The moment Alex saw Lathel, his teeth clenched tight, fury burning in his chest. The wound on his shoulder throbbed sharply—reminding him of his humiliation and fueling his rage even further.
That wound had been inflicted by Lathel's mother, Duchess Valoria. But in Alex's mind, it was Lathel who'd orchestrated everything—using the Duchess and Catrina as shields because he supposedly held their "weaknesses."
"Lathel!" Alex snarled. "I bought this fair and square! I paid for it with my own money! If you dare slander me again, I don't care if you're a duke's son—I'll break your damn legs!"
The crowd immediately erupted into murmurs, all eyes turning toward Lathel.
"Ah, that's Lathel, huh?"
"Hahaha... The useless son of Duchess Valoria. Who doesn't know him?"
"Surprised he's not following Arina around today. Normally, he's wagging his tail behind her like a mutt. Pathetic."
"If I were him, I'd have offed myself long ago. Chasing a married woman? What a disgraceful bastard."
Their voices weren't loud, but every word reached Lathel's ears clearly.
Yet his expression didn't change in the slightest. Because he knew—these words weren't meant for him.
They were meant for the character named Lathel in the script.
He was simply here to play his role and move the story forward. They were NPCs, after all—programmed lines, scripted reactions. Why should he care what they said?
Still... he was human. Not stone. Hearing those insults—even if they weren't real—still stung somewhere deep inside.
Alex sneered, face twisting with contempt as he looked at him. But before he could open his mouth again—
A crushing pressure suddenly slammed down on his back.
BAM!
Alex dropped to one knee, eyes widening in shock.
"Huh?!" Lathel blinked, startled. 'What the hell—? That's... not in the script, is it?'
He looked around, confused—but the entire market had gone dead silent.
Every single person around them felt it—the suffocating pressure pressing down on their bodies, stealing their breath. Even the air had turned icy cold, chilling them to the bone.
Dozens of eyes turned toward the source.
Standing just behind Lathel was a woman so beautiful she seemed carved from light itself—yet the aura around her was terrifying.
Lucia.
Her beauty was breathtaking, but the killing intent pouring off her froze everyone in place.
A hundred people stood in the square, yet not a single voice dared to rise. The only sounds were the trembling breaths of terrified commoners—and the faint clatter of their teeth chattering in fear.
Lucia's face was a mask of frost, eyes glacial and merciless. When she spoke, her voice was soft, but every word carried the chill of a winter storm.
"How dare you insult the son of a Duchess? It seems none of you deserve to live."
Lathel froze.
He didn't feel a thing—no pressure, no killing intent, nothing. From his perspective, everything seemed perfectly normal. Yet everyone around him looked like they were about to die of terror.
Lucia stepped forward, placing herself between him and the crowd, as though shielding him. Her eyes locked on Alex, narrowing sharply.
"Alex," she said, voice calm but filled with venom, "you were the one who spread the rumor about Lathel visiting Spring Garden, weren't you?"
Alex's fists tightened. He could barely breathe under the weight of her aura, but even in his suffocating panic, his mind burned with anger.
'This woman—this impossibly beautiful, terrifying woman—is beyond reason.'
'Her power... it's not something a mere human should wield.'
'Even the King of this kingdom wouldn't dare stand against her.'
Alex strained under the crushing pressure Lucia unleashed, body trembling, voice breaking with fury and humiliation.
"I—I only wanted people to see his true face!" he spat. "If he visits such a filthy place, then he's just as filthy himself!"
"Ah?" Lucia's tone dropped several degrees, her beautiful face hardening into a mask of ice. "Filthy? Did you just call my establishment filthy?"
Alex froze.
In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself. If he'd known Lucia was the manager of Spring Garden, he wouldn't have dared utter those words even with ten extra lives.
"Hahaha..." He forced a weak laugh. "A misunderstanding... really, just a misunderstanding, I—"
SLAP!
Lucia didn't let him finish. With a flick of her hand, magic condensed into raw pressure and struck him like a physical blow.
The sound of impact cracked through the air. Alex's body shot backward, rolling several meters before he came to a stop.
"Pff—!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood, along with two teeth, crimson spilling down his chin as his nose began to gush.
He glared up at her in disbelief, entire body shaking. "Y-You... you hit me? Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"Of course I do," Lucia said coldly. "You're Catrina's son-in-law, Arina's fiancé—just another parasite clinging to their family like a leech."
"You—!"
Lathel's mind went blank.
'What the hell is going on?! Why does Lucia know Alex? And why is she attacking him like they've had a feud for years?'
According to the System's "script," Lucia wasn't even supposed to appear for several more arcs—and when she did, she shouldn't know who Alex was.
But now she not only knew him—she was about to kill him.
'This is bad! If the protagonist dies, what happens to this world?!'
For the sake of his storyline reward, he shouted, "Stop it, Lucia! What are you doing?!"
