Chapter 330: Shadows in the Tavern
Alexander crossed his arms over his chest and fixed his gaze on the old man.
"Old 5, order the rest of the crew that no one leaves the city," Alexander said.
"Sure thing, boss. We already knew about this," Old 5 replied with a calm smile. "You only arrived a day ago, but we’ve squeezed information out of a few female clients. That’s why we act without restraint inside the walls. The guards are practically our private army; if anything happens to us, Lysandra will be executed. She’s a greedy bitch, but she’s not stupid."
Alexander clenched his jaw, feeling a spike of irritation flare up the back of his neck.
"I should have talked to you all more," Alexander said, his voice sharply annoyed.
"I’m sorry for not keeping you in the loop, boss," Old 5 replied, maintaining a casual demeanor. "But we trust you. In the end, you were sent as the squad leader and you’re the best of the best."
Alexander stared intently at the old man, dissecting every line on his face. So that was your play, you old fox, Alexander thought to himself. If I exposed myself too much and acted recklessly, they could have kidnapped and enslaved me, getting rid of me without a issue... you old bastard.
"You’re right, that’s why I’m the boss," Alexander said aloud, straightening his posture. "Brianna, Paige, Sydney, in my absence you three are in charge. If you need the five members of my team to do anything, see to it. Especially Old 5 here—he seems far too energetic and with way too much free time to think."
Old 5 let out a low chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.
"Come on, don’t get mad, leader."
Alexander took two strides forward until he was standing inches from the old man, locking eyes with him.
"Your complacent face is starting to annoy me," Alexander said. "Let’s see what you can actually do, Old 5."
The atmosphere inside the tavern turned suffocating in an instant. Old 5 felt the air pressure in the room spike drastically; Alexander’s aura had shifted suddenly and violently. Unbeknownst to anyone, the mental instability caused by Stephen’s potions was resurfacing once again, and Alexander was right on the verge of snapping.
Alexander raised his right hand. The air surrounding his palm began to warp and distort violently. The women who were already familiar with what he was capable of panicked, taking a sharp step back. Old 5 felt a primal chill shoot down his spine: his life was in immediate danger, and his body remained paralyzed, unable to move out of harm’s way.
Just before releasing the attack, the distortion vanished as quickly as it had formed. Alexander lowered his hand and flashed a wide grin.
"It was just a little joke, like yours. Among friends, right?" Alexander said.
"Yeah... yeah, a joke among friends," Old 5 nodded, swallowing hard.
"I hope there isn’t a second one, Old 5," Alexander added in a smooth tone. "Bring Dana with me."
The girls exchanged confused glances at the abrupt mood swing, but obeyed the command immediately. Alexander headed toward the stairs without looking back. On the inside, the instinctual alarm that had always saved him from walk-in traps was still ringing loud: Old 5 was not weak in the slightest. Perhaps he was merely pretending not to have awakened his true abilities.
Alexander walked up the stairs with a firm step and entered his room, closely followed by Dana, who walked with her head bowed and arms in a submissive posture.
"What skills do you have?" Alexander asked, turning to face her as soon as the door closed.
"I only have my skill... it’s called [Charm]," Dana answered in a soft murmur. "If someone finds me attractive, their mind will weaken, allowing me to subdue them. I can’t enslave a person, but I can manipulate them long enough to make them comply."
Alexander narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Is that skill very common?" he asked.
Dana raised her head, looking at him with obvious confusion.
"Have you seen it before?" she inquired.
"Yeah, on occasion," Alexander nodded.
"Impossible," Dana refuted immediately, shaking her head. "That technique is exclusive to royalty. I only possess it because one of our family’s ancestors happened to marry a royal princess. Since then, one woman in each generation of my bloodline has been born with that ability. Right now, I am the only one in my family and in these lands who has it."
Alexander remained silent, but his mind began racing at full speed.
That Liora girl... the one who claimed to be a princess... she probably really was one, Alexander reasoned internally, recalling that previous encounter. But the revelation brought far more questions than answers. If she truly belonged to the royal line and had been captured by humans, why did the kingdom maintain a friendly stance toward the newcomers? Had they not even realized she had been kidnapped?
Furthermore, Liora had explicitly mentioned a "man in her army," yet everything Dana had just explained pointed to a realm populated almost exclusively by women, where the few men were treated as the nobility’s most precious resource.
What the fuck is going on here? Alexander concluded in his thoughts, sensing that the pieces of the puzzle were far from fitting together but if this technique belongs to royalty and holds that much power, I need it to defend myself and add another weapon to my arsenal.
"Alright, let me not waste any time. Open your legs," Alexander ordered.
Without hesitation, he unbuttoned his pants and let them drop, releasing his fully erect shaft.
Dana’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment, choking back a gasp as she took in the impressive size right before her eyes.
"Hey... are you serious?" Dana whispered, swallowing hard in obvious fluster.
"Why? You don’t want to?" Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No! Of course I do..." she replied instantly, her voice trembling with submission. "Please, master... serve yourself with your humble servant’s body."
Dana lay back on the bed without a second’s doubt. She spread her thighs wide and, using the fingers of both hands, pulled her lips apart to give Alexander a complete, tempting view of her wet, exposed pussy ready to take him in.