Before the eting of the chieftains finished, Ulric made a proposal.
He told Leone that they should hold a feast tomorrow to commorate the occasion of the three tribes becoming part of an alliance.
Leone liked the idea, and left Ulric to take charge of the preparation for the festivities.
After the young man left, Ulric called out to Kael and Jason. He took them to the house that Leone had made just for him, and Yuni.
It was easily two tis bigger than the wooden houses that were within the cavern beside the underground river, showing Ulric’s importance as the chieftain of the Alborin Tribe.
"I have called you out here because of an important matter," Ulric said calmly.
"This must be sothing very important because you made sure that Leone isn’t around to say it," Kael replied.
"You call him Leone when he’s not around, and Sir Leone when he’s here huh?" Ulric smirked. "You really are a slippery eel."
"Oh that doesn’t an that my respect for him is that shallow," Kael replied. "He’s a good young man. Frankly, I wished he appeared in the Riverfang Tribe instead of the Alborin Tribe. You got lucky, Ulric."
"You’re right." Ulric nodded in agreent. "We got lucky that Leone fell on the altar of our tribe. But, let’s not talk about that. The reason why I asked for the two of you to co here is because I want to give Leone a surprise birthday celebration."
"A birthday celebration?" Kael frowned. "Like... those celebrations done by the nobles in the Kingdom of Britannia?"
"I don’t know what kind of celebration they do there, but I used the excuse to celebrate tomorrow as a way to surprise him," Ulric replied. "Truth be told, his birthday has already passed. We were simply so busy that we have forgotten about it. But, since it is his eighteenth birthday, it’s a very important milestone for his life."
"The coming of age ceremony." Jason nodded. "That is when soone is recognized as a true warrior within the tribes."
"Exactly." Ulric nodded. "It is also a good occasion to announce your Vassalship, Kael. I want to see just what kind of power you will gain by becoming Leone’s vassal. Maybe, you’ll beco as young as when you do so."
"Don’t go raising my expectations now." Kael chuckled. "I might not be able to sleep tonight while thinking about it."
Ulric smirked before shifting his attention to Jason. "Do you also plan to beco Leone’s vassal? If you do, you might cure yourself completely from the poison in your body."
"Can I beco his vassal?" Jason asked.
"I’m not sure," Ulric admitted. "I will have to ask Daedalus later. But I will be happy if you beco Leone’s vassal."
Jason smiled, but he didn’t make any comnt on whether he wanted to beco a vassal or not.
After the three had a proper talk, they went back to their respective tribes to prepare for their "Great Chieftain’s" birthday celebration.
Of course, Ulric had already talked to Daedalus earlier, and asked it to keep this a secret for Leone.
Naturally, the Grimoire was on board with the idea, and promised to make sure that its Master would remain clueless until the big reveal tomorrow.
————
Inside the Barracks...
Jason had gathered the mbers of the Black Wolf Tribe for an important talk.
When he told them his plan, the mbers of his tribe felt heartbroken. So resisted his idea, while the majority supported it.
Their confrontation with the Ashclaw, and the Stormhorn Tribes made them realize that they could have ended in a worse situation if their reinforcents didn’t arrive on ti.
Of course, Jason understood why there was opposition, and that was because they loved their tribe deeply.
Even he felt the sa. But he was trained by his father to always look at the bigger picture.
"I’ll talk to them," Lynceus patted the young man’s shoulder. "I’m sure that this is a difficult decision for you to make. But, I support it."
"Thank you, Lynceus," Jason replied. "I just hope I’m doing the right thing."
The Head Hunter smiled faintly because whether this was the right decision or not, only ti would tell.
The next day...
Ulric made sure to chase Gromm, and Ragan away from their camp because he didn’t want the two bastards to stay for the celebration.
Leone’s identity was a tightly guarded secret, and only the three tribes were allowed to know his existence.
The two were reluctant to go, but seeing that Ulric was giving them the "If you don’t leave now, I’ll send you to your maker" gaze, which made them change their minds.
Once the two were escorted out of the forest, the security teams tightened the defense of the periter.
Blitz had inford all the squirrels to watch over all the check points, in exchange for nuts and berries from it later.
Naturally, the squirrels obeyed their little emperor, promising to keep watch at these important places.
Blitz then spent its ti gathering nuts and berries in the forest, dumping them in the small storage ring that it borrowed from Leone.
It moved so fast that it was able to gather the quota it wanted in less than an hour. It then placed its paynts on the drey nests of its kin, making sure that everyone had their equal share of food.
Finally, at around noon, everyone gathered at the biggest building that was recently added in the extension of the barracks, which was capable of easily holding a thousand people.
While Ulric was away, Leone and Daedalus decided to create a general eting area that could be used for special occasions, as well as an ergency shelter if the need arose.
As the foods were lined up on the tables, Ulric asked Leone to take the seat of honor, which was placed on the stage where everyone could see him.
"Am I going to eat here alone?" Leone asked.
"Yes," Ulric replied. "You hold the highest position here, so if soone sits beside you, they will be treated as your equals. This honor is ant for special guests, and people that you consider as family. This is the custom of our people."
"Then, shouldn’t you be here with as well?" Leone inquired.
"I’d love that. But perhaps next ti." Ulric smiled. "This is your special day, so we should follow the rules for now. Also, we must make everyone witness the ceremony of vassalship. Do you plan to make Jason your vassal?"
"That’s the plan," Leone replied. "But, I don’t know if he will accept it, or not. For now, we will start with Kael. Maybe after seeing it, Jason will agree to be one of my retainers as well."
Ulric nodded in understanding. While he believed that Jason wouldn’t reject becoming Leone’s vassal, this was still not set in stone.
Ultimately, the decision lay on the young man, who had asked his tribe to relocate for their own safety.
Just as Ulric was about to leave, Kael walked up to Leone, with a pretty young lady walking by his side.
Clearly, the sly old man was trying to hook up his granddaughter with Leone, hoping that it would improve their relationship further.
Ulric didn’t block the old man, and simply shook his head helplessly while walking away.
For him, love was sothing that must never be forced. He had experienced this firsthand in the past. Because of this, he wanted his daughter to fall in love with the right man.
In his eyes, Yuni wasn’t a political tool, but his precious daughter. As long as she was happy, he would support her with everything he had.
anwhile, his gaze landed on Jason, who was calmly sitting on the spot that was designated to him.
The young man had a look of amusent on his face, as he watched Kael, and his granddaughter approach Leone, who seed quite aware of what the chieftain of the Riverfang Tribe was trying to do.
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