After the sparring match with Jugram...
Light and Karem stood on the balcony, looking out over the royal garden.
Karem smiled.
"I still can't believe you actually knocked King Jugram down. Your training is really paying off. But the real question is... were you actually training all this time, or were you just watching over Jane?"
Light gave a small smile.
"While I was watching over Jane, I had plenty of free time. So yeah... I was training too."
"Oh." Karem nodded. "So, did you find out what you wanted to know?"
Light sighed.
"During all those days, I never saw those bandits again. They never showed up. But... I did meet Jane's mother."
"To ask her about the bandits?"
"I couldn't exactly ask her directly," Light replied. "I introduced myself first, but she was extremely suspicious of me. She refused to believe I was Jane's friend."
He scratched the back of his head.
"I mean... she's not exactly wrong. We were never really close friends. But I'm probably the only student Jane ever exchanged more than a few words with. Other than the teachers, she barely spoke to anyone."
Light's expression turned serious.
"And that's when I found out that her mother hates Voltra Beings. She doesn't trust us at all... and neither does Jane."
He looked out toward the horizon.
"I think that's why Jane never talked to anyone at the academy. It was a school for Voltra Beings, and everyone there was a Voltra Being. Maybe her mother never allowed her to get close to any of us... or maybe Jane herself simply didn't want to."
Light lowered his gaze.
"And when I asked Jane why her mother hated Voltra Beings, she told me the truth. Her father was a Voltra Being. He raped her mother, forced her to marry him, and kept abusing her even after they were married."
He fell silent for a moment.
"And because she insisted that I stop interfering in their lives... I left them alone."
Karem looked at him.
"So... are you just going to let it go?"
Light sighed.
"She told me I was only making things worse for her. I didn't have a choice."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I think it's time to return to my duties," Light replied. "I mean... the Kaiju Combat Team. I'll still keep an eye out for those bandits and have them arrested if I find them, so they can't bother Jane anymore."
Karem nodded in agreement.
"I think that's the right decision. You have a lot of other responsibilities to take care of as well. You want to become king, don't you?"
"Then you need to return to your duties. It'll strengthen your claim and prove that you're worthy of becoming king."
Light nodded.
Karem continued:
"And I heard your team encountered an abnormal Kaiju. One that was different from the others. I was told... it could actually speak. Is that true?"
Light's expression turned serious.
"Yeah. It was strange... and incredibly strong. For some reason, it wanted to capture Lothar and Hikari. It nearly defeated us and was about to take Lothar away."
He paused, remembering the battle.
"But then Lothar awakened his Ultimate Voltra. With a single attack, he completely obliterated that Kaiju."
Light let out a slow breath.
"Lothar's power was overwhelming. Lothar couldn't control it. Lothar even attacked Hikari and me. If Father hadn't arrived in time, we would've been dead."
"Damn..." Karem muttered. "That's crazy. So what exactly was that Kaiju saying? Why did it want Hikari and Lothar?"
Light shook his head.
"I don't know. It didn't say much."
Karem frowned.
"There might be more Kaijus like that."
"Yeah," Light agreed. "But I'll leave that matter to Hikari and Lothar for now. After that battle, the incident with Jane happened... and since then, I've been focused on tracking down those bandits.
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind them.
"What bandits are you two talking about?"
Light and Karem turned around.
"Leanor!" Light exclaimed. "When did you get here? Wait... were you spying on us? Did Father ask you to?"
Leanor shook his head.
"No. I was just passing by and happened to overhear your conversation. I haven't even seen Father yet. He's probably still angry at me since I haven't been home for quite a while."
He shrugged with a grin.
"I didn't even come through the front door. I climbed in through the other balcony so Mom wouldn't see me."
He laughed.
"You know how Mom and Dad are. They never stop giving lectures."
Then he turned to Karem.
"By the way, hey."
"Hey," Karem replied.
Light crossed his arms.
"By the way... where have you been?"
Leanor smirked.
"Don't start sounding like Mom and Dad."
He pointed toward the balcony.
"What was the point of sneaking in through the balcony if I'm just going to get interrogated anyway?"
Light shrugged.
"Alright then. I won't ask any more questions. You can go."
Leanor smirked.
"First, tell me—what bandits were you talking about? And why are you trying to catch them?"
"It has nothing to do with you," Light replied. "Just forget about it. It's not like you're going to help us catch them anyway."
Leanor raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe I can help."
He smiled.
"Your choice. But I happen to know quite a few people in different bandit gangs."
Light looked at him in surprise.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Just tell me the name of the gang. Maybe I can help you find them."
Light sighed.
"If I knew their name, don't you think I'd have caught them already?"
"Oh..." Leanor nodded. "So you don't know their name."
He thought for a moment.
"Did they have any kind of symbol? A mark... or something they all wore?"
Light closed his eyes, trying to remember.
"Let me think... Hmm... Yeah. They were all wearing shirts with the same symbol on them."
"What symbol?"
"A stag."
Leanor's expression immediately changed.
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Do you know them?"
Leanor nodded slowly.
"Yes... I do."
He looked straight at Light.
"I can take you to their hideout."