Chương 28: The Return

When he returned to the auction house, he bid farewell to Brigand before instantly leaving with his three slaves in tow.

Derrick led them out of the city and immediately set off to Akata. Now that he had the means to expand, his ambitions were through the roof.

However, his lack of foresight came to bite him in the ass.

His entire plan revolved around going to Terra and recruiting specialists, but... he had forgotten about transportation.

He had grown accustomed to flying on Io, which had made him disregard everyone else.

On top of this, he had completely emptied his wallet, making the idea of hiring a coachman completely unfeasible. The only option remaining was walking.

Nevertheless, he was lucky that his three companions had at least a decent physique. The journey would simply take a bit longer... or so he thought.

He hadn't accounted for the fact that there was also a dwarf in his ranks. One of Derrick's objective was to remain low profile, and it went right out of the window when an 'enemy' race freely walked the roads.

Every passerby threw weird looks, with some even shouting insults. Derrick knew he only had himself to blame for this massive oversight.

"Do you know what I am?"

Since they had plenty of time, Derrick had decided to mentally share information with them. They would eventually find out anyway, so it was better if they dealt with the shock beforehand and accepted the situation.

When they heard the question, the trio looked at themselves, confused.

Since they had the same master, a mental network had formed, allowing them to mentally communicate with each other.

"You're obviously human"

William Enceworth, the scholar, was the first to respond. He had been very intrigued by the question.

"You're correct, but what is my 'profession'?"

The man could only shrug, since he didn't have the skill to determine such things. He was out of his depth.

"A fighter. You always wear a cloak, and I bet it's to hide your armor"

The next answer came from his general, Eloise Tornomi.

"You're correct on that front, but I'm a fighter out of necessity, not by choice. It's not my main class"

After failing twice, they started deliberating, making Derrick chuckle.

Forming early bonds was always a good thing.

They finally reached a consensus, and it was the turn of the dwarf, Fomamli Trollfall, to speak with his low and raspy voice.

"You're a Sorcerer because you had enough money to buy all of us"

Derrick shook his head once again.

"Close enough, but no. I'm a Necromancer"

They were all stunned and mute.

It was also the first time that Derrick had seen fear in their eyes, causing him to erupt in laughter.

"Are necromancers that bad? The ones before me must have made quite a ruckus to be this feared on the continent"

They didn't know how to answer.

They had never met one, but they had heard of their inhuman experiments and bottomless bloodlust. After a while, Eloise decided to share her thoughts.

"You're currently our Master, and we will serve you regardless of what you are or do, but we'd like to know your objective"

Derrick's mouth curled upwards.

"It's simple : I want to dominate the world and crush the ones that hurt me"

His declaration sent the three reeling even harder, wondering if they had heard correctly.

What the hell was he saying?!

Before they could speculate further, Derrick continued.

"I've created a town, deep in the forest, that is named Akata. It currently has 1500 inhabitants and 140 soldiers. I bought you all to bolster my expansion plans"

This man... was trying to go up against Empires?! Was he crazy?!

"That's why I value you and said that I wouldn't mistreat you. What I'm offering you is a new lease on life. Of course, I'll honor the agreement that I previously proposed. If you work adequately for 6 months, I'll pledge a magical oath to release you after another 6. If you want to leave afterward, you'll be free to do so. I just want you to keep in mind that this is a chance to take revenge on those who have harmed you and your loved ones"

They all stayed silent, deep in thought. They had suffered crushing defeats and had lost those they cared about in the process.

It would be a lie to say they didn't consider revenge, but who could offer them such a chance?

In their minds, they were like grains of sand in a vast desert.

"Instead of words, I'll show you all why I deserve to be followed. I'm sure you'll be surprised. I'll also say that the reputation of necromancers isn't completely false, as I take a visceral pleasure in killing those who oppose me..."

Derrick's twisted smile sent shivers through their bodies. The man was clearly a dangerous predator.

***

"My Lord, there was an anomaly reported on the roads leading to the forest"

"Oh? What was it?"

"A Dwarf walking with a group of people"

The man in charge frowned.

"It was exposed to everyone?"

"Yes. It wasn't clear whether it was a slave or not"

"These incompetent morons... Send a reminder throughout the city that if a slave of those filthy races is seen in public, their owner will be put to death"

Rage and contempt were shining through his cold and lifeless blue eyes.

***

Instead of taking a day by flight, their trip back to Akata had taken them a full week.

After passing through the farming lands of Terra, they had arrived at the outskirts of the forest before entering.

Derrick had then showed them Io, with them jumping back in fright. To their defense, the creature did look terrifying.

After slowly accepting the fact that the half-bat half-eagle creature couldn't hurt them, Derrick had made them ride him.

They had categorically refused at first, but after a surge of courage from Eloise, the others had soon followed.

Once Derrick finally arrived, he was shocked.

The little settlement was gone, instead replaced by a bustling town that seemed more alive than ever.

Even the trio was flabbergasted.

A worker, who recognized Derrick, immediately ran away, making him heartily laugh. He knew he had gone to report to his supervisor.

After a few minutes, that same worker was now accompanied by two people.

One was Lacha, who was happy to see Derrick, and Jack, who seemed to be quite grumpy.

As she was about to approach the necromancer, she noticed that there were three new figures behind him, one of which was a woman.

When he saw her displeasure, Derrick took her in his embrace and consoled her.

"Don't be jealous. They are our new residents, and they'll be working harder than anyone else"

Lacha became flushed, surprised that Derrick had taken her so boldly. Had he grown more confident during this trip?!

Derrick then turned his attention to Jack, who didn't dare make eye contact.

"Express yourself"

"Your Highness, even though we've managed to build the facilities needed to lodge everyone, I'm having trouble assigning tasks to crews of other villages... Let's just say that their attitudes have regressed since you left"

Derrick's aura suddenly burst forth, and everyone present felt a primal fear deep in their bones.

"Show me the way"