William lost control the moment Levi broke Kai's leg. He had already been restraining himself while Kai struggled—no matter what Kai did, he was like a son to William. Kai had spent most of his life by William's side, and they were closer than even family members.

Seeing someone he cared for so deeply getting toyed with and injured by a literal nobody made William's already clouded mind snap.

With a rage that could tear Levi apart, William burst forth, his eyes blazing with fury. He unsheathed his sword and channeled every ounce of his power into it. In an instant, he was upon Levi, his gaze burning with hatred.

Without a second thought, he swung his sword, aiming to cleave Levi in two.

But just before the blade could connect, a massive axe intercepted it, stopping the sword an inch from Levi's face. The force of the clash pushed the nearby onlookers back several steps.

"What do you think you're doing?" Franz's cold voice cut through the tension. His eyes held no hesitation as he stood firm, his axe still blocking William's sword.

It was only then that Levi fully realized what had happened.

'Crap! I went too far,' Levi thought, glancing at the blade that had been halted so close to his face. But he made sure not to show it, keeping his expression calm, and locked eyes with William, who was glaring at him with pure malice.

"You saw what he did! How dare this scum hurt our young master! I'll take his head in return," William growled, showing no intention of backing down. He was on the verge of cutting Levi in half.

"They both agreed to a duel. Whatever happens, is their own responsibility. Or are you saying the Makalani family is full of people who go back on their word?" Franz replied, shoving William's sword away with a cold determination.

In an instant, the mercenaries from the Federation moved. They blocked the advancing members of the Makalani family, forming a protective circle around Levi and Kai.

"Stand down. Levi has won. There are witnesses here—don't try anything foolish, or you'll be facing the wrath of the Mercenary Federation," Franz declared firmly.

If Franz had any doubts before, they were gone after the duel. Levi was no ordinary boy, his potential was incredible. Franz would be a fool to let him go now—he was prepared to take Levi with him, even if it meant going up against the entire Makalani family.

And even if he had chosen not to intervene, he could feel the presence of the government agents moving in. If he had been a second later in stopping William, they would have stepped in to protect Levi.

Franz couldn't allow them to take the treasure he had found!

William finally managed to calm down, if only slightly, upon seeing the firm determination in Franz's eyes. But to his utter shock, Levi didn't.

"What the hell are you doing?" William growled.

Behind Franz, Levi was nonchalantly stripping Kai of his clothing.

Franz turned, his own confusion evident as he tried to make sense of Levi's actions. For a moment, even Franz's thoughts spiraled into wild guesses, but he quickly shook his head, glaring at Levi as if silently asking what madness he was up to now.

Levi blinked, completely oblivious to the mounting tension. "I won, didn't I? I'm just taking everything on him..." he said with a shrug as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The mercenaries around them burst into laughter, finding the absurdity of the situation hilarious. But there wasn't a trace of humor on William's face.

"You...! Don't go too far!" William hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes filled with venom. If looks could kill, Levi would have been dead a hundred times over.

Even Franz stood speechless.

In all his years as a Mercenary, he had never seen someone so brazen. And the strangest part was, Levi didn't seem to be doing it out of malice or to disrespect Kai—it was as if he was just casually fulfilling the terms of the duel.

Without sparing William another glance, Levi continued his task, removing Kai's shirt before moving to his pants.

"Your young master made the bet. If you want to blame someone, blame him," Levi said matter-of-factly.

William could only watch, fists clenched tightly at his sides, as Levi stripped his young master of his clothes.

Levi worked quickly, tossing aside the fine garments before reaching for the rings on Kai's fingers. One was an artifact that provided defense against mind attacks, other was a spatial ring. He pocketed both, along with the red sword that Noir had snatched earlier.

Levi took everything. Then, his eyes drifted down to the last piece of clothing on Kai's unconscious body—his underwear.

He paused, seriously contemplating whether to take that too.

'That would be too disrespectful,' he thought with a smirk, deciding against it. Finally, he turned to William.

"You can take your young master now. Tell him thanks when he wakes up—I really needed new clothes. Man, what luck!" Levi said, still taunting him with a smirk.

The onlookers were stunned, their amazement at Levi's shamelessness growing with each passing second. How could someone be so brazen? And more importantly, Levi didn't even seem to care.

What they didn't know was that Levi was the type of person who wouldn't leave a drop of sauce on a plate. How could he pass up the chance for such high-quality clothes?

Casually, Levi walked over to retrieve his makeshift sack from one of the mercenaries. He checked its contents carefully, making sure everything was in place before turning his attention to Franz, who was still staring at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"Shall we go now? I'd kill for a bath. Haven't seen water in a month," Levi said, his tone as casual as ever.

Noir had already slipped into Levi's shadow, and Levi cast a final glance at the crowd, his eyes cold and warning. He had already sent a message loud and clear, he wasn't a pushover, not anymore. If anyone wanted what was his, they'd have to be prepared to face the consequences.

---***---

Thank You allcat_gaming for the Magic Castle.