My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 101: Pride Before The Fall [Part 3]

"I knew this would happen," Gundar muttered as he observed the battle from the sky.

The barbarians had come to Grimjaw Mountain, thinking they could defeat the defenders through sheer numbers.

Normally, they would have been right.

According to the reports of the representatives who had visited Grimjaw Mountain back then, the Aslan Tribe only had the barracks and a few fortifications and that it wouldn’t be that difficult to conquer them.

They only needed to bring enough warriors and use human wave tactics.

However, that tactic had been rendered ineffective the moment Leone turned their camp into a formidable fortress made of stone.

The barbarians came, prepared for a raid.

They weren’t prepared for a siege.

They were like eggs thrown against a boulder. The only ending awaiting them was destruction.

Gundar eyed the fleeing barbarians, but he especially paid attention to the son of the Chieftain of the Darkmane Tribe, Travis.

He had advised Leone to avoid killing the young man the best he could lest it lead to complications later.

While the old shaman observed from above the forest, Kael’s Bloodriver Serpent was busy killing as many people as possible.

It was a Rank 3 Monster, so its strength surpassed most barbarian warriors.

However, it didn’t act arrogantly. Instead, it acted cautiously, even leveraging its environment. It was using a hit and run tactic, which made the warriors of the Darkmane Tribe feel helpless.

"Protect the Young Lord!" Bertram, one of Travis’ guardians, shouted. "Don’t let that monster harm him!"

The warriors hurriedly supported their fallen leader as they made their retreat.

In response, the Bloodriver Serpent poked its head out of the mud and eyed the barbarians with amusement.

It had already reported to its Master that the target had come to its territory and was simply waiting for reinforcements to arrive so they could capture Travis.

Leone had given his warriors three orders before this war started.

The first one was to kill as many of their enemies as possible.

The second was to bring the Chieftain of the Bloodtusk Tribe, Ross, to him, dead or alive.

The third order was to capture Travis alive so he could be used as a hostage.

Leone also specified that they must prioritize Travis over the Chieftain of the Bloodtusk Tribe.

After all, Leone wasn’t worried about his enemies escaping. Even if they succeeded, hundreds of them were bound to die.

His territory spanned four miles around Grimjaw Mountain. Daedalus had also modified the terrain, filling it to the brim with pitfall traps and various deadly traps meant to kill or cripple people.

In short, he allowed their enemies to come inside his slaughterhouse as they pleased, but doing the opposite would not be so easy.

"Great Chieftain, Lord Travis is sighted at the eastern side of the forest," Kael reported. "Russel is stalking him right now. However, it will be difficult to capture the target with my familiar alone.

"I understand," Leone nodded. "How many warriors are protecting the target?"

"Around two hundred," Kael replied. "They are currently searching for a path that would let them out of the forest."

Leone nodded. "Daedalus, show me the location of our enemies."

"Yes, Master!" Daedalus opened its pages and showed a projection of a map. This map was the forest at the base of Grimjaw Mountain. Countless red dots were blinking on it, each one representing an enemy.

The grimoire could detect hostile forces within the bounds of Leone’s territory, which was very useful for finding their locations on the map.

Leone focused his attention on the red blinking dots moving eastward. The Bloodriver Serpent, Kael, did a good job isolating them from the bulk of the barbarian forces, which were currently in a state of chaos.

Just as he thought about what could be done to capture the chieftain’s son, two of his vassals knelt in front of him.

"Great Chieftain, please command me to capture Lord Travis," Ulric stated.

"Please give me the order to capture him, Great Chieftain," Jason pleaded. "I won’t let you down!"

Leone glanced at his two vassals, who were looking at him with determination.

"The moment you leave the fortress, your lives will be in danger," Leone said calmly. "Even so, do you still wish to go?"

""Yes!""

Ulric and Jason’s reply were immediate.

The other warriors of the tribe also knelt and pleaded for them to be sent to battle.

Leone hesitated. He didn’t want his people to risk death. If they remained inside the fortress, none of them would be harmed.

Perhaps understanding the young man didn’t want any of them to get hurt, or worse, die in their attempt to capture Travis, Ulric decided to speak with honesty.

"Great Chieftain, please allow us to fight for you," Ulric stated. "We know there are risks involved, but please trust us. We are the warriors who will fight for your sake."

"It’s true there will be danger involved, but that’s the only way for us to grow, Master," Jason commented. "This experience will help us grow stronger for the future battles we have to face."

Leone understood that warriors only grew by fighting life and death battles. If he kept them inside the greenhouse, it would only hinder their growth and development.

His kingdom needed warriors who could protect it even while he was away. And right now, all he needed to do was trust them, even if it meant that they would have to risk their lives to complete this mission.

"Understood," Leone replied through gritted teeth. "I will allow you to bring a hundred warriors with you. However, promise me that you will all do your best to return alive!"

""Yes, Great Chieftain!""

"Daedalus, follow them, and serve as their guide," Leone ordered. "Leave the defenses to me."

"Yes, Master!" Daedalus nodded.

The stone gate opened wide soon after, allowing the Raptors led by Ulric and Jason to descend down the mountain.

Their mission was to bring Travis back to their camp as soon as possible without suffering any casualties.

Daedalus flew alongside Ulric and Jason.

Leone and Daedalus had jointly discussed the defenses of their domain. In fact, the grimoire was the one that proposed adding pitfall traps throughout the forest.

Daedalus didn’t want Leone to shoulder the guilt of killing many people, so it proposed that it alone would set the traps to decimate their enemies.

The moment Leone gave his permission, Daedalus immediately turned the entire forest into a death trap.

In fact, even now, it could kill Travis and his men if it wanted to.

However, it held itself back.

Why?

Because just like Ulric and Jason had stated, their warriors needed to experience life and death battles in order to grow stronger.

In fact, Jason was the strongest warrior in the entirety of the Aslan Tribe.

Stronger than even Ulric.

But he didn’t have any experience when it came to fighting.

He had no real combat experience since he used to be sickly and hadn’t been allowed to fight.

This was why the young man wanted to take this mission. He wanted to acquire everything he lacked in order to protect his Master, who had given him the power to become a better version of himself.

Even so, the moment Jason was truly in any danger, Daedalus would no longer hold back.

It would immediately activate all the traps in the forest, annihilating all the fools who dared to invade its Master’s territory!

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