After seeing their guests off, Grimjaw Mountain finally began to quiet down a bit... Well, not quite.

The prisoners of war were being herded to do "volunteer" work and had been sent to the mines to help Maximus.

Gundar also planned to stay a week longer, refusing to budge despite Marcus’ repeated attempts to convince him into returning to the Grimhowl Tribe with everyone.

Sadly for Marcus, the old shaman was very firm in his decision. No amount of persuasion could change his mind.

"Do you really expect me to convince my father about the alliance with the Aslan Tribe on my own?" Marcus asked. "He’ll probably skin me alive if he heard about it."

"Tough it up kid." Gundar patted the young man’s shoulder. "That is how you become a strong warrior."

The corner of Marcus’ lips twitched. It was clear that Gundar was just spouting a bunch of nonsense, hoping he would take the fall for the old shaman’s decision of allying with the Aslan Tribe.

Then again, since the old man could be as stubborn as an ox, Marcus had no choice but to just wing it when he returned to their camp.

"Great Uncle, is there a message you want me to pass on to father?" Marcus asked.

"Tell him he should send Elias here to gain experience," Gundar replied. "If he doesn’t come here fast enough, that child Vlad will soak up all the knowledge he will need to become a great leader."

Marcus didn’t know why his youngest brother must come to Grimjaw Mountain to gain experience.

For him, it was more beneficial for Elias to learn more about managing their own territory from the people who actually ran it.

Seeing the expression on Marcus’ face, Gundar could only sigh helplessly.

Hagen’s two sons were born when the Grimhowl Tribe was already a powerful tribe. They didn’t see how it all started. Gundar wanted them to learn by watching Leone build his own kingdom from scratch.

That kind of experience would allow them to thrive anywhere.

Unfortunately, Marcus didn’t seem to share his own ideals.

"Just go pass him my message," Gundar stated. "If he doesn’t agree, then we’ll leave it at that."

"Very well, Great Uncle." Marcus nodded helplessly. "I’ll pass your message on to him."

"Good. Have a safe journey, Marcus."

"You too, Great Uncle. See you soon."

After the two bade goodbye to each other, Gundar watched over them from the ramparts of the fortress with his hands behind his back.

Truth be told, he was quite worried about the Aslan Tribe. After all, no one knew how the Darkmane Tribe would react to the news of their defeat at Grimjaw Mountain.

The reason why he had mentioned the alliance with the Aslan Tribe was to deter the Darkmane Tribe from attacking Leone while he was still trying to grow his forces.

Gundar hoped that this would be enough of a deterrent for the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe, Troy, to reconsider any hostile actions against the Aslan Tribe in the future.

However, the alliance he had proposed on the spot was still shaky. Unless Hagen explicitly recognized the Aslan Tribe as their allies, this matter still hung in the air.

Gundar might be the Great Shaman of the Grimhowl Tribe, but he wasn’t its chieftain. Hagen had the last say on whether this alliance would become a reality or not.

The old shaman was certain that Troy would send a messenger to Hagen to confirm if this alliance was true or not.

If the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe said that it wasn’t true, then no one could stop the Darkmane Tribe from attacking Grimjaw Mountain.

’Maybe I should have also mentioned that if he didn’t agree, I’ll quit being the shaman of the Grimhowl Tribe,’ Gundar mused.

Unfortunately, doing this was impossible. He had made an oath to protect the Grimhowl Tribe for as long as he lived, so he couldn’t really leave them even if he wanted to.

Aside from that, the Grimhowl Tribe had become his second home. He couldn’t just abandon them after everything that he received from them.

Simply put, Gundar couldn’t have grown this strong without the sacrifices of the previous shamans of the Grimhowl Tribe, who had passed their legacies onto him.

As he gazed over the horizon, he sensed a presence walking in his direction. It was none other than Kael, Leone’s number one bootlick—errr... advisor.

"You look worried, Great Shaman," Kael said as he gazed in the direction where Gundar was looking.

"I am." Gundar nodded. "Ever since I met Leone, I couldn’t help but worry about him even if I don’t want to. I must be getting old."

Kael smiled faintly because he understood what the old shaman was feeling. Ever since he met Leone, he, too, couldn’t help but worry about him.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Leone was the pillar that bound the Aslan Tribe together. Without him, they would fall apart like a house made of a deck of cards.

Suddenly, the two sensed another presence heading up the ramparts.

It was none other than Otto, who had come to get some fresh air.

The moment the old shaman saw him, he couldn’t help but gawk in his direction.

"Y-You’re Otto, right?" Gundar asked in a doubtful tone. "Your presence has changed a lot since I last saw you, and that was only yesterday. Wait... last night I sensed a powerful ripple of power inside the fortress. Could it be..."

Kael and Otto only smiled faintly at the old shaman’s words. They didn’t plan to divulge Leone’s secrets even to the old man, who treated their Great Chieftain like a friend.

Gundar sighed. "Earlier when I saw you guys, I immediately sensed that all of you have grown stronger. I don’t know how such a thing can happen overnight, but I feel like the only conclusion to that is that there is some kind of magic involved.

"If all of you keep on growing like this, then maybe you can really face off against the Darkmane Tribe."

Kael shook his head. "Right now, we are no match against the Darkmane Tribe. At least, that is what I believe.

"Then again, our Great Chieftain is known for creating miracles. He said in passing that while we might not win against the Darkmane Tribe, we will not lose to them either. I don’t really understand what he meant by that, but I’ll just follow him wherever he plans to go."

"For some reason, I believe there is some truth in what you said." Gundar smiled faintly. "Leone might really pull off a feat that will make the Darkmane Tribe regret poking this side of the Borderlands."

Truth be told, he hoped that nothing would happen until the gathering of tribes were held in Eden.

Since this was an important event, Gundar believed that the Darkmane Tribe wouldn’t be able to do anything because they were required to show themselves there.

However, Gundar learned from the earlier incident. Leone seemed to be a magnet, attracting various troubles despite staying put in Grimjaw Mountain.

The young man never provoked anyone. Yet, he was destined to live a life filled with danger and challenges.

He was like a blade being forged through trials of fire. Only if he could endure the pounding of the hammer could he become a masterpiece. One highly regarded by those who set their sights on him.

"I really worry for the future," Gundar muttered.

"Don’t worry about it," Kael commented. "Because the future will come soon enough."

If Daedalus had been there, it would have complained to Kael and told him to stop raising flags.

But since the grimoire had decided to help Leone map out the entirety of the Grimjaw Mountain Range, it was currently flying high up in the air, scanning it from the sky.

Daedalus believed that sooner or later, their digging operation would lead them to an unexpected result, specifically the kind that would lead to the growth and progress of the Aslan Tribe.