On the way back to the lodging house, Might collided with a man's shadow that flew around the hallway corner.

Boy
You, you rude idiot, watch where you're going!

Might
Ah, I, I'm sorry.

And, from behind them a masculine voice was chasing after the boy.

Man's Voice
Prince, Prince Werne~, where are you~~...

Boy
This, this is bad...! Hey, you, come here for a moment!

Might
Eh? Ah, umm, for a moment...

The boy pulled him behind one of the pillars.

Man
This is ridiculous, I thought for sure he came here... Really, where in the world did you go? Prince~~...

Boy
Huu... He finally went, really, Fritz is unbearably persistent.

Might
Ah, umm, is it possible, you are the prince...?

Werne
What do you mean "possibly"! Indeed, I am this country's first prince, Werne Claudius, know that, you rude idiot!

Might
E, excuse me, Prince...

Werne
...By the way, who are you. What are you doing here?

Might
I... N, no, I'm Might. I belong to the punitive force against the "silver chaos".

Werne
I see, someone from the punitive force...

That second, a thought flashed through Werne's head.

Werne
That's right! ...Hey, you, hide me with that cloth around your waist when we go out.

Might
Eeh...?

Werne
I want to try and go to town for a little while, but if we leave the royal palace, it'll be annoying if the people around us are troublesome. I need you to cooperate with me for a bit until we get out.

As he said that, Werne quickly removed Might's loincloth, and covered his head with it.

Might
Wa, wait a minute, Prince...!

Werne
Huhuhu... It's a splendid strategy, with this no one will guess I'm the prince.

Might
(It's pretty obvious but...)

Werne
Well, let's go, stop slacking!

Man's Voice
...What are you planning on doing? Your Highness.

Werne
Eek?!

Someone spoke suddenly from behind them, and Werne became disoriented.

Werne
I, I'm not that person, you must have me mistaken for someone else! His Highness went that way awhile ago...

Man
Your Highness, Fritz is searching for you... Stop playing around and making him wait, please hurry back to your room.

Werne reluctantly removed the loincloth and showed himself.

Werne
...My my, you saw through me, as I'd expect, Lorence. It can't be helped, I'll give up on going out today.

Lorence
Yes... That would be best.

Werne looked bored as he left the scene.

Might
(Lorence? Could he possibly be the Lorence...)

Lorence
...You were unfortunate. But, please excuse me, I don't have any ill will in the corridor.

Might
Ah, umm... Could you be... Lorence-san, the leader of the... Knights of the Court?

Since the time Might was a student at the training school, Lorence Lancaster' s, the leader of the Knights of the Court, his fencing ability and pure character were widely known.

Lorence
? ...Certainly, I am Lorence... And you are?

Might
I am Might of the punitive force. Umm... I want to ask you a question.

Lorence
Me...?

Might applied for an audience with the king through Lorence. By any means, he wanted to speak about the event of the financial affairs department 7 years ago that Hector told him about.

When Might met with King Sergei Claudius, he told him all the stories he had heard from Hector.

Sergei finished listening to all of Might's stories, nodding his head deeply several times.

King
I see... As I thought.

Might
Eh...?

King
I've heard stories of the financial bureau not being good, and for a long time I've heard rumors... About that event 7 years ago.

Lorence who was holding back continued nearby.

Lorence
Though we kept a secret investigation, we couldn't grasp any positive proof easily. I never thought the recent assassination were related to that...

King
Might, was it... Can I trust you with this matter? We must sweep away injustice in the royal palace. ...In the name of the king.

Might
Y, yes... That...

King
Understood, that man called "Hector" doesn't seem to be bad.

Might
Th, thank you very much.

Might was convinced that his own actions were just. On the other hand, he continued to believe firmly that the kingdom was righteous, and his feelings became warm in his chest.

King
Nevertheless...

As he said that, the King took a long hard look at Might's face.

Might
(What is his Majesty doing... Is there something about my face?)

King
...Nevermind, I'm sorry, you look a lot like someone I knew.

Might
Y, yes...

King
...Judging from appearances, you're about the same age as Werne. It's quite praiseworthy for someone to join the punitive force at such a young age.

Might
I, it's, it's nothing...

King
If only Werne was as level-headed as you. He still has a ways to go before he grows up...

Might
...

