91 Chapter 91: Moonlight Forest 2

...The next morning...His head felt like it was been used as a drum, the beating sound echoed repeatedly and he quickly reached for head to hold on to it. His closed eyelids trembled greatly for a while before yanking open. He turned to the side only to realize that he was sitting in the same roofless horse carriage with Gerald who was staring at him with interest. His heart skipped a bit at this sight and his body trembled greatly but his face was still indifferent.He turned his attention to his body which was bound with shackles that had silver ancient runes on them. His mind raced back to the event at the royal courtyard and he sneered at the Prince before summoning all the strength in his body to shatter the shackles. His muscles puffed out and began bulging as he desperately struggled with the shackles but then the silver runes on them lit up and instead of loosening, it only got tighter. Realizing what was going on, Derik's face turned pale and his eyes became gloomy, he called out to his guardian spirit in his mind but there was no reply and that's when he fell into despair.Guardian spirits are occasionally called by the creator and during such occasions, their hosts are left vulnerable and can only rely on their own strength. Fortunately, only those that possess guardian spirits are aware of this incident, so unless a wielder of that guardian spirits decide to rat out the other, the outside world will never be able to take advantage of this loophole.He turned his attention to Cyrus who was not too far away, with gloomy eyes. In response Cyrus discreetly nodded, confirming his suspicion. At this point, he was already drowning in despair and cursing his bad luck in his heart. His gloomy eyes returned to Gerald who was sitting beside him with the same charming, confident smile on his face."Come on now... I know you can break these bonds which are meant for mid grade bronze realm warriors and mages... If you utilize that technique you used against me last night or just take off your limiters... You should be able to break this shackles" Gerald laughed.Sealing shackles are divided into two, the ones meant for warriors and mages. Each possessing various power levels meant to restrain people at those levels, starting from recruits to peak grade silver realm warriors... But they all possess a similar flaw if one is capable of revealing power above the level of the shackles placed on them. It should be easy for them to break it. Some may ask, why not use shackles meant for silver realm warriors and mages to bind even recruits to be sure situations where prisoners don't break out. But the truth is that creating these shackles requires a lot of rare materials and resources. A kingdom that is in possession of about 10 silver realm shackles of any grade is considered wealthy!Gerald knew that the technique utilized by Derik last night was above his level and probably ended up incurring some internal damages which will forever affect his growth but with the werewolf ability, this shouldn't be the case. The fact that Derik woke up, completely fine and wasn't in pain of any sort showed that the internal injuries he sustained are already healed. Such a regenerative speed is really terrifying and he was a bit envious of this kid. He too would have loved to possess this gift but he was an important figure in the Gyro kingdom and the eyes of the Holy church were on him. Should he attain this supernatural ability, the possibility of them finding out is quite high and they will obviously take advantage of the situation and start a crusade against the royal family of the Gyro kingdom. Wiping out every one of them and taking over the kingdom. No matter how neutral or holy the holy church has been trying to look, they could not hide their ambitious nature perfectly. "And fall into a weakened state and leave myself vulnerable?... I sincerely refuse" Derik laughed and tried to look confident"Hahahaha!" Gerald laughed"If I wanted you dead I would have killed you off the moment we left Gyro kingdom or a few hours ago while you were still unconscious," Gerald saidDerik shook his head for a while and considered the man's words"I know and I'm grateful for that but let's not act like we don't know the king's intentions for me... Whether you plan to kill me or not... It won't change a thing... The fact remains that I will be killed before we return to the kingdom... If not at your hands, someone from this expedition party will definitely do it... So do not blame me for being on guard at all time" Derik saidGerald nodded in agreement with Derik's words. He knew Derik was right, even if he doesn't initiate the attack, someone will. The only reason these people are still calm up till now is simply because of Derik's ability to scare monsters! On normal circumstances, even galloping of the horses were enough to attract monsters but after a very long and loud battle not even a single monster appeared. No! This was only possible because they scared of Derik's death aura. Until they pass through the moonlight forest no one in the group will lay a finger on him or even let a monster harm him"Your aura is special... It scares the beasts of the forest, that's why they are still keeping you alive... Until you have served your purpose no one in the expedition troop will dare to lay a finger on you... Chances are, they may even risk their lives to protect you" Gerald decided to be honest with Derik.He really liked this kid and saw no reason for him to die but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He knew his father's personality and knew this single act of defiance will turn the Gyro kingdom into hell for him. In his opinion, Derik's life wasn't really worth going through all that trouble but his life is still valuable for him to help him discreetly. He knew Derik had a plan to escape, the only thing he could do is find a way to make sure he gets the chance to escape. All