’An investment...’ Hagen thought.

It was good to have allies in the Borderlands, especially if said ally wouldn’t stab you in the back.

It was difficult for the Grimhowl Tribe to find a true ally among the high-ranking tribes since they were always waiting for each other to make a mistake. After all, they could use that opportunity to their advantage.

Whether it be a battle for resources, hunting grounds, or mining spots, conflicts would arise every now and then.

The south was the most bountiful place in the Borderlands since it was near Eden.

This place was monopolized by the high-ranking tribes, except for the Sandreaver Tribe, who lived in the desert.

The other high-ranking tribes simply assumed the Sandreaver Tribe had a secret they didn’t want to share with others. For this reason, they had decided to set their camps in the unforgiving Sunscar Desert.

Of course, many believed this secret was related to the Sand Steel they used to craft weapons.

Weapons that gained the power of blazing heat, able to cut through armor like a hot knife going through butter.

However, Hagen believed there was more to this secret than meets the eye.

The Sunscar Desert was a very wide expanse of land filled with monsters adapted to the harsh environment.

It was for this reason that the Sandreaver Tribe stayed away from the politics of the other tribes and declared their neutrality.

They would have been the perfect allies. Hagen and Gundar had both tried to form an alliance with them, but their proposal had been politely declined.

Since then, Hagen stopped trying to look for other allies. No one else simply fit his criteria.

But now, a rising faction in the east appeared.

Their chieftain was only a young man who was an exiled noble of the Kingdom of Britannia. However, he held some kind of mysterious power that gathered three tribes under him and made them look up to him as their leader.

After a few minutes of silence, Hagen heaved a long and deep sigh.

He couldn’t deny it. He was starting to grow more curious about Leone.

Since both Gundar and Marcus were praising him, then he might truly be an exceptional young man.

"Very well. I will approve of this alliance," Hagen declared. "Since Gundar wants to shield the Aslan Tribe, then so be it. The last things I want to deal with are his tantrums and his threats to quit because he did not get what he wants from me."

Hearing that, a few of the Elders chuckled.

Only Gundar was capable of threatening Hagen and getting away with it. Such was the price of his power and assistance in keeping the other high-ranking tribes at bay.

"Ah! I almost forgot. There is still one more thing that Great Uncle has asked me to pass to you father," Marcus said. "He told me to tell you that you should send Elias there to learn."

"Me?" Elias frowned. "Great Uncle wants me to learn there?"

Hagen and the other elders frowned after hearing Gundar’s message.

Marcus nodded. "Also, the youngest son of the Warclaw Tribe’s Chieftain, Vlad, seems to want to stay by Leone’s side to learn things from him as well. However, Leone told him to ask permission first from his father before he could agree to Vlad’s request."

"Hoh?" Hagen narrowed his eyes. "Just what is that brat scheming?"

Hagen knew who Vlad was. However, in his eyes, the teenage boy was too timid to become a warrior.

Even Elias’ curiosity was piqued after hearing this piece of information.

"Elias, are you interested?" Hagen asked. "Since Gundar asked me to send you, he must want you to meet this Leone kid."

"...Give me a day to think about it, Father," Elias replied.

"Okay." Hagen nodded. "I know it might be a little late, but send out scouts to check on the Bloodtusk Tribe, the Ashclaw Tribe, and the Stormhorn Tribe’s situation. Tell them to report immediately if they find anything amiss."

""Yes, Great Chieftain!""

Hagen looked out of the window of the room before sighing internally. Many things had happened during the past few months in the Borderlands, and most of it revolved around the Alborin Tribe.

It was then that he realized something. The Alborin Tribe hadn’t caused the commotion. It was one person. Their new chieftain, Leone Frontera.

’I’m starting to want to meet this kid Gundar’s talking about so much,’ Hagen thought.

At first, Hagen was only curious about Leone. But now, he was interested in him.

After all, a young man had single-handedly stirred up trouble in the Borderlands and changed the hierarchy that had been established for decades.

Hagen had a tiny suspicion that Leone might be an agent from the Kingdom of Britannia and that he was trying to sow discord among the barbarian tribes to weaken them.

However, he also believed that Gundar wouldn’t be tricked so easily by a spy of the kingdom.

In fact, if Leone were really a spy sent by the Kingdom of Britannia, Gundar would not hesitate to kill him. That way, the young man would not be able to disturb the peace of the Borderlands.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Borderlands...

Yuni’s Red-Tail Hawk, whom she named Rio, soared high in the sky.

