There was another reason why Rodius had wanted to come and see Leon, and it had to do with the increased presence of people within Fort White. Over the past weeks, Rodius’ people had noticed that the flow of people coming this way had continued to increase.
“I want to talk to you about the people in this town. I was curious about their presence, as the Desolate Lands are not a place where an average person would travel to.” Rodius expressed his intentions.
“Haha, I see. Well, there is no need for you to worry. I simply have a goal to build my own empire starting from this small town. Most of the people you see here are warriors that are capable of defending themselves against the smaller threats that linger around the Desolate Lands. They will be the foundation of my empire.” Leon explained simply, but those words set off a chain reaction of shock within Rodius’ mind.
“You want to build an empire… Here? Are you mad?” The man could not help asking.
“No, I am not insane, thank you very much.” Leon chuckled. “I know the risks very well, and so do they. An Undead building an empire on the Central Continent seems like a joke, but I have the strength and power to do it, so why not? And besides, as long as I do not make any threatening moves toward the major powers on the continent, then I do not need to worry about anyone bothering me. Well, except for the Empire of Light.”
Rodius’ face soured at the mention of the Empire of Light. He was well aware of the hatred that the empire held toward and being of Unholy origins. In fact, Elena had already told him about the attack that was launched at Fort Bender for keeping Leon within its walls. He was surprised that they had yet to strike again while Leon was on his own.
‘Perhaps they are gathering their strength?’ He thought to himself.
“I know what you are thinking. The Empire of Light is a bad enemy to have when I am on my own, but let me assure you this one thing – I am not alone. I have the backing of a very powerful person.” Leon grinned, and Rodius’ heart sank as he immediately thought the worst.
“The Demons are backing you?” His eyes widened.
“What? No! Of course not. In fact, aside from the boys here, I haven’t come across a single Demon who did not try to kill me.” Leon laughed at how Rodius jumped to such a conclusion.
,m “I see… Well, then, who is backing you?” Rodius leaned forward, his curiosity on a blatant display.
“I cannot tell you that. It is for only myself to know. But keep in mind that he is someone that can roll over the entire Empire of Light in a single night.” Leon held up a finger and spoke in a serious tone. Rodius did not dare to take it as a joke when he saw how confident Leon was. He could only accept this information as the truth. After all, how else would Leon grow so quickly and have no fear?
Leon stood up from his seat and walked over to one of the open windows. He stood by it and peered out at the sky. With the presence of Michael’s divinity purging the surrounding areas of Unholy energy, the dark and gloomy clouds that rained down acidic fluids had long since disappeared, leaving the sky clear with a few white clouds sparsely scattered in the sky.
“Anyway, that aside. I have a proposition for you. I had planned on coming to see you myself eventually, but since you are here, let me ask you. Do you want to relocate here with your people?” Leon asked from the window. He turned around and looked at the father and daughter pair.
“…” He was met with silence as Elena and Rodius turned to look at each other at the same time. They had not been expecting this question at the moment and were not prepared. They had been caught off guard.
“…This is something that I will need to think about. We. Myself and my family. We will need to think about this decision, as it is something that will affect all of us. Also, I am the chief of my people. I cannot just leave without them. Will you be willing to accommodate them if I decide to relocate here?” Rodius asked Leon after a minute of pondering.
“Your people are fighters, no? To survive in the Desolate Lands, even if it is on the outskirts, is no small feat. Even the more ordinary ones amongst your people should be better than average people who grew up in better conditions. I do not mind having them over, but please, take your time to think about it.” Leon smiled at the pair.
“We will.” Rodius nodded.
With that settled, there was nothing important on the agenda again.
“What do you guys think about a little tour of the place? I have some free time on my hands.” Leon asked.
“Well,” Rodius turned to look at Elena, and he could see her eyes sparkling already. “We don’t mind.” He sighed in defeat. There was no way he could say no to those eyes.
“Follow me.” Leon resisted a laugh at the sight. He could see the fatherly love that Rodius held for his daughter. Something he had never had before. The closest thing he had to a father in his past life was one of his teachers from secondary school, but the man had passed away already.
‘I wonder if he somehow got reincarnated like me…’ A stray thought passed through Leon’s mind before he shook it away and turned to leave. It was a ridiculous thought to have. His circumstances were strange, and he did not have enough information to make guesses like that.
Leon led the two out of the meeting room, and proceeded to show them around the poorly named town.