On one side, a grand celebration was being held to mark the destruction of the Demon Continent by the hunters. Meanwhile, the attendees congratulated the king and queen on their victory, along with two former protectors of beast. In the belief of the people in the empire, beasts were evil and must perish, their sacrifice deemed necessary for the betterment of the world they lived in.
Albert smirked at their new triumph. It wouldn't be long before they conquered the entire continent, just a little more patience. In truth, after joining the royal family to eradicate the beasts, he had already struck a deal to marry the princess of the empire. By doing so, once he wielded the power of the royal family, the world would also fall into his hands.
Albert was deep in thought when they suddenly heard a scream. "HELP ME, PLEASE! OH GOD!" The commotion immediately unsettled everyone, the royal commander, who seemed on the verge of losing his sanity. Albert approached, followed by Gabriel, who was equally puzzled.
"What happened to you, Ismael?" Albert grabbed him by both shoulders. Ismael looked around nervously before speaking, "The protector of the tower... he killed all our troops!" His entire body trembled.
"What do you mean by the protector? They don't have a protector anymore, except for us!" Gabriel interjected, but Ismael let out a deranged laugh.
"That man is no human! With that kind of power, no one can stop him!" Ismael exclaimed, shaking uncontrollably.
Albert and Gabriel exchanged sharp glances. "What do you mean they have another protector besides us? If that's the case, we must convince him to join us. Those beasts cannot have a protector," the king declared.
Albert immediately responded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Gabriel and I will ensure he aligns himself with us."
*****
On the other side, the shock and fear of the other beasts were evident as they looked at Herman. He stood frozen in his place, unable to move, when suddenly a familiar voice broke through the tense air.
"WOAHHHHH! THAT WAS AMAZING, HERMAN!" Garu shouted, running toward him with a wide grin. Without hesitation, Garu lifted Herman off the ground, spinning him around in excitement. Following closely behind was Regar, who looked at Herman with pride shining in his eyes.
"Who are you, really? As far as I know, none of our past protectors had that kind of power… yours is something else entirely," one of the Avian clan members said with a mix of awe and suspicion. Herman remained silent, unsure of what to say. After all, even he didn't fully understand his abilities—he had only been brought into this world and given this strange system.
Regar stepped forward, his tone firm as he addressed the crowd. "Instead of questioning what Herman has done for us, why don't we take a moment to thank him for saving us? Isn't that enough reason to believe in him?"
But a member of the Feliden clan scoffed, shaking his head. "That's not enough. For all we know, this could be some elaborate ploy to win us over. We've been deceived before. Are we really going to let ourselves be fooled a second time?"
Murmurs of doubt and discord rippled through the crowd. The tension grew thicker as arguments broke out, suspicion clouding the air like a suffocating fog.
Herman, seeing the chaos, took a deep breath and stepped forward, his voice calm but resolute. "Listen," he began, his words cutting through the noise, "it's okay if you don't believe me. I'm not asking for your trust or your gratitude. I don't need those things. But know this—I will wait, no matter how long it takes. And until that day comes, I will protect you all from any danger, whether you trust me or not."
The beasts still didn't trust Herman, and his words had no effect on them. They left, still carrying an air of unease. He realized that earning their trust would take much more effort—it was a long road ahead. Deciding it was best to let them be for now, Herman watched as they departed.
However, not all of them left. Regar and Garu stayed behind, and to his surprise, so did the grandmaster of the Tiger Clan.
"You've impressed me," the grandmaster said. "Thank you for saving us." With those words, he turned and left as well.
Herman tilted his head toward the sky, feeling the weight of everything. Garu approached him, placing a reassuring arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry," he said. "The day will come when you'll earn their trust."
After the incident, additional security measures were put in place around the tower with the help of the grandmasters. Herman stood silently at the edge of the area when he noticed a rustling in the leaves nearby. Curious, he carefully made his way toward the sound.
To his astonishment, a dragon appeared before him. It was chained and bore a deep wound on its leg. Herman instantly recognized it as the dragon that had been brought by their attackers.
"Hello... Are you okay?" he asked gently. "That's a serious wound. Do you want some help?"
The dragon snarled in response, baring its fangs and stepping back in anger as Herman tried to approach.
"Don't worry," he said softly, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. "I won't hurt you. I just want to help."
Calling out to his system in his mind, an interface materialized in front of him, glowing with robotic precision.
SYSTEM: DO YOU WANT TO HEAL THE DRAGON?
"Yes!" Herman answered eagerly.
The system provided him with the necessary information, and to his amazement, he discovered that he possessed healing powers. Even more shocking was the revelation that he had the ability of Resurrection.
"So… I can bring the dead back to life?" he whispered in disbelief, scrolling through the list of abilities the system displayed. Each skill he saw left him more astonished.
Determined, he activated the healing power. A radiant energy enveloped the dragon, and in mere seconds, the wound vanished completely. The dragon stared at its leg in confusion, testing its movements as if doubting what had just happened.
Suddenly, a notification appeared in front of Herman.
SYSTEM: THE DRAGON WANTS TO COMMUNICATE. DO YOU WANT TO USE 'INSTINCTUAL WHISPER'?
Herman hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Yes, activate it."