Escaping the Gladiatorial Arena!

Harrot truly had something to ask of Marcus. He thought Marcus was a decent noble, far better than Count Sarik. Moreover, Marcus wasn't afraid of offending Sarik, so if he could help and take The Bald Man in as well, that would be perfect.

Harrot told Marcus about The Bald Man's situation. Marcus frowned and replied, "This is a bit troublesome!"

"Cleon is a rare talent; of course, I'd be happy to poach him, and I don't care if Sarik gets angry."

"But the question is, is Cleon willing to leave? Can he see Sarik for who he truly is? Can he let go of his concerns for the other Gladiators?"

"He already showed distrust towards Sarik during the day. I believe I can persuade him, but those Gladiators..." Harrot felt a headache coming on. The Bald Man was too loyal and would never abandon those Gladiators. Harrot couldn't force him to leave either.

Upon hearing this, Marcus's eyes suddenly lit up. He said to Harrot, "You're quite familiar with those Gladiators, aren't you? I have an idea; see if you think it'll work!"

"..."

"Do we really have to do this? Isn't it too risky?"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Go persuade Cleon!"

Harrot followed Marcus's advice and discussed the plan with The Bald Man and the other Gladiators.

The next day, Marcus went to the Training Ground to meet all the high-ranking and elite Gladiators. He then told the guards he wanted to buy these Gladiators, claiming Count Sarik had already agreed.

Marcus was a noble lord with awakened blood, the biological son of Marquis Harlaus, and Count Sarik's younger brother. Their strained relationship was not something these subordinates would know.

Coincidentally, the four stewards were not at the Gladiatorial Arena. The One-Armed Man, Scarface, and The Bald Man were all at Count Sarik's castle, and The Fat Man was enjoying himself in the city after winning a large sum yesterday.

Although the arena guards hesitated about whether to send someone to ask Count Sarik, they truly dared not offend Viscount Marcus. So, they reluctantly sold the Gladiators at the "reasonable price" Marcus offered.

When Harrot heard about the plan, he was internally panicking, his eyelids twitching wildly. Who would have thought Marcus was so ruthless? He had practically scammed and robbed the Gladiatorial Arena, buying all the high-ranking and elite Gladiators at an extremely low price. This was a crime! Wasn't he afraid Count Sarik and the Old Marquis would come after him?

Was Marcus afraid? Not at all!

Harrot simply hadn't fully grasped the seriousness of "expanding territory to the East" or Marcus's determination to burn his bridges. Was treason something to joke about?

If Marquis Prague hadn't taken the lead, and a large number of nobles who were struggling domestically hadn't agreed, causing the Kingdom to fear civil war and reluctantly consent, then anyone who dared to suggest "expansion" would have been thrown into prison!

Even so, everyone preparing to expand territory to the East was branded a traitor. The moment they left the Kingdom of Lucanir's territory, their noble titles would be stripped, and all their lands confiscated.

Marquis Harlaus and his Northern Province faction were also against eastern expansion. If he learned of Marcus's plan, he would surely be enraged.

Marcus was now in a "too many debts to worry" state, completely letting loose. Never mind swindling away dozens of Slaves; if pushed hard enough, he was capable of leading troops to fight Count Sarik head-on.

***

Inside Count Sarik's castle, Count Sarik invited Harrot to a banquet, still hoping to win Harrot over in the end.

After receiving Sun's Blessing, Harrot would have a high adaptability to bloodline power, making him the best candidate for a Knight. Combined with his already powerful martial arts and physical prowess, his combat strength after achieving glory might even surpass that of ordinary awakened nobles.

Sarik specifically arranged for The Bald Man to sit next to Harrot, hoping to play on emotions. He was unwilling to offer generous rewards like Marcus, so he resorted to minor tricks.

Sarik began, "It truly pleases me that the Gladiatorial Arena could cultivate a Gladiator like you!"

You were cultivated by the Gladiatorial Arena, so you should be loyal to me!

This was a subtly imposed, thuggish notion from Sarik.

"I've always believed Gladiators have extraordinary potential. The Bald Man, too, was promoted by me from a Gladiator."

This was to build rapport and implicitly signal The Bald Man to help persuade Harrot.

Unfortunately, The Bald Man had already discussed the plan with Harrot last night, and having seen through Count Sarik's true nature, he was thoroughly disappointed. He remained silent and unmoved in his seat.

Sarik raised an eyebrow. Was Cleon still angry? How could he not have calmed down after a whole day? Don't cause trouble, you idiot!

Seeing The Bald Man unresponsive, Sarik had no choice but to use his trump card, giving a look to the attendant beside him.

Count Sarik said with a pained expression, "Man-Beast Combat has caused great losses to the Gladiatorial Arena, and the Gladiators have suffered heavy casualties!"

"I was kept in the dark before and didn't know it would be so bloody and cruel!"

This was blatant lying. Count Sarik certainly had thick skin!

"Bring that beast up!" At Sarik's command, the attendant dragged the battered and bruised Scarface forward.

