My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 200: Most Unpredictable Chieftain Of The Borderlands [Part 3]

"See what you made your Young Lord do?" Leone asked in a teasing tone. "Thanks to your stupidity, he now has to grovel like this. Now... are you going to apologize, or should I make Travis apologize on your behalf? I don’t particularly mind either way."

Seeing the two heir candidates of the Darkmane Tribe grovel and beg for forgiveness in front of the person the Darkmane Tribe wanted to get rid of was something Ivan didn’t want to see.

Without a doubt, his earlier plans to humiliate Leone in front of everyone had backfired. Instead of the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe being humiliated, their Young Lords were the ones suffering and experiencing social death.

If even Travis had been forced to act like that, the Darkmane Tribe wouldn’t be able to remove this stain for life.

This was no different from a public execution!

Knowing any more than this would be truly bad for them, the commander finally decided to compromise.

"I’m sorry," Ivan said through gritted teeth.

"What’s that?" Leone placed his hand over his ear, acting like he didn’t really hear Ivan’s apology. "Can you repeat it? Say it louder? This time with feelings and sincerity."

"I’m sorry!" Ivan shouted.

"Why are you shouting?" Leone frowned. "Do you think I’m deaf? Now you’ve irritated me. Just so you know, when I’m irritated, I tend to kick those who are near me."

As if to make his point, he gazed down at Cain, who was still groveling at his feet. That subtle threat was enough for Ivan to understand that anything more than this would be bad!

The commander of the Darkmane Tribe clenched his fists so hard that his nails almost drew blood from his palms. He was so angry and frustrated, yet he couldn’t do anything about it.

The only thing he could do now was swallow his pride and apologize just like Leone wanted. He hoped that after doing this, his Young Lords would no longer be humiliated in public.

"I’m truly sorry," Ivan said with as much self-control as he could possibly muster. "I was in the wrong. Please forgive me."

In the eyes of the warriors and the chieftains who knew Ivan, they understood that it took a lot of effort for him to do such a thing.

Unfortunately, Leone wasn’t too impressed by his performance.

"I said you should apologize with feelings and sincerity," Leone said calmly. "Why aren’t you kneeling?"

Ivan’s body shuddered after hearing Leone’s demand.

He couldn’t possibly agree to do such a thing. If he did, the honor and reputation of the Darkmane Tribe would truly be looked down upon by everyone!

"Don’t push it too far, Leone Frontera!" Ivan roared back in anger. "You dare look down upon me?! You dare look down upon the Darkmane Tribe?!"

Leone heaved out a long and deep sigh. Instead of answering Ivan’s statement, he simply raised his foot and kicked the side of Cain’s body in response, making him collapse on the ground while clutching his stomach.

"Not only do I look down on the Darkmane Tribe..." Leone said with a smile that fit the image of a third-rate villain. "But I also like to kick them when they’re down. Now then, how about we play a game? How many kicks do you think your Young Lord can take before you kneel before me?"

Logan, who was standing beside Leone, couldn’t help but smile evilly.

Now he understood why Leone had invited him to this show.

The young man had intended to do this if the Darkmane Tribe showed hostility toward him.

Since they did, he didn’t hold back and kicked them where it truly hurt.

He kicked the Darkmane Tribe’s pride.

He kicked their honor.

He kicked their dignity.

Even the other high-ranking tribes could tell that only one more push was needed before this turned into a full-blown brawl.

"I think you should stop there, Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe." Hagen decided to intervene. "It’s not a very good look."

"Then cover your eyes," Leone replied without even bothering to look back at Hagen.

This act of disrespect almost made Vlad, who idolized Leone, clap his hands in admiration.

"Excuse me?" Hagen blinked. "What did you just say?"

He was the Great Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe. Someone even Troy didn’t dare to offend, no matter what.

However, Leone had no intention of hugging the thigh of someone who didn’t treat his tribe as a proper ally.

Plus, his great uncle, Gundar, told him something about Hagen during his stay at Grimjaw Mountain.

—————

"When you and Hagen meet, never talk politely or act servile toward him," Gundar said in a serious tone.

"The moment you do, he will always treat you as someone beneath him. Even if you become someone great in the future, he will continue to treat you like that. Since the first impression is important, you must be rude to him as much as possible."

"Great Uncle, are you serious?" Leone asked in disbelief. "Do you want me to die or something? If I disrespect him, wouldn’t he just snap my neck?"

"Oh, he will definitely do that if you disrespect him." Gundar chuckled. "But I can tell you some magic words that will make him back down, so listen carefully."

—————

The situation immediately turned tense after Leone acted rudely toward Hagen.

This made Ivan laugh internally. The young man had acted too boldly and too arrogantly. Sure, he could diss him all he wanted. In the end, he was just a commander.

However, Hagen was different.

He was the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe.

’You’re finished!’ Ivan laughed internally. ’You dug your own grave, you arrogant brat!’

Many among the others were thinking the same thing. However, Leone’s next words made Hagen flinch.

"Great Uncle once said that a Great Chieftain is someone who honors his words," Leone said without even glancing at Hagen. "And he only serves someone who honors his words."

Hagen’s eyes narrowed. For a brief moment, silence descended upon the clearing.

Even Ivan, who had been anticipating Leone’s downfall, felt that something was off.

The Great Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe wasn’t angry.

Instead, he looked... annoyed.

"That old bastard taught you that, didn’t he?" Hagen asked.

Leone finally turned his head and met Hagen’s gaze.

