The moment Damian’s voice rang across the courtyard, the atmosphere underwent a tremendous transformation.
Eunice, Paulina, Julia and Janet immediately turned toward the familiar figure standing near the manor entrance, their expressions changing from grim determination to overwhelming relief.
Behind them, the Baines Household’s retainers practically sagged, the arrival of their patriarch lifting a tremendous burden from their shoulders.
Their Master had returned!
However, the reaction among those opposing the household was considerably different.
An oppressive aura suddenly erupted from Damian’s body, spreading across the courtyard with such intensity that the surrounding Mana appeared to tremble.
The hostile individuals beneath the Legend Rank immediately felt an enormous pressure descend upon them, as though an invisible giant had pressed one hand against their heads and was attempting to force them into the earth!
Several royal attendants stumbled, their expressions turning pale as they struggled to remain standing.
Even the powerful members of the nonhuman delegation found their postures stiffening beneath the pressure, their earlier confidence giving way to astonishment.
The only one capable of enduring it without obvious difficulty was the centaur woman herself.
After all, she was a genuine Legend!
Nevertheless, the sudden appearance of such a formidable aura from a young human immediately captured her attention, especially since the fellow responsible clearly didn’t possess the ordinary bearing of a Legend-level expert.
More importantly, the pressure wasn’t distributed equally.
The Baines Household’s members felt none of the crushing hostility directed toward their opponents.
Instead, the oppressive presence of the centaur woman seemed considerably less intimidating now that their patriarch stood before them, allowing their confidence to return almost instantly.
What an extraordinary reversal!
Only moments ago, the Four Valkyries had been struggling beneath a Legend’s pressure, unable to do much beyond protecting their retainers from the worst of it.
Now their opponents were the ones struggling to maintain their composure, while the household representatives stood with renewed confidence.
All eyes settled upon the young man responsible.
Damian Baines stood with his hands behind his back, his handsome face carrying a dark expression that contrasted strangely with the seemingly friendly smile upon his lips.
There was no obvious fury in his movements, nor any attempt to shout threats toward the people gathered before his estate.
Yet that calmness somehow made him appear considerably more dangerous!
Unfortunately for his visitors, Damian didn’t seem particularly interested in acknowledging their existence.
Instead, he walked directly toward the Four Valkyries.
"My loves, are you all alright? Has anyone been injured or mistreated while I was away?" Damian asked gently, his earlier hostility disappearing as he examined the four women.
Eunice immediately approached him, her earlier anger giving way to relief.
"We’re unharmed, Damian, although the situation has become rather unpleasant. The royal delegation has detained Vivienne, and these newcomers have been threatening the household," Eunice explained, her expression tightening at the mention of their Seneschal.
Paulina folded her arms, her tail lashing irritably behind her.
"They’re lucky we didn’t start fighting before you arrived, because I was seriously considering it!" the Wolf Beastwoman grumbled, glaring toward the assembled visitors.
Julia shook her head, indicating that the retainers had also escaped injury, while Janet offered Damian a smile that contained considerably more malice than amusement.
"Everyone’s alive, darling, but I think you’ll find that some of our guests have been exceptionally rude. Particularly the fat bastard in white and gold," Janet remarked sweetly, directing her gaze toward Lord Ferdinand.
Damian nodded slowly.
He briefly examined the nearby retainers, confirming that none appeared seriously harmed before finally turning toward the people who had caused the disturbance.
His smile remained.
Unfortunately, there was no longer anything particularly friendly about it.
"Oh, and who might this be? Didn’t I tell Vivienne to inform His Majesty that I would personally visit the royal capital when my affairs permitted? What exactly are you doing here again?" Damian inquired coldly, directing his attention toward the royal delegation.
Lord Ferdinand immediately felt sweat gathering upon his forehead.
He had conducted extensive research concerning the young Otherworlder before arriving in Rosewood Town, obtaining reports detailing Damian’s extraordinary commercial success, unusual magical abilities and rapidly expanding influence.
However, reading about someone’s accomplishments was one thing.
Personally standing before that individual was another matter entirely!
Ferdinand couldn’t understand why the young man’s presence produced such a powerful instinctive warning, especially considering that he was supposedly still an Adept.
Nevertheless, years of navigating dangerous political situations had taught him that ignoring one’s survival instincts was an excellent method of bringing an otherwise successful career to a premature conclusion.
And right now, those instincts were practically screaming!
This fellow... he’s dangerous!
Ferdinand swallowed discreetly before arranging his expression into a respectful smile.