He couldn't say anything following that, he took in the close words from the King, and hung his head as he listened...

That night, Might was in his room of the lodging house, when he noticed some noise outside the window.

Might
Hnn? ...What's that?

He took a stance and watched the window. Though he never thought so, it was because demons might attack.

Might
(...It's not good to think too much...)

And, that moment. Werne jumped into the room from the window.

Might
P, Prince...?!

Werne
So, this was your room? Ok, I'm going to hide here for awhile with you.

Might
H, hide... Did something happen?

Werne
No, there's a party in the royal palace, but I hate the formalities. I had to run away because it was getting troublesome.

Might
(Wh, what is that...)

Werne
...Ah~ ah, I can be like you, too. I can go anywhere I want when I like.

Might
(...I thought I would envy the Prince for being this way, but...)

Being raised in an orphanage and training school, he couldn't understand the dissatisfaction Werne felt as a prince. His face was seen through, and Werne's expression became sullen.

Werne
Ah... Were you just thinking that I was a selfish person?

Might
Eh? ...N, no, it's nothing like that...

Werne
...It's all right. I'm getting used to people talking behind my back.

Might
Y, yeah...

Werne
...I may certainly be rich, but I don't have the freedom to go where I want to go or do what I want to do. I want to see the world on the outside more freely...

Might
Prince...

Werne
So that's why I envy you. You have freedom, I want to have freedom too.

Might thought he understood Werne's feelings just a little. He didn't understand with his body, but he understood having his freedom taken away.

Might came to want to make Werne feel at least an air of freedom. Of course, he couldn't directly take him out. So, he opened his mouth.

Might
...Prince, have you been to the Silver Training School?

Werne
No, I know it's near here, but I haven't gone. What kind of place is it? Tell me.

Might told about various memories and friends at the training school and orphanage, because Werne begged so. Even if it was natural to Might, it was a whole new world of adventure to Werne. His eyes brightened up as he listened to the stories.

...The stories that Might told excited Werne very much. After that, Werne would visit Might whenever he found free time.

Several days after that, Might was summoned to the King's room. The King he was meeting with was postured with half his body raised on the bed.

Might
Your Majesty, are you feeling ill...?

King
Hmm... Forgive me, for not being in good condition...

The servants had cleared out of the room, leaving only the two of them.

King
The truth is, Might... I have a fatal disease... I don't seem to have much more time.

Might
Eh...?!

King
Right now, only Lorence and a few senior statesmen know. It's useless to tell others.

Might
It, it can't... You Majesty...

King
My older brother fell to this disease too... There's no mistake. It's already been determined.

Might
Your Majesty...

King
So, Might... I want to entrust you as Werne's bodyguard. I want you to be by Werne to support him when I'm not here.

Might
M, me, Werne's bodyguard?

King
Up until now, he hasn't had anyone of the same age group to call a friend... So, he'll be excited if you're there...

Might
...

Might was at a loss to answer. He didn't hate Werne, and he wanted to become powerful. And he was worried about the king's illness he just heard about a little bit ago. But, if he left the punitive force he would lose his clues to find Adonis, too.

Might
I, I...

The king stood up from the bed, and gently clapped Might's shoulder.

King
...I know you're searching for you friend, I don't expect an answer right now. Just...

Might
(Eh...?)

The King pulled Might's face to him, and gently kissed his lips.

Might
(...!)

Might instinctively stiffened at the sudden incident.

King
I'm sorry to do that so suddenly... I want you to be by my side as Werne's bodyguard, Might. Please think it over thoroughly...

After he left ahead of the king, Might felt like he was in some sort of a dream.

Might
(His Majesty wants me to do those sort of things...)

His heartbeat quickens.

He's surprised.

He thought back of the King and himself again. Though he was just surprised at first, now his chest was throbbing.

It was a mysterious feeling he hadn't had before... That feeling ruled a part of Might.

He thought back of the King and himself again. He suddenly felt hot.

Might
(Anyway... I'll just think about doing my best in the punitive force right now, and the bodyguard service after that)

Though he tried to cheer himself up, there were too many various things, and his mind was becoming panicked.

That night, while Might was patrolling the royal palace, he happened to come across Werne. However, is appearance was strange somehow.

Might
Prince... What are you doing at this time?

Werne
Umm... You might say, well, that is...

