My Kingdom Building Done Right!-Chapter 37: The Riverfang Tribe

News of Arlo’s defeat spread across the Borderlands like wildfire.

The warriors from the two allied tribes who had survived the raid on Grimjaw Mountain told everyone of their crushing defeat at the hands of the Alborin Tribe.

Fewer than ten warriors of the Black Wolf Tribe had returned to their territory. Since their Chieftain was still missing days after the raid, many believed Arlo had either died or been captured by Ulric during the battle.

Some tribes rejoiced, for they had hated Arlo’s tyranny. Those at the top of the pecking order, however, simply laughed at his incompetence.

These larger tribes, commanding hundreds of warriors each, had only ever seen Arlo as an ambitious upstart who had bitten off more than he could chew!

Still, the news that a gryphon had aided the Alborin Tribe during the raid made some of the chieftains wonder how Ulric had managed to gain the favor of such a powerful monster.

"I knew Ulric would not go down easily," the Chieftain of the Stonehorn Tribe smirked before drinking mead from his large wooden mug.

"Still, the Black Wolf Tribe losing this badly is quite amusing," one of his warriors commented. "Arlo used to brag that he would unite the Borderlands under his banner."

"Looks like the only thing he managed to unite was the ground and his face," another warrior laughed.

The entire hall erupted in laughter.

Not everyone treated the news as a joke, though.

Some settlements, especially the weaker tribes in the east of the Borderlands, found this news quite uplifting.

There were fourteen barbarian tribes, and the Alborin Tribe was ranked the lowest of them all.

The thirteenth-ranked tribe, known as the Riverfang Tribe, had long been one of the tribes bullied by the Black Wolf Tribe.

They had fewer warriors, and their territory was located near a narrow river valley that often attracted monsters during the winter months.

Because of this, they were forced to offer tribute to stronger tribes just to survive.

If Arlo had chosen to ignore Ulric and the Alborin Tribe, instead of pursuing them into Grimjaw Mountain, the Riverfang Tribe would have surely become his next target.

"Finally... Arlo is dead," a middle-aged man sighed after hearing the news from one of his warriors. "But this isn’t necessarily good news for any of us."

"What do you mean, Chief?" the warrior who had reported the defeat of the Black Wolf Tribe asked. "Isn’t Arlo dying a good thing for us?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "While I am very happy he is dead, it also means that those who share his ambitions will finally show their true colors. With the Black Wolf Tribe crippled, I’m certain the bigger tribes will take this opportunity to absorb what’s left of them while they’re weakened.

"Once they’ve tasted victory, they will soon set their sights on weaker tribes like ours, then absorb us as well."

The expressions of the people inside the Tribal Chief’s tent turned solemn.

They wanted to refute by saying that they had survived this long by paying tribute to the surrounding tribes for protection.

But now that the balance had been broken, tribute might no longer satisfy the stronger tribes. Not when they could follow Arlo’s example and simply take everything.

"Then, what should we do, Chief?" one of the warriors asked.

Kael Bloodriver, chieftain of the Riverfang Tribe, let out a long, heavy sigh. He stared at the warriors around him before giving his order.

"Prepare to evacuate," Kael ordered. "We’ll head to Grimjaw Mountain and ask Ulric to take us in. But tell everyone to move carefully. Our plan must not be discovered.

Seeking asylum from another tribe wasn’t the most honorable course of action. But honor wouldn’t save them from trouble. It was simply survival.

Kael had known Ulric for many years. They had participated in the same hunting trips in the past, and Kael believed in his integrity as a warrior.

Ulric wasn’t someone like Arlo. He wouldn’t treat his people as tools to be discarded.

The Chieftain of the Riverfang Tribe believed that if they sought asylum in the Grimjaw Mountain, Ulric would welcome them with open arms.

And if the rumors about a gryphon fighting alongside the Alborin Tribe were true, then no other tribe would dare harass them.

