Erold and Jasmin headed toward the mountain, only to find a dense forest before them. Massive trees—whose sheer size made them contemplate their beauty—stood alongside a small river running beside them.
Jasmin said: "A beautiful place to hide, and Astra mentioned there is a cave. It would have been difficult to reach them if we were searching for them ourselves, without Astra's help."
Erold began to feel the presence of people around him, but they did not notice him. He grabbed Jasmin and began jumping across the trees until he heard them saying: "We must return quickly before Radis gets angry!"
Erold said to himself: "I have heard this name before… but I don't remember."
They headed to the top of the mountain, toward a hidden area beneath the cliffs, to find a cave inside the mountain. A man with a face showing a few wrinkles emerged; he shouted at them: "Where were you?!" Then he suddenly went quiet, looked toward the forest with sharp gazes, and said: "You brought guests with you, huh?"
He pointed toward the bushes until he saw them moving, and from them emerged Erold and Jasmin. Jasmin asked: "Have we arrived?" Erold replied: "Yes, we have arrived."
Erold approached the cave while the bandits drew their weapons. The man said: "Identify yourselves!"
The mercenaries replied: "Sorry, Lord Radis, we didn't feel them."
Radis said calmly: "It's alright… what do you want?"
Erold replied: "I want to see your leader; I have business for him."
Radis shouted: "The Leader is tired now… how can I help you? I am his deputy."
Erold said: "Apologies, but I was asked to speak to the Leader personally. If he is not available, I will leave."
Then Erold and Jasmin turned to leave, making Radis tense, and he said: "Fine, come with me."
Radis said to Erold: "Give them your weapon."
Erold looked at him and said in a playful tone: "Someone taught me in the past not to hand my weapon to thieves or bandits… because you never know when they will betray you."
Radis was surprised: "His words are correct… so do not try to use it, lest you regret it."
Erold and Jasmin entered the cave with Radis.
Jasmin entered the cave with hesitant steps, following the echo of her breath between the rocky walls. The air was cold as a night robe, and the smell of mold and moisture crept into her chest with every inhale. The walls were smooth in places and rough in others, as if carved by the fingers of time. Scattered water droplets fell from the ceiling, making a sound as if the sky were weeping above their heads. The dim light emanating from the torch in her hand reflected off the stones covered in a thin layer of moss, giving them a faint green glow. In the corners were small openings resembling eyes watching the interior in silence, and between the stones, barely visible inscriptions appeared, as if telling ancient stories forgotten for centuries. The atmosphere grew tighter the deeper they went, as if the cave did not welcome guests, but rather swallowed them slowly.
The cave was hollow, with eight pits, and at the bottom of the cave was a small spring.
Arthur said: "A beautiful cave, Erold. Can we get one in the future?"
Erold replied in his mind: "Why didn't you ask for a palace or a house?"
Arthur replied: "I don't know, I felt comfortable here." Erold ignored him and continued his way with Radis until they reached a suspended wooden bridge.
Radis raised his finger: "At the end of this bridge you will find a tavern. The Leader will be there."
Jasmin raised her eyebrow in wonder: "And how will we know him?"
Radis said with total calmness: "He is the one who will appear to you, if he so wishes."
Halfway there, Erold said anxiously to Jasmin: "I feel something… and he felt me at the same moment. Stay behind me, Jasmin."
Erold approached the door, and it began to open slowly until he could distinguish the light coming out from the place. Suddenly, a man somewhat advanced in age, with white hair, a long mustache, and a light beard, attacked him.
Erold blocked the attack, and the clash between them intensified. The old man laughed and said: "Hahahaha… my Little Tiger has returned!"
Erold was stunned, smiled a little, and then said: "K… King of Thieves?"
Jasmin saw the scene, was stunned, and then said in amazement: "What is this madness?!"
From the shock, Erold relaxed his defense, allowing the King of Thieves to knock Erold's weapon to the ground. Then the King of Thieves threw his weapon aside as well. To the shock of the mercenaries who held their swords, the King of Thieves embraced Erold and lifted him off the ground, laughing: "Look! My Tiger has returned! Hahaha!"
