Leone found himself in a familiar place.
A beautiful, cloudless blue sky looked down upon him from the heavens, and a blue sea that spanned as far as the eyes could see lay still beneath his feet.
At the center of that world, Leone stood. Before him was a towering black gate with golden runes flickering on its surface.
Leone took a step forward, approaching the gate. But at the third step, something happened.
The blue sky above him had turned red, and the water beneath him had been dyed crimson.
However, he didnāt look the least bit bothered. This was not the first time such a thing had happened inside his Sea of Consciousness.
After he forcefully opened the gate in his time of desperation, this phenomenon had always occurred whenever he moved close to it.
He then placed his hand over the black gate, causing the shimmering runes to merge on its surface, forming words.
"Abandon all hope the moment you open this gate, for the path to hell is always paved with good intentions."
Leone stared at these words. This was the first time heād seen something like this ever since the black gate appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
"I see..." Leone muttered before slowly pulling his hand away from the gate.
Soon, the runes broke apart and returned to their original places, shimmering faintly in that bloody world.
The young man sighed before walking away, fully understanding that the gate was completely shut tight... at least for now.
"A dream?" Leone muttered while looking at the familiar ceiling of his room.
He then looked at the pillow beside his head, only to see Blitz sleeping peacefully. After their merry-making last night, Blitz followed him back to his room to rest.
Leone smiled faintly before lightly poking the squirrelās stomach, making Blitz swat his finger away subconsciously.
The young man chuckled and let the sleeping squirrel be. He got off the bed, then walked over to the table where a bowl of water was placed, wanting to wash his face.
After the Orcs joined them inside the mountain, Leone decided to install a bath in his house. At the same time, he allowed the other members of the Aslan Tribe to use the bath that had originally been made solely for him.
After all, he didnāt want Kael to suddenly toss the pitiful Aria in his direction while he was bathing. Fortunately, his vassal hadnāt done something that bold, or else Aria would have already disowned him.
Half an hour later, he opened the door to head outside and have breakfast. But to his surprise, someone was seated a few meters in front of his door, waiting for him to emerge.
"Good morning, Logan," Leone greeted. "Are you waiting for me?"
"Yes," Logan replied. "You woke up earlier than usual."
The young man could only smile wryly. His "dream" had woken him up an hour earlier than usual.
"Is there anything you need?" Leone asked before glancing at Rasta and Khan, who were seated cross-legged behind their Orc Champion.
"Iāve been thinking all night, and Iāve come to a decision," Logan said. "Leone, I want you to lift the magical contract you have forced me to sign."
When he was captured, Leone had forced the Orc Champion to sign the contract that prevented the Ravage Tribe and Aslan Tribe from being hostile with each other.
It wasnāt really an alliance. It was more of a non-aggression pact between the two tribes. Back then, Logan had no choice but to sign it because he had been captured. The only way for him to survive at the time was to agree to Leoneās conditions.
"I see..." Leone lightly tapped the grimoire beside him. āTake out the magical contract, Daedalus.ā
āAre you sure?ā Daedalus asked. āOnce Logan breaks the contract, you might lose the assistance of the Orcs.ā
āIām sure,ā Leone replied.
The grimoire was still reluctant, but it obeyed its Masterās order. The contract soon appeared right in front of Leone, and the young man reached out to grab it.
He then walked until he was only a meter away from the Orc Champion and held out the contract toward him.
"I canāt break this contract alone," Leone said. "We have to tear it up at the same time."
Logan looked at the magical scroll he had signed before shifting his attention back to the young chieftain before him.
"Arenāt you going to call Brann here so that he can protect you?" Logan sneered. "Once we tear up that contract, nothing will stop me from taking you hostage, you know?"
"If that happens, I can only blame myself for being stupid and trusting you," Leone replied. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Letās tear this up. You hold one side of the contract. Iāll hold the other."
Logan gave Leone a long, hard look before finally reaching out and gripping the edge of the scroll.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
One was an Orc Champion who had every reason to hate the person standing before him.
The other was a young chieftain willingly placing his trust in someone who could become his enemy the moment the contract was broken.
Then, as if they had silently come to an understanding, both tightened their grip.
Without another word, they pulled.
The magical contract tore cleanly down the middle.
The moment it split apart, the runes inscribed upon the scroll shattered into countless motes of light that drifted into the air before fading completely.
From then on, the bond that had forced peace between the Ravage Tribe and the Aslan Tribe was gone.
Logan felt like something that had been binding his heart suddenly vanished, allowing him to breathe easier.
Then, without warning, he reached out to grab Leoneās neck with his hand, alarming the warriors of the Aslan Tribe who had been watching this exchange from a distance.
However, Leone raised his hand, stopping the warriors from making a move.
"If you are going to hold my neck, you can hold it a bit tighter, you know?" Leone said calmly.
Logan scoffed before pulling his hand back. "See, Rasta? This guy canāt be that person. If I didnāt hold back, he would have died instantly."
Rasta didnāt reply. He simply smiled faintly. From the very start, he didnāt believe that his leader would really hurt the young man before him.
Logan wasnāt just strong. He was also very smart. There would be no point in harming Leone because it would only make the Aslan Tribe and the Ravage Tribe go at each otherās throats until one side was wiped off from the face of the world.
If Brann didnāt exist, they probably could have dominated the Aslan Tribe one-sidedly. But circumstances had changed.
The Aslan Tribe now had a Champion that could truly protect it from any aggressors who threatened its peace.
"Why did you agree to break the contract so easily?" Logan asked. "You didnāt even set any conditions or ask for anything in exchange for it."
Instead of answering the Orcās question, Leone asked him a question of his own.
"You said youāve been thinking all night," Leone said. "And it seems that you have been waiting for me here without even resting. Since you spent that much time waiting for me, I believe you plan on telling me something more important than breaking the contract, right?"
"Youāre not as stupid as I thought you were," Logan replied. "For a moment, I thought the squirrel that always follows you was smarter than you."
The corner of Leoneās lips twitched at those words.
Stats-wise, Blitz was indeed smarter than him.
However, stats werenāt everything! Leone refused to acknowledge facts!
Not wanting to continue this topic any further, the young man got straight to the point and asked the Orc Champion what was really on his mind.