“Well.”
Pat! The man patted Eugene’s back with his large hand. In his own way, he was showing affection but his hand was so barbarically large that his light pat was enough to shake Eugene’s entire body. .𝒎
“See you later, buddy,” the man said.
“Who says that I’m your buddy?”
After balancing his body, Eugene looked sharply at him.
His eyes were somewhat sharp, but he didn’t look so threatening. Due to glaring ever since he was a baby, only his eyes looked threatening, and he was objectively handsome, very handsome. A frowning handsome kid wasn’t enough to intimidate the man. .𝒎
That was understandable — the man himself looked very intimidating. Black tattoos covered his brown-colored body. There were also several scars on his face. Therefore, no matter how hard Eugene frowned, it was nothing compared to the man’s smiling face.
It wasn’t just this man. Dozens of natives behind the man all had threatening appearances and sizes.
Zoran Tribe — they were one of the biggest tribes in Samar. The man beside Eugene was a young heir of the Zoran Tribe. Judging from his looks, it was hard to believe that he was young; however, the man was surprisingly nineteen years old, the same age as Eugene.
“We are buddies because we shared the drink.”
“I only drank it because you were hell-bent on making me drink it.”
Grumbling, Eugene turned his head away.
He had met the Zoran Tribe a month ago, not long after leaving the elven sanctuary.
When Eugene was done shooting out lightning using the Thunderbolt bow, he and the elves departed right away. These not-so-intelligent natives were taken aback, because thunder struck the ground like rain. Still, they rushed in for the elves’ great migration, drooling.
Eugene took out a lot of natives, really a lot. In the beginning, he hadn’t been planning on killing them, but he found that he could not go easy on them. If he did not make them fear him, then the number of attackers would only increase, and they would keep coming at him.
This was going to be one hell of a journey.
On the first day of their journey, he took out nearly a hundred natives. The timing for their departure had turned out to be rather terrible. There was a slave market nearby, and many tribal warriors participated in it. For them, chasing and hunting a hundred elves was just a fun after-party.
Eugene expected the ambush to continue all night. To prepare, he discussed with Kristina about using the World Tree’s sapling to put up a barrier and keep an eye on things, and maybe calling for backup.
Evatar, the heir of Zoran, came to visit. Eugene noticed that other tribes were blatantly tiptoeing around Evatar, so instead of blindly attacking, Eugene welcomed Evatar for the time being.
—You. You are strong.
After introducing himself and his tribe, Evatar grinned and offered his hand.
— I know what flame you are wearing.
— So what? Are you going to take advantage or something?
— If I do so, then I will lose many Zoran warriors.
Evatar didn’t seem hostile.
— Those elves, are they your slaves?
— No, they aren’t.
— Then what are you doing?
— I’m going to take them out of this fucking forest.
— Where are you taking them?
— To the Lionheart territory.
— So if I help you, then I help Lionheart.
Evatar didn’t even ask for Eugene’s permission. When Evatar signaled to his warriors, they planted Zoran flags around the camp.
That was it. The Samar natives were more scared of Zoran than of an outsider who threw flashes of lightning, stirred up a storm, and shot out God knew what.
Evatar and the Zoran warriors became their volunteer guards for a month, throughout the journey across the Samar Rainforest. Just traveling with them was enough to make other tribes not attack anymore.
“I will visit Lionheart someday.”
“I told you this several times, but I haven’t asked you to do this,” Eugene replied.
“It doesn’t change the fact that Zoran helped you.”
During their trip, Eugene talked with Evatar about many things.
Samar natives did not like the Kiehl Empire. For them, the Kiehl Empire was just an invader that entered the rainforest without permission, ruined the forest as they pleased, and kept trying to make the forest a part of their land.
Most tribes would think that way, but it was different with the Great Tribes. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call the Great Tribes, located deep in the big rainforest, small countries. A tribe of that size usually became involved with various parties, and that applied to the Zoran Tribe, too.
“Eugene Lionheart. Even if you don’t become the Patriarch, Lionheart will not be able to ignore your presence and power,” Evatar said.
When Eugene had first met Evatar, the latter had reminded Eugene of Molon. They looked nothing alike, but they were both muscular giants and didn’t speak the common language very well.
“I want to become your friend for that reason. We are same age and strong. It won’t be bad for you to become friends with me. ”
It turned out that they were different, after all. Evatar was smarter than Molon.
“I think you actually benefited, didn’t you? If I did not protect you and the elves, you would not have arrived here today.”
“Then would I have died midway?”
“Haha! You are not. You are strong. But. You, Signard, Kristina wouldn’t have been able to protect a hundred elves without a scar.”
