Problem With Haldin

"Well… seems like our champion has woke up" Arden turned to face Haldin which just woke up from his deep slumber.

"Sir… why am I here sir?" Haldin nervously throwing those words from his mouth, his voice filled with fear and his body trembled.

"Please take a seat Haldin" Arden took a seat for himself after gesturing Haldin to take a seat.

With fear filled his body and mind, Haldin panicked and unsheathed his sword hastily. Unlucky for him, the other 2 commander is at the room. After they heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed, they themself unsheathed their sword and face Haldin.

That room became an arena for fighting in a matter of seconds. Haldin trying his best on attacking Bryan and Rob while Arden just sat there calmly at his chair.

He got many slash mark, gotten from the sword slashing at his thin leather armour, instantly penetrating it. Many bruises, from all the wrestling with Bryan and Rob, the rooms seem messed up after they had done.

In the end, the odds were against him, Haldin lost against his opponent. Not without a fight. His body took a lot more attack, and it's visible by Arden.

Haldin was forced to kneel at the floor by Bryan and Rob while Arden just stare at him dead at the eyes. Arden stood up from his office and approached him. In front of him, Arden continued to stare at him dead in the eyes and trying to intimidate him. His tactic worked and soon enough, Haldin's face was facing towards the ground.

"Do you know your mistake?" Arden asks with a little disappointment at his voice while Haldin just stared at the floor and contemplating on his mistake, remembering every single detail of things he did today.

"No sir, I don't" With his eyes closed in fear and his voice trembled as much as his body does, Haldin answered.

Arden looked at him even though all he can see is the back of his head, "You don't? You want me to list it for you?" Arden asked with a voice that intimidated Haldin and some aura can be felt around him.

"Y-Yes sir" Naturally he stuttered while facing the big aura emitted by Arden.

"First of all, you didn't obey my order" Arden turned his back to Haldin and watched out of the window. Haldin slightly raised his head and look at his back while confused about which order he asked.

Arden gave a glance to him before saying, "I think you didn't know which order it was, Bryan, explain to him!" Bryan, standing behind the kneeling Haldin with his body straighten explaining what he did wrong.

"You didn't comply when we asked you to come and help us at the morning" Haldin now scared at the situation became more scared with a person behind his back shouting at him till the point his voice echoed at the room.

"Second of all, you dare to make my robe dirty and injure my only squire" Arden still watching out of the window right now and Haldin became even confused, with fear and confusion, his voice trembles as he asks which one is that.

"W-Which one is- is that sir?" He stutters as he makes his efforts to get those words out of his mouth with it finally being thrown with many tremblings.

"Rob, explain to him!" Rob complied and began explaining it to him, with the same way as Bryan, shouting to the point his voice echoed at the room. Haldin lowered his head once again and stared at the floor.

"You slapped a barrel from a random kid in a group of men walking down the street, that kid is our lord only squire!" At this point, Haldin covered his ears and didn't want to be shouted at anymore. He made a defensive stance at the floor and became like a turtle.

Arden, seeing this, turned his attention back to him and approached him. He crouched down and shouted at him, "Haldin! Look at me in the eye!" He waited and waited for Haldin to have the courage and look at him in the eyes.

Haldin gathered as much courage as he could and raised his head slightly, then looked at him in the eye, dead centre.

Arden seeing that he still have the courage to look at him smiled and patted him at the cheek.

"Now, go back to your post and never make the same mistake you made today" Haldin hastily stood up and began making his way to the door before getting stopped.

"Oh yea, also, I'm taking your rank, let the person you fought from the opposite team at the test know," Haldin knew all of this would happen, but still, his jaw dropped and his eyes widen.

"What? You expected this, right?" Haldin accepted his defeat and left the room after giving a nod to Arden.

Bryan and Rob looked at each other and asked a question to Arden. "Sir, what would we go now?" Arden made his way to his seat and then took a seat after all the time of standing.

"Gather the man to the yard 3 hours from now, that should be 7 at the night, prepare some torches and bonfire." Rob and Bryan looked at each other and nodded, then left the room and complied to the order.

Arden could see the floor wet and he thought to himself.

'What a coward Haldin was! He peed his pant and the floor now is wet." Arden got mad but didn't pursue it further.

Tired of all things that happened on the same day, Arden sat at his seat and rested his eyes and body for a second.

"Imma rest my head at the small pillow and close my eyes for a little" Arden did the following and…

Bam!

He fell asleep with the comfortability his seat gave to him, combined with his energy being wasted today.

Zzz

Zzz

Knock

He was woken up by the sound of the door being knocked by someone. He took a moment to regain his sense and realized what happened.

"Oh, crap!" He rushed to stand up from his seat and opened the door. There, stand a person, using the same uniform as all the other Acropolo.

Seeing this, he made a conclusion that one of the Acropolo is looking for him and wanted to ask regarding about Haldin.

He was wrong… the person introduces himself to him and soon… Arden realized who it was.

"Sir, I'm James, the leader of the team that compete against Haldin's team at the test, I heard I will replace him and decided to come here and ask you about it." After realizing this, Arden gestured James to get into his office and discuss about something with him.

James reluctantly and without any suspicion entered the Arden's office but with a polite manner. Arden could see that James is clearly a well-bred person with a polite manner and a good way of thinking.

"Sir, what are discussing?" James asked once he got into Arden's office and seated by him to a chair.

"I really want to know, how can you lose against Haldin at the test" James looked at him with confusion before thinking and digging his memory.

"Yea, there is something weird at the fight" Arden looked at him curious and confused mixed at his thought and facial expression.

"He was…. Hard to kill, like a berserker under an influence of something" Arden let him continue his word and expected this.

"Well yea, that things called drugs, 2 of the commanders having a hard time fighting him here" Arden gestured to let him see the condition of the room. James saw the condition, and it's clear for him to see it. He dropped his jaw looking at this and examined the fight.

"Sir, I have a brilliant idea, seeing about the effect of these, why don't we…" he got stopped by Arden before he can finish his words.

"I know what you are thinking, but I'm not putting my soldier at risk of dying in order to win a battle" James got disappoint, but he tried to persuade Arden.

"Sir, I know, but I heard there are many kinds of drugs that could be harvested from many kinds of plants" James hoped that he could persuade his lord to hear his idea, he had seen many screaming at war because of the pain, even for his ownself that experienced some of the pain, didn't want to feel it again.

Arden looked at him dead in the eyes, making James thinking it's a straight "no" from him but it's the other way around, Arden is actually interested in it, he coughed before throwing out the words in his mind.

"Ehm, perhaps I can do that, but we need a research team, any way we could find it?" James thinking he lost his chance to prove his self got excited again and tell him everything he knew….