Leone had given Yuni a skill book that allowed her to share her senses with her Familiar.

Since she had this skill, she volunteered to check on the Stormhorn Tribe, which Kael predicted would migrate to Grimjaw Mountain.

The hawk’s gaze caught something moving over the horizon, so it flew in that direction to investigate.

There, it saw a caravan of over a hundred wagons. Leading the way was the Chieftain of the Stormhorn Tribe, Brann.

The hawk circled the caravan twice before flying away from them. Then, instead of returning to the Grimjaw Mountain, Rio flew farther to the west.

Kael had also mentioned that the Stormhorn Tribe might be pursued by the middle-ranked tribes, so Yuni planned to confirm if any of the tribes were on the Stormhorn Tribe’s tail.

After traveling for nearly four hours, Rio finally saw them.

Beyond the horizon, a dust cloud rose from the west. When the hawk drew closer, it saw hundreds of warriors on horseback, following the trail the Stormhorn Tribe had left behind.

These people were none other than the members of the Grimfang Tribe, who were pursuing the Stormhorn Tribe.

A few moments later, Yuni opened her eyes.

She hurriedly stood up in order to inform Leone of what was happening.

The Stormhorn Tribe wasn’t that far from Grimjaw Mountain, but it would still take them at least two hours to reach the Stormhorn Tribe’s caravan if they were to set out to meet them.

When Leone heard that the Stormhorn Tribe was being pursued, he immediately called his vassals for a meeting.

If they were to help the Stormhorn Tribe, his warriors would have to risk their lives defending them against their pursuers.

He was very hesitant to give the order to mobilize, but Ulric asked Leone to trust them.

"It is indeed risky because there’s a chance it will come down to a fight," Ulric admitted. "However, they have chosen to come here. This means they wish to become part of our tribe. Since that’s the case, we should protect them."

"I agree. We should go and help them," Jason stated. "If the Stormhorn Tribe joins us, our forces will grow stronger. This is a risk we should and could afford to take."

Kael and Otto both nodded in agreement, which made Leone take a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Just promise me one thing," Leone said in a serious tone. "No one gets left behind, and no one is allowed to die."

Hearing that, Ulric knew that his Great Chieftain was being unreasonable. After all, the enemy were composed of hundreds of warriors, while their headcount was less than a hundred.

Even so, he knew what Leone was like.

Unless he made this promise, he would not allow them to leave so easily.

"Very well. I promise I will return, Great Chieftain!" Ulric declared.

"I promise to return safely as well!" Jason promised.

Leone nodded. "Otto, take Arion and go ahead of them. I give you permission to attack the pursuers of the Stormhorn Tribe. However, make sure to give them a warning shot first. If they continue to pursue the Stormhorn Tribe after that, then I’ll leave the judgement in your hands."

"Yes, Great Chieftain!" Otto bowed respectfully.

The moment the order was given, the warriors of the Aslan Tribe mobilized to support the Stormhorn Tribe.

They sent seventy of their warriors, including Ulric and Jason, with all of them riding on their raptors.

Arion and Otto flew ahead, serving as a deterrent against whoever was pursuing the Stormhorn Tribe.

Truth be told, he wanted to keep Otto’s specialty a secret since his long-ranged ability was a trump card that shone best during sieges.

But this was an emergency, and he couldn’t be very picky with his methods.

Gundar noticed the commotion, prompting him to ask Leone what was happening.

When the young man told the shaman about the plight of the Stormhorn Tribe, the great shaman pondered a bit before nodding in understanding.

A part of him wanted to extend his help to Leone, but another part wished to see how the young man would handle this situation.

If he lent his hand, this problem would have been solved easily. However, in the end, he decided against it.

Every warrior must be forged in life and death battles to become stronger.

He had learned this lesson long ago, so he chose to let the Aslanians handle this matter on their own.

*Squeak!*

Blitz flew down from the mountaintop, and landed on Leone’s shoulder.

It then told its Master that it would also go and help the others. That way, the young man wouldn’t worry too much.

After making its declaration, Blitz turned into a lightning bolt and zoomed across the sky to catch up to Arion and Otto.

"You have good subordinates, Leone." Gundar patted the young man’s chest. "Trust them and wait for their return. That is the way of the Barbarians."

Leone nodded, but he was still worried.

From high above the mountain peak of Grimjaw Mountain, Astravor clicked its tongue before it spread its wings wide.

It then flew away from the mountain on a whim, intending to keep an eye out for Leone’s warriors, who were making their Great Chieftain worry about them.