Leone slowly opened his eyes.
For some reason, his body felt as heavy as lead. He also felt warm, so he initially thought that he might have a fever.
But when his vision slowly cleared up, he finally understood why he felt that way.
Yuni was currently hugging him, sleeping by his side. When awake, she looked sharp and fierce, and he never really noticed what she looked like beyond that. But now that she was peacefully asleep beside him, he realized that she was truly a beautiful lady.
However, the memory of her death once again appeared inside his head. The fear made him subconsciously reach out to hug her tightly, as if making sure she was alive and breathing.
Leone had no idea if he was dreaming or not. Was it a continuation of what he had seen? It didnāt matter. He was happy enough to see her alive and sleeping by his side. It made the pain in his heart subside a bit.
Perhaps woken up by his sudden hug, Yuni also opened his eyes and found herself in Leoneās embrace.
Her first thought was to gently push him away. But when she realized that his body was trembling, her gaze softened, and she returned his hug instead.
She even started to pat his head and whispered "everythingās alright" in his ears, making Leone calm down.
They stayed like this for a few more minutes until Leone took the initiative to pull back.
"Thank you, Yuni," Leone said softly. "Iām fine now."
Yuni looked at the young man before reaching out to hold his hand and giving it a light squeeze.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Yuni asked calmly.
"I think I saw a vision," Leone replied. "A vision of what might happen in the future."
Leone was hesitant to tell her anything at first, but after Yuniās encouragement, he decided to tell her everything.
When Leone was finished, Yuni remained calm and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you for telling me," Yuni said. "But what you saw isnāt set in stone. Now that we know what will happen, we can definitely prepare for it."
"Yes," Leone replied firmly, hugging Yuni tightly. "I will not allow what I saw to become reality. I will not let it happen."
The young manās voice was filled with determination because that was what he truly felt.
He wouldnāt allow such a tragedy to happen in reality. If it really did, it would just be far too cruel.
Daedalus listened from the side and didnāt disturb its Master and Yuni.
Its earlier suspicion had been confirmed. And now that Leone had given it a clear picture of what had happened in his vision, the grimoire could make precautions to ensure the tragedy would not come to pass.
An hour later, Leone finally came out of his room, which made Ulric, Kael, and Jason feel relieved.
Gundar also came to meet Leone to apologize to him for what happened. He only wanted to do a divination for the young man, hoping to help him take the right path.
But to everyoneās surprise, instead of Leone saying he forgave Gundar, the young man actually thanked the old shaman.
"Thereās nothing to apologize for, Sir Gundar," Leone replied calmly. "In fact, I should thank you. Your bone reading allowed me to see a glimpse of the future.
"Truth be told, Iāve been feeling a bit anxious during the past few days, and I donāt know what makes me feel that way. But after seeing that vision, I finally understand what I should be doing right now."
Of course, he didnāt tell Gundar what he saw in the vision. At the end of the day, the old man was still an outsider.
However, he did plan to tell his vassals what he saw. That way, they could all brainstorm together to prevent it from happening.
"I see." Gundar nodded in understanding.
He already guessed what had transpired when the bones suddenly ignited and turned into dust.
In a way, he had unknowingly helped Leone prepare for a conflict that would arise in the future.
"Ulric, please send Sir Gundar to the house we have prepared for special guests. Itās inside the cavern. After that, please go to my cottage."
"Yes, Great Chieftain," Ulric replied. "Great Uncle, please, follow me."
Gundar nodded and followed behind Ulric.
The young man then gestured for Kael and Jason to follow him to his house so they could discuss a solution to his vision.
A few minutes later, Ulric also arrived. They all sat down, and Leone led the serious talk.
Leone told them everything he remembered, not skimping on the manner of their deaths.
But after his story, there was one thing that the three noticed.
Leone wasnāt in his vision.
Maximus, Blitz, and Arion were also not among those who had died or had been captured by the enemy.
They could only think of two possibilities.
The first one was that Leone wasnāt around when the incident happened.
The second one was that he managed to escape before the enemy breached their last line of defense with the help of his vassals.
Either way, his absence made them feel both relieved and worried at the same time.
Leone had miraculous powers, so if he managed to escape, that was fine. But if he had been captured by the enemy... then that might have been the reason why their defenses fell so easily.
Of course, they could also think of a few other reasons why the young man wasnāt there. But one thing was clear.
Their base was invaded by barbarians who were strong enough to bypass their defenses.
"Daedalus, what is the progress of my eighth mission?" Leone asked. "Have you managed to collect enough iron ingots and upgrade them to steel ingots?"
"Weāre making great progress," Daedalus reported. "I have enough materials to craft 24 Armors. We still need more iron ore, though. Thatās our main issue right now."
Leone nodded. "Iāll purchase ten more magnets and twenty more pickaxes. We need to collect more iron ores, as well as expand our tunnel network inside the mountain."
A good chunk of his BP would be eaten by these purchases, but Leone didnāt care. He would rather decrease his BP than lose the lives of the people around him.
Kael proposed that to prevent panic among their people, they must keep this a secret for now, to which Leone agreed without hesitation.
Sharing Leoneās vision would not only lower their morale but also make them anxious.
"By the way, Jason. Has the Black Wolf Tribe elected its new chieftain yet?" Leone asked.
"They have," Jason replied. "Their new chieftain is one of the Elders who once supported my father during his reign. His name is Otto. I believe he can lead them well."
"Can he keep secrets?" Leone asked.
"Yes," Jason answered. "He is one of my fatherās advisers."
Leone nodded. "Good. Please inform him that I plan to have a talk with him tomorrow. Since he is now their new chieftain, he deserves to know our plans as well."
"Understood," Jason replied.
Leone then told everyone to return to their duties. He then started discussing with Daedalus, planning how to upgrade the defenses of their base.
Right now, he was focusing on gathering the materials needed so he could arm his warriors with armor and weapons to increase their fighting prowess and survivability.
But after seeing that vision, he decided to also focus on their defenses, which he believed would prevent anyone from invading their camp even if he wasnāt there to watch over it.