Chapter 1: The Palace Thief

Half a year sped past. As the land was bathed in the warm spring sunshine and all things in the world regained their vitality, the "Wind Ship" crafted by the Forest Elven Clan for Mels was nearing completion.

During these six months, Mels and Sol had stayed with the Forest Elven Clan. They had originally planned to spend the time investigating the mysterious individuals again, but considering the limited time and lack of leads, they decided to remain with the Elven Clan.

However, Mels and Sol did not waste these six months. On the contrary, they were amazed to discover that the Elven Clan had so much for them to learn.

Sol was already deeply interested in the Elven Clan's nature magic. As a mage, Sol had a deep understanding of power-based elemental magic and could already use many high-level attack spells. Yet, he knew very little about the primarily support-based nature magic. So, having the fortune to come to the Elven Clan this time, he was eager to absorb and learn as much of that mysterious nature magic as possible.

As a warrior, Mels couldn't spend as much time on nature magic as Sol did. However, after living with the elves for a while, Mels found that although the elves didn't have extensive knowledge or techniques for powerful attacks, most of their martial arts focused on conserving stamina or using nimble, agile attack techniques—precisely what Mels lacked.

With the Elven Clan leader's permission, Mels felt as if he had entered a whole new world of martial arts. Here, he not only quickly absorbed the combat techniques commonly used by the elves but also adapted and developed his own unique techniques suited to him. To them, the six months passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to reunite with Rek and the others.

On this early morning, after a simple farewell with the elves, Mels took Sol and left the forest, heading toward the predetermined meeting point, Fort Sekban. Since Little One had recovered his health and strength, the two no longer needed to endure the hardships of travel. On Little One's back, they quickly vanished from the elves' sight, flying toward the distant fortress.

"Boss, there's something I've never quite understood. In your opinion, why have magical beasts been appearing more and more in recent years? Although the Three-Eyed Spiders that threatened the elves are monsters that appeared centuries ago, according to their accounts, there were only a few hundred of them just a few years ago. Yet, when we went to deal with them, their numbers had already reached thousands!

Also, initially in the Sunlight Forest, in the dwarves' territory, we encountered the giant Sand Worm, which had never been recorded before. Later, in the Dragon Valley of the Relkes Empire, we saw thousands of magical beast corpses. I really don't understand. In the past, it took thousands of years for their numbers to grow to just tens of thousands. Why are so many suddenly appearing now? Perhaps there are even more magical beasts in places we don't know about in this world!" Sol said to Mels.

"Hmm, I can't figure it out either. Magical beasts are supposed to live in the lands far to the west of the continent. They have strong vitality but also the weakness of low reproduction rates; otherwise, we humans wouldn't be able to survive on this land. But now... Sol, are you suggesting these magical beasts are also related to those mysterious individuals?" Mels asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. For example, the Divine Crystal we found in the ruins. Although I don't understand these things very well, I'm certain the Divine Crystal isn't an ore that grows in ordinary environments. I think it's more like something created by certain people using special methods. Perhaps that master hypnotist wanted us to retrieve that item not to cure Emma's amnesia at all, but maybe he just wanted to study it!" Sol said.

After listening to Sol's words, Mels fell silent for a moment, pondering before replying, "Maybe you're right, but we can no longer know if the Divine Crystal could cure Emma's amnesia. In any case, our most urgent task now is to reunite with Rek and the others as soon as possible. Once we reach the mysterious individuals' federation, we'll surely find out what the Divine Crystal is really for!"

"The boss is right too." Sol nodded. "Ah, boss, we're almost there. Once we cross the mountain range ahead, let's have Little One land. If we keep flying like this, the Sekban garrison might shoot us down."

"You're right. Let's walk the last part of the way." Mels nodded and immediately ordered Little One to descend.

Little One landed on a gentle slope, and Mels and Sol stepped onto the ground. Just as Mels was about to recall Little One into the Summoning Gem, a cloud of dust suddenly stirred not far away, as if dozens of riders were charging from the direction of Sekban.

"Boss, their banners look like the France Empire's royal guard. They seem to be chasing someone." Sol observed carefully before speaking to Mels.