Scarface had one eye gouged out and several broken bones. He was too severely injured to speak.

"Cleon, I haven't forgotten what you told me. I've given this greedy, despicable scoundrel the punishment he deserves."

"Now, the Gladiatorial Arena is still under your sole management. I believe you can do better than before!"

Sarik had inquired and learned that not only The Bald Man but even Harrot harbored deep hatred for Scarface. He had already planned to kill Scarface, who no longer had any use.

Now, being able to curry favor with The Bald Man and Harrot at the same time was a way of squeezing out Scarface's last bit of value.

Sarik felt that he had now appeased The Bald Man's emotions and successfully left a good impression on Harrot. It was time to get to the main point.

"Harrot, you are a talent, and I don't want your abilities to go to waste. Come be my Knight; I will ensure your talents are fully utilized!"

Sarik spoke these words with great emotion, as if he genuinely had Harrot's best interests at heart.

Harrot remained silent. The Bald Man, however, couldn't hold back. After seeing the truth, he found Sarik's words and actions to be incredibly hypocritical and selfish.

The Bald Man loudly questioned, "Count Sarik, why didn't you stop the Gladiator competition yesterday? Since you recognized the dangers of Man-Beast Combat, why didn't you stop it yesterday?"

Sarik looked at The Bald Man with some disbelief. He hadn't expected the honest and loyal Cleon to question him at this moment.

Sarik was a bit tongue-tied, truly unable to answer. He had never valued the lives of Gladiators; he only canceled Man-Beast Combat because the attrition rate was too high to sustain.

After a moment's hesitation, Sarik replied, "Because I believe in Harrot! I can see the will within him and his potential power!"

"I believed he could defeat the Ogre! It was for his honor and future that I didn't interfere with his fight!"

The Bald Man slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Do you think everyone else is an idiot?!"

"I've told you countless times about the Man-Beast Combat, and you never paid attention!"

"If Marcus hadn't given him the greatsword, Harrot would have surely died at the Ogre's hands!"

"You've been lying to me all along! You've been using me, using me to manage your Gladiatorial Arena and train your Gladiators! You've never truly considered me your confidant!"

Count Sarik's eyes turned cold. The Bald Man's reaction wasn't just a fit of anger; he must have understood the truth. It seemed there was no way to truly win over Harrot now.

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to put on a smile and pretend to be a good person. And The Bald Man had to be dealt with too! He wouldn't give away such a useful pawn to someone else!

"What are you to dare yell at me?!"

"You're nothing but a Slave Gladiator. Do you really think you're qualified to give me advice? To dictate how I run my Gladiatorial Arena?"

Count Sarik's voice grew louder and louder, his aura becoming more and more ferocious. His fiery red hair actually began to ignite with flames!

"Yes, what am I? In your eyes, I'm just a useful dog!" Tears welled in The Bald Man's eyes. The feeling of being used and betrayed was truly painful.

"I've worked hard for you for over ten years; consider it repayment for your patronage. From now on, I am no longer your subordinate!"

The Bald Man's desperate shouting completely enraged Count Sarik. Flames burst from Count Sarik's body as he roared:

"Cleon, since you've chosen to betray me, don't blame me for being ruthless! Die!"

A flash of fire appeared, and a large fireball, over a meter in diameter, flew towards The Bald Man. The temperature of the entire room rose, and its power could be felt from afar. Without a doubt, if The Bald Man were hit by this fireball, he would surely die!

The fireball was extremely fast and could even curve, locking onto The Bald Man. Any obstacles in its path were utterly destroyed.

Just as the fireball was about to hit The Bald Man, Harrot rushed forward and stood in front of him.

Harrot extended both hands, straining his arms and shouting loudly as he held back the fireball. A suction force emanated from his palms, slowly absorbing the fireball.

The fireball's high temperature couldn't burn Harrot's palms in the slightest. As time passed, the fireball gradually shrunk, becoming smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared. Harrot had completely absorbed the fireball!

This scene stunned everyone, even Count Sarik was momentarily lost for words. He hadn't held back in that attack, using 80% of his power, yet it had been directly absorbed by Harrot?

Harrot straightened his back, crossed his arms over his chest, and said proudly, "I am Lord Marcus's chief Knight! Cleon has agreed to become Lord Marcus's subordinate and has received Lord Marcus's protection!"

"Count Sarik, if you continue to attack us, it will be considered a provocation to Lord Marcus. Do you wish to actively ignite a war?"

Within the Kingdom of Lucanir, there was generally restraint among the lords. Even if there were conflicts, they would seek higher Nobles to mediate and resolve them.

However, if a Knight who had been granted bloodline power was unjustly killed by one side, it would indeed trigger a war.

After all, every Knight who shared in the glory was a valuable talent with extraordinary power. The power shared could not be recovered after their death, essentially a permanent loss of a Knight slot.

If such an insult were to be endured silently, then one might as well give up. Their own Knights would think their lord was a soft-hearted weakling, and others would also see them as easy to bully.