that's left now is for Derik to open up to him and trust him.Derik frowned slightly upon hearing Gerald's words, His eyes narrowed as he kept staring at Gerald trying to find out if the man was been truthful and why he was being truthfulIs it possible that this man bears no ill intentions for him? The thought crossed his mind but was quickly pushed away. Seeing Derik still wasn't convinced, Gerald frowned! He tried to put himself in Derik's situation and found it reasonable that the kid was careful enough not to trust anyone. His admiration for Derik increased tenfold as realized that if he were in the same crappy situation as Derik, he may not be as calm and calculative as this kid. Even though he couldn't say that Derik was actually smart or on par with the geniuses in the Gyro kingdom, he knew Derik was still special in his own special way. The urge to help this kid survive rekindled and instantly began thinking of a more effective way to work.His eyes brightened as a thought popped up in his mind, so he took the initiative to speak first"Its only natural you don't trust me... But how about this, I'll reveal something pertaining your families welfare to you and swear to aid you in any way possible without directly implicating myself and in return, you will trust me and aid me with one thing" Gerald chuckledHearing this Derik's eyes lit up and his body trembled greatly. For the first time in a while, he showed his feelings outside the battlefield, seeing Derik tremble people began to wonder what Gerald said to Derik to make him tremble especially since this kid didn't even blink when joining the expedition crew when he was aware of their evil intentions towards him. They all tried to get closer to Gerald's Carriage but his expression instantly turned hostile and everyone quickly retreated.Gerald returned his attention to Derik and the usual charming and confident smile appeared on his face. He knew that this was one of the only ways he could reason with Derik since the kid has been away from his family for a while. Even the devil will shower his parents with love and care if he had one, so why should this kid be different? Even if he acted badass and truly didn't care about a lot of things that doesn't mean that extends to his family. Even though this was just a hunch, Gerald decided to play on it and judging based on Derik's expression it seems as if he won the bet.Derik trembled greatly inside as he considered Gerald's words. It is true that he has not been in contact with his family for a whileThe last time he met them was when he dropped off Lisa Lockwood before the salvor vampire incident, even then he was still under the influence of Demo's death powers and treated them with contempt. Luckily he was freed from the grip of the Angel of Death and they began cooperating very well to date. Since then he has been feeling guilty and has never been able to summon enough courage to return home. It's safe to say he hasn't been with his family for over close to two years now and he had to admit the welfare of his family after he's gone has always been on his mind. Derik had to confess that this prince really knew how to bargain, he tried to be rational at this moment and considered his current predicament. Acting out of emotions has never ended well for him. If he didn't let his anger get the best of him when he heard the news about Daemon being violated and didn't defile king Robert in public, he probably wouldn't have been in this situation right now. Yes, they would have to endure harsher punishments but it wouldn't be as bad as this. He considered everything and realized that he really didn't have anything to lose. If Gerald was willing to help why turn him down? Of course, he couldn't completely trust this man still, but if Gerald's demand isn't too demanding there is no reason for him to refuse. "First tell me the favor... I hope you don't mind allowing me to decline if it's too demanding" Derik saidClap!Clap!!Clap!!!"Well done... You have once again proven to me that I am making the right choice" Gerald laughed.In his opinion, a person capable of keeping his emotions in check and thinking things through even when put in a dire condition is worthy of his praise and attention. To him, there is no better ally to have than Derik!Derik has potential, he's smart and he has terrifying magic. Given enough time and the right condition, this kid will definitely become a powerhouse! And Gerald was willing to bet everything on him."I overheard your conversation with your old friends... In fact, we all did but everyone is not taking it seriously because they feel you won't make it... But I don't believe that... So here my demand... I wish to collaborate with you whenever you return and overthrow my father, taking his place as the king..." Gerald chuckled and stopped speaking. He knew this request was weird and sudden so he didn't rush itJust as Gerald thought, Derik was dazed by the request, who would have thought Gerald would hit him with something this big? He was expecting something small or just answers to some questions concerning his wolf side."Wait! Hold up... What?... Kill the king?... Why are we even talking about something so sensitive in such an open space, aren't you afraid of someone hearing this?" Derik whispered Gerald laughed out loud holding his belly and his face reddened."Hahahaha!... Seriously? You worry too much. In case you haven't noticed, my carriage is always surrounded by the members of the miracle adventurer team and a few more teams from the adventurers association. In the Gyro kingdom, there are three major forces, the military, the holy church, and the adventurers association... The military is loyal to my father, the association answers to me alone and then the church answers to those wingmen and wing women... At this moment we are surrounded by the people I trust the most... Anything we say won't leave this place... Fear not!" Gerald laughed heartily