The next morning, Xiver woke up and tried to forget what had happened the day before.
He washed his face with cold water, brushed his teeth, and put on his clothes. Normally, this was the time he would read with Emelia before training with Axe.
Expecting the same routine, he walked toward the garden.
He sat beneath the large tree, leaning his back against the trunk while his feet rested on the soft grass. Closing his eyes, he began thinking about his next moves.
From now on, I need to be careful…
Suddenly, the garden doors opened.
Xiver opened his eyes.
It was his mother.
Elizabeth looked surprised to see him sitting there.
"W-what are you doing?" she asked.
"Waiting for Axe and Emelia," Xiver replied.
Elizabeth blinked.
"Didn't I tell you? They're gone for four weeks."
Xiver's eyes widened.
"Four… weeks?"
Elizabeth shrugged casually.
"I'm going out today too. If you want to hang around outside, go ahead. Just don't go too far. Or stay inside if you prefer."
Xiver stood there silently.
He remembered yesterday—the knife, the man in the coat, the girl running.
A bad feeling crawled up his spine.
Without saying anything else, he grabbed his sword.
Then he remembered.
People under fourteen needed a license to carry one.
Clicking his tongue, he left the sword behind and instead strapped on Emelia's gift—the device on his forearm called Thrag, which was supposed to help control his mana.
It hadn't worked at all so far.
Still, he wore it.
Then he headed toward the city.
As he ran toward the bridge, something suddenly stopped him.
A man stood there.
A man in a coat.
The same one from yesterday.
The man recognized him instantly.
Xiver froze.
The moment Xiver noticed him, he turned around—
But when he looked back again…
The man had disappeared.
Xiver frowned.
He hadn't even gotten a clear look at his face.
His thoughts raced.
He came from the city toward the bridge…
Was he looking for me?
Or for that blonde girl?
Xiver grabbed his head.
"My head hurts…"
If he found the girl, he might come for me next.
Did he figure out I live in the village?
His heart skipped.
Elizabeth… Emelia… Axe…
Then he stopped himself.
Wait.
They're all strong.
I'm not here to save them.
I'm here to save myself.
He took a deep breath.
Emelia and Axe can take care of themselves.
They're strong magic users.
Right now I need information.
And that means finding that girl.
With that thought, he crossed the bridge and entered the city.
He searched everywhere.
Every shop.
Every street.
Every alley.
Every crowd.
But the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, he decided to check another area.
The West Village.
He ran toward it, weaving through the busy streets.
Along the way, he passed two men walking together.
One was tall with spiky hair.
The other was shorter with a buzz cut.
The same two men Emelia and Axe had bumped into before.
Xiver walked past them without noticing anything unusual.
But the two men watched him carefully.
Their eyes dropped to the device on his forearm.
Thrag.
That was enough for them to recognize him.
They exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Xiver continued toward the West Village.
The area looked completely different from the rest of the city.
Pink trees lined the streets.
The roads were bright white stone.
It felt strange.
Almost unnatural.
But Xiver ignored it and kept searching.
Eventually he heard loud shouting coming from inside a bar.
Curious, he asked two nearby kids.
One of them was fat.
The other was skinny.
"That place?" the fat kid said. "That's Luna's territory."
"Yes, yes," the skinny kid nodded nervously.
Xiver frowned.
"Who's Luna?"
The fat kid answered quickly.
"She's the daughter of a mafia boss."
Xiver blinked.
The kids said it so casually.
Like it was normal.
He suddenly realized something.
Maybe his village had felt dangerous.
But other neighborhoods were just as bad—or worse.
The skinny kid continued nervously.
"I wouldn't recommend going in there. Her father is a very scary—"
BANG.
Before he could finish, Xiver kicked the door open.
The loud crash echoed inside the bar.
The two kids immediately ran away in fear.
Inside the bar, everyone went silent.
Xiver locked eyes with a massive man standing behind the counter.
He was tall, muscular, with a mohawk haircut and dark sunglasses.
The man grinned.
"Welcome, kid."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"Welcome to Heaven."
Just then, a blonde girl stepped out from a back room while reading a piece of paper.
She lifted her head.
Her eyes met Xiver's.
After a moment, recognition appeared on her face.
It was the same boy she had bumped into yesterday.
A few minutes later, they all moved into the back room.
It was a poker room.
A large poker table stood in the center, cards scattered across it.
This room clearly existed for illegal gambling.
The three of them took seats.
The mohawk man grabbed a bottle and poured himself a beer.
His name was Sonic.
The blonde girl sitting across from Xiver was Luna.
Sonic leaned back in his chair, staring at the kid in front of him.
And the conversation was about to begin.
Sonic leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other while lazily holding his beer.
"So," he said, tilting his head slightly toward Xiver, "what do you want, kid?"
He lowered his sunglasses with two fingers, revealing sharp eyes behind them.
"I heard you saved my daughter yesterday."
He pushed the glasses back up.
"I'm guessing you came here for your little reward."
He leaned forward.
"You knew I was her father when you did that… didn't you?"
Xiver said nothing.
Sonic continued talking.
"Those two kids outside saw you kicking the door open. If word spreads that I killed a kid who saved my daughter just because he asked for payment…"
He lifted his beer and took a sip.
"…my coworkers would kill me."
Luna sat beside them with her eyes closed.
"They will kill you," she corrected calmly.
