"I told you, they were the ones who insulted me first, so I had to respond," Catherine Otolov explained with resignation.
Just after getting out of the car, she encountered several thugs who whistled at her and asked for her contact information. Catherine had initially decided to just ignore them and let it go, but those guys intensified their harassment, blocking her way and not allowing her to pass!
She couldn't stand it, she just couldn't!
Catherine Otolov hails from the highland tribes outside of Genosha and has been living around Isengard for the past couple of years. In her homeland, the Heritaliana highlands, people value personal strength, admire the powerful, and the local customs are fierce—disputes are settled with fists quickly!
She was no exception; not only was she strong, but she also had substantial combat experience and a fiery temper. She had tried her best to restrain herself on her way to Isengard, but just her luck, she encountered a few ignorant thugs as soon as she arrived.
By the time police officers at the station arrived, those thugs were lying on the ground, spitting blood, barely clinging to life.
"Ma'am, while it's true that they were rude first, you've gone too far. Please come with us," one of the officers said cautiously and with exceptional politeness.
Among those severely injured, there were two level two Beast Masters and one level three Beast Master! And according to eyewitnesses, these Beast Masters had employed "Beast Mastery Embodiment"!
Yet, this lady here didn't use any special powers; she simply relied on her physical strength and quickly knocked everyone to the ground.
"Could you wait just a moment? There's someone here waiting for me; let me speak to them first," Catherine Otolov felt a bit regretful—not for striking back, but because she hadn't anticipated how fragile these people would be!
She had been very careful with her strength; back in the highlands, using "Beast Mastery Possession" in a duel meant fighting with all your might in a battle to the death!
As long as Beast Masters are of the same level, they cannot refuse a duel invitation from an opponent—they must determine a victor!
"Alright, ma'am, that's fine. Just make sure, once you've handled your private matter, you don't attempt to flee," the officer said. He had no choice but to issue a stern warning.
"No problem. Where is the person picking me up?" Catherine Otolov looked around as she had been delayed, and there weren't many people left around.
Ezra had mentioned that a handsome man would come to pick her up, so Catherine scanned the area and her gaze settled on Charles.
"Hello? Are you Catherine Otolov?" Charles asked, gazing at the woman who was ten times more stunning in person than in her photos. "I'm Charles. The teacher sent me to pick you up."
"Teacher?" Catherine blinked in disbelief when she heard Charles. She knew Ezra's capabilities and had asked him several times to be her mentor, only to be turned down. Now, this handsome man in front of her was referring to someone as "teacher."
This piqued Catherine's curiosity, making her itch to know about Charles's strength, wishing she could spar with him. But, that wasn't possible at the moment as she still had to accompany the station officers to the relevant department.
Regretfully, Catherine sighed silently, "Hello Charles, I have some issues to resolve here and can't leave just yet."
"What happened?" Charles asked.
Catherine recounted the events that had led to the altercation, just as several paramedics approached, carrying three severely injured Beast Masters.
Outside the station, a middle-aged man in a suit hurried over, urgently asking, "Greg, cousin, what happened to you?"
"Cousin, I just arrived in Lsengard and got beaten up! You must avenge me," pleaded the level three Beast Master Greg, struggling to sit up and expressing his pain, "It was that woman! She was incredibly harsh!"
"Who dares to bully my cousin in Lsengard? Don't worry, cousin; I work for the city lord, I'm not afraid of anyone!" George, Greg's cousin, consoled him while moving closer. When he reached Catherine, he was initially stunned by her beauty, which took him a moment to recover from. He then remembered his battered cousin beside him and, gritting his teeth, said:
"Lady, you've beaten my cousin to the point his own mother wouldn't recognize him, and you haven't even apologized? Here in Lsengard..." George was cut off before he could finish.
Charles interrupted bluntly, "Apologize? What apology? Your cousin started the trouble, and he's lucky not to be dead."
George turned his head, arrogantly retorted, "And you are? Let me tell you, here in Lsengard, there are people I dare not provoke, but you are definitely not one of them! Watch it, or you'll bite off more than you can chew!"
Catherine Otolov quickly stepped in to prevent Charles from losing his temper. The situation was her doing, and she did not want to involve others. People from the highland tribes are like that—self-reliant and resilient. Even when facing difficulties, they prefer to resolve issues themselves rather than trouble others. Independence and admiration for strength are the true marks of the highlanders!
Charles, standing before Catherine, took several deep breaths to calm himself. It was their first meeting, and he didn't want to make a bad impression, or he would have slapped George already. It was clear that his cousin had instigated the trouble and got beaten, yet here was George, demanding apologies without even understanding the situation. His arrogance was astounding!
Seeing Charles fall silent, George mistook it for fear and continued to boast, "What's the matter, lost your nerve? Dare to say your name? No need, I work at the city lord's office. It would be easy to find out who you are!"
Charles replied calmly, "No need to look me up, my name is…"
"Whatever your name is, it doesn't matter! It wasn't your concern, but you had to interfere. Now, if you kneel and bow your head, I might let you off!"
Before George could finish, three luxury cars roared into the station. The screeching brakes turned heads all around. It's well known that regular vehicles aren't allowed inside the Lsengard station except those of the city lord's office and a few major families of Lsengard; all others must park outside.
George's eyes lit up. Having worked at the city lord's office for a while, he recognized most of the prominent family members. Although he had been away on a business trip recently, his old connections remained.
With this thought, George hurried forward, eager to see who it was.
Among the spectators' gaze, Raj, Henry, and David stepped out of their luxurious vehicles.
"What a coincidence, boss?" George addressed Henry. Noticing David's puzzled expression, he quickly clarified, "Hello, I'm George from the city lord's office. We've met before."
"Oh, George, right? I think I remember you," Henry replied casually, his eyes still searching for Charles.
Seeing a response, George straightened his back with a proud smirk and turned to Charles, saying boastfully, "See? This is the head of the Stokes family and the head of the Smith family from Lsengard! I know them!"
Just as George was about to throw around some more tough words, Henry, David, and Raj each bypassed him and approached Charles. NovelFire.com-exclusive-content
David spoke first, "Ah, Charles, we finally found you. We have a few things we'd like to discuss with you." Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Henry chimed in, "Yeah, do you have any time to spare for us?"
"Not today," Charles shook his head, planning to spend the evening touring around with Catherine.
"That's okay, tomorrow works too," Henry quickly added.
George's smug expression froze, his face stiffening as he began to doubt his ears. Since when did executives discuss matters on others' terms, asking if they had time or could spare the courtesy?
His heart raced as he realized the man he had insulted had a far more significant status than he'd assumed.
Before he could react further, another Rolls Royce rolled up. George squinted and immediately recognized it—it was the city lord's official car!
The city lord of Lsengard too? Could he also be here for the same person?
Indeed, city lord Matthew appeared, spotting Charles and Catherine. He called out, "Charles, do you happen to have time tonight for dinner?"
"Not tonight, I'm afraid. I have to make an apology shortly," Charles responded.
Matthew looked puzzled, "Apology? What apology?"
Charles directed his gaze towards George, who was now trembling, dripping with cold sweat. The once arrogant demeanor had vanished, replaced by regret and fear.
Following Charles' gaze, Matthew saw a man in a suit, shaking and sweaty.
"Who are you?" city lord Matthew inquired.