Isaac left the hut and closed the door behind him.
His destination was the baron’s mansion.
He didn’t think Nathaniel had lied to him. The story explained how the Baron had managed to buy land from all the farmers and merge the scattered plots into a plantation-style estate where he alone decided what crops would be grown.
Such a system was necessary for silk production. The mulberry trees that fed the silkworms required large stretches of uninterrupted land.
The Baron must have used force, not only against Nathaniel but against many other farmers as well.
’No farmer complained to an official. If they had, the King wouldn’t have allowed something like this to continue. That old man is strict when it comes to laws.’
Their silence made sense. Most farmers probably believed no noble or official would listen to them. Worse, filing a complaint might invite a disaster.
Isaac reached the gates of the baron’s mansion.
The estate was on a slightly elevated land overlooking the surrounding farmland. A stone wall nearly four meters tall encircled the property. Beyond it stood a two-floor mansion built from white stone and dark timber. Decorative pillars lined the front entrance, and large glass windows reflected the moon. The building looked less like the residence of a rural baron and more like a small palace.
Two guards stood watch at the gates.
"Halt! Who goes thei— Sir Isaac? What brings you here?" the guard asked, his tone changing the moment he recognized him.
"I want to meet the Baron," Isaac replied.
"This..." The guards exchanged hesitant looks. "Lord Baron is resting. Please come tomorrow, Sir Isaac."
"So if he is awake, I can meet him?" Isaac asked.
"What do you—"
Isaac swung his sword, wrapped in Weapon Element, before the guard could finish speaking.
The gate split apart vertically. A heartbeat later, the mansion suffered the same fate.
The entire building shook as a clean vertical cut, several inches thick, appeared from roof to foundation.
One of the rooms caught in the attack belonged to Baron Yilla. A terrified shriek echoed from inside. Listening to it, Isaac confirmed the Baron had woken up.
The guards froze. That strike belonged to a level they could barely comprehend. Only the monsters known as Royal Knights and Court Mages could wield such power. Those figures stood so far above ordinary soldiers that they seemed almost mythical.
Maids screamed. Servants ran in panic. The mansion descended into chaos.
Isaac stepped through the ruined gates.
Only then did the guards finally regain their senses. They rushed forward, surrounding him from both sides and leveling their weapons at him.
"S-Stop! Or we will take action against you! We—"
The guards staggered. Their eyelids suddenly grew heavy. Their grips weakened, and their knees buckled beneath them.
Both of them collapsed unconscious.
Isaac glanced at the herbs in his hand.
After strengthening them with Poison Element, the herbs continuously released a sleep-inducing poisonous gas. He did not have much of them. The remaining herbs were enough to deal with four or five more guards at most. The rest would have to step aside after a single warning. Otherwise, he would beat them down.
Dozens of guards charged at Isaac. They were the soldiers trained by the barony. Some recognized him but did not stop. Others simply followed the chaos.
Isaac’s sword flashed. He knocked every one of them unconscious. The strongest guard among them was only comparable to a first-year academy student. Against Isaac, they stood no chance.
After dealing with them, he entered the mansion.
Terrified maids filled the hallways.
"Stand back, Sir Isaac! If you take another step, the King will not forgive you! What you are doing right now is a crime!" the head maid shouted.
Isaac calmly observed them.
’A human wall to stop me?’
That tactic only worked when the gap between both parties was small. In that situation, Isaac might accidentally injure them and be forced to retreat. Here, the difference was simply too great.
He bent his knees and jumped. His body soared over the servants, crossed the staircase, and landed on the first floor.
"W-What?! Stop right there!" the head maid shouted.
Isaac swung his sword. The staircase split apart. Wood and stone crashed onto the floor below.
Without sparing the destruction another glance, Isaac calmly continued toward the Baron’s room.
The moment he touched the door, a giant fireball burst outward. The door exploded into splinters. A blazing sphere slammed into Isaac, and an explosion shook the corridor.
"Hmph! So what if you’re at the level of a Royal Knight? I’m a bona fide noble!" the Baron exclaimed from inside the room.
The sudden attack had frightened him when he first woke up, but after witnessing Isaac’s strength, he had regained his confidence.
Royal Knights and Court Mages?
Others might consider them powerful, but he did not.
Those people had only reached Awakened (Beginner) in Magic Core and First Layer (Intermediate) in an Element.
The Baron had reached Awakened (Intermediate) in Magic Core and First Layer (Intermediate) in Fire Element.
Within the kingdom, anyone who reached Awakened (Intermediate) in Magic Core and First Layer (Intermediate) in an Element, then accumulated enough achievements, could earn a noble title.
Afterward, as long as someone in their bloodline reached the same level within five generations, the family could continue inheriting its noble status.
The Baron had inherited his title from his father. Unlike many nobles, however, he possessed the strength to support that inheritance. He continued gloating when a silver flash suddenly appeared.
The flames split apart.
Isaac stepped out from the center of the explosion. His clothes had burned in several places, but he remained completely unharmed.
"Y-You!? You’re completely fine!?" the Baron shrieked.
He could see Isaac had reached First Layer (Intermediate) in Weapon Element, but had Isaac already mastered it to the point of strengthening his body enough to block magic attacks?
Impossible. Something like that was only possible if Isaac stood at the threshold between First Layer (Intermediate) and First Layer (Advanced). Even Duke Wright, the strongest of the Ten Stars, had not reached such mastery.
Isaac walked into the room.