Chapter 144: This Thing? It's Called a Cannon!
"Mm, this looks good."
Jess Rether stood in his bedroom, looking at himself in the mirror.
He wore a pristine white suit with a bright red bow tie knotted at his collar.
A Maidservant beside him was helping to tidy his outfit.
Once changed, he picked up the comb from the cabinet and carefully ran it through his hair.
He breathed out a long, slow breath, looking sharp and composed.
Today, he had to attend negotiations for over a dozen Family business dealings.
As the heir of the Rether Family, a great many of the Family's important affairs had already been handed over to Jess to handle.
He walked out of his room. Several beautiful, aristocratic-looking Maidservants bowed to him.
"Young Master Jess, the Carriage has been prepared."
"Young Master Jess, here is today's schedule."
"Young Master Jess……"
Jess acknowledged each of them in turn, took the schedule, and read through it as he walked.
He had barely stepped through the main door when, without warning, a violent tremor ripped through the ground.
Jess froze on the spot and looked around at the Servants.
"Wh……what's going on? An earthquake?"
The Servants around him were equally baffled. Even the Knight escorts had geared up and moved to Jess's side, falling into a defensive stance.
It was then that they saw it—a sight so bizarre and staggering it defied belief.
A colossal Bear-man, every inch of him like a living giant, was striding toward the Rether Family's Manor with several fully armored Knights clenched in his grip.
Those Knights looked like toys in the Bear-man's hands.
Anyone who stepped forward to block his path was casually swatted aside.
No one could stop him. He simply barreled straight through, crashing directly into the courtyard.
The Knights trembled as they stared at the giant before them.
But he rely walked into the Manor, then hurled the Knights he had been carrying onto the ground.
They landed in a heap, already unconscious.
Then, his gaze locked onto Jess Rether and didn't let go.
Being fixed by that stare was like being singled out as prey by so terrifying beast.
Jess stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing desperately.
When on earth had he managed to get on the wrong side of sothing like this?
Soon, the massive Bear-man reached 1 hand behind his back.
And from behind him, he produced a human—a human who was dwarfed many tis over by the Bear-man's size.
This human's build was itself impressively muscular.
Yet beside the enormous Bear-man, he looked no bigger than a tiny chick.
The man hung in the air, equally unconscious.
The Bear-man gave a sharp heave, sending the man flying through the air. He sailed over the heads of the Knights and Servants and crashed down in front of Jess.
The impact cracked several fissures into the ground beneath.
Jess stumbled back a few steps from the shock, then lowered his gaze and got a clear look at the man's face.
In an instant, a wave of dizziness surged into his head. Jess felt his mind go completely blank.
"Cin……Cindy!?"
As one of his Family's hired enforcers, Jess naturally knew who Cindy was.
Or rather, it was rare for anyone among the nobility not to know this person.
The Rether Family had an extraordinarily deep well of resources, and naturally employed a great many powerful individuals in their service.
Cindy was 1 of them.
As an Adventurer, Cindy was already sothing of a na in her own right.
And when Cindy joined the Rether Family, she did so as a newly advanced 4th-Tier Warrior.
At the ti, the Rether Family had made sure to spread the word far and wide.
After all, it was rare for a 4th-Tier individual to willingly attach themselves to a noble House. A 4th-Tier Warrior like Cindy naturally warranted plenty of publicity—to show off the Rether Family's prestige.
And yet now, their Family's 4th-Tier Warrior had been reduced to this?
The thought sent Jess trembling from head to toe.
Because the Royal Capital was considered safe, Rether's main household had not stationed many powerful protectors around Jess.
Yet even if they had.
They would likely be no match for the Bear-man standing before him, who was terrifying beyond words.
And yes—Jess recognized it quickly.
The Family had its own dealings in the Demi-human slave trade, after all.
And the powerfully built little giant before him was unmistakably……
A Bear-man.
Bear-n lived extraordinarily long lives. Their innate physical constitution was so formidable that their bodies were practically impervious to blades and spears, and their strength was boundless.
On top of that, Bear-n were incredibly ferocious.
Even the capture squads sent out to catch Demi-humans were instructed: if you encountered a Bear-man in the wild, avoid provoking one at all costs.
Against a Bear-man, even 10 or more Warriors of an equivalent level fighting together would struggle to subdue it.
To take down the Bear-man before him now, one would probably need to deploy an entire Imperial Army division.
Bear-n were worth a fortune—but Jess hadn't beco the Rether Family heir by being as brainless as his now-dead younger brother.
This 1 Bear-man alone could bury every single person on the premises.
At this mont, Jess was deeply puzzled.
Why would a Bear-man appear in the Royal Capital?
But the current situation left no ti for further thought.
Because right at that mont, the Bear-man seed to fly into a towering rage.
With a thunderous roar, he drove his tank-like body forward and began smashing through the Manor compound without restraint.
So Knights didn't even have ti to react and dodge before the sheer force of the impact sent them hurtling 10 or more ters, crashing to the ground and blacking out instantly.
Every building in his path crumbled and collapsed like a stack of wooden blocks.
This terrifying Bear-man rampaged through the Rether Family's Manor without a single person able to stand in his way.
The Maidservants all huddled together and tucked themselves into a corner of the Courtyard.
Inside the grand and luxurious Manor, the air was filled with terrified screams and anguished wailing.
As if he had finally had his fill of destruction, the Bear-man ca to a halt.
Suddenly, a dangerous presence surged toward Jess like a fierce gale on a midwinter's day.
