Volume 7 Chapter 31 If You Get Hit, Hit Back! Return The Favor Double!
"I should've broken two or three of his arms."
Luke sighed and looked at Randy. "He only has two arms, right?"
They sat on a bench along a wide street where the lights were starting to come on.
They were there for one reason: to share information. Randy had been pulled into afternoon drills, but none of their teammates had seen the fight.
Who the enemy was, what happened, and what Randy did—Luke gave his first reaction after hearing it all.
Randy ended the fight with two punches, one kick, and a stomp. Still, Luke wouldn't stop complaining. "You should've hit him harder."
"If Miss Elizabeth or Lady Eleonora healed him, maybe he'd grow a third arm."
"Are you dumb? If we did that, we'd be the ones in danger."
"Isn't your job to break people enough so the other side can't even try that?"
Luke frowned. Randy gave a small snort and said, "Forget it. Too much work." From Randy's point of view, every little insult wasn't worth reacting to.
"It's like part of training. You can't go around scaring the young ones too much."
"Ah... yeah, I get it now..."
Luke finally remembered. The fight had happened during training. He still hadn't let go of his thoughts about Victor.
"But if they come after you anyway, that's bad. You should've hit him harder."
"Are you stupid? Breaking bones doesn't fix anything."
Randy shrugged and let out a sigh. "That just makes it worse." Like Luke said, someone like that would try to get revenge. Normally, the right move was to crush the enemy completely. But Randy had a point—going too far would cause more problems later.
It wasn't that he feared a harsh payback.
The problem was not knowing when it would come. Randy had no clue how long it would take for broken bones to heal.
Usually, he wouldn't care. But now, there was too much to deal with—town work, machines, books. If the enemy was coming, it'd be better if they came soon.
"But really, are they showing up today?"
"Yeah. I hit them just to make sure."
Randy snorted and laughed. If they didn't show up today, even after all that, they weren't worth the time.
If they were perfectly fine but still didn't act, Randy saw no reason to worry.
"Well, I get what you're saying."
Luke remembered too. Back when he lost to Randy, he got up and went back for a rematch right away.
"So, you're staying with Lady Cecilia tonight, right?"
Luke let out a sigh. That was one of the things Randy asked Liz and Ellie to handle.
From the feel of Zaif's presence and bloodlust, Randy knew he'd come for payback. The fight happened during training, and they couldn't kill anyone there, so revenge was certain.
To make sure Zaif came after only Randy, Liz and Ellie were kept away. They were sent to the Hartfield mansion, which was safe.
Rita and Harrison went with them. Around the mansion, the [Dark Tide] group stood guard. Harrison and Ellie were inside. If Luke joined them, even Randy would think twice before attacking.
While Randy thought about the mansion's defenses, Luke spoke as he watched the people walking by.
"Zaif Aldren, huh? Never heard of him."
"They say he was called the Black Wolf."
Randy shared what he'd heard from Lucius. Zaif Aldren once served in the Imperial Army. Back then, people said he was so skilled that he and Lionel—the Empire's strongest—were like a perfect team.
But he was cruel and cold, always causing trouble. He got kicked out of the army. After that, he caused a lot of problems. He was finally caught, but Prince Ragnar gave him a pardon and made him a private soldier.
"They should've chained him up from the start."
Luke wrinkled his nose. If they had kept him under control, none of this damage would've happened.
"They tried to kill him and failed. So they slapped a leash on him instead."
Randy said the army tried to get rid of Zaif because he was too dangerous. They failed, so now they had to treat him like a pet. It was a crazy story—but believable enough that Luke could only say, "Makes sense."
"Either way, he's nuts."
"I heard he has a magic sword."
Luke raised an eyebrow as Randy laughed.
"I don't know what it does, but they say he hasn't even used half its power."
"Don't go wrecking the town over it."
"Then, just fight outside the town."
"Fine. Make a big scene if you want."
They were saying dangerous things, but no one walking by paid them any attention. The street was full—people hurrying home, adventurers returning, shoppers heading back. Everyone was focused on their own business.
That's exactly why Randy and Luke could talk like this in public.
With everything about Zaif covered, Randy decided to ask something he was curious about.
"So, how's the capture device coming along?"
"No problems at all."
Character Notes:
• Zaif - A former Imperial Army soldier known as the [Black Wolf]. He has a sadistic personality and is described as a troublemaker who tortured prisoners and hurt training partners. He is Randy's opponent in the mock battle.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!