Sustaining The King's Life 146 Bystander

"You see, I'm just out for fishing that day. I didn't even plan to go anywhere that time—just fishing cause I'm h.e.l.la hungry. Ah? No, I'm not providing for anyone~ I'm living with myself by that time, you see. I'm just your local boy fisherman. But then my boat got washed by the sea monsters too far west—now here I am, beating you up."

Lorenz was sitting in the man's large, muscled shoulder whilst his boot was stepping in his face. He had just finished beating this large man who had provoked him. Lorenz believed his name was… "What was your name again?"

"n.o.bal, you rat…"

Lorenz let out a gleeful laugh. "Ah, n.o.bal, was it?" He exclaimed. "You're speaking nonsense earlier about beating me up. That's just ridiculous. Beat me? The man whose mana cannot be seen? Are you serious?"

n.o.bal, the large man, gritted his teeth. 

"I will beat you… I will beat you for sure."

Lorenz, once more, let out a taunting laugh.

"Beat me? With this broken rib?" Lorenz kicked n.o.bal's rib. "Broken jaw?" He then kicked n.o.bal's facial bones. "And a broken ego?"

"L-Lorenz Schmidt…" n.o.bal exclaimed silently. "I will… for sure… bring you to justice."

Lorenz Schmidt—a notorious thief in Feuersturm who had lurked the capital and n.o.ble's residences, was known for being one thing: chivalry. He was infamous to be a chivalrous thief that would go on around to steal money to those filthy n.o.bles and distribute the money to the slums. 

"Justice? What justice?" Lorenz asked. "Did one of the n.o.bles hire you to hunt me down? Give it up. I'm not going anywhere,"

Lorenz wanted to laugh once more, but he refrained to do so. He didn't want people thinking he was THAT much of a lunatic. He was still sane. Lorenz pressed his boot to the face of n.o.bal, whom he had beat in just a few minutes. They were in the capital's hidden pa.s.sageways, just beyond the alleys. Around Lorenz were n.o.bal's underlings, who were as defeated as their boss. 

"We will bring you to justice, you thief…"

"That again? I'm giving the money to the street children, you know. If anything, those n.o.bles you're serving, are the real thieves." Lorenz said. "They steal from the people—ah, especially the tax collectors. They steal from the people's taxes and establish their own mansions from the money they get. THOSE are the real thieves. If you're that crazy about justice, then you're barking at the wrong tree, Pal."

Lorenz sighed. The mercenary called n.o.bal seemed to be taking Lorenz's words with a grain of salt. Worse, he wasn't buying any of it, despite it being the truth.

"You know, if I'm a REAL thief, I would have had a castle of my own… well, I guess that's a bit of an exaggeration, considering the cost of a castle. But well," Lorenz laughed. "I'm giving all the money to those kids you see that are unseen by the royalty here in Feuersturm."

Lorenz scoffed. 

'The young king that brought Feuersturm to glory? Don't make me laugh,' Lorenz said on the back of his mind. There was no way that was possible. Even with him, who was a foreigner, knew that the certain claim was way too far. It was an exaggeration. They were glorifying this king just because he's young and his family was ma.s.sacred.

"So what? Many had it worse," Lorenz often said. 

Many children all across Earthland are suffering even worse than that young king. There are countless lives lost from the selfishness of the royals, of n.o.bles, and those in power. Children stripped off their family, people being sold as slaves. Lorenz couldn't count how much distortions the world was suffering from—from both political, societal, and fate. 

Lorenz, seeing the street children from the slums, felt so affronted when the people described Alexander Octavius Ein Feuerkrieger IX as the young king who was the harbinger of glory. He felt like these people, who were still suffering from poverty, were nothing but specks of dust to him. 

"That king of yours is arrogant to the bone," Lorenz said. "The n.o.bles you serve love him a lot, right? He's young and easy to manipulate, so they're showering him with compliments now. So when the time comes, he'll grant them favors and let them control him." Lorenz let out a laugh when he saw n.o.bal's brow twitch. "Don't be mad. Anyone do not need to finish Goldenf.a.g's theories or Folkmanor's stories to know this. It's easy-peasy when you look at it in my perspective."

n.o.bal didn't have anything to say—his jaw was broken, after all. Talking would just mean he had to bear with the pain and his already damaged pride. He took the job because it sounded easy. He was just in charge of teaching a chivalrous thief a lesson to know his place. Those n.o.bles he had stolen from hired him and his troupe to have the thief taken alive. 

