Chapter 77

Leon and Theo looked at each other.

The inference was vaguely off.

But Cavaldi gained certainty from their reaction.

“Yes, it seems my thoughts were correct! I knew it would be so.”

“Wait a moment. Why did you think that?”

“Stop pretending you don't know. I've already figured it all out.”

“I'm asking because I really don't know.”

Leon asked back, dumbfounded, but Cavaldi answered with conviction.

“Since you keep trying to deny it, I'll tell you. Occasionally, Snow Elves who have completed their military service in the Emperor's Royal Guard get into gambling, lose all their fortune, and come to Apennia to work as mercenaries. I've seen such cases often.”

“Hmph……”

“Damn it, you people deserve to be burned by the wrath of Tyr.”

Leon just sighed and let it be, but Theo, feeling shame for his kinsmen's actions, covered his face.

It was an embarrassing thing just to hear.

Usually, after completing service in the Emperor's Royal Guard, one receives a retirement pay sufficient to purchase a large farm in the north.

Thus, most retired veterans return to their hometowns in triumph.

But for his kinsmen to blow the reward of several decades of service on gambling, unable to return home and jumping back into mercenary life.

It was an embarrassing thing just to hear.

‘No wonder the seniors kept emphasizing not to gamble.’

If such things happened more often than he thought, it was understandable why the Royal Guard seniors had nagged about eradicating gambling until their ears bled.

Suddenly, Theo's anger surged.

Come to think of it, didn't that guy just see him as someone who had been ruined by gambling?

Unaware of what Theo was thinking, Cavaldi pondered a way to turn the situation around.

‘If he's a retired veteran, there's room for negotiation.’

Cavaldi was not a merchant but a nobleman, but at the same time, he was also from Apennia.

In other words, he had many opportunities to interact with merchants from various countries.

Naturally, he had learned things by watching from the side.

So, Cavaldi thought he had found a chink for negotiation.

The Emperor's Royal Guard would be unyielding, but there was a way to persuade a fallen mercenary.

Usually, that method was gold.

Moreover, the enemy mercenary captain, Leon Gryph, was right in front of him.

If he just captured Leon, the war would be as good as over.

Cavaldi made an offer without hesitation.

“Your name is Theo, right?”

“So?”

“I don't know how much you receive from that mercenary captain friend, but I'll give you double that.”

“What?”

“What's so surprising? Didn't your captain also try to buy me out?”

Leon was dumbfounded by Cavaldi, who immediately used what he had just learned.

“…Duke Urdino, you are a more flexible thinker than I thought.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

“It's not a compliment.”

Of course, buying out Theo was a good idea, but it was a futile attempt.

The bond between Theo and Leon was no ordinary one.

Moreover, wasn't Theo a member of the Emperor's Royal Guard in disguise?

There was no way he would accept such an offer.

And Theo, for his part, was angry at Cavaldi, so he firmly rejected the offer.

“I will not fall for such temptations.”

“Not satisfied with the amount? How about three times?”

“No. I have made a vow. I have already made a sacred contract.”

“Is there no room for negotiation at all?”

“One more word and I'll smash your head.”

“Is that so. Then I shall respect your wishes.”

When Theo refused even after he raised the amount, Cavaldi gave up with regret.

Leon tilted his head.

‘I thought he would raise the offer to five times, but seeing that he doesn't, Urdino must be poorer than I thought.’

In a situation where capturing the enemy commander would end the battle, now was a golden opportunity.

If it were him, he would have tried to buy him out somehow, even if it meant offering ten times the amount.

But Cavaldi acted that way because he had decided to respect his opponent's spirit.

Leon had made a preposterous misunderstanding about Urdino's financial situation.

It was a result brought about by a difference in thinking.

And Cavaldi was confident he could beat Theo even without buying him out.

His reputation as the knight among knights of Urdino was not earned for nothing.

Cavaldi stepped forward confidently.

“Let's settle this now.”

“Fine.”

Theo readjusted his grip on his two-handed axe and faced Cavaldi.

Soon, they exchanged several blows at a speed invisible to Leon's eyes.

They stabbed, slashed, feinted, and launched attacks that would inflict fatal blows.

They avoided attacks as much as possible, and if they couldn't, they took the hit.

In an instant, several dents appeared on their armor.

