8 Part 2

As we walked towards the Clan Castle, Sebas explained the situation. "The Mountain Bandits are targeting us due to a misunderstanding." His expression turned serious. "I appreciate your help, Leo. We can't take them on alone."

I nodded, considering the risks. "I'll assist you, but it's not a charity mission. I have my interests in mind." Sebas nodded understandingly.

"We'll discuss this with the other village chiefs," he said. "We must decide together, ensuring everyone's involvement."

I agreed, and we entered the Clan Castle. Its resemblance to the level-one Clan Castle from the game surprised me. Inside, two figures waited: an elderly man, Joseph, who seemed frail, and a girl wearing glasses, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, she looked like an anime character.

"I am Aika; nice to meet you, Leo." The girl approached me; there was something weird about her, and before I could ask, a sweet fragrance wafted toward me. I felt aroused slightly, and I noticed something amiss.

My aura flared, disrupting the subtle magic at play. "What were you doing?" I asked pressure in my voice.

Aika's eyes widened, and she stammered, "I-I apologize. It wasn't intentional."

I wasn't convinced the magic she used was capable of affecting me, which couldn't be done accidentally, and only I was targeted.

But she was telling the truth.

I looked at others for confirmation.

Suddenly, Akali appeared through Aika's shadow supporting her, "She's right, Leo. Aika's physique sometimes gets out of control."

"What is the reason for this?" This is probably due to her being an Otherworldler, and they started explaining.

With Aika and Akali sharing their stories. I learned that both were Otherworlders, possessing basic Clash Systems.

Both Akali and Aika also received something unique with Aial gaining a physique probably due to her perverted nature and Akali gaining Shadow Manipulation.

Their village allied with Sebas, an adventurer-turned-chief, for management since they didn't know about it.

I also finished scanning Aika, detecting an unusual magical signature tied to lust. "Find a solution," I warned. "We can't afford unexpected consequences."

As they opened up, I decided to reveal my background, omitting my Otherworlder status. I presented myself as a noble's son seeking to establish his territory.

Their reactions varied: Aika's eyes sparkled, Akali's gaze intensified, Sebas nodded in approval, and Joseph's expression turned skeptical.

Joseph also introduced himself. He is a mage specializing in Spirit Magic. With its help, he became an A:rank adventurer, but his strength declined; he had settled in the village because they saved his life once, and he started helping them.

(Note: Adventurer rank is not proportional to the strength of the being. One can be B:rank adventurer with S+ strength, and the same could be true for vice-versa.)

After the meeting, I invited them to my territory via the Clan Castle. It will clear their doubts about my leadership, and they will be more than willing to work under me.

[Venelana, there will be some guests, prepare Clan Castle for their arrival.] I sent a thought communication to Venelana.

Joseph decided to stay inside the village as there should be one leader to prevent anything unexpected from happening.

As we transported, their jaws dropped in awe.

"Is this your clan castle or the Royal Empire's?" Aika asked, starstruck.

Akali's eyes shone with curiosity, while Sebas looked at me with admiration. I smiled at Venelana, who stood poised, a hint of amusement on her face.

"Welcome back, Chief, and honored guests," Venelana said with a graceful bow.

Aika and Akali exchanged awkward smiles, attempting to reciprocate the gesture, while Sebas offered a courteous nod.

"I'll show our guests around the village," I informed Venelana.

She nodded, casting another fleeting glance at Akali and Aika before withdrawing.

As Venelana disappeared from view, Aika's curiosity got the better of her. "Who was she, Leo?"

Sebas and Akali exchanged interested glances, awaiting my response.

"Venelana is my chef and partner," I said, deliberately adding the last part to ward off any potential advances from Aika. Her flirtatious hints were already apparent, and I didn't want to encourage them.

Akali's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't know you were married, Leo."

I quickly clarified, "We're not married... yet."

Akali and Aika nodded in understanding, while Sebas's expression remained thoughtful, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Shall I give you a tour of the village?" I offered, changing the subject.

