My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 201: Barbarian Duel

If words weren’t enough to solve the problem, it was time to let weapons and fists do the talking.

Such was a barbarian duel.

Back then, duels were honorable. But now, it was just done to prove the phrase, "might is right!"

The barbarians revered the strong. Everyone knew that, and some people took advantage of it.

This was why the high-ranking tribes always had their way. Regardless of fairness.

They were strong. They had the numbers. Anyone who didn’t see eye to eye with them must step aside or be crushed by them.

Of course, Leone understood their logic. Duels were very common even in the Kingdom of Britannia. Regardless of the place and time, some people simply used brute force to solve any problem.

Fortunately, the young man easily adapted to his new environment.

Frankly, he believed Ulric could defeat the commander of the Darkmane Tribe in a duel. However, there was still a chance that he would lose.

Since that was the case, why not send someone who was guaranteed to win?

Someone that not even Ulric, Jason, Otto, Brann, Boris, Blitz, and Astravor could defeat, even if they teamed up together!

Logan was half-tempted to throw the match to mess with Leone, but after pondering over it for a bit, he eventually decided to take this duel seriously.

How could he possibly let the barbarians see him lose? He would never give them a chance to think that Orcs were weaker, no matter what.

"Are both fighters ready?" Hagen asked.

"Ready," Ivan replied.

"Ready," Logan declared.

"Then I declare the start of the duel!" Hagen shouted.

Ivan knew he couldn’t go head-to-head with the Orc Warlord (Orc Champion) since he was the loser when it came to raw strength.

With this in mind, he decided to play defensively and look for an opportunity to strike.

Instead of using an axe, Logan unceremoniously grabbed a nearby tree and uprooted it from the ground.

The corner of everyone’s lips twitched after seeing this scene.

Even Ivan, who planned to fight defensively, turned solemn the moment Logan charged at him with a tree in his hands.

The moment the Orc swung the tree at him, Ivan immediately jumped to his side before rolling on the ground to evade the attack and gain distance.

Unfortunately, Logan was faster and stronger. So, the moment his strike had missed, he swung the tree sideways, catching the barbarian by surprise.

Ivan managed to block the attack with his axe, but he was still sent flying, crashing several meters away from where he had stood earlier.

Logan didn’t pursue him right away. Instead, he rested the trunk of the tree on his shoulders as he took his sweet time to walk toward the fallen barbarian commander.

’Damn it...’ Ivan cursed internally as he propped himself up from the ground. Blood seeped from the corner of his lips, which he wiped away with the back of his hand.

He knew that Orc Warlords were strong, but he didn’t expect them to be this strong.

If he hadn’t been able to block the attack earlier, the injuries he had suffered might have been more serious.

’I need to do something...’ Ivan gave Leone a side-long glance as a plan formed inside his head.

A moment later, he charged at the Orc with his weapon, ready to strike.

Logan didn’t hesitate to meet him, and soon, the two clashed once more.

Once again, Ivan was sent flying. But this time, his body headed in Leone’s direction.

He had purposely angled himself in hopes that his plan would work.

And it did... or so he thought.

Just as his body neared the stage where Leone’s throne was located, Logan stomped his foot on the ground and sprinted toward Ivan in a heartbeat.

The Orc once again swung the tree in its hands and smashed the side of Ivan’s body with it, making the latter cough out blood mid-flight.

Leone watched this scene with amusement.

He had already expected Ivan to do something like this. Even if Logan hadn’t bothered to help him, he already had a number of countermeasures prepared to deal with Ivan the moment the commander tried to attack him.

Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance.

The Orc Champion tossed the tree in his hands to the side and walked toward Ivan with a solemn gaze.

He had been playing with the human earlier, but it seemed that he had underestimated the slyness of his opponent.

The thought of it infuriated him. But his anger was directed not just at Ivan, but also at himself. Admittedly, he got played by his opponent really well.

And so, he had no plans to show mercy again.

He grabbed Ivan’s legs, raised him up, and slammed his body to the ground.

This made the warriors wince because that looked like it hurt very much. And it did. It hurt Ivan very much.

Logan’s anger didn’t end there, so he slammed Ivan two more times on the ground before tossing him in front of the warriors of the Darkmane Tribe.

The Orc Champion snorted at him before walking away, fully knowing that his opponent would no longer be able to stand.

After that, Hagen declared that the duel was over, prompting the shaman who had accompanied Ivan to treat his injuries.

"That was an amazing fight, Logan," Leone praised the Orc Champion. "I’ll make sure to have that written in the history books of the Aslan Tribe."

Logan didn’t reply to the young man’s praise and simply stood right by his side, his arms crossed over his chest.

That battle didn’t even serve as a warm-up. He was even hoping that more people would challenge Leone to a duel so he could continue to fight.

However, who in their right mind would dare to challenge him after seeing that one-sided battle?

None of the warriors was suicidal. Plus, seeing how the Orc thrashed the commander of the Darkmane Tribe was enough for them to understand that they had no chance of winning against him using brute strength.

"Well then. While we are waiting for your commander to recover, I will let my warriors inspect the ransom that you have brought," Leone stated.

"I just hope Troy has played no tricks this time around. He ought to take my ultimatum seriously. If half of those wagons are filled with rocks, none of you will leave this place alive."

For the first time since they arrived at Grimjaw Mountain, the warriors of the Darkmane Tribe finally took Leone’s words seriously.

They all moved the wagons in front of the stage and asked him to inspect them.

Leone made a gesture for Ulric and his warriors to empty the wagons, spilling their contents onto the ground for inspection.

There was always a possibility that each wagon was only half-filled with ore while the other half was rocks.

Fortunately, Troy had learned his lesson and didn’t play any tricks this time around.

As everyone subconsciously expected the Aslanians to pick up the iron ores and put them back into the wagons after spilling them on the ground, Kael raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

As if by magic, all the iron ore floated up from the ground and flew toward the fortress, making the warriors gasp in shock.

Of course, the one who did the actual work was none other than Daedalus, who simply designated a collection point under the pile of iron ores and transferred it to another collection point in the fortress.

Noticing everyone’s attention on him at that moment, Kael raised his chin arrogantly. He always enjoyed attention, so he didn’t mind playing his part, letting everyone think that he had become a powerful shaman.

"Since my business with the Darkmane Tribe is over, I will now release the prisoners," Leone declared. "Release them all!"

The prisoners were already gathered at the base of the mountain. So, the moment Leone gave out the order, the warriors of the Aslan Tribe escorted them to where their comrades were waiting for them.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the prisoners of war from the Darkmane Tribe didn’t look like they were tortured or starved.

If anything, they looked incredibly healthy, and there were no signs of abuse on their bodies.

All of them had been treated fairly well. They only worked for fixed hours, were given enough rest, and ate proper food.

Some of them were even feeling thankful to the Aslan Tribe for treating them like humans, rather than animals ‌meant for slaughter.

Some of the prisoners even shed tears as they reunited with their comrades, grateful that they would finally return home.

Yet, beneath their relief was a lingering unease that refused to disappear.

They had witnessed the strength of the Aslan Tribe with their own eyes. Because of that, they knew that if the Darkmane Tribe chose war, countless warriors would never return to see their homes again.

A war that none of them wished to participate in ever again.