The young man, the youngest of the Red Chili group, approached Lucca directly, knife in hand. Mok was about to intervene, but everyone was left stunned as they watched the old man deflect the attack with surprising speed and, without hesitation, deliver a slap that sent the attacker flying through the air.
Lucca, leaning on his good leg, leaped high into the air—like a kangaroo—directly toward the other men, who stood frozen in shock. With an agile movement, he landed in the center of the four remaining thugs and, with a swift gesture, reclaimed his cane.
Once he had his cane in hand, Lucca seemed like a different man. The four men snapped out of their daze, and one of them—the leader—shouted, "After him, boys!"
Calmly, Lucca pressed a hidden mechanism on his cane, which instantly extended in length and anchored itself to the ground like a stake. Using this advantage, he began spinning on the cane, using his good leg to deliver precise kicks to each of those who tried to approach. Quickly, he unanchored the cane from the ground and, with astonishing agility, extended it to strike the men one by one, knocking them out cold.
"Well... They don't make youngsters like they used to," Lucca remarked with a satisfied smile, using his cane to steady himself as he surveyed his fallen opponents.
"You're an incredible warrior," Mok said, impressed by the skill with which the elderly man had faced his adversaries.
"Not bad, huh? But I'm not at 100 percent like in my golden days," Lucca replied modestly, slowly making his way back toward Mok.
Mok proceeded to tie up the young vandals, who, upon waking, appeared repentant. One of them stammered, "Please, don't hurt us. We promise we won't do anything wrong again if you let us go."
Lucca looked at them with a stern yet understanding expression. "You'd better not, or next time I'll give you another beating," he warned, pointing at them with his cane.
The young men, once freed, ran off in panic, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
"Cowards," Lucca muttered, though his tone was more amused than angry.
Turning to Mok, Lucca sincerely thanked him: "I appreciate it, young man. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to recover my cane. Well, it's time for you to return to your young master. And, if you could drop me off along the way, that would be fine. I don't want to be a burden."
"Don't worry, Mr. Lucca. A great warrior like you deserves all my admiration," Mok responded respectfully.
Without further words, they returned to the carriage. Upon arriving, they found Paltio and Lukeandria awake, having grown worried when they didn't see Mok. The butler introduced Lucca to them, explaining how skilled he was and briefly recounting the adventure they had just experienced.
"How incredible!" Paltio exclaimed enthusiastically, while Rykaru nodded in admiration.
"And that thing… what is it?" Lucca asked, pointing at Rykaru with curiosity.
"It's my Domadoin, and also a friend," Paltio explained with a proud smile.
"He's my daddy," Rykaru added, wagging his ears happily.
"Wow, I see he's very attached to you, young Paltio," Lucca commented, impressed by the bond between the small white creature and the prince.
"Master, do you think you can heal his leg with the sphere?" Mok whispered discreetly into Paltio's ear.
Without hesitation, Paltio took out the sphere and placed it over Lucca's leg. The elderly man felt a warm energy flow through him, and gradually, his leg began to function as if it had never been injured.
"Wow, young man, thank you! I haven't felt my legs this strong in years, not since a battle left me like this," Lucca exclaimed, testing his newfound mobility with slow but steady steps.
"So you won't need that cane anymore," Lukeandria remarked, eyeing the object curiously.
"No, young lady! This is my weapon, and it's extremely powerful. I wouldn't part with it for anything," Lucca replied proudly, stroking the cane as if it were an invaluable treasure.
"Well, you're welcome to join us on our journey, sir, or at least as far as you need to go," Paltio offered kindly.
"Now that you mention it, lad, I can guide you along a faster route that will take you to Reedalia in just three days. Come to think of it, I have some unfinished business there," Lucca said with a sly smile.
"And you, sir, are you a survivor of the Brocoladian Wars?" Lukeandria asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Wow! I didn't think someone so young would know about those ancient wars," Lucca responded, visibly surprised.
"Well, my father taught me all kinds of war stories, as did my mother. They told me about the great ancient wars, where a mighty race like yours faced the enormous Demon Lion of the Mountains," Lukeandria explained with a mix of admiration and respect.
"Wow, young lady! It's good to know you're familiar with those wars. I think we'll get along well during this trip," Lucca said with a warm smile.
"And what are those wars?" Paltio asked, looking at Lukeandria curiously.
"Don't they teach you anything about history in your schools?" Lukeandria retorted, crossing her arms with a teasing expression.
"Well, as you know, the prince is always thinking about other things and doesn't pay attention in class," Mok interjected with a slight smile.
"Mok, you're not helping," Paltio muttered, shooting the butler a reproachful glance.
"Typical of Paltio," Lukeandria concluded with a chuckle.
"Well then, Master Paltio, I can tell you about the Brocoladian Wars if you'd like," Lucca offered, adjusting his hat with a nostalgic air.
"Of course! I'd love to hear them," Paltio responded enthusiastically.
And so, they welcomed the old warrior onto their journey. They returned to the vehicle and set off as Lucca began recounting the stories of those epic battles to Paltio and the group.
"Well, you see, young master, we are essentially a race of warriors trained by a great being who supported us with artifacts like this cane I carry. That's why I can't part with this weapon. This cane and I share a history; with it, we were able to defeat the Great Demon Lion and his forces after many battles and years of fighting. We sought divine aid, and a being who called himself Serlet helped us, gifting us weapons for combat. Since then, we have been fervent followers of Serlet."
"Who is Serlet?" everyone asked in unison, intrigued by the mention of the mysterious being.
"Well, we don't know much about him. He was just a purple light that descended from the sky and spoke to us, bestowing these gifts," Lucca explained, pointing to his cane with reverence.
"Once, when I faced the Demon Lion —an enormous beast nearly as tall as four stories—I managed to emerge victorious, but at what cost… It impaled me with one of its claws in my leg," Lucca narrated, gesturing thoughtfully toward his newly healed leg. "Thanks to you, young prince, I can walk again."
He paused briefly, as if reliving that moment in his mind. "I didn't give up. I managed to defeat it, taking its life and avenging the deaths it caused among many of our warriors."
"Wow… You truly are someone strong. It's a shame no one remembers your story anymore," Paltio commented with sincere admiration.
"Well, as long as I know what I did and what happened because of it, that's enough for me, young prince," Lucca replied humbly, shrugging.
"How modest you are, Mr. Lucca! This story was fascinating," Lukeandria exclaimed, thrilled by the tale filled with heroism and sacrifice.
"Thank you, young lady. I have more stories if you'd like to hear them, but I think you should focus on training for what lies ahead," Lucca said, looking at the young ones with a wise smile.
"You're right," Mok nodded. "We'll keep an eye on you while you do that."
With no more words, Paltio and Lukeandria returned to their respective mental planes to continue their training, leaving Lucca and Mok in the carriage as they journeyed toward the final kingdom.