Leone brought Hassan to his house, where they could talk about his family in utmost privacy.

But Hassan’s strength made Ulric, Kael, Jason, and Blitz feel anxious, so they had requested to come along.

Although it was supposed to be a private talk about the young man’s family, they were still too worried about leaving him with a stranger whom they had just met.

After all, Leone was the pillar of the Aslan Tribe. If anything happened to him, they would fall into despair.

As much as they didn’t want to admit it, they were like plants while Leone was the sun. Without him, they would all wither and die.

"Are you sure you want them to know more about your family?" Hassan asked upon taking his seat on the couch in front of Leone.

"They are my vassals," Leone replied calmly. "I think it’s fine to let them know more about me."

The young man’s answer made Ulric, Kael, and Jason feel happy inside. They were touched that Leone, their great chieftain, trusted them that much.

Hassan briefly nodded in response before telling Leone everything he wanted to know. "After your exile, the other noble families approached the Frontera Viscounty and invited them to their factions.

"As you already know, there are four princes vying for the crown," Hassan stated. "The king is already old, and it’s about time he named his successor. Everyone knows this too, so the four factions are doing their best to get more nobles on their side.

"They believe the one with the strongest faction will become king. The neutral Frontera Family is naturally a juicy target in their eyes. Some used honeyed words, some used threats, while some used benefits to make your father agree to support one of the princes.

"But your father refused everyone and declared neutrality. Obviously, this didn’t sit well with the noble factions. Some even sent messengers to outright threaten your father. Some even told him that they would purge him and his family if he doesn’t agree."

Leone subconsciously clenched his fists. "After conspiring to get me exiled, they still won’t leave my family alone. Those bastards..."

Hassan nodded. "However, none of those messengers returned to their respective domains. At least not alive. Rumors say bandits killed them on their way home."

The masked man chuckled as if he had just spoken the funniest joke in his life. With the power of Leone’s mother in the dark, getting rid of a few messengers was a mere trifle.

Leone also understood the hidden meaning behind Hassan’s words. However, he still didn’t look happy. He even looked worried.

"The pattern is clear. Surely, the nobles suspect my family has killed their messengers, right?" Leone asked.

"Of course," Hassan replied. "They planned to hold a meeting to discuss how they’d handle the Frontera Family, but the heir of these noble houses suddenly disappeared.

"The kidnappers even left a message, explicitly telling the nobles that if they want to see their sons again, they should behave and wait until the king chooses a crown prince."

"Did it work though?" Leone frowned. "Noble houses have many sons. Losing one of them will not be a problem."

Leone was the third son of the Viscount of Frontera. Polygamy was the norm in the Kingdom of Britannia, so some of the nobles even had six to eight sons serving as backup.

"At first, it didn’t work," Hassan answered. "But whoever’s behind the kidnappings has already anticipated that. By chance, do you know who Marquis Frederick is?"

"Isn’t he the biggest scum who supports the first prince’s faction?" Leone asked. "Also, isn’t he the father of a bunch of those bastards who ruined many families with their lust? Most importantly, he was the one that sent me the invitation to that hunting trip."

"Yes, that’s right." Hassan smirked. "He’s also the one egging the other nobles to bring the Frontera Viscounty down through military might. After their meeting ended, he and all his family members were massacred overnight.

"The only ones left alive were the servants in their mansion, who woke up to the corpses of their Masters. The culprits even wrote a message on the wall using the blood of the Marquis.

"The message said, ’Who wants to die next?’ Following that incident, the severed heads of the kidnapped heirs were sent back to their families inside wooden boxes. Ever since then, no one talked about subjugating the Frontera Family again."

Ulric and Kael were visibly impressed at how brutally the Frontera Family had handled this matter. They were so moved that Ulric decided to ask Hassan a question.

"Did you participate in any of those killings?" Ulric asked.

He could tell that Hassan was stronger than him. With that, he wouldn’t be surprised if he played a part in those killings to protect Leone’s family.

In fact, he was surprised that Leone’s family had such a powerhouse serving them. This meant their great chieftain’s parents were certainly no pushovers.

"No comment," Hassan replied with a smile.

And yet, the smile on his face hinted that he had a share in the incidents that took place after Leone was exiled to the Borderlands.

It seemed that whoever ordered them wanted to see blood.

Then again, Marquis Frederick was also the person who framed Leone of seducing the princess.

In hindsight, his brutal murder was expected.

Some even commented that whoever killed him wasn’t human. When the local authorities investigated his death, the corpse they found was torn to the point of being barely recognizable.

Maybe that was also why the nobles quickly had a change of heart and left the Frontera Family alone.

This allowed Hassan to travel to the Borderlands to look for Leone. He just didn’t expect that his young master would quickly become a bigshot and be hailed as the Great Chieftain of the East.

"Young Master, your mother has also entrusted something to me." Hassan took out a black orb that was the size of an orange. "Do you know what this is?"

"Isn’t that an obsidian crystal?" Leone asked. "It’s a magical tool used for communication. However, it has limitations. It will only work only on nights without a moon."

It was then when the young man suddenly realized why his mother had entrusted the crystal to the masked man.

"That’s right." Hassan nodded. "I think fate deliberately led me to you today. It just so happens that there will be no moon tonight."

He then handed the obsidian crystal to Leone, who carefully took it as if it was a priceless treasure.

For the first time since he had been exiled in the Borderlands, he could finally talk to his family, who were hundreds of miles away from the Borderlands.

"I know I already said this earlier, but thank you for finding me, Hassan," Leone said as he held the obsidian crystal in his hands. "I am truly thankful to you."

"You’re welcome," Hassan replied. "Your gratitude has made my month-long wandering in the Borderlands worth it."

The masked man then told Leone how his brothers and little sister were faring.

Hearing more about his family members put a smile on the young man’s face. He truly hoped that tonight, he would be able to talk to them and finally put their weary hearts at ease.