Chapter 5: Silver-haired Knight

Mel Carlo arrived at the street where Lily was begging.

Now his stomach was hungry and starting to ache.

He really wanted to eat something, but he didn’t dare to take out his purse recklessly.

Who knew if there were eyes hidden in the shadows? Or if that female guard was still following him? These were risks he had to eliminate.

If this was his previous life, after running so far, it was unlikely anyone would catch up.

But in this fantasy world, that female guard chased him down with a doll in tow.

If it weren’t for the 100 slots in his Storage Space, his hand might have been chopped off just now.

“Mel, you’re here.”

The bowl in front of Lily was empty, but she was smiling happily.

It was clear she’d gotten something good while begging.

“Mm, why are you so happy? Did you get something nice?”

“Mel, come with me, I’ll tell you in secret.”

Lily walked into a nearby alley and pulled an entire loaf of bread from under her clothes.

It was a golden wheat baguette, completely different from those sour and smelly black breads.

Mel Carlo swallowed.

He wasn’t short of money now, but it was safer not to expose his wallet and keep it in the system space.

Gurururu~

At that moment, his stomach grumbled.

“Mel, you’re hungry too, right? Last night you gave us all your bread to eat.”

Lily broke the bread in half, hiding the other half in her arms.

Needless to say, that part was for Akai.

But where did that kid run off to now? Wasn’t he supposed to beg with Lily?

Mel Carlo took the half baguette and bit into it, chewing slowly.

It wasn’t very soft, but it was fragrant.

Bite after bite, he already wanted to drink water—the bread was just too dry.

“Thank you, Lily. Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I want to share the rest with Akai.”

“Wasn’t Akai with you just now? Where did he go?”

After eating a bit to fill his stomach, Mel Carlo finally asked.

“Akai went to steal something.”

Lily replied softly.

“Didn’t he say he didn’t want to? Why did he go anyway?!”

Mel felt a headache coming.

Was that kid really going to go down the wrong path? If he’d never stolen before, it was best to never start.

He had his own thoughts, too, wanting to at least protect these two kids’ innocence.

After a brief discussion, they decided to wait for Akai to return.

—

At that moment, Akai, after a long inner struggle, still decided to go against his conscience.

If he truly wanted to protect his companions, he had to steal money.

He could endure one beating, but what about two or three? Lily and Mel didn’t seem like the type to withstand much, so he had to do it.

It was his first time doing such a thing, and his heart was pounding with tension.

He kept looking around, afraid of being discovered.

Even though he’d chosen a target, he still couldn’t bring himself to act.

He slowly approached, convincing himself over and over—just steal something from the shop, then run.

The moment Akai reached out, a large hand grabbed his small one.

He panicked and tried to pull away, muttering, “I’m sorry…”

He didn’t dare open his eyes.

No matter if it was a fist or a slap next, he knew he deserved it.

But the beating he imagined didn’t come.

Instead, the grip on his hand loosened.

He opened his eyes.

The man holding him was a true knight—silver-white armor, dazzling silver hair, and a gentle smile without much blame on his face.

The silver-haired knight turned to the shop in front of them and spoke kindly to the owner.

“Wrap up those pastries for me, and add more bread, please. Thank you.”

He took a silver coin from his purse and tossed it onto the counter.

The shopkeeper quickly packed a whole bag of food for him.

“Take it, kid! Don’t do this again. It’s your first time, right?”

The silver-haired knight stuffed a whole bag of bread into Akai’s arms.

Akai stared blankly.

He looked at the knight, thinking what a handsome man he was.

Under the sunlight, that silver hair seemed to glow.

He hugged the bread tighter.

The knight from stories he admired stood alive before him.

“Mm.”

Akai nodded.

“All right, go now. I have other things to do, so I won’t take you home.”

The silver-haired knight was about to turn away when Akai called out.

“Can you help me? Sir Knight, my friends and I are being controlled by a gang. If I don’t steal money, I’ll be beaten when I go back.”

Akai lowered his head, feeling ashamed.

Saying this felt like asking for too much.

But if this knight was willing to help, maybe he could take Lily away.

As long as they didn’t have to beg on the streets, anything would be fine.

The silver-haired knight seemed to hear him.

“A gang in the Royal Capital? I’ve heard about them…”

The man stroked his chin.

At that moment, a violent explosion echoed from within the city.

Flames rose on the other side of town.

The silver-haired knight had no time to think, rushing toward the explosion, leaving Akai standing alone.

Dangerous elements had mixed into the Royal Capital.

Akai didn’t stay.

He clutched the bread and ran toward the street where Lily was begging.

With so much food, Lily and Mel would surely be happy.

—

After running for a while, he saw Lily and Mel resting on the steps.

“Lily! Mel!”

Akai hugged the bread and ran over.

“Akai!”

Lily jumped up, pulling out the half-baguette she’d hidden.

When the two stopped, Mel Carlo was shocked at the bag of food.

“Did you rob a bakery?”

“No, I met a very kind knight. He gave it to me. Enough talking, let’s eat.”

Akai laughed and scratched his head.

His golden hair matched his smile.

Lily didn’t seem as happy.

“I was saving half a loaf to eat with Akai, but I didn’t expect Akai to be even more amazing than me.”

“It’s fine. It’s all the same. Let’s eat.”

Akai grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it into his mouth.

This soft, fragrant bread was freshly baked today.

Mel Carlo also started eating.

Even though a six-year-old’s stomach couldn’t hold much, they’d been hungry for a while.

Though they’d managed to fill their bellies a bit, hunger still lingered.

Lily brightened, picking up bread to eat.

There were also many pastries inside—the kinds she’d never tasted before.

—

After the three ate their fill, more than half the food remained.

It was impossible to finish in one meal, but if they took it all back, the gang members would surely notice.

As the three rested, the chubby kid who’d snatched food last night reappeared, eyeing the food in their hands greedily.

When people are hungry, it’s hard to stay rational.