Anser followed his gaze toward the fifth floor of a red-brick building in the winery's rear courtyard. Several figures stood at the window, secretly watching the chaos outside.
"Your eyesight's pretty good."
With a spread of his dragon wings, he dove straight toward the window.
The man in the red robe had clearly been watching Anser the entire time. The instant he saw him descend, he hurried away from the window, turned, and fled, leaving two guards behind to hold him off.
Anser casually cast Feather Fall on Kelsen before tossing him down.
Then he lightly drew his bowstring.
Metamagic: Empowered Spell, Distant Spell, Subtle Spell, Extended Spell + 8th-Level: Bigby's Hand!
A gigantic magical hand shimmering with arcane light materialized instantly outside the window. It spanned more than five meters across, while its master remained over two hundred meters away in the sky.
The enormous hand clenched into a fist and, without warning, slammed into the window.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion shattered the glass and window frame. The red-brick wall burst open, leaving a massive hole as broken bricks blasted into the room in every direction.
The two guards behind the window were battered by the storm of flying bricks. As they scrambled to dodge, they caught sight of the colossal fist crashing into the room.
'We're dead. If that thing lands a hit, there won't be enough left to scrape up with a shovel!'
Their blood ran cold. Inwardly, they cursed Rezo for making enemies everywhere without a shred of restraint.
Seeing them huddled in the corner, too stunned to move, Anser simply ignored them. He swung the giant fist toward the young man in the red robe, who had just dashed out the door.
Boom—!
The young man threw himself down the staircase. The massive fist smashed into the wall behind him, blasting another enormous hole through it and making the entire building tremble.
A smile curled across Anser's lips.
He deliberately slowed the fist's attacks this time, just enough to avoid accidentally killing him.
The enormous fist shot forward again, its passage through the narrow corridor accompanied by a heavy, roaring wind.
The young man felt his soul leave his body. He desperately twisted and rolled to evade it as the fist grazed past him, demolishing the staircase and walls in its wake. Dust billowed everywhere, and his ears rang violently.
Before he could even feel relieved, the magical fist came after him again.
Boom! Boom! Boom—!
Wherever the young man ran, the gigantic fist pursued him. Its unstoppable destructive force and overwhelming presence struck terror into everyone who watched. Not a single guard dared step forward.
After all, how could a human body possibly be harder than brick and stone?
Yet somehow, the young man was unbelievably "lucky." Every single blow missed him by a hair's breadth, leaving him repeatedly brushing against death. Even so, he was covered in wounds, drenched in sweat, deafened by the constant impacts, and so mentally strained that he was on the verge of collapse.
'He's toying with me!'
The realization suddenly struck him.
But he didn't dare gamble on it. He didn't even dare let his concentration slip.
Every punch was terrifying. Every strike came this close to hitting him. The sensation of constantly walking the line between life and death filled his heart with overwhelming terror.
Boom—!
An elegant redwood door was blasted off its hinges. The young man collapsed in the doorway, letting shattered bricks smash into him until blood streamed down his head.
His ankle had twisted at an unnatural angle.
He could no longer run.
Just moments ago, he had been certain he was about to die. Yet at the very last instant, the giant fist had casually brushed past him once more.
'He doesn't dare kill me...'
He kept repeating the thought to reassure himself.
Even so, he didn't dare say it aloud, nor did he dare reveal even the slightest intention of seeking revenge.
He was afraid the other man would simply flatten him on the spot.
"So that's all the courage you've got? And you still thought you could abduct someone else's woman?"
A calm voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
His entire body jerked.
Just as he was about to look up, he noticed an enormous six-winged shadow cast across the ground. Those broad, somewhat ferocious wings swallowed him beneath an endless curtain of darkness.
When he finally raised his head, he saw a backlit figure floating in midair.
Six wings blotted out the sun. Their soft scales shimmered with a halo of platinum-white radiance around the edges, creating the illusion that they covered the heavens themselves.
The man in the red robe lowered his head.
His lips parted, but no words came out.
"My name is Anser Holrewen. If you want revenge, remember that name. But understand this—once you make your move, you've declared your position. I won't give House Cassalanter another chance."
Leaving those words behind, Anser turned and walked away.
The man had indeed saved Gwyneth.
His motives had been impure, but he hadn't harmed her, nor had he forced her to do anything against her will. For that alone, Anser was willing to spare his life this once.
But if House Cassalanter sought revenge in any form, Anser would no longer hold back.
Even if Waterdeep itself chose to intervene, he had nothing to fear.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen moon elves had already been escorted aboard the Dragonfly airship, and everyone gradually returned below deck.
'Getting them back safely... at least I can face Kaleno with a clear conscience.'
Anser let out a quiet sigh.
Saving Gwyneth had been non-negotiable.
Otherwise, the people's hearts would have fallen apart.
Just as he was about to lead everyone away, a familiar yet strangely unfamiliar Sending echoed in his mind.
{Anser, leave now. I can't hold them off much longer. House Cassalanter has a legendary powerhouse backing them, and they've also earned the favor of Waukeen's Chosen...}
'Liam?'
Anser was genuinely surprised.
