On the coming of age day, Eric and Max finally truly moved into their newly built house, adjacent to the house Eric lived in before, situated between Thomas’s and Luci’s houses.
Leo had become a tall young man; although temporarily not yet fully mature, his physique looked very much like an adult.
Facing Eric, Leo still carried a childish mentality, reluctant to leave his brother. He bent down to hug Eric, just like when he was small and hugged his waist without letting go, nuzzling against Eric’s neck coquettishly.
"Brother, stay here. Isn’t it good just like before? Or you stay at Max’s place for a few days, then stay at our house for a few days..."
The handsome blond youth looked down at Eric with teary eyes; the destructive power was immense.
Eric felt amused but also a bit sour inside, gently rubbing Leo’s head: "You’re about to become an adult, why do you still cry so much? Careful or Flower and the others will laugh at you."
Leo nuzzled his head into Eric’s palm: "I don’t care. They don’t have a brother, how would they know my feelings? Brother, don’t move out."
"Enough." Max really couldn’t stand it anymore; his face darkened as he reached out to lift Leo by the collar, pulling Eric into his own embrace with the other hand.
He had waited so long for the day of Eric’s adulthood. If this brat coaxed Eric into not living with him with just a few words, what would he do?
"When I was your age, I could already hunt alone. You also must quickly shoulder the responsibilities of a beastman and share the burden for your brother," Max said in a deep voice.
Speaking of this, Eric remembered the matter of Leo’s mother.
Several years ago, the Golden Kingdom rebelled, and the turmoil had lasted until now.
Not long ago, Sunflower had led a few trusted aides here to trade for food. From him, they heard that the original Beast King was now in a weak position, and there were not many beastmen loyal to him left in the kingdom.
And the opposition against him—the leader was a female warrior of the Golden Lion tribe, who used to be one of the six great generals alongside Sunflower.
Thinking about it, that was Leo’s mother.
Sunflower’s state at that time looked very depressed. Although he had joined the other side, there were quite a few people in the Tiger tribe who had joined the Beast King, unrepentant no matter how their fellow tribesmen advised them.
Facing his own kin on the battlefield, whether winning or losing, Sunflower didn’t feel easy in his heart.
But Eric felt that everyone had their own choice. If Sunflower and others disliked the Beast King’s method of selling out their own kind, there would be beastmen who turned their spears for money.
The word "power," whether authority or profit, was enough to sway people’s hearts.
Eric had a favorable impression of Sunflower’s actions, so he took the opportunity to have a drink with him and Max.
There was no need to speak those grand principles; Eric believed that Sunflower understood in his heart that whether it was the Tiger tribe, the Leopard tribe, or even the Snow Wolf tribe, there would be beastmen tempted by benefits.
The Hadu tribe was not a monolith either; it was just that the management was good, plus the economy was developing more prosperously day by day, which suppressed the thoughts of those people.
The humans in the tribe had, after all, been steeped in that atmosphere in the human world for many years. Upon arriving at the Hadu tribe, they also had other thoughts, such as fighting for power and profit, or flattering the managing beastmen, etc.
If the Beast King ran here, Eric dared not guarantee that no one would sell the tribe’s information.
In short, don’t expect too much from human nature, and don’t be heartbroken by disappointment; everyone has different choices.
After drinking a meal and getting drunk, Sunflower pulled himself together and took the supplies back to support his kin.
Knowing that the female leader was Leo’s mother, Eric specially gave double the food and various dried rations, for which Sunflower thanked him profusely.
Now that Leo was grown up and the affairs of the Golden Kingdom were coming to an end, it was time to tell the boy the truth and let him choose for himself.
"Leo, I have something to tell you. This matter is very important."
Eric looked at Leo, who was still dissatisfied and glaring at Max, took a deep breath, and spoke solemnly.
"What is it, Brother? Say it." Leo rarely saw him with this attitude towards him, so he leaned his head closer to Eric, listening attentively.
Seeing that golden head getting so close to Eric, Max clenched his fist, suppressing the itch in his hand.
"Leo, actually your mother... isn’t dead. That war was too chaotic, and the number of beastmen dead and injured was too high. Your mother gave birth to you on the battlefield, but she was also injured and fell into a coma, taken away by her comrades, so our mother found you."
Eric looked at Leo, who was stunned on the spot, and asked nervously:
"I just learned of your mother’s identity. She is now the Great General of the kingdom, leading a faction of beastmen against the Beast King, and results are coming soon. If you want, I can take you to your mother, so mother and son can reunite."
Leo’s lips trembled. Before, pretending to be teary-eyed was to make Eric feel pity, but now his eyes truly turned red.
"Brother, you don’t need me anymore?"
Eric laughed; why was this child’s focus so skewed:
"No, silly, this is forever your home. No matter what you choose, I am forever your brother; you can’t refuse even if you want to."
Only then did Leo throw himself into his arms. Due to the height issue, it looked more like he was hugging Eric into his arms: "Brother, I don’t know. Let me think it over carefully. Just don’t abandon me."
Max looked coldly at the back of his neck, arms crossed behind his back.
This was the first he had heard of this too. Considering the aspect of the situation, he would spare this stinking brat just this once.
Leo thought and thought, hesitating for nearly a month, before finally making up his mind.
Hearing that he wanted to go to the Golden Kingdom to see his mother, Eric started thinking about who would be better to accompany him. At this moment, the kingdom was still in civil war; although Leo’s mother had the upper hand, it was dangerous after all.
Besides Max, both Arthur and Evan had very strong combat power. Eric thought for a moment; Evan had a deep blood feud with the Golden Kingdom, so it was best not to let him go. The best choice was Arthur.
The tribe also needed someone to watch over it. Galvin had now successfully condensed a beast core; this task could be given to him.
Moreover, Michael, Grass, Kevin, and the others were not weak in strength, plus the tribe currently had several thousand Wolf tribe warriors. Eric could rest assured leaving for a while.
The tribe was stable now; whether it was the workshops or the fields, there were beastmen in charge of managing them in an orderly manner. It wasn’t to the point where Eric didn’t dare to go out casually like before.
Leo was going to see his mother, and the kingdom was in chaos. Even with Max and Arthur there, Eric wasn’t at ease—mainly worried that if he wasn’t there, those two would fight.
Max was a bit annoyed.
He and Eric had only lived together for a short time before having to take Leo to the Golden Kingdom. If it were before, he would certainly have been very happy to be on the road with Eric for some time again.
But now that they had a home, they could kiss and hug every day; with other people on the road, they couldn’t be intimate...