Inside the cottage, the boss stood with his arms folded, a serious expression etched onto his face. His tanned skin and slightly unruly brown hair gave him a rugged appearance as he surveyed the map laid out on the small wooden table before him. Stubby, with his stocky build and a noticeable scar running down his cheek, stood beside him, while two other men, Angelo and Toru, flanked them. Each of them wore expressions of varying intensity as they listened closely to the boss.

Pointing to the map, the boss traced a line with his finger. "This is where we are," he said, his voice steady as he indicated their location in the woods. Then, sliding his hand to another part of the map, he pointed at a road that snaked its way toward the Balmount Kingdom. "And this is the path leading to the kingdom."

Angelo, with a furrowed brow, spoke up, breaking the silence. "Boss, something doesn't add up." All eyes turned toward him as he stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the map. "Those knights claim there have been robberies along this path, right?" he asked, tapping the road on the map.

"Yes," the boss replied, his tone curious.

Angelo continued, "But doesn't it seem strange that the knights haven’t done anything about it? And look—" he pointed out sections of the map. "This pathway is far from where we are. If we were truly the ones stealing from people, there are knights stationed at every major point along the road."

Stubby, standing with his arms crossed, gave Angelo a sideways glance. "How do you know that?"

Angelo looked back at him. "Before we moved here, the king issued that decree. The knights were to guard the path, especially because of the beasts that had been showing up."

The boss, deep in thought, nodded. "That’s right. The king ordered guards along the path to ensure the safety of travelers. There were too many reports of beasts back then."

Angelo finished his thought. "Exactly. So, if those knights are really guarding the roads, how can there be robberies? It doesn’t make sense."

Stubby grunted in agreement. "We haven’t been near that road in a long time. None of us have… except one." He turned his gaze to Toru, who had remained quiet up until now.

Toru, feeling the attention shift to him, raised his hands defensively. "What? I haven’t done anything."

Angelo smirked. "You’re the only one who’s been traveling to the kingdom and back."

Stubby chuckled, punching Toru lightly on the shoulder. "You’ve been sneaking off to meet some lady, haven’t you?"

Toru’s face flushed. "I haven’t been with any woman!"

The boss, unable to hold back a grin, leaned in. "Then what about those letters you’ve been hiding?"

Angelo, trying to suppress his laughter, chimed in. "Love letters, right?"

Toru groaned. "You told them?" He glared at Angelo, who was barely holding back a laugh.

Stubby leaned in closer to Toru, his expression playful but firm. "If only I could get a love letter from a woman."

The boss cleared his throat, cutting through the laughter. "Enough. This isn’t the time for lovers' quarrels." Toru muttered something under his breath, but the boss continued, now serious again. "Have you noticed anything unusual while traveling the road?"

Toru shrugged. "Nothing. No knights. No suspicious activity. Just the usual traffic."

The boss frowned. "That’s strange."

Stubby, ever practical, asked, "So what do we do now? The knights won’t lift a finger, and they’re looking for someone to blame."

The boss’s eyes sharpened as he looked over the map again. "We catch them in the act. We’ll wait for them to make their move, then we strike."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to do that? They’ll be hiding in the bushes or something."

Angelo grinned, teasingly. "Can you climb a tree, Toru?"

Toru shot him a look but said nothing. The boss, satisfied with the plan, nodded. "We’ll need to move quickly. Us and ten other men should be enough to handle whatever we encounter."

Angelo glanced at the boss. "What about the kid? Rapheal could be useful."

Stubby shook his head, frowning. "We can’t bring a kid into this."

The boss, leaning back, crossed his arms. "Rapheal’s not just any kid. He’s a beastkin. Stronger than most of our men, I’d wager. But we can’t force him."

Angelo smirked. "He’s a fox beastkin. He’ll be able to help."

Toru, ever the practical one, chimed in. "We should test him first."

Stubby was about to protest again when the boss raised a hand. "We’ll test him. If the boy wants to join, he can. But if he doesn’t, we leave him out of it." He smiled faintly, and Angelo’s grin widened, while Stubby just sighed in reluctant agreement.

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Elara and Raphael returned, walking through the familiar grounds of their hideout. As usual, it was Elara doing most of the talking, her cheerful voice filling the air while Raphael remained quietly attentive. They were nearing the camp when a loud commotion greeted them—shouts and cheers from the men, not unusual for a fight or a bet. But something felt different this time.

Intrigued, Elara quickened her pace, with Raphael following closely behind. As they got closer, they spotted a group of men surrounding an intense scene—two figures in the center, locked in combat. The hails and cheers were directed at none other than their boss, shirtless and drenched in sweat, his chiseled muscles gleaming under the sunlight as he swung a wooden sword. His opponent? Stubby, who matched him in physicality with a broad, firm build. Stubby was also shirtless, wearing the same brown shorts, but his frame was bulkier, his sweat-drenched form brimming with power as he wielded his own wooden sword.

The men surrounding the fight were divided in their shouts—some cheering for the boss, others for Stubby. Among them, Angelo stood silently, observing the battle with crossed arms. Noticing Elara and Raphael approaching, he gave a grin, but the noise was too loud for a proper conversation.

Elara tapped Angelo’s shoulder, forcing him to turn his attention. “What’s going on here?” she asked, but the noise drowned her voice. Angelo shouted back, “Just training!” before returning his gaze to the sparring match.

