Chapter 180: Not A Warrior, But A King [Part 2]

The Orc Champion frowned after hearing Leone’s reply.

"Not a warrior, but a King," Logan muttered.

Originally, it wanted to look down on Leone and utter some words of ridicule. However, it wasn’t able to do that.

It couldn’t do that because Leone was right.

A King didn’t need to be at the front of every battle.

Even monsters used their underlings to fight for them. Whenever two monster tribes shared the same territory, it always led to territorial wars where the loser would either be annihilated or be forced to leave.

That was how it had always been.

And Logan knew it well.

Because he and his tribe were one of those losers.

Just like what they did to the Kobold Tribe, they had also been forced out of their homes because someone stronger had forced them out.

Logan narrowed his eyes as he gazed upon the fortress with its formidable defenses.

It instinctively knew that if they fought here right now, their tribe would suffer countless casualties.

That was something Logan didn’t want to see.

It didn’t really come to Grimjaw Mountain to fight. It only wanted to confirm if there was indeed a fortress there.

Now that it had achieved its purpose, it was now time for it to head back to its temporary home.

The Orc Champion gave the signal to withdraw, and the Orcs obeyed his orders.

"This is not over," Logan declared before taking its leave.

The Aslan Tribe watched the Orcs leave, but none of them lowered their guard.

"Blitz, make sure the squirrel network monitors the Orcs’ movements at all times," Leone said through telepathy. "The moment that Orc Champion leaves its camp, warn us right away."

*Squeak!* Blitz nodded.

"Daedalus, I’m a little worried about Logan’s declaration earlier," Alex said. "Let’s come up with some contingency plans just in case it decides to infiltrate our fortress on its own."

"Understood." Daedalus agreed with Leone’s statement.

The Orc Champion might have backed down because it didn’t want its tribe to suffer countless casualties.

Though, with its strength, it could theoretically infiltrate the fortress on its own if certain conditions were met.

Of course, Leone and Daedalus wished to eliminate those conditions, ensuring that Logan wouldn’t be able to get what it wanted.

After the incident with the Orcs had been settled, Leone called for an emergency meeting.

Brann, Gromm, Malcolm, and Owen of the Bloodtusk Tribe had also been invited to participate.

Malcolm told Leone that the warriors who migrated looked up to Owen as their true leader. In consideration of this fact, he decided to introduce the strongest warrior of the former Bloodtusk Tribe to Leone so they would get to know each other.

The leader of the Kobolds, Caius, as well as their strongest warrior, Titus, had also been invited to participate in the meeting. After all, the agenda concerned them as well.

"We should be holding a special ceremony to welcome the Stormhorn Tribe and the Bloodtusk Tribe as new members of the Aslan Tribe," Leone said through Daedalus. "Unfortunately, we will have to put that on hold for the time being until we finish dealing with the Orcs."

"Thank you, Great Chieftain," Brann replied. "Even without the ceremony, we already consider ourselves part of the Aslan Tribe."

"That is true for the Bloodtusk Tribe as well," Owen said. "We will do everything in our power to assist you, Great Chieftain."

"Thank you," Leone said.

Brann, Gromm, Caius, Titus, and Owen couldn’t see Leone talking or moving his lips. However, they could still hear his words loud and clear.

This only meant one thing.

""He must be using magic.""

That was the collective thought of those who were gathered. However, they decided not to question this for the time being since there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I have a feeling that the Orc Champion might try to infiltrate us tonight," Leone said calmly. "As such, we will need to prepare ourselves for a possible raid."

Leone and his vassals had witnessed Logan’s unparalleled strength firsthand.

If the Orc Champion managed to scale the castle walls and infiltrate the underground city they had built, a calamity would befall upon them.

Although Daedalus and Leone had already placed traps inside the mountain, they decided to increase its number just to be on the safe side.

"Until this matter is resolved, we must keep a dedicated night watch," Leone said. "Jason, Kael, Blitz, and Otto, the responsibility falls to you four. Work out the watch rotations among yourselves and ensure every shift is covered."

"Ulric, Brann, Malcolm, and Owen, the four of you will keep watch during the day. Everyone will avoid heading to the north and focus their hunting in the south instead.

