Morning came, and the sun rose to shine upon a new day.
Souta's carriage was parked beneath a tree at the side of the road leading to the city of Galleon. The horse pulling it lay asleep on the ground, tied to the tree with a rope, while Souta himself slept on the driver's seat, drooling with a loud snore echoing through the quiet morning.
Inside the carriage, Takeshi lay atop a pile of hay. Suddenly, his eyes shot open as the sunlight struck his face. He placed his left palm over his eyes and muttered with a frown:
"Another nightmare…"
He stepped out of the carriage and approached Souta, tapping his head, trying to wake him. When that failed, he splashed some water on his face — still, no reaction.
"I told you before — if you ever feel sleepy, switch with me!"
Takeshi scolded the still-sleeping Souta, yet, as expected, there was no response.
With a sigh, Takeshi lifted him up and tossed him inside the carriage onto the hay. Then he turned to the horse, untying it to make it wake up.
He sat on the driver's seat, grabbed the reins, and looked ahead toward the horizon, concentrating hard on recalling even the smallest detail of how to make the horse move.
"If I pull the reins this way—"
Due to the strength of Takeshi's pull, the horse rose on its hind legs. If it weren't tied to the heavy carriage, it would've dashed off at full speed, but the carriage's weight restrained it, forcing it to move at a decent pace instead.
Many kilometers ahead, the bandits who had attacked Eldra Village were also on the move. Sleepiness and exhaustion were evident on their faces — all except for their massive leader, Korch. He rode his gigantic black horse with heavy steps that shook the ground beneath them, his sharp eyes fixed straight ahead.
One of his men, named Seishi, rode up beside him. He was muscular and large, though not as massive as Korch. His features were plain, unremarkable, with short black hair. He asked his leader:
"I understand there's a good reason for our withdrawal… but what is it?"
Korch turned his head slightly toward Seishi and replied in a deep, harsh tone:
"A young man with spiky gray hair, sharp and serious eyes. His aura is faint — barely detectable — but he compensates for that with raw physical strength. Those were the descriptions Shido gave me. And Rasten warned me not to fight him."
Shido and Rasten — two unknown names spoken by a man who clearly held many secrets.
Seishi replied in disbelief:
"He's that strong? I mean, a weaponless kid with no talent — strong enough to make that man warn you about him?"
Korch turned his gaze away, silent for a moment before responding:
"There are two possible reasons — either one of them is true, or both. The first is that the boy really is powerful, which is what I expect. That's why Rasten feared we'd die, even though he has nothing to do with our gang. The second… is that Rasten doesn't want the boy to die — for some reason."
***
In the sunny city of Galleon — down a quiet street far from the noisy crowds — stood a small beverage shop. From the outside, the place looked old and almost falling apart. Inside, darkness filled the air, barely lit by dim candles and faint rays of sunlight sneaking through the cracks.
"Damn it!"
A glass bottle shattered on the floor, followed by curses.
"Damn those bandits! That jewel could've sold for more than twenty thousand gold pieces!"
The one shouting was a dark-skinned, bald, and chubby man. His voice was rough and arrogant, his body reeking of alcohol.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Hans. That jewel was stolen to begin with, and you stole it again — only to be robbed yourself. Rumor has it that Detective Farlok's been assigned to find a stolen gem."
The shopkeeper spoke softly and calmly.
Hans emptied his twenty-seventh bottle, slammed it down on the table, and grumbled:
"The fee to hire that detective costs more than the damn jewel! What was its owner thinking? And I've never even heard of this rumor."
"That's because a stronger rumor's been spreading around town," the shopkeeper replied. "It's said there's a mysterious aura — one equal in strength to that of the king himself."
The sun continued its path across the sky until evening came. A dark cloud blocked its light over the city's abandoned district. In front of a tall building stood many men and women — some wearing white robes marked with a skull insignia. They stood out clearly among the rest, who wore random, mismatched clothing. All of them were members of the King's Skull Gang.
Among the lower ranks stood Koji — the young man who had stolen the scorpion. Without a doubt, his presence confirmed his membership in the gang.
"Yui Koji."
A voice came from behind. Koji turned quickly, recognizing it instantly. Standing before him was a slightly older young man dressed in the gang's white robe. His face was pale, dark circles marked his eyes, and an ominous energy radiated from him — one that evoked disgust and dread. Yet, he wore a faint smile.
"S-Shido! Did you really finish your mission?" Koji said with excitement.
Suddenly, the massive door of the building creaked open loudly. From within emerged Graid, wearing the gang's distinctive white robe. He raised his hand and addressed everyone with a firm voice:
"Enter — the time has come."
They all followed him inside, descending into the dark basement until they reached a vast hall. There, they formed two groups:
The first — those wearing the unified white robes, the elite of the gang.
The second — the rest, including Koji.
All of them faced the high throne at the end of the hall, upon which the gang's leader sat, gazing down upon his followers with sharp, piercing eyes that filled their hearts with terror.
At that same moment, as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, a carriage arrived at the city's gate — stray pieces of hay falling from it as it came to a halt.
"It's finally time."
Takeshi stood facing the traditional cityscape after two days of travel, his brows furrowed, fists clenched, and eyes locked forward with fierce determination.
He had taken his first great step toward achieving his goal.