"Hmm, the royal guard rarely mobilizes, and it's strange for over thirty of them to be chasing a single youth. Sol, let's go see what they're up to." Mels said curiously to Sol.

"Ah? No way, boss, please don't get involved with the royal guard again. We already have enough enemies!" Sol said.

"If you don't want to go, stay here. I'll go check out the commotion myself." Mels winked at Sol.

After hearing Mels' words, Sol scanned the desolate plains around them, then looked at Mels with a troubled expression. "Boss, how can you bear to leave such a handsome young man like me in this wild, deserted place? I'd be so lonely."

"No, no, looking at the terrain here, there must be all sorts of wild beasts around. How could you be lonely? Alright, last chance: do you want to come along and see?" Mels grinned cheekily at Sol.

Hearing about wild beasts, Sol instinctively glanced around, then said to Mels with a serious face, "Boss, it's fine if you go watch those people fight, but what if you run into danger? As your closest companion, how can I let you face danger alone? I've decided: wherever you go, I'll go. Don't try to talk me out of it; I won't change my mind. This is the solemn choice of a passionate man!" Listening to Sol, Mels struggled to suppress his laughter and said, "Alright, enough talk. Let's go." With that, Mels ignored whatever else Sol might say and dashed toward the cloud of dust.

Although Sol had learned some lightness technique, he was naturally far behind Mels. To catch up, Sol hurriedly used the Earth Shrinking technique he recently learned from the elves, harnessing the earth's power to increase his speed. Mels seemed intent on competing with Sol, constantly accelerating his sprint. Whenever Sol was about to run alongside him, Mels would surge ahead again, leaving the sweat-drenched Sol complaining incessantly.

Mels wasn't doing this to give Sol a hard time. In fact, as soon as he saw the guard unit, Mels could tell from the running posture of the fleeing youth's horse that he couldn't hold out much longer.

Reality matched Mels' guess. By the time Mels and Sol reached a distance where they could clearly see and hear the scene, the youth had already been caught by the guard soldiers.

Over thirty burly guard soldiers, clad in light armor and wielding sabers, had surrounded the youth in the center. The youth seemed to have resigned himself to fate and said to the guards, "Brothers, you've chased me for three whole days. Aren't you tired? We're all just trying to make a living. How about letting me go?"

"Silence! I arrest you on charges of stealing from the national treasury, seducing the princess, assaulting the crown prince, injuring royal guards, insulting the chancellor, and resisting arrest! If you attempt to escape again, I will carry out orders and execute you on the spot!" the guard captain said angrily.

"Wow, boss, who is that guy? How did he commit so many crimes?" Sol asked Mels, dumbfounded.

"Who knows? Let's watch the situation more closely." Having been born into a thieves' organization, Mels had never held the royal army in high regard. So, even after hearing the guard captain list the youth's charges, Mels didn't feel much animosity toward the youth.

As Mels and Sol gradually approached the center of the confrontation, the surrounded youth suddenly said with a pained expression, "Brother, I'm truly wronged. Ah, the truth of the matter isn't what you said. That night, I was sleepwalking and accidentally entered the royal palace. Who knew I'd run into the princess, who was... eager? She forcibly dragged me into her room and took my pure, innocent body...

Recalling this past event is truly painful. Actually, I blame myself for lacking self-control, being tempted by the princess's beauty, which led to my grave mistake. Afterward, to keep me quiet and prevent me from spreading the story, the princess took me to the national treasury, saying I could pick a few treasures as compensation for the one-night stand.

Just as I was about to take something, a mighty guard brother arrived. Without asking questions, he beat me up savagely. The princess, afraid the scandal would break, started screaming, 'Help! Someone, help!' So that guard brother beat me even harder, until I was searching for my teeth on the ground.

Brother, don't you think getting beaten too much makes you dizzy? In my dizziness, I randomly picked up something and hit that guard brother with it. Who knew it would be such a coincidence—what I picked up was the famous sword 'Mist Veil,' and so...

Of course, the princess ran away then. And me, having accidentally killed someone for the first time, was naturally flustered and panicked. You know I'm still so young; of course, I didn't want to die. So, in the treasury, I considered how to dispose of the body. I thought of taking some treasures and burying the body in the mountain of treasures.