"Regardless of the time of day, there must always be people ready to operate the repeating crossbows, catapults, and ballistas. We can use this as training in preparation for our battle against the Darkmane Tribe. People assigned to these tasks will be permanent, so decide carefully."

Leone then shifted his attention to Caius and Titus. "Friends from the Red Scale Tribe, none of you need to participate in these battle preparations. Though, I will greatly appreciate it if you all focus your attention on digging through the Grimjaw Mountain Range."

"Understood," Caius replied, speaking in human language.

"This is the least we can do," Titus stated. "The Orcs are also our enemies."

Titus was the one that led the warriors of the Kobold Tribe to fight against the orcs to buy time for their tribe members to escape.

He watched as his subordinates died as they fought with everything they had. Yet, the Orcs were simply more powerful than them.

The Kobolds also felt a little guilty, thinking they had brought trouble for the Aslan Tribe by seeking shelter under their banner.

Perhaps if the Kobolds hadn’t done that, the Orcs would not have become Leone’s enemies.

"I understand that the Orcs have driven you out of your homes," Leone said to the two Kobolds. "But if possible, I would like to avoid fighting against the Orcs. If this matter can be resolved peacefully, I hope none of you will take offense to it."

Caius shook his head. "We are a peaceful race. If this matter can be resolved peacefully, then we will not voice out any complaints. However, please be wary of the Orcs. Even if they appear to come in peace, it is possible that they are only trying to trick you so they can enter the fortress unchallenged."

Suddenly, Daedalus hovered in front of Leone, making Brann, Gromm, Malcolm, Owen, Caius, and Titus gasp in shock.

"Greetings, everyone," Daedalus said. "Let me introduce myself to all of you. My name is Daedalus, and I serve Leone Frontera as one of his advisors. My existence is a well-guarded secret by the Aslan Tribe.

"However, since I recognize all of you to be part of the Aslan Tribe, I’ve decided to show myself as a sign of trust. Please keep my existence a secret to others. Even Gundar of the Grimhowl Tribe does not know anything about me."

Brann, Gromm, Malcolm, and Owen glanced at each other before shifting their attention toward Leone.

Being shown such a secret was truly a sign of trust, which meant that the young man truly thought of them as his people.

"There is one more thing that I need to announce to all of you," Leone stated. "The Warclaw Tribe, the Grimhowl Tribe, the Ironhide Tribe, the Redmaw Tribe, and the Grimfang Tribe are making their way here toward the fortress.

"Aside from the Warclaw Tribe, all are coming with their chieftains. They will arrive soon, so we need to deal with the Orcs as quickly as possible. According to my estimates, it will take them five days before they enter our domain.

"We will build more houses near the village where the Stormhorn Tribe and the Bloodtusk Tribe used to stay. Ulric, please command the warriors to clear out the trees in that location. Our guests will number around three to four thousand."

"Yes, Great Chieftain." Ulric nodded. "Will the chieftains of the other tribes also stay there?"

"No," Leone replied. "They will be staying inside the fortress. We will build a special accommodation just for them."

Leone had planned to carve some caverns on the side of the mountain that would serve as temporary rooms for their VIP guests.

These rooms would have complete amenities and luxuries that only nobles in the Kingdom of Britannia could enjoy.

Since the Kobolds had now joined them, Leone could ask his warriors to start digging on the side of the mountain where these VIP rooms would be placed.

Rooms that would have a scenic view of the forest, giving the chieftains a spot to relax while looking at the sunrise and sunset.

The meeting lasted for nearly two hours, and the majority of their discussion was on how to deal with their orcish neighbors.

Some conflicts within the Barbarian tribes were often decided through duels.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have any warriors strong enough to contend with Logan.

In the end, Leone decided to use a different alternative, and that was to set up a meeting with the Orc Champion.

He hoped they would be able to settle things through diplomatic discussions.

While his vassals felt anxious about this move from their Great Chieftain, they also understood that this was one way to solve their problem.

They were already gearing up to fight against the Darkmane Tribe, after all.

The last thing they wanted was to have Orcs backstabbing them from behind.