Chapter 400: Making a Deal

“Julius, do you know who this man is?” Lily asked anxiously. She likely was able to figure out that Doren wasn’t a Tier 4 or even a Tier 5. The man exuded that kind of presence.

“I do,” he said simply, letting her connect with her empathic ability to let her feel his current emotions. It was only then that she calmed down.

He ignored the others for the time being. “Did you know that the people were going to target my friends?” he asked Doren with a frown.

“I thought it was possible,” Doren replied casually as he looked around at the chaotic environment around them.

“But you didn’t do anything,” Julius said, doing his best not to sound accusatory, but he believed it failed because when Doren looked over at him, there was a hint of exasperation.

“I trusted you could take care of it,” The man said with a level of confidence that surprised Julius.

“I would rather not have taken that risk in the first place,” Julius argued heatedly.

Doren sighed loudly, and for the first time, a little bit of irritation seeped into his voice. “It is not my responsibility to save you or your friends. I would have thought you, of all people, would understand this.”

Julius was about to retort, but held his tongue. Doren was absolutely right. Julius should not expect Doren to save his friends. It is not like the man is required to do so either. Just because he was strong enough to do so didn’t mean he had to. It was Julius’s mistake to assume that. He should have known better.

Julius nodded. “I’m sorry, you are right. Saving them is not your responsibility. I was just being…”

“Young and emotional,” Doren said with an understanding nod. “I get it, and I am not upset.”

Julius gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks.” That was where he should have stopped, but he couldn’t help but give it a try. “Do you think you can get them safely back to Peralt for me?”

“For you?” Doren repeated with a tilt of his head.

“Yes.”

“And for what? Free?” Doren asked, half joking with him.

“Of course not. Whatever you deem is an equal exchange,” Julius said with a soft nod, and looked at Doren seriously.

Doren saw the seriousness and shook his head in amusement. “Okay, that sounds good to me,” he said without hesitation or any haggling. Julius was expecting the man to deny the request outright, considering what he had told Julius about his neutral stance. Instead, he agreed without saying another word.

Julius was a bit stunned and watched as Doren walked over to his friends. “Do you want me to help this other group as well?” Doren turned to ask Julius.

“If you don’t mind,” Julius said with a wince.

“Not at all, it will just cost you extra,” Doren said.

Julius laughed but quickly stopped when he realized that Doren wasn’t joking. He looked over at the team who had fought with them and eventually nodded.

“Deal,” Julius said. He would worry about the cost later. For now, he would rather his friends get somewhere safe, doubly so since someone was clearly trying to kill Derek. If only he could know who was behind it. While it wouldn’t solve their issues, it would solve one mystery. He was still hoping that it was the Conclave that was trying to kill Derek. Although it was not a good thing, it would keep things simpler.

“Wait a moment. What is going on here, and how do you know this guy?” Aubrey said, frustratedly.

Lily placed a calming arm on Aubrey, likely communicating with her silently. However, she wasn’t the only person who had something to say.

“I agree with Aubrey. I want to know what is going on,” Derek stated.

“I can explain later, for the moment, let Doren take you guys back to Peralt,” he explained.

Derek was about to argue, but Julius waved his hand to cut him off. “I promise I will explain later, but with the recent attack, I don’t think that time is on our side. I would rather you all be safe first,” Julius said sternly.

This seemed to appease Derek, or at the very least, Derek understood their situation and chose not to argue.

“How is he supposed to do that? I thought spatial teleportation wasn’t possible in the Endless Forest,” Eris’s teammate suddenly asked.