Evatar guffawed and slapped Eugene’s back.
“It will be very difficult. It will take longer to get here and you will become very tired.”
Eugene didn’t deny it. It was the undeniable truth that Evatar and Zoran warriors made the journey really comfortable. Without them, Eugene’s group would have had to stop and shut themselves inside the barrier. If they tried to call for backup, the journey would have become longer, as they would have been forced to travel back and forth.
“I’m not asking you for something materialistic,” Evatar said as he smiled. “Someday, when I visit the Lionheart mansion. I just hope you will greet me as your guest.”
“That, I can do.”
Eugene also believed that it was good to make an alliance with Evatar. He wasn’t sure if he was going to visit Samar in the future, but there was no harm in becoming friends with the heir of a Grand Tribe.
‘I can also understand their situation.’
Helmuth supported the Samar natives’ freedom. The reason why the Kiehl Empire couldn’t just send the army to conquer Samar was that several countries, including Helmuth, were holding the Kiehl Empire in check. As such, there were some tribes that directly made exchanges with the demonfolk in Helmuth.
The most powerful tribe of all was the Kochilla tribe. They were the biggest tribe in the Samar Rainforest and also ruled over several nearby tribes. Considering its size, it would have been natural for many rumors about the Kochilla Tribe to exist, but there weren’t any. It was partially due to their land being the backwoods of backwoods, and partially due to the fact that the tribe was excessively secluded. They never participated in the slave market when most tribes did, and apart from the tribes they ruled over, they never made exchanges with anyone.
Eugene didn’t think Kochilla or a Helmuth-affiliated tribe was behind Barang, but he had to stay on guard since Helmuth was involved.
He didn’t say that aloud in front of Evatar. It wasn’t a bad thing to make an alliance with the Zoran Tribe, but Eugene didn’t trust Evatar yet. He benefited from Evatar and the Zoran Tribe during their journey, but it was too soon to trust them.
“I don’t care about visiting, but don’t smuggle yourself in. If you are going to come over, go through the proper channels and send me a letter before you do.”
“I do have common sense,” Evatar guffawed.
* * *
Ancilla Caines, the Lionheart Patriarch’s second wife, started her morning early.
She usually woke up before daybreak, but she did not head out of the room straight away. Although her husband, Gilead, and her lovely children weren’t in the main house right now, she wanted to maintain her dignity as the second mistress of the prestigious Lionheart house.
She had to always look perfect. She especially could never show others her shabby face after she woke up. That was why Ancilla began to prepare all by herself, without the servant’s help, right after she woke up.
She took a bath, dried and combed her hair, did her makeup, and chose her outfit for the day. Although she had no plans to go outside and no expected guests either, that did not prevent her from doing her best to appear decent.
After hours of preparation, the sun finally rose. If the Patriarch and her children had been in the house, she would have had breakfast with them. However, there were only Ancilla and Gerhard there right now.
She didn’t want to appear hostile, and she made sure she was on good terms with him. Still, eating alone with him… was rather awkward. Gerhard also felt the same way, so they rarely shared the same table.
Today’s morning was just like a usual morning — Gerhard in the annex and Ancilla in the main house.
With a servant accompanying her, Ancilla sat in front of the table and smelled the coffee in her cup. A cup of coffee without a single grain of sugar and a plate of fresh salad were in front of her. The ‘dignity’ Ancilla pursued included looks. The clean diet and steady exercise were part of her efforts to show dignity as the second wife of the Lionheart Patriarch.
She didn’t only value appearance, however. While the Patriarch was away, Ancilla managed all affairs in the main house, particularly the social events.
There were a lot of parties during the New Year. There was a party hosted by Marquess Ragos next week. The invitation said the party was to celebrate the new year, but Ancilla knew that the party was actually about showing off Ragos’s power.
It wasn’t rare for nobles to do this. Most high-ranking nobles’ parties were about showing off their power. The nobles kept each other in check by showing off in terms of both party fanciness and guests’ ranks. They also revised their relationships by checking who refused the invitations and who went to whose party.
“Marquess Ragos and Count Berid are having their parties on the same date. They are being very obvious,” Ancilla snorted.
She received the invitations from both of them. As the most prestigious house in the Kiehl — no, the continent, the Lionheart clan could participate in any party. The hosts were the ones who were fretting about Lionheart’s attendance.
‘Which party shall I attend…’ Ancilla joyfully wondered, and turned over the report after checking the guest list.
In this report, there was a lot of information aside from the party. It was about the various rumors regarding Lionheart’s collateral descendants, from who got married and gave birth to children to…
“Puhh.”
