"Mm, this outfit isn't bad."
Jace Lesser stood inside his bedroom, looking into the mirror.
He was wearing a clean white suit, with a bright red bowtie tied neatly at his collar.
The maid beside him was helping straighten his clothes.
After changing, he picked up the comb on the cabinet and carefully combed his hair.
He let out a long breath, looking full of spirit.
Today, he had to attend negotiations involving the businesses of more than a dozen families.
As the heir of the Lesser family, many important matters within the family had already been handed over to Jace to handle.
He walked out of the room; several beautiful and elegant maids bowed to him.
"Young Master Jace, the carriage is ready."
"Young Master Jace, this is today's schedule."
"Young Master Jace…"
Jace responded to them one by one, taking the schedule and reading it as he walked.
The moment he stepped out the front door, suddenly, a violent tremor shook through the air.
Jace froze on the spot and asked the nearby servants, "W-Wh… what's going on? An earthquake?"
The surrounding servants looked even more confused, and even the knight escorts had put on their gear and rushed to Jace's side, raising their guard.
And at this moment, they saw an incomparably bizarre and shocking scene.
A massive bear-man, as huge as a giant, was gripping several knights clad in full iron armor and was walking toward the Lesser family estate.
Those knights looked like toys in front of the bear-man.
Anyone who stepped up to block him was casually flung aside.
No one could stop his path. He charged forward like a raging beast and barged straight into the courtyard.
The knights trembled as they stared at the giant before them.
But he only walked into the estate and tossed the knights he was holding onto the ground.
Those knights lay on the ground, already unconscious.
Then his gaze locked firmly onto Jace Lesser.
Being stared at by those eyes felt like being targeted as prey by some terrifying beast.
Jace was stunned, his mind spinning wildly.
When… when did he offend something like this?
Very soon, the massive bear-man lifted one of his hands behind his back.
From behind him, he grabbed a human who was many times smaller than him.
That human's body was also muscular, but compared to the huge bear-man, he looked as tiny as a chick.
The man hung in mid-air, also unconscious.
The bear-man suddenly flung him, sending him hurtling through the air, over knights and servants, and crashing onto the ground right in front of Jace.
Even the ground cracked in several places from the impact.
Jace backed away in fright, and only then did he lower his head and clearly see the man's face.
In an instant, dizziness surged into his brain, leaving Jace in total disbelief.
"C-Cindy!?"
As one of his family's fighters, of course Jace knew who Cindy was.
Or rather… among nobles, very few didn't know this person.
The Lesser family had extremely deep wealth, so naturally they had many strong people working for them.
Cindy was one of those people.
As an adventurer, Cindy already had some fame of his own.
And when Cindy joined the Lesser family, he became a newly promoted fourth-tier warrior.
Back then, the Lesser family had widely spread this news.
After all, very few fourth tiers willingly affiliated themselves with noble families. Someone like Cindy was naturally worth advertising to show off the Lesser family's prestige.
And now, their fourth-tier warrior had been beaten into this state?
Thinking of this, Jace trembled uncontrollably.
Because the capital was so safe, the Lesser household hadn't assigned too many strong guardians to protect Jace.
But even if they had…
They probably wouldn't be able to match this terrifying bear-man in front of them.
That's right, Jace quickly realized it.
Because the Lesser family itself dealt in demi-human slaves.
And this massive little giant in front of him was unmistakably a…
Bear-man, one of the rarest among demi-humans.
Bear-men had extremely long lifespans, naturally powerful bodies, making them nearly immune to blades and bullets, with boundless strength.
And bear-men were unbelievably violent.
Even teams sent to capture demi-humans would avoid provoking them if they encountered one in the wild.
If you ran into a bear-man, even a dozen warriors of the same rank attacking together might not be able to restrain him.
To defeat a bear-man like this one, you'd probably need to dispatch an imperial army.
Though bear-men were worth a fortune, the fact that Jace could become the Lesser family heir proved he wasn't an idiot like his already-dead younger brother.
Just one bear-man like this could bury every person here.
Jace was puzzled, 'Why is a bear-man appearing in the capital?'
But the situation didn't allow him time to think.
Because at this moment, the bear-man suddenly looked enraged.
He roared, dragging his tank-like body, charging wildly through the estate.
Some knights didn't even have time to dodge before being rammed and sent flying more than ten meters, collapsing unconscious on the ground.
Wherever he passed, even the buildings collapsed like piles of blocks.
This terrifying bear-man rampaged through the Lesser estate, and no one could stop him.
The maids huddled together, hiding in a corner of the garden.
