"What have you done to them?" Rion asked.

Hearing that, his group members looked at him with pleading expressions.

Haden snorted and said evenly, "I was just helping them train while you lazed."

Rion's eyes widened, he looked at Haden with a baffled expression and cried in his head, 'L-Lazed? Me? What are you talking about?'

Haden ignored his stupid expression and asked, "Each of your squad has one speciality, why did you do this instead of following your predecessors?"

Rion scratched the back of his head and answered, "I did it because I didn't see any point in having everything in a single squad for the battle against them... It's a fight that has to end quickly, otherwise they would only get stronger."

Haden turned, studied his group members for a few moments and said, "Would you be able to guide all of them while you learn the spear from me?"

Rion flashed him a smile and said, "Don't worry about it. I can take care of this."

Haden's lips arched up, his worry lessened, and he nodded.

Rion gazed at his group members, and they stared back at him with smiles on their faces.

The blowing wind caressed him.

He tightened his grip around his spear and shouted, "All of you!"

Their eyes brightened, Rion stepped towards them, and all of them shouted with grins splitting across their faces, "My liege!"

He walked over to the cliff, pointed his spear towards the northwestern forest and commanded, "Go hunt a beast for me."

The newer group members exchanged hesitant looks.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

The air hummed as Yuura, Dora, Karhun, Tarun, Zukah, and Balak ignited their aura flames and jumped down the cliff while gripping their weapons.

"Wait for us!"

"Wait!"

"L-Lord Tarun?!"

"Lady Dora!!"

Their squad members shouted in disbelief, and they began to run down the cliff and made their way towards their squad leaders as quickly as they could.

Rion smiled warmly.

He turned and looked at his remaining group members for a few moments before he asked, "Moria, Armin, Cuba, and Waron... Why are you still here?"

They lowered their heads, their squad members stared at them, but they didn't answer. Rion also didn't ask further and just continued to stare at them with no emotion whatsoever.

The chirping of the birds and the occasional roars of beasts reached them like the ticking of the clock, yet the silence between them only continued to stretch.

Suddenly, Armin, who looked as average as one person could, broke the silence.

"I'm not playing your little game!"

Rion shifted his gaze towards him and asked flatly, "Game? What game are you talking about?"

Armin lifted his head, his eyes furious, and he spat, "Why are they calling you a liege when you haven't even done anything for them? They are fools, but we won't be like them!"

Rion stared into his furious eyes. He pointed his spear at Moria and asked, "Do you think the same?"

Moria, on the heavier side but with lustrous brown hair and striking black eyes that made him stand out, didn't say anything and simply gave a nod.

He shifted his spear towards Cuba and asked, "What about you, Cuba?"

Cuba looked like a perfect tribal warrior.

His body was similar to that of a wolf, his dark, braided hair made him look much more intimidating, and his calm, dark red eyes were those of a veteran hunter.

He lifted his head, meeting Rion's eyes directly and said, "I don't agree with him."

Everyone frowned, and Rion asked while tilting his head, "Why are you here then?"

Cuba lowered his head and said, "I don't mean to belittle your knowledge, my liege. But the northwestern forest simply doesn't have enough beasts... that's why the tribe uses the northern forest for hunting and the ritual of youth."

Rion blinked a few times. He looked at Haden from the corner of his eye, and only after Haden's nod did he understand how stupid he was.

'Shit! It slipped out of my mind because of the talk with Zaelyane...' he thought, looked at Cuba and said, "Then you can go to the northern forest instead."

Cuba nodded and bellowed, "As you command, my liege!"

He stood up, gestured his squad members to follow and made his way towards the northern forest.

Rion watched him and his squad leave, then he turned his head towards Waron and asked while pointing his spear at him, "What's your reason, Waron?"

Waron was broad and tanned; his naturally scary face was further intensified by his shaved head, and his dark brown eyes also had a natural sharpness in them. He didn't say anything either; instead, he only pointed at Armin.

Rion nodded, shifted his eyes between the three and their squad members before he said, "What do you all want to do? If you are not going to listen to me, then I have no place for you in my group."

They frowned and stared at him with defiant expressions.

Rion ignored their expressions, walked back towards the cliff and added, "You know why Yuura calls me his liege?"

A smile appeared on his face, and he answered himself, "It's because following me is fun for him."

Armin muttered in disbelief, "That is stupid... how can he give you the reins of his life over something so childish?"

A chuckle escaped Rion. He looked at Armin and questioned, "So what? What if it's childish? I'll make sure that he never regrets it."

He turned around, his eyes fixed on his squad leaders, and he added, "Not everything requires you to have a grand goal."

Haden, who was watching everything with a silent gaze, walked towards him. He stood beside him and commented,

"They call you liege because they see you as someone worth following."

Hearing Haden praise, joy bubbled up in his heart, and his smile widened foolishly.

Armin gritted his teeth and growled, "Words alone won't be enough for you to make us follow you!"

The other two agreed with a nod.

Rion's smile receded slightly.

He looked at them and said, "You are forgetting that I had saved all of you, but if that's what you three wish, then so be it. You're free to stay with us until the feast ends."

His smile vanished, he stated, "If you're still not convinced by then — you'll leave."

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