Chapter 9: Strike Caroline!

“What? A flying horse appeared at our resting spot?”

Gervas’s eyes instantly lit up.

Though he didn’t understand what the unicorn was doing, since heaven had given him another chance, he clearly wouldn’t let it slip away.

Soon, Gervas and the others returned.

When they reached the resting spot, everyone saw an unbelievable sight—the unicorn was circling Caroline repeatedly, observing her closely.

Caroline was too terrified to move.

“Is it true that unicorns favor pure, beautiful virgins—or is it because Caroline’s lucky bloodline?”

Regardless of which, this was a rare opportunity.

“Act now—you two throw first!”

Then Gervas ordered the four to sneak toward the unicorn again.

Perhaps because Caroline’s allure was too great, the unicorn’s vigilance was extremely low; by the time Lei Meng and the others formed a semicircle among the trees to surround it, the unicorn remained unaware.

Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

The two knight retainers, seeing Gervas nod, threw their ropes first.

Lei Meng and Mi Gen followed swiftly and precisely.

This time, no mishaps occurred—all four ropes struck the unicorn’s neck.

The belatedly aware unicorn let out a long neigh and began struggling again.

But the group, experienced now, had already tied the ropes to nearby tree trunks.

Then Lei Meng rushed forward and used his battle aura to pin the unicorn firmly in place.

Confirming the unicorn was restrained, Gervas stepped forward immediately, sliced open his fingertip, and dripped blood onto the unicorn’s slightly bulging horn.

The unicorn’s struggles instantly halted.

Divine beings differ from ordinary creatures.

Ordinary creatures require a contract scroll to form a master-servant bond.

But divine beings, like dragons, if willing to submit, can form the bond themselves.

Of course, at this moment Gervas could only establish spiritual communication by dripping blood onto the horn, breaking the barrier of language.

Soon, a strange spiritual fluctuation reached Gervas’s mind.

The fluctuation was mystical; though it carried no words, its meaning was clear enough for Gervas to infer.

It was essentially: “Human, let me go! You two-legged bastards, why are you binding me?”

Gervas responded immediately: “Stop struggling. I give you two choices: either submit to me and become my companion, or I’ll kill you and eat you as magical beast meat.”

The unicorn shuddered, terrified, staring at Gervas as if he were a demon.

Seeing the creature cowed, Gervas silently thought this might work—the unicorn was still too young. “You seem fond of that woman. Why?”

“I sense purity, and also the aura of fortune. I feel being near her might bring good luck!”

Damn! Gervas exclaimed inwardly.

Good fortune did exist—but it belonged to him.

“Unicorn, do you want to stay by her side forever? If so, submit to me!”

“And unicorns live for centuries, while humans rarely reach a hundred years. You’re still young. Submit to me, and you can grow safely.”

“In a hundred years, when I die, our contract dissolves—and you’ll be fully grown, strong enough to protect yourself, free to go.”

Gervas guided him gently.

The unicorn was intelligent enough; under this mix of threat and promise, it made its choice.

“Human, I agree to the contract!”

The next instant, Gervas felt a surge of spiritual force violently pulling his consciousness away, leaving a mark within the unicorn’s mind.

When the mark was complete, Gervas sensed a new, indescribable connection in his heart.

“This is the power of the contract?” Though he could no longer speak with the unicorn, the two now understood each other intuitively.

He could now sense its current emotions and thoughts with near-perfect clarity.

“Ha! Good. Since you’re now my mount, I’ll name you—henceforth, you are Zhuīyuè.”

The subordinates paid no mind to Gervas’s actions, still treating Zhuīyuè as an ordinary flying horse.

Only Lei Meng nearby noticed Gervas’s blood-dripping and the slight bulge on the horn, sensing something odd.

But since Gervas didn’t clarify, Lei Meng said nothing further.

Thus, though only three li from Stormhold, the group decided to eat lunch there before continuing—they’d expended considerable energy just now.

At this moment, Thomas hesitated for a long while before quietly informing Gervas of Caroline’s earlier words.

It wasn’t out of malice, but out of loyalty to his family, and concern that Caroline might do something foolish.

After all, Marie Lady had already handed Caroline’s indenture contract to Gervas.

If she fled, Gervas could kill her without bearing any responsibility.

After hearing this, Gervas pondered for a moment, realizing this matter demanded serious attention.

He wasn’t lusting after Caroline’s beauty, but he had just witnessed her fortune-bringing power—he couldn’t afford to lose her.

Yet Caroline, like many native maids, was obsessed with marrying into nobility and becoming a noble lady.

So to keep her obedient, he needed to discipline her first.

After breaking her spirit, he could later consider how to win her loyalty.

So Gervas dismissed the others, leaving only Caroline.

Caroline sensed something was wrong; her face turned deathly pale, and she tried to flee.

But how could she escape Gervas?

“Don’t come near me! What do you want?”

Gervas ignored her entirely, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her up.

Caroline instantly fell into despair, squeezing her eyes shut.

But unexpectedly, the sensation of violation never came.

She opened her eyes instinctively—only to find Gervas staring at her with icy eyes.

As she wondered what was happening, Gervas spoke coldly: “Speaking behind your master’s back—you’ve committed the gravest sin of a servant!”

“In the castle, I could have flogged you to death. But I, Gervas, am merciful—today, I’ll only give you a minor punishment.”

In Caroline’s shock, Gervas flipped her over and tossed her onto the carriage.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Each palm struck Caroline’s plump buttocks.

The burning pain made her furious and enraged, but a cold voice silenced her:

“Be still. If you struggle again, I’ll sell you to some country landowner with no teeth left—I’m sure he’d pay a fine price for a pretty slave like you!”

Caroline trembled, imagining being sold to some toothless country squire—and she shuddered uncontrollably.

Thus, Caroline stopped crying and struggling, enduring over a dozen slaps from Gervas, though tears streamed down her face endlessly.