Erold said in amazement: "I remembered who Radis is; he is the one who was behind you in the tavern in the Kingdom of Egypt."
The King of Thieves laughed: "You are right, boy, you are right."
The King of Thieves turned to the bandits who were in a state of shock and said: "Lower your swords, or die! You will not be able to kill him; he is my first student and the first to escape me alive."
The bandits wondered and said: "So you are the Little Tiger!"
Erold was annoyed: "No, I still hate that name."
Arthur was inside him, lying on the ground and pained from too much laughter, saying: "My God, this is extremely embarrassing, my Little Tiger!"
Erold was annoyed: "Don't make me come in there and kick your ass."
The King of Thieves looked at Jasmin and said: "Ooh, is this your daughter? Did you go and get married, Tiger?"
Erold: "No, she is not. And my name now is Erold, O King of Thieves."
The King of Thieves collapsed sighing and said: "Why mention that name again? My former rival, after his death, I hated my existence in the Kingdom. I traveled between many lands until I arrived here. I was feeling bored, so I changed my name and entered the war. I wanted to feel that sensation again. I fought many soldiers and killed many; I used to kill without feeling anything. Even after the war, nothing of our enemies remained. At that time, one of the army commanders met me; he wanted me with him. He offered me a percentage of the victory profits in every battle, but at that time I heard nothing but a disturbing voice in my ear. I eventually cut off his head and left. I was not looking for glory; I was looking for amusement. I fought the creatures of darkness hoping to find power in them, but unfortunately, it was to no avail. What happened to you, boy? And I will not let you be called Erold until you are worthy of this name."
The King of Thieves remembered something: "But how did you kill the guards back then? I searched for you, but I found no trace of you."
Erold sat beside him sighing; he told him everything, but he did not mention Arthur or Astra by name, rather he mentioned the Shrine of Knowledge, starting from the death of Erold Lionheart to his end here.
The King of Thieves laughed again, but this time there was a note of sadness and recognition in his laugh: "I know this feeling, running away from a past that runs after you faster than you. But now you are before me—alive, strong, and honest, just as you always were. Come, let's drink something, boy; I won't offer you wine, don't be annoyed."
While Erold and Jasmin were walking with the King of Thieves, the mercenaries and thieves were welcoming Erold, saying: "He used to set you as an example, boy. When someone failed to steal something, he would get angry and say: 'I once had a boy, he wasn't even ten or nine years old, I don't know, but he never failed. And when he did fail, his failure was justified because the one who caught him was someone of my strength.'"
Arthur wondered and said: "The King of Thieves as strong as Erold???"
The King of Thieves sat and offered them food and began drinking, and said: "What about your magic, have you learned how to use it?"
Erold with hesitation: "No, I couldn't do that."
The King of Thieves narrowed his eyes: "What about the Spiritual World?"
In a sharp voice Erold said: "No, either."
The King of Thieves shouted: "How do you dare claim your name as his when you are this weak?! You might be strong in body, but you might meet people who use magic and matrices or even the Spiritual World. Your physical strength will not benefit you then. When was the last time you tried to train seriously?"
Erold calmly: "3 hours ago."
The King of Thieves sighed and said: "What do you want, boy? It seems you didn't come just to see me. Tell me, what do you want?"
Erold firmly: "You're right. I want you to leave here; the village is being harmed by you. Your looting and killing in this region is a danger to them. So please, King of Thieves, leave."
That sparked the anger of the mercenaries and thieves present in the place. The face of the King of Thieves was emotionless; he asked: "And what is your goal in this?"
Erold: "I won't lie to you; I need the Eye of Mystery."
While the mercenaries were shouting at Erold, saying: "Who do you think you are?"
The King of Thieves replied: "So that's it…"
One of the mercenaries stepped forward with his sword to place it on Erold's neck and said: "Who do you think you are, you lowlife? You enter our cave, we welcome you, and you want to drive us out! What do you think, Boss…?"
Blood flying in the place; the King of Thieves cut off his head, saying: "Why do you think I cut off heads when I want to kill someone?"