Chapter 276: Warrior Marking Ceremony
Leone stood in the fortress, holding a bowl of dark charcoal pigment mixed into a thick paste.
In front of him was Ulric, who had crouched down a bit to allow his Great Chieftain to place war paint on his face.
This was a traditional ritual that took place whenever the barbarians went to war.
In the past, when they were about to fight against Astravor, Leone had asked him to be treated as a member of the Alborin Tribe. Thus, he had his face painted as a warrior.
And now, that same young man was applying war paint on Ulric’s face, marking him as a warrior of the Aslan Tribe.
"Brave warrior, may your courage inspire others to fight as valiantly as you," Leone said with a faint smile on his face.
"And may your strength become the shield that protects those fighting beside you. May your axe also remind our enemies why the Aslan Tribe will never bow before anyone."
Just like Ulric, the young man remembered the time when the former chieftain of the Alborin Tribe treated him as a warrior who would fight alongside them.
Ulric nodded at those words and vowed to protect the Aslan Tribe with everything he had.
The next one to take his place was none other than Kael.
"May the Earth Goddess grant your hands the power to preserve life," Leone declared. "May every drop of water become a blessing, every drop of blood a source of strength, and every spell you cast a source of our people’s perseverance, allowing them to stand proud until the very end."
Kael smiled faintly before giving Leone a brief nod. He then moved to the side, allowing Leone’s next vassal to receive his blessing.
"Fortune favors the bold," Leone said to Jason. "However, I’ve learned that fortune also favors those who refuse to give up. Fight with everything you have, Jason. I’ll leave the impossible to you."
"Thank you, Great Chieftain," Jason replied. "I will fight with everything I have!"
Leone nodded back with a smile.
The next one to stand before Leone was none other than Maximus. That weak Kobold, who looked gaunt and smaller than Leone in the past, had now become stronger and taller than him.
Due to the height difference, Maximus knelt down like a knight, allowing its Master to give him his blessing.
"Once, you dreamed of becoming strong enough to protect others," Leone said with nostalgia. "Today, that dream has become a reality. May the Dragon God bless you. Fight proudly, Maximus. For you have already become someone worthy of admiration."
"Rest assured, Master," Maximus spoke firmly and confidently. "I will protect you and the Aslan Tribe."
"Thank you, Maximus." Leone nodded.
Suddenly, a flying squirrel landed on top of Maximus’ head and patted its chest proudly.
*Squeak!*
Leone smirked before also applying war paint on the brave little squirrel, who was still stronger than him.
"May your swiftness become the wind that carries hope across the battlefield," Leone said as he gently painted two small streaks of charcoal on the squirrel’s cheeks. "And may your lightning bolts smite our enemies to oblivion."
*Squeak!*
Blitz puffed out his chest even more, as if proudly accepting the responsibility.
It then saluted Leone with one tiny paw, earning amused chuckles from the surrounding warriors.
The next one to come was Arion, only to nudge Leone’s head with its cheek, which was its way of asking him not to show favoritism.
"W-Wait, are you sure?" Leone asked. "Your body is completely white. Adding charcoal paste will ruin your splendor."
Arion bared its teeth in return, as if telling Leone that if he didn’t mark it with the war paint, it would bite him then and there.
"Fine." Leone shook his head helplessly before dipping two fingers into the charcoal paste.
He then carefully drew a pair of elegant streaks on Arion’s cheeks.
"May the Sky God bless your wings," Leone said. "May every flight you take carry our hopes, and may every charge you lead strike fear into the hearts of our enemies."
Arion snorted proudly before stomping one of its forelegs against the stone floor.
It was telling Leone that it wouldn’t let him down.
When he moved away, it was finally Otto’s turn.
Actually, Otto was supposed to be the next one after Maximus. However, Blitz and Arion cut in line.
Leone smiled apologetically at his vassal before placing the warrior’s mark on his face.
However, instead of making a loud declaration, the young man moved closer and whispered his blessing to his vassal’s ear.
"May your eyes see beyond the horizon, your hands remain steady, and your bow become the guardian that keeps death away from our people. Let every arrow you unleash remind our enemies that there’s no place on this battlefield that your arrows cannot reach."
Leone was still keeping Otto’s identity a secret. After all, he was the bringer of death from the Aslan Tribe, who played an important role in any battlefield.
With that said, if there was one vassal that every tribe would wish to eliminate first, Otto’s name would be at the very top of that list.
"And so it shall be, my Great Chieftain." Otto placed his hand over his chest before giving Leone a respectful bow.
The next one to stand before Leone was Brann.
