The Blue Scarf crew sat around a long dining table inside the royal mansion.
The room was quiet except for the occasional growl of an empty stomach.
Saito rested his chin on the table.
"...The food is taking too long."
He sighed dramatically.
"I'm starving."
Martha smiled from across the table.
"The food is almost ready, Saito."
As if on cue—
the dining room doors opened.
Several royal chefs entered in a line.
Each carried a silver tray.
One by one, they placed the dishes before the guests.
A perfectly cooked medium-rare steak.
A large tuna salad.
Fresh bread.
And chilled drinks.
The aroma quickly filled the room.
Rin's eyes widened.
"...Wow."
Alya smiled excitedly.
"Royal food."
Martha looked around the table with a warm smile.
"Please..."
"Enjoy."
Saito picked up his knife and fork.
He cut a piece of steak and took a bite.
His eyes widened.
"...Wow."
"It's delicious."
Beside him, Kaito quietly tasted his own meal.
He gave a small nod.
"...It's good."
Martha smiled.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Rin eagerly took another bite.
"I need this recipe."
Bomb nodded in agreement.
"We should bring it back to Lorum."
"We can ask Pyvi to cook it for us."
Saito grinned.
"Good idea."
"I'd love to eat this again."
The Blue Scarf crew continued enjoying their meal.
Then—
One of the royal guards hurried into the dining room.
He walked to Martha and leaned down.
He whispered something into her ear.
Martha blinked.
"...Right now?"
The guard nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Saito looked up from his plate.
"What's wrong?"
Martha smiled awkwardly.
"My parents..."
"They're on their way here."
The room fell quiet.
Bomb slowly swallowed his drink.
"...The king and queen?"
Martha nodded.
"They'd like to meet the guests staying in the royal mansion."
Rin looked at Saito.
"Well..."
"This meal just got a lot more interesting."
The Blue Scarf crew followed Martha into the royal living room.
The room was spacious, with white marble floors, elegant sofas, and a large fireplace.
Martha turned to face them.
"My father..."
"...is King Marquis the Third."
"And my mother..."
"...is Queen Aria Lenzly."
Fanny's eyes widened.
"...Oh my God."
"We're actually going to meet the King."
Martha smiled reassuringly.
"Just relax, okay?"
"Don't be so tense."
She chuckled.
"My father is very welcoming."
She paused for a moment.
"...Though..."
"I'm not sure how he'll react to gangsters."
Saito nodded calmly.
"No worries."
"We mean no harm."
Kaito folded his arms.
"And before you even say that..."
"...his guards will probably already be surrounding us."
Bomb nodded.
"Pointing spears at us."
Rin sighed dramatically.
"And then they'll throw us in jail."
"If you ask me..."
"I'd rather not spend the night in a prison cell."
Saito let out a long sigh.
"...Guys."
"Stop saying nonsense."
He smiled.
"Let's just follow the flow."
The crew nodded, though the thought of meeting the rulers of Roma City still lingered in the back of everyone's mind as they waited for the King and Queen to arrive.
The atmosphere in the living room suddenly changed.
Bang!
The doors flew open.
Several royal guards rushed inside.
"Your Highness!"
Martha immediately stood up.
"What happened?"
One of the guards caught his breath before answering.
"The King's carriage..."
"...has been attacked."
Martha's eyes widened.
"...What?"
She took a step toward the door.
"We need to go there!"
Before she could leave—
Saito stepped forward.
"Don't worry about that."
He looked back at his crew.
A confident smirk appeared on his face.
"We'll take care of it."
Kaito nodded.
"I'm coming."
Bomb stood up.
"Let's move."
Rin spun his scythe once before resting it on his shoulder.
"Finally."
Alya tightened her gloves.
"We're ready."
Fanny thinking for a moment before nodding as well.
Martha let out a slow breath.
"...Please."
"Be careful."
Saito smiled.
"We will."
Without another word, the Blue Scarf crew rushed out of the royal mansion, following the guards toward the road where the King's carriage had been attacked.
