Lazuro walked slowly back toward the adventurers' locker room. The tension of the duel still vibrated within him, though he had already accepted his defeat. As he reached the door, a woman he did not know stood before it. Her eyes gleamed darkly, her posture firm, as though she had faced danger many times before. She was Bella, the innkeeper of the Ironclaw tavern, from the southern slums.
"Well now," Lazuro spoke with a half‑smile. "Have I gained a female admirer? Then it was worth joining the Knights' Tournament."
Bella's eyes flashed, her voice dripping with mockery.
"The adventurers' golden saying: when you face a strong beast, tuck in your ears and tail, and run wherever you can. That way, you might live to see tomorrow."
Lazuro shrugged, his eyes cold.
"If you came here just to mock me, you can spit in my face for all I care. It doesn't matter to me."
Bella stepped closer, her tone turning serious.
"I have a job for you."
"Then submit your request to the Adventurers' Guild," Lazuro replied, a touch impatient.
"I came from the southern slums," Bella said, a grim light flashing in her eyes.
Lazuro's gaze narrowed, his voice turning threatening.
"If you work for that bastard bandit leader, get out of my sight while I'm still in a good mood!"
A bitter smile curved Bella's lips.
"That bastard bandit leader has been pushing up daisies for two weeks now. And rest assured, his death was slow and painful."
Lazuro stared at her in shock.
"The Hero went to the southern slums?!"
Bella laughed mockingly.
"If by Hero you mean that red‑haired girl who can't pull her tongue out of the Princess's backside, then no. She avoided the slums entirely—just like all the other so‑called glorious Royal Knights. We were freed by true heroes."
Lazuro's eyes flashed like lightning.
"And who are they?"
Bella leaned closer, her voice almost a whisper, yet every word rang heavy.
"No wonder you don't know. Even the Royal Knights failed to notice the immense changes in the slums. It happened more than two weeks ago. Did you see the Wolf Knights' cheering squad?"
Lazuro slowly wiped his eyes as Bella's words struck him like a storm. In the silence of the corridor outside the locker room, every sentence felt heavier than any sword strike.
"Those Wolfwood children?" he asked in disbelief.
Bella's eyes gleamed, her voice proud.
"Those are our children from the southern slums. You didn't recognize them, did you? Every one of them has proper shoes, clean clothes. Every one of them has a full belly, and every one smiled with genuine joy. Our heroes are the Young Wolf and Ironclaw!"
Lazuro froze.
"The Young Wolf… and Ironclaw, the Hound? The name that makes every bandit tremble?"
Bella stepped closer, her words blazing.
"The moment the Wolf Knights arrived in the capital, on the very first day—while the Royal Knights were busy celebrating festivals—the Wolf Knights immediately began a bandit hunt. Not a single bandit escaped Ironclaw's nose. She tore them all apart! In less than half a day, they completely cleansed the southern outskirts of every criminal."
Bella's voice rose, as though truth itself spoke through her.
"Since the Wolf Knights began protecting the southern slums, not a single child has cried. Every one of them receives warm meals, every one has new clothes. The needy are given bread and apples to regain strength and earn honest work. No more bandits, no more protection money—everyone is free! For all the residents of the southern slums, the Young Wolf and Ironclaw are the true heroes! The children adore Ironclaw—as fierce as she is against bandits, she is just as playful with them. It's as if the Goddess herself sent her to us!"
Bella noticed Lazuro's tears.
"And what's this? Why did you start crying?"
Lazuro's voice broke, but light flared in his eyes.
"I was just thinking… maybe heroes really do exist. So the southern slums have finally been saved."
Bella leaned closer, her words heavy with weight.
"As for you. The Young Wolf saw your battles in the preliminaries and the group stage. When the Knightly Tournament ends, the Wolf Knights must prepare to face the Demon Army, so they will leave the capital. But the Young Wolf will not take his hand off the slums. He doesn't trust the Royal Knights, so he wants to hire adventurers to protect the southern slums. He chose you as captain of that protector squad—if you accept the job."
Bella's eyes sparkled as she added:
"As for payment, you'll get as much as you earned wiping the merchants' backsides. But part of your work will be putting certain Royal Knights in their place if they try to harm the people of the slums. So—what do you say? Are you in?"
Lazuro's eyes burned with wild light.
"This is the best job I've ever had. I accept!"
Bella laughed with satisfaction.
"I knew it! I heard you're from the northern slums. My name is Bella. I run a tavern in the southern outskirts. And I've been getting better and better beer. Hahaha!"
Behind the splendid towers of the capital, Whitefort, and the celebrating crowds, a new power slowly, almost imperceptibly, began to take root. Without the King's knowledge, behind the backs of the Royal Knights, a secret alliance was born—an alliance forged not in the light, but in the shadows.
At the head of this shadow‑world stood the Young Wolf. He became the shadow‑lord of both the northern and southern slums, the hidden ruler of the two outskirts. He wore no crown, but carried the trust given to him by the poor and the oppressed. He did not walk in palaces, but in alleys, where every child's smile and every adult's sigh strengthened his power.
From the shadows, his influence in Whitefort grew ever greater. In the slums, bandits no longer ruled—the order of the Wolfwoods did. Children could play safely, people could work again, and even the poor had bread upon their tables.
The adventurers, who had long despised the Royal Knights, quickly found their place in this new order. It was not difficult to convince them: after the knights' cold indifference and arrogance, the Wolfwoods' just and purposeful leadership was far more appealing. Thus, the adventurers secretly entered the service of the Wolfwoods, and the alliance of shadows grew stronger.
In Whitefort, everyone spoke of the Knightly Tournament, of dazzling duels and the glory of heroes. But in the background, deep in the alleys, a new power was born. A power that did not draw its strength from the King, but from the trust of the people and the freedom of the slums.
In the shadows, the Royal Knights no longer decided. In the shadows, the Young Wolf was lord.
Behind the walls of the Arena, silence reigned in the locker room of the Green Hawk Knights. The air carried the scent of metal and oil, swords and shields resting on the benches. David, Captain of the Green Hawks, sat in somber thought, his mind circling around the coming duel.
Then Floralys Greenwood entered, her steps light yet firm. A playful gleam shone in her eyes, though her voice was serious.
"I have bad news, David."
"Then perhaps don't tell me," David replied with a weary smile.
"I made a wager with the Young Wolf, so you have to win this duel," Floralys said, folding her arms.
David laughed, though bitterness tinged his voice.
"Wonderful. I had planned to put on a little show and then surrender. I don't like fighting women. I don't want to hurt that female Wolf Knight, nor Christina, nor the Hero. Only women remain now."
"Unbelievable!" Floralys shook her head. "You can be so knightly at times like this."
"And what did you wager?" David asked, suspicion in his tone. "Is it such a big loss for you?"
"If you win, the Young Wolf must do whatever I say for a day," Floralys answered, her eyes gleaming triumphantly.
"And if you lose?" David's voice grew more serious.
"Then I'll be his maid for a day, and I'll do whatever he wants," Floralys admitted, blushing slightly.
David laughed again, shaking his head.
"I see. Then good luck with your maid duties."
"Oh, come on!" Floralys protested. "If you give it your all, you can defeat that Wolf Knight!"
David smiled then, old memories glinting in his eyes.
"You haven't changed a bit since I first met you. And that was thirteen years ago."
Floralys's eyes widened.
"Thirteen years already? To me, it feels like only a few days."