Upon seeing her talent grade and what her talent could do, Asher leaned back and allowed several thoughts in his mind.
“Great Rider, we ask that you help our tribe. The Raging Bear tribe is gathering their forces, and I cannot defeat a man who is a rank ahead of me and has defeated my father.”
Asher looked at Eritrea and smiled softly. One of the major issues of his territory was population, and a population of 3000 would increase the available workers and also increase the number of his forces.
“What would I get in return for helping your tribe?”
“The tribe has always belonged to the rider.”
Kelvin smiled.
“You will hand over your tribe to me.” Asher raised an eyebrow.
“You saved the tribe during the great beast tide, and it has been yours since then. We chiefs ruled in your stead; your right still stands.”
Eritrea moved some hair strands behind her ear, exposing the pointy tip. The moment Asher saw it, his eyes widened.
‘A half-elf!’
At this point, her talent began to make more sense to him. It also increased his interest in making her his subordinate.
“I see. Kelvin, make sure they’re fed and well clothed. We’ll leave for their tribe in two days’ time.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
After Eritrea left the sacred hall, she felt one of her friends grab her wrist tightly.
“Don’t worry, we’re safe.” She assured the other woman with a comforting smile.
“You are all archers?”
Upon hearing Kelvin, Eritrea replied, “Yes.”
“Your lord, what is his name?” A woman asked.
Kelvin turned his head and saw the pink tint on the cheeks of the woman beside Eritrea. He chuckled inwardly.
“His name is Asher Ashbourne, and he is the Lord of this fortress. It’s best you address him as Lord Asher and not the great rider.”
“Lord Asher…” The woman muttered to herself.
“Are you going to return our weapons?”
Eritrea closed the gap between her and Kelvin.
“No.”
“But we are loyal to the rider.”
“He is Lord Asher, not some rider.”
Eritrea frowned. “What I speak of is not some mere myth.”
“If you don’t have something to prove it, do not expect me to believe my Lord is some reincarnation of some ancient hero. I’ve watched him ever since he was born.”
“Watching over him doesn’t mean you know everything about him. There might be something that has happened to him that you have no idea of. Things that are invisible are hard to believe in.”
Kelvin looked at the black-haired woman, who was no doubt a beautiful young woman who had a trait of Elvin charm and squinted.
‘She has a strong character.’
He said it internally.
The next day, Eritrea met Asher in the dining hall during the morning hours. Clad fully in leather armour, she looked both elegant and remarkable.
Her long hair was cut short, and it made Asher raise his eyebrows. Although she looked better with a shorter hair length, he was still curious.
“Why did you cut your hair?”
“The maids suggested it.”
“Oh? You can sit.”
She pulled the chair opposite him and sat down.
“Tell me about the Raging Bear tribe.”
As they conversed, Asher discovered the Raging Bear Tribe had a gold-ranked chief who brutally killed her father and slaughtered their forces with his two silver-ranked sons and elite army of warrior barbarians.
Apparently since the Wolf tribe had lost most of their males, the Raging Bear wanted the women as spoils of war, but the women shockingly displayed their might as sharpshooters and slowed down their progress mostly through ambushing the Raging Bear Tribe’s forces.
The Raging Bear tribe was a tribe of cannibals that were known for their despicable plundering and atrocious acts of making women from other tribes their slaves.
Knowing that there was a tribe in the mountains that enjoyed eating human flesh made Asher alarmed.
…..
The next day, he gathered 50 strong men riding 50 tamed horses, Alec, Eritrea, and the remaining barbarians, and they journeyed into the mountains.
Two days later, they arrived before the wolf tribe. There were lots of tents made with animal skin littered about a vast space.
They were built in such a way that the main tent was located at the center, and it was a bit bigger than the others. Their walls pretty much had no defensive ability as they only marked their territory.
When the barbarians, most of them putting on fur clothing, saw a man on a huge white wolf, their eyes trembled and they began to fall.
First, the guards who manned the gates fell to their knees, and that same scene played out until Asher reached the chief tent and came down from Sirius’ back.
He looked at the crowd of young and old gawking at him like he fell from the sky. His eyes locked on the women wielding bows and the men wielding axes and shields.
Just like Eretria, they were all fit. Alex and Alec had to do a strict selection to get the best men to become soldiers before he came, but there were fit people everywhere. Despite their rough life, they looked stronger than a bull.
That was obviously an exaggeration.
“Is the great rider still alive?”
“Did he come to save us from the Raging Bear Tribe?”
“The great wolf is really huge.”
While they talked, Asher was led into the chief’s tent, and he sat down.
Eritrea and Alec stood before him. His forces were garrisoned outside the tribe.
“Alec, examine the terrain.”
“Yes, My Lord.” Alec turned and left, leaving Asher and Eritrea alone.
“Summon all your forces.”
She bowed her head and left to do exactly what he said. Asher could see a faint relief in her eyes because he had taken her position. She must have been at wits end trying to give hope to a depressed tribe, but his appearance instantly restored their lost hope, and she knew it would, which was why she quickly brought up their problem.
He looked around. There were different animal heads, and behind him was a fur mat where the chief slept. It was big enough to accommodate about five individuals.
He got up and walked toward the unique bow he saw hanging above the bed. The moment he stretched toward the bow, the curtain opened, and Eritrea walked in.
“L… Lord Asher…” Her eyes grew wide.