"We would deliver the final blow. Just bring that Lorenz Schmidt to us alive."

n.o.bal wanted to curse. He got half the sh.e.l.lings, too—and he had already spent them because he believed he would easily get Lorenz. But then his arrogance got the better of him. Now, he's all beat up, his troupe left unconscious—and he has a debt to pay. Those n.o.bles grouped and gave him lots of sh.e.l.lings in high hopes he would capture the notorious thief, Lorenz Schmidt. 

n.o.bal, once again, tried to stand up. But before he could even move more than an inch of his muscle, Lorenz once again broke another bone. 

"I told you, didn't I? I can sense even the slight fluctuate of mana," Lorenz exclaimed whilst stepping on n.o.bal's fingers. "I am mansensitive since my mana is insensible. You think it, I know. You try to move, I know. The mana you've exerted on your fingers—I've sensed them. What in the world are you trying to do? Fight again? Have you not learned your lesson?" 

"Impressive."

Lorenz blinked—who? "Who's there?"

Mana. Lorenz looked for mana—but then, instead of finding one, he was able to be caught off guard as he found himself stumbling back to the floor.

"Wh-what the—"

"Abe, go easy on him." 

A boy with a platinum-colored hair and sapphire jewel eyes stared back at him. Jumping towards his side was a man with paper-white hair and blood-red eyes. Lorenz Schmidt instantly recognized the boy—from the elaborate rich silk, fur and jewels; surcoat, belts of gold, and an irrefutable aura even with his age—there's no mistaking it.

"The king…?"

The boy smiled at Lorenz. "Nice to meet you, Lorenz Schmidt—fabled chivalrous thief." 

"What the h.e.l.l is the young king doing here in an abandoned alley?" Lorenz exclaimed, not hiding his surprise.

"Abe," the young king said with a smile. "Take him."

And with a swift motion, Abe had taken the chivalrous thief, and then they were back in yet another unfamiliar place. Lorenz did not even know how in the world they got into that speed—and how is he not able to resist? Lorenz glanced towards the Albino, Abe. 'His strength is indeed monstrous… as expected of the chosen slave being on the knighthood.'

"Where… are we?" Lorenz asked, but it was already clear. They were on the castle walls. 

"The n.o.bles are after you, Lorenz Schmidt." The king said. "I have a proposal to make to give you both protection, and ability to help those in need."

"Sounds like a scam," Lorenz said without much reluctance. "What the heck are you going to gain from it? Praise, young king? I don't think the praise will outnumber those who will condemn you for taking such a thief into your wing. If this is a trap, I'd gladly head on the cell for you instead of playing your dumb joke. Do you get me? Great. Now can someone lead me the way, or do I have to escort myself?"

Abe stared at Lorenz indifferently, but the king was in all smiles. 

"I want to make you my High Knight,"

Lorenz froze.

"What?" Lorenz let out a dry laugh. "As you know, young king—I'm not fit. I'll just be an observing bystander who does thieving as his main job. I don't think I can be employed with that high job."

The king smiled at Lorenz warmly. "I want you to fill in one of the spots of the Knighthood, even if you're just sworn to be a bystander. You have the strength and the will, after all. You are fit."

Lorenz did not know what to say. Is the king toying with him? 

"Abe, the vice-captain, will be the one to train you." The king said. "I will not take no for an answer. Please do your best and work hard, Lorenz Schmidt."

**

"Aah, the vice-captain. I DID hate him. He made me work hard most of the time. Whenever I attempted to escape my duties, OR escape being part of the knighthood, he would drag me back. I visibly showed my distaste, so I think I'll let you pa.s.s for undermining me, Priestess." Lorenz exclaimed, throwing Sheila's knife athwart the room. "But you see—I am the only one who's mansensitive out of those three. I am the only one who can see the fluctuate of mana at the slightest inch. I KNOW that there is something wrong with you the moment I've seen him in a deep slumber."

Sheila gritted her teeth, drawing away. She was gripping her staff hard. Right now, if she fights Lorenz, then she'll be exposed. And she also won't be able to put Lorenz to a deep slumber if he's mansensitive. He'll always be able to predict her next move!

"Heh. But don't worry about it," 

Sheila's brows furrowed in deep confusion.

"I'm nothing but a bystander, anyway. I'm only here to observe how things will turn out. That's what I said to the king. Thieving will always be my main job. However…" Lorenz looked at Sheila sharply. "I will only say this once. Albinos can sense and smell your blade. An attempt to kill him would wake him instead. If you really wanted to have Abe dead, then you shouldn't try to wake him from his deep slumber. I won't tell anyone, so you should just get out before someone makes a ruckus."

Sheila's creased brow eased as she slowly lowered her staff.

"Why are you helping me?"

Lorenz didn't smile.

"Let's just say I don't want the vice-captain staining his hand to kill the likes of you," Lorenz exclaimed. "The last thing we would want is to have your guts spilled on his bed, wouldn't we?"

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