š Chapter 51:
š§ Narrator's POV:
After Haizen and Takeru managed to take the prince and escape, Number One was consumed with rage. There was a fatal flaw within this gang ā underestimating their opponent.
That arrogance was exactly what caused them to lose the prince. Number One was filled with bitter regret:
"All of this is because of that foolish prince himselfā¦ I didn't want to kill those two because of him."
On the other hand, Number Two suggested pursuing them:
"Boss, what do you think about chasing those two? Those noises we heard upstairs before they appeared here ā they were probably behind them. There might even be one of their members still up there."
Number One had already considered that, but even if they caught them, the commotion would risk exposing him to others:
"We mustn't do that, Onder. I don't want to cause a scene. My identity within the royal palace must remain secret."
Number Two had no choice but to accept his superior's decision:
"Very well, if that's how you see it, then so be it."
Meanwhile, above the gang's headquarters, Ryo was still pressing down on the gang members. None of them could withstand his pressure and began begging him to get off:
"Get off us, you stupid lizard! Our bones are going to break!"
But Ryo continued to sit on them, pressing even harder since they refused to admit he was a dragon:
"As long as you don't acknowledge me as a dragon, I'll keep crushing you."
He held the extraction stone in his hand, doing what Takeru had asked him to do beforehand. He kept trying, but to no avail.
He began to lose hope that those two could actually bring the prince back. Yet, in one final attempt, Takeru emerged from the stone.
The moment Ryo saw Takeru, hope returned to his heart, and he continued extracting more ā until the others also appeared: Number Five, Haizen, and finally Prince Elithius.
Ryo rejoiced at the sight of the prince safe and sound, even more so that Takeru and Haizen had succeeded.
"Those twoā¦ they didn't let me down."
The three of them fell right on top of Takeru, who shouted angrily:
"You idiots, get off me right now!"
Once everyone stood up, Takeru, Haizen, and Number Five noticed that the gang members were still pinned beneath Ryo. Haizen was astonished by their endurance:
"Their bones haven't broken yet?"
The gang members screamed and struggled to escape, but it was useless.
Ryo's joy at seeing the prince's face again didn't last long when he noticed how pale the prince looked.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? Aren't you happy to be out of there?"
The prince said nothing, but Takeru spoke up, reminding Ryo that this wasn't the time:
"We'll talk about everything later. Right now, we have to get out of here."
Haizen grabbed Number Five and placed him on Ryo's back. After that, Takeru and the prince climbed up as well. Haizen then smashed through the ceiling with his sword, and they all escaped the building with what they came for.
Ryo soared high into the sky, heading straight toward the royal palace. Once they were far enough away, he asked what had happened below:
"Alright, we're far enough. Tell me what went down down there."
Takeru replied despite the pain in his broken arm:
"Down there were the boss, and Numbers One, Two, and Four. They were incredibly dangerous. Sure, we got the prince, but this isn't over."
Ryo realized then that it hadn't been an easy fight ā especially with Haizen's injuries and Takeru's broken arm ā and that they'd need to prepare for the worst from the gang.
The prince, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke:
"You don't understandā¦ Number One, heā¦ This wasn't supposed to happen. Everything went wrong."
His words were cryptic to everyone. Ryo tried to make sense of them:
"Your Highness, what do you mean? Explain."
The prince remained silent, so Takeru asked another question:
"We didn't know you were wanted by the royal palace, Elithiur."
The prince was confused that Takeru used his false name ā and even more shocked to hear he was wanted by the palace:
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Takeru replied sarcastically:
"We mean you're a wanted criminal, Prince Elithiur. Just like the rest of the gang. By the way, that alias of yours is pretty stupid."
Prince Elithius was stunned as the truth hit him ā he was now a wanted man by the very kingdom he had fled. He had run from the kingdom originally because of the gang's threats, but now he was branded a criminal.
He thought about who could have placed the bounties on both the gang members and himself. Only one person came to mind:
"I didn't think he'd go this farā¦ I just wanted to disappear for a while. And now I'm wanted? This is insane."
No one but Number Five understood who the prince was referring to.
Although Takeru had many questions swirling in his head, he decided not to ask ā at least not yet.
Lost in his anxiety, the prince completely forgot there was someone tied up with them until he noticed him late:
"By the way, who's this guy tied up here? And why is the swordsman dressed like one of the Numbers?"
Even before anyone answered, realization struck him ā he had heard that Takeru and Haizen had defeated Number Five. Despite the bruises on his face and his hair being chopped and wrapped up like a mummy, the prince recognized him:
"Brentyā¦ is that you?"
Number Five smirked mockingly at the prince:
"Yeah, it's me. I decided to change my hairstyle."
The prince then asked why Number Five was even with them:
"What's this guy doing here? He's part of the gang ā he's dangerous!"
Ryo explained what had happened and how they had used Number Five to their advantage:
"He was chasing us before, trying to get the necklace that allowed us to reach you. But we defeated him and made use of him during the raid on the gang's base."
That was when the prince remembered the necklace. He hadn't left it with Ryo on purpose ā he had simply forgotten about it. He was the one who had wanted it retrieved in the first place:
"I didn't want you to chase me. I was the one who told Number One to order the retrieval of the necklace. But it seems this loser couldn't take it from you."
Everyone was shocked to learn that the prince had been behind the attempt to take the necklace. Number Five felt particularly insulted at being called a loser.
Ryo's expression darkened, clearly displeased by what he heard:
"That's enough, Your Highness. Your actions make no sense ā there's a lot you're hiding from us, and you're going to tell us everything soon."
The prince's mental state worsened rapidly. His head throbbed, his body trembled, and then he collapsed completely unconscious. Everyone was alarmed and tried to wake him up:
"Your Highness! Are you alright? Stay with us!"
But the prince didn't respond. They could only deal with the situation once they finally arrived at the royal palace.