Might
...? Did something happen?

Werne
...He, hey, Might, I want you to listen to me as a man... N, no, there's something I want you to see... Come with me!

He seemed to be at his wit's end as he said that, and he pulled Might by his hand quickly.

Might
Wa, wait, Prince...!

Werne led Might to the rear garden of the royal palace in the complete dark.

Might
What's in a place like this?

Werne
Shh... Peek in here for a second.

From the open window, Werne peeked slightly into the room from behind the curtain.

Might
This room...?

Might
Eh...?!

An intense, passionate love affair was happening there.

Might
Wh, what are you doing! Prince!!

Werne
...Did, did you see it, Might?

Might
Don't say "Did you see it"! You shouldn't look at that!!

Might grabbed Werne as he panicked and ran away.

Might didn't stop for breath until they finally reached Werne's room.

Might
Geez, already... If you think about what you were peeking at...

Werne
H, hey, Might... What was that?

Might
Eh? ...E, even if I could say anything...

Werne
Didn't you think what you saw was strange?

Might
Strange? ...What is?

Werne
Unn. Ah, what. That.

Might
...?

Werne
...Weren't the lower half of their bodies strange?

Might
(Is, is it possible that the prince...)

Might finally understood the circumstances. Werne didn't seem to have any knowledge concerning this at all. Now that he understood, he reacted this time with a suddenly with a pleasant feeling.

Werne
If you don't think it's strange, then does that mean I'm strange?! Perhaps, it's some sort of sickness?

Might
It's all right... Anyone can do that.

Werne
Re, really? ...You can too?

Might
Well, y, yes... So please feel at ease, Prince.

Werne
I see... I'm relieved to hear that. But, on one occasion the symptoms weren't settled for awhile, what do you do to be at peace?

Might
Th, that... is... difficult to say, so I'll tell you next time.

Might deceived him well enough, and ran away from Werne's room.

Might
(...That's right, if I told him about those kind of things, it'd take a turn for the worst)

Might somehow thought of Werne like an innocent little brother.

The next day, Might decided to go check on Werne secretly.

Might
(Prince... Are you being obedient today?)

Might quietly opened the door to the prince's room, and tried to peek inside.

Werne was studying in his own room... But, he didn't seem to be entirely in his body right now. He stared blankly with his book open, and his hand didn't move at all.

Might
(...Is that strange? ...What is he pre-occupied with?)

His tutor, Fritz, called out in an unbearable voice.

Fritz
Prince Werne... Please study properly with a focused mind.

Werne
Ah, yeah...

However, Werne was still absent-minded as he suddenly blurted out those words.

Werne
...Father, and Fritz, and everyone agree that I have to grow up...

Fritz
Yes? ...What was that? Prince?

Fritz didn't understand at all.

Might
(Th, this is big, the prince is thinking about those things again...)

At that time, Werne noticed Might peeking in, and he rushed away to another room.

Werne
What are you doing there? It's ok for you to come here. I still want to hear about that stuff from yesterday.

Might
N, no, I, I have to go to a meeting for the punitive force... E, excuse me!

Once again, Might ran away from the scene.

Werne
H, hey, wait a minute!

After Werne became confused, he ran after him.

Fritz
P, Prince? Where are you going~~...

And furthermore, Fritz ran after them. As Werne began to become self-conscious, he realized he didn't know where he stopped.

Might lost Werne somehow and came to the dining hall. Lorence gathered Might and Leica and broke the ice.

Lorence
...The demon's movement is becoming active in a town to the east. It seems there are sightings of the "silver chaos" person as well.

Leica
...Don't forget, it's only rumors.

Lorence
That's certainly true, but there is no other way now but to except to investigate every possible piece of information. This time, you will come as members of my troops.

Might
Even so... Don't we have too few people?

Lorence
When moving a large army, there are many cases where their movement can be sensed and they can run away. I've only chosen the matchless fighters but... How about it?

Leica
Well, that's fine, I'm tired of the tedious work of patrolling the royal palace and such. Let's do our best to fulfill those hopes... Na, Might?

Might
Y, yeah...

Might
(The "silver chaos" is sure to know something about Adonis' whereabouts... I absolutely have to find a clue)

Thus, with every member holding their desires, Might and the others began their trip to the eastern town.
