Chapter 326: The Fall of Noble Pride
Alexander made himself comfortable in the chair once again and leaned forward, fixing his dark eyes on the woman.
"It seems you aren’t aware of your position," Alexander said in a calm tone.
The woman clutched her reddened cheek, trembling with rage as she glared at him with murderous hate.
"You’re the one who isn’t aware, you ignorant fool!" she shrieked, spitting out the words. "How dare you lay a hand on me? I am...!"
SLAP!
Another sharp slap echoed through the tent, snapping her head back with brutal force.
"You’re just a bitch barking too much, so you’d better calm down," Alexander told her, narrowing his eyes. "Don’t force me to hurt you. I want to know your name, your skill, and who you work for, alright? It’s not that complicated. If you answer me, you won’t have to suffer too much."
The woman let out a bitter, contemptuous laugh as she wiped a streak of blood from her lip with the back of her hand.
"If you think you can subdue me, you’re a complete idiot," she said, raising her chin with arrogance. "Even if you drag me before the mayor, they won’t declare me a slave under any circumstances. I am of noble birth. Nobles cannot be enslaved under kingdom law."
Alexander remained silent for a second, a mocking smirk forming on his lips.
"I see..." Alexander said, slowly standing up from the chair. "So that’s what you’re relying on. The belief that no one can do anything to you because of your noble blood."
"Do you think I’m an idiot?" Alexander said, taking a slow step toward her. "If you were so powerful, you wouldn’t be out here in the middle of nowhere, hiding from everyone and afraid to step outside lest they discover you’re a member of the Wild Rose."
"Ah, what an idiot you are!" the woman shot back with a mocking laugh. "Do you think the Wild Rose operates without oversight? Every district is supervised by a noble. All I have to do is state my name, and I’ll be allowed to walk away. You think you know everything, but you have no idea about anything in this world, brat."
Alexander scratched his chin, remaining utterly unbothered.
"Alright, alright, point taken," Alexander said casually. "Well, I suppose if all of you vanish, they should come looking for you, right? How about we run a little test?"
"Hey, wait! What are you doing...?" she gasped upon seeing Alexander pull out a piece of cloth. "Hey, wait! Mmm... mmm... mmm...!"
Alexander gagged her tightly with a swift motion and proceeded to tie her hands behind her back.
"Well, let me take you for a walk," Alexander said as he secured the knots. "I guess you were arrogant enough to tell your guards to take the day off just to handle me alone. Besides, I noticed an unmonitored spot leading straight to the secondary exit. Did someone like you really not know about that? You’re either overly confident in your skill or you underestimate me. Either way, you’re bound now, so it doesn’t matter. Let’s move."
The noble woman tried to struggle, letting out a muffled grunt. Alexander landed a precise strike to her stomach that knocked all the air out of her lungs, folding her in half.
"You’d better stay still, or you’ll suffer even more," Alexander warned her in a low voice.
He slung the woman over his shoulder and pushed past the tent flap. Stepping outside, he was greeted by five camp guards with their weapons drawn.
"Well, well... looks like you’re here, even if it’s just five of you," Alexander said, adjusting his hold on his captive.
"We’re more than enough to hold you off," the guard at the front declared in a threatening tone. "We’ve already raised the alarm. No matter where you run or try to hide, you’re dead."
"Hehe..." Alexander let out a brief chuckle. "First off, who said I was going to hide? And second, who says just five of you bitches can hold me off? I can be a gentleman with women, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kill them. Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way. I’m curious to see how useful my skills are against you lot."
Alexander extended his free hand and funneled his mana in a single burst.
"[Wind Claws]."
Seeing the sharp trails of energy form in the air, the guards’ faces turned pale as wax. They recognized the technique instantly: it was the signature skill of the Adventurer Branch Leader, a killer renowned for wiping out entire squads. It was said that in close quarters, any ambush was utterly useless against it.
"Shit, it’s that skill! Run...!" one of the guards shrieked in terror.
They all scrambled to dodge out of the way, but it was too late. The skill executed in a flash. The invisible blades of wind sheared through the air and sliced effortlessly through their armor and flesh, acting like a massive meat grinder. Within seconds, the bodies of all five guards collapsed dismembered onto the dirt.
Alexander looked down at the remains and let out a quiet sigh.
"Looks like I went a bit overboard, my bad," Alexander muttered, glancing sideways at the woman over his shoulder. "Alright, now let’s go. Sorry about your allies; if they hadn’t messed with me, they wouldn’t have been shredded like that, my apologies."
The noble woman stared at the pool of blood and scattered entrails on the ground. She stopped struggling entirely, her body trembling uncontrollably. She realized she hadn’t brought in a simple intruder, but an absolute calamity and terror gripped her soul.
Alexander walked at a relaxed pace back down the path, reappearing in front of the carriage while carrying the branch leader over his shoulder—bound, gagged, and trembling in panic.
Brianna, Sydney, and the driver froze upon seeing him return alive so quickly. Having heard the distant, whistling rumble of [Wind Claws] followed by absolute silence, they had been left completely shaken. They knew the devastation of that technique all too well and understood exactly what had just transpired at the camp.
As they stared at their powerful superior entirely subdued, a shiver ran down the spines of both girls. A crushing truth dawned on them: Alexander had been incredibly gentle and patient with them. If he had wanted them dead from the very beginning, probably not a one of them would be alive right now to tell the tale.