Elara’s eyes widened as she watched. The boss swung his sword low, aiming for Stubby’s legs, but Stubby leaped up just in time, barely dodging the strike. In response, Stubby brought his sword down in a swift, powerful arc, aiming to hit the boss’s head. The boss, with lightning-fast reflexes, blocked the strike just before it connected, the wooden blades clashing with a loud crack. Both men recoiled, breathing heavily but grinning through the exhaustion.

The air was thick with excitement as the men around them shouted even louder. "Come on, Stubby!" one of them yelled, while others called for the boss to finish him off.

"You haven't improved much since last time," the boss taunted, wiping sweat from his brow, his smirk challenging.

Stubby grinned back, pointing his weapon at the boss. “You wanna bet on that?” he growled, adjusting his stance. He hadn't noticed Elara watching from the sidelines, her expression tinged with concern as she focused on Stubby.

The boss, noticing her gaze, smirked. “Alright, Stubby. Show me what you’ve got.”

The men roared with excitement as both fighters lunged at each other, weapons flashing. Their wooden swords clashed again and again, rapid strikes and counterattacks filling the space with the sound of wood meeting wood. Stubby, with his brute strength, aimed to land a decisive blow, swinging his sword in an arc too fast to follow. The boss dodged, but not without consequence—Stubby’s blade grazed his hair, sending a small tuft fluttering to the ground.

Stubby clicked his tongue in frustration, the small victory barely satisfying him. Before he could capitalize on the moment, the boss retaliated, delivering a sharp kick to Stubby’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Stubby staggered back, but as the boss went for a clean hit, Stubby dodged just in time. The fight was relentless, and Raphael watched with wide eyes, captivated by the intensity.

He tugged at Elara’s sleeve, breaking her focus from Stubby. She leaned down to hear him over the noise. “Where did they learn to fight like that?” Raphael asked, his voice filled with awe. Elara was about to respond when a sudden uproar from the crowd made them both turn their attention back to the fight.

The boss, with swift precision, struck Stubby’s weapon with such force that the wooden sword snapped in two. Stubby’s eyes widened as the remaining half of his weapon flew from his hand. He instinctively tried to counterattack with what little was left, aiming for the boss’s head. But the boss anticipated the move, his own wooden blade flashing through the air and stopping just short of Stubby’s neck. The fight was over.

For a moment, there was silence. The men around them stopped shouting, all eyes on the two fighters. Stubby, still holding the broken half of his sword, sighed in defeat. The boss, panting, lowered his weapon and said with a breathless grin, “That’s my win.”

A beat passed before the men erupted into cheers, louder than before. Angelo, who had been watching with a quiet smirk, finally joined in, clapping for the boss. Stubby, still catching his breath, extended a hand to the boss, lifting his arm in acknowledgment of his victory. The crowd’s shouts grew even more deafening as they celebrated.

Elara sighed in relief, though she still wore a small frown. Raphael, meanwhile, remained wide-eyed, completely absorbed in the fight he had just witnessed.

As the dust settled from the intense spar, the boss and Stubby sat down near a shaded tree, tending to their bruises. The other men around them continued with their own training, the clinking of wooden swords and shouts echoing through the clearing. Sweat trickled down the boss's face as he wrapped a cloth around his arm. Stubby leaned back, holding a bandage to his chest where the boss had landed a solid blow.

Elara approached them, her brow furrowed, her lips pursed in clear disapproval. "Why must everything with you men always involve violence?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the noise of the camp as she glared at the two of them.

The boss, with his usual nonchalance, shrugged. "It’s not about violence, Elara. We just needed to settle things. It was part of the plan."

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into her voice. "What plan?"

Before the boss could answer, Stubby, grinning mischievously, interrupted. "Come on, Elara," he said, getting up to move closer to her. "You know how it is." He flashed her a teasing smile, his confidence apparent even as he winced in pain.

Elara’s face twitched in annoyance, and with barely a second thought, she kicked him in the stomach. Stubby collapsed to the ground dramatically, holding his belly and grinning as he groaned, "That hurt, you know."

Her frown deepened, clearly unimpressed with his theatrics. As she knelt beside him, grabbing the bandage from his hand, she muttered irritably, "You always push yourself too much." Her voice softened unexpectedly, and as she wrapped the bandage around his bruised arm, she added, "You need to be more careful."

Both the boss and Stubby froze, stunned by the unexpected tenderness in her tone. They exchanged glances, surprised at her concern. Elara, too engrossed in her task, didn’t immediately notice the way they were staring at her until she looked up, seeing their baffled expressions.

"What?" she snapped, her brows knitting together in irritation.

Stubby let out a small chuckle. "Nothing," he said, though the amusement in his eyes was clear.

The boss, smirking, couldn't resist teasing her. "I didn’t realize you cared so much about Stubby." His voice was mocking, dripping with playful sarcasm.

Elara’s face flushed as she hurried to defend herself. "I was just helping because he was hurt. That’s all." Her tone was firm, though there was an undeniable edge of embarrassment in her voice. Stubby grinned wider, clearly enjoying the attention, while the boss raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing look.

"Is that so?" the boss mused aloud, his teasing continuing. But just as he was about to throw in another remark, a sudden uproar of cheering erupted from the other side of the camp.

All three of them turned their heads toward the source of the noise, curiosity lighting up their faces. The men were shouting excitedly, their voices rising in loud cheers.

"Who are they cheering for now?" Elara asked, getting to her feet as the boss and Stubby exchanged puzzled glances.