The two men felt a competitive spirit towards each other.

The fight was not going as easily as expected.

“You're no ordinary man.”

“You're the same.”

“I'll offer again, any thoughts on negotiating? I'll give you any amount you want.”

“Not a chance.”

“You wax-headed fool. Why do you refuse even when I offer you money?”

“I am not one to betray for money!”

His pride provoked, Theo roared and swung his axe in a wide arc.

Cavaldi quickly stepped back, feinted a strike at the lower body, and then slashed upwards diagonally at the upper body.

“Die!”

But Theo had already seen through the feint.

He quickly moved sideways to avoid the attack and then swung his axe in a wide arc.

Clang!

Cavaldi barely managed to retract his attack and block the axe.

But the treasured sword of Urdino, which had blocked Theo's axe, could not withstand it and broke in two.

Having lost his weapon, Cavaldi threw away the broken sword and charged in with his bare hands.

His judgment was that if he attacked first and forced it into close combat, he would have a chance of winning.

Besides, Theo's motion had been too large, so it would take time for him to recover his balance.

‘What?’

It was not so.

Contrary to his expectation, Theo was using the recoil to swing his axe again.

Without losing any speed at all.

The price for the failed prediction was very high.

An unstoppable blow.

Crack.

The flat of the axe accurately struck Cavaldi's chest.

At the shock, as if his breastbone had been gored by an angry bull, Cavaldi felt the world go dark before his eyes.

“Keoheok!”

Cavaldi flew through the air, rolled several times down the slope, and then stopped.

“Your Highness!”

Cavaldi's guards shouted in surprise, but that was all.

They could not intervene in the fight.

The Black Company had already surrounded them.

Numerically and in terms of compatibility, the other side was far more advantageous.

“If you move, we'll shoot. Be careful not to accidentally pull the trigger.”

At close range, even a crossbow bolt could easily pierce through armor.

Cavaldi's guards reluctantly came to a halt.

Meanwhile, Cavaldi tried to get up on his own but quickly sat down again.

The human body is surprisingly tough, and yet surprisingly fragile.

The abdomen is especially so.

No matter how well-trained a person is, moving with broken bones is not easy.

In Cavaldi's case, he had taken the attack head-on, so several of his ribs were broken.

On top of that, with the weight of his armor, even breathing was difficult.

Leon, who had approached his side, said.

“It seems the match is settled. Well done, Theo. I was a little moved when you said you wouldn't betray me.”

“Then will you raise my salary?”

“Can't we just call it a bonus?”

“Tsk.”

Cavaldi, lying on the floor, felt absurd listening to the two's conversation.

And he felt the same way about himself, who had been neutralized in just one blow.

If he had his way, he wanted to pull out a hidden knife and try to take Leon hostage, but even moving his body slightly brought so much pain that it was hard to breathe, so he could do nothing.

Leon approached Cavaldi.

Leon had an ominous smile on his lips.

Cavaldi tried to say something but let out a breath due to the constricting pain in his chest.

“Keoheuk.”

“Duke Cavaldi, your injuries seem severe, so don't push yourself.”

“Keeuk.”

“Will you surrender?”

“Euuk.”

“Of course you will. I will gladly accept your surrender. I'll trust that you won't do anything unnecessary from now on, like a knight.”

“Keoheok!”

Cavaldi suppressed a groan and glared at Leon.

He couldn't speak because of the pain.

Even so, his hand was still holding his sword.

Theo approached and forcibly disarmed Cavaldi.

“No!”

“What is it?”

“He has too many hidden weapons.”

Cavaldi had hidden spare daggers all over his body in case of an emergency.

And it wasn't just one or two.

Seeing daggers come out endlessly from both arms and boots, Leon felt pathetic.

“You couldn't fight properly because you were carrying so much useless stuff.”

‘Your bodyguard is too strong, you greenhorn! If you had fought me, you wouldn't have even lasted one blow, yet you're prattling on from the side!’

Cavaldi glared at Leon silently.

After completely disarming him, Theo bound Cavaldi's arms and legs with a rope so he couldn't escape.

Then, Leon had his subordinates shout.

“Everyone, repeat after me! Cavaldi has been captured as a prisoner!”

“Cavaldi has been captured as a prisoner! The battle is over!”

“Urdino Ducal Army, surrender!”

