With the remaining Capital forces retreating from the woods after the Monarch's arrival, the surviving wolves finally had a chance to regroup, though their numbers were significantly reduced.
Even though Dom and Dae had done what they believed was right, it didn't erase the fact that they had betrayed the Capital.
Upon returning to the army camp, they were immediately locked in the very same cage from which they had freed Lucy.
Under the darkened sky, the newly assigned guards stood vigilantly by the metal prison, stealing tense glances at the figures within the bars.
Seated with his back against the cage, Dom, almost entirely wrapped in fresh bandages and attached to two blood-filled IV lines, stared at the mana-suppressing cuffs on his wrists.
His eyes glimmered a dim blue, the cuffs allowing him to sense his mana but preventing any direct use. It was like looking through a glass wall: he could see his mana, feel it, but could not touch it.
He let out a long sigh, rattling the thick chains that tethered him to the bars.
"I still can't believe it."
He turned his attention to his adjacent side, where Dae sat similarly restrained and shackled.
"The Last Monarch, the Great Mage Dragon…" Dae muttered, disbelief etched across his face, "…was talking to Dom like they were old friends."
Dom smirked confidently. "Told you, bro. You're not the only one with connections to a Monarch." His voice regained its usual spark. "Seriously—how many times have I proven you wrong these past few weeks?"
Dae clicked his tongue as Dom laughed, the sound grating on the six guards outside the cage.
"There's still one thing you haven't proven yet," Dae said, frowning thoughtfully.
Dom's laughter faded as he fixed him with a curious look.
"I know he's powerful, but can he really help us?" Dae asked. "Regardless of the reason, we attacked our own countrymen. By law, we should either be imprisoned for life or executed."
Dom leaned his head against the bars, humming thoughtfully. "To be honest… I'm not sure." He muttered.
He closed his eyes, recalling the last half hour of treatment from the soldiers and healers after they locked him up--then Anthony's final words before leaving to report back to the Capital echoed in his mind.
Opening his eyes, his calm smile returned. "But… Tony said we should let him handle it." He said, tapping the scar on his cheek. "He's already saved my ass twice now… I trust him."
Seeing Dom's confidence, Dae nodded slowly. "If you trust him that much… then I guess it should be fine." He said, resting his aching head against the bars.
After a brief silence, Dae's gaze drifted downwards. "What about her?" He asked.
Dom looked down as well. Lucy, treated and resting, slept peacefully with her head in his lap. A small groan escaped her lips, rattling her own shackles and IV line as she shifted closer to Dom, then settled back into tranquil sleep.
"She hasn't left your side since the fight," Dae noted.
Dom smirked. "I guess we're friends now."
Dae raised a skeptical brow just as the guards' sudden agitation drew their attention. Anthony appeared with his usual confident smile, flanked by a young female knight.
Moments later, one guard frowned and unlocked Dom's cuffs.
"Finally," Dom muttered, rubbing his wrists while the others freed Dae and Lucy.
As the guards left, Anthony and the female knight stepped inside.
Lucy instinctively positioned herself in front of Dom, baring her teeth at Anthony again.
"Don't worry. He's a good guy," Dom said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.
She looked at him, frowning in confusion. "Good?" She murmured, still wary but allowing herself to sit beside Dom, keeping a watchful eye on Anthony.
Anthony stopped before them, his red eyes intense. "I already know Dominic from our last encounter." He said, smirking at Dom, then turned to the other two. "… and I have read about the Alpha. So that makes you…"
Once his gaze fixed on Dae, he froze. The sudden intensity of his eyes made Dae stiffen.
"You…" Anthony muttered, his eyes wide with recognition. "… you're related to Jin, aren't you?"
Dae hesitated, then nodded stiffly.
Anthony's expression softened into a reminiscent smile. "Yeah. I figured. You have his eyes." He chuckled fondly as memories surfaced. "I almost forgot he had a family. He disappeared with them after…" He paused, frowning briefly before smiling again. "How is he?"
