Healing Potion

Glen slowly lifted his hand, still gripping the sword, along with Sophia's body, off the ground.

"Let go of my mother!" Lavell shouted, rushing toward Glen, striking and even trying to bite him.

Glen deliberately glanced at Channis, who visibly trembled. His lips moved, seemingly whispering, "...Please don't."

But Glen showed no sign of stopping.

Just as Sophia was about to lose her grip from exhaustion, Glen violently swung his hand, yanking the sword from her grasp, and then used the hilt to strike her abdomen while she was still suspended in the air.

"No!" Channis cried out in despair.

Sophia let out a muffled groan, flying backward, and was caught by Barbier and a few of the private soldiers.

But Sophia was already unconscious. Despite Channis calling her name repeatedly, she didn't stir.

"Quick! Fetch the best healing potion!" Channis shouted in panic to a maid nearby.

The maid hurried off without a moment's hesitation.

"Father! Help me!"

Another desperate scream jolted Channis, reminding him that his son was still in the hands of the terrifying commoner.

He turned back to look at Glen.

Lavell was now dangling in the air, his neck tightly gripped by Glen's hand.

"No! Please! Don't!"

Channis, no longer the arrogant nobleman he once was, had only fear and desperate pleading on his face now. His mind screamed, I knew it! I knew those people from Baiecli were monsters! Why did I gamble with this?

The private soldiers, weapons raised, exchanged uneasy glances but didn't dare to make a move.

Lavell's face turned purple, his breath growing more labored, and the agony of waiting for death seemed unbearable.

Just as his eyes started to roll back in his head, Glen suddenly released his grip, letting Lavell fall to the ground in a coughing fit.

Channis let out a sigh of relief but instinctively took a step forward.

However, Glen's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"I'd advise you not to move. His life is still in my hands."

Glen's expression was blank, but no one present doubted his words.

"You... what do you want?" Channis trembled, lowering his head, abandoning his pride as a nobleman in the face of Glen's power. "I know I was wrong. Please, don't harm my only son!"

Kulo, who had been watching silently, cast a brief, contemptuous glance at Channis before quickly concealing it.

Channis, oblivious to his friend's reaction, didn't care. He was too focused on the importance of his son's survival. If Lavell died here, it would likely mean the end of the Channis line.

"Are you confident you can take him down?" Kulo suddenly muttered, speaking softly so only he could hear.

A ghostly voice echoed in his mind in response:"I can't see through him, but it seems like he's aware of me."

Kulo's eyes narrowed in disbelief, and he murmured, "Aware of you? But you're supposed to be the most skilled assassin in the underground... How could that be?"

"I don't know where I revealed my presence, but he's definitely keeping an eye on me," came the calm reply.

Kulo fell silent, unable to come up with an answer.

"I'm a reasonable person. You brought me here and ruined my business today. You'll need to compensate for my losses," Glen said, his tone calm and neutral.

Channis immediately nodded, not hesitating. "Of course, how much do you want?"

"Hmm..." Glen pretended to think for a moment. "Ten gold coins will do."

Channis and everyone around him widened their eyes in shock.Can you even make that much in one day?

Channis suppressed the thought but felt a deep sense of frustration. He reluctantly nodded.

"Truly a noble lord, so straightforward!" Glen said, giving a humorless clap.

Channis didn't find the comment flattering. He was eager to resolve the situation. "Now, can you give Lavell back to me? A man's word is his bond."

Glen cast a brief glance at the trembling Lavell, still sitting on the ground, and replied indifferently, "I never said that I'd release him just because you've paid."

"You can't do this!" Channis nearly lost his mind, his eyes bloodshot with anger. If it weren't for Barbier holding him back, he might have lunged at Glen in a desperate attempt.

"Calm down, noble lord. Think about all the commoners you've oppressed in the past. How do you think they felt then? Doesn't this give you a taste of how it feels?" Glen's voice remained level as he observed Channis' hysteria.

The man who could raise a son with such poor character had to be just as vile.

"You...!" Channis trembled, and then his anger shifted to pleading. "What do you want for me to release my son?"

Glen didn't respond immediately, for the maid had just returned with the healing potion.

He watched with interest as the maid poured a faintly green liquid from a glass vial into Sophia's mouth.

Glen found the effect fascinating. In truth, Sophia wasn't seriously injured; he had merely used a precise technique to knock her out. But he hadn't reminded anyone of that, both because there was no need and because he wanted to see what the so-called healing potion was like.

As the last drop of liquid entered her mouth, Sophia's eyes snapped open, and she immediately seemed more aware.

The results were impressive, though Glen couldn't assess the potion's full healing power yet.

Sophia, still dazed, looked around, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She glanced over at Glen, and upon realizing he was still there, she shuddered in fear.

When her gaze shifted to Lavell, she immediately tried to rush toward him, disregarding her fear.

Luckily, Channis grabbed her in time.

"What are you doing? Lavell is in danger! We need to save him!" Sophia thrashed in Channis' arms.

Reluctantly, Channis explained the situation to his wife, convincing her to stop struggling.

"Please, I beg you! Let my son go! What do you want? I'll give you anything!"

Sophia completely discarded her noble dignity, pleading with Glen as a desperate mother.

The maids nearby wiped tears from their eyes, torn between worry for their mistress and the overwhelming tension in the air.

The only one who remained silent was Lord Kulo, his eyes filled with growing disdain as he observed the Channis family.

"That healing potion... I want a hundred bottles," Glen said casually, pointing at the empty vial.

Everyone froze, nearly tripping in shock.

A hundred bottles? Do you think they grow on trees?! Kulo thought to himself.

"I... I only have five bottles left. These are from the previous generation, and I've spent most of my life collecting them. We just used one, so I only have four. I don't have a hundred..."

Channis said this with a strained, honest expression.

Glen carefully studied his face and, confirming the man wasn't lying, waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine, four bottles will do."

Channis opened his mouth to argue but sighed in frustration. He turned to the maid and ordered, "Go fetch all the healing potions we have."

The maid shot Glen an angry glare, wiping away tears before walking off again.