The ballroom slowly emptied, the guests whispering tensely among themselves as the Royal Knights checked each one, ensuring the masked thief would not slip away disguised among the nobles. At the Wolfwood table, Andras, Noelle, Christina, and Floralys were speaking when the Captain of the Royal Knights approached.
"I am John Scarlett, Captain of the Royal Knights," he introduced himself gravely. "The King has decided that, following the thief's incident, the ball is to be canceled. I regret that matters have turned out this way."
Andras nodded calmly.
"We understand. During the group stage of the Knightly Tournament, the royal family and the four great noble houses will gather again anyway."
"That's true," Floralys added. "We can discuss the matter then."
Christina leaned forward, her eyes flashing seriously.
"Captain John, we suspect that the masked thief may have been a Royal Mage."
"Would you explain why you think so?" John asked, his brows furrowing.
Christina laid out their theory in detail, and John slowly nodded.
"I see. It's not impossible. Unfortunately, we cannot investigate further right now—the High Mage is… not in the freshest condition."
Andras smirked, a touch of mockery in his tone.
"Our Wolf Mage is with him. 'Fresh condition' is the last thing that describes those two drunken old men."
"The poor elders let themselves go a bit," Christina sighed. "Who would have thought such an incident would occur at the Hero's Ball?"
John answered grimly:
"Never in my dreams did I expect a thief to dare infiltrate the ball, when the Kingdom's strongest knights were all gathered in one place."
"Could it have been a Demon behind the mask?" Andras suggested.
Floralys's eyes darkened.
"Only a Demon would be bold—or mad—enough to humiliate the Princess before the Hero's very eyes."
Christina then turned to the Young Wolf with a mischievous smile.
"I still had two dances left with you. One of these days I'll drop by your lodgings, and we'll finish them!"
"How about a looser, knightly dance at one of the taverns instead?" Andras offered.
"Now that's an even better idea! I'm in!" Christina replied enthusiastically.
"May I join you as well?" Floralys asked playfully.
"No!" Christina shot back.
"Of course, you may," Andras answered with a smile.
"Hahaha!" Floralys laughed, enjoying the moment.
John then spoke with upright bearing:
"Well, the ball is officially over, I'm afraid. You may return to your lodgings. We will still have work all night."
"I'm sorry it turned out this way," Andras said. "We'll meet again at the Knightly Tournament."
"Yes," John nodded. "Until then, enjoy your time in the capital."
"Thank you, we will!" Christina replied cheerfully.
Captain John returned to his duties, while the guests filed out of the castle one by one. For the nobles, the situation was unpleasant: each was checked individually by the guards, lest the masked thief slip away hidden among them. The end of the ball brought not splendor, but shame and suspicion upon the Kingdom.
The Young Wolf and Noelle slowly approached the royal family's table, where Albert and Master Florian were still merrymaking, clearly far too cheered by an excess of brandy.
"Did you see the thief?" Albert asked, waving his cup. "He stole the Princess's panties! Hic!"
"I don't know," Florian replied, a bit woozy. "I saw three thieves. Hic!"
Albert nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, there were three chandeliers, and three thieves, but here we only have one chandelier, so I think there was only one thief. Hic!"
"So we were the ones seeing three of everything?" Florian laughed. "I wondered why so many people were dancing in one place, hahaha!"
Albert took another swig, then declared loudly:
"That thief must really love the Princess, if he wanted her panties so badly. Hic!"
"What does he plan to use them for? Hic!" Florian asked, his eyes gleaming playfully.
Albert shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe he'll put them on another girl to pretend she's the Princess…"
"So that's how you'd use those panties?" Florian cackled. "Hahaha!"
"What need have maids for panties at all?" Albert roared with laughter. "Hahaha!"
At that moment, Andras interjected seriously:
"Master Florian, the celebration is over. The King has canceled the ball—we must return to our lodgings."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Florian protested. "They won't even let us enjoy ourselves until morning with my old friend?"
Albert waved dismissively.
"Forget it, Florian! We'll meet again during the knights' tournament."
"You're right," Florian agreed, struggling to his feet. "Then I'm off—farewell!"
The Young Wolf and Noelle helped the master from his chair and escorted him out of the ballroom. Down the corridor, the laughter and hiccups of the two old mages still echoed, as though neither scandal nor shame could truly spoil their good cheer.
Master Florian staggered forward, leaning on his two disciples, when he suddenly spoke:
"Noelle, healing!"
The half‑elf girl reacted at once, raising her palm as gentle waves of water magic enveloped the master.
"I'm on it! Water magic—detoxification, light healing!"
Bathed in the glow of the spell, Florian's face smoothed, his eyes cleared, and he sighed with satisfaction.
"Much better, as if I hadn't drunk a drop. You're an angel, my girl! You've spared me the hangover, the sickness, and the misery."
Andras smiled.
"That's why you were bold enough to drink so much strong stuff."
Florian laughed.
"Noelle could even purge a Naga's venom from your body."
"Compared to a poison like that, alcohol is nothing," Noelle replied lightly.
Florian roared with laughter.
"Albert will be in terrible shape tomorrow. He'll vomit all over the royal castle. Hahaha!"
Andras asked more seriously:
"Don't the royal mages have good healers?"
"Like Noelle? Impossible," Florian shook his head. "Our little fairy is a true treasure."
Noelle smiled.
"Oh, Master Florian. You only flatter me so that I'll always heal you whenever you relax with a bottle."
"Hahaha! You caught me!" Florian cackled, and his two dear disciples laughed along with him.
By the end of the night, every guest had left the Royal Castle. The Wolfwood company too returned to their lodgings, where at last they found peace. The royal knights searched all night for the masked thief's trail, but nowhere did they find him. The Princess and the Hero tossed sleeplessly, haunted by the loss of the diary and the stolen undergarments.
But the Young Wolf's companions—slept like stones. At their lodging, quiet reigned, and the group sank into deep slumber, as though all the world's troubles had been shut outside the walls.