Light returned home, his steps heavy.
Eisa, who had just set the table, looked up with a smile.
"Brother, you're back? Come, lunch is ready."
But Light didn't respond. His mind was still trapped in Jane's harsh words, echoing like knives in his chest. Without a word, he walked past her and headed upstairs.
Eisa frowned, watching him disappear. What's wrong with him…?
Worried, she picked up the phone and dialed Karem.
"Hello, Karem? Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Karem replied. "Why, what happened?"
"I just wanted to ask about Light. He was with you earlier, wasn't he?"
"Yeah," Karem said.
"He seems… upset. Did something happen?"
"I'm not sure," Karem answered after a pause. "He left the restaurant a few hours ago. We had breakfast together and talked about the past. That's it. He just said he was going home."
"A few hours ago?" Eisa blinked. "But he only came home just now."
"Hmm… maybe he went somewhere else after leaving the restaurant. Or maybe talking about the war brought back old memories. Don't worry too much—he'll be fine."
"Um, okay…" Eisa murmured, still uneasy.
"Wait," Karem said quickly. "I'll come over and talk to him myself."
Karem arrived at the mansion and went straight upstairs. He found Light standing silently on the balcony, staring out at the fading sky.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Karem asked, stepping closer.
Light turned, startled. "Huh? Karem… what are you doing here?"
"Eisa called me," Karem said calmly. "She said you seemed upset. What happened?"
Light hesitated, then let out a slow breath. "When I was coming home…"
"Yes?" Karem prompted.
"Do you remember that girl from the academy? Jane. The one who was always quiet, kept her headphones on, never really talked to anyone?"
Karem's brows lifted. "Yeah, that weird girl. Why?"
Light frowned. "She wasn't weird."
"Alright, fine," Karem said quickly. "So? What about her?"
"I saw her today… on the street. Then suddenly, some bandits came and kidnapped her right in front of me. I chased them down and managed to save her."
Karem crossed his arms. "That sounds like a good thing. You helped her. Why are you so upset, then?"
Light's hands tightened on the balcony railing. His voice dropped. "Because when I saw those men about to… to rape her, something snapped inside me. I lost control. I didn't just fight them—I slaughtered them. Brutally. Most of them were just ordinary humans."
Karem sighed. "Well… that's not good. You should've stopped them and called the police."
Light rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, but I don't know what happened to me. I just snapped. I killed them in anger."
Karem tried to sound comforting. "They were bandits. Still, you don't need to beat yourself up over it."
Light's jaw tightened. "Maybe, but I think there might be more bandits. They won't leave her alone. It felt like they wanted something from Jane. They might come back."
"So what now?" Karem asked.
Light's eyes hardened. "I followed Jane after I left the station. I found out where she lives. I'm going to watch her place, see who comes and goes. If any other bandits men come, I'll deal with them."
Karem's face went serious. "Stop. Don't do that. Focus on your training and your duties. If you want to be king someday, you can't start playing vigilante. Leave this to the police."
Light shook his head. "No. For some reason, she refused to file a complaint. I can't trust that the police will protect her. I have to handle this myself."
Karem said, "Alright, fine. You'll do this. But then who's going to handle your Kaiju Combat Team? You already took ten days off for training."
He paused, then added, "Honestly, I still don't understand why you joined the Kaiju Combat Team in the first place, even though you're the prince of the Central Kingdom."
Light replied, "I joined because I want to become strong by fighting real battles—not by hiding in the palace and relying on special training."
He continued, "And as for the leave, Hikari and Lothar will handle the team."
At the royal office, Hikari stepped out of the king's room and ran into Aldric and Alric—the twins from the Twins Family. This was a family where most children were born as twins, and they possessed a special ability that allowed them to push their Voltra up to 100x. However, using this power drastically reduced their lifespan, which is why very few members of the family had ever used it—most lost their lives when they did.
Aldric said, "Hey Hikari, we heard you fought a mysterious Kaiju that could talk?"
Hikari replied, "Hi Aldric, Alric. Yes, it was a tough fight. Thanks to Lothar, we were able to take that Kaiju down. Anyway, how's your team doing?"
Alric said, "We're doing great. We managed to take down a few ordinary Kaijus."
Hikari said, "By the way, where's Mariel?"
Aldric replied, "She's taking a break. She said she has some personal business to handle."
Hikari nodded. "Ohh."
Then Lyra arrived.
"Hi Hikari, you're back?"
Hikari replied, "Hi Lyra. Yes, I'm back at the team. But Light is still absent. Lothar is back as well. By the way, what are you doing here?"
Lyra said, "I came here to meet my father."
Hikari nodded. "Ohh, okay."
Lyra hesitated. "Um… I never really got the chance to say sorry. Suddenly, during the graduation party, the Kaiju attack happened."
Hikari asked, "Sorry? For what?"
Lyra said, "For my brother Kira's behavior. He said some very harsh things to you and blamed you because of your so-called cruel bloodline."
Hikari replied, "It's fine. I'm used to it anyway."
Lyra looked at her and said, "It must be really hard for you… Wherever you go, people look at you with hatred. And because of your family's sins, they hate you too."
Hikari said, "Like I said, I'm used to it. And one day I will prove to everyone that just because my family was cruel doesn't mean all Dreakors are cruel."
She continued, "That's why I joined the Kaiju Combat Team—to prove it. To help people and show them the truth."
End of chapter.