At the sound of his voice, Lucia's killing intent instantly vanished. She turned back to him with a radiant, gentle smile, tone soft and melodic.
"Don't worry, Lathel," she cooed. "I'm just cleaning up this trash for you. Once I'm done, no one will ever bother you again."
"Ah—no, that's not—"
Before he could finish, Lucia placed a finger delicately against his lips.
"Shh..." she whispered, touch light and intimate. "Be good. Once I'm done here, I'll take you back to Spring Garden. You can have any kind of woman you desire."
Lathel: "..."
His brain shut down completely. Every coherent thought evaporated, replaced by static confusion.
Lucia giggled softly, then turned her icy gaze back toward Alex.
Alex: "..."
'What the hell?! Why does she look at him like he's her lover, but at me like I'm some kind of stray dog?!'
Humiliation and fury mixed in his chest as he gritted his teeth. "Lathel! Hiding behind a woman—do you even call yourself a man?! If you've got any guts, come—"
SLAP!
Another invisible shockwave struck him before he could finish, snapping his head to the side and launching him several meters backward again.
More teeth flew. Blood poured from his mouth and nose like a fountain.
Even so, Lathel couldn't help but think, 'Damn... he really is the protagonist. Anyone else would've been unconscious by now.'
[Master! Stop Lucia right now! If Alex dies, this entire world will collapse!]
Lathel: "..."
The moment he heard the System's panicked voice, he shouted out instinctively, "That's enough! Lucia—stop, don't kill him!"
Lucia blinked, visibly confused. "Lathel, that man insulted you. I could even sense killing intent from him just moments ago—he wanted to take your life. Someone like him... doesn't deserve to live."
Alex froze. A cold shiver crawled up his spine. Something was very wrong. His eyes darted toward the broken wooden sculpture lying nearby.
Lucia noticed his gaze. Without hesitation, she reached out.
BAM!
The carving exploded into splinters, revealing a small, ornate box hidden inside.
Lucia picked it up and slowly opened the lid—inside was a glowing violet pill, radiant with two golden light veins running across its surface.
The moment the box opened, a wave of fragrant medicinal energy filled the air. Everyone around them felt lightheaded, senses drowning in the intoxicating scent, unable to stop themselves from inhaling deeply.
Lucia closed the box again and turned to the old craftsman, tone calm but carrying quiet authority.
"This pill is extremely valuable," she said softly. "I'll give you ten thousand gold coins for it. Sell it to me."
Her eyes gleamed sharply. "Think carefully. Keeping it might cost you your life."
The old man's hands trembled. He knew instantly that the pill was a priceless treasure—and the thought of being targeted for it made his blood run cold.
Compared to two thousand gold, ten thousand was a miracle. And since this woman was the manager of Spring Garden, refusing her was suicide.
"I'll... I'll sell it!" he said quickly.
Lucia smiled faintly, satisfied.
But then—
"No!" Alex roared. "I paid for it! That thing is mine!"
Lucia's expression hardened again. She was about to kill him where he stood, but Lathel quickly intervened.
"Wait! Don't kill him."
Lucia frowned but sighed softly. She didn't want to upset Lathel—he wasn't like the others. If he wanted mercy, she would grant it.
Her voice turned cold again as she looked at Alex. "You truly are despicable. You knew that sculpture was hiding something valuable, so you tried to snatch it for almost nothing."
"You didn't even have enough money, so you tried to bully that old man into selling it for one gold coin. Pathetic."
Lucia tossed a single coin at Alex's feet, the metallic clink echoing like an insult.
"Take your coin and get lost," she said icily. "If you irritate me again, I'll make sure you regret ever being born."
Alex's face twisted with humiliation and fury. He glared daggers at Lathel, blood still dripping from his mouth.
'Damn it! Where the hell did that bastard find such a powerful woman?! She's not just beautiful—she's terrifying! He must've used the Duchess's influence to make her serve him!'
'Yeah, that has to be it. There's no way a woman like her would willingly protect someone like him!'
Lathel felt Alex's burning stare and sighed inwardly.
'Why are you looking at me like that?! She's the one who beat you senseless and insulted you, not me!'
Before the tension could ease, the sharp sound of wheels screeching cut through the silence.
KRIT!!
A luxurious carriage came barreling through the street, forcing the crowd to scatter.
The horses stopped abruptly. The door swung open—and from within, a woman stepped out in a hurry. Her beauty and allure instantly drew every gaze around her; even the men who'd been trembling moments ago swallowed hard, unable to look away.
Alex's expression shifted. His lips curled into a smug grin.
"Hahaha... Lathel!" he said, laughing through his bruises. "Don't think you're the only one with women protecting you. I have someone too—someone who'll fight for me!"
He straightened up despite the pain, face twisting into a look of arrogant pride.
"Hahaha... you're not special anymore!"