You can imagine, that guard brother's body was so big; hiding it in the treasure pile required removing quite a few treasures. If a pile of treasures suddenly appeared in the treasury, it would surely raise suspicion, so I had to take them all with me.

Just as I finished taking the things and dug a pit, the crown prince arrived. Seeing I had killed a guard, he got unusually excited and said to me, 'You managed to kill a guard; you must be exceptionally skilled. Come on, I'm the top fighter in the palace. Let's spar a few rounds.' I desperately tried to explain, but not only did he not listen, he insisted on fighting me. After all, I'm a real man; how could I not fight back after being beaten all the time? So, I threw a punch, and he just collapsed.

At the time, I thought I had killed the crown prince too. In my panic, I wanted to find someone to turn myself in. Then I ran into the chancellor, who had hurried over in the chaos to see the commotion. As soon as he saw me, he said, 'You little bastard, where do you think you're running!' Hearing that, I got anxious and pointed out his mistake: 'Chancellor, you seem to be mistaken. We're both subjects of France. If I'm a little bastard, aren't you an old bastard?'

Who knew before I could finish, the chancellor called a bunch of guard brothers, saying they'd tear me apart alive. Of course, I was scared then, so I gave up the idea of turning myself in and just ran out of the palace.

Therefore, summing up the above, all the charges against me should be revised to: the princess seduced me; I acted in self-defense against the guard; the crown prince forcibly assaulted me; the chancellor insulted me; and as compensation for the trauma to my mind and body, I received some treasures from the national treasury as reparation."

After listening to the youth's story, several guards turned pale with anger, while Mels and Sol couldn't hold back their laughter, bursting out simultaneously: "Haha... Ouch, boss, I finally know there's someone in this world who can spin a yarn even better than you! Haha, my stomach hurts from laughing!" Sol said to Mels between guffaws.

"Shut up, you're the one who's good at making up stories! Haha..." Mels wiped tears of laughter from his eyes as he replied to Sol.

Mels and Sol's raucous laughter naturally drew the attention of the guard soldiers. Three of them quickly rode over to Mels, brandishing their sabers and demanding, "Stop laughing! Who are you people?" "We're just ordinary civilians who happened to see you gentlemen apprehending a serious criminal, so we came to watch," Sol said.

"If you have no connection to the criminal, then get lost quickly. Otherwise, I'll arrest you and have you beheaded." It seemed these guard soldiers were used to throwing their weight around. Seeing Sol's submissive tone, they immediately became arrogant.

However, they didn't expect that while they were proudly spouting off, Mels was already itching to teach them a lesson. If Sol hadn't been holding Mels back, a brawl might have already broken out.

Actually, Mels didn't want to cause trouble either. As Sol tugged at his sleeve and the three guards prepared to leave, Mels had already released the Qi energy he had gathered, intending to move farther away and observe what happened next. Yet, no one expected the surrounded youth to suddenly cry out tearfully toward Mels from a distance: "Boss, I never thought you could be so heartless. If you hadn't asked me to help you steal from the royal palace treasury, how would I have been caught by these guard brothers?

Didn't you say? These guard brothers are like dogs; just wiggle your little finger and their heads will roll. Now you're watching as I'm about to be arrested and won't even save me! Fine, since you're heartless, don't blame me for being unjust. Guard brothers, they're the masterminds who sent me into the palace! I'll be a witness and expose their heinous, unforgivable crimes!"

After hearing the youth's words, all thirty-plus guards simultaneously turned their furious gazes toward Mels and Sol. This startled Sol greatly. He hurriedly hid behind Mels, saying with a pained expression, "Boss, I told you not to come watch. Now that little brat has pinned the blame on us. What do we do?"

If Sol hadn't spoken, the guards might have been half-doubtful. But hearing Sol call Mels "boss" and mention not coming to watch, they immediately believed Mels and the others were indeed the youth's accomplices. Perhaps they were confident the youth couldn't escape their grasp, or perhaps the youth's earlier remark about "dog guards" had infuriated them. In any case, the thirty-plus guard unit left only three to watch the youth, while the rest swiftly surrounded Mels and Sol.

