Chapter 4: Intruders

Collins jolted awake. The system alert pushed his heartbeat. His eyes snapped open, adjusting to the faint golden glow hovering in front of him. For a second, he forgot where he was, until the ache in his back and the musty smell of old wood reminded him. Groggy, irritated, and disoriented, he squinted at the notification.

"What now?" he muttered, voice thick with sleep.

"Selassie!" he bellowed, yanking on his cloak with the urgency of a man preparing for war, only for it to twist around his arm like a vengeful blanket refusing to cooperate. "We've got guests. The unwanted kind."

Selassie emerged from her room half-dressed. A boot in one hand and a dagger in the other. Her eyes gleamed, already sharp with instinct. "Intruders?"

Collins showed the notification.

"Yeah. Four of them." he said in an icy tone, tossing the cloak over his shoulder and pointing toward the lower floor with narrowed eyes. "You find the girl. I'll go 'politely' ask our guests to leave... preferably with broken limbs."

Selassie nodded and rushed toward the upper hallway where the system indicated a child.

Collins trudged down the hall, heart pounding, not from fear, but sheer exertion. Each step was like dragging a corpse uphill. His knees protested, his lungs wheezed, and his sweat had soaked through the third layer of his robes. Still, he kept going. He could hear the voices now, bleeding from the main hall.

"Sure this is the place?"

"Yeah, little bird ran in here."

"Hope she didn't scratch the furniture. Shame we'll have to burn this place after."

Collins turned the corner, wiping sweat from his brow.

Two men stood there. Each the size of a wardrobe. Covered in tattoos, blades strapped to their belts, and smirks that screamed arrogance. Collins didn't flinch. He planted himself between them and the corridor, eyes half-lidded and tone cold.

"Gentlemen," he said, breathlessly, "we're currently closed. Kindly get out."

One of them tilted his head, squinting. "Baron Collins?"

"Correct," Collins replied, voice like chilled iron. "And unless you'd like to be mopped off the floor, I suggest you start walking."

The thug's face twisted into amusement. "Oh, I know you. You're that very heavy pig-looking noble who got kicked out of his House. Didn't you molest your fiancée and gamble away half the family wealth?"

They both burst into laughter. "What's a disgrace like you gonna do? Waddle us to death? HAHAHAHAHA!"

Collins raised a broom, his eyes dead serious.

The laughter stopped. "Seriously?"

Ten seconds later, Collins was groaning on the ground, broom snapped in half like a twig. One of the thugs had him crushed under a chair. ironically, the same one he'd proudly upgraded earlier. The floor trembled with his wheezing.

"Was that supposed to be intimidation?" one of them mocked, nudging the broken broom with his boot.

Collins didn't answer. But his glare was sharp enough to cut stone.

"This... is not going... as planned..." Collins wheezed, every breath a struggle beneath the weight pressing on his chest, and the bitter sting of humiliation gnawing at his pride.

Instinct took over as he reached for mana, only to find it stubbornly blocked. The arcane energy he once wielded with ease was now a locked door, laughing silently at his desperation.

"Damn it all."

But then, a faint glimmer of hope sparked within the depths of his frustration. With trembling fingers and a racing heart, he dragged open the system interface, the pulse of the alert still echoing in his ears.

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Inventory:
• x1 Director Skill Roulette Ticket (Bronze)
Use item? [Y/N]

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His voice was low, strained, yet determined. "Yes. Now. Just give me anything with punch."

Spinning...

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Skill Acquired: [Director's Command Lv.1]
Description: When used, your voice carries divine authority, compelling obedience for 5 seconds. 3 time use per day.

Note: Can only be use against people with

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Collins blinked in disbelief. "...That's it? Just this?"

The thug in front of him smirked, raising a fist arrogantly. Collins drew in a sharp breath, steeling himself. Then, he bellowed, voice echoing with unexpected, crushing authority: "SIT. DOWN."

The command crashed like thunderclaps in the dim hall, a weighty decree that brooked no argument. The thug's confident sneer instantly faltered. His eyes widened in shock before his knees buckled, collapsing him to the floor with a heavy thud that sent his partner sprawling too.

A stunned silence filled the room.

Collins, panting and drenched in sweat, rose unsteadily to his feet, surveying the scene with a grim smirk. His robes were torn, his body aching, and his trusty broom lay shattered beside him.

...

Selassie crept quietly through the dusty hallway of the dorms, her ears catching the faintest whimper echoing down the corridor. Guided by the fragile sound, she pushed open the wardrobe door of one room. Inside, curled tightly like a trembling ball of feathers, sat a little girl with fiery-red hair and delicate golden wings folded protectively around her small frame.

"You're safe now," Selassie whispered gently, trying to soothe the frightened child.

The girl looked up, eyes wide and haunted. "Who are you?" she asked in a small, scared voice. "Are they gone?"

Before Selassie could respond, the door burst open. The third man slammed into the room, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Well, well, found her for me, nun."

Selassie straightened, raising her staff defensively. "You'll have to go through me."

But he didn't hesitate. With brutal speed and strength, he struck her down with a single blow, sending her sprawling as her staff skittered across the floor. He advanced, eyes glinting with menace.

Lyra screamed—a sharp, desperate sound.

Then—

"BACK. AWAY. NOW."

The man froze mid-step.

Collins appeared at the doorway, eyes burning with cold resolve, his very presence heavier than his already considerable weight. He strode forward with quiet authority, reached out, and pressed one massive hand firmly on the man's shoulder, then settled his bulk atop him.

"WH—!?" the man gasped.

The wooden floor creaked beneath their weight, the noise filling the tense silence. The man struggled briefly, flailing his arms in panic, but soon all movement ceased as the air was squeezed from him like a crushed bellows.

Collins wiped sweat from his brow with a grunt. "Divine justice, delivered... with density."

He bent down and scooped the trembling girl into his arms, not easily, but with surprising gentleness. "You're safe now."

Lyra clung to his clothes with trembling fingers, whispering with quiet shame, "...U-"

?

"Ugly!"

Collins's eyes narrowed as the girl muttered "Ugly..." in a trembling voice.

Brat, who the hell do you think you're calling ugly?! 

He wanted to retort but instead, nodding towards Selassie. "You good?"

She groaned but managed a nod in reply.

Ding!

[ System: Unique Child Appeared — Completed! ]

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Simple. Quick. Rewarding.

Collins eyed in content. A Roulette Ticket once again. A silver one at that. This meant higher skill. The [Director's Command] was handy in dire situations. Helpful indeed. Nevertheless, it was more gratifying than the first mission that is arduous and draining.

The girl looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "Can I... stay here?"

Ding!

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Ding!

[ System: Register Complete! ]

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Selassie limped beside him, rubbing her side where the blow had landed. "Phoenix blood? That's rare."

"Yeah," Collins replied grimly.