Novel Full Chapter 275: Servant
Chapter 275: Servant
The metal bars didn’t budge even a little.
The four men strained as much as they could, their muscles tensing as they pushed and pulled, testing different points along the gate, trying to find some kind of weakness, but the structure remained completely unmoved, as if it had been rooted into the ground itself.
One of them stepped back and slammed his shoulder into it.
Clang!
The sound echoed out sharply.
Still nothing.
Gale’s expression darkened further.
“Useless,” he muttered under his breath, gripping his cane a little tighter as he tapped it impatiently against the ground.
“Break it!”
The men exchanged quick glances before nodding.
One of them stepped forward, his aura flaring slightly as mana gathered around his arms, veins bulging along his skin as he drew back his fist and drove it forward.
Boom!
The impact rang out, louder this time, the force sending a faint ripple through the metal, but the gate remained intact. There was not even a dent in it.
The man staggered back slightly, his expression shifting to one of confusion.
Another stepped in, this time drawing a blade, the edge humming faintly with mana as he swung it across the bars.
Screech—!
Sparks flew, and the sound of metal scraping against metal grated through the air, and yet, nothing. Not a single mark.
Silence fell for a brief moment.
Gale’s eye twitched in annoyance.
“What… is this nonsense…?” he muttered, his irritation only increasing. Behind him, one of the shady figures stepped forward slightly, lowering his voice.
“Master… this place may be protected by some kind of artefact.”
Gale clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Tch… of course it is.”
His gaze hardened as he stared at the gate, as if trying to force it open through sheer will alone.
Then—
From beyond the gates—
A faint sound echoed out as the doors of the manor opened.
Click.
At the same time, the gates… began to open on their own, slowly with a low, groaning creak.
The men immediately stepped back, their hands going to their weapons as their expressions sharpened.
Gale straightened slightly, his grip on his cane tightening as his eyes narrowed.
From within the estate, calm, unhurried footsteps approached, and a curvy figure emerged into view.
The moment she stepped into the open, the air itself seemed to shift.
Her long dark hair swayed gently behind her as she walked, her posture relaxed, almost leisurely, yet there was something about her presence that made the burly men instinctively tense.
Gale’s annoyed eyes locked onto her.
He was stunned for a moment by the woman’s unparalleled beauty, but her dressing was not as high-class as her looks, so he assumed her status was not so great in this place.
His irritation flared instantly as he realised that he had been put into a trance by someone who was probably a servant, or at best, a bedwarmer for whichever high-profile person owned this place.
“And who the hell are you supposed to be?” he demanded, his tone sharp.
Esme stopped just beyond the threshold of the gates. Her blue eyes flicked over the group in front of her, taking them in with a single glance.
She smiled softly.
“And who,” she replied, her voice calm, almost pleasant, “are you supposed to be… making noise at my gate?”
Gale’s lips curled into a snarl at her tone, his irritation flaring instantly.
“My gate?” he scoffed, tapping his cane against the ground. “You speak as if this place belongs to you.”
His eyes swept over her openly, shamelessly licking his lips in a circular motion. His thoughts were clearly written all over his face.
“Call your master. I did not come here to speak with playthings.”
Behind him, the men shifted slightly, their stances tightening, though there was a faint hesitation in their movements that hadn’t been there before.
Something about this woman…
Didn’t sit right with them.
It was odd that their master didn’t seem to realise that. But that was probably because he was not that strong as a mage, and he didn’t have the instincts of a warrior. That was why he hired men like them to protect him from potential dangers such as this.
Esme’s smile didn’t change.
If anything, it deepened.
“Servant…” She repeated the word lightly, as if tasting it on her tongue. Then she took a step forward.
And in that instant, the air grew even heavier.
It was not visible in any way that the eye could see, but it pressed down on them all the same in a suffocating wave of pressure.
The men behind Gale stiffened, their instincts screaming at them, their hands tightening around their weapons without even realizing it.
Even Gale’s expression faltered for a fraction of a second before he forced it back into place.
“You came all this way to cause a disturbance at my home…” Esme continued, her voice still soft, still pleasant.
“And yet you do not even introduce yourself properly.”
She tilted her head slightly, her blue eyes glinting.
“How uncouth.”
Gale’s face darkened.
“You dare—”
“I will ask once more,” Esme cut him off smoothly, her tone no longer carrying that gentle softness, but something far sharper beneath it.
“Who are you?”
There was a pause.
A brief, tense silence.
