"...Family Head, that was the full course of the mecha duel. The young master has now returned to the Ranger to recover from his injuries!"
"Oh! You're saying Alsace himself pointed out that Gustav deliberately held back during the duel?" Speaker Kruze looked rather surprised after hearing his subordinate's report.
"That's right, Family Head! I don't quite understand it myself. According to our intelligence, that commander is certainly not someone who knows how to compromise. He shouldn't be capable of deliberately holding back, nor would he have any reason to!
But the young master was clearly being targeted and suppressed by that commander, and was even injured. Why didn't he press his advantage and crush the Sea Race's arrogance? Instead, he actually offered the other side a way out at the end."
"Heh! That's precisely where the boy was clever!" A smile curled at Speaker Kruze's lips. He raised his cup and slowly took a sip of emerald-green tea, apparently in excellent spirits.
"He used his injury as an opportunity. With nothing more than a little trick, he leveraged the situation to put a corps commander in the hot seat, ultimately forcing him to wager a Sea Storm-class mecha to settle the matter.
Heh, his grasp of the bigger picture certainly deserves praise! As for why he voluntarily offered the other side a way out...
By winning the duel, first, the Ranger gained a Sea Storm-class mecha, greatly strengthening his side and preventing anyone else from lashing out in desperation and attacking him!
Second, this was a warning and a counterattack against certain factions. He made his firm stance clear: he wasn't a pushover they could bully at will!
Finally, he understood perfectly well that the situation shouldn't escalate. Being firm was necessary, but taking too hard a line would