Lucy let out a deep breath.
"Hey, Jack, go find Alfie. We're leaving soon. Sasaki is right. Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves won't help us bring Rebekah back."
She stood up and turned toward Sasaki with a faint smirk.
"But before we go, I need a bath. You can wait."
Without giving him a chance to respond, Lucy walked past him and entered the bathroom, leaving Sasaki standing in the room.
Jackson headed outside to look for Alfie. He scanned the nearby streets, wondering where he could have gone.
Knowing Alfie, he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.
And, as usual, he wasn't wrong.
Just two buildings away, Alfie had already found himself in trouble again.
Four older boys had cornered him in a narrow alley, blocking every possible way out. Their expressions were hostile, and none of them looked interested in letting him leave peacefully.
One of them, a young man around eighteen, stepped forward and looked down at Alfie with a mocking smile.
"Hey, kid. I know you stole something from that businessman earlier. Hand it over, and we might let you go without a beating."
Alfie clenched his fists.
"I didn't steal anything, dude. That man made the whole thing up."
He tried to slip past two of them, but they shoved him back into the alley.
"Dude, huh?" their leader scoffed. "You've got quite a mouth for a little brat."
He stepped closer, his smile growing wider.
"I overheard that Shinra kid talking about you earlier. That's when I realized something. You're the weakest one in your group."
He glanced at his companions.
"So why should I be afraid of you? I'll take whatever you've got, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Before Alfie could respond, a cold voice came from the alley entrance.
"Leave him alone.
Jackson walked toward them, his expression darkening as he saw Alfie surrounded.
The four boys immediately turned toward him.
"Tch. Damn it, it's the strong one," one of them muttered.
Their leader, however, didn't seem particularly worried. He gave Jackson a confident grin.
"What's wrong? Afraid to fight us? We've got the Numbers on our side, kid. You might be strong, but we've got the advantage."
He pointed at Alfie and laughed.
"And all you've got with you is this useless little thief."
The other three burst into laughter.
Jackson's expression changed instantly. He clenched his fists, his veins standing out beneath his skin.
"Don't you dare call him that, you bastards!"
Before they could react, Jackson rushed forward.
His fist shot upward, catching the leader beneath the chin and launching him into the air. Jackson jumped after him, caught him before he could fall, and drove him back into the ground with both hands.
The impact cracked the earth beneath them.
"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"
One of the remaining boys drew a knife, and the other two quickly followed. All three rushed toward Jackson at once.
But Jackson remained calm.
As the first blade swept toward him, he twisted aside and struck the attacker in the stomach with his elbow. He followed with a punch to the jaw, sending the boy stumbling backward.
Another tried to stab him from the side, but Jackson dodged and drove a kick into his chest, sending him crashing against the wall.
The last attacker hesitated for a moment before charging forward.
Jackson stepped around his knife, struck him hard, and sent him collapsing beside his companions.
Within seconds, all four boys were lying on the ground.
Jackson took a breath before turning toward Alfie, his expression filled with frustration.
"Hey, you moron! What the hell were you doing? Just standing there while they surrounded you?"
He walked toward him.
"Those idiots could've stabbed you to death if I hadn't shown up!"
Alfie didn't answer.
His expression remained blank as he turned around and began walking away.
Jackson stared at him in disbelief.
"Hey! Don't you dare walk away while I'm talking to you!"
He caught Alfie by the shoulder and turned him around.
"What do you want from me..... Jack?" Alfie snapped, his eyes beginning to water. "Do you want me to beat up ordinary people and pretend nothing happened?"
His voice trembled as he continued.
"That's not who I am. I made a promise to myself that I'd dedicate my life to eliminating Darkside Spirits from this world. Not humans."
Jackson's expression softened slightly, but he didn't let go of Alfie's shoulder.
"I'm not asking you to abandon your ideals. But you can't blame yourself for what's happened that anger make you reckless."
He paused, looking directly into Alfie's eyes.
"We're all hurting right now. We're worried about Rebekah, and none of us knows what the enemy is planning. But if we let our emotions control us, we'll only make things worse."
Jackson tightened his grip slightly.
"We need to turn that anger and sadness into strength. That's how we'll get Rebekah back. Not by sulking, not by blaming each other, but by working together."
"Working together?"
Alfie let out a bitter laugh as tears finally rolled down his cheeks.
"Don't talk to me about working together. Not when that Sasaki guy is involved. He's the reason all of this happened in the first place."
His voice grew louder.
"I'd rather grow alone and die alone than keep working alongside him!"
Jackson's expression hardened.
He grabbed Alfie by the collar and pulled him closer.
"You fool! Do you even understand what you're saying?"
Alfie stared at him, stunned by the sudden outburst.
"The same Sasaki you hate so much is the reason you're still standing here!" Jackson shouted. "He's the reason you weren't taken by those people. He's the reason you're alive right now, because we don't know what those people want from you anyways..throwing a tantrum and blaming him for everything!"
His voice echoed through the alley.
"He put his life on the line for you, a kid he barely knows!"
Several people passing nearby stopped to look at them, but Jackson didn't care.
"Master didn't tell me everything that happened, but she made one thing clear. If it weren't for Sasaki, I would've lost two people instead of one."
His grip slowly loosened, though his eyes remained fixed on Alfie.
"So don't make decisions based only on your feelings. Sasaki might have been our enemy once, but that doesn't mean everything he does is wrong. He's helped us more than you realize, and you need to stop letting your hatred blind you to that."
Alfie said nothing.
He stood motionless, his fists trembling at his sides as Jackson's words sank in.
He had no answer.
"That's enough, you two."
Lucy's calm voice interrupted the argument.
She approached them on horseback, the morning sunlight shining against her yellow hair.
"Come on. We're leaving."
Jackson released Alfie's collar and stepped back.
A moment later, Sasaki appeared behind Lucy, now dressed in fresh black-and-white clothes. He glanced at the horse before looking at her.
"Lucy, are you seriously planning to fit all four of us on that thing?"
Lucy gave him a faint smirk.
"Relax. I wasn't serious. I just wanted to take her out for a little walk."
She gently patted the horse before returning it to her storage ring.
Then she turned toward Alfie.
"Are you..... ready to go?"
Alfie lowered his eyes.
"…Not really. But I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Lucy studied him for a moment but didn't press him further.
The group left the alley and made their way toward the kingdom's gate.
For most of the journey, nobody spoke. Alfie walked quietly beside Jackson, still troubled by everything that had happened. Sasaki kept to himself, while Lucy led the way.
Eventually, they reached the massive gate.
As the doors opened, a familiar figure appeared on the other side.
It was the man from the previous night, the one who had stopped the guards from fighting them. He wore the same red-sleeved tunic and black trousers, his dark cape resting over his shoulders.
His sharp gaze moved across the group before settling on Alfie.
"I see the boy is looking better," he remarked with a faint smile.
He then turned toward Lucy.
"I just wanted to let you know that you're welcome in our kingdom anytime. Our Special Darkside Knight acknowledges you."
Lucy regarded him cautiously.
"We appreciate the offer, but we won't be coming back."
The man chuckled.
"We'll see about that."
He paused before continuing.
"One more thing. The quickest route to Ashura is just beyond the second gate. If you want, I can guide you there."
Without waiting for an answer, he reached for the sheathed sword he had brought with him and tossed it toward Alfie.
Lucy caught it effortlessly before it could hit the ground.
She glanced at the weapon, then placed it inside her storage ring.
The man watched her with an amused smile.
"I'll look forward to meeting you again."
You're always welcome here."