Thomas could barely walk, and he had no memories except for the fact that his body had been hijacked by an unknown force and that he had been powerless, floating in the void. He couldn"t see, feel or do anything, but he could tell that his body had been through h.e.l.l and back just now. He hoped that he hadn"t caused a lot of trouble...Meanwhile, Derrick was ecstatic, to the point of puzzling even Thomas who ran through various scenarios where he had caused trouble. After all, he had woken up in a small crater, stained with immense quant.i.ties of blood. Seeing his discomfort, Derrick laughed and patted his shoulder.
"You don"t have to worry... The only thing that happened was you beating up your General and sending her to the infirmary..."
Thomas"s face paled in an instant and lard beads of sweat appeared everywhere... What had he done!? Their General was someone so terrifying that everyone didn"t dare approaching her, and he couldn"t fathom what she would do in reprisal... What in the h.e.l.l happened?! The smile smirk that had formed on Derrick"s face disappeared and made place for a warm smile.
"Hahaha I"m messing with you! Well, that did happen, but her life isn"t in any danger. Plus, I think that she knows that you weren"t in control... And that"s why you"ll be an important piece in the future. Your training will become h.e.l.l from now on, without the option to slack off. But first, let"s go see her condition. You did quite a number on her"
Thomas was gingerly walking and kept beating himself inside. Even though Derrick had tried rea.s.suring him, he still did a horrible thing... He hoped that he hadn"t left permanent injuries.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at Lacha"s house where a large contingent of soldiers were stationed. When they saw Thomas, their eyes expressed fear and respect. They didn"t know what happened, but they knew for sure that this guy had a monster deep inside him.
Without stopping, they cut through the crowd and entered the small house. In the bedroom laid Eloise, wrapped up in bandages. She was asleep and Lacha was by her side, monitoring the situation. She hadn"t been able to heal all the injuries due to her novice healing skill, but it had still prevented any injuries to last permanently.
"I see you"ve done a good job Lacha. Thank you"
With a small pat on her back, Derrick stayed at her side, which made her slightly blush. She wasn"t very tall and Derrick"s build was impressive, on top of his handsome features. She felt safe by his side, which made her develop feelings that hadn"t been present before.
The ashamed Thomas was hanging in a corner of the room, appalled at what he had done. His General had been more than simply beaten, she had been wrecked mercilessly!
Eloise saw his anguish and proceeded to calm him as well. She had been shocked when the soldiers had brought over Eloise in such a sorry state, and they had told her the events. Her reaction had been shock, followed by curiosity. How could someone hide such power and be unaware of it?
Anyway, it didn"t concern her and her only task was to tend to her injuries, so she hadn"t pestered them with questions.
Seeing that the situation was stable, Derrick convened a gathering with the new villagers and Akata"s populace. He had to make sure they would blend in effortlessly or factions would appear, and he knew that issues would arise in the near future. Even though his primary goal was to take revenge, he figured that building something that would last way past his death would be fulfilling. His second chance had been for the sake of revenge, but he intended to use it for much more.
***
The large gathering of people looked impressive. Everyone mingled, and they asked questions as to where they came from and their story. They quickly realized that they had one thing in common : they were all refugees that had fled their homelands.
Skeptics of Derrick"s behavior asked about the living conditions to the natives, and they were all surprised when they were answered with scorn.
"How dare you doubt our King? I admit that he came in brazenly and without warning, but he has treated us with respect! He"s also giving us work and food is guaranteed. Also, our children will have the chance to go to school for free! If that isn"t benevolence, I don"t know what is... Such privileges are unheard of, even in the Empires"
The folks from the Yamato village couldn"t believe it, and neither could Moira and Julio. There was a school here?! Where the h.e.l.l did they get a Scholar that would agree to come here?
Before they could inquire some more, Derrick appeared at the center stage of the town square, followed by a dwarf, a grizzled old man, a properly dressed and aged man and Lacha, which had introduced herself when they had arrived.
The pa.s.sionate stories and talks instantly died down, waiting for the address of their new ruler.
In front of the scene, Derrick could only be proud. Such a scene would have been inconceivable a few months ago, but here he was, with his plans well underway. Before he started his speech, he asked the system for an update regarding the progression of the village.
[Akata Village]
[Level : 2]
[Population : 2197]
[Soldiers : 160]
[Funds : 0 gold]
[Tax : 0%]
[Inst.i.tutions : Forge, Military Quarters (50% completed), School (In progress)]
[Mood : 80/20]
The mood had fallen, but it was expected. In fact, it was even better than his predictions, which made his already jovial mood even better. His financials were still in the toilet and there still no way to collect any tax, but he had gotten what he wanted in the end.
With such an influx of people and a new weapon that would be make his army renowned throughout the lands, the future could only be bright from here, if he didn"t slip up...
After getting back his bearings and gazing at everyone below, his voice was heard.
"Welcome, citizens of Yamato, to your new home! I know that I convinced you to leave your homes with the idea of revenge, but fret not, because the day will arrive. After a long and tiring journey where some of you even lost close friends, I can finally tell you that your new lives begin. Ones where you won"t be persecuted and one where your purpose isn"t as shallow as simply earning money. Behind me are the wind of change you"ve all been waiting for. Let me present them to you!"
While turning and pointing, he continued.
"This is our master Blacksmith, Fomamli. As you can see, he is a dwarf. I know, I know... Some of you are on edge when seeing other races, but in this town, we respect each and every individual, no matter their background. If you see an incident of blatant abuse, feel free to report it to the higher ups. Closing that topic, you"ll be able to order custom-made products there, if you have the materials of course. We are planning to sell some later, but that"s a discussion for another day. Next is Jack, the supervisor of our construction teams. He leads and directs the groups that will be responsible for building your houses. Since most of you are able-bodied and ready to work, you"ll either be a.s.signed to farming or construction. Now, this fine gentleman is our Scholar that will be teaching your kids, William. The School isn"t opened yet, but please bear with me"
Now that he had arrived at Lacha, a smirk suddenly appeared on Derrick"s face. A nefarious idea had just crossed his mind, and Lacha felt a s.h.i.+ver run through her body. While taking a more domineering tone, he took her in his embrace and resumed, surprising her.
"This is my first wife, Lady Lacha. When I"m not around, she is in charge of the affairs of this place. She is also a healer, which means that if you have any sort of ailments, feel free to contact her"
His smirk grew wider and what he said next made all the Yamato"s villagers gasps, including Lacha.
"Also, my second wife, Lady Moira, is in attendance! She is new to this place, so please show her the same respect"