By the time Eva and Linda arrived, all they found were a group of cloaked figures tied up in the street. Mo Wang and Bob were nowhere to be found.
"Where are they?!" Eva roared, grabbing a nearby knight by the collar.
"Th-they went to the Gray Crow Gang's headquarters," the poor knight stammered.
"What?! Just the two of them?! Are they insane?!" She threw the knight aside. "No time to waste! Linda, gather the men! We're going after them! I'm going to skin that bastard alive today!"
As the knights scrambled to follow their enraged captain, a seed of gossip was planted. Why is she so worked up about him? Could there be... something between them?
It wasn't long before the Knightly Order's group chat was on fire.
[So, Mo Wang and the captain are a thing?]
[She is almost thirty. It's not so strange for her to want a younger man, is it?]
[I thought he was with the Queen?]
[Well... the captain and the Queen are best friends, aren't they? Maybe it's a three-way thing?]
[A love triangle?!]
[Why not a harem?]
[A harem? Whose harem? The Queen's?]
[Who knows.]
And so, a legend was born. Decades later, a series of romance novels about the trio would become a cult classic, with a certain princess rumored to be its biggest fan.
Mo Wang himself, upon learning that he, a renowned (unofficial) historian, had become the subject of such scandalous tales, would later write his own series of harem novels, in which he would portray a certain high priestess as his ex-girlfriend.
Mo Wang: How is my own autobiography unofficial history?! This is the official version, I tell you!
But for now, he was on his way to the Gray Crow Gang's headquarters, happily chatting with the Mad Panda Trio.
"Hey, Mr. Guardian, are you sure it's a good idea for just the five of us to go to their headquarters?" Danny asked nervously. "I heard there are hundreds of them."
"What's the problem? You don't have faith in me?" Mo Wang replied with a grin. "Let me tell you, I once fought four demon lords for three days and three nights, and they were all begging for mercy by the end. You guys need to be braver."
Four demon lords? Danny thought. What is he smoking?
"Hey, buddy, is this guy really a knight?" the red panda whispered to Bob.
"Probably. I don't know him that well," he replied, trying to distance himself from the situation.
They soon arrived at a dilapidated three-story building, guarded by several menacing-looking thugs.
"So... Mr. Guardian, do we have a plan?" Danny asked.
"A plan?" Mo Wang said, tilting his head. "Can't we just charge in?"
"What?!" Scarlet slapped her forehead. "What kind of idiot have I gotten myself into business with?"
Just then, Mo Wang pulled out a watermelon-sized metal sphere, glowing with a dangerous red light.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"A bomb," he said matter-of-factly, and tossed it into the air. "Bombs away!"
"Get down!!!"
BOOM!!!
The front of the building was blown to smithereens.
"You call this a 'stealthy investigation'?!" Scarlet shrieked, her fur singed.
"I never said anything about stealth," he replied.
Just then, several bloodied figures emerged from the rubble, their bodies twisting and contorting into monstrous forms.
"M-monsterization?!" Bob's face went pale, and his sword clattered to the ground.
"You found us..." the leader hissed, his mouth splitting into a grotesque grin. "Now you'll have to die here!"
With a roar, they transformed into three-meter-tall, bat-winged monstrosities.
"Damn it, how can there be monsters like this in the capital?!" Bob cried, his mind racing. "I have to inform the Knightly Order!"
But as he turned to run, one of the monsters lunged at him. He closed his eyes, bracing for death.
SLASH!
A flash of silver, and the monster's head rolled to his feet.
"What are you spacing out for?" Mo Wang said, flicking the blackish-green blood from his sword. "This thing's blood is a weird color."
"H-how... how are you so strong?!" Bob stammered.
"Huh? Oh, uh... I've been practicing?"
Bullshit! You've never even been to training! he wanted to scream.
"Don't worry about the small details," Mo Wang said with a grin. "Besides, if the captain found out how strong I am, she'd work me to the bone."
He then turned to the remaining monsters, his smile widening. "Well, this has been a productive day. I met the Mad Panda Trio, and now I've found these things. Looks like I'll be able to unlock some hidden storylines ahead of schedule."
To the monsters, his handsome, sunny face was the most terrifying thing they had ever seen.