The burly man stood a head taller than Bruce. He looked vicious, with bulging muscles and tremendous strength, and all but dragged Bruce along.
"What are you doing? Let Bruce go!"
The sudden turn of events startled Lilith and Laura, and they immediately shouted at him.
The people around them stopped walking. Those nearby hurried to put some distance between themselves and the scene, then stopped to watch.
"Don't misunderstand. I mean no harm." The burly man smiled with narrowed eyes, but his broad hand kept squeezing Bruce's arm, refusing to let go.
That hurts!
He's up to no good.
Bruce frowned deeply. Although his strength was nowhere near enough to resist the man, that did not mean he had no way to deal with him.
Divine Might.
This was Bruce's first time using the innate ability Divine Might in this body. He had no idea how powerful it would be, so he unleashed it at full strength, targeting only the burly man.
Bruce could clearly sense an invisible force surging out of his body and enveloping the man.
Far too weak.
Bruce instinctively compared his Divine Might with that of the Dark Lord Eris. The effects were on entirely different levels. Back in Zambesi, even the slightest leakage of Divine Might had carried the overwhelming presence of a vast sea of stars.
The burly man's body visibly stiffened. Seizing the opening, Bruce grabbed his arm with both hands and wrenched it backward, circled behind him, and kicked the back of his knee.
The burly man dropped straight to his knees.
Bruce did know a few basic fighting techniques.
Taking advantage of the effects of Divine Might, he turned the tables with a seamless series of moves. It was practically flawless.
If he had held a sharp weapon and been a little more ruthless, the burly man would already have been dead.
Killing him bare-handed was probably out of the question. Bruce did not seem strong enough to snap someone's neck yet.
"Let's go."
Bruce let go. With people all around them, it was best not to make a bigger scene. This man who had suddenly appeared was surely someone sent by the Swordsmanship Hall, and he had been brimming with malice from the start.
The people behind the Swordsmanship Hall might have money, but Rhode Town was a place governed by law. They would not dare treat human lives as worthless. Still, that did not make it entirely safe; they could still inflict bodily harm.
Bruce rubbed his arm. It still hurt a little, and his head hurt too. That was probably a side effect of using Divine Might. Why had he experienced no negative effects when using his other abilities?
Or did I push too hard?
Better leave before he comes to his senses.
Having escaped the man's clutches, Bruce quickly left with Lilith and Laura, leaving the burly man kneeling on the ground in a daze.
Only after a long while did the man recover. He looked at the strange gazes of the crowd around him, utterly confused.
What just happened?
Why am I kneeling on the ground?
Where did those three from the swordsmanship club go?
He shook his head. It felt as though someone had smashed a hammer into his skull, and his head was still ringing. Did someone ambush me?
Even after returning to Andre's house, Lilith and Laura remained uneasy. They shut the door immediately, afraid someone might barge inside.
"We'll have to carry swords whenever we go out from now on. The Swordsmanship Hall actually dared to threaten us in broad daylight!" Lilith patted her chest, still shaken.
Although the man had not said he belonged to the Swordsmanship Hall, no one else would have appeared at a time like this.
Laura looked equally upset. This was her first encounter with anything like this too.
Bruce rubbed his temples. His head hurt badly. By comparison, the arm the man had grabbed barely hurt anymore.
Bruce had not expected the Swordsmanship Hall to be so reckless as to send someone to forcibly haul him away. He would have to be more careful.
If they dared to grab someone by force the first time, they would dare to beat him or even break into his home the next.
Bruce had thought that, as a landowner, he would at least receive some courtesy from the people behind the Swordsmanship Hall. After all, they were all wealthy people. Surely they would not make things too difficult, and everything could be discussed.
Instead, they had shown him no respect whatsoever.
It seemed he would have to take measures against the Swordsmanship Hall. He had been far too kind to them.
Bruce sat down on the sofa and sank into thought.
Meeting violence with violence was definitely out of the question. He also had to consider Rhode Town's police and sheriff.
Bruce was only a landowner, not a noble. Without noble status, the public security office would not give him special protection unless he was willing to spend some money. Even then, it would only help contain the fallout. A crime would still be a crime.
