354 Return to Capital

"Children are innocent and pure when they are still young, naïve, and untainted by the ugliness of human nature. They do not know greed, nor do they scheme against others, and their honest words can be trusted." Leon spoke after some thought.

Although Ironhead felt disagreeable with Leonhardt's opinion, he did not voice them as there was also some truth to what the person said. 

He believes that not all children are honest and tend to lie when they want to get themselves out of trouble. But if they had not been negatively influenced by adults in the first place, would they have started to pick up bad habits? 

"It seems Brother Leonhardt has had it rough living the vagabond life. Have you thought about settling down in a tribe? I can't say you will be free of worries within a tribe, but at the very least, you would not have to worry about scavenging for food and resources with other vagabonds on the plains."

Leon smiled wryly, seeing that Ironhead had not given up on the chance to sound him out and try to recruit him into their Chief Faction.

'Joining the Darkmoon Tribe might not be a bad thing. I will have a higher chance of finding the others if I can gain their trust and learn some inside information.' Leon thought.

Nevertheless, he could not join the Darkmoon Tribe so easily. He needed to make it a bit difficult for them. Otherwise, they might find it a bit strange.

"Why don't you tell me more about the internal conflicts within our tribe first?" Leon smiled lightly.

Ironhead shook his head wryly after seeing Leon change the topic. He had expected as much and did not try to press the matter.

"Brother Leonhardt might have already guessed, but our Darkmoon Tribe sits on top of a very rich deposit of Dark Crystals. Whether it was the past or present, the Dark Crystal Mine has always been controlled by the tribal chief. It was their duty to manage and distribute the Dark Crystals as rewards to the tribe's warriors fairly." 

"But ever since Goldeneye tamed a Dark Wyvern, he has been gaining a growing number of supporters that wish for him to become the new tribal chief and take control of the Dark Crystal Mine."

As Leon followed Ironhead down the busy street, he gave him a glance and asked, "The position of chief has always belonged to the strongest warrior. Why would these people want to support someone who isn't?"

"His Dark Wyvern has the potential to rival Battle Masters once it reaches adulthood, and this isn't even the end of its growth. If it is groomed well, its strength could even rival Battle Kings. This is why people wish to use Dark Crystals to speed up the Dark Wyvern's growth."

"It is fortunate that these are only the hopes of the people supporting Goldeneye and not the person himself. Goldeneye is still rather loyal to the Chief. As such, conflicts between the two factions have only been verbal thus far. However, I fear for the day our tribe becomes torn and divided by physical conflicts."

"I see."

Leon understood the gist of the situation after listening to Ironhead's explanation. 

In short, the Chief Faction supports Chief Valencia's fair distribution of Dark Crystals, while the Beast Tamer Faction wishes to monopolize all of the Dark Crystals for the Dark Wyvern's growth.

Personally, he favors the Chief Faction. The Beast Tamer Faction was too extreme. The Dark Wyvern might be tamed, but it was still a demonic beast, nonetheless. It was hard to say if the Dark Wyvern would always remain loyal to its master and not go rogue.

Seeing Leon appeared slightly nonchalant and did not express any opinion on the matter, Ironhead was somewhat disheartened. However, he did not bring up the topic of recruitment again. That would be left to the Chief. 

"It seems we are here," Ironhead said abruptly after stopping outside the gate to a private courtyard with a single abode inside.

After unlocking the gate and passing a wooden key that looks like a three-legged stool to Leon, Ironhead said, "This is the key to the property."

"Oh? I get this whole place to myself?" 

Leon was mildly surprised. 

Although the interior was crude, it was considered luxurious in this place. The building was located within the inner city and appeared to have been previously occupied by another individual.

Ironhead nodded and said, "Yeah, the previous owner is deceased, so this place is currently without an owner." 

"I'm sure Brother Leonhardt would like to rest inside. I will come back and pick Brother Leonhardt up for the great feast half an hour later."

"Why not come inside for a chat? There are a few things I would like to ask Brother Ironhead about." Leon offered.

Ironhead smiled warmly and accepted.

The private courtyard was relatively spacious and appeared to have been used as a training ground with a stone platform at the center and stone tables and chairs at the sides.

"What would Brother Leonhardt like to ask me about?" Ironhead asked after he took his seat on a stone chair.

Leon took the stone seat opposite of Ironhead and asked, "The great feast doesn't seem like just any big, sumptuous meal. What is it exactly, and where is it held?" 

"Brother Leonhardt must have seen the huge amphitheater at the top of the rocky plateau in the center of our Darkmoon City."

Leon nodded, "Something like that is hard to miss."

"That is where the great feast will be held, and you are right to guess that it not just any normal meal. The meals for the great feast will be specially prepared by our tribe's finest Spirit Chefs to help our warriors recover quickly, to celebrate our victory, and to honor the fallen." 

"If Brother Leonhardt had never tasted the cooking of a Spirit Chef before, I'm sure you will find the meals to be much to your liking." Ironhead said confidently before adding, "The food will taste great, and there will also be a good show to watch."

"It is also normal for there to be hotheaded warriors who will want to take the chance to challenge others in the battle arena at the center and show off in front of the huge crowd. After all, the entire tribe will be there."

"Is that so? Then I will be looking forward to it." 

Leon smiled with interest before he continued to chat with Ironhead about some trivial things around the Darkmoon Tribe.

…

Human Domain, Crawford Kingdom.

Around this time of the day, the sun had risen high into the sky. Elizabeth and the two ladies returned to the Capital from their long war expedition. 

"What happened here? Where did all the buildings go?" Elizabeth pulled over a city guard and questioned him with a commanding tone.

"Y-Your Majesty, welcome back! We were attacked by the Bloodfiend Sect sometime ago, but they were repelled by His Highness and Grandmaster Don." 

The city guard quickly recounted everything he knew to the Queen without hiding anything. After Elizabeth understood the gist of the situation, she asked, "En, I understand. Where are they now?" 

"Err… Grandmaster Don has left the Capital. He said he is going on a long trip to the Ishaan Kingdom to train and perfect his art of explosion…" 

"Tch, that madman—Ahem, what about my son?" Elizabeth clicked her tongue and coughed awkwardly before asking.

"His Highness… It is better if His Majesty explains this. I am not too sure of the details regarding His Highness disappearance. We were ordered to inform you to see His Majesty as soon as you were to return to the Capital, Your Majesty."

Elizabeth's brows were furrowed after learning her son had disappeared. She was not happy to hear about this after being away from the Capital for some time.

Nevertheless, she nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. You can return to your post."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Shortly after, Elizabeth turned around to ask the two ladies, "Do you two want to follow me to the palace to see the king or head home first and see your families?"

"We wish to follow you to the palace, mother." Aria and Lynne answered in sync.

They missed their families, but they were not too concerned about their well-being as the Upper District's destruction was not close to their families' home.

On the other hand, Leon's disappearance has drawn their attention.