Everyone agreed to it.

I led the way on the stone road that led from Clan Castle to Town Hall; on the way, there were several houses nearby, where the villagers lived. As we approached the Town Hall, I could hear Akali and Aika sighing in relief.

"Thankfully, it is not some palace, at least the town hall is normal other than being big."

"I don't know what we were doing in our village. Didn't you see the roads and houses? They were much better than ours." Akali compared my village with theirs.

"You should not compare yourself with Leo, girls; everyone has different capabilities," Sebast told the girls; he then looked at me, and I gave him an understanding look as we walked to our next destination, the Army Camp, where my troops trained.

We could hear the sounds of metal clashing from afar as we walked past the gate and stone walls. There was a spar going on between the Elite Barbarians and Raged Barbarians (Perfect).

"Your Barbarians are different from ours," Akali commented.

"Yes, the Barbarians with dual swords are Elite Barbarians, the evolution of normal Barbarians, a single of them is C+:rank capable of defeating multiple Barbarians." Sebast shared his knowledge.

"And those with a red aura and two axes, are they using some special magic?" Aika expressed her curiosity.

"I will say that they are using aura to strengthen their body but it feels very similar to Barbarian King's Rage effect." This time Sebast hesitated

"You are right, Sebast. It is indeed like BK's rage effect but significantly weaker. These are Barbarian's alternative evolution path, Raged Barbarians." Leo shared his knowledge.

"Even if the effect is weaker than BK they are still strong considering they are capable of fighting against EBs." Sebas pointed out.

I agreed with him but "They will start to lose once their rage effect weakens." And that is what happened in the next few moments.

"But still they are stronger than common Barbarians," I added.

"That is I can see." Commented Sebast.

I turned to look at the girls who had gone quiet. Aika had a dead look, and Akali also looked discouraged.

"Girls?"

Aika started crying and her friend tried to placate her.

"What were we doing wrong? Why don't I have super-powered soldiers like him?"

Sebast looked at me apologetically, like a father whose daughters were being unreasonable when visiting relatives.

"Aika, like I said, everyone has their capabilities. Leo has his own, and you have your own. Don't you also have vast magicule capacity and a special physique?" He pointed out the advantages.

"But I don't have EBs."

"You have 50 D-rank Barbarians and 20 Archers, and Leo lacks numbers. Not to mention Leo has been here for a long time; you have plenty of time for your troops to evolve."

While he was wrong, I will not correct him.

Suddenly, Aika got quiet, and I had a bad feeling she looked me in the eyes; fortunately, there were no hearts, but something was cooking in that perverted brain of hers.

Ding!

I am not gonna see what it is.

I changed the topic to "You guys have a decent army, and with their evolution," which is just a name away "they will become a formidable force."

Since all the villages are in the Forbidden Forest, I will have good control over this area, and this area borders Hog Mountains and Goblin Forests, so we have to look for both.

It is not like we didn't have to before it is just that we will be together in this.

And now I also have decent high-level fighters; while none are solid A:rank, they are approaching or have the potential to even surpass that.

"Yes, but evolution is extremely rare, not to mention they should be alive for that; our collectors can't sustain them, and their numbers will grow in the future, while we don't have efficient collectors nor good builders," Akali said.

It was good news for me as I could use this as an offer for them to join my clan.

And they went on telling me negatives about their village as Sebast looked at them with pity 'Hehe, the old man knows what is going on but isn't warning them, well he knows they will be better under me.'

By the time we finished the tour, the girls had told me about all the negative things about their village and it was good news that I could solve most of them.

After the tour (I didn't show them many things like the Cave and Builder Base), we headed to the Town Hall, where Venelana had prepared a sumptuous feast for our guests. Aika's eyes widened, and she practically drooled over the spread. Akali's gaze sparkled, but she maintained her composure. Sebas surveyed the dishes with genuine appreciation.

