The Legendary Mage (Alavin)
Chapter 87

"I'm just having a chat with my dear Oda, what's wrong with that? Stand aside, you lot!" Grennan roughly shoved them away.

"Lord Grennan, she is still just a child..."

A maidservant attempted to speak up, only to be met with a slap from Grennan. "Did I give you permission to talk?"

The other dancers were about to rebel when the Protégés of Cobalt Strike surrounding the courtyard stepped forward. "Are you thinking of defying us? Think about the slaves toiling in the mines."

Their words struck a chord, and the women lowered their heads, tears welling in their eyes. The Mallister family was already indebted to the people of Stormcast, and they could not bear to see them suffer more because of this senseless incident.

Alavin snuck into the manor, watching silently with clenched fists, barely containing his sorrow and rage.

Lucan had never told him that the Mallister family were serving as serfs in the manor and enduring such humiliation!

Nor had his sister mentioned that she was working here as a maidservant!

This so-called young lord was nothing more than an Elite Protégé of the Cobalt Strike, the grandson of the sinister Elder Vandill, who had recently been dispatched here. With limited talent and weak strength, he was nothing noteworthy within Cobalt Strike, yet he acted high and mighty here by Vandill's side.

"Move!" Grennan scoffed.

None of the women moved; it was Oda herself who stepped forward. "Let them rest; I'll stay."

"My lady," they grasped Oda's hands, shaking their heads.

"He wouldn't dare harm me. You're all exhausted. You should go back."

"Guards, take them away," Grennan ordered as he reclined lazily on the couch. "Oda, come rub my legs."

Oda persuaded the Mallister women to leave, remaining behind.

"Didn't you hear me? Come and rub my legs," Grennan said, lounging comfortably.

Biting back her humiliation, Oda approached hesitantly.

"Pour me a drink first," he said, handing her a wine jug.

As Oda reached for it, Grennan suddenly grasped her hand. "What are you doing!" Oda jerked back, and the jug shattered.

Grennan raised an eyebrow at her, glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, and casually picked one up. "Do you know how much this jug costs? At least worth ten advanced magical ores."

"Nonsense!"

"The price is what I say it is. Will you compensate me for it? If not..."

"What do you want now?"

"The usual rules; from today, you'll work an extra hour in each of the five mining sectors for thirty days."

"I'll compensate!" Oda's eyes filled with tears.

"Compensate? Hah, can you afford it? The annual wages of the entire Mallister family wouldn't match the value of one advanced magical ore. How will you compensate me?" Grennan reached for Oda's hand again.

"Back off! You pervert!" Oda retreated in panic.

"That's right, I am a pervert, heh, what can you do about it? Ten advanced magical ores, can you afford that?"

"I can!"

"Really? Where will you get the magical ores? Has the Mallister family been hoarding them?"

"What do you really want?"

Grennan slowly propped himself up. "You know exactly what I want by now."

"Don't come any closer."

"Don't worry. I won't do anything to you just yet; a couple more years of ripening will be better. Come, let me hold you for now."

Alavin couldn't stand watching from afar anymore and was ready to charge over.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the manor's front gate as a group of people marched directly toward the small courtyard.

"Sir! Lucan has led a charge in here," one Protégé reported hastily.

"They sure arrived quickly," Grennan said nonchalantly as he lay back down. His harassment of Oda wasn't new, and Lucan always came to her rescue; he was used to it by now.

Lucan, with the guard squad, stormed in, fury in his eyes, followed by the Mallister maidservants who had just left, all looking worried. Grennan's harassment of Oda was frequent, always under the dark night, and she was only thirteen years old. What a beast he was.

"Lucan," Oda threw herself into his arms.

"It's alright! All is well now, miss. Don't be afraid, I'm here," Lucan said, shielding Oda with flames of wrath in his eyes. If anything happened to Oda, he couldn't live with himself. He wouldn't be able to face the Mallister family.

"Captain Lucan, what brings you here? The area around the mines has been unstable lately; you should be patrolling and guarding," Grennan said, unfazed by Lucan's presence because he knew Lucan wouldn't dare touch him.