"May your black flames become the fire that keeps despair at bay," Leone declared. "May your resolve never waver, and your body become the wall that no enemy shall ever cross. So long as you stand, Aslan Soleil shall stand with you."
Brann struck his fist against his chest.
"Then I shall stand until my final breath, Great Chieftain!" Brann swore.
After Brann, his vassals were supposed to put war paint on the rest of the Aslan Tribe since Leone couldn’t possibly do it for all of them.
However, as if waiting for him to finish with Brann, Runa, who was riding on Porkchop’s back, moved closer to their Great Chieftain.
"Me too!" Runa said with determination. "I’m a warrior too!"
*Oink!* Porkchop also demanded that it be marked as a warrior.
The corner of Leone’s lips twitched in response, but the sight of the expectant gazes from the ten-year-old girl and her mount made him unable to resist their request.
Leone sighed helplessly before dipping his fingers into the bowl.
"You’re right," Leone said. "You are a warrior."
Runa puffed her chest out proudly as Leone placed a mark on her cheek.
"May the Earth Goddess watch over your innocent heart," Leone said gently. "May your courage never fade, your kindness never disappear, and may you grow into the kind of warrior who gives others the strength to stand once more."
"I will!" Runa nodded earnestly. "And when I grow up, I’ll marry you, Leone!"
A profound silence soon descended upon the fortress which lasted for a few seconds.
Fortunately, this silence was broken by none other than Kael.
"As expected of our Great Chieftain!" Kael said with pride. "His charisma is so high that even kids wish to marry hi—mmmphhh!"
"Okay, stop!" Leone didn’t allow Kael to finish whatever he was going to say, pressing his hands over the bootlicker’s lips. "That’s enough, Kael. For once, can you just shut up?!"
The young chieftain had a feeling that if he allowed Kael to continue, new rumors would spread across the Borderlands about him, which wasn’t a good thing!
Kael nodded in understanding and finally backed down. The rest of the warriors in the surroundings could only shake their heads because they were already used to Kael’s bootlicking prowess.
"Runa, there is always someone better than me out there," Leone said to the little girl with a serious expression on his face. "They may not be as handsome, as suave, or as charismatic as me, but they will care for you with all of their heart."
Not wanting to dwell on this matter, Leone dipped his fingers into the bowl and added two cute circles on the side of Porkchop’s face.
"May your tusks shatter every obstacle before you," Leone said while doing his best to keep his smile from breaking. "May your legs never falter, your courage never waver, and may no enemy ever separate you from the little warrior that will ride your back in battle."
*Oink!*
Porkchop snorted proudly as if it was the strongest warrior of the Aslan Tribe.
Of course, Runa and the children would not be allowed to participate in the battle. They were only allowed to witness the Warrior Marking Ceremony since it was a tradition of their tribe.
"Runa and Porkchop, I will assign you two with the duty of protecting the children in the shelter," Leone declared. "Can I count on you that no harm will come to them as long as both of you are around?"
"Yes!"
*Oink!*
"Good." Leone nodded.
Leone was about to leave after that, but his path was blocked by Boris, who felt envious after watching Leone’s vassals getting marked.
Technically speaking, it was also one of the young man’s vassals, so it wanted a mark of its own as well!
It then lowered its head and pressed it on Leone’s body, preventing him from leaving unless it, too, was given a warrior’s mark.
Just like the other warriors within Leone’s inner circle, it was now wearing special runic armor that boosted its defenses and fighting abilities.
"So you don’t want to be left out either?" Leone asked.
The Raptor Sovereign growled.
With that, Leone dipped his finger into the bowl and marked the Raptor, who looked scary on the outside but was actually very kind on the inside.
"May every step you take proclaim your dominion," Leone stated. "May every roar strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, and may every monster before you remember why Raptor Sovereigns stand at the top of the food chain."
After getting marked by Leone, Boris looked up at the peak of the mountain with a smug look on its reptilian face.
Astravor looked down at the annoying lizard for a few seconds before casually picking up a stone from the small pile by its side.
It then tossed the stone onto Boris’ head, bouncing once before falling on the ground beside its feet.
A moment later, the Raptor’s angry roar spread across the mountain, prompting everyone who knew about Boris and Astravor’s rivalry to smile.
Ignoring the angry Boris, each of Leone’s vassals proceeded to mark the other warriors for the upcoming battle.
Seeing this, the other chieftains did the same. After all, they, too, would be participating in this battle. Of course, they would also give their warriors their own blessings so that they may return safely to their families, who were all waiting for them back home.
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