"I doubt even the Royal Family enjoys such exquisite cuisine, Leo," Sebas said. "You're fortunate to have Venelana as your partner. You should marry her soon." He added with a serious tone, "I know a priest who wouldn't mind the difference in noble blood."

His assumption wasn't unfounded; many nobles prioritized bloodlines in marriages but I didn't have such concerns.

"Thank you for your concern, Sebas," I replied with a smile, "but I've already spoken to someone who can handle the arrangements. No need to trouble your friend."

Sebas nodded, relieved. "That's good."

Venelana's culinary skills had once again managed to impress everyone.

Aika's foodgasms filled the air, each exaggerated expression and delighted squeal making Akali's face flush with embarrassment. Sebast tactfully ignored the spectacle, focusing on his meal.

Venelana, however, cast Aika a sidelong glance, her eyes flashing with disdain. Yet, she refrained from commenting, maintaining a poised demeanor.

I chuckled inwardly, amused by the contrasting reactions.

Later I gave my proposal.

"If you join my clan, all this development can happen in your villages, and" Like a devil enticing his victim, "I will tell you 'secret' that will help you evolve your troops, not to mention the resources, you haven't even seen the most impressive things about my village (Giant, Berserkers, Iron Knights and Skeleton summons) and I guarantee you that you will not regret it."

Sebast didn't seem surprised because he already guessed it and was probably on board with the idea.

Aika looked like she was about to agree without knowing its consequences when Akali stopped her and asked me, "I want to see one thing that is BETTER than the rest of your village." It was not cautiousness. Maybe it was, but most of it was curiosity.

"Okay then, let's go outside."

Everyone followed me as I took them to a part of the forest that was cleaned by Berserkers (Lumberjacks Evo.)

I used a sound barrier so that the commotion didn't attract other residents.

I closed my eyes to feel a connection. It was a weaker connection than I had with my people, but it was there; I poured my magic into it.

A vibrant green magic circle materialized on the ground, pulsating with ancient power. As the air seemed to ripple with anticipation, a colossal, 5-meter-long skeleton dragon burst forth from the circle. Its massive bones, polished to an eerie sheen, gleamed in the light.

The dragon's hollow sockets blazed with an ethereal green fire, casting an otherworldly glow across the surroundings. The flames danced within its skull, imbuing the creature with an aura of majestic power.

As the dragon's presence filled the air, an unsettling silence fell, punctuated only by the soft crackle of the green flames.

Aika's eyes widened in wonder, her surprise swiftly replaced by insatiable curiosity as she beheld the majestic creature. Akali, however, tensed, her wariness palpable as she assessed the dragon's formidable power.

Sebast instinctively readied himself for defense, but his trust in me held him back.

I approached the skeleton dragon, my gaze locking onto its fiery green orbs. Releasing my aura, I sensed the dragon's magic resonating with mine. The creature lowered its head in submission, acknowledging me as its master.

I touched the dragon's skull, its icy chill and scaly roughness a stark contrast to its ethereal beauty.

"This is my loyal companion," I said, turning to my awestruck friends. "Is this demonstration sufficient?"

Akali nodded, still reeling from the display, her eyes fixed on the Skeleton Dragon. Sebast appeared like he wanted to ask something but refused.

Aika, however, burst forth with unbridled enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around my elbow. "Can I ride your dragon? I've always dreamed of riding one!" Her eyes sparkled with innocence and excitement but I knew better so I pushed her back and Sebast decided to bring back us to the main topic.

"So, Leo what are benefits and conditions for joining your clan."

I freed myself from Aika's 'grip' and asked the old man "Shouldn't you guys invite Joseph he is also a village chief?"

Sebast just waved his hand in dismissal "Nah, he will follow us whatever we do he is just a Chief in name it is us who do most of the work,"

I nodded as the old man really looked he didn't want that job.

We walked back in clan castle.

"So let me give you a list of benefits you guys will recieve upon joining my clan."

And so the offer began.

I didn't held back because they are my first allies but it won't be same for the future allies.

~~~~~

Aika

Skeleton Dragon And name Suggestions