"For the last time, nothing happened," Leone said as he sat on the seat of honor while the rest of the members of the Aslan Tribe looked at him with cheeky smiles on their faces.

Yuni was seated beside her father, her face redder than an apple. Earlier, all the ladies she passed by on the way to the underground plaza of the Aslan Tribe had congratulated her for finally becoming their chieftain’s woman.

Well, they weren’t technically wrong. But that wasn’t the issue! Nothing happened between her and Leone aside from a few kisses, which was mild compared to whatever mess everyone had inside their heads!

"I repeat. Nothing happened between me and Yuni," Leone stated once more because he felt that no one believed him. "We only slept together. That’s all."

"Don’t worry, Great Chieftain!" Kael shouted. "I, Kael, believe in you!"

The corner of Leone’s lips twitched as he fought the strong urge to throw his wooden cup at the old bastard responsible for making the news spread like wildfire in the first place!

Fortunately, Kael didn’t spread it outside of the fortress, so only those inside it had heard the news.

Though, just as Leone thought that this topic was finally over, Ulric coughed loudly, causing the murmuring around them to stop.

"Leone, I just want to ask you one thing, " Ulric said in a serious tone. "This has something to do with Yuni’s honor, so I hope you answer honestly."

"Please ask," Leone replied.

"What is Yuni to you?" Ulric replied.

He had already heard Leone say that his daughter was "his" woman more than once. Yet, on both occasions, he felt that the young man had only said that to protect his daughter.

As a father, he wanted to know the truth. After all, as long as people thought that Yuni belonged to Leone, no other man would make their move on her.

This was fine if it was the truth.

But what if it wasn’t?

Wouldn’t that make Yuni cling to something that wasn’t really there?

Yuni didn’t dare to look up at her father. Instead, she lowered her head because she already knew the answer to this question.

Leone had already made sure that she knew how he felt toward her earlier, after all.

"You’re right, Ulric," Leone replied calmly. "I shouldn’t make things vague because it will only lead to more misunderstandings. With that said, Yuni is special to me, so I want us to get to know each other more. But I assure you, I fully intend to make her my woman.

"Of course, if she doesn’t want it, there’s nothing I can do about it. I just want to let everyone here know that I want to take our relationship seriously without taking any shortcuts that might lead to regret. Yuni deserves better than that."

A moment of silence descended upon the underground plaza. It only broke when Kael stood up and started clapping his hands.

"As expected of our Great Chieftain!" Kael shouted. "A true man among men! Not only is he decisive, but he also wants to do it right. By the way, Great Chieftain, it is customary for a leader of a big tribe to have four wives and three concubines. However, there’s no need to look anywhere else! You see, my granddaughter..."

Perhaps anticipating what would happen next, Aria had already snuck away from the gathering the moment her grandfather stood up.

Because of this, she only heard the laughter aimed at Kael after he brought up his granddaughter for the nth time, which was something the Aslan Tribe was already used to hearing.

Even Leone could only shake his head helplessly at his words, feeling sorry for Aria. Kael had repeatedly brought up the topic for a long time.

A part of him felt relieved because Yuni had confiscated the aphrodisiac Kael had won from the Wheel of Fortune.

If the sly fox still had it, he might have already gotten away with his plan to hook Leone and Aria together after spiking both of their food and drinks.

Still, now that Leone had already declared that he planned to pursue Yuni and have a serious relationship with her, Ulric finally felt at ease.

It also settled the worries of the Aslan Tribe. After all, their chieftain needed to have heirs to continue the legacy he was building.

Many of them had already discussed this matter in private.

Although Leone was still young, the Aslan Tribe had grown at an astonishing pace. What was once a small tribe had now become the dominant power in the region.

Naturally, everyone wanted some reassurance that the future of the tribe would remain secure even after Leone was gone, so Leone having a partner was something to be celebrated about.

"Since everyone is already here, I also want to take this opportunity to make a few more announcements," Leone stated. "First is our upcoming war with the Darkmane Tribe."

At the mention of the war, the lively atmosphere suddenly became tense and serious.

"I know that some of you are feeling very anxious because we are about to face a high-ranking tribe," Leone added. "I will be completely honest with all of you. I do think this war would be the greatest challenge our tribe will face."

The young man paused as he scanned the faces of the people who were looking up to him.

"It will not be an easy battle," Leone stated. "We might even suffer casualties because of it. But, know this. I will be fighting alongside everyone. I will be there to face our enemies, so I want you all to face them with me!"

"""Yes!"""

"We will win!"

"""We will win!"""

"Long live the Aslan Tribe!"

"""Long live!"""

"""Long live!"""

"""Long live!"""

Leone then glanced at Otto, Arion, and Blitz, who stood at the corner of the plaza.

He had given them a special mission, which Hassan would also participate in.

The young man had thought long and hard about it. After careful consideration, he decided that waiting passively was not his style.

Before the Darkmane Tribe could even arrive at their territory, he fully intended to bring the war to their doorstep first.

He would make them understand that the Aslan Tribe was not someone they could declare war on without suffering the consequences.

Then again, Troy and the Darkmane Tribe would soon realize this fact the moment they marched their army toward Grimjaw Mountain.