Sonic pointed at her dramatically.
"CORRECT!"
He slammed his hand on the table.
"See? My daughter agrees!"
Luna finally opened her eyes and looked at Xiver.
"So," she asked quietly, "what's your reward, Xiver?"
Xiver spoke immediately.
"The man in the coat is heading toward my house."
Sonic grinned.
"Good."
Xiver's face tightened.
"How is that good—"
Then he stopped.
He understood.
If the man thought Xiver had gone home… he might walk straight into a trap.
But Xiver shook his head.
"Your plan will fail."
Sonic raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"The man in the coat probably saw me heading toward the West Village."
Sonic blinked.
"Man in the coat?"
He suddenly jumped out of his chair.
"I—I—I—I LIKE THE NAME!"
He turned to Luna.
"What do you say, Luna? We like the name!"
Luna nodded calmly.
"Yes. We do."
Sonic slammed his fist on the table.
"ALRIGHT! MAN IN THE COAT!"
Xiver stared at him blankly.
This guy is insane…
Sonic looked back at him and grinned.
"You're interesting, kid."
Xiver frowned.
"What?"
Sonic tapped the poker table.
"We've been sitting at a gambling table this whole time."
"And your face hasn't changed even once."
Xiver didn't understand where this was going.
Sonic clapped his hands.
"Alright! Let's gamble!"
Xiver blinked.
"…What?"
"You're too young to understand poker," Sonic said casually. "So let's do something simple."
He flipped a coin into the air.
"A coin toss."
"The most basic form of gambling."
Xiver crossed his arms.
"Let me guess."
"You're a gambling addict."
Sonic immediately raised his hand.
"Please don't use that word in this holy room."
He leaned forward again.
"So. Are you in?"
Xiver stared at him.
"What's the point?"
"You already said you'd repay me. And you said your coworkers would get angry if you didn't."
Sonic smiled.
A slow, dangerous smile.
"I'm the boss."
"I can do whatever the hell I want."
Xiver gulped.
This guy… might actually refuse to pay me.
Luna noticed the hesitation and decided to speak.
"Just for your knowledge," she said calmly, "taking the bet would actually be the safer option."
Xiver shook his head.
"I refuse."
Both Sonic and Luna froze.
"…What?" Sonic asked.
Xiver spoke clearly.
"If you won't help me defend myself from the coat man…"
He pointed at Luna.
"…then I want Luna's hand."
Silence filled the room.
Inside his mind, Xiver was already calculating.
I can't use Signal.
It requires mana control… which I still don't have.
But Luna does.
If I use her mana… I can contact Emelia.
That might be my only chance.
Xiver looked back up.
Sonic's sunglasses had fallen off the table.
His mouth hung open.
Luna stared at Xiver in complete confusion.
Sonic suddenly exploded.
"N–NOT BAD, KID!"
"I SEE YOU'VE FALLEN FOR MY DAUGHTER'S BEAUTY!"
Luna's face instantly turned red.
Xiver blinked.
"…What?"
Then it hit him.
His eyes widened.
"N–NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"
He quickly explained everything.
After some arguing and confusion, Luna finally helped him send a Signal call.
Emelia appeared on the magical screen.
She looked furious.
She scolded Xiver immediately for getting involved with something dangerous.
But after hearing the whole story, she calmed down.
"You're lucky," she said.
"Axe has an old friend in that city."
She looked directly at Sonic.
"That friend can repay the favor by protecting you."
Xiver slowly turned toward Sonic.
"…Wait."
"You two know each other?"
Sonic laughed loudly.
"OF COURSE WE DO!"
He slammed his hand on Xiver's shoulder.
"ALRIGHT BUDDY!"
"I, SONIC, WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE COOL-NAMED MR. COAT MAN!"
Luna buried her face in her hands, clearly embarrassed by her father.
Xiver still felt uneasy.
But at least he wasn't alone anymore.
Outside the Bar
A little later, Xiver and Luna waited outside while Sonic prepared something inside.
Luna suddenly giggled.
Xiver glanced at her.
"What's funny?"
She wiped a tear from laughing.
"For a second…"
"I thought you were actually asking for my hand."
Her smile widened.
"I thought you wanted to marry me."
Xiver's face turned bright red.
"H–HEY!"
He pointed at her.
"You know what I meant!"
Luna laughed even harder.
Eventually, Sonic came outside.
Behind him stood a massive white horse.
Xiver frowned.
"How is one horse supposed to carry all of us?"
Suddenly, the horse's body shifted.
Its eyes split from two into four.
Its mouth divided into two.
Then its body split in half.
Two identical horses now stood there.
Xiver stared in shock.
"…What the hell."
Sonic proudly crossed his arms.
"Pretty cool, right?"
He jumped onto one of the horses.
Xiver awkwardly climbed behind him.
"I… can't really ride horses."
Sonic laughed loudly.
"Really?"
"And you asked for my daughter's hand?"
"Shut up, old man!" Xiver snapped.
Sonic burst into laughter again.
"Old man?!"
"That's a new one!"
He pointed at Luna.
"Don't worry. Luna's taking the other horse to meet some friends."
"Meanwhile…"
He cracked his knuckles.
"…you and I are going hunting."
He grinned widely.
"For Mr. Coat Man."
Xiver sighed.
He didn't even bother correcting the name anymore.
The horses began running.
Straight toward the village.
Straight toward danger.