Inside the massive, luxurious estate, terrified screams and painful wails filled the air.
As though he had had his fun, the bear-man stopped.
Suddenly, a dangerous aura surged toward Jace like a fierce winter wind.
Jace looked at the bear-man. That terrifying bear-man also looked at him.
The moment their eyes met, Jace felt murderous intent pressing toward him.
A cold chill crawled up his spine, seeping into his brain.
He stared at the enormous bear-man, face pale, not daring to look away.
The bear-man began walking toward him, one step, then another.
Watching the bear-man approach, Jace's legs stiffened, and he couldn't move.
Suddenly, as though thinking of something, Jace shouted, "Stop him! Block him, quickly!"
With his order, several knights unafraid of death rushed in front of Jace, trying to slow the bear-man's advance.
But all they could do was slow him by a few steps.
The bear-man didn't even bother acknowledging the knights stabbing at him with swords and spears.
The sword blades chipped, the spear tips bent.
His body was like an iron wall, unbelievably tough.
Despair filled the knights.
But in that brief moment, Jace dashed back into the house.
Very soon, he kicked open the mansion doors again, holding an enormous weapon.
It looked like a cannon, with a deep, pitch-black muzzle.
The silver-white barrel glowed with strange red patterns that converged on the embedded gem.
Complex runes were carved around the muzzle, just looking at them filled one with awe.
Jace lifted the huge cannon with difficulty and aimed it at the bear-man.
As though regaining confidence, a crazed grin spread across his face.
"Haha! Weren't you acting all fierce earlier? Keep going! Come on!"
Right as he finished speaking, the cannon began glowing, gathering thick magical power.
Wild winds swirled toward the cannon's mouth.
The overwhelming suction even warped the air around it.
A bright blue magic light gathered in the barrel, gradually becoming intense.
The magic cannon was still charging, but the bear-man suddenly stood still.
As if he'd regained his senses, he remained motionless, letting Jace continue charging.
Jace felt something was wrong.
But the arrow was nocked, it had to be fired.
He shouted loudly, like trying to bolster his own courage, "You damn bear-man!"
"Go die!!!"
As soon as he finished, a violent light burst out of the cannon.
Massive magical power poured outward, transforming into a beam as though it would completely consume the bear-man.
But Halnarsen simply moved his body into a stance.
He stepped one foot back, forming a lunge stance.
He placed both hands at his waist and took a deep breath.
His chest swelled, as though a force erupted from within.
[Martial Posture: Defense]
He extended one hand forward, and the surrounding natural energy followed his breath, gathering slowly.
A green barrier rose from the ground, enveloping Halnarsen's huge body.
Finally, the fierce blue beam of the magic cannon engulfed Halnarsen and the barrier entirely.
Only a faint green imprint remained in the blue light, like a lone leaf boat in a vast ocean, resisting the terrifying impact.
Dust billowed into the sky.
The magic beam, scattered by the barrier, spread outward in all directions.
Finally, as if the energy had reached its limit, a white flash exploded violently, consuming everything.
The nearby buildings turned to dust in an instant.
The knights on the ground could only watch the massive explosion swallow their bodies, until their consciousness disappeared.
As the magic gradually dissipated, the magic cannon cooled down, white smoke rising from the muzzle.
Jace dropped the weapon, letting it clang heavily against the ground.
He stared excitedly at the smoke before him.
"So this… is the family's newly developed weapon?"
The magic cannon was a newly developed energy weapon.
Using elven natural magic as power, it gathered immense energy at the muzzle and released it in an instant.
It was his first time using it, and he hadn't expected its power to be so terrifying.
The consequences were severe, of course.
The dead knights, the mansion turned to dust, he'd have to think of an explanation for all of it.
But life is for enjoying the moment.
He looked at the weapon with satisfaction, a surge of exhilaration rising in his heart.
Money, status, women…
This... THIS was a man's true romance.
"Mm, it's pretty good."
"Much stronger than that little handgun from before."
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded at Jace's ear.
Jace's body jolted violently, terror shooting up his spine.
Before he could turn around, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Cold sweat drenched him instantly. Jace twisted his stiff neck and turned his head in fear.
His gaze met the eyes of a familiar person.
Those eyes were like ancient ice from the far northern glaciers, embedded in their sockets, making Jace feel like he'd fallen into a frozen abyss.
The intense chill made his heart tighten, his muscles twitching uncontrollably.
"Capturing elves, sending your family's thug into my territory to try and kill my people."
"Jace, didn't I tell you…"
"Stay far away from my people?"