Three days later, the dense forest near the Balmount Kingdom stirred with life. Birds and creatures rustled through the leaves, the wind carrying the scent of damp earth and wildflowers.
Hidden in a patch of thick shrubbery near the road, three figures crouched low. Their faces were partially obscured by bandanas, but their eyes remained sharp.
Gregory groaned, shifting uncomfortably. "Why did you two drag me into this crap?" His voice was dripping with frustration. "We've been here for hours. This is so boring!"
Angelo smirked under his bandana. "Quit whining, Greg. Just be patient." He leaned back, resting his hand on his knee. "This is how we make easy coin."
Gregory scoffed. "Easy coin, my ass. Not a single carriage has come through."
Toru, silent up until now, finally spoke, his voice flat and irritated. "Gregory, shut up before I make you."
Gregory huffed but crossed his arms, clearly not happy.
Then, a faint rumbling. The creak of wooden wheels.
Angelo raised a hand for silence. "Look," he whispered.
A simple wooden carriage rolled into view, drawn by a single brown horse. The driver, a man with sandy blonde hair and dull brown eyes, looked exhausted, like life had drained the fight out of him. He kept his focus on the road, unaware of what lurked nearby.
Gregory sighed loudly, standing up. "That's it. I'm done. This is pointless." He turned and started walking away.
"Gregory, get back here!" Toru called, standing to follow.
Angelo shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Coward." He stood up and jogged after them.
Gregory stomped through the undergrowth, muttering to himself. "Those bastards don't care about me at all. I'm tired of this crap."
"Gregory, stop," Toru said, catching up and grabbing his shoulder.
Gregory spun around, shoving his hand off. "Or what? You gonna hit me?"
Toru's fists clenched, his jaw tight.
Angelo stepped between them before things got worse. "What's going on here? You two really wanna start a fight right now?" His voice was mocking, but there was an edge to it.
Gregory sneered. "We're not animals like you."
Angelo's smirk vanished. His body went still. "Say that again."
Gregory didn't back down. "I said, you're an animal."
Angelo took a step closer, his hands curling into fists—
A piercing scream cut through the air.
They all froze.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Then, without thinking, Angelo took off running. Gregory followed, cursing under his breath.
Branches snapped, leaves whipped past. Angelo ducked under a low branch and let it snap back—
It smacked Gregory in the face.
"Bastard!" Gregory shouted, rubbing his nose.
Angelo ignored him. He reached a clearing first and dropped to the ground, yanking Gregory down beside him. "Shut up for once!" He pointed.
Gregory's eyes widened.
Four knights in Balmount armor stood in the clearing, surrounding a woman.
She had cherry-pink hair, her amber-gold eyes wide with fear. She was dressed in fine noble attire, her gown elegant despite the dirt. Her hands trembled.
The closest knight, a broad man with red eyes, grinned and licked his lips. "We don't want your money."
Another knight, this one with purple hair and cold grey eyes, held up a pouch filled with gold coins. He shook it, the clinking loud in the silence. "Your driver begged for his life before I slit his throat."
The woman gasped, horror flashing in her eyes. "No… no… please…"
The third knight, still in his helmet, stepped closer. "So, what can you offer us, milady?"
Gregory's breathing was uneven. His hands clenched into fists. "We have to help her," he whispered, his voice shaking.
Angelo barely looked at him. "Are you out of your damn mind? There are four of them. We don't have weapons. You go out there, you're dead."
Gregory's voice wavered, but he didn't back down. "We can take them."
Angelo turned to shut him up—
But Toru was gone.
Angelo's stomach dropped. "Toru?" He whispered, looking around.
Gregory tapped his shoulder, pointing up.
Toru was perched in a tree above the knights, his eyes locked on the scene below.
Meanwhile
The knight with purple hair grabbed the woman roughly by the arm, his grip bruising. "You should be honored," he sneered. "The only thing I'm about to give you is between my legs."
Her heart pounded in terror, but she didn't hesitate—she slapped him across the face with all the strength she had left. The sound echoed through the forest.
