"Sejuani?"
The woman before them had a much more slender build than Sejuani.
However, after seeing the True Ice bow in her hand, no one would think her strength was weak.
The man beside her, meanwhile, held a rune blade that could only be described as enormous.
"Whoa…"
Caleb silently took half a step back, leaving Sejuani and her boar to face them alone.
Caleb had already made up his mind. If these two started talking with too much gunpowder in the air, he would simply pull out Serylda's Grudge.
When the time came, he could use his own deeds as publicity. At worst, the two sides would separate from each other.
Caleb's gaze kept shifting between the weapons in their hands.
The moment anyone looked ready to make a move, Caleb would summon Serylda's Grudge.
Mm… Though if Volibear showed up right then, that would be pretty awkward.
But if that happened, Caleb would just improvise.
The relationships between the tribes of the Freljord were not as simple as those of the Twin Cities.
After all, the Twin Cities had once been united, but the divisions between the Freljord's tribes went back far, far longer…
Before the borders of the lands beneath the sky had even been clearly divided, the Freljord had already been born.
Back then, the Three Sisters of the ice were still fighting for the powers they each pursued.
The tribes had already been established in that age.
They were not like the young "Twin Cities," founded only a few hundred years ago after people fled the Rune Wars.
Caleb's age, before the long history of the Freljord, could also be considered "young."
He could even be called "as simple as a blank sheet of paper."
"Are you planning to stand there while speaking to me?"
Ashe's voice was very pleasant, like crystal-clear ice tapping against a silver bell.
"Heh… That habit of yours, always demanding equality, really hasn't changed."
Sejuani flipped down from Bristle's broad back and looked down slightly at Ashe, who was a little shorter than her.
"So, you brought an oathfather with you?"
Seeing that Caleb's clothing did not look Freljordian, Ashe spoke with a touch of mockery.
"How did I get dragged into this?"
Caleb was also helpless.
He had already taken half a step back. How was he still being noticed…
Caleb decided that once he became more skilled with his abilities, whenever people were discussing important matters, he would just sink into the ground.
Surely they would not cue him then, right?
"Didn't you bring a real oathfather with you?"
Sejuani glanced sideways at Tryndamere, her tone carrying disdain.
"But your oathfather still seems to need some improvement. He's not outstanding enough…"
They were clearly childhood friends, yet at this moment, the two of them were going tit for tat.
Mm… Caleb felt that this was a little awkward.
And the burning gazes behind him had turned into two.
Mm… Better get back to the matter at hand…
"I say…"
Caleb still spoke up silently.
No wonder Ashe had misunderstood. That half step Caleb had taken back made him just like Tryndamere.
He had become "the man standing behind the Warmother."
"Why don't we talk about the actual matter this time?"
Seeing that the smell of gunpowder could still be this thick even in such strong winds, Caleb had no choice but to play peacemaker.
That Tryndamere was also the kind of reckless brute who would start hacking people apart once he got angry enough.
If someone said Olaf was a little chick, that guy would probably pick up his weapon too.
When that happened, one would grab twin axes and the other would grab a huge blade, and both sides could start fighting.
Mm… Better not let those two join in.
"And you are?"
There was a hint of confusion in Ashe's beautiful eyes. This man's bearing seemed somewhat like a Freljordian's.
But not especially so.
His clothing, gear, and traveler's air instead made him look more like one of those merchants who came from across the sea.
"Caleb."
Hearing that unfamiliar foreign name, Ashe seemed to understand a little.
"I am Ashe, Warmother of Avarosa."
The thoughtful Ashe seemed to assume Caleb did not know them, so she introduced herself.
In reality, Caleb had recognized the two of them at a glance.
No other reason. He had simply seen these two champions far too many times.
"This is my bloodsworn, in other words, my husband, Tryndamere."
Caleb knew this too.
The bloodsworn bond between these two had been chosen based on Ashe's own political goals.
Tryndamere's entire clan had died in a storm that came from far beyond their homeland. In Avarosa, his self-healing ability was also enough to inspire fear.
As for Ashe herself, she had chosen him as her only bloodsworn purely to face challengers.
This was unprecedented in the Freljord, to the point that it was almost something that would never happen.
They walked into a huge, cold tent. Most of the people here were Iceborn, so there was no campfire for warmth.
"You come too."
Caleb had originally planned to take Kai'Sa and go cook a bowl of soup noodles somewhere in Avarosa's camp.
But after hearing those words, he had no choice but to temporarily say goodbye to Yuumi and Kai'Sa.
"Don't say anything unnecessary."
Before Caleb entered that cold great tent, Kai'Sa pinched the soft flesh at his waist.
"I know…"
Seeing that the one behind Ashe was the oathfather of Avarosa's Warmother, Kai'Sa could not help becoming suspicious too.
Indeed, although Sejuani spent all day riding a gigantic boar, her body truly did possess a kind of wild beauty.
Over these days, Kai'Sa had also read quite a few books in the Twin Cities.
She now understood a fair amount about some of the more advanced ideas of the present age.
Inside the cold tent, on the Winter's Claw side, Sejuani, Frena, and Olaf were present.
On Avarosa's side, there were Ashe, a powerfully built woman, and Tryndamere.
As the third party, Caleb happened to sit in the middle.
"Leanna, the mammoth shaman of our tribe."
When Caleb entered, he happened to hear Ashe introducing the only person he did not really recognize.
"So, everyone from the Winter's Claw, did you come here to declare war?"
Ashe's tone could hardly be called friendly. Compared with before, the smell of gunpowder inside the tent now seemed even stronger.
"Although I would very much like to answer yes, the advisor from outside the Freljord does not recommend that I do so."
Sejuani also responded forcefully.
"Okay, okay…"
Caleb's head was starting to hurt. If this went on, with one sentence from you and one sentence from me, then there would be no discussion at all.
At that rate, forget nighttime, the sky might turn bright again before they were done.
"We came here to discuss the Ice Children with you."
Caleb still chose to get straight to the point and clearly stated their purpose.
"The Ice Children?"
Hearing that their goal was a tribe with a blood feud against her own, Ashe also froze for a moment.
"We don't have enough food to survive the winter. We want to borrow your strength."
Caleb was the straightforward type, so he stated the purpose of this trip simply and directly.
"But the Winter's Claw has raided many tribes once protected by Avarosa."
Ashe's expression was still somewhat cold.
The Winter's Claw and Avarosa were two tribes that pursued completely different creeds.
Even when dealing with an enemy clan, Ashe still had to act with caution.
The tribe had to remain united. She could not let people's hearts scatter.
There was no shortage of capable people and extraordinary individuals within Avarosa. This shaman who worshiped the mammoth had once also been a challenger who nearly gained the position of Warmother.
If they cooperated with the Winter's Claw, there would inevitably be endless discussion within the tribe.
"Are you certain this is a good decision?"
Sejuani asked softly.
Now that the two tribes had met, the disharmony between them made almost everyone feel as if danger was hanging over their heads.
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