The Herb King

Serge had a dark expression on his face as he stared at the clinic from a distant location. He just received a call from one of his subordinates telling him that some of their comrades were killed and a few others were captured by Lord Harold Reynolds.

"I told those bastards to be careful, but they didn't listen to my words! Dammit! If the Reynolds Household informs the Imperial Family about this, we won't be able to escape Lion City. We should leave now while we still have time!" Serge gritted his teeth as he hatefully glanced at the clinic. Time and time again, the Reynolds Household has always spoiled their plans. This time, they wouldn't be able to continue monitoring them since the city would surely reinforce their defense.

"Summon the others! We will retreat from Lion City and stay outside for the time being. We will return once the commotion dies down." Serge commanded in a solemn voice. He was certain that a punishment would be waiting for him. Gustavo wasn't the kind of person who would tolerate a second failure!

***

"Father, were you really attacked by the Northern Viper Group?" Samira asked as she looked at her father.

Lord Harold furrowed his eyebrows as he replied. "At first, they were merely spying on us, but when I moved near them, they tried to assassinate me! Those bandits were quite skilled. They should be elite scouts of the Northern Viper Group. I managed to capture three of them and they are now being detained in our mansion. Once we inform His Majesty about this event, we will bring those bandits to the Imperial Family and let them do their own investigations. They have a much wider network than us and they should be able to gain some important information from the captured bandits."

Samira frowned as she listened to his words. "We can't delay this matter any further. We have to inform His Majesty about this right away! I'm sure Aethelwolf will understand."

Lord Harold nodded his head in agreement. "Your mother and grandfather are still tired from the journey. I will go and visit His Majesty on my own. You should stay here and help Sir Aethelwolf in managing the clinic."

"But..." Samira wanted to go with her father, but the latter rejected her immediately.

"Don't worry. Your father will be fine. Have you forgotten that I am a Level 4 Esper? Although I'm not as strong as your grandfather, those low-ranking bandits wouldn't pose any danger to me." Lord Harold reassured her with a smile, but she was still a bit worried.

"Alright, but you have to be careful, father." Samira said while looking at him seriously.

"Of course!" He patted his daughter's back and stood up from his seat. "I should leave now. Some of the bandits managed to flee and if I don't hurry, they might be able to escape Lion City. Say goodbye to Sir Aethelwolf for me."

"Don't worry about him. Your father is a strong Esper and only a few people are strong enough to overpower him." Lord Julius smiled at his granddaughter.

"Your grandpa is right. I'm not even worried about your father. Just relax. Everything will be fine." Madam Antonette gently held her daughter's band and comforted her.

After about a minute of silence, Samira suddenly recalled something. "By the way, I got something for you guys. This is from Aethelwolf." She said while taking out a bunch of items. Samira also took out the three Awakening Pellets that she had bought from him.

"Do you guys know what this is?" Samira stared at them with a mysterious look on her face. She was showing them one Awakening Pellet. It looked ordinary and had no redeeming qualities other than the extraordinary energy contained inside the pill.

"You came late so you don't know what this is." She chuckled. "This is an Awakening Pellet and it can help someone become an Esper regardless of their age!"

Hearing this, Madam Antonette and Lord Julius were stunned. It can help someone become an Esper?!

"Can you elaborate on it?" Lord Julius said as he frowned in contemplation.

Samira returned the pill to the glass container and kept it inside her storage ring. "According to Aethelwolf, any person regardless of their age or talent would turn into an Esper after consuming this pill!"

This time, Lord Julius was dumbfounded. "You mean, even someone with an inactive Hegel will become an Esper?!" It was absurd! How could there be such a pill? However, since it came from Aethelwolf, the two thought that it might be possible.

"That's right. He is only selling the pill for a hundred thousand gold coins each! Grandpa, if we can have more of this pill, we can create an army of Espers for our Reynolds Household!" Samira's eyes shone with excitement at the thought of it.

Lord Julius nodded his head in excitement. His old subordinates have already returned, making the Reynolds Household's power increase dramatically. "How many do you have?" The old man asked while looking at his granddaughter.

Samira handed the three pills to his grandfather and replied."I only managed to buy three pills from him. Apparently, this pill is very difficult to make and even Aethelwolf could hardly make a few dozen every day. The ingredients of this pill are also very hard to come by..."

"Is he selling more in his clinic?" Lord Julius asked.

Samira shook her head and smiled sadly. "You guys arrived late. The Awakening Pellets have already been sold out. He only sells ten every day, but I think I can buy a few more from him if I try."

With her friendship with Aethelwolf, the guy might be willing to sell a few pills for them.

"I'll give full jurisdiction to you about this matter and if he agrees, make sure that you will buy as many as you can!" Lord Julius grabbed a treasure chest from his storage ring and handed it to Samira. Inside the chest was a huge amount of gold coins. It should be enough to purchase fifty Awakening Pellets!

"Alright, I'll try, but I can't guarantee that I can buy many from him." Samira smiled helplessly.