Although returning to face the endless bickering between Love and Anna made Rick apprehensive, shirking responsibility wasn't his style. So despite the headache, he steeled himself to return to his mansion.
To his surprise, when Love and Anna heard Rick was departing tomorrow, the two girls who'd been squabbling like nesting birds suddenly fell silent.
"Leaving tomorrow? So soon..." Anna's eyes flickered with disappointment as she stared at the unkempt mansion. "You... you haven't even decorated your new home yet."
Love bit her lip. "Yeah, you just finished training yesterday. I thought—"
"No time to waste. Kester City is my hometown; I won't let it burn in war." Rick sighed deeply. "Besides, Old Fox Nan Ze can't maintain order in two cities alone. Even though he's crossed me before, I have to help."
Hearing this, Love and Anna exchanged a glance, wordlessly retreating to the dining room.
"I must stay to research the equipment His Majesty brought back," Love declared, arms crossed.
"I need to learn governance. The old man is too aged to work alone till midnight." Anna shot Love a glare. "So I can't leave either."
"Then..."
"Then let's not give him bad memories before he goes." Anna fretted, muttering, "That girl is no pushover."
"Is she the 'girl' you mean?" Love actually showed solidarity with Anna.
"Exactly. Let's form a temporary alliance to prevent other women from taking advantage. Truce for today."
"Agreed."
"We must drown him in our tenderness—at least boost his immunity to beauty."
"Right! Maintain it till he returns." Love pumped her fist determinedly.
After glaring at each other, the stunning girls snorted in unison, pointing at each other: "This is one-time only! When this is over, it's either you or me!"
"Hmph!"
Startled by their tacit understanding, Anna and Love turned away haughtily, but as they approached Rick...
He couldn't fathom why the natural enemies had transformed overnight, clinging to him like kittens all evening. No bickering—instead, they wordlessly showered him with affection.
This drastic change left Rick overwhelmed. The three lounged on the sofa all night. Though nothing indecent occurred, they shared every intimacy between men and women, and Rick even lost his first kiss in the haze—though he couldn't tell which girl it was.
"Anna? Love? Which one was it? So confusing..."
Lost in thought, Rick knelt single-kneed, unaware the investiture ceremony had ended. By protocol, he should now take the badge Arthur held aloft and recite his oath.
After waiting for a while, Arthur stared intently at Rick, who was kneeling in front of him with a lovesick expression. The anger in his heart made him want to crush the badge in his hand, kick this ungrateful lecher to the ground, and trample him severely.
At this moment, Gria looked at the dumbfounded officials around and finally couldn't stand Rick embarrassing himself any longer. He whispered in a low voice, "Hey, Rick! Rick!"
"Uh?" Rick was awakened from the difficult multiple-choice question in his mind by Gria's voice and looked at him blankly. "What's up?"
"What's up? What's up?" Gria was almost furious enough to vomit blood. He poked Arthur, who was already murderous beside him, with his two movable beards. "Dammit, don't you know what you're doing now?"
"Ah! Right, I'm being invested now."
Rick slapped his forehead, jumped up, snatched the badge from Arthur's hand, looked at it left and right for a while, said a few perfunctory words, and dismissed Arthur.
"Dammit! Damned boy!" Arthur was so angry that his beard and eyes were wide open. He gave the newly promoted noble a flick on the head and roared, "You bastard, it's time for you to go! I curse you never to come back!"
"Cut!" Rick scratched his sore head from Arthur's knock, pouted, proudly pinned the badge to his chest, and swaggered away.
"Damn, this arrogant boy, I want to kill him! Doesn't he know what politeness is?"
"Hehe, for him, there's really no chance to learn etiquette," Gria said with a smile, stroking his beard. "Now, only battle symbols have been drawn on this blank sheet of paper, and everything else is still blank."
"It seems that we need to find a good teacher for him. Facing the upcoming fierce battle, a reckless man is of no use."
"I think Miss Manny is more than qualified for this task. Let her teach Rick during the mission, which can also save time."
"Right, they are the best combination, one quiet and one dynamic. Hum... I hope he can impress me when he comes back."
"Achoo!" Rick, who had just walked out of the Palais Saint-Rosel, sneezed hard, rubbed his red nose, and looked back.
"The old bastard must be plotting against me again. It seems that none of the white-haired people are good."
"Are you talking about me?" Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind Rick.
Rick trembled and looked back in surprise. Shust, dressed in a black robe, took off his hat, revealing his flying gray hair.
"Shust! You... Why are you here..." Rick saw the unfriendliness in Shust's eyes and quickly realized something, waving his hand. "Hehe, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the guy with white hair!"
Shust didn't speak, just pointed to the color of his hair.
"Um... Your hair is gray. It's gray! You know, not white," Rick said solemnly.
"Gray, huh? Seems so..." Shust's sharp aura deflated, and he no longer looked aggressive.
Rick eyed Shust curiously, then glanced at Balzac standing not far behind, carrying two backpacks.
"We've been appointed as royal secret agents directly under His Majesty's command. We'll assist you in this mission," Balzac chimed in with a grin.
"Se... secret agents..." The title made Rick imagine Shust fawning over Arthur and tattling.
"Hey, better quit your wild speculations," Shust cut off Rick's thoughts coldly, licking his lips with a 鲜红的 (scarlet) tongue. "Secret agents are no different from assassins—both walk in the dark and take lives. But agents have a license to kill—a permit that makes my murders legal. Heh, from now on, I can kill as many as I want without being wanted. Perfect job for me."
A license to kill? Rick felt a chill on his back, marveling: The old man really hires anyone—even someone as dangerous as Shust, he's unchained.
But knowing Shust would join the journey gave Rick more confidence. He trusted Shust's strength and sensed that, like himself, Shust was desperately growing. Even as a peak Insect Master, Rick still couldn't see through Shust.
"The old man does think ahead. And..." Rick looked at Shust and Balzac lounging on either side, then at Manny waving from her wheelchair in the distance. A familiar feeling welled up.
Right—nothing had really changed. Though they now held different titles, when reunited, the camaraderie and their roles remained the same.
No one had changed; they'd just risen to higher places.
Taking a deep breath, Rick waved his hand. "Move out! Destination: Kester City!"
A dozen-strong team departed Ison, the mountain city, along Champs-Élysées Avenue amid citizens' farewells.
As they passed the temporary barracks outside the city, in a grove where sunlight was blocked by branches, Moya—upper body wrapped in bandages—stood on a treetop, gazing at the departing column.
Rick's back was crystal clear to him, every smile and wave as he left deeply etched in Moya's mind.
"He walks his path with a smile, embraced by companions. But me..." Moya looked back at the dark forest path, smiling bitterly. "I'm fated for a lonely, dark road. Rick... from today, we'll tread entirely different paths. Maybe next time we meet, we'll stand on opposite sides. So... who will be ready first?"
"Rick... don't disappoint me..."
His voice faded as a eerie black aura filled the grove. Moya's departing shadow slowly melted into the inky darkness...