"Wait! If you believe his words so easily, why don't you believe he's innocent? My brother and I just happened to pass by here. Is watching a commotion a crime punishable by beheading?" Mels snorted angrily and raised his voice.

After hearing Mels, the guard captain looked troubled. After a moment, he declared, "I don't know how much of that bastard's story is true, but your coincidental appearance in this desolate, uninhabited place is highly suspicious.

You have no luggage or goods with you, so you're clearly not traveling merchants. And the swords you carry could very well be weapons for robbery and violence! Even if you're not his accomplices, you must be lawbreakers. Meeting me today is your bad luck. Brothers, tie them up along with that little scoundrel and take them back!"

Seeing the guard captain wouldn't listen to his explanation, Mels knew further talk was useless. Combined with his inherent dislike for royal soldiers, he naturally felt no need to be polite.

So, Mels drew the sword at his waist, released his Qi energy, and shouted, "Incompetent, foolish idiots! The reason there are so many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in the empire is because fools like you are in power. Today, I'll teach you a lesson and show you there's always someone better!"

Hearing Mels' words, the guard captain was naturally incensed. He roared, "You've got nerve, kid! Let's see what makes you so arrogant, you bastard! Brothers, attack!" With that, he led the charge, spurring his horse and swinging his saber as he galloped toward Mels. The soldiers following him echoed with battle cries.

"I knew it would come to this. Ah, boss's personality—if he doesn't get into a fight, he's not happy!" Sol shrugged helplessly, then slowly drew his magic staff from behind. Raising his voice to Mels, he said, "Boss, fight with confidence. I'll make sure it's a one-on-one duel. No one will interfere with you."

As soon as Sol finished speaking, he raised his magic staff and chanted softly, "Spirits of the wind, with your arms, borrow the earth's power, halt all motion, let the world fall into silence. Earth Binding Curse!"

The moment the incantation ended, the horses the soldiers rode suddenly became agitated. Then, in less than half a second, countless surges of mud erupted from the ground, immediately trapping both riders and horses. Except for the guard captain, all the soldiers could only glare at each other and curse verbally, unable to move.

"Get down!" Before the guard captain could recover from his shock, Mels leaped into the air. With elusive movements, he swiftly shifted through dozens of postures mid-air, flipped onto the galloping horse in an instant, grabbed the guard captain by his armor, and hurled him heavily to the ground.

The guard captain only felt a tremendous force from behind, then was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground following the force's direction. As he tried to get up, Mels' right foot was already on his chest, and his sword was pressed against the captain's throat.

The royal guard, after all, was no ordinary unit. Even though he knew his skills were no match for Mels', the guard captain had no intention of surrendering or begging for mercy. Glaring angrily, he said to Mels, "Your skills are superior. I admit defeat. But if you think force can make me yield, you're gravely mistaken! For centuries, in the France Kingdom's Royal Guard, there have only been heroes who died in battle, never cowards who begged for mercy! Kill me if you want!"

"Since he's so hell-bent on dying, boss, just kill him!" the youth magically trapped by Sol shouted loudly.

"Shut up! Who's your boss? If you dare call me that again, I'll take your head right now!" Although Mels disliked the kingdom's soldiers, he still greatly admired the guard captain's steadfast refusal to submit. Coupled with his lack of fondness for the thief-like youth, he immediately barked, startling the boy into silence.

"Listen, I don't want to kill you, but remember this: don't think you can just boss anyone around! We don't know that kid. If you want to arrest him, go ahead, but if you mess with me, I won't let you off!" With that, Mels lifted his foot, turned, returned his sword to its scabbard, and walked toward Sol.

That should have been the end of it, but when Mels was about three meters away from the guard captain, Sol suddenly yelled in alarm, "Boss, watch your back!"

Even without Sol's warning, Mels had already sensed the guard captain rising and charging at him the moment he turned away. In half a second, Mels spun around, drew his sword from his waist, and thrust directly at the guard captain attempting to ambush him from behind.

This time, Mels held nothing back. In an instant, his blade pierced through the guard captain's chest.

As if unable to believe the youth's reaction was so swift, the guard captain stared wide-eyed at Mels.

"You forced my hand. Go to hell and think about how low you sank!" Mels cast a contemptuous glance at the guard captain, withdrew his sword, and stepped back to avoid the spurting blood.

