*Chapter 76: Intimidation!*

The sound of gunfire jolted Andinan awake.

"What happened?"

The young man shouted loudly.

"Crows!"

"Master, it's crows!"

The servants who had survived last night's attack inside Castle No. 6 immediately responded.

Crows?

Andinan was stunned.

Without even putting on his shoes, the young man grabbed the revolver from under his pillow and, barefoot, ran to the window. There, he saw hundreds of crows swooping down, tearing at the flesh of the policemen.

Crows flying in swarms, black and ominous.

Screams of agony, scarlet flesh.

"What?!"

The young man gasped.

This scene, defying logic, made a word leap from the young man's mind almost instantly—

Supernatural!

Then, instinctively, the young man looked toward the terrace.

That was where Goethe's study was located.

Andinan's greatest reliance in this moment!

Only the supernatural can combat the supernatural!

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the supernatural, Andinan had come to this realization.

But when he saw Goethe inside the room calmly raise his hand to open the terrace door and step outside, the young man couldn't help but exclaim.

"Lord Mapel?!"

The sheer number of crows outside naturally couldn't be stopped by a mere door.

Yet, no matter how thin the door was, it still provided an extra layer of protection, giving one a moment to catch their breath.

But now, Goethe had pushed open the terrace door and walked out, fully exposing himself.

This made Andinan's heart race in fear.

Especially when he saw the swarm of crows diving down again, the young man instinctively wanted to stop them from getting close to Goethe, to buy him a chance at survival. He immediately pushed open the window, raised his revolver, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots rang out.

The young man's shooting skills were average.

But with the dense swarm of crows, he didn't need to aim.

Several crows dropped immediately.

However, it was utterly futile.

The few fallen crows did nothing to deter the advancing swarm.

"Lord Mapel, be careful..."

Andinan exclaimed again, but his voice abruptly stopped.

Because the crows, which had been diving down in swarms, suddenly plummeted to the ground as Goethe looked up at them.

It was as if it were raining; hundreds of crows fell with a thud around Goethe.

On the pristine white terrace, black and red blossomed instantly, ominous black feathers scattered everywhere, and Goethe, standing tall in the midst of it all, was surrounded as if enveloped by several black wings.

As the black feathers slowly settled on the ground, Goethe turned away with a calm expression.

Click!

The soft sound of the door closing snapped Andinan out of his daze.

The young man's wide eyes were filled with disbelief!

What had he just witnessed?

Hundreds of crows fell with a single glance from Lord Mapel!

This...?!

Even though he knew Lord Mapel was a supernatural being and had exceptional faith in him, Andinan still felt as if he were dreaming at that moment.

He couldn't help but pinch himself.

And then...

"Ouch!"

"It hurts!"

The young man looked down, rubbing the thigh he'd pinched so hard it had swollen.

In the study next door, Goethe clearly heard Andinan's pained cry, but sitting on the sofa, Goethe had no strength left to even stand up.

"Despairing Gaze" was more effective than he'd imagined!

But, it also consumed more energy than he'd expected!

*[Despairing Gaze: Using your gaze as a medium, force your opponent to make a 'Heart' check. The once-glorious Robert family gained this power from an unexpected find during a ruin exploration, which led to their brief period of splendor, but carelessness ultimately led to their downfall.]*

*[Effect: Anyone who makes eye contact with you must undergo a 'Heart' check with a value of 0.1. If they pass the check, they remain unaffected. If they fail, they fall into confusion and fear. Each check, whether successful or not, will consume some of your physical strength.]*

(Note 1: The 'Heart' check value changes with the caster's 'Heart' value.)

(Note 2: This secret art cannot be leveled up.)

...

Goethe was certain that if his 'Body' weren't nearly three times that of an average person, the hundred or so checks he just performed would have caused him to pass out on the spot.

"I must control the scope of use!"

Goethe warned himself.

In fact, even without passing out, just being in this state of exhaustion left him completely vulnerable to any threat.

Similarly, Goethe also understood how the extraordinary members of the Robert family met their demise.

They were likely exhausted to death!

Against a small number of ordinary soldiers, the Robert family, relying on *[Gaze of Despair]*, was naturally invincible. However, when the number of soldiers grew from hundreds to thousands, to tens of thousands, the situation would be completely reversed.

And at that time, for the sake of victory, the army of ordinary people would not hesitate to wear them down!

"A change in quantity leads to a change in quality!"

Goethe thought to himself.

Then, he took a few deep breaths, adjusting his exhausted body, and tried to open the door as calmly as possible.

He had already heard Andinan's footsteps approaching.

The young man raised his hand, but before he could knock, the door opened.

Seeing Goethe standing behind the door, Andinan was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure.

For Sir Mapel to accomplish what he had just done, it was entirely normal for him to anticipate his arrival.

Then, an unusual fervor and admiration appeared on the young man's face.

It was the most common reaction of an ordinary person when facing the extraordinary.

But unlike most people, Andinan was smart.

He didn’t overstep his bounds.

"Sir Mapel, Lance and Guggen are here. Would you like to see them?"

Andinan inquired.

"Yes, let them come up here."

"Oh, and could you prepare some breakfast for me?"

"Preferably something with meat and sweets."

Goethe wasn't surprised by Lance and Guggen's arrival. Given the sheriff and deputy sheriff's personalities, it would have been more surprising if they hadn’t shown up.

However, in his current state, he didn’t have the strength to go downstairs to deal with them, so he had them come up.

As for not seeing them?

Goethe wouldn’t consider that.

At least until his strength was fully restored, keeping the two of them "close by" was the best option.

After all, in the face of danger, he couldn’t exactly rely on Andinan, could he?

"Certainly, Sir Mapel."

The young man offered no objections and immediately signaled a nearby attendant to arrange it. He then sat opposite Goethe but couldn’t resist glancing toward the terrace.

"If you want to look, go ahead."

Seeing the young man's curiosity, Goethe spoke directly.

Without hesitation, Andinan rushed to the terrace.

Soon, Lance and Guggen joined him.

The two of them examined the terrace while occasionally casting curious glances at Goethe.

And Goethe?

He calmly enjoyed his breakfast: steak, hot cocoa, egg tarts, and cake.

The chefs at No. 6 Castle Street showcased their skills, and Goethe was so captivated by the aroma of the food that he completely ignored the two men's scrutiny.

In fact, it wasn’t just Lance and Guggen observing Goethe. Several hidden gazes around Castle Street were also watching closely.

They had followed the raven there.

As a result, they witnessed the entire event.

Then, these watchers began murmuring in almost a moan, repeating one word—

"*Dragon's Might!*"

(End of Chapter)