612 Bakram's Indignance

The Dukedom of Dragonmoor, Dragonchild Castle

The following morning, Duke Zaahir woke up feeling refreshed and amazing. Evidently, he had a great sleep.

The fact that he had handed a priceless pill like the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill to Bakram the previous day did not seem to have weighed down on his mind at all. Rather, his mood was lifted.

He had great expectations and highly anticipated Bakram would return with good news.

'I wonder how Bakram is doing? He should have found the person by now, right…? If his talent is as amazing as I imagined, I have to recruit him at all costs,' Duke Zaahir wondered with a deep look as he got out of bed and performed his morning routine.

"My Lord, Sir Bakram has returned from his trip a short while ago and has been waiting to see you since," a female servant quickly informed the moment Duke Zaahir stepped outside his bedchamber.

"Really?" Duke Zaahir's eyes lit up before he instructed the female servant, "Call Sir Bakram to the dining hall. We shall have breakfast together."

"As you will, my Lord," the female servant obeyed.

…

Sometime later, Duke Zaahir arrived in the dining hall. Once he took his seat at the empty marble table, the servants quickly brought out the food they had prepped beforehand.

Moments later, the empty marble table was filled with food, and the rich aroma of herbs and spices invigorated Duke Zaahir with energy.

He could immediately tell it was going to be a great morning. The only thing missing was Bakram's report.

Creak…!

The main doors were pushed open, following Bakram's entry to the dining hall. Seeing the familiar figure in black leather armor approaching from the entrance brought a smile to Duke Zaahir's face.

But when Duke Zaahir saw the state of Bakram's face, his smile froze.

The person's face had been brutally bruised black and blue.

Furthermore, upon closer inspection, even Bakram's black leather armor appeared a little tattered, and this was only after it had been patched up a little earlier.

"Bakram, what happened to you? You look terrible," Duke Zaahir frowned before guessing, "Don't tell me you've been mugged and lost the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill?"

Bakram immediately dropped to his knees and pleaded, "Forgive me for failing to live up to your expectations, my Lord. I wasn't mugged, but I have indeed lost the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill."

Duke Zaahir's eyes flickered with a sharp glint, but it quickly faded the next moment.

Duke Zaahir was aware of Bakram's devoted loyalty. This person wouldn't try to steal his Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill for himself, even if he had the desire in his heart.

"You lost to the child?" Duke Zaahir asked with amazement.

Bakram nodded with a mixture of shame, embarrassment, and lingering confusion, causing Duke Zaahir to be even more astonished.

"Get up and take a seat," Duke Zaahir calmly gestured before saying, "You can slowly tell me what happened over breakfast."

"Thank you, my Lord," Bakram replied guiltily. Although he followed his lord's order, he didn't believe he was worthy of dining with his lord, especially not after failing his task.

The two silently ate their breakfast for some time before Duke Zaahir finally asked, "You can start from the beginning, Bakram."

"Yes, my Lord," Bakram answered.

"As you instructed, I went to find the person called Vanderlin Pendragon to challenge him. He wasn't interested in a normal challenge, so I proposed the Blood Exchange Duel and wagered the Rank 4 Body Reformation Pill. Only then did the kid agree to fight me."

"I also gave the kid an advantage of three moves at the start, but he was unable to hurt me due to our difference in strength. It was just as the letter mentioned: this kid only looks to be around 22-24, but his strength is already at Low-level Rank 4 Body Refiner."

Duke Zaahir frowned with doubt and interrupted with a question, "If that child is only a Low-level Rank 4 Body Refiner, then how did he reduce you, someone who is almost a High-level Rank 4 Body Refiner, to such a pitiful state?"

"Hahaha…" Bakram could only chuckle bitterly and ruefully before replying, "I also didn't expect to end up like this, my Lord. At the start of the fight, I held the absolute advantage with my superior strength. However, I couldn't land a single solid blow. Moreover, I kept receiving that kid's blows instead!"

Bakram felt a little indignant as he recalled his fight with Vaan. It was the most frustrating battle he had ever fought. No matter how many attacks he threw at the lad, they all evaded or diverted. The person was slippery like an eel; he simply couldn't catch him.

"That kid's movement technique was just so bizarre; I have never seen anything like it. It was fast and unpredictable. Moreover, I was even more shocked by that kid's resourcefulness! He was fully aware of our overwhelming difference in strength and made full use of his surroundings to compensate for it."

"I lost count of how many times I fell for his tricks and almost got crushed by falling rock pillars! Our fight even attracted Steel-Beaked Eagles, and that kid used them to his advantage. Steel beaks, talons, and feathers… he used them all like flying daggers! I have never seen anyone more proficient at throwing projectiles than that kid!"

"Mother f*cker even threw rocks, sand, and the goddamned Steel-

Beaked Eagles' butts at me! Who fights like this? Who?!" Bakram gritted his teeth and shook with mixed feelings.

As he recalled the fight in more vivid detail, he wanted to puke blood from anger and frustration.

Who was bullying who?

It certainly wasn't him doing the bullying! In fact, he was the one who got bullied instead! That Vanderlin Pendragon almost played him to death!

The most frustrating part of that battle was that no matter how dirty or annoying that kid fought, Bakram couldn't fault him! After all, he told the kid to fight with everything he had, and the kid literally fought with everything he had!

Who else could he blame for this other than himself?

Meanwhile, as Duke Zaahir listened to Bakram's ranting and complaints, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and drop his jaws in disbelief and amazement.

But suddenly, he noticed a doubtful detail in Bakram's story.

"Hold on. There's something I don't understand," Duke Zaahir mentioned before expressing his doubt, "No matter how great that child's throwing skill is, it shouldn't be enough to inflict such injuries on your face, no? How did he beat you to such a sorry state?"

When Bakram heard his lord's question, his face flushed with shame as he stammered to reply, "I… I… This… That's because of…"