My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 218: This Is My World

"First, let me tell you what a Guardian is." Daedalus opened its pages, showing Leone the images of the Guardians his previous owners had chosen when they built their kingdom.

Some of these Guardians were Dragons, while others were Phoenixes, Fenrirs, other mythical beasts, monsters, Demi-humans, and even humans.

"A Guardian, as the name suggests, is a protector of sorts," Daedalus explained. "And over the years, they may gain the power of faith because people tend to worship them. For example, your Great Uncle, Gundar, is the Guardian of the Grimhowl Tribe.

"It isn’t an exaggeration to say that he is worshiped not only in his tribe, but also across the entire Borderlands. And with that, I am not really surprised to see why they refer to him as the strongest shaman of the Borderlands."

Leone smiled faintly after remembering his great uncle, who had returned to the Grimhowl Tribe. He was quite fortunate that he managed to hit it off with the great shaman whom not even Hagen could defy.

In short, Gundar had become Leone’s protective charm, preventing the Chieftain of the Grimhowl Tribe from actually harming him in any way.

"Not all Guardians are equal, though," Daedalus said in a serious tone. "You can choose whoever you want to become the Guardian of the Aslan Tribe. But if they don’t fit the role well, then the power they gain from it will be abysmal. So, when choosing a Guardian, there is one important requirement."

"And that is?" Leone asked.

"They must be popular," Daedalus answered without hesitation. "surprising isn’t it?"

"Popular?" Leone blinked. "As in popular? Like me?"

"Tsk."

"Hey!"

Daedalus sighed helplessly before continuing its explanation. "It means that everyone in the Aslan Tribe recognizes them as someone worthy of becoming their Protector. Truth be told, it’s not really a matter of who you want to become a Guardian. It’s more about who the Aslan Tribe as a whole prefers to become their Guardian."

"I see." Leone nodded. "So that’s why you said they must be popular."

"Exactly. The higher the favorability and compatibility of the person or creature you choose as your Guardian, the more immense the benefits they’ll gain," Daedalus stated. "Vice Versa, if they’re not popular, their benefits will be... negligible."

The grimoire paused for a bit before adding another important bit of information.

"Similarly, the Guardian that you choose must also care for the Aslan Tribe. If they don’t care about your tribe, even if the ceremony succeeds, then the powers they gain will be negligible as well.

"After all, why would you protect someone or something that you don’t care about? If you force this matter, it will only breed resentment. Do you understand, Leone?"

"I understand," Leone replied. "So it must be someone popular and someone who also loves the Aslan Tribe..."

It was then that he thought about someone who was quite popular with the Aslan Tribe. However, there was a problem.

Leone didn’t know whether his candidate actually cared about the Aslan Tribe or not.

"It seems that you already have a candidate in mind," Daedalus said after seeing Leone’s expression.

"I do have a candidate," Leone admitted. "But he only fits one part of the condition. I guess I need to talk to him to know whether he likes the Aslan Tribe or not. Let’s go, Daedalus."

The grimoire flew towards Leone and once again strapped itself on the side of his waist. Although he already had a vague idea about the identity of its Master’s candidate, it was all just speculation until it was confirmed.

With Arion’s help, Leone soared high up in the sky and circled around Grimjaw Mountain once.

He checked the places where the warriors of the different tribes were gathered and waved at Vlad, who was waving at him from the third floor of the special villas meant for the high-ranking tribes.

"Let’s go higher, Arion." Leone lightly patted the pegasus’s neck.

With a neigh of acknowledgement, it soared higher up the mountain until they arrived at the mountain peak.

Arion gently landed on the ground, and soon, Leone came face to face with Astravor, who seemed to be taking a nap.

"What do you want?" Astravor asked without even bothering to lift its head or open its eyes.

"I came here to ask you a question, Astravor," Leone said in a serious tone. "If possible, I’d like an honest answer from you because this is a very important matter for the Aslan Tribe."

The Gryphon then opened its eyes and raised its head a bit to look at Leone.