Then—
“Gale,” he said, his voice heavy with authority, as if the name alone should mean something. “Head of the Gale family. And I am here… for my daughter.”
His gaze sharpened.
“I hear she entered this place not long ago.”
Esme’s expression didn’t change.
But her eyes…
Flickered slightly.
“I see…”
She let the words hang for a moment before her lips curved once more.
“Your daughter is safe.”
A beat passed.
“But whether you get to see her or not…”
The faintest trace of killing intent slipped into the air.
“Depends entirely on how you behave next.”
Gale’s expression stiffened
“Are you threatening me?” he said, his voice dropping, heavy and cold.
Behind him, the men straightened, their stances hardening as if waiting for the command to act, though that same invisible pressure still lingered in the air, making their instincts scream at them to be careful.
Esme didn’t answer immediately.
She simply looked at him calmly as if weighing something.
“No,” she said softly.
“I am setting a boundary.”
Gale’s grip on his cane tightened, his knuckles whitening slightly.
“You think a mere formation artefact and a few tricks will stop me from taking my daughter?” he scoffed, though his voice lacked a fraction of the confidence it had carried earlier.
Esme took another step forward, and the pressure in the air increased noticeably.
One of the men behind Gale staggered slightly, his breathing hitching as sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Another swallowed hard, his hand trembling just a little where it rested on his weapon. Esme didn’t even look at them.
Her eyes remained locked on Gale.
He didn’t apply the same pressure on him as the others, otherwise he might have pissed himself already.
She wasn’t sure how far she was permitted to go, but her mood was a bit sour right now; if pushed too far, she might really send all seven of them flying.
“If you wish to take her…” she said quietly, “then you may ask her to leave.” A small, almost amused smile touched her lips.
“But if you think you will take her by force…”
The air grew still.
“Then you may try.”
Gale’s jaw tightened. His pride screamed at him to respond with a snarky comment, to push forward, and to assert himself as he always had.
But his body…
His body was telling him something else. That stepping forward…
Would be a mistake.
He suddenly realised that he had really misunderstood. This woman might really be the master of this place after all.
A bead of sweat formed on his brow as nothing more than a flicker of Esme’s aura touched him.
One of the shady figures behind him leaned in slightly, his voice low.
“Master… we should reconsider.”
Gale didn’t respond. His burning eyes remained fixed on Esme, deeply fighting the urge to let his pride do the talking for him.
But in the end, he was a merchant at heart. He had gotten this far by his wits and a bit of bootlicking. He didn’t mind giving her some face as long as she had the right amount of strength, which she probably did.
As much as it irked him, he had to take a back foot. But he couldn’t change his attitude too much since that would make him look like a pushover.
Clearly, this woman was also being cautious, otherwise with her strength, none of them would be standing already.
“Tch.” His cane struck the ground once. “Fine.”
The word came out like poison.
“Call her out.”
His gaze narrowed.
“I will speak to her myself.”
Esme held his gaze for a moment longer, then she smiled.
“Of course.”
She held his gaze for a moment longer, as if measuring him one last time, then slowly turned her back on him, completely unguarded and unconcerned, to show her back to them, and began walking back up the path toward the manor.
None of the men behind Gale dared to move even a single step.
The pressure in the air only eased slightly once she had created some distance, and even then, it lingered just enough to remind them of what stood beyond those gates.
Gale clicked his tongue again, but he didn’t speak.
He simply stood there, waiting.
Inside the manor, Esme stepped into the lounge without a change in expression.
Mira looked up immediately.
“He is waiting for you,” Esme said calmly.
Mira froze. She didn’t need to ask who, since she had already seen him through one of Esme’s projection spells before she went out to greet him.
Her expression hardened slightly, though a flicker of unease passed through her eyes. A brief silence followed.
Mira’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap before she let out a slow breath, steadying herself. She stood up.
There was no point avoiding this anymore.
Esme watched her for a moment, then spoke again.
“You don’t have to go.”
Mira paused mid-step.
Esme’s gaze softened just a fraction.
“You are safe here.”
Mira turned her head slightly, looking back at her. For a moment, she seemed tempted. Then she shook her head.
“No… I should deal with this.”
Her voice was steady. More steady than she felt.
Esme didn’t stop her.
She simply nodded, “Very well.”
Mira adjusted her cloak slightly, pulling it tighter around herself before walking toward the entrance, her steps measured, controlled, even as her thoughts churned beneath the surface.
Esme followed behind her at a slower pace.
The doors opened once more, and Mira stepped out.
The moment Gale saw her, his expression shifted into immediate anger.