Altair and Feran briefly thought they had the situation under control. But Duke Alvred, as usual, had layers of plans beneath his words.
Following the offer, they proceeded with the Duke towards Yhven Castle—the place where the official meeting would be held, or so it was promised.
Before them, Duke Alvred Haldren sat upon his throne. This time, there was no diplomatic smile—only the cold gaze of a ruler assessing his prey.
"Who are you really?" he asked flatly, yet his eyes pierced them sharply. "And what do you want from this Empire?"
Altair opened his mouth, but the words didn't have a chance to escape.
"Altair," Feran said quickly. He turned, looking at his brother in silence, then faced the Duke again. "Before we answer, we want to be sure… about the tournament prize. You promised you would give us information."
Duke Alvred leaned back against his throne. "Indeed. A promise is a promise. You won… and I am not a man who goes back on his word. I will give you what you asked for—provided you are honest with me."
Feran met the man's gaze unflinchingly. "We are not from the Niaris Empire. Nor from the western territories. We are from the Elemental Race."
Silence. Then…
Duke Alvred laughed.
A loud, long, and almost brutal laugh—echoing off the stone walls of the castle like the howl of a predator that had finally found rare prey.
Altair and Feran exchanged glances, confused and alert.
"Ahhh… marvelous!" exclaimed the Duke, slapping the armrest of his chair. "So it's true… I wasn't wrong to sense your strangeness!"
He stood slowly. "Most interesting. Very interesting. Because… coincidentally, there is one of your kind in my city."
Altair's eyes widened. "What?"
"Lazric," the Duke said softly. "An unfamiliar name, isn't it? He was once a student at one of the most talented research academies in my territory—the Garnethal Alchemist Academy."
Feran stepped forward. "Where is he now?"
The Duke smiled. "Being prepared to be sent to the center of the Niaris Empire. His talent is too great to let it take root in a small city like this."
Altair's face changed. There was hope. There was joy beneath the tension. They had finally found a trace of their family.
But the Duke's smile slowly faded, replaced by a cryptic gaze.
"Hmm… Feran," he said quietly, his eyes narrowing. "Not an unfamiliar name. The Rasyidia Empire has a long list of warriors… and some of them have clashed with my units in the past."
Feran tensed. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not a fool," the Duke said coldly. "You are from Rasyidia. Elemental Race. Foreign wanderers who are too strong for commoners… and too silent for ordinary soldiers."
He descended from his throne and stood before them. "So, how about we make a new deal?"
Altair was instantly suspicious. "What kind of deal?"
"I want you… to become my personal guards. Forge armor for my elite troops, use your powers to strengthen my city. And in return… I will consider not handing Lazric over to the central Empire."
Altair clenched his fists. "That's not a deal. That's blackmail."
"No, that's… reality," the Duke retorted coldly. "You can become valuable assets. Or threats that must be eliminated."
A moment of silence.
Altair stepped forward, his voice firm. "We will not yield to threats. Whatever you know about our Race, you will not use it as chains to bind us."
Duke Alvred gave a thin smile. "A pity."
He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut, and several soldiers emerged from behind stone curtains, holding spears and wearing dark black cloaks.
The snare was sprung.
Breaking Free from the Trap
Inside the great hall of Yhven Castle, dozens of fully armed soldiers surrounded Altair and Feran.
Upon the throne, Duke Alvred Haldren sat with a satisfied expression.
"Then why not just attack directly?" Feran said coldly.
The Duke chuckled softly. "Because I am a fair man. I will give you a chance."
He clapped his hands—and from the side of the room, three black-clad warriors appeared.
The Duke's Elite Guard.
Duel Against the Elite Guard
Three against two.
They were no ordinary fighters. Their movements were trained, swift, and deadly.
The fight erupted instantly.
Altair faced two warriors at once. His sword parried a barrage of attacks, but they were incredibly fast, almost on par with Feran.
Feran fought one warrior, but his opponent was equally skilled in swordsmanship.
Slash after slash collided, sparks flying from their blades.
Altair leaped backward, avoiding a strike that nearly grazed his neck. He retaliated with a kick to his opponent's chest, sending him staggering back.
However, the warrior immediately regained his footing.
"Their reactions are too fast!" Altair thought.
Meanwhile, Feran was beginning to be pushed back. His opponent attacked with unpredictable patterns, forcing Feran to defend more than attack.
"If we keep this up, we could lose!"
Duke Alvred watched the fight with gleaming eyes.
"They are tough, but not perfect. If they just fight without strategy, they will fall."
He gestured to one of his soldiers.
"Prepare additional troops. Don't let them escape."
Altair & Feran Change Strategy
Altair realized they couldn't win with a conventional fight.
He glanced at Feran—and Feran nodded.
In an instant, they changed their strategy.
Altair focused on defense, baiting his opponents to attack more aggressively.
Feran used his speed to disrupt the rhythm of the fight.
Together, they began to turn the tide.
Altair managed to slash one of his opponents squarely in the chest, causing him to collapse.
Feran swiftly dodged and thrust his sword into his opponent's shoulder, incapacitating him.
Now, only one elite warrior remained.
But…
"Why doesn't the Duke look surprised?"
As Altair prepared to face the last warrior, the Duke suddenly gave a sly smile.
"What is he planning?"
The entire room was shaken by the sound of large chains! From the side of the room, more than 20 additional soldiers appeared!
Feran cursed. "Damn it, this creature is starting to get serious!"
Altair gripped his sword tighter.
"Then let's make our own way out."
Escaping the Castle
As the Duke's forces attacked, Altair and Feran turned wild.
Feran finished off the nearest soldier and immediately headed towards the large window on the side of the room.
Altair held back the other soldiers, cutting off their path.
"Break the window!" Altair yelled.
Feran leaped into the air and with a single powerful slash, the large window shattered into pieces!
They jumped out from the second floor of the castle—and landed on the rooftops of the buildings below!
From inside the castle, the shouts of soldiers echoed behind them.
"GET THEM!"
But they were already running into the darkness of the night, slipping between the buildings of the large city.