Ancilla spat out the fragrant coffee in her mouth. The shocked servant approached, but Ancilla couldn’t care about the servant and her dignity as the second wife.
“…What’s up with this report?!”
Ancilla sprang right up from her seat, shuddering. She went through the coffee-stained report multiple times. Feeling dizzy, she collapsed back onto the chair.
‘What in the world is up with him… what has he done?’
The report also included Eugene’s whereabouts and status. Yesterday, Eugene had come back through the Kiehl Empire’s south gate.
That alone was enough to astound Ancilla. When had he left Kiehl in the first place? She knew that Eugene had left the Black Lion Knight’s castle. She did not know his exact destination, but she had assumed that it was somewhere in the Kiehl Empire.
However, the report said Eugene had arrived at the Empire through the south gate. South. Samar Rainforest. When? Why Samar?
That wasn’t it, either. Right up to the south gate, Eugene had been escorted by the Great Zoran Tribe, one of the most powerful tribes in Samar.
“And elves?”
She had no idea why Eugene got involved with the Samar’s barbarians in the first place, but now Eugene had also brought a hundred elves and three trees floating above their heads?
“And treeees?!”
Ancilla pinched her thigh, wondering if she was dreaming. It hurt, which meant this wasn’t a dream. This unbelievable report was all true.
Eugene had been escorted by Samar natives, leading a hundred elves, with three trees floating above their heads. In front of the public, he had passed through the gate, stayed the night in the southern city, and arrived this morning at the warp gate in the capital Ceres…
The report was too ridiculous.
Ancilla belatedly came to her senses and first wiped the coffee on her mouth with the handkerchief.
“The carriage…Bring the carriage…”
“Lady Ancilla.”
The mansion’s butler hurriedly approached Ancilla.
“We received a message from the warp gate.”
“…What message…?”
“The warp gate in Ceres is requesting to be connected…”
“For whom?!”
“Master Eugene, my lady…”
Hunching his shoulder, the butler answered. Ancilla moaned as she held on to her head.
“…What on earth is with that child?”
“Pardon…?”
“I haven’t received reports about him heading to Samar, so why is he coming from Samar?”
“Umm…”
“What is up with the elves? He didn’t just bring one or two elves, but a hundred of them? Where on earth did he bring those elves from in the first place? Of course, Samar! Why did he bring A HUNDRED ELVES FROM SAMAR?!”
“….”
“Why did he have trees floating above his head! Why is he doing those things in the open! Why would he volunteer to be a clown!”
“That…I’m not sure…”
“Let them do what they want!”
After yelping, Ancilla collapsed on her seat again.
“…Prepare the carriage.”
“Are you going to meet him?”
“Then shall I not meet him? Shall I not connect the warp gate and just ask him to walk?”
Regretting his question, the butler lowered his head without answering.
“How could he do that? That…that bas…that boy… mischievous boy!”
As she caught her breath, Ancilla clenched her fists.
“Oh my…”
After pouring out her anger on the butler, Ancilla gently smiled at Eugene who passed the gate.
“My…this is unexpected. Are they your friends?”
She was burning up inside. Still, she couldn’t show it to Eugene.
Seven years had passed since Eugene had become an adopted son of the main house, and Ancilla had never lost her composure in front of Eugene in all this time.
“One, two…Oh, my…You brought so…many friends.”
“Are you angry?”
Eugene saw Ancilla’s eyes twitch.
“Oh, no…Angry…Why would I be angry? There’s nothing to be mad about bringing friends.”
‘I think you are angry…’ Eugene thought.
Ancilla spoke too kindly. Eugene threw a glance at the servants and knights behind Ancilla.
He met the eyes of Hazard, the captain of the second division. Hazard slightly hunched his shoulder and moved his lips.
“Umm… They aren’t friends,” Eugene said, after glancing back.
Including Signard, a hundred elves were standing behind him.
“Then…who are they?”
“Families.”
“Families…? Eugene, I’m not sure what you are talking about right now.”
Ancilla held up her feather fan to hide the twitching corner of her mouth.
“Umm…they are more of neighbors…than families.”
“…You lost me.”
“Isn’t the main house’s forest wide?” Eugene asked innocently.
“…The forest is…wide. It has many trees. And what are the trees over your head?”
“I’m going to plant them in the forest.”
“…Aren’t there a lot of them already? Why those trees specifically? Is there a reason for you to bring some trees floating above your head?”
“These are expensive and rare trees.”
“…That is nice. So, what do the elves have to do with the wide forest….”
“I’m going to let them live in the forest,” Eugene said as he awkwardly smiled.
The fan in Ancilla’s hand was crushed.
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