On the outskirts of Roma Village...
The royal carriage stood in the middle of the road.
Several royal guards formed a defensive circle around it.
Steel clashed against steel.
Clang!
One guard blocked a bandit's strike.
Another pushed an attacker back with his shield.
Inside the carriage—
King Marquis stood up.
Queen Aria immediately reached for his arm.
"Darling..."
"Where are you going?"
Marquis looked through the carriage window.
"Our guards are risking their lives."
Aria's expression filled with worry.
"But..."
Marquis smiled reassuringly.
"Just stay here, alright?"
After a brief hesitation, Aria nodded.
"...Be careful."
Marquis stepped out of the carriage.
The nearest guards immediately turned toward him.
"Your Highness!"
"Please get back inside!"
Marquis shook his head.
"No."
"I'll defend you all."
He reached for the sword hanging at his side.
With both hands, he grabbed the hilt.
"...Here we go."
He pulled.
The sword came free—
but its tip immediately dropped to the ground.
Thunk.
Marquis blinked.
"...Stupid sword."
He gripped it tighter.
"Come on..."
He tried lifting it again.
His arms trembled.
"...It's too heavy."
One of the guards shouted in alarm.
"Your Majesty!"
Behind the King—
a masked bandit rushed forward with a raised blade.
The distance closed in an instant.
The masked bandit swung his sword toward King Marquis.
Slash!
Clang!
A black scythe intercepted the blade.
Sparks flew between the weapons.
The bandit froze.
Rin stood between him and the King, grinning.
"Nice sword you have."
With one push, Rin forced the bandit backward.
At the same moment—
Bomb landed in front of the royal guards.
Thud.
Kaito appeared beside him like a shadow.
The guards stared in surprise.
"...Who are they?"
Bomb cracked his knuckles.
"We'll handle this."
King Marquis looked at the newcomers in confusion.
Before anyone could ask another question—
Saito finally caught up.
He slowed to a stop, breathing heavily.
"...You guys..."
"...run too fast."
Alya and Fanny arrived a moment later.
Both caught their breath as they reached the group.
The royal guards looked between the Blue Scarf crew and the surrounding bandits, uncertain who these unexpected reinforcements were, while the attackers slowly tightened their circle around the royal carriage.
One of the bandits glared at Saito.
"...Go play somewhere else, kid."
Saito smiled faintly.
"...Oh."
"You chose the wrong words."
He took one step forward.
A powerful aura burst from his body.
Whoom!
The air around him grew heavy.
Leaves scattered across the road.
Beside him—
Kaito calmly released his own aura.
Bomb followed.
Then Rin.
Four overwhelming presences crashed over the battlefield at once.
The bandits froze.
"...W-What..."
Their breathing became ragged.
One of them dropped his sword.
Another stumbled backward.
"...I..."
"...I can't breathe..."
Fear spread through their ranks.
The leader looked at the four figures standing before the royal carriage.
"...Let's go!"
Without another thought—
the bandits turned and fled into the darkness.
Within moments, the road fell silent.
Saito dusted off his hands.
"...Problem solved."
Behind him, the royal guards stared speechless.
King Marquis slowly looked from the retreating bandits to the four strangers who had driven them away without even swinging a weapon.
The last of the bandits disappeared into the darkness.
Silence returned to the road.
King Marquis stepped forward.
He looked at Saito and his crew.
"...Who are you?"
Saito smiled politely.
"Just..."
"...a normal gangster, Your Majesty."
Marquis blinked.
"...A gangster?"
The royal guards immediately stepped between the King and the Blue Scarf crew.
"Your Majesty!"
"Please get behind us!"
Marquis gently raised a hand.
"No."
The guards hesitated.
Marquis continued calmly.
"I don't sense any hostility from them."
His eyes remained on Saito.
"In fact..."
"You just saved my life."
The guards slowly lowered their weapons, though they still watched the Blue Scarf crew with caution.