In the dimly lit room, shadows flickered as the No-Names knelt in unison, their heads bowed low. The door creaked open, and a woman with an aura of quiet authority entered. She gestured for the No-Names to resume their posts, then walked to the living room with great familiarity. The moment she entered, Edward's eyes lit up with emotion.

"Mom."

Rick stood up immediately and hugged his mother, relief washing over him. Edward smiled warmly at the sight. The only ones missing now were their father and little sister. Although their father was gone, their sister was not a lost cause.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they sat down, the atmosphere becoming solemn.

"I have already prepared for you to leave the capital," their mother said.

Hearing these words, excitement rose within them. She was the second part of the escape plan, which was why the two brothers had waited here for half an hour.

Edward's mother reached into her coat and pulled out a red leather book. Blood-red letters glowed on the cover: The Greater Key.

The moment Edward saw it, a strange expression crossed his face. He wasn't surprised to see the book in his mother's hands—he was the one who had given it to her.

The book that had been blown in his study was obviously a fluke and without a doubt he knew Richard III knew it.

What puzzled him was why she was returning it to him now. Richard III already knew he was the owner, so why give it back? A strange guess surfaced in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Did you manage to find out where Lizzie is?" Rick asked.

"She's with William Stanley at Holt Castle. And I don't have to mention that, for obvious reasons, Richard III will be waiting for you there, so you must be extremely careful.

"One more thing: after you get your sister back, lay low for a couple of weeks, then seek out William Hastings. If you tell him you're your father's children, he'll definitely help you out."

"Uh... Mom," Edward suddenly spoke up.

His mother turned to look at him.

"I couldn't help but notice you're saying all this as if you aren't coming with us."

Sigh "Sorry, Ed, but as you said, I can't come with you right now. I still have... business to take care of."

"But—"

Before Edward could finish his sentence, the house started shaking. Their mother quickly made a series of hand seals, then pointed at her two sons. A soft white glow emanated from the seals, enveloping Rick and Edward. Before they could protest, their bodies felt heavy, and sleep began to overtake them.

"Mo...m," Edward tried to fight it but failed, falling into a deep sleep.

Looking at them, a kind expression appeared on their mother's face.

"Grow strong, my boys."

She turned around and looked at the No-Names. "This may well be my last order, nonetheless execute it flawlessly as usual."

"Yes, my lady," they all replied in unison.

"From now on, these two will be your new masters. Protect them with your lives. Move out."

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As soon as the words were spoken, all the No-Names in the surroundings disappeared from the room. The place where Rick and Edward lay was now empty. The house continued to shake as if it was about to collapse. Their mother's expression grew increasingly grim.

...

In the execution ground, a throne had been erected, reflecting the majesty of the one who would sit upon it. Many symbols of greatness were etched into its sides, and above it, a great figure hovered. The blue light it emitted dimmed all other lights around it, as if declaring that in his presence, nothing burned brighter than him.

Richard III exuded an oppressive aura as he smiled. "found you."

Making quick hand seals, his body emitted a more intense blue light. A ray of light shot directly from his body toward an alley not far from the execution ground. The moment it landed, an explosion occurred, followed by an ear-piercing sound that destroyed everything within its range. The destruction lasted for about a minute before subsiding. Before the smoke could completely dissipate, an order was issued by none other than the Chancellor.

"All archers, fire at will. Under no circumstances should you stop unless told so."

"We obey the decree," the archers