The warriors exchanged conflicted glances. But in the end, they bowed and left to spread the word.

They understood the situation. The other tribes wouldn’t sit idle while the Black Wolf Tribe recovered.

That was the way of the Borderlands. The strong preyed on the weak, and a wolf that had lost its teeth was fair game to every other predator in these lands.

Two days later, at the crack of dawn, the Riverfang Tribe abandoned their ancestral lands and marched toward Grimjaw Mountain.

When the news reached them, they knew they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The other tribes were already moving against the Black Wolf Tribe.

The Grimjaw Mountain was located in the far east of the Borderlands. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A forest sprawled at its base for miles, and two rivers freely flowed through its domain. It was one of the most fertile areas in the region.

Unfortunately, it was also home to countless dangerous monsters, including the gryphon that ruled as its apex predator.

This was why most barbarian tribes stayed away from this mountain.

The Riverfang Tribe numbered a hundred people, with thirty warriors among them. By the standards of the weaker tribes, they were already considered a decent fighting force.

Though their numbers surpassed the Alborin Tribe’s, none of them looked down on Ulric’s people. Not after they had crushed a raid by three allied tribes led by Arlo on the night of a full moon.

That alone spoke of their strength. Kael was even eager to learn how they had accomplished such a feat against an enemy with both quantity and quality on their side.

Five days later, the Riverfang Tribe finally saw the mountain in the distance, and the sprawling forest they had to traverse to reach their destination.

To their surprise, they also saw a few scouting teams from the other tribes lingering at the forest’s edge.

They were the warriors other tribes had sent to confirm whether the news about the Alborin Tribe defeating the Black Wolf Tribe was real, or just an exaggerated rumor spread by those who hated Arlo’s guts.

When these scouting parties saw the Riverfang Tribe, they were shocked. It looked like the entire tribe was in the middle of relocating to Grimjaw Mountain.

Some of the scouts from tribes with good relations with the Riverfang Tribe approached and asked Kael what they were doing there.

Kael simply said he had come to visit an old friend, and congratulate him for defeating Arlo.

Of course, none of the scouting parties bought it, but there was nothing they could really do to pressure the sly Chieftain into telling the truth.

A few of these parties didn’t hesitate to send messenger birds to report the Riverfang Tribe’s sudden appearance in the domain of Grimjaw Mountain.

While Kael was wrapping up his talks with the curious third parties, the neighing of a horse reached their ears.

Everyone looked at their surroundings, but they couldn’t see any horse nearby.

"Up there in the sky!" one of the scouts pointed.

Everyone looked up and saw a Pegasus flying in their direction.

Riding on its back was Ulric, sent by Leone to investigate why so many people were loitering outside the forest.

Arion landed a few meters away from the barbarians, ignoring the stares they gave him.

The Pegasus even tried to flip its mane, imitating its Master who liked to flip his hair whenever he felt like showing off.

"Kael, it has been a while," Ulric said with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit from the Riverfrang Tribe?"

Chieftains usually called each other by their names, unless they belonged to a superior tribe and disliked being casually addressed.

But Ulric and Kael had known each other for years, so Ulric kept it casual to let the other know that he still considered him a friend.

"U-Ulric?" Kael looked at the warrior in confusion. "Are you really Ulric? Why do you look younger?"

Ulric chuckled. "It is indeed I, Kael. As to why I looked younger, I felt rejuvenated after putting an end to Arlo’s tyranny."

"Is Arlo really dead?" one of the scouts asked for confirmation.

"Yes," Ulric replied. "He will never appear again in this world."

The Chieftain of the Alborin Tribe then invited Kael and his people to enter the forest with him.

The scouts asked if they could come along, and Ulric said that he didn’t mind.

Deep inside the cave, Leone and Daedalus hid, monitoring the situation.

They had no intention of revealing themselves to outsiders who had come to unravel the secrets of how the Alborin Tribe had managed to defeat the stronger Black Wolf Tribe and its allies.