Vol. 3 Ch. 127

Will never thought of himself as a thief.

After all, he never stole from regular folks—only the wealthy, especially the nobles who strolled leisurely through the middle district. In his mind, his actions were simply a form of “robbing the rich to give to the poor.”

Of course, the “poor” he gave to was himself.

Take that couple from earlier, for instance—the ones embracing openly in the middle of the street. Just one look, and he could tell they came from uptown nobility, maybe even the royal family.

Despite their simple clothing, everything about them exuded elegance and poise.

After a decade in the middle district, Will could spot the rich a mile away.

And once again, it looked like the “thief” Will had chosen the right targets.

Relying on his knowledge of the city’s layout, Will easily shook off those two clowns. He even heard the man shouting something about “lightning” and “whirlwind”—what a dork!

“He’s probably not even outgrown his teenage phase.”

That was Will’s honest evaluation of the guy who ended up face-first in a pile of cardboard boxes.

Once he was confident they hadn’t followed him, Will ducked into a quiet corner and opened the wallet he’d just swiped.

The sight of all that gold nearly blinded him.

“Whoa, that’s more money than I’d make in twenty years as a warehouse guard!”

He snickered. “See? Told you I didn’t pick the wrong people. This is definitely the blood and sweat of the common folk, wrung out of us by those royals!”

Just as he was about to pocket his prize, he recalled the words of a mysterious man he’d met recently:

“Kid, wanna join the Lionheart Society? Do something big and show us your worth. Consider it your initiation.”

An initiation.

Will understood what that meant.

Back in his street gang days, young boys had to prove themselves if they wanted to join a group—doing something daring or risky was the norm.

And as rumor had it, the Lionheart Society was a revolutionary group founded by none other than Leon Cosmod, the Empire’s former strongest dragon slayer. This group was filled with people determined to defy fate and resist the Empire’s tyranny.

Though the Empire branded them as traitors and rebels, everyone knew how the Empire treated its citizens.

Will had long admired Leon Cosmod and had always dreamed of joining the Lionheart Society.

The only clue he had was a beggar known as Nacho, who was rumored to be affiliated with the Society. For a long time, Will tried to prove his loyalty to Nacho.

But Nacho would always laugh it off.

Now, however...

Will weighed the wallet in his hand.

“This should make for an impressive initiation, Nacho. Let’s see you refuse me this time.”

Just as he was silently celebrating, a male voice called out from above.

“Enjoyed the view? If so, hand the wallet back.”

Startled, Will looked up.

The man he’d stolen from was standing on a low wall, arms crossed, looking down at him.

Will took two instinctive steps back, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

“Damn...how did he catch up so fast?”

It wasn’t just his speed; the guy had managed to sneak up on him without a sound. As someone who prided himself on his skills, Will felt a slight sense of pressure.

“Oh? If you want it back, let’s see if you’ve got what it takes.”

With that, Will turned to run.

But as he took his first step, he found his path blocked by a tall figure.

Her black hair swayed in the breeze, her stance upright, arms folded across her chest.

Though her face was expressionless, her silver eyes radiated an intense pressure.

Swallowing nervously, Will spun around, darting down another path.

Rosvisser, in her high heels, strolled over casually.

“He’s stubborn, isn’t he?”

Leon jumped down from the wall, hands on his hips, watching Will’s fleeing figure.

He squinted, estimating the distance. “Still wanna bet on this? I’m sure I’ll win.”

“Don’t strain your tongue making such big claims.”

“Hey, I was the one who found him first! If I hadn’t been giving you a chance to enjoy the chase, I would’ve won ages ago.”

The queen shot him a sideways look. “It’s not over yet. Keep going.”

With that, Rosvisser headed down another path.

Leon smirked and took off in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Will kept running.

“Maybe I underestimated these uptown types. They’ve got training; no way they could’ve kept up otherwise!”

He quickened his pace, trying to shake them off.

But the famed thief was about to be caught this time.

Minutes later, Will darted into an alley.

Just as he thought he’d finally lost them, a familiar voice echoed from the end of the path.

“Run! Why don’t you keep running?”

Leon stepped out in front of him, blocking his way.

Will gritted his teeth and spun around.

But his retreat was cut off by the dark-haired woman.

The couple had cornered him, trapping him like cheese between two slices of bread.

Will looked back and forth, finally pressing his back against the wall, hoping to avoid any sneak attacks.

Not that they needed to resort to tricks to capture him.

The couple walked toward each other, eventually standing side by side as they turned to face Will, cornered in the alley.

“Looks like I won,” Rosvisser said.

“Lies. I won.”

“Hmph. Well… Rock, Paper, Scissors?”

“Bring it on! Not scared of you.”

And so, in a scene that left Will completely dumbfounded, the two began playing Rock, Paper, Scissors as if capturing him was no big deal.

Are these people even human?

What is this, a marketplace game?

Taking advantage of the distraction, Will glanced toward the alley’s exit.

He knew he couldn’t outrun them, but he’d just spotted someone who could save him.

“Nacho!”

Will stumbled and scrambled toward Nacho, who happened to be passing by.

Nacho, dressed as a beggar and wandering through the middle district to gather information, felt a sinking feeling the moment he heard Will’s voice.

This persistent kid just wouldn’t leave him alone!

“Nacho!”

Will reached him, thrusting out the wallet he’d stolen.

“Look! I swiped this from some royal guys! Doesn’t this count as my initiation into the Lionheart Society?”

Nacho looked down at the wallet, a flash of recognition crossing his face.

Why does this look familiar?

“You said ‘royal guys.’ Where are they?” Nacho asked.

“Over there! Those two!”

Will pointed back toward the alley.

The couple had paused their Rock, Paper, Scissors game to look over.

Seeing Leon and Rosvisser, Nacho’s expression, hidden behind his disguise, was a mix of exasperation and confusion.

Meanwhile, Leon and Rosvisser were equally stunned to see Nacho here.

The three exchanged glances, none of them saying a word.

Finally, Will broke the silence.

“Hey! You two were so cocky before. What happened? Why the silence now?”

“…Hey—” Nacho tried to stop him.

But Will continued, blissfully unaware.

“Let me tell you, I’m actually with the Lionheart Society. I rob from the rich and give to the poor. If you two just walk away now and pretend this never happened, maybe when Leon Cosmod leads us in toppling the Empire, he’ll spare some of your fortune.”

“Leon… Cosmod?” Leon asked.

“Yeah! What, you haven’t heard of him?”

Leon smirked. “Hmm...can’t say I have.”

“Figures. You’re all brawn and no brains.”

Leon: …

“Anyway, all you need to know is that Big Brother Leon is leading us into a new era.”

“Will, I’d advise you to be quiet,” Nacho interrupted.

“What? Oh, right, secrecy rules—I get it.”

Will glanced at the couple in the alley, adding, “But they know who we are, so maybe we should just…”

He made a throat-slitting motion.

Nacho buried his face in his hands.

“Seriously, I’m begging you. Shut up.”

Will scratched his head, confused. “What’s going on?”

Nacho slowly raised his hand and pointed at Leon.

“He’s not with the royals.”

Will blinked, puzzled. “Then he’s…?”

Before he could finish, a large, scarred hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Will’s entire body stiffened, a shiver running down his spine as goosebumps spread.

“I’m Leon Cosmod. Now, can I have my wallet back?”