Jess looked toward the Bear-man. The terrifying Bear-man looked right back at him.
The instant their eyes t, Jess felt a killing intent crash into him like a wall.
A glacial chill crept slowly up from the base of his spine to the top of his skull.
He stared at the enormous Bear-man, his face drained of all color, unable to tear his gaze away for even a second.
The Bear-man began to walk toward him. 1 step. Then another.
Watching the Bear-man close the distance, Jess felt his legs lock up beneath him, every limb refusing to budge.
No—he had to save himself. He needed to save himself!
In a flash, Jess seed to think of sothing, and imdiately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Stop him! Soone stop him!"
Following Jess's command, a handful of Knights who did not fear death stepped up in front of Jess, throwing themselves in the Bear-man's path.
But all they managed to do was slow the Bear-man's stride by a fraction.
He didn't even bother to deal with the weapon-wielding Knights around him, allowing swords and spears to thrust into his body freely.
Sword blades chipped and notched. Spear tips bent and curved.
His body was like a wall of iron, impossibly hard.
It drove the countless Knights to the brink of despair.
But in those few stolen seconds, Jess sprinted back into the building.
Monts later, he burst back through the Manor doors, hoisting an enormous weapon in both hands.
It looked like a cannon—its jet-black barrel dark and bottomless.
A silver-white body was etched with strange red engravings that converged and gathered around a gemstone embedded within.
The barrel itself was carved with extraordinarily complex Runes. A single glance was enough to sense how fearso it was.
Jess struggled to lift the massive cannon and trained it on the Bear-man before him.
As if confidence had surged back to reclaim the heights of his mind, a savage grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha, weren't you acting so recklessly just now? Keep it up! Go ahead!"
The instant the words left his mouth, the cannon's barrel began to flare with light, building up an imnsely dense concentration of Magic Power.
A violent gust of wind stirred and began spiraling into the barrel.
The suction force was so trendous that even the surrounding air seed to warp and distort.
An azure-blue Magic Power gathered inside the cannon's chamber, steadily growing brighter.
The Magic Cannon continued to charge—but the Bear-man suddenly stopped in place.
As if he had co back to his senses, he stood there utterly unfazed, completely still, allowing Jess to build up his shot.
Seeing the Bear-man remain so composed, Jess felt a faint prickle of unease.
But an arrow nocked on the bow must be loosed—he had no choice but to fire.
He let out a roar, as if rallying his own nerve.
"You damned Bear-man!"
"Just die already!!!"
The words fell. A burst of searing, ferocious light erupted from the cannon's barrel.
Dense Magic Power cascaded outward, condensing into a beam of magical energy, as though it ant to swallow the Bear-man whole.
Yet Helnersen rely shifted his stance into position.
1 foot stepped back, the other forward in a braced lunge.
He brought both hands to his sides, then drew in a deep breath.
His chest swelled outward, as if so enormous force were detonating from within.
【Martial Stance—Defense】
He raised 1 hand flat at the very front, and the natural energy around him seed to follow his breathing, slowly gathering.
A green barrier rose steadily from the ground and wrapped around Helnersen's enormous body.
Finally, the fierce blue light fired from the Magic Cannon slamd into that thick green barrier and swallowed Helnersen entirely.
Only a faint shimr of green persisted within the blue light—like a lone vessel adrift in a vast and boundless ocean, holding against the terrifying impact.
The ground erupted into high-rising clouds of dust that rolled up into the sky.
The beam of magical energy, scattered by the barrier, spread outward in every direction.
Then, as if all the energy had been ignited at once, a blinding white light exploded outward and consud everything in sight.
The surrounding buildings were reduced to dust in an instant.
The Knights lying on the ground could only watch as the enormous explosion ripped outward, could only watch as it gradually engulfed their bodies.
Until consciousness faded.
As the Magic Power slowly dispersed, the Magic Cannon fell silent and began to cool, white smoke curling from its barrel.
Jess lowered it wearily, and it dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
He stared at the rolling clouds of smoke before him, his expression alight with exhilaration.
"So this is the Family's newly developed……brand new weapon?"
The Magic Cannon in his hands was the Family's latest developed energy weapon.
Powered by an Elf's Natural Magic Power, it gathered an enormous burst of energy within the barrel and released it in a single explosive discharge.
It was his first ti using it—and he hadn't imagined the destructive power would be this staggering.
Though the consequences were severe.
Those Knights who had died, the Manor reduced to rubble—all of it would require him to co up with an explanation.
But you only live once—and you had to enjoy the mont while you could!
He looked at the weapon with deep satisfaction, a rush of fierce elation rising within him.
Money, status, won……
None of it compared to this.
This—this was a man's true romance!
"Mm, quite impressive indeed."
"Far better than that little handgun from before."
Suddenly, an indifferent voice sounded right beside Jess's ear.
Jess's body lurched violently. A surge of danger flooded straight into his brain.
Before Jess could even turn his head around, a hand settled onto his shoulder.
Cold sweat instantly drenched his entire body. Jess twisted his stiff neck and turned his head in fearful dread.
His gaze t the eyes of that all-too-familiar face.
Those eyes were like the eternal ice of the Extre Northern Ice Plains, set into that face—and they made Jess feel as though he had plunged into a frozen abyss.
The overwhelming cold pierced his heart, and every muscle in his body seized up in response.
"Capturing Elves. Then sending your Family's enforcer into my territory, trying to kill my people."
"Jess, didn't I tell you before?"
"Stay away from my people."
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