Sylas nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep his composure.
"Clever fox."
To the untrained eye, Halken's move seed like a typical rcenary ploy to inflate his n's ransom value. But Sylas saw the deeper strategy.
rcenary knights had little value as prisoners. Their noble backers were either fallen or exiled, and their lives were seen as disposable. Most adversaries preferred to kill rcenaries outright rather than bother taking them captive.
But offering a chest of gold as ransom? That was far too tempting to pass up for most nobles. It made the effort of capturing them worthwhile.
"I accept," Sylas said with a grin.
"Excellent!" Halken replied, his face betraying a hint of relief despite his stoic act.
As Halken spoke, Sylas idly tapped the hilt of his cursed blade, Velverke.
"It seems I have a softer heart than I thought."
If it had only been Halken himself, Luke might have ended the fight with a single stroke. But seeing how the rcenary leader was willing to shoulder a debt to save his entire company, Luke decided the man was worth sparing. Since the circumstances had unfolded this way, Luke resolved to ensure that Halken's reputation remained intact—otherwise, it would be too cruel for the rcenaries to remain oblivious to how their leader had saved them.
Both sides selected their participants for the duels, though the number of fighters differed drastically.
"As I said earlier, the entire Red Wolf rcenaries will participate," Halken declared.
"I alone will represent the allied forces," Luke replied, glancing back at his retinue. Bruno, Rey, Isaac, and Max stood nearby. While Max was a commoner and irrelevant to the duels, the others had not been brought for this purpose either.
"These three are not duel participants. Let that be clear," Luke said.
"If they're not participants, then why are they here?" Halken asked.
"To manage the prisoners. If I were alone, I'd have to bind them and toss them behind ," Luke quipped with a smirk.
Halken nodded, but his rcenaries, feeling insulted, frowned. One senior rcenary couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"Commander, are you just going to bow to this guy after hearing that? He hasn't even fought us yet."
"We're fighting right now, you idiot. Shut your mouth unless you want to lose your head," Halken snapped, his tone sharp enough to make the man flinch and back away.
A referee stepped forward, his expression sour.
"Let this duel bring no sha to the goddess!"
Whuff!
No sooner had the signal been given than Halken charged at Luke with everything he had. Even in defeat, the commander intended to uphold his dignity.
Halken moved with the speed of the wind, closing the gap in an instant. His rcenaries watched in awe.
'Fast!'
'As expected of the commander!'
Why had their strong leader been acting so deferentially? Just as Halken's blade was about to strike Luke's shoulder—
CRASH!
"...?"
"...!?"
The sound of clashing tal reverberated through the battlefield as Halken was sent flying. He tumbled through the air, landing near his rcenaries before rolling to a stop.
"Argh, that smarts," Halken groaned, forcing a smile to reassure his n despite the sweat running down his back.
'Damn it, I knew he was a monster, but this is beyond my expectations,' he thought, grimacing.
Luke's defense had been perfect—the angle, the timing, everything. Yet even with such precision, Halken had been completely overpowered.
'At least I can vaguely see his movents. If I can block a few more strikes, then maybe…'
Whoosh!
Before Halken could finish his thought, a gust of wind brushed past him. He instinctively touched his hair, wondering what had just happened.
BOOM!
"Help! Sobody help!"
"What's happening?"
"The wall! The wall is collapsing!"
Behind Halken and his rcenaries, the sound of crumbling stone echoed. Turning around, they saw a portion of the castle wall split diagonally, bricks tumbling down.
"Siege weapons!? Who's using siege weapons during a duel?"
"No, it wasn't a siege weapon! It was his sword!"
"What? His sword!?"
While the commotion above grew louder, Halken and his rcenaries stood frozen in shock. From their vantage point outside, the diagonal slash across the wall was unmistakably the work of a blade.
"My, my. I almost killed you without aning to. That would've cost a chest of gold, wouldn't it?" Luke said with a laugh, blue flas dancing along the edge of his sword.
"Co on now, the duel isn't over. Step forward. I won't kill you," he added, still smiling.
Halken's eyebrow twitched. If anyone else had said that, he might have spat in their face. But coming from Luke, it felt like the most reassuring promise in the world.
"Alright, let's go again," Halken said reluctantly. He hated every second of it, but as commander, he had to uphold his image.
Gritting his teeth, Halken charged again. But before he could even swing, Luke closed the gap and slashed.
CLANG!
The force of Luke's strike nearly shattered Halken's wrist, sending his sword blade flying far into the distance. Halken couldn't even hear it land.
In a duel, losing one's weapon was considered defeat. Realizing this, Halken broke into a wide grin.
"I've lost!" he declared.
"Very well. Co over here. You're my prisoner now," Luke replied.
"Yes, sir!" Halken cheerfully crossed the field to Luke's side, looking more like a defector than a captive.
Isaac, watching in disbelief, asked, "Should we bind him?"
"No. Even rcenaries of honor don't flee from defeat. Leave him be," Luke replied.
"Understood."
Luke swung his sword once before turning to the rest of the rcenaries.
"Next," he called.
The rcenaries stared at him, swallowing hard. He was a monster who could kill them all in a single stroke, yet their lives were guaranteed—thanks to Halken's promise of a chest of gold for each of them.
'The commander is a god!'
'A beacon of light guiding us!'
'I'll follow him to the end!'
One by one, the Red Wolf rcenaries stepped forward to fight, all deeply aware of how precious their lives were thanks to their commander.
And so, Halken's nickna changed from "The Red Wolf" to "The Wise Halken."
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