In the days following the wave of crimes, the royal court issued an extraordinary decree:
Every noble in Valeria would be assigned a personal guard from the Royal Private Order —
an elite force that answered only to the high-ranking Royal Knights,
their badges earned through the Trial of Three Deaths.
It was a clear message:
In Ophyria anyone foolish enough to challenge a Royal Knight was either an idiot… or a dead man walking.
And for a while, fear returned to its proper place.
But it only took three days… for everything to unravel.
⸻
[Valeria's Golden District – Midday]
The afternoon sun danced over polished glass and gilded storefronts.
Shoppers moved with grace. Guards stood like statues.
Everything felt under control — until something disappeared that should never have vanished.
"The display was untouched… all but one."
The jeweler's voice trembled as he stared at the opened case.
"The crown's blue gem! The rarest in all of Ophyria!"
He slammed the counter in disbelief.
No glass was broken.
No locks were forced.
And no one saw the thief — save for a single glimpse.
"Someone said they saw a Royal Knight leave moments before,"
a witness offered hesitantly.
"A knight?!"
The commander snapped, eyes narrowing.
"Do you dare accuse a Royal Knight of theft?!"
But the witness didn't back down — not yet.
"He wore the Black Hawk insignia… same as the ones in the emperor's parade yesterday."
Silence fell like a sword.
The Black Hawk… a badge worn only by the emperor's personal knights.
⸻
Far from the commotion, in a shaded alley behind the market, a young man pulled off a heavy cloak and wiped his brow.
"Didn't think I'd get away that easily,"
he chuckled, pulling the stolen gem from his pocket.
Lucas.
His face no longer bore the mask of a knight — it shifted back to its original form:
sharp eyes, a faded scar under his left eye, and a grin that always spelled trouble.
"All for her…"
he whispered, gazing at the gem with a softness no thief should wear.