The Rune Kingdom was full of people of every stripe, and the larger the city, the greater the chaos. In small places like Rhode Town, most residents were neighbors who knew one another. The law enforcement officers did real work for their wages, and ordinary people could still count on public order and safety. Money did not let someone do whatever they pleased.
Of course, matters involving the occult were another story.
The issue with the Swordsmanship Hall had to be resolved, but he could not hire people to stir up trouble either. That would inevitably be traced back to him. Organizing a group brawl was a crime.
As a wealthy gentleman who intended to enter high society in the future, he could never allow such stains on his record.
They would damage his reputation and standing, putting him at a serious disadvantage.
Hire a private armed force to protect myself? The thought flashed through Bruce's mind.
That was probably the first choice of any wealthy person whose life was threatened. Protect oneself first, then retaliate in secret, using money to solve the problem. If open fighting was out of the question, one could strike back covertly without anyone knowing, as long as nothing could be traced back.
But that approach would not work either. Laura herself taught swordsmanship, and swordsmanship was meant for self-defense. How could they teach it to others if they could not even protect themselves?
If word got out, they would become a laughingstock.
"Safety... hmm, security guards?" Bruce's eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed to have thought of a promising business idea.
"Useless!"
Inside a private club on Gesaite Street, Alduin angrily hurled his drinking glass to the floor, scattering shards everywhere.
The burly man who had tried to trouble Bruce earlier stood to one side. Despite the insults, he dared not make a sound. Young Master Alduin had told him to bring Bruce over, but he had failed and somehow ended up getting beaten instead.
"Young Master Alduin, rest assured. Next time, I'll bring a few of the boys and break his legs. I'll show him what we're capable of," the burly man said meekly.
He, Antu Bakesi, might have led a gang of thugs, but he still had to obey the young man before him. After all, the Swordsmanship Hall paid to keep him and his men around.
Alduin waved a hand, temporarily suppressing his anger. Incidents like that had already happened several times, and they would be difficult to explain to the police.
Why is it so hard to take down one little swordsmanship club?
The thought gave Alduin a headache. He pinched the turquoise ring on his other hand and gently turned it.
Suddenly, Alduin grew agitated. Discomfort spread through every part of his body and even his mind: a headache, irritability, and numbness.
He felt as though he was losing control of his body again.
"Damn it, damn it! Why now!"
Alduin grew restless again. This was far from the first time; it was an old ailment. Seventeen years ago, he had fallen gravely ill immediately after being born and had nearly died. The lingering condition had begun then.
Alduin sat on the sofa and took deep breaths to calm himself.
There was another matter of great importance facing the Parker Family. His father lay bedridden, his condition having deteriorated so badly that his life hung in the balance. Alduin was not worried about his father's illness. Rather, he was only the Parker Family's second son, with an older brother ahead of him.
Once his father died, the family assets would certainly be redistributed. Who knew which family businesses he would end up receiving? His relationship with his older brother was terrible.
"You don't need to concern yourself with this anymore. Just keep your men in line, and pull back all the lookouts."
"Leave for now. All of you."
Alduin pressed his forehead as he spoke. Antu and the maids around him could only leave the room and shut the door behind them.
Alduin paid to keep a number of hired thugs. They were useful for teaching ordinary people who did not know their place a lesson, but now they clearly served no purpose.
"It seems I'll still have to hire someone to do it. All I need is to get rid of Bruce."
Alduin stroked the turquoise ring on his hand. Ice seemed to crystallize in the depths of his eyes as an extremely drastic solution occurred to him.
"All I need is for him to die."
"How can I keep it from being linked to me?"
"Hire someone?"
"Who?"
"An assassin?"
Yes, exactly. I can hire an assassin!
The corners of Alduin's mouth twisted upward in an exaggerated, unnatural smile. His hands trembled, his fingers digging deep into his hair as though he were enduring intense pain.
He felt himself slipping into an uncontrollable madness, agonizing yet exhilarating. As he muttered under his breath, a face flashed across the smooth surface of the turquoise ring, half beautiful woman, half skull.