Dae looked away, his expression darkening.
Anthony frowned instantly. "Oh." He muttered, his gaze lowered. "I suspected as much… I'm sorry."
"It's… It's okay," Dae mumbled.
Dom frowned at the sadness etched on his friend's face before turning his attention to Anthony, who settled onto the ground before them with a loud groan.
"Ugh… I hate being old," Anthony muttered, rubbing his back.
The female knight stifled a laugh, earning a glare from him. "Sorry," She said, winking.
Dom finally examined the woman.
She was about 5'6", red-haired, fair-skinned, seemingly in her late twenties, wearing an oversized black jacket over a white bra, tight ash pants, expensive jewelry, including round gold earrings, and red sneakers. She chewed gum lazily, green eyes glowing.
Anthony noticed Dom's gaze and gestured at her, "This is Zoe. My personal bodyguard."
Dom raised a brow. "I didn't think someone like you needed a bodyguard." He said.
Anthony chuckled. "Well, I do now. I'm not as young as I used to be." He commented as he patted his back.
Zoe rolled her eyes. "He's just being modest. Mostly, I'm here because I'm his personal fuck buddy."
Both boys froze, but Anthony shrugged casually.
"Not that I mind," She added, blowing a bubble, shaking her gold bracelets suggestively. "Having a Monarch as a sugar daddy has its perks. And for an old geezer, he's surprisingly energetic."
"I did not need to hear that." Dom groaned, covering his face while Lucy looked at him with confused concern.
It's moments like this that remind Dom that the heroes he revered were also human.
Dae, however, turned serious as he spoke. "So, General Justice… does this mean the Council has pardoned us?"
Dom's expression also hardened at the question.
Anthony smirked at Dae. "First, call me Tony," He replied, and Dae's eyes widened. "Jin was like a father to me. I wouldn't be the wise man I am today if it weren't for his lessons."
Zoe rolled her eyes, sarcastically at the word 'wise'.
"So in a way, that makes you family too," Antony concluded with a friendly grin.
Dae's shock softened into a smile. "Okay. I will."
Dom smiled at the heart-warming scene. Lucy frowned, the conversation making absolutely no sense to her, but the sight of Dom's smile put her mind at ease.
"And for your question, it goes both ways…" Anthony said, his face now serious.
The boys stiffened in anticipation.
"The Council is still seriously pissed about this." He added, then waved a hand. "Rapore deposits are extremely hard to find in the South-Land. And this was the biggest reserve they've ever discovered."
"And a single gram of that thing is worth fifty-thousand credits," Zoe commented.
Anthony nodded. "Even if they don't use it for themselves," He continued, "… they can always sell it and easily rake in millions. So I think you can understand just how big a loss they're about to have because of you two."
Dom frowned, his expression conflicted, while Dae knitted his brows in thought.
"By the time I called, they were already vying to publicly execute you the second you enter the Capital," Anthony added.
They both flinched at the thought.
Then, Anthony smirked. "Luckily, I was passing by on my way back from a job when I heard what happened. It caught me off guard at first, but…" He glanced at Lucy, who glared defensively at him. "…but the second I heard about the Rapore, I understood what was going on."
Dom noticed the subtle tightening of Anthony's grip on his folded arm.
"Even though the village didn't want to move, the Council was so determined to get that stuff that they were willing to sacrifice these people."
Anthony gritted his teeth, his leaking aura creating steam from his body.
"Even after all these years, they're still making annoying decisions like that." His red eyes glowed brightly. "Those fucking scumbags."
Despite not being the target of his obvious rage, the three young mages flinched under his almost murderous presence.
A deep breath later, Anthony expelled his fury as a thick puff of steam with his eyes closed.
"The village is on the border between us and a neighboring country. So it makes sense why they were so secretive about the Rapore, even to the Chief." He added.
Dom's eyes narrowed. "They wanted it for themselves." He said.
