The Silver-haired Knight

Mel Carlo arrived at the street where Lily begged.

His stomach was painfully empty. He desperately wanted something to eat, but he did not dare take out his purse so recklessly.

Who knew whether there were eyes watching from the shadows? Or whether the female guard might be following him? Those were risks that had to be ruled out.

If this had been his previous life, after running that far, it would have been almost impossible for anyone to catch up with him. But in this fantasy world, the female guard had caught up with him while carrying Doll.

If he had not had a hundred-slot storage space, one of his hands would probably have been chopped off already.

"Mel, you're here."

Although the bowl in front of Lily was empty, she was smiling brightly. She had clearly gotten something good while begging.

"Yeah. Why are you so happy? Did you get something good?"

"Mel, come with me. I'll tell you quietly." Lily walked into a nearby alley and pulled an entire breadstick from beneath her clothes.

It was a golden wheat loaf, completely different from those sour, foul-smelling black breads.

Mel Carlo swallowed. He was not short on money now, but he could not expose his purse. To be safe, it was better kept in the System space.

Grrrrr~

His stomach chose that moment to growl unhelpfully.

"Mel, you're hungry too, right? You gave us all your bread last night." Lily broke the bread in half, hid one half back against her chest, and kept the other out. Needless to say, the hidden half was for Akai.

But where had that kid Akai run off to? Hadn't he been told to beg with Lily?

Mel Carlo took the half breadstick and immediately began eating in large bites, chewing it carefully. It was not very soft, but it was fragrant.

After swallowing several bites, he already wanted water. This bread was far too dry.

"Thanks, Lily. Aren't you eating?"

"I want to eat the rest with Akai."

"Wasn't Akai with you just now? Where did he go?" Only after eating a little to fill his stomach did Mel Carlo ask about it.

"Akai went to steal something," Lily answered softly.

"Didn't he say he didn't want to? Why did he go anyway?!" Mel felt a headache coming on. Was that kid going to stray down the wrong path? If he had never stolen before, then it was best never to start.

He had originally had some thoughts about it—at the very least, he wanted to protect the innocence of these two children.

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

Meanwhile, after a long struggle, Akai had decided to go against his own wishes. If he truly wanted to protect his companions, then he had to steal money.

He could endure one beating with a whip, but what about two or three? Neither Lily nor Mel looked like the type who could take a beating, so he had to do it.

It was his first time doing something like this, and he was nervous to the extreme. He kept looking around, afraid of being discovered. Even after choosing a target, he still could not bring himself to act.

He slowly approached, constantly reassuring himself. He just had to steal something from the shop, then run away immediately.

The instant Akai reached out, a large hand grabbed his small one. He tried to pull free in panic, muttering, "I'm sorry..."

He did not dare open his eyes. Whether fists, kicks, or slaps came next, he deserved them.

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But the beating he imagined never came. Instead, the grip on his hand loosened considerably.

He opened his eyes.

The man holding him was a true knight. Silver-white armor, dazzling silver hair—the man smiled gently, with little reproach on his face.

The Silver-haired Knight turned toward the shop in front of them and said gently to the owner, "Pack up some of each of those pastries for me. And give me more bread as well. Thank you."

He took out a silver coin from his purse and tossed it onto the counter. The shop owner quickly packed him a whole bag of food.

"Take it, kid! Don't do this sort of thing again. This is your first time doing it too, isn't it?" The Silver-haired Knight stuffed the entire bag of bread into Akai's arms.

Akai was a little dazed as he looked at the Silver-haired Knight. He really was a handsome man. Under the sunlight, that silver hair seemed to glow.

He hugged the bread more tightly.

The knight he had dreamed of in stories had appeared alive before his eyes.

"Mm." Akai nodded.

"All right, go on. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't take you home."

The Silver-haired Knight was about to turn and leave when Akai called out to him. "Can you help me, Sir Knight? My friends and I are controlled by the Imperial City Gang. If I don't steal money, I'll be beaten when I go back." Akai lowered his head. He felt ashamed; asking for this much was somewhat overstepping.

But if this knight was willing to help them, perhaps he could take Lily away. As long as they did not have to beg on the streets, they could do anything.

The Silver-haired Knight seemed to hear him. "The Imperial City Gang? I've heard of them..."

The man stroked his chin. Just then, a violent explosion rang out from within the city, followed by flames rising from the other side of the district.

The Silver-haired Knight had no time to think further. He ran swiftly toward the source of the explosion, leaving Akai standing there in a daze.

Dangerous elements had infiltrated the Imperial Capital.

Akai did not linger either. Hugging the bread, he ran toward the street where Lily begged. With so much food, Lily and Mel would definitely be happy to see it.

After running wildly for some time, he saw Lily and Mel resting on the steps.

"Lily! Mel!" Akai hurried over with the bread in his arms.

"Akai!" Lily quickly stood up and took out the half bread she had hidden against her chest.

When the two stopped and set down the bags of food they carried, Mel Carlo was stunned. "Did you rob a bakery?"

"No. I met a very kind knight, and he gave me all this. Don't ask, just eat." Akai smiled and scratched his head. His golden hair suited his smile perfectly.

Lily did not seem very happy. "I saved half a loaf of bread so I could eat it with Akai, but I didn't expect Akai to be so much more capable than me."

"It's fine. It's all the same. Let's eat." Akai picked up a loaf and stuffed it into his mouth. This soft, fragrant bread had been freshly baked today.

Mel Carlo also picked up some bread and began eating. Though the stomach of a six-year-old could not hold much, they had been hungry for quite some time. They had filled their stomachs a little during that period, but they had ultimately remained hungry.

Lily also shook off her gloom and began eating bread. There were many pastries inside as well, delicacies she had never eaten before.

After the three had eaten their fill, more than half the bag of food remained. They certainly could not finish it all in one meal, but if they simply brought the food back, they would definitely not escape the notice of the gang members.

As the three rested, Chubby, who had snatched food from them last night, appeared again. Looking at the food in their hands, he began to stir restlessly once more.

It was difficult for people to remain rational when they were hungry.

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