“Surrender!”

The chorus was effective.

Even without it, the Urdino Ducal Army was in a precarious situation.

When the words that Cavaldi had been captured as a prisoner were heard, the Urdino Ducal Army fell into chaos.

The same was true for the vassals who were barely breaking through the retreat path at the front.

“Delapin, do you think that's true?”

“Should we go to rescue His Highness, or should we retreat?”

The vassals whispered.

Delapin, who was in command in place of the Duke, bit his lower lip.

Orders and his position were in conflict with each other.

As a vassal, he should rescue the Duke, but the order was to retreat.

For the knights who had lost their Duke, it was not an easy choice to make.

But in the end, Delapin's choice was to follow the original instruction.

“His Highness ordered a retreat, so we will only follow that mission. Retreat.”

“Understood. Everyone, retreat! We're retreating! Everyone, regroup at the retreat point!”

Having made their decision, the Urdino Ducal Army hastily retreated.

Of course, in the midst of the chaos, the orders were not properly conveyed.

Most of them were either caught from behind and surrendered or were left behind along the way.

On the other hand, the damage suffered by the Black Company was not very great.

At most, it was about burning down a few barracks.

It was Leon's complete victory.

***

After the battle, cheers poured down on me.

Everyone was intoxicated with having achieved victory without much damage.

“Congratulations on the victory, Lord Gryph.”

“Long live Lord Gryph!”

“This victory was achieved thanks to the devotion and efforts of all of you. Everyone, rejoice to your heart's content.”

Though I said that, I wasn't particularly happy.

Unfortunately, winning just once this time was not enough to change my trait.

It seemed that defeating Urdino was not enough to be recognized by the system.

Or maybe I could get something if I ended this international war.

“Don't think this is the end! Although I was careless and lost this time, next time it will never be like this! Got it? Do you understand what I'm saying!”

As I was feeling disappointed and cleaning up after the battle, I went to meet Cavaldi, and he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

It seems he felt a bit better after receiving treatment for his injuries.

If I were a psychologist, it would have been possible to analyze his desperate behavior of 'just kill me instead,' but unfortunately, I didn't have such an ability.

“Captain, how should we deal with Duke Urdino?”

“According to the laws and customs of Apennia, it is fitting to execute a prisoner even of noble blood. But for now, let's show mercy and just put him in prison.”

“Understood.”

“Still, he is the head of a nation and a duke, so treat him with respect and do not be rude.”

“Yeees.”

The subordinates, who were suddenly tasked with managing a distinguished guest, had reluctant faces.

Some of them looked as if they would rather just get rid of him.

Originally, guards would do various things for prisoners and receive money in return, but it was probably because they couldn't treat someone with the status of a duke carelessly like they would a common criminal.

Besides, taking a duke as a prisoner was a high-risk affair.

In a case like Cavaldi's, it was more likely to get entangled in even more troublesome matters.

“Do you think the Duke's subordinates might try to break in to rescue him?”

“Well, they might, but most of them have been neutralized, so there shouldn't be a problem. So don't worry too much.”

“Understood.”

He was right.

The Urdino Ducal Army had suffered great losses in this battle, and most of the Duke's subordinates had become prisoners without being able to leave the battlefield.

They were even attacked by pirates at their main base, so those who escaped would be busy just taking care of themselves.

It didn't seem likely they would cause trouble by trying to rescue the Duke for a while.

“Then, until when do we have to hold the Duke as a prisoner?”

“Until we get the ransom.”

“Ah, ransom. Good. He's a duke, so he probably has a lot of gold.”

“We have to squeeze out as much as possible.”

In , when you captured an important person, it offered several options.

Hire them, execute them, just release them, release them for a ransom, take the ransom and still not release them, or offer them as a living sacrifice…….

…Suddenly, I understand why the users of had such messed-up personalities.

If this was what they dealt with every day, it was only natural for them to become like that.

“Ah. Right. And if Randolfo looks for me, tell him you haven't seen me.”

“Understood.”

The supplies consumed for today's ambush exceeded expectations.

There was another hole in the account books, so it was a perfect situation for Randolfo to get angry.

If I don't squeeze a ransom out of Urdino to cover the losses, Randolfo will really come to kill me.

I'll have to avoid Randolfo for a while.

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