Looking at the smiling Levi, Zat's imposing aura instantly deflated. He rubbed his bald head and grinned foolishly.
"I was just dreamin'. Dreamed someone slapped me."
"Boss, you lookin' for me for somethin'?"
Levi glanced at him. He didn't explain that he had been the one to slap him, simply saying,
"Let's go. Our good days are finally here. Follow me, and we'll build an empire and reach new heights of glory. When that happens, I'll reward you with eight or ten Beastman wives, and you can have a whole litter of little beast cubs."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Levi fell into his old habit of making grand promises.
'He didn't even have a wife himself, so how could he promise them to anyone else?'
Zat hesitated for a moment, then timidly asked,
"Does that include food?"
SLAP!
"You glutton! All you ever think about is eating! You don't have a single grand ambition!"
Faced with a Zat who wasn't buying his grand promises, Levi reacted instantly, leaping up and smacking him on the forehead.
The slap made Zat grimace in pain, marveling that the Boss's strength was as formidable as ever. At the same time, he felt a little wronged. 'All I did was ask a question.'
But in the next moment, a single sentence made him ecstatic.
"Food and lodging included!"
"Zat swears loyalty to the Boss until death."
Zat pounded his chest, vowing solemnly.
Levi was exasperated. 'This guy really is a disgrace to Beastmen.'
'He speaks the continental common tongue more fluently than I do, yet his greatest ambition is to eat and sleep.'
'The story goes that he came to this Gladiatorial Arena because he was tired of the feast-or-famine life in the Wilderness and volunteered to come here for free food and drink.'
'Otherwise, capturing this guy alive would have been impossible without losing dozens of fully armed, experienced veterans.'
After settling things, Levi led the big oaf outside.
However, Zat's earlier shouting had woken up the other Fighters imprisoned in the dungeon. One after another, they begged Levi to let them out.
Wild Boar Men, Jackal Wolfmen, and some human Swordsmen—all of them powerful Warriors.
But never mind Levi; Zat alone could take care of this lot.
So Levi wasn't interested in them. Most importantly, even if he let them out, the chances of them following him were practically zero.
'I don't think I can just flex and have people fall to their knees in submission.'
'Zat only agreed to go with me because I not only beat him into submission but also promised him room and board before the big oaf would call me Boss.'
The reason he cared so much about Zat was also because the system had judged the guy to be a Heroic Unit.
This was the first Heroic Unit he had encountered so far, so he definitely had to hold on to him tightly.
However, the guy was a massive eater. To save money, Levi hadn't taken him along when he first left the Gladiatorial Arena. Instead, he had planned to get his hands on the Pioneer Order first before coming back to get him.
Not only did this save on food expenses, but it also spared him the ransom fee.
So now that it was time to leave, it was the perfect opportunity to bring him along.
Levi didn't consider himself a good person. He ignored the captured Fighters and, with Zat, snuck back out the way they had come.
***
In the stinking stable, Liya couldn't help but glance outside as the sky gradually brightened.
The sounds of fighting and killing filled the city. Kolon was in chaos, and Aunt Penny's soldiers were searching for her everywhere.
'If Levi abandons me and never comes back, what will I do?'
Especially when she recalled what Levi had described seeing on the road: the fate of a beautiful young girl captured by a group of foul-smelling soldiers.
She couldn't help but shiver.
She was already fourteen years old. She understood what that meant, which made her even more afraid.
Now, Levi was her only hope.
"So she's here!"
Suddenly, an excited voice rang out from behind her.
Liya jumped, thinking the soldiers hunting her had found this place. When she turned, she saw it was a pockmarked, chubby boy dressed in dirty linen clothes.
He was clearly an Apprentice from the stable, and she hadn't noticed him approaching.
"What do you want?" Liya frowned, her body tensing up.
She wanted to run, but the outside was crawling with searching soldiers, which was obviously more dangerous.
"To capture you, of course! And present you to the new Duke Kolon!"
Bula was ecstatic. Early that morning, the new Duke Kolon had posted notices throughout the city for the capture of Leia Isely, the one who had attempted to usurp the ducal title.
The reward was a Hundred Gold Coins, plus a title of nobility.
He had once seen the Highland Tulip from a distance, so he recognized her.
He never thought he'd be the one to run into her.
At that thought, he took a long look at the girl. Though she was covered in filth, it couldn't hide her beauty, and a wicked fire inexplicably rose in his heart.
But his fear of the nobility meant he only dared to entertain such thoughts in his mind.
Even though the Highland Tulip had become a traitor, she was still not someone a commoner like him could touch.
Liya was disgusted by the chubby boy's gaze, but she still tried to quell this unprovoked conflict.
"Let me go! My grandfather is Duke Xilong, and my mother is Lady Onaya. They will reward you!"
After Levi's tutelage, she had matured a lot and understood that only self-interest could motivate others.
"The one who'll reward me is the new Duke Kolon!"
Bula charged forward, reaching out to grab Liya.
"Don't!" Liya cried in panic.
"Hey, chubby, didn't your parents ever teach you it's wrong to touch other people's things?"
Levi, having finally arrived, drew his sword and swung without hesitation.
SWISH!
With a crisp sound, an arm fell to the ground.
"Levi!" Overjoyed, Liya quickly ran to the belatedly arrived Levi and hid behind him, tightly gripping the corner of his clothes.
It was as if she were afraid he would suddenly disappear.
Levi's arrival let her breathe a sigh of relief. The Knight's back gave her an immense sense of security.
Bula, his arm having been severed by Levi, was already rolling on the ground in agony, unable to pay attention to anything else.
"Let's go, my lovely Miss Liya. Kolon is now in Damon's hands."
Levi smiled. 'To me, Liya is a walking One Thousand Gold Coins. How could she not be lovely?'
As for the opportunistic chubby boy on the ground, Levi couldn't be bothered with him. Whether he lived or died was up to him now.
Liya, naturally, had no objections and nodded hastily.
But suddenly, a shadow fell over them. Liya turned to look and saw two dark green pillars appear before her, each as thick as her waist.
Only by tilting her head all the way back could she see the full picture. It was a Beastman!
Fangs exposed, its appearance was ferocious.
"AHH!"
Terrified, Liya threw her arms around Levi's waist.
"You idiot! Don't sneak up behind people like that in the future. Don't you know you'll scare them to death?"
Levi scolded him before patiently comforting Liya.
"Don't be afraid, Miss Liya. He's my subordinate. We're on the same side."
Looking at the nerve-wracked Liya, Levi was genuinely afraid another shock would send her into a state of collapse.
After some explanation, Liya felt much better, though she was still a little afraid of Zat.
But that was only normal.
With Zat's ferocious appearance, he was certainly lacking in the looks department.
He had originally wanted Zat to carry Liya so he could have his hands free, but it looked like that wasn't an option now.
After the three of them regrouped, Levi thought for a moment, then picked up Liya and started running north.
Kolon City was huge. In such a short amount of time, it couldn't have been brought under complete control.
As long as they were careful, they could escape.