"He did."

"And what else did he say?"

Leone shrugged. "He said that if I ever meet you in the future, I should be rude to you at least once. If I do that and you control yourself, he said he will forgive you for breaking your word. However, he will only forgive you once."

Hagen had once done something that made Gundar very angry.

But since Hagen was the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe, the great shaman couldn’t do anything to him. With that, he had simply left the city and returned to his abode.

He had even erected a spell that prevented anyone from reaching him.

For a whole year, Gundar hadn’t made any appearance, despite Hagen coming to see him to ask for forgiveness.

After a year had passed, Gundar appeared once more and treated Hagen the same.

Naturally, the chieftain had once again apologized to the great shaman and tried to make amends. Yet, the latter had pretended that he had no idea what Hagen was talking about.

He had kept on pestering the shaman over and over again because he didn’t want Gundar to hold a grudge against him.

In the end, Gundar had only told him this.

"I will only forgive you once," Gundar said. "However, I don’t plan on forgiving you now. But I’ll make sure to forgive you in the future. Just don’t forget it."

The Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe felt complicated. He didn’t forget what the great shaman had said back then.

He just didn’t expect that the forgiveness he sought would come to him in this manner.

"It seems that our great shaman truly cherishes you, Leone Frontera." Hagen sighed.

"Yes," Leone replied. "Even I think that I am unworthy of my Great Uncle’s favor. Though I would greatly appreciate it if the Grimhowl Tribe doesn’t interfere with my quarrel with the Darkmane Tribe."

"Very well." Hagen nodded. "Carry on."

He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. Now that he had obtained Gundar’s forgiveness, he no longer wanted to meddle in these waters.

Still, whatever impression he had of Leone had changed completely.

’Gundar, what kind of lion cub are you raising here in the east?’ Hagen thought bitterly.

The young chieftain then looked back at Ivan before using his foot to step on the back of Cain’s head, who was still collapsed on the ground.

"Well then. Are you going to kneel, or are you going to watch me beat the crap out of your Young Lord first?"

Faced with this choice, Ivan understood that there was no winning through words.

The moment he knelt, the Darkmane Tribe would become a laughingstock among the high-ranking tribes.

But if he refused, Leone would continue humiliating Cain in front of everyone.

Realizing that he had been cornered, Ivan finally resorted to the only option that could preserve the Darkmane Tribe’s honor.

"I demand a duel!" Ivan shouted. "Disputes between tribes that cannot be reconciled through talks shall be settled through strength!"

Murmurs immediately spread among the gathered warriors.

A tribal duel.

One of the oldest traditions in the Borderlands.

When neither side was willing to back down, they could settle their grievances in combat before witnesses.

The victor would claim justice.

The loser would swallow their humiliation.

Ivan looked directly at Leone.

"You claim to look down upon the Darkmane Tribe, right?" Ivan sneered. "Then prove that your tribe is superior to mine."

Leone and Daedalus laughed internally at those words. Both of them said "Just as planned!" at the same time through telepathy.

He was waiting for Ivan to settle this dispute through a duel. Naturally, he was more than prepared for it!

"Very well, I will accept your duel," Leone replied. "But since I am a chieftain, I am allowed to have a proxy, right?"

The young man glanced at Hagen, who nodded back in affirmation.

"Chieftains may have proxies when it comes to duels," Hagen replied. "I will be the witness of this duel and make sure that the other party upholds their promise."

"Good." Leone smiled faintly. "Now, what will you do if you lose, Mr. Doggy?"

"You can do whatever you want with me!" Ivan replied. "But if I win, you will grovel at my feet and ask for forgiveness. On your knees, of course."

The commander smiled evilly. He already knew that Leone would send in Ulric as his proxy. However, Ivan didn’t fear Ulric.

As the commander of the Darkmane Tribe, he was a true powerhouse. Daedalus had confirmed that Ivan was a Rank 4 Warrior, which was on par with Ulric’s strength. If the two of them fought, the winner and the loser would be undecided.

The Aslan Tribe looked anxious after hearing Ivan’s statement.

Even Ulric was already raring to go, ready to uphold their chieftain’s honor.

Yet Leone actually stopped him.

"Calm down, Ulric," Leone said. "You will sit this one out."

"Excuse me?" Ulric looked at Leone in disbelief.

"I already have a proxy for this fight." Leone smirked before patting Logan’s leg. "Go on, Logan. Go fight the dog that called you a filthy monster earlier."

Ulric, Kael, Jason, Brann, and Otto looked at Leone in disbelief. Then, a second later, all of them smiled evilly, understanding that their chieftain had done the Darkmane Tribe’s commander dirty!

"Good." Logan cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward. "Finally. Some action."

The corner of Ivan’s lips twitched after seeing that the one he was going to fight was none other than the Orc beside Leone.

There had been instances in the past where a monster had been used as a proxy in duels, so he couldn’t say that the Orc couldn’t fight him.

He just didn’t expect that Leone would be so shameless as to actually send an Orc Warlord (Orc Champion) to fight him in a one-on-one battle!

"What’s wrong?" Leone asked after seeing that Ivan seemed to be hesitating. "Don’t tell me you’re scared?"

The warriors of the other tribes couldn’t help but pity Ivan. Objectively, Leone was truly being shameless.

They believed that if Ivan only knew that his opponent was going to be the Orc, he would have asked someone else to fight for him just so he wouldn’t be humiliated in front of everyone.