"Nothing particularly serious, Lord Damian! I merely wished to pay a house call and personally meet the man whose extraordinary accomplishments have become the talk of Rastia," Ferdinand explained hurriedly, bowing with practiced elegance.
"After all, opportunities to encounter such remarkable individuals are exceedingly rare!"
The reaction was immediate.
Several royal attendants turned toward their leader with expressions of complete bewilderment, while Gertrude Opper’s stern features stiffened in disbelief.
Even the Four Valkyries looked at Ferdinand strangely.
A house call?!
Was this fellow seriously pretending that he had traveled all the way from the royal capital merely to exchange pleasantries?
Unfortunately for him, Janet possessed absolutely no intention of allowing such an obvious lie to pass unchallenged.
"He’s lying! He forcibly arrested Vivienne and was planning to use her to pressure you into submission!" Janet declared loudly, making certain that everyone gathered around the manor could hear her accusation.
The surrounding crowd immediately became restless.
Damian’s eyebrows rose.
"Hoh?"
He slowly turned toward Ferdinand once more.
This time, his smile had disappeared entirely.
The portly envoy felt his heart skip a beat.
"N-Nonsense! It was merely a little ruse I devised to obtain an opportunity to meet the illustrious Lord Damian!" Ferdinand exclaimed, assuming an expression of exaggerated scandal.
"Lady Vivienne is perfectly safe, entirely unharmed and currently enjoying the finest accommodations available at our chosen inn. I beseech you to verify her condition personally!"
Damian stared at him.
Ferdinand attempted to maintain his dignified bearing, but the sweat gathering along his brow made the effort increasingly difficult.
In truth, the envoy hadn’t lied about Vivienne’s immediate circumstances.
Unfortunately, he was rapidly beginning to suspect that his calculations had been somewhat optimistic.
Damian regarded him for several more moments before a faint smile returned to his face.
"A ruse, huh? You’re quite a clever fellow, Lord Ferdinand," Damian remarked, his tone carrying an unpleasant edge.
Ferdinand forced a nervous smile, uncertain whether he had just received praise or a death sentence.
However, Damian didn’t immediately pursue the matter.
"Fine, your situation involves the royal court, diplomatic authority and several other complications. I’ll deal with you later," Damian declared, dismissing the portly official with a casual wave.
Ferdinand immediately lowered his head.
For the first time since arriving at Baines Manor, he was genuinely grateful to have been ignored!
Unfortunately, the relief was temporary.
Because Damian had already turned toward the other delegation.
"As for your matter... it is far simpler," Damian announced, his expression becoming completely cold.
The nonhuman delegation stood in an orderly formation behind its centaur leader, although several members were visibly struggling beneath Damian’s oppressive presence.
Altogether, there were twelve individuals, including the centaur woman and Serra. Every one of them possessed at least Adept-level strength, while several had already advanced into the Master Rank.
And at their head stood a genuine Legend!
It was an extraordinarily elite gathering, especially considering that they had traveled directly into the heart of human territory without the slightest apparent concern for their safety.
That alone said plenty about the Wild Court’s confidence and resources.
Unfortunately, Damian wasn’t particularly impressed.
He had already encountered Legend-level enemies during his adventures in Moonveil, and his own arsenal included destructive abilities capable of reaching a comparable level of power.
Indeed, the Level 5 upcast version of his Grandmaster Fireball had previously demonstrated such terrifying destructive potential that the Valorian Overworld System had been forced to examine his eligibility for the Legendary Power Restriction Accord.
Naturally, unleashing such a spell here would be thoroughly ridiculous.
There were countless civilians gathered around the manor, not to mention the Four Valkyries and his own retainers.
A sufficiently powerful area attack might eliminate his enemies, but it could just as easily annihilate the surrounding neighborhood and everyone unfortunate enough to be standing nearby.
Damian had absolutely no intention of destroying Rosewood Town merely to settle a disagreement.
Fortunately, possessing overwhelming destructive abilities didn’t mean he had to employ them at every opportunity.
His oppressive aura alone was sufficient to make his position clear.
The centaur woman stepped forward, her cold eyes narrowing as she examined the young human standing opposite her.
"To dare ignore our presence after imprisoning a member of the Wild Court and attempting to force her into marriage! Human, do you even understand the crimes you’ve committed?" the centaur woman demanded, her voice carrying the authority of a powerful Legend.
Damian regarded her with an expression of profound disdain.
