Friends

Four months later, when the Goat Caravan invited Derek to escort them once again, he readily agreed.

Steward Vincent voluntarily added another Gold Coin to his commission, which was already quite generous. He even tacitly permitted Derek to carry some private goods along with the caravan.

They were acquainted, and Derek knew the route well, so the journey went smoothly.

There was not even a trace of Bandits. Perhaps their previous defeat had already broken up that group.

Not even noble influence could reach these deep mountains, and they could not support much of a population either.

It was not until they reached the final mountain stronghold that Derek finally grew serious.

By custom, the Caravan would stay here for two days.

Derek felt somewhat expectant. He hoped his judgment had not been wrong.

Steward Vincent remembered what had happened last time and teased him, "Don't get your hopes up. I'd say there's an eighty-percent chance that Mountain Folk won't show."

Though he made his money from the Mountain Folk, he looked down on those poor, combative people.

Derek neither agreed nor disagreed. If they broke their promise, it would only make things a little more troublesome.

Still, he did not think they would. His eye for people had always been sharp.

Naturally, no one came on the first day.

There was no sign of them throughout the entire second day either.

Derek felt somewhat disappointed. Steward Vincent secretly shook his head at the sight. Young men were better off learning a few lessons.

Of course, he would not go over and make himself unwelcome at a time like this. Better to let the young man nurse his wounds alone and experience the cruelty of the world.

Derek stood outside the camp. Perhaps knowing the Caravan was about to leave, more and more Mountain Folk passed by.

Many had come over from other mountain strongholds.

Had he really misjudged them?

Derek wavered a little. The nobles of this world looked down on Mountain Folk, but he did not.

The man had the air of a hero. That was Derek's impression.

The air of a hero was a neutral term. Such people might defy rules, make mistakes, or even commit evil deeds, but they generally would not break a promise lightly.

Consider it the price of a lesson.

Derek shook his head and no longer held much hope.

Just as he turned to leave, someone suddenly called out behind him, "Von, I'm here."

Derek spun around at once and saw several figures running toward him with things strapped to their backs.

A smile spread across his face, not because of the ten Wild Boar Hides, but because they had come as promised.

Before long, the Mountain Folk man Wood ran up to Derek.

Derek noticed that Wood took half a step back, while the others instinctively stood behind him.

At once, a familiar face came into view.

Derek remembered him clearly. This was the man who had charged at the front last time and been punched full of bloody holes. He had not expected him to still be alive.

Thud!

Several bundles of Wild Boar Hides landed on the ground with a dull crash.

"Von, this is what we owed you. I, Wood, never lie."

Derek did not even glance at the Furs on the ground, despite their considerable value outside the mountains.

"You truly keep your word. You're a real man."

Derek praised him loudly. Wood puffed out his chest, no longer wearing the pleading expression he had last time.

Now that was what a proper man looked like.

The Mountain Folk man Loyd had been watching Derek all along.

He was very curious about the man who had been willing to lend him Healing Salve, especially when Derek seemed not to see the Furs on the ground at all.

He did not seem like a noble knight.

He had originally come only to fulfill his promise, but another thought suddenly arose in Loyd's mind.

"Von, thank you for trusting me. Do you dare come with me? I'll buy you a drink."

The invitation took everyone by surprise.

Wood could not help shouting, "Big Brother!!!"

He might dislike outsiders, but he had developed some goodwill toward Derek. He thought his big brother intended to lure the man away, rob him, and kill him.

After a brief pause, Derek realized this was an opportunity.

Winning trust was sometimes simple, and sometimes difficult.

If he refused, he might lose an excellent opportunity.

Loyd did not look like a fool. He probably would not do anything foolish.

And most importantly... Derek touched the sword at his waist and revealed a confident smile.

"Why wouldn't I dare? But wait a moment."

Derek beckoned to Simon, who had been watching from afar. The Knight Squire had been highly alert. The moment he saw a group approaching Derek from a distance, he had kept his attention fixed on them.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

Simon stared at Loyd, his powerful body radiating a strong sense of intimidation.

He had grown even stronger than he had been four months ago.

"Have someone take these away. And bring me the things I carried with me."

Derek did not stop Simon's hostility. It was another form of deterrence, a display of his strength.

Sure enough, when they saw Derek's subordinate, everyone's expressions turned more solemn. Clearly, unpleasant memories had resurfaced.

Derek acted as though he had not noticed and turned with a smile. "You don't mind if I bring an attendant, do you?"

In this situation, what difference did one more person make?

Loyd nodded. If this man had the courage to come along, then perhaps they could become friends.

Simon quickly called someone over to carry away the Furs, then took out the private goods before Steward Vincent could react.

Simon came over carrying a wooden crate on his shoulder.

Ignoring their curious stares, Derek urged, "Let's go!"

Loyd silently nodded to his men, then took the lead.

The Caravan was not actually camped inside the mountain stronghold. It was merely on a relatively flat patch of ground outside the gate.

Loyd and his people lived some distance from here. Since they had rushed over in such haste, they certainly would not be returning overnight.

They had found a place nearby and set up camp.

There were three crude hide tents, with a bonfire already burning in the middle.

When Loyd returned, five or six people emerged one after another.

Derek silently observed them. This small group alone had ten people.

They were not weak by mountain standards.

Among the Mountain Folk here, some formed strongholds with a hundred or so people, while others might be just a single family struggling to survive alone.

Surviving in the mountains was difficult. Unless they had nowhere else to go, no one wanted to stay here for long.

So for Loyd to gather around ten sturdy men showed he was highly capable. And these were probably not all of his people.

After all, they were not going out to work. There was no need to bring everyone.

The people left behind did not seem to recognize Derek when they saw him.

But their gazes were unfriendly, and they had clearly taken him for easy prey.

Loyd said nothing at all, as though he truly intended to lure Derek here and butcher him.

For these lawless Mountain Folk, killing him to vent their anger did not seem impossible.

Simon already had one hand resting on his sword. At a single command, he could erupt into violence and kill at any moment.

Derek, on the other hand, looked unconcerned. He laughed heartily and found a tree stump to sit on.

"You... chief, there's no need to play these games. Sit down and let's talk."

Looking at him, one might have thought he was in his own home.

Loyd raised a hand to stop his restless subordinates, then sat down openly across from Derek.

"Aren't you afraid?"