My Kingdom Building Done Right!

"Good evening, everyone." Vlad greeted the warriors, who immediately returned his greeting.

"Good evening, Lord Kael," one of the warriors said. "Are you perhaps planning to meet the Great Chieftain?"

"Yes," Vlad replied. "Now, if you’ll excuse me..."

Just as he was about to enter the tunnel, two of the guards blocked his path. At that moment, Vlad thought that he might have done something wrong, like forgetting to say some kind of password.

"Lord Kael, I think you’re forgetting something," one of the guards said to him.

"F-Forgetting something?" Vlad stuttered. "Do enlighten me. What is it that you believe I forgot?"

The warrior then glanced at his comrades, and the others nodded in understanding.

They then encircled Kael, blocking all paths of retreat.

"Lord Kael, you already know what we want," one of the guards said with a smile. "We want to hear why our Great Chieftain is the best in the Borderlands."

"That’s right! We will not let you pass until you tell us the reason!"

"Agreed!"

Vlad blinked once, then twice, before standing straight and tall. He then rested his hands on his hips before raising his chin arrogantly.

"As expected of the guards who protect our great and mighty chieftain!" Vlad said, perfectly imitating Kael’s tone, mannerisms, and pose. "Very well. I will tell you why our Great Chieftain is the best!"

All the guards looked at the shaman with great expectation. After all, he had never let them down in the past.

They waited patiently for his words, which everyone in the Aslan Tribe liked to hear very much.

"Our Great Chieftain is more than just a leader!" Vlad raised his voice. "He is the beacon that guides our people through the endless darkness!"

The warriors nodded solemnly.

"After he was exiled, he found himself in a place where he had no allies, no friends, and no family!"

"He did not complain about the harshness of this land!"

"He did not curse the heavens for abandoning him!"

"He simply looked upon this desolate land and decided to change it!"

Vlad slowly raised his right hand before slowly closing it, clenching his fists tightly as if he had finally grasped the truth of the world.

The warriors waited with bated breath, knowing the shaman was far from finished with his declaration.

"Where others saw death, he created life!" Vlad raised his voice. "Where others saw ruin, he built hope!"

Due to how loud his voice was, some people from the spacious cavern emerged, wondering what was happening outside of their abode.

It was then that Kael’s—errr, Vlad’s voice reached them.

"Where others saw despair, he saw opportunities!" Vlad spread his arms wide. "And where others saw an impossible future...our Great Chieftain saw a kingdom!"

At those words, the guards and the people who started to eavesdrop started to cheer.

"That’s our Great Chieftain!" one of the guards said with pride.

Vlad nodded before continuing his words. "Have you ever wondered why the sun rises every morning?"

The warriors looked back at him in confusion. Of course, they knew the sun rose every morning as it had always done since time immemorial. Still, they waited for him to enlighten them.

"Because even the heavens themselves wish to witness our Great Chieftain’s greatness!"

"..."

The guards stared at Kael in response. At that moment, they were starting to think that he had gone crazy. How could the sun shine merely to witness their chieftain’s greatness?!

Though, just as they were thinking along these lines, Runa, who happened to pass by while looking for Porkchop, suddenly shouted.

"That makes sense!" Runa shouted. "It makes perfect sense!"

’No, it doesn’t!’

The Aslanians wanted to say that out loud. However, before they could voice their opinion, Vlad beat them to the punch.

"Of course it does!" Vlad declared. "Have you ever wondered why ‌rivers continue to flow? Because even the rivers wish to bring prosperity to the lands ruled by our Great Chieftain!"

"And do you know why the crops grow?" Vlad asked loudly.

"Because the earth itself wishes to provide nourishment to our Great Chieftain’s people!" Runa answered using her common sense.

"And why does the wind blow?" Vlad looked at the little girl, whom he was starting to feel like his comrade-in-arms in praising his idol to the high heavens.

"Because even the wind wishes to carry the name of Leone Frontera across the Borderlands!" Runa declared, raising her fist high up in the air in response.

Everyone was flabbergasted at this exchange between the two.

However, they were not aware that even their common sense was starting to be overwritten by Vlad and Runa’s excessive praise towards their great chieftain.

"Are you all perhaps wondering what makes our Great Chieftain different from every other ruler?" Vlad asked them in a teasing tone.

Everyone became silent. After all, they wanted to know the answer to this question.

"The answer is simple," Vlad stated. "He does not sit upon a throne and command others to build his dream."

"Instead, he walks among his people."

"He eats with his people."

"He fights beside his people."

Soon, Vlad’s expression became fierce, making the warriors start to feel their blood boil inside their bodies as if they were about to go to war.

"And when danger approaches..." Vlad raised his chin arrogantly. "He is the first one to stand before us!"

The guards clenched their fists.

"Our Great Chieftain doesn’t ask us to do anything that he isn’t willing to do himself," Vlad told them. "That is why his commands carry weight."

"That is why his warriors follow him without hesitation."

"That is why his allies trust him."

"That is why..." Vlad placed his hand over his chest. "...Even the Gods would stand beside him. Our Great Chieftain’s destiny lies not merely within the Borderlands, but also beyond!"

Everyone gathered there sucked in a deep breath. The words that were coming out of Kael’s lips were so profound that they were starting to believe everything he was saying!