His face twisted with rage. "You bitch!" He yanked her hair, forcing her head back.
She gasped, her eyes wide as he raised his hand to strike. Her body braced for impact—
Then something crashed into him.
Toru.
The knight hit the ground hard, Toru's knee digging into his chest. Before the others could react, Gregory lunged from the bushes, gripping a thick branch. He swung wildly, the wood cracking against a knight's head. The man staggered, clutching his skull in pain.
Angelo was already moving, slamming his boot into another knight's ribs. The man flew back, his head cracking against a rock. He didn't get up. The last knight turned in panic, reaching for his sword—only to have Angelo's fist drive into his jaw. His legs gave out, and he collapsed in a heap.
Silence.
The woman stood frozen, chest rising and falling, her hands trembling at her sides. Her golden eyes darted between the unconscious knights, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.
The knight beneath Toru growled. "You bastards—"
Toru tightened his grip. "Shut up."
Gregory tossed the broken branch aside and hurried to the woman. "Are you hurt?"
She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. "I…" She touched her arm where the knight had grabbed her. The skin burned, but she nodded. "I'm alright."
"Thank you," she whispered.
Angelo picked up the pouch of gold that had fallen in the scuffle. He weighed it in his hand, grinning. "No need for thanks. We'll just take this as payment."
Toru shot him a look. "Give it back."
Angelo rolled his eyes. "Come on, she won't even mi—"
"I want you to have it," the woman said suddenly. "Please… it's the least I can do."
Angelo's smirk widened. "Well, if you insist—"
Gregory snatched the pouch from his hand. "Do you ever think before you speak?" He turned to the woman and held it out. "This isn't why we helped."
Her fingers hovered over the pouch before she finally took it, gripping it tightly.
The knight beneath Toru spat blood onto the dirt. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Toru knocked him out with a sharp punch to the temple. "No. And I don't care."
The woman suddenly gasped. "My driver!"
She ran toward the road. Gregory and Angelo exchanged a glance before chasing after her.
The black horse still stood where it had been left, its ears twitching. The carriage was untouched. The woman rushed to the door, her voice urgent. "Mr. Kaito!"
She yanked it open.
Inside, a man with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes sat bound and gagged. His eyes widened when he saw her, relief flooding his face.
Her hands trembled as she untied him. The second his gag was off, he gasped, "My lady! Thank the goddess you're safe!"
She kept working at the ropes, fingers fumbling. "I'm fine, I'm fine—"
When the last knot loosened, he exhaled deeply, rubbing his wrists before turning his gaze to Gregory and Angelo. "Who are they?"
"They saved me." Her voice was soft but certain.
The butler immediately bowed. "Thank you for protecting my lady."
Angelo waved a hand. "No need for all that. She already paid us."
Mr. Kaito frowned. "Paid…?"
Gregory sighed. "Don't ask."
Angelo crossed his arms. "More importantly, what happened?"
The butler's expression darkened. "We were stopped by those knights for what I thought was a routine check. I didn't expect them to turn on us." His jaw tightened. "I was a fool."
The woman shook her head. "It wasn't your fault."
Mr. Kaito's voice was steady. "We must report this to the kingdom at once."
Angelo grinned, his eyes glinting with something unreadable. "No need for that."
Gregory side-eyed him.
Angelo's grin widened.
Gregory sighed. He really looks like a jackass when he smiles like that.
Later
Toru pulled the last knot tight, ensuring the knights had no chance of escape. Behind him, the argument between Angelo and Gregory was already heating up.
"Must you two argue every time?" Toru snapped, glaring at them.
Angelo threw up his hands. "Can you believe this guy? He didn't want to accept the money!"
Gregory folded his arms. "I don't want to take money that doesn't belong to us."
Angelo's eyes widened. "What?!"
Toru shook his head. "Can you both stop and tell me what happened? Is the driver dead or not?"
Gregory, still glaring at Angelo, muttered, "No, he's not dead. They're already gone."