"Do I understand my crimes? Why don’t you ask that little idiot beside you whether she understands hers?" Damian replied dismissively, his gaze briefly shifting toward Serra.
The centaur woman’s brows furrowed.
She turned toward the Moon Elf standing beside her.
"Serra, what exactly is he talking about? Explain what happened between you and this human," the Legend instructed, her expression becoming considerably more serious.
Serra raised her chin, apparently finding nothing particularly concerning about the accusation.
"I was sent to investigate Ravelhorn’s death, and my investigation revealed that Damian Baines was responsible. During my search, I discovered him assaulting several lesser Fae and intervened to protect them, only for him to attack me and threaten to use human armies to destroy the Wild Court unless I submitted to his demands," Serra declared coldly, folding her arms with an expression of complete self-righteousness.
The centaur woman’s expression darkened.
Several members of her entourage reacted even more strongly, their hostility intensifying as they processed the Moon Elf’s account.
A human had dared threaten the Wild Court?!
Did this ignorant mortal possess the slightest understanding of the powers he was provoking?
Damian merely smiled coldly, then turned toward the surrounding crowd.
"Well, you heard it yourselves, folks! These freaks are representatives of the Wild Court, the very organization responsible for supporting Ravelhorn and orchestrating the Goblin attack that devastated this region!" Damian announced loudly, gesturing toward the nonhuman delegation.
"Now they’ve come looking for revenge because I interfered with their operations and killed the bastard responsible!"
The atmosphere changed instantly!
For a moment, the surrounding spectators simply stared at the nonhuman delegation, then recognition spread through the crowd.
The Goblin attack!
The horrifying events surrounding Moonveil and the surrounding settlements remained painfully fresh in the memories of Rosewood Town’s residents. Families had lost loved ones, Adventurers had been killed, and numerous survivors were still struggling to recover from the devastation inflicted by the invading creatures.
Even those who hadn’t personally experienced the fighting knew people who had suffered.
And now representatives of the organization connected to that disaster were standing openly before Baines Manor?!
Anger erupted through the gathering.
"You bastards were behind the Goblins?!"
"My brother died during that attack!"
"Get the hell out of our town!"
Furious accusations rang through the street as the crowd’s earlier curiosity transformed into outright hostility.
Several spectators clenched their fists, while others glared at the nonhuman visitors with reddened eyes.
Even the royal delegation appeared considerably less comfortable, with several armed attendants partially drawing their swords as they instinctively prepared for possible violence.
Ferdinand glanced toward the Wild Court representatives with a troubled expression.
He had arrived intending to establish royal authority over a troublesome noble household, not become entangled in a confrontation involving the organization responsible for one of the region’s most notorious recent disasters!
The centaur woman’s brows furrowed deeply.
She had expected to confront a minor human noble accused of unlawfully imprisoning a Moon Elf and threatening the Wild Court.
Instead, she was suddenly facing an increasingly furious human crowd that appeared to possess a completely different understanding of the circumstances.
More importantly, their anger seemed genuine.
This wasn’t merely the result of Damian shouting a few inflammatory accusations.
There was clearly a significant gap between the information provided to her before the expedition and the actual events that had occurred within human territory.
And that gap might determine whether this confrontation ended peacefully or became considerably more unpleasant!
The Legend turned slightly toward Serra, intending to examine the Moon Elf’s earlier statements more carefully.
Unfortunately, Serra had already become furious.
"Hmph! What nonsense! You’re merely lowly creatures of the mortal plane, so who cares about whatever perceived grievances you possess against the Wild Court?!" the silver-haired beauty sneered, regarding the surrounding humans with unmistakable contempt.
Her words caused the crowd’s hostility to intensify further.
However, Serra apparently considered that an entirely acceptable consequence.
She pointed directly toward Damian.
"Rather, you’re the one who repeatedly attacks and murders Fae creatures without the slightest respect for our authority! You even killed Mirelle and Ravelhorn, yet you still dare stand before us pretending to be the victim?!" Serra accused viciously, her beautiful face contorting with anger.
Damian didn’t bother answering her, simply turning toward the centaur woman.
His expression was completely calm, but the hostility radiating from his body had become so intense that several members of the Wild Court delegation instinctively retreated half a step.
"Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. You have two choices," Damian declared coldly, raising two fingers before the Legend-level woman.
"Either you personally slaughter that Moon Elf standing beside you, and I’ll consider this matter settled, or every one of you dies here today, and I’ll eventually slaughter the entire Wild Court myself. Choose quickly!"