My Kingdom Building Done Right!

Chapter 207: The Die Of Sovereigns [Part 2]

(A/N: The Die that I am talking about here is the dice usually used for board games. Since the singular form of dice is die, I just wanted to make this clarification for those who don’t have English as their first language.)

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’D-Daedalus, what is happening?!’ Leone, who had no idea what had just happened, hurriedly asked the grimoire.

’Calm down, Leone. I will explain everything in a moment. But first, reach out and take that floating die in front of you,’ Daedalus replied. ’It’s called the Sovereign Die, a divine item that only appears when certain conditions are met.’

Prompted by the grimoire, the young man reached out to take the golden die into his hand. Just like a regular die, there were red circles on its surface, with each face representing the numbers one to six.

’I knew something like this would happen eventually, but I just didn’t expect this to happen so soon,’ Daedalus added. ’It seems that we have underestimated Brann’s sincerity about serving you. With that, what I am about to tell you is something you can’t tell anyone, even if you want to."

Suddenly, a ripple of power expanded outward from the Sovereign Die that rested in the young man’s hands.

Everyone within the domain of Aslan Soleil froze in place, stopping time completely.

Only Leone could move.

Daedalus’ voice soon reached his ears.

"Since this is the first time the Sovereign Die has made its appearance, I am obligated to explain what it represents," Daedalus stated. "’When you take in a vassal who is willing to go to extremes for your sake, the Sovereign Die will appear. Of course, it’s not always a good thing since there are many kinds of individuals in the world.

"In fact, there was one instance when a King made a yandere his vassal. The Sovereign Die appeared that time, and her extreme love for him created a power that ultimately ended up killing him."

"Wait... what is a yandere?" Leone asked. The term was unfamiliar to him.

"Um, simply put, a yandere is someone who loves you so much that they are willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of their love for you. Of course, that also means that if you betray their love, like by cheating, they will kill you too. So, make sure to keep this in mind when you marry in the future, Leone."

"...I should really marry carefully."

"You go do that."

The grimoire knew that the Sovereign Die couldn’t stop time forever, so it quickly went back to explaining.

"Basically, the Sovereign Die is a divine weapon of chance. Not only will it grant your vassal a very powerful Prestige Class, but it will also give them powerful abilities. Fortunately or unfortunately, their starting stats will be completely reliant on the roll of the die.

"For example, if you roll that die and it comes out a 1, then all of Brann’s starting stat parameters will be 100. If you roll a 2, his stats will be 200 each. Of course, if you roll a 6, then he gets 600 in all of his stat parameters.

"In extremely rare cases, instead of getting a Sovereign Die, you get Sovereign Dice. Meaning, you’ll get more than one die to roll. That’s when things become truly crazy. But for now, just roll that die and complete Brann’s vassalship."

The young man took a long and deep breath after that, feeling the pressure as he held the Sovereign Die in his hands.

"Daedalus, I’m scared," Leone said. "What if I only roll a 1?"

"What about it?" Daedalus replied. "If you roll a 1, will it mean that you will treat Brann differently? Will he become less important because he is the weakest among all your vassals?"

"No, that’s not what I meant," Leone hurriedly corrected himself.

"I know what you mean," Daedalus stated. "But you have to understand, Leone. Brann swore an oath to the Earth Goddess, giving his life away for your sake. Didn’t you hear his vow earlier?"

Leone recalled the vow the man before him had declared a while ago.

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"I also swear to become the darkness that will protect your light. I swear to become the identity of evil so that you can remain in the right. I swear that no matter what happens, I will be the first to draw my last breath before you ever draw your last.

"I swear all of this to the Earth Goddess, who will claim me once I close my eyes for eternity. I swear this so that I can stand proudly in the Halls of the First Chieftain, where the proud warriors of the past reside after living their lives with honor."

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"What Brann’s oath means is that no matter where you are, no matter what you are facing, all harm you receive will be transferred to him instead," Daedalus said in a serious tone. "He has become your life talisman, Leone. He is a man who will die before you do. That is how serious he is about becoming your vassal."

The grimoire no longer said anything, understanding that its Master also knew of this.

All of his previous vassals were loyal to him, and their powers reflected just how much they cared about him.

Jason had offered to become Leone’s hands and feet, and thus, he and those who followed him became the first Aslanians. And to reward his dedication, he was blessed and became the strongest among Leone’s vassals at that time.

However, Brann was different.

After staying with Leone and knowing more about him, he realized that the young man was the true pillar of the Aslan Tribe.

Everything revolved around Leone. If ever he perished, the kingdom he built in the wilderness would fall apart like a house made of cards.

In order to protect the one who held all of them together, Brann vowed to do all the dirty work for Leone. That way, their Chieftain would not need to personally dirty his hands.

When they faced the Orc Champion back then, Brann had already been willing to sacrifice his life just to let Leone escape with the others. Yet, instead of leaving everyone to save himself, Leone placed himself between Brann, Boris, and the Orc Champion, risking his life in the process just so they wouldn’t die.

Back then, Brann felt as if his life had flashed before his eyes. He had already prepared himself for death, after all. He knew and believed that if he had perished, Leone would take good care of the Stormhorn Tribe to thank him for his sacrifice.

Everyone would live well as long as the Aslan Tribe remained standing. However, all of that would be gone if the young chieftain died.

How could the Aslan Tribe continue to exist if their sun vanished from the sky?

That thought had strengthened Brann’s resolve to protect this fragile young man, who, despite his weakness, didn’t back down to protect his people!

How could he not be touched?

How could he not feel unimpressed?

How could he simply watch from afar if something like this were to happen again?

Brann didn’t want that to happen. No, he would never let that happen.

He would rather die first than let it happen again!

This strong conviction reached the Divine, and it answered his sincere plea in exchange for his life.

In exchange for his future.

"Roll the die, Leone," Daedalus gently encouraged its Master. "Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter even if you roll a 1. You now hold destiny in your hands. Be brave, for fortune favors the bold. Remember, Brann had been favored because of his boldness."

Leone pressed the Sovereign Die against his chest and offered a silent prayer.

When he finally opened his eyes, there was no longer doubt and hesitation in his gaze. Instead, there was only resolve and determination.

Daedalus was right. He had to meet Brann’s conviction with his own. If he wavered now, then what was the point of taking this path?

He finally tossed the Sovereign Die, taking the challenge of destiny head-on.

He watched it fall on the ground, bouncing once, twice, thrice.

He watched it roll a bit before finally coming to a complete stop.

And at that moment, time flowed back to normal as two bright pillars, far brighter than the ones that came before them, shot toward the sky once more.

Somewhere in the Borderlands, Gundar raised his head to look at the pillars in the east, a faint smile hanging on his face.

"Just what kind of trouble are you brewing up again, Leone?" Gundar muttered. "You silly, silly child. Can’t you keep a low profile for once?"

The great shaman of the Grimhowl Tribe helplessly shook his head before closing his eyes once more.

He was afraid that if he kept on looking, he might get the strong urge to fly back to the Aslan Tribe and give Leone a piece of his mind.