Looking at the lifeless guard captain on the ground, Mels said gravely to Sol, "Let's go." With that, he prepared to head toward the fortress city of Sekbang, over ten kilometers away.

"Big brother, boss, my lord, please release me first. I have an eighty-year-old mother at home, a seriously ill wife, and a newborn child waiting for me to support them. Leaving me here is like condemning four lives—it's inhumane!" Seeing that Mels and Sol were about to leave with no intention of taking him along, the youth wailed loudly.

"Boss, he's actually quite amusing. Why not let him go? In these chaotic times, a little thieving's no big deal. If we leave him here, the soldiers of the Franth Kingdom will surely make his death gruesome," Sol whispered.

After hearing Sol's words, Mels glanced back at him and said, "Do as you please. It's your magic controlling him anyway."

Hearing Mels didn't object, Sol happily approached the youth and said, "I'll let you go, but I have a few questions. First, why did you claim the boss was your leader? If we were just ordinary civilians, wouldn't that get us arrested? Second, did you really rape the princess? Third, what exactly did you steal from the palace? Think carefully before answering. If your answers don't satisfy me, I'll leave you here forever."

"I... actually saw the Silver Eagle Emblem peeking from your clothes. If I'm not mistaken, you must be knights of the Dragon Knights Regiment of the Relkes Empire, so I was confident they were no match for you. Honestly, I could have dealt with these guys myself, but I didn't want to kill them, which is why I kept running. Earlier, I recognized your identities and thought to use you to distract them while I escaped in the chaos. If you were ordinary civilians, I, Kaslo, would never falsely accuse you," the youth explained quietly to Sol.

Only then did Sol realize that the Silver Eagle Emblem he kept close to his body was indeed mostly exposed through a gap in his clothing. Seeing Sol speechless, the youth quickly added, "I did break into the palace to steal, but I absolutely did not rape the princess. I just happened to witness the princess meeting her lover. Since the affair was exposed, the princess pinned the blame on me—I guess I was just unlucky. As for the items I stole from the treasury, I hid them in a secret place. If you release me, I'll give them all to you."

After hearing everything the youth who called himself Kaslo said, Mels and Sol, though still somewhat skeptical, felt less aversion toward him. Mels said, "Sol, let him go. It seems he's just an ordinary thief, not some arch-villain."

"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!" Kaslo said gratefully to Mels, then repeatedly urged Sol to dispel the magic.

While Sol grumbled that he was the one who had defended him and deserved thanks, Kaslo finally struggled free from the mud. Though he was unharmed, the horse he had been riding had suffocated in the mire.

Seeing his only means of transportation gone to the afterlife, Kaslo felt troubled but still loudly praised Mels for his martial prowess, kindness, and so on. Although Mels wasn't particularly fond of such flattery, he didn't find it offensive; instead, he felt the youth had some endearing qualities.

However, Sol's thoughts differed greatly from Mels'. With slight displeasure, he said to Kaslo, "Flatterer! If you're okay, then get lost, fast. We have things to do, so don't get in our way!"

"Ah, so this extraordinarily handsome, dashing Archmage brother has important matters to attend to! Then I really shouldn't disturb you any further. But since you saved me, I ought to show my gratitude. I know a great person like you, who embodies the essence of heaven and earth, wouldn't care for ordinary rewards, so I can only keep this favor in my heart, hoping to repay you someday. In that case, I'll take my leave now and not disturb you two important figures with your serious business!"

Kaslo's flattery delighted Sol, whose earlier displeasure vanished entirely, and he began to change his tone, addressing Kaslo as a brother.

With Sol's "tearful" farewell, Kaslo soon disappeared from Mels and Sol's sight, while Sol remained immersed in the earlier praise from Kaslo.

Having observed coldly until now, Mels finally burst out laughing, "Sol, you big fool! A few words from him and you forgot to ask for the treasure stolen from the treasury! Haha..."

Hearing Mels' words, Sol was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Ah! I forgot to ask him for the treasures stolen from the treasury! That little brat, if I ever run into you again, I'll make you pay!" But curses aside, what was lost couldn't be recovered, and Sol could only follow Mels dejectedly into the distance.