The last person he had expected to show him any goodwill was the very man who was supposed to duel him.
'Shouldn't he be kicking me while I'm down and taking the shield back? Or is he planning to pin the blame on me after I leave?'
Unable to make sense of it, Anser simply cast Sending and asked him directly. Liam wasn't a spellcaster, and magic items capable of communication all had usage limits.
{Why are you helping me? Shouldn't you be hoping I die here?}
Liam replied, {I just don't think you did anything wrong... and I don't think I did either.}
After a brief silence, two seemingly unrelated sentences came through the Sending.
Anser looked toward the griffon riders cautiously approaching in the distance, unsure what to say.
{If I didn't do anything wrong, then why should I leave? It'd look like I was fleeing out of guilt.}
Liam replied, {You injured so many people. By procedure, you'll be placed in temporary custody at the Noble Court. That's a dead magic zone. Once you're locked in there, getting back out is extremely difficult...}
After a rapid exchange, Anser finally understood the crux of the matter.
Dragging things out would work in his favor.
Injuring people wasn't considered a major crime in Waterdeep, especially since he had ample justification.
But if he walked into custody now, everything afterward would be left to fate.
No one in either the Noble Court or the Lords of Waterdeep would speak on his behalf. On the contrary, plenty of people would gladly kick him while he was down and push for the harshest possible sentence.
The interpretation of the law was entirely in their hands.
The severity of the punishment could vary enormously.
'I'll lie low for now.'
Anser had no intention of being imprisoned.
Not even for a single minute.
He refused to place his fate in someone else's hands.
Having made up his mind, he waved a hand, teleporting the Dragonfly airship and everyone aboard into Holrewen.
He, too, vanished into thin air, slipping into the Ethereal Plane.
As long as he stayed out of Waterdeep, ordinary people had absolutely no chance of holding him.
So what if they had a legendary powerhouse?
Could they fly at nearly a hundred kilometers per hour?
Could they cast teleportation magic capable of crossing thousands of kilometers in an instant?
Could they travel through the Ethereal Plane?
Besides, he still had Twist of Fate, which allowed him to rewind reality.
But instead of leaving, he quietly moved to Rezo's side and observed his reaction.
The young man's eyes were vacant.
He let his attendants carry him to safety, reset his bones, feed him healing potions, and wipe the blood from his face...
He barely reacted to any of it, leaving his attendants deeply worried.
Anser shook his head slightly.
'Did I toy with him a little too much? Am I really that intimidating?'
He concluded that the man's mental fortitude was simply too weak.
He had never experienced a "battle" of that caliber or the thrill of standing on the very edge of death.
Sure enough, towering trees could never grow inside a greenhouse.
'Hopefully he won't spend the night dreaming about Bigby's Hand.'
Not long afterward, the Griffon Cavalry arrived first.
They had certainly taken their time.
Under normal circumstances, an unburdened griffon could fly even faster than the Dragonfly airship.
One griffon after another landed in the open area.
As expected, Liam was leading the squad. He was apparently on duty today.
Even professionals of his caliber couldn't simply skip work.
Military discipline was truly strict.
Liam had known from the beginning that Anser was already gone, yet he still followed procedure, inspecting the scene, treating the wounded, questioning witnesses, and recording statements.
Rezo had been thoroughly frightened.
The moment Liam appeared, he repeatedly demanded an escort back to the city.
Liam paid him no attention whatsoever.
He had a feeling the man wouldn't be returning to House Cassalanter.
The noble prison seemed like a far more suitable destination.
He slowly walked through the heavily damaged red-brick building, his expression solemn as he took in the devastation and the countless holes blasted through the walls.
In his mind, he reconstructed the battle that had just taken place.
Without realizing it, his hand clenched into a fist, veins standing out across the back of it.
'It's good that he left... Yes, it's for the best.'
He had his own selfish motives.
House Cassalanter had always been an enemy of House Belabranta, and the two families had a long-standing rivalry.
Even setting the law aside, he had nothing but contempt for Rezo.
'If you had Anser's looks and charisma, why would you ever need to resort to something so despicable?'
Anser was the kind of person who could curse you to your face...
...and somehow you still couldn't bring yourself to hate him.
Liam stepped around the shattered staircase.
His gaze shifted forward—
Then abruptly froze.
A golden kite shield stood quietly before him.
The Medusa relief upon its face looked so lifelike that it seemed almost alive, its eyes peacefully closed.
{Here's your shield back.}
A teasing voice echoed directly into his mind.
Liam immediately looked around, but there wasn't a single person in sight.
The dust covering the floor was thick, yet there wasn't a single footprint besides his own.
Only the trail he himself had left remained.
"Thank you."
He picked up the shield he had dreamed about day and night, and more than half the resentment weighing on his heart finally melted away.
Watching through the barrier between planes, Anser felt no reluctance whatsoever.
Come to think of it, Liam really hadn't done anything wrong.
If their positions had been reversed—if someone had stolen his Arcanefire Longbow the same way—he doubted he would have given them a chance to explain themselves, either.
After all, how many people aren't hypocrites when it comes to themselves?
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