The forest wind shifted sharply—
rustle… crack… thud!
"REGIS WALTER! YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!"
A furious voice exploded through the trees.
Alex jolted. "E–Eh?! Who?!"
A woman in silver-and-black armor stormed into the clearing. Long hair tied back, eyes blazing like wildfire. Before Alex could speak—
WHAM!
Her fist slammed right into the Masked Man's jaw.
"GUAGH—?! Jessica!?!" the Masked Man flew back, hit a tree, slid down, and groaned. "Is this… is this how you greet your vice-captain after ten years…?"
"SHUT UP!" Jessica marched toward him and grabbed his collar. "Ten years undercover—no updates, no reports, NOTHING! And now you're making children cry?!"
Alex blinked. "Uh… excuse me… what… is happening?"
The Masked Man coughed and gave Alex a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, Alex. This is just how she says 'good morning.'"
"SHUT UP AGAIN!" Jessica punched him two more times.
"AAAH—Stop! My handsome face!" Regis covered his mask.
Alex stepped back, confused. "Wait… he… knows his name? I thought… he forgot?"
Regis froze.
Jessica froze.
Alex stared.
"…Regis?" Alex asked weakly.
Jessica inhaled deeply. "Alex. Listen carefully. This idiot—"
She slapped Regis' armored shoulder. "—is Regis Walter, vice-captain of the Spirit Knights, second division. And my subordinate."
Regis lifted his hand shyly. "Hello. Surprise."
Alex's eye twitched. "You told me… you forgot your name."
"I…" Regis cleared his throat, puffing his chest. "I lied because it made me look cool."
"What?!" Alex almost tripped.
Regis pointed at him dramatically.
"You believed me so easily! So I kept going! It's more fun watching you panic!"
Jessica punched him again.
"STOP TEACHING CHILDREN BAD HABITS!"
"OW—OKAY, OKAY!"
Alex scratched his head. "So you didn't lose your memory…"
"No," Regis admitted. "It was a lazy excuse. And I like pretending to be mysterious. It makes me feel… taller."
"You ARE tall!" Alex shouted.
"Exactly. Let me enjoy it," Regis muttered.
Jessica sighed heavily and turned to Alex with a serious face.
"Alex… there's something important you must hear."
Regis nudged Alex. "But before that—go collect some firewood, kid. Grown-up talk time. The dangerous kind."
"Dangerous?" Alex hesitated.
"Don't worry," Regis said, lightly pushing him. "You'll want to be far away from this conversation. Go in that direction—I'll whistle if there's trouble."
Alex slowly nodded and walked into the trees, glancing back as the two adults grew serious.
The moment Alex was out of hearing range—
Jessica exhaled sharply.
"We're out of time, Regis. The church has begun investigating the orphanage incident."
Regis' joking tone vanished instantly.
"And the prime suspect is Alex, right?"
Jessica nodded.
"The nobles don't care if he's a child. They only care about his power. A boy with unstable spiritual energy? They'll dispose of him before he becomes a threat."
Regis clenched his fist. "Those bastards…"
"That's why we must act fast." Jessica lowered her voice.
"We need to change his appearance, suppress his spiritual energy, and hide him before the Church Paladins reach this region."
Regis leaned back against a tree, expression dark.
"What about the creature at the orphanage? The devil?"
"We'll handle that later," Jessica whispered. "But right now… saving the boy is priority."
Regis pushed his mask up slightly, revealing a sharp gaze.
"Then we move tonight. I'll cloak his aura. You prepare the disguise."
Jessica nodded. "Good. And Regis…"
"Hm?"
"Don't lie to the kid again."
Regis clicked his tongue. "No promises."
Jessica raised her fist.
"OKAY, OKAY! I PROMISE