As Laura stood in the way of the young noble miss, grabbing a hold of her whip, a few things were running through her mind.
Truth be told, she wasn't the heroic type, not at all. In fact, she was similar to Max in the sense that as long as something didn't directly concern her or her family, she would prefer not to bother with it.
But no matter how much she wanted to ignore it, she couldn't sit still and watch a defenseless little girl get blinded due to the hubris of these piss-for-brains nobles.
It made matters worse when it involved the nobility of the Empire.
They were meant to protect the commoners, setting the path for those less fortunate to follow behind them but no.
Instead of ruling with benevolence, they used their authority to suppress commoners, using any and every opportunity they got to flex their position.
It was disgusting no matter how she thought of it.
Moreso when her family had suffered at the hands of the nobility as well.
Sometimes Laura wondered why the nobles were allowed to continue ruling when most were selfish pricks that thought only about themselves.
Meeting Lara made her understand that not all nobles were bad though which was why she tried to figure out why the young nobles before her were so ruthless.
But her attempts at trying to help them get a reason for their ruthless display were all for naught.
The nobles standing before her were nothing like Lady Lara, instead, they were amongst the greater majority of scumbags that ruled the Empire and she would be damned if she sat back and allowed them to do what they want!
"Oh, a new one steps forth like a lamb to slaughter. Trying to be a hero, are you?"
Laura turned to the one who spoke. Yet another blonde-haired male sharing similarities with the previous one, even going as far as to dress similarly, the only difference being that his jacket was a dark blue color.
Laura alternated her gaze between this one and the previous one and came to the conjecture that they were most likely twins.
Before she could respond though, she felt something prick her skin.
Her attention went to the whip she was holding. One of its thorns had embedded itself in her palm.
With a glance, she could tell that this whip was no ordinary weapon, instead, it was…
A Magic artifact!
Magic artifacts were weapons, accessories, and the likes that were forged using magic and magically formed materials.
They were naturally much stronger than normal weaponry and on top of that, they also possessed certain effects that could boost their wielders' abilities or reduce the ability of an attacker, with all this depending on the material used in its creation.
Magic artifacts were not things that one would find on the street nor were it easy to make one thus each artifact was a treasured piece that magicians placed great importance on as it gave an extra layer to their capabilities.
Furthermore, artifacts were divided into three ranks, namely; Mortal, Nether, and Sky which were further divided into Low, Mid, and High.
Laura could not believe that these noble bastards were so ruthless as to use an artifact to attack normal citizens. Sure, it was a High Mortal ranked magic artifact but still, Wasn't this a clear sign that they didn't care if they ended up killing the latter?
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any magic flowing through the whip which meant that the noble girl hadn't imbued it with any magic.
But this didn't change the fact that the whip was indeed a magic artifact as the infusion of magic would only cause it to reveal its true abilities.
Laura cursed inwardly as she let go of the whip with the noble lady withdrawing it.
Laura had a stern look as she stared down at the nobles, looking further behind them, she could just about make out the cold glares that the noble guards were shooting in her direction.
"Daring to glare at me when you can't protect the people you swore to protect!" Laura felt the urge to gouge out their eyeballs.
"Well, well, if it isn't Laura Webber, the daughter of Zion Empire's richest merchant, Lloyd Webber." The noble lady remarked with a mock smile.
Even though Laura knew she was trying to mess with her, she followed with the act.
"May I ask why you nobles are attacking common citizens?... Even going as far as to cause such grievous injuries?... Are you not ashamed of yourselves?"
The noble lady exchanged looks with the two blond males before bursting out into a hearty laugh.
"Ashamed, you say?... Don't try to patronize me." The noble lady remarked as her smile was replaced with an icy glare. "That mad girl dared to mess with me and I'm only meting out the punishment I deem fit, I will appreciate it if Ms. Webber does not interfere, I wouldn't want it to be said that we bullied you."
Laura snorted. "I'm sure you have done enough already, why don't you let them go now?... Is there a need to go so far as to try and blind an innocent child?... I don't believe that to be the case."
The noble lady was thoroughly incensed. "Do you think because your father managed to make a little money, that places you on the same level as us?... Do not get ahead of yourself and think you have the right to speak to us how you wish, else I won't be above putting you in your place."
"Then I guess that means there is no need for further negotiations. I am not going to allow you to harm this poor man and his daughter any longer." Laura said as she readied herself for a fight.
To be honest, she wasn't keen on engaging in a fight with these trash since it was clear that they would most likely gang up on her to beat her up and make a statement.
Judging off the energy fluctuations around them, The noble teens were more or less around the same magic circle as her. What's more, the fourth noble that remained quiet thus far seemed even more dangerous than the three outspoken ones.
Knowing fully well that no one amongst the spectators would be willing to give a hand and end up offending the noble houses, she could only count on Max to give a helping hand since he was also a noble, albeit a fallen one.