Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

"Let's make some things clear here," Alex said coldly, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife as he stared down at Charles, who was still violently coughing on the ground.

Without a moment's hesitation, Alex reached down and grabbed Charles by the neck, effortlessly lifting the arrogant noble into the air with a single hand. Charles' legs dangled helplessly, his feet kicking at empty air as he struggled against Alex's iron grip.

"Firstly, I'm not your subordinate, nor am I your dog. I'm here to escort you, nothing more. If you ever try to order me around again, consider yourself dead," Alex stated with a chilling calm that sent an icy shiver down Charles' spine.

Alex was well aware of the delicate balance he had to maintain. Hurting or killing one of these young nobles could have serious repercussions; instead of gratitude, their families might turn against his organization, seeing any aggressive act as a direct provocation. However, there were boundaries that couldn't be crossed. If the price of maintaining respect was to make a few powerful enemies, then so be it. He needed to show these nobles that his organization was not there to be bullied or manipulated; otherwise, these families wouldn't hesitate to try and take advantage of them.

"Secondly, if you ever show any disrespect toward me or my companions, you are dead," Alex continued, his tone cold and unwavering, each word carrying the weight of his threat.

He swept a glance over the group of nobles and added, "These two rules apply to all of you."

A collective gulp of fear resounded through the group as the nobles meekly nodded their heads, clearly shaken by Alex's imposing demeanor.

Refocusing on Charles, Alex leaned in slightly and asked, his voice low but menacing, "Are we clear?"

At that moment, staring into Alex's intense silver eyes, Charles felt his heart constrict, and for the first time in his life, he experienced true fear. In his terrified state, he didn't even realize as he lost control of his bladder, a small stream of yellow liquid trickling down his legs.

"Y-Yes, w-we are c-clear," Charles managed to stammer after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Good," Alex said, his tone still ice-cold as he released Charles, who collapsed onto his backside with a heavy thud.

After this brief but impactful altercation, Alex turned his attention to the bandits who had been watching the scene unfold with confusion. Weren't they supposed to be the ones attacking here?

"Gentlemen," Alex greeted with a polite nod to the bandits, "how may we assist you today?"

Alex's calm and somewhat courteous tone caught the bandits off guard. This wasn't the reaction they had anticipated, especially after the display of dominance Alex had just shown.

The lone level 4 bandit among the group stepped forward, his eyes darting briefly to Amelia before he spoke in the most intimidating voice he could muster. "Hand over the group of silver-spooned brats and all your belongings, and we might consider letting you go," he paused, giving Amelia another glance before adding, "just the two of you."

"I'm afraid we can't accommodate your request," Alex replied calmly, "as you may have noticed, those 'silver-spooned brats' are under our protection."

Before the level 4 bandit could voice another threat, Alex gave a subtle nod to Amelia. Instantly, the branches of the towering trees surrounding them thickened and stretched with uncanny speed. With a swift motion, they ensnared several of the bandits in a vice-like grip.

A moment ago, the bandits seemed intimidating, their numbers in the hundreds. But in the blink of an eye, the majority were captured, thrashing helplessly against the branches that had tightly bound them, their previous bravado now reduced to panic and desperation.

There were some of them that managed to escape though, namely three level 3s and one at level 4.

Two of the level 3 had fire-based abilities that allowed them to burn down the branches trying to imprison them, while another had wind control ability that allowed him to slice through the dense foliage.

The level 4, on the other hand, pulled out a long broadsword he had been carrying on his back and effortlessly cut down the branches obstructing his path.

It was at that moment that Amelia took action. In a blink, she appeared before the level 3 weaving through the branches and with tremendous momentum, she landed a punch directly at the man's solar plexus.

The bandit's body curled into a U-shape as he was sent hurtling through the air with astonishing speed before violently crashing against the bark of a tree. The collision instantly created a massive cloud of dust and splintered wood with debris flying in all directions.

"Ouch, that must have hurt," Alex commented as the cloud of debris settled, revealing the battered and unconscious figure of the man.

Meanwhile, before the bandit had even crashed against the tree bark, Amelia had already shifted her focus. Quickly appearing before the two men who had been burning down the branches, now with stunned expressions, Amelia darted between the nets of burning branches and waves of fire. She kicked one of the two men in the head, sending him sprawling into the distance, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

The second man, however, was ready for Amelia. With a wave of his hand, several fireballs the size of human heads sped toward her with relentless force, intent on incinerating her.

Maintaining her calm, she raised her hand, and the surrounding trees extended to form a shield around her. However, the shield of branches didn't last long and was swiftly burned down by the flames. To the surprise of the attacker, after the shield had crumbled to ash, Amelia was no longer there.

His eyes darted left and right trying to locate her, but before he had the chance to find her, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. His vision blurred and he fell unconscious.

At that exact moment, the level 4 had finally slashed down all the branches attacking him. He stared at Amelia's tantalizing figure and sneered, "I'm going to have fun playing with you," he said as he lecherously licked his lips.

Amelia snorted coldly and raised her hand in the man's direction. At that moment, the ground around the man shattered, and a towering tree sprouted in its place. Well, calling it a tree might not be entirely accurate, as the plant had neither leaves nor flowers. It was simply a thick trunk that seemed extraordinarily resilient.

Taking advantage of the moment, Amelia had subtly planted the seed of this tree while using her earlier shield of branches. Now, under the nourishment of her mana and the soil, the tree grew rapidly, towering over every other tree in the forest. It developed branches as thick as the trunks of the smaller trees around it. These branches then extended toward the level 4 with precision and speed that bordered on impossibility.

The sneer on the bandit's face disappeared in an instant, replaced by a serious and cold resolve. Gripping the hilt of his broadsword with such intensity that his knuckles whitened, he channeled his mana into his muscles and slashed with all his might.

SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!

The bandit's sword was like an extension of his will as it sliced apart all the branches coming for him, leaving only the sturdy trunk of the tree standing.

Taking a breath, the bandit placed his sword on his shoulders, and his previous sneer reappeared. "I can do this all day long."

"I see, but I don't have all day to play with you, so we will have to finish this now," Amelia said with a shrug.

At that moment, the bandit suddenly stumbled forward and had to concentrate all his willpower to avoid collapsing. His eyes turned bloodshot as his vision blurred.

"Wh-what's going on?" he managed to mutter with great struggle as his eyelids grew heavier with each breath he took.

"That tree whose branches you just cut down is called Sylvive," Amelia calmly explained. "It generally grows in the forests south of Imperion, where it's not uncommon to find creatures that can uproot or slash it down. To survive, the Sylvive had to adapt. One of its adaptations is its incredibly resistant bark, but another is that it produces a gaseous substance when cut. While this substance heals the tree, it also contains a powerful sedative that can render even the most formidable creatures unconscious within seconds."

Hearing this explanation, the man gritted his teeth in frustration. He had been defeated without even having used his ability!

It couldn't be helped; he had been wary of Alex making a move all along and didn't go all out for fear of exhausting himself before Alex took action. That was a grave mistake he would deeply regret.

Despite his best efforts, he collapsed on the ground seconds later.

"Well, that's done," Amelia said, dusting off her hands.

"Well done," Alex said as he patted Amelia, who seemed to purr under his touch.

"Now," Alex glanced at the still-conscious bandits, "let's move on to the next step."