"Good." Toru gave a quick nod before glancing at the tied-up knights. "Now what do we do with these guys?"
Angelo grinned. "What do you think?"
He strode up to the unconscious knights and slapped all four across the face. They woke with startled gasps, two groaning in confusion, while the purple-haired one snapped in anger.
"What the hell?!"
Another knight, wide-eyed, stammered, "I... I didn't do anything!"
Angelo smirked, spinning a stolen sword in his hand. "I just need a bit of information, and you'll all walk away free." His voice dripped with amusement.
The purple-haired knight sneered. "We ain't telling you shit!"
"Is that so?" Angelo's grin widened as he raised the sword, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Toru stiffened. "Angelo, don't do what I think—"
"I'm just asking for a bit of cooperation." Angelo's voice was sweet as his gaze locked onto the knight.
The brown-haired one chuckled, mocking. "Do you even know how to handle a sword?"
Gregory paled. "He really shouldn't have said that..."
The knight didn't finish laughing.
The sword came down.
Bone cracked.
Blood sprayed.
A sickening crunch filled the air as Angelo drove the blade through the knight's skull.
Then he did it again.
And again.
Each strike sent another burst of blood flying. The man's body twitched, his skull caving in under the relentless blows.
Angelo laughed.
"What do you think of my sword handling now?! Huh?! Huh?!" He slammed the blade down, the force making the body jerk like a broken puppet.
"Angelo, stop!" Toru rushed forward, horror on his face. "He's already dead!"
Angelo blinked, looking at the twitching mess beneath him. "Oh… he is?" He sounded genuinely surprised.
The remaining knights, their faces splattered in blood, started screaming.
"Calm down, calm down!" Angelo spread his arms, his hands dripping. His grin was wide, wild. "I wasn't planning to kill all of you. Just… cooperate."
Toru stepped forward, forcing control over the situation. "Listen, just answer our questions, and nothing else bad will happen. Understand?" He pointed at the corpse. "Unless you want to end up like him."
The remaining knights frantically nodded, their faces pale with terror.
"Good." Toru gave a tight smile. "Now, tell me… were you the ones robbing people around here?"
The purple-haired knight opened his mouth, but before he could even get a word out—
The sword swung.
His head hit the ground before his body even realized it was dead.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, and the body collapsed with a sickening thud.
"Wrong answer!" Angelo's grin stretched wide, his voice a gleeful growl.
Gregory barely had time to turn before he vomited, hands gripping his knees as he gagged.
"Angelo, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Toru grabbed him by the shoulder, furious. "You didn't even let him talk!"
Angelo shrugged, wiping a bit of blood from his cheek like it was nothing. "He was going to lie."
"That's not how it works!" Toru snapped. "Let me do the talking from now on."
"Fine, fine." Angelo waved a bloody hand, stepping back with the same sick grin.
Toru turned to the last two knights. They were shaking so hard they looked like they might drop dead from fear alone. "Now, let's try this again. Tell me, what do you know?"
The one with the helmet spoke first, voice trembling. "It's not us... It's a gang. Our captain—our captain paid them to do his dirty work!"
Toru frowned. "Why would he do that?"
The second knight, catching Angelo's stare, blurted, "It's true! The gang—they're meeting the captain at the end of the week to give him their loot!"
Angelo let out a low chuckle. "What a coincidence."
Toru ignored him. "How many are in this gang?"
"Six... I think," one stammered. "But they're not normal. They use magic."
Angelo's eyes lit up. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Toru exhaled sharply. He could already feel the chaos coming. "Thanks for the info." He clapped his hands together.
"Are you going to free us now?" One of the knights dared to ask, voice weak.
"No." Toru's answer was flat, emotionless. "You're coming with us."
They looked ready to protest, but Angelo took a step closer, still grinning. "You want to die?"
"No!" They shouted at the same time.
Toru barely glanced at them before calling out, "Hey, where's Gregory?"
A weak voice came from the bushes. "Over here…"
Toru sighed. "Great."