Vlad’s voice grew louder as if he were empowered by a higher power, completely forgetting his mission as he solely focused his attention on praising his idol.

"He is destined to conquer the continent!" Vlad shouted. "To overcome its dangers and unite its people!"

"And one day...The name Leone Frontera will be known throughout the entire world!"

The guards raised their fists.

""LONG LIVE LEONE!""

""LONG LIVE THE GREAT CHIEFTAIN!""

Vlad’s eyes burned with enthusiasm as his hands spread out wide. "And when that glorious day arrives... When the banners of our kingdom flutter across the entirety of this continent...

"When our children grow up without ever knowing the hunger and fear that plagued their ancestors... When people from distant lands travel here simply to witness the kingdom that our Great Chieftain created... They will ask. Who created this?"

"And we shall answer..." Runa raised her hands in return, shouting. "Leone Frontera!"

The warriors roared. ""Leone Frontera!""

"And when they ask who united the tribes in the Borderlands?" Vlad asked, his voice reverent.

""Leone Frontera!""

"Who gave hope to the people of the Borderlands?"

""Leone Frontera!""

"Who turned this forgotten land into a place of prosperity?"

""Leone Frontera!""

"And who shall lead us into a future greater than anything our ancestors could have imagined?" Vlad raised his fist. "Leone Frontera!"

""Leone Frontera!""

""Long live Leone Frontera!""

The cavern shook with the warriors’ cheers.

While that happened, Vlad stood proudly in the middle of them.

At this point, he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be infiltrating the cavern.

He was no longer simply trying to pass through the guards.

Instead, he was delivering a speech worthy of the greatest ruler in history. Many would think that what he said was already enough.

But no.

He had more to say.

"And yet..." Vlad suddenly lowered his voice. "Despite possessing all of these qualities, our Great Chieftain remains humble."

Runa and the warriors looked at the shaman with solemn gazes.

"He does not demand that we worship him," Vlad added. "He does not demand that we praise him. He simply continues to work."

"Day after day."

"Night after night."

"Without rest."

"Without complaint."

"Without asking for anything in return."

Vlad slowly looked at the warriors, wanting to make sure that they were all listening to everything that he was saying.

"Do you know what that means?" Vlad asked.

Runa and the warriors shook their heads.

"It means that we are the luckiest tribe in the world because we have him as our chieftain," Vlad said, his voice filled with admiration and respect. "Our Great Chieftain always looks ahead, preparing a future where we can all smile with pride. A future where our children will never be hungry or fearful ever again.

"A future that will make us look back on this day and say, ’We were there when it all began.’"

Soon, the cavern fell into silence. A warrior silently wiped the tear that was threatening to fall from the corner of his eyes.

Yes. They were here when everything started. They were here when their Great Chieftain started his journey to greatness.

Vlad pressed his hand over his chest. "And I swear that if our Great Chieftain wishes to build a kingdom that reaches the heavens... then I shall build the stairs that lead him there!"

The warriors immediately raised their fists.

"We will help you, Lord Kael!"

"We will work together!"

Vlad smiled and asked them a question. "And if he wishes to cross the ocean?"

""We shall build the ships!""

"And what if the entire world becomes his enemy?" Vlad asked, his tone tinged with danger.

"Then the world will become our enemy!" Runa shouted fearlessly.

"That’s right!"

"We will fight the world!"

"We will fight!"

"For we are the Aslan Tribe!"

"And he is our Great Chieftain!"

"Long live our Great Chieftain!" Kael shouted. "Long live Leone Frontera!"

"""Long live!"""

"""Long live!"""

"""Long live!"""

At this moment, Vlad felt that this was indeed the place where he wanted to be. He wanted to be there until Leone built the kingdom that would stand against the test of time.

As the cheers of the crowd thundered across the underground tunnels, the real Kael played with his beard in satisfaction.

He hid behind the path leading to Leone’s house, intending to tell Aria something.

Originally, he planned to question the "Kael" who was standing before the guards. However, the moment the fake Kael started praising his Great Chieftain, the original wanted to see if the fake could surpass him.

And surpassed him, he did.

Kael had no idea who this fake was, yet his words touched him.

His words reached him.

And just as everyone’s morale was at its all-time high, the effect of Vlad’s transformation slowly faded, revealing his true face to everyone in the Aslan Tribe.

The teenage boy was unaware that his disguise had finally disappeared. If anything, he was still basking in the aftermath of this glorious moment.

Yet, despite the fact that they finally realized that the person whom they thought was Kael was not really the elderly shaman, but instead the young heir of the Warclaw Tribe, none of them called out to him harshly.

None tried to capture and drag him away.

For on that day, they saw Vlad as one of them.

A person who loved their chieftain just as much as they loved Leone.

And inside Leone’s house, Aria slowly wiped a tear from her face as she continued to watch the projection.

Leone and Daedalus didn’t expect things to turn out this way. However, deep inside, both of them were relieved.

Little did they expect that on that day, Vlad’s tale would spread far and wide within the Aslan Tribe.

And no one, not even Jason, would reject the thought of the teenage boy becoming one of their Great Chieftain’s vassals.

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A/N: Aria’s portrait can now be seen in the character profiles in the NovelPhoenix App.

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