Thousands of warriors gathered around the Third Peak of the Kyrintor Mountains.
William and his comrades were so impressed with the Northern Army that they had no choice but to admit that it was a force to reckon with. Earlier, Ella had snooped around the Third Peak, but she didn't find anything much aside from the guests' identities.
When William found out the nationalities of these guests, he kept it to himself because there was no point in sharing it with the others. He decided to just let things go with the flow for now until he discovered their purpose for coming.
Jerkins looked at this sight with a calm expression on his face. He could tell that this was something that the Great Chief wanted to show them on purpose. It was a subtle way of saying that the Northern Tribe were not only a strong ally, but an equally strong enemy.
The ambassador glanced to his right side and frowned. His greatest fears had been confirmed. Sir Jerkins had a feeling that instead of finding allies, they would find a new threat that would stab them in the back if the war were to commence in full.
"What's wrong, Ambassador?" Cadell asked with a gloating expression on his face. "Are you familiar with our new friends?"
"Very," Cadell replied. He sighed internally as he gazed at the vast army in front of him. 'Your Majesty, I think we are too late.'
The Mayor of Northwell chuckled. He was in a really good mood and he felt that this was a good opportunity to slap the faces of the representatives of the Hellan Kingdom.
'You want us to become your allies? Fat chance.' Cadell sneered. 'We've waited too long for this moment. It is now time for the Northern Tribes to expand!'
Not far away from their location, the Great Chief of the Tribes stepped onto an elevated platform and raised his hand.
The warriors shouted their war cries and, soon, the entire peak had been washed by the tremendous pressure that came from these mighty warriors.
Sir Jerkins, Kenneth, Ian, Brutus, and Bruno weren't able to stop themselves from taking a few steps back due to the Aura that was unleashed by the warriors. Although none of the warriors intended for this to happen, the force of their united cries was strong enough to push back those who were not used to this kind of deterrence.
The other "guests" of the Northern Tribes were in a similar situation. They were also unable to resist the oppressive aura that descended upon them and had to take a few steps back to regain their footing.
Only William, Wendy, and Amelia were able to stand their ground. Earlier, William had firmly wrapped his arms around the waists of the two girls in order to prevent them from being pushed back. Although the auras of the warriors were strong, it couldn't compare to the Aura his grandfather had unleashed when William sparred with him back in Lont.
James' Battle Aura was so strong that it had blown William far away when he experienced it for the first time. Compared to that, the show of power from the Northern Warriors was like a gentle breeze that only ruffled William's cloak.
Cadell, who had secretly observed William, frowned when he saw that the boy seemed unaffected. Even the Great Chief, who had given William a side-long glance, gave the red-headed boy a rare nod of admiration.
After the Warriors had finished their greeting, Great Chief Evander began his speech.
"Today is the day when the Second Warrior of our Tribe will choose his bride candidates," Evander announced. "This is a blessed day and I look forward to meeting my future daughters-in-law. May the Feast that we have prepared satisfy all of you and may the Great Northern Tribes forever be Victorious!"
The warriors roared in agreement to their Great Chief's words. They raised their weapons up high and cheered for the Second Warrior's "Bride Selection Event".
A man who was almost two meters tall walked behind Great Chief Evander. He was not wearing any upper clothes and his body was like that of a body builder back on Earth. His amazing physical prowess and sharp features made him strikingly handsome.
According to William's estimate, he was at least in his late twenties. The Half-Elf watched as the Second Warrior of the tribe, Connal Zeke, raised the spear in his hand and shouted a war cry.
The Warriors replied with "Ahoo! Ahoo! Ahoo!" that reminded William of a documentary about the Spartans of ancient Greece.
"My brothers, and sisters, today is a very special day for me," Connal shouted. "I emerged from the trial of Fate only a month ago and finally realized that it is now the time for our tribe to rise up and look for greener pastures.
"I, the Second Warrior of the will lead this charge for the sake of our Tribe. However, as many of you know, it is our custom to leave behind our descendants if we are to fall in battle. Because of this, I finally decided to marry and ensure that my bloodline will still flourish even if I am to fall in battle!"
""Ahoo! Ahoo! Ahoo!""
It was the tribe's custom that the man should leave behind his descendants before going to war. Since the Second Warrior had no offspring, the Great Chief decided to call out all the tribes for a Bride Selection Ceremony.
Sir Jerkins was having a hard time keeping the calm expression on his face because the Second Warrior's declaration had brought his worst fears to life. The North had the intention of going to war, but it was not to aid the Hellan Kingdom. It was to conquer them from the back!
The Ambassador and William shared a knowing glance. Both of them knew that their trip had been in vain and that they had to inform the King that they would be fighting on three fronts.
The Tribes of the North, the Anaesha Dynasty to the East, and the Zelan Dynasty to the South.
Their ally, the Kingdom of Freesia was in the Far East. Although they had already sent a messenger to their King to ask for aid during the war, the additional enmity of the Northern Tribe made their already perilous situation, more unstable.
Connal glanced in William's direction and gave him the smile of a second-rate Antagonist. To the Half-Elf's surprise, Connal ignored the two beauties by his side. The Second Warrior simply made the "cutting the neck" gesture before stepping down from the elevated platform.
'Well, at least he's a little different from those Antagonists that lust after beautiful young women,' William thought. He then glanced at the foreign guests at his right side. 'We cannot avoid having conflicts with these guys. The only problem is whether we can leave this place in one piece or not.'
If William was alone, he could definitely slip away without any problems. Unfortunately, he had his squad with him and there was no way in hell that he would leave them here at the mercy of their enemies.