My Name is Leo Mundo

Leo, still grappling with the excruciating pain, took a deep breath and tried to steady his swirling thoughts. Gradually, fragments of information started to piece together, giving him some background about his new world. This was a classic high-fantasy realm filled with myriad deities and numerous races.

Leo now found himself in the Orantis Empire, located in the eastern part of the Dawn Continent. This empire bordered the orcish territories of the northern tundras. A few centuries ago, the Orantis Empire began its rise from the southeastern corner of the continent. With advanced technology, formidable military power, and a well-developed military system, it unified the southern nations. The empire then allied with northern tribes to expel orcs, trolls, and other humanoid races from the northern provinces, driving them deep into the northern tundras.

Much like the transition from the classical period to the medieval era in his previous world, the once-glorious and expansive Orantis Empire had begun to decline over the centuries, fracturing into a landscape of warring fiefdoms. The northern provinces were now governed by Grand Duke Mitchell of the Odaloff family. As the northern economy and military focus shifted southward in the struggle for imperial dominance, the relaxed vigilance in the north allowed small bands of orc raiders and troll scouts to resurface near the North Ice River, plundering human villages and towns.

Leo's village was on the front lines of these incursions. Had it not been for Uncle Urian, a retired soldier who had expanded and rigorously trained the militia, they would have suffered the same fate as other nearby settlements, reduced to ruins by the orcs. But this state of affairs could not continue indefinitely. After a year of holding off these raids, Uncle Urian made a bold decision: to lead the entire village southwest, crossing a thousand miles from the northernmost part of Count Freilov's territory to its southernmost edge, to establish a new home by a riverbend at the foot of the Grand Barrier.

Uncle Urian had once been stationed near this riverbend, at the source of the Anzerno River, where only a few small tribes of non-human races lived, and high-level magical beasts were scarce. He also had a land grant authorized by the Freilov family, allowing them to claim and cultivate this unoccupied land. If they could establish themselves, develop enough farmland, and pay the required taxes, they would be granted the title of pioneer knights by the Freilov family.

During his five years stationed downstream of this riverbend, protecting the westernmost town of the Freilov family from potential dragon attacks from the Grand Barrier, Uncle Urian never encountered any dragons or high-level magical beasts. This part of their history seemed free of such threats.

But beyond these basics, Leo's new body didn't hold much more information. The previous owner, Leo Mundo, was a classic hothead—a fearless fighter who never backed down. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, consumed by grief and alcohol, followed soon after, leaving young Leo to fend for himself. He survived by stealing, begging, and sometimes outright robbing his fellow villagers. As a teenager, he even brought back a half-grown snow bear from the mountains, feeding the entire village before making everyone stay up at night to guard against the bear's retaliation.

Eventually, at fifteen, Leo became the village's unbeaten champion, only to be bested by Uncle Urian, who then conscripted him into the militia. Leo's natural fighting spirit flourished under rigorous training, making him a wild, formidable warrior at just seventeen.

Leo stirred in the cart, his head resting on the lap of the blonde girl. She shifted slightly, her large chest moving out of his way, and watched him closely.

"Olivinia?" Leo rasped, his voice rough and his mouth filled with the taste of blood. Whether it was from the gnoll leader or his own wounds, he couldn't tell. His left arm was bound with splints, his chest bore the marks of the gnoll leader's flail, and his shoulder still ached from the gnoll's bite.

"Yes, I'm here," Olivinia replied softly, her fingers gently brushing through his sweat-drenched hair. "The gnolls?"

"You drove them off," she said, her body trembling slightly at the memory. From her vantage point, Olivinia had witnessed the gnoll leader's brutal struggle and ultimate demise. Leo, in a frenzied fight, had clamped his teeth around the gnoll leader's throat, holding on until the creature suffocated.

"Good," Leo muttered, piecing together the memories of the original Leo Mundo. The gnolls' raid had been unexpected. They typically only attacked when their numbers vastly outmatched their prey. For them to ambush a caravan of nearly fifty armed militiamen and three hundred villagers was unusual.

The journey had taken over a month, and the initial thousand-strong caravan, including survivors from neighboring villages, had dwindled as people with means or skills left at safer towns along the way. Now, only the most loyal to Uncle Urian remained—a mix of the old, the weak, the women, and a handful of able-bodied men.

Non-noble pioneers like Leo's group had significant disadvantages. They lacked the resources and military support of noble families and couldn't enforce loyalty among their followers. People could leave whenever they wished, unlike vassals who were bound by law and duty to their lords.

Leo's thoughts raced. According to Uncle Urian, there were several other tribes in the riverbend area, each as strong as the gnolls they had just faced. Could their diminished group survive the journey and establish a new home?

"Leo, don't worry," Olivinia said, sensing his anxiety. "Rest and recover. We have Papa with us." She firmly believed in her father's capabilities, seeing him as a figure of strength and wisdom.

Leo managed a weak smile in return, though his thoughts were far from settled. In this new life, he was no longer just Leo. He was Leo Mundo: a survivor, a fighter, and now a leader with an uncertain future.

He was a transmigrant, a gnoll-slayer, and the captain of the militia. The journey ahead was fraught with danger, but he was ready to face it head-on. The name Leo Mundo would become known far and wide in this strange new world.