to keep his reputation in mind.

"His son invaded us, got captured, and returned home as a defeated warrior. He might hold a grudge, but he wouldn’t readily declare war on us just yet."

"Is it because of your alliance with the Grimhowl Tribe?" Vlad inquired.

"It’s not about that." Leone shook his head. "He already failed once when the Darkmane Tribe helped the Bloodtusk Tribe attack us. If he attacks us right after this war ends, the other tribes will definitely look down on him for being petty."

"Be that as it may, he will indeed not take this lying down," Zed decided to interject in the discussion of the two teenagers.

"Also, you think wrongly of us, Leone of Aslan. After this incident, your name, as well as the Aslan Tribe, will now enter the sights of the high-ranking tribes.

"Some of them might turn a blind eye. Perhaps they might even encourage the Darkmane Tribe to attack you. Do you know why?"

"Is it because they see me as a threat?" Leone glanced at the other representatives of the high-ranking tribes who were paying close attention to the discussion.

They only smiled back at him, neither affirming nor rejecting his earlier statement.

"There’s that, yes." Zed nodded. "However, there’s one more reason. Partly because of you, the low-ranking tribes will now cease to exist."

Vlad’s guardian then glanced in the direction of Brann, the Chieftain of the Stormhorn Tribe.

"You’ve also noticed this right, Brann?" Zed asked. "Have you already decided on where to go after you return to your tribe?"

"I will still need to discuss it with my Elders, Lord Zed," Brann replied. "We will make our decision after that."

Of course, Brann had already made a decision the moment he realized the Aslan Tribe had become the victors of this war.

But he would never say what was on his mind. If he did, there was a chance the representatives of the high-ranking tribes gathered there would make their move before he could even lead his people to Grimjaw Mountain.

Zed nodded in understanding. "Think well and think hard. The hierarchy of the Borderlands have changed. From this moment onward, the Aslan Tribe will be recognized as a middle-ranked tribe by the high-ranking tribes.

"Also, the Bloodtusk Tribe is as good as gone. With their chieftain’s impending execution, as well as over a thousand of their warriors dead, they could no longer be regarded as a middle-ranked tribe.

"The other forces will gobble them up. Though, there is a higher chance that the Darkmane Tribe will be the one to devour them first. After all, the Bloodtusk Tribe are their dogs.

"So, what do you think will happen if two tribes that hate you merge together? Naturally, they will want to tear you apart."

The man paused for a bit before giving Leone a long and hard look. He could tell from the young man’s features that he wasn’t a native of the Borderlands.

"You’re an exile from the Kingdom of Britannia, right?" Zed asked.

"That’s right," Leone answered. "I am an exile from the Kingdom."

Zed nodded. "The tribes pick up exiled nobles in the Borderlands from time to time. Your King has a habit of tossing nobles he doesn’t like to our lands, treating it as some kind of garbage dump.

"But since an exiled noble from the Kingdom has formed his own faction and even gathered three low-ranking tribes under his banner, the high-ranking tribes will see you as a threat."

Even Marcus nodded to agree with Zed’s statement. The barbarians and the Kingdom of Britannia might not have fought an all-out war in decades, but skirmishes were still a very common occurrence.

Simply put, they didn’t have a good impression of the Kingdom of Britannia. With Leone being an exiled noble, building his own forces in the Borderlands could be seen as the Kingdom trying to gain a foothold in their own lands.

"I see." Leone nodded. "Thank you for telling me your thoughts, Lord Zed."

Leone bowed respectfully to Zed, which took him by surprise. The chieftains of the tribes didn’t really bow to others since it would diminish their authority and influence.

And yet, the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe didn’t hesitate to do that, which made Zed feel both shocked and flattered at the same time.

"As long as you understand, then that’s good." Zed looked at Leone more kindly now. After all, this was the first time a chieftain had actually bowed to him.

However, before he could enjoy this moment, Vlad voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Sir Leone, a chieftain must not bow his head so easily to others," Vlad stated. "It makes them look weak and servile in the eyes of the other chieftains."

"That may be the custom of the barbarians. But as Lord Zed said a while ago, I am no barbarian," Leone replied. "I am just an exiled noble from the Kingdom of Britannia who had been lucky enough to encounter good people after appearing in the Borderlands.

"As for me bowing my head, it is a sign of respect toward someone who has opened my eyes due to my ignorance of the ways of the barbarian tribes."

The more Leone talked, the more he looked endearing to Zed’s eyes. The veteran warrior had almost forgotten his earlier contempt for the young man, whom he first thought of as a lowly person who happened to get lucky.

But now that Leone had admitted his ignorance of their ways, Zed took the initiative to tell him more about the current political strife among the barbarian tribes.

Gundar listened to this discussion quietly with a faint smile hanging on his lips.

Leone might not know about it, but it was because he faced people with honesty and because he wasn’t afraid to admit his wrongs and shortcomings that he easily won hearts.

This was also why Gundar was so fond of him, which surprised him during their first meeting.