đźź Chapter 56:
"The Boss is someone from this very palace."
The moment Number Five uttered those words, silence dominated the entire room.
It was as if everyone had lost the ability to speak.
Prince Elnar wasn't the only one stunned—Takeru and Haizen were just as shocked, completely unaware of this possibility.
Elnar couldn't contain himself. He burst out:
"What makes you think that? Why the palace specifically?"
Although the information wasn't confirmed—since even Number Five himself didn't know the Boss's identity—he explained the reasoning behind his suspicion:
"As I said, I don't know who Number One really is. But Prince Elithius trusts him deeply. The Boss always gets information about extracting Vitalis Crystal from the prince himself."
His words struck Elnar like lightning.
The reason behind the depletion of the Vitalis Crystal… was none other than Prince Elithius himself—manipulated by Number One.
Takeru turned to Elnar, confused:
"Excuse me, but what's the story behind this crystal you two keep mentioning?"
Number Five answered calmly:
"The Vitalis Crystal is the kingdom's most precious resource. It accelerates the growth of any other material rapidly. It's incredibly rare—not everyone in this world has access to it."
While Haizen and Takeru were hearing this for the first time, Elnar's mind was focused on one thing only:
waking his little brother as soon as possible.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the air from the window:
"Takeru… Haizen… are your conditions any better now?"
It was Ryo, calling from the palace courtyard.
Takeru opened the window, and as Ryo peeked in, he received a sandal to the face.
"What's wrong with you?! Why did you throw a sandal at me?!"
"That's for stealing credit for saving Elithius. We heard everything."
"Heard from whom?"
Elnar leaned forward from behind Takeru, appearing in Ryo's view.
The moment Ryo saw him, he froze.
"Prince Elnar?! What are you doing here?!"
Elnar replied with a stern look:
"The real question, Ryo, is why you didn't tell the full truth to my father and the others in the hall."
Only then did Ryo realize that Takeru and Haizen had told Elnar everything.
"You two told him everything?!"
Haizen responded coldly:
"Of course. We won't let a lizard like you steal the credit."
Elnar intervened:
"Not only that—I also heard something new… something even you don't know, Ryo."
Ryo raised his eyebrows, confused:
"What did you two tell him? I hope you didn't make up nonsense."
Takeru answered in an infuriatingly smug tone:
"It wasn't us. It was Number Five."
"Number Five?! What did he say?!"
Elnar lifted his head and spoke firmly:
"We will finish this discussion in the hall."
Takeru objected:
"Are you sure, Your Highness? What if the traitor is there?"
Ryo was stunned by that statement, but before he could speak, Elnar continued:
"You're right. I may not expose the traitor right away, but I will reveal that Elithiur from the wanted list is actually Elithius. And I will try to uncover who betrayed him until he wakes up. Now, excuse me."
Prince Elnar left the room with determined steps, intent on pursuing the truth himself.
Takeru and Haizen remained behind, making no attempt to follow him.
Ryo turned to them:
"How are you two feeling now? Any better?"
"We're recovering slowly, but we're fine enough."
After a moment of thought, Takeru asked:
"You know, Ryo… when I first met you, I felt some admiration, since you're a dragon. But your abilities seem… limited. Don't you have any special powers?"
Ryo felt a sting of irritation from the question but answered anyway:
"I do have special powers, but the price of using them is high. If the country were in a dire state—like war—you'd see my true abilities. Anyway, why the sudden question?"
"No reason. I was just wondering what you'd do if the gang launched a surprise attack."
Ryo changed the subject, concerned about what he had overheard:
"Alright, enough of that. What about earlier—was it true? There's a traitor in the palace?"
Haizen pointed lazily at Number Five:
"That suspicion came from Mr. Mummy. If you want to confirm it, you can help the prince look for the culprit."
Ryo didn't want to stand idly by. He decided to investigate the matter himself.
"Rest well. I'll go check on a few things."
After Ryo left, Takeru and Haizen returned to their beds.
Takeru glanced at Number Five, who was staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"I want to ask you something… why are you helping us without hesitation? It's strange coming from someone who tried to kill us before."
Number Five gave a faint, tired smile:
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not doing this out of kindness… or revenge against the gang, even though they used to despise me. I'm simply sharing whatever might be useful. I'm not committed to any side. I don't want to live as someone loyal. I'm a practical person, that's all."
Takeru replied gently:
"So you don't care where you stand, as long as you remain… functional."
"Exactly. That's me."
In the end, Number Five was someone who cared neither for loyalty nor belonging nor hatred—only for staying relevant, staying part of the equation.
Haizen, who had been silent until now, asked:
"Have you lost trust in people or what?"
Number Five's smile grew colder:
"I don't know… maybe. I stopped seeing people as good or evil. Too much betrayal made me live for myself alone. That's why I deal with others on a purely practical basis."
Takeru tried offering some encouragement:
"Maybe if you showed people the heroic side of you, they'd trust you. After all, you're with the good guys now. And if they trust you, you might learn to trust them too."
Number Five pondered Takeru's words:
"Who knows… maybe someday, I'll see people differently."
---
Night fell, and quiet settled once again across the palace halls.
Hours had passed since Prince Elnar informed the king and his entourage that Elithiur was, in fact, Elithius.
In the inner courtyard, Takeru, Haizen, and Ryo sat under the moonlight near Elithius's window, eating their dinner.
Takeru said while chewing a large bite:
"This palace food is amazing! Maybe I should get injured again so I can stay here—uh, I mean, for treatment… obviously."
Haizen nodded approvingly:
"Good idea. This place is perfect—rest, comfort, and free food!"
Ryo snapped at them:
"You idiots! This palace is not a restaurant!"
As they argued playfully, a shadow moved inside the room, passing in front of the window's light.
All three looked up at the same moment.
It was the shadow of Prince Elithius—
he had finally woken up.