"Ask."

After hearing its confirmation, the young man then explained ‌the Guardian’s role to the Gryphon.

"When it comes to popularity, there is no one in the Aslan Tribe who can beat you, Astravor," Leone said calmly. "However, my main concern is the second condition. I don’t know if you care enough about the Aslan Tribe to protect it."

In response, the Gryphon slowly propped itself up from the ground and spread its wings wide, looking very intimidating.

"Since you want me to give you an honest answer, I will answer you honestly," Astravor replied. "Frankly, I never liked humans to begin with. I never went out of my way to interact with them because I prefer solitude.

"My life here has been relatively peaceful until you and the Alborin Tribe arrived. Since then, my peaceful and ordinary life has disappeared completely."

"Uh... sorry about that."

"You should be. You even took my first nest away from me."

The Gryphon then walked toward the edge of its second nest and gazed over the horizon that spread far and wide.

"Leone, this is my world," Astravor stated. "My domain extends from the top of this mountain up to as far as my eye could see. Although you guys are noisy and have brought a lot of trouble, the loneliness I felt in the past has disappeared. With you guys around, something new always happens every day."

The Gryphon then looked at Leone, a bit of fondness flickering within its golden eyes.

"To be frank, I won’t go out of my way to help every single member of the Aslan Tribe," Astravor said calmly. "But I won’t mind extending my help if you are ever in danger.

"As for the position of Guardian, I don’t think I’m the right Gryphon for the job. If Grimjaw Mountain is threatened, I will spare no effort to repel any invaders. Because this is my home.

"No matter who they are, no matter how strong they are, I will fight till the bitter end because I promised myself that I won’t run away again, just like what I did when we first fought each other."

The Gryphon then looked down over the mountain like a King overlooking its own kingdom.

"Just like how you proudly declared this place as your kingdom, I also consider this place my kingdom," Astravor added. "However, I am tied to this place. If you ever expand your influence to other places miles away from this mountain, I will not be with you.

"This is the place I must protect, and I will stay here until my dying breath. If you’re looking for a Guardian..."

The Gryphon then reached out its claw to the small pile of rocks that was as big as a person’s head.

After picking up a stone, it then threw it down the mountain once more.

Boris’ angry roars followed suit, making Leone smile wryly.

Although Astravor wasn’t human, the young man could almost see a smile appearing on its face as it messed with Boris from a place the Raptor Sovereign couldn’t reach so easily.

"How about you make Boris the Guardian of the Aslan Tribe?" Astravor asked. "I think he fits the criteria very well, don’t you think?"

"I’ll think about it." Leone wasn’t in a hurry to choose a Guardian right now. With that, he decided to put this matter on hold.

It made him realize that whenever he had been in danger or when something very important happened that concerned the Aslan Tribe, the Gryphon had always been there.

His battle against the Bloodtusk Tribe, the reinforcements for the Stormhorn Tribe, and the matter with the Orcs.

When Leone had been in danger back then, Astravor clashed with Logan despite being weaker than the Orc Champion.

It didn’t back down, giving Leone precious time to escape.

Although it was a selfish wish, if possible, he wanted Astravor to become the Guardian of his tribe.

But he now understood what the Gryphon truly felt.

What it wanted to protect wasn’t the Aslan Tribe, but Grimjaw Mountain itself. It just so happened that the Aslan Tribe lived there right now. And for the Gryphon, it was only natural that it helped them drive the invaders away from its domain.

And last but not least, Astravor also cared about him to a certain extent.

Though he also understood where the Gryphon was coming from.

There would come a time when Leone would need to travel beyond the borders of Grimjaw Mountain.

Places where Astravor couldn’t go with him.

Places that were beyond the reach of its vision.

Daedalus didn’t say anything and simply observed the two proud Kings who protected different things.

His role was to only observe and give guidance to Leone whenever he needed it.

It was not his place to tell the young man what to do because the grimoire believed that the path that Leone should take... was a path that he had shaped with his own hands.