My Kingdom Building Done Right Chapter 385

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[ … words ]

“What’s wrong, Leone?” Lugh asked him in a teasing tone. “Why are you looking at me in a daze all of a sudden?”

“I was just so amazed by your handsomeness, Great Grandpa. Your age didn’t hinder you at all,” Leone replied without batting an eye.

“Hahaha! Look at this kid.” Lugh walked toward Leone and then rested his hand on his shoulder. “I like people who tell the truth. In fact, you were just as handsome as me when I was your age.”

“They say that great minds look alike, Great Grandpa. I guess it must be true!”

“Hahaha! Indeed!”

With that, the no-good great-grandson and great-grandfather pair laughed out loud, not giving a hoot about the stares of the people around them.

After laughing for a while, Lugh finally introduced the people behind him.

“Leone, I want you to meet the S-Rank Mercenary Group of the Radiant Empire, Lost Paradise,” Lugh stated. “This one here is the leader of the group. His name is Conall. He is a very dependable paladin, so feel free to ask him if you have questions.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Leone,” Conall replied with a smile. “I am the captain of Lost Paradise. I hope we will have a wonderful relationship starting today.”

“The honor is mine, Sir Conall,” Leone stated. “I am very happy to have someone as capable as you as a helper.”

The two then shook hands, and soon, Conall took the initiative to introduce the rest of his members.

“This is my right-hand man, Oisin,” Conall said. “He is a bard and a historian. He knows many things, so if you would like someone to tell you a story, then you know who to look for.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Young Lord.” Oisin extended his hand for a handshake, which Leone accepted.

“I look forward to hearing your tales, Sir Oisin,” Leone said back with a smile.

The young man then found himself looking up at a man who stood at least three meters tall.

The two stared at each other for a while before Conall finally introduced Fergus, who was next in line for the introductions.

“This is Fergus.” Conall smirked. “He is a Giantkin. He is actually mild-mannered, but the moment he fights, he turns into a different person. It’s like a switch inside of him flips and turns him into a berserker.”

“Fergus,” Fergus said as he extended a pinky finger to Leone.

“Leone,” Leone replied and shook the pinky finger with his hand.

“And this…” Conall paused.

This next member wasn’t really the social type.

In fact, the next member wasn’t even a person, but rather a giant bronze bull with flames coming out of its nostrils every time it breathed.

Its body almost had a metallic sheen, and its two enormous, deadly horns made Leone subconsciously gulp. They were very sharp. No doubt about it.

Its eyes burned with an almost primal intensity, making the young man understand that this beast could not be tamed so easily.

“This is Ogma.” Lugh lightly patted the bull’s neck, which made its eyes soften a bit. “Ogma, this is my grandson. Make sure not to kill him by accident, okay?”

Ogma eyed Leone for a few seconds before nudging Lugh with its head as if asking for more pats.

“You’re already this big, and yet you still act spoiled.” Lugh chuckled, but still patted the bull’s head.

Seeing the bull’s attention diverted, Conall took the opportunity to introduce the fifth member of his group, who was currently holding a spear with his right hand.

“This is the spearman of our group, Diarmuid,” Conall said. “As you can see, he is very handsome and very popular with the ladies. Unfortunately, he prefers holding his spear more than embracing women. He’s a true martial artist at heart.”

Diarmuid didn’t extend his hand to shake Leone’s hand. He simply gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment before closing his eyes back to meditate.

“As you can see, he is also a man of few words.” Conall patted Leone’s shoulder. “Though, once you get him drunk, his lips and pants loosen without fail.”

Diarmuid pretended that he didn’t hear his captain’s words. While they were true, he would not give Conall the satisfaction of reacting to his words.

“And last but not least, the druid of our group, Dian,” Conall stated. “As you can see, he is an Elf. But he is no ordinary Elf. He is actually a High Elf, an odd one who prefers the company of humans rather than his own kind.”

“That’s half-correct at best, Conall,” Dian commented. “I just hate living the slow lifestyle of my kind, who prefer to stay in the Great Forest instead of traveling the world. As for you… young man.”

The High Elf narrowed his eyes as he stared straight at Leone.

“You are on the thorny path of kingship,” Dian said. “And from what I can see… countless storms and heartaches block your path. If you live long enough, you’ll probably surpass your great-grandfather’s power, influence, and prestige. However, that is only if you ’live’ long enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

“Can you see the future?” Leone asked back in a serious tone.

“No.” Dian shook his head. “But my intuition tells me that my words will definitely come to pass.”

Suddenly, Leone felt someone rest his hand on his shoulder, making him turn around to look at his vassals.

“Don’t worry, Great Chieftain,” Brann said firmly. “We will ensure that you live a long life.”

“Indeed.” Vlad nodded. “Since you are the person whom I chose to follow, I will do everything in my power to make you the greatest King this world has ever seen.”

Leone’s other vassals all nodded in agreement with their comrades’ declaration.

Seeing this, Lugh’s smile widened.

He remembered a time when he was still traveling the world and found people who decided to travel alongside his hard and thorny path.

They were the kind of fools who would charge into danger without thinking, drink until they couldn’t stand, and argue over the smallest things.

Yet, whenever Lugh was in trouble, they were always the first ones to stand beside him.

Soon, a nostalgic expression appeared on the face of the Hero of the Radiant Empire.

Whenever he was alone, he would often close his eyes and relive that perilous journey where they fought monsters, human armies, demons, and even powerful individuals who could have killed them with a single attack.

There were times when they had nothing.

There were times when they thought they were going to die.

And there were times when they actually lost people.

People that were dear to both him and his comrades.

But despite all of that, he and his companions continued to move forward.

“Leone, do you know how Legends are born?” Lugh asked.

“No, Great Grandpa,” Leone replied.

“Listen, and listen well,” Lugh said. “Legends are not legends because they are invincible, but because they continue moving forward even after the world has done everything in its power to break them.”

He then looked at Leone’s vassals, noticing the determination in their eyes.

“There will be moments when you question yourself,” Lugh continued. His voice was calm, but every word carried the weight of experience.

“There will be moments when you wonder whether the path you chose was the right one. There will also be moments when you lose people you care about, when your enemies seem too powerful, and when the very people you once trusted turn their backs on you.”

Lugh paused for a while after that, giving everyone time to digest his words.

“When that happens, you have two choices,” Lugh added. “Give up or keep walking.”

He then shifted his attention back to Leone.

“The first choice is easy,” Lugh said softly. “Anyone can surrender when things become too difficult. Anyone can throw away their ambitions when the price becomes too high. But the second choice…”

A faint smile appeared on the Hero’s face.

“The second choice is where Legends are born.”

Leone took a deep breath and nodded in understanding. “Thank you, Great-Grandpa. I’ll keep your words close to my heart.”

Conall and his men watched this scene with solemn expressions on their faces.

Since their Master had asked them to help and see for themselves if Leone was worthy of their assistance, they would pay close attention to his actions and judge him with the eyes of those who had seen all the hardships of the world… and lived to tell the tale.