Lucius gazed at the helpless looking girl in front of him who was obeying him with ease.

'Didn't think the mental effect caused by the spell Enrage in combination with fear will be this effective.' Lucius thought.

It was true that the reason why Bethany had acted so abruptly and without thinking was because of Lucius himself. He had used the spell Enrage on Bethany, just like he had with Keith.

Except this time he had not said anything to incite hir. The spell was also so fast that Bethany did not notice anything and neither did anyone. Once the spell was in effect though, Lucius barely had to give a smile before Bethany made up a conclusion on her own.

This was the plan Lucius had come up with on the fly. Though it was not complete yet and there were still a few more steps that he needed to do. The guards were already taken care of, and the girl was incapacitated.

Lucius looked at Kiana and Donald, who were looking at him with strange looks. In reality, they had been unnerved by the actions of Lucius. They never expected that he would be the first to attack and were fully thinking to defend him.

But before they could even do that, Lucius had already behaved three of the closest guards with the Artifact. Kiana didn't even know Lucius had brought the sword with him. He had switched the scabbed of the sword with one that looked much more plain.

The handle of the wind scar sword was already quite mundane, so it looked similar to other swords. But this formed the best disguise as it let him attack without the guards expecting that he had an artifact.

Perhaps if they knew that Lucius had an artifact beforehand they would not have acted so casually. They definitely would have been more cautious and tactful. Most people knew the power of artifacts and knew they could turn the tides of a battle.

"What are we doing now?" Kiana was the first to ask.

"Now? Now we wait… we wait for Baron Harrels to arrive. I'm sure he must have been informed by now." Lucius spoke.

Lucius had already known that the Baron was currently not present in the mansion and was out doing some work. As for the baroness? Well, she was out with the other noble ladies, gossiping and whatnot.

"Are you sure, lord Asher?" Donald asked.

"Yes, don't worry. We are in the right here. Baron Harrels would not dare act against us… especially when we have her." Lucius gazed at Bethany, who was standing at his side with her head lowered. One of her hands was in Lucius' grasp.

"If you say so, lord Asher." Donald replied.

Lucius nodded and went to sit at one of the tables nearby. Kiana simply stood by his side while Bethany was made to sit in the chair next to him. Donald though stood at the entrance of the hall and was joined by the other guards who had come with them.

The other guards seemed to be way more shocked by all this though. Barely thirty minutes had passed since they had arrived at the mansion, and a massacre like this had already happened. Even if they were prepared for a fight, they did not expect it would reach this level.

Lucius calmly sipped some wine and ate some of the snacks that had been prepared for the guests. Kiana happily served him more of the food, and he ate in peace for the time being. 

Kiana looked at the girl to the side of Lucius and couldn't help but feel angry again.

'This was supposed to be an event where Lucius could relax and reintroduce himself to the noble circle. But now because of this bitch, it is ruined.' Kiana thought while staring daggers at the girl. Unaware that it was Lucius who had caused all of this.

While Kiana had seen that Lucius had whispered something to Keith and may have caused him to fall, it was still not his fault directly. Lucius had not even touched the man himself, and Keith had fallen completely by himself. 

There was nothing that could implicate Lucius in that. But it was different with Bethany because she had ordered the guards to attack them on her own. To this teenage girl, Kiana had no mercy in her heart.

If it was up to her, she would have already killed her. But the implications of this would be bad for Lucius who, according to her was already in a tough spot for now. Soon they would need to deal with Baron Harrels and also find a way to get out of all this.

They could not ask the Count for help right away either, as he was three hours away from them at the moment. Even the fastest messenger would take two hours to reach there if he rushed there non-stop.

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The sound of the horse hooves could be heard coming from the outside and it seemed like a carriage had arrived.

"WHERE IS SHE! WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER!" The sound of a man came from outside.

Lucius raised his head and put down the wine glass in his hand as he looked at the entrance. Donald nodded to Lucius telling him that it was the person who they had been waiting for.

"He's finally here…" Lucius muttered.

"Father!" Bethany suddenly shouted upon hearing the man's voice.

"What is the meaning of this?" The baron yelled at Donald and the other guards who were standing at the entrance of the hall.

"Please baron Harrels, go in. Lord Asher will explain everything to you." Donald spoke curtly.

The baron seemed enraged by the attitude of the guard captain, but suppressed his anger for the time being. Entering the hall, he saw the blood that was spilled everywhere, along with the dead bodies that were lying on the floor.

"What in the name of Etara!" Baron Harrels shouted.

"Welcome Baron… we have a lot to talk," Lucius spoke with a smile.