Leone and Yuni looked at Arion's Status Page together, and was surprised with what they had found.
———
[Arion]
Race: ???
Grade: ???
Strength: 25
Agility: 50
Dexterity: 45
Vitality: 30
Intelligence: 45
Skills: Stomp [Level 5], Kick [Level 5], Wild Charge [Level 5]
Description: An unnamed colt that had undergone the baptism of vassalship. Bound to its Master by trust and loyalty, it has gained a special bloodline currently dormant. Once it grows or reaches the necessary requirement, another transformation shall take place.
Signature Ability: ???
———
"Amazing…" Leone muttered as he looked at Arion's Status Page. "Arion's stats increased by a lot!"
Perhaps curious, the colt also stretched its neck to look at what kept its Master occupied.
It moved behind Leone, looked over his head, and checked its own stats with an amused look on its face.
All of its stats have increased greatly, which made Yuni wonder if her Father would also undergo a similar transformation if he became Leone's Vassal.
"Arion, you're amazing!" Leone hugged the Colt, who had also grown in size after its transformation.
Arion rested its head on Leone's shoulder. It felt very at ease by its Master's side and enjoyed being hugged by him.
"I believed in you from the very start, Leone," Daedalus said with pride. "Well done, my boy!"
Yuni blinked at the grimoire's sudden change in attitude. Earlier, it had doubted its Master, repeatedly bringing up whether he could truly acquire a vassal with such an unorthodox method.
"By the way, Master," Daedalus hovered beside the young man. "You're a noble right? Does that make you an expert in riding horses?"
"Of course." Leone shamelessly flipped his hair as if he knew everything about riding a horse. "Back in the Kingdom, they called me the Horse Whisperer. Didn't you see how easily I formed a connection with Arion?"
Yuni and Daedalus wanted to spit at the young man for being shameless. All he did was feed the colt two carrots, yet he dared to proclaim himself a horse expert!
"That's good then." Daedalus sighed. "Now, we need two more vassals. Should we look for one more before we return to the cave?"
"No." Leone shook his head. "Let's go back. We're done for the day."
"Might as well." Daedalus nodded. "Also, I have good news for you, Master. Tomorrow, Maximus will be recovered enough for summoning."
Leone's expression brightened after hearing that his loyal, brave Familiar have finally gotten better. "That's really good news!"
"I have more good news to share," Daedalus replied. "Once you make him a vassal, he will also undergo a full recovery, similar to what happened to Arion."
"Nice!" Leone was all smiles at the thought of solving one of his worries. All he needed to do was get one more vassal by tomorrow, and he would finally complete the first mission of his Territory Rank Upgrade.
He wasn't aware that somewhere in the forest, a pair of eyes had watched him from start to end.
The young man's little antics, as well as Arion's sudden transformation, gave him a lot of surprise.
But he remained in place and continued to observe the young man who had mounted Arion and begun to climb the mountain with Yuni.
The Colt seemed to enjoy its hike up the mountain. It made sure to walk slowly, so its rider wouldn't fall off its back.
When they arrived at the cave, Ulric was surprised to see Leone riding on such a magnificent steed, better than the horses they had tamed in the past.
"Now, that's one fine horse you have there, Leone," Ulric said with a smile. "Did you tame it?"
"I didn't tame it," Leone replied. "This guy here is my Vassal, Arion. Say hello to Chief Ulric, Arion."
The colt neighed in greeting, making Ulric arch an eyebrow.
He then glanced at his daughter, Yuni, and the latter nodded her head in understanding.
It was quite obvious that her father wanted to know what had happened to Leone and how he obtained such a magnificent steed.
Yuni also wanted to tell her father about Leone's ability to strengthen his vassals, which she believed might sway his father to accept the young man's vassalship.
As the father-daughter pair talked to each other, Leone took Arion inside the cave.
Daedalus summoned a sphere of light to illuminate their surroundings, allowing the horse to see the path that they were taking.
"This will be your new home, Arion," Leone said. "It might be a little uncomfortable at times, but it's safer here than outside."
The horse gave a snort of agreement as it continued to walk until they reached the underground cavern.
The other horses of the Alborin Tribe were also there, and the moment they saw Arion, the mares looked at it curiously.
The children approached the white horse fearlessly and even held onto its leg. Arion lowered its head, and licked the kids no older than five, making them giggle.
Arion was now smarter than the average horse, so it understood that the kids didn't mean it any harm.
After letting its master dismount from his back, it went to the corner of the cave and lied down to rest. Since this was a safe location, he didn't need to be worried about getting attacked by any predators.
Leone gave Arion a few strokes on his neck before walking away to discuss a few things with Daedalus.
Right now, he had a few BP Points and was wondering if the grimoire had any advice on how to use them.
"For now, we will focus on using the BP to purchase tools," Daedalus.
"Tools for what?" Leone inquired.
"For material gathering of course," Daedalus replied. "And what we need now are logs and stones—they are used to craft weapons and structures that can add to the defense of our base."
Right now, Leone had 200 BP.
The grimoire then opened the Arcane Shop and went to the Tool Page Menu.
"You exchanged the Bronze Ticket for Ulric's new axe," Daedalus explained. "It can also be used to chop wood, so we don't need to buy another axe. What we need now is a pickaxe."
"Pickaxe?" Leone blinked. "What for?"
"For stone gathering of course." Daedalus chuckled because the look of confusion on Leone's face was priceless.
"Gathering stones?" Leone rubbed his chin. "I see… stones are used to build things, so of course we need to gather stones."
"Exactly." Daedalus nodded. "And you know what? Kobolds are excellent miners too. When Maximus recovers, you can buy him one Uncommon Grade Pickaxe so he can start gathering rocks.
"Also, if he mines this cave, we can even have a new tunnel that leads somewhere. If we're lucky, he might also unearth rare ores and gems needed to craft other things available on the Advance Work Bench."
The grimoire then moved closer to the young man and whispered something in his ear.
"Also, Leone, there is something I must tell you," Daedalus whispered. "Yuni must be trying to convince her father to be your vassal right now. If she manages to convince him, will you make Ulric your vassal?"
Leone pondered for a bit before shaking his head. "Not right now."
"Good." Daedalus nodded. "I was also about to advise you against it. Earlier, you said you'll start small and grow into an unstoppable force. While the Alborin Tribe can indeed make this easier, it also has some disadvantages.
"One is, they will not treat you as their leader no matter what. In their eyes, Ulric is still their chieftain. Even if Ulric becomes your vassal, there will be discontent among the tribe members."
"I know that." Leone nodded. "That's why I plan to just do things my way. Once they realize I don't need them and they are the ones who need me, their mentality will change."
"There can't be two tigers in a single mountain," Daedalus stated. "To become a Hero King, you need to make other leaders submit to you. Since you don't plan to use force, fear, or intimidation, I believe those who join you will truly become part of your strength."
Leone smiled. "Didn't I tell you? It doesn't matter if they are prideful. I'll give them a future that makes their pride irrelevant."
Daedalus nodded. "Good Now, let's go back to planning our defense in case the Black Wolf Tribe follows us all the way here in the Grimjaw Mountain."
The young man agreed and started discussing with Daedalus. They had to plan how to overcome a siege where the enemy outnumbered them ten to one.