Anthony nodded. "And even though I respect the Chief for standing up for his people's wishes, I still think he was stupid for refusing the Council's offer without at least trying to find the truth."
He opened his eyes, his gaze now calm. "Which is why I gave him a proposition."
Dae arched a brow. "Which is?" He asked.
Anthony smirked confidently as he pointed a thumb at his chest. "As of today, the Lupus Village belongs to me."
Both Dom and Dae's eyes widened.
"Seriously?" Dom asked.
Anthony's grin widened. "I'm a Monarch, Dominic. The power and money I have are more than enough to buy a little place like this."
Dom grinned, excited at the confidence in Anthony's words.
Dae then touched his chin with a thoughtful expression. "And now that the village is yours, if the Council tries to mine it, it'll mean indirectly targeting your property,"
"That's right," Anthony replied, lowering his hand. "And even though they have the entire nation's army on their side, they don't have the balls to piss me off."
Dom clenched his fist, his knuckles trembling in respect of Anthony's unfazed authority.
"And since we don't need the Rapore, we won't mine it either," Zoe added as she gave them a smirk. "Not a bad deal, right?"
"Yeah," Dom said as he turned to Lucy with a warm smile. "Everyone wins."
Lucy tilted her head at him. "Win?" She asked.
Despite not understanding a single word they said, Dom's smile was enough for her to smile back, her tail wagging happily behind her.
"Then what about us?" Dae asked, his somber expression cutting through the joyful air. "Even though the problem is solved, I still doubt the Council pardoned us so easily."
A beat of silence quickly followed Dae's words…
Lucy frowned, sensing the sudden dread in the atmosphere, especially with Dom's conflicted frown.
Anthony rubbed his beard, a scowl on his face. "You're right… As far as the Council is concerned, you're now a pain in the ass that they're itching to get rid of." Anthony's expression turned incredibly serious. "But since you're under me, I told them I'll handle the punishment."
Both boys flinched. Their instincts were triggered by Anthony's predator-like stare. Lucy growled, stepping protectively in front of Dom.
After a short tensed moment, Zoe sighed, judging Anthony. "Come on, Boss… isn't that a little much?" She asked.
Anthony laughed, slapping his lap as his gaze softened. "You should have seen your faces." He chuckled, causing Dom and Dae to blush as their rattled nerves settled. "Relax—I'm not going to punish you. I actually want to thank you."
"Thank us?" Dom asked, his body now relaxed.
Anthony's face softened. "If you hadn't requested your own squad, the Council wouldn't have given us this job." He said, eyes narrowing. "And I wouldn't have asked Roy to investigate either. He found out about the Rapore a day after you left."
"Even though we were returning from a job, Tony dragged us here as soon as Roy told him," Zoe added, rubbing her neck as Anthony laughed.
Dae frowned. "Then… buying the village…"
"That was always my plan," Anthony said, smirking. "Roy wanted me to tell you to call the job off, but I wanted to see if you'd figure it out yourself."
Dom's eyes widened, realizing this to be a test, just like that riddle years ago.
Anthony's eyes softened on Dom. "And not only did you figure it out—you did exactly what I hoped." He commented, his smile widening. "Good to know you're still on the right track, kid."
Dom rubbed his neck, laughing like a kid being praised by his father.
Anthony's smile remained proud. "You even slowed the army down long enough for me to get here. But, honestly… You both should consider yourselves lucky."
He raised a finger.
"Out of all the SS-class mages, they sent Xavier. He loves ranting about power and bullying the weak for fun instead of doing his job…" Anthony paused, frowning briefly. "He wasn't always like that… not until…" He hesitated again, then shook the thought away "…anyway, if it were any other Head VC, you'd be dead before you could blink."
Dom stiffened; he didn't need Anthony to say it—he knew how close he had been to death.
"But… it's over," Anthony said with a shrug. "The Council won't come for your heads this time. But… as long as you remain knights, they'll try to make your lives hell."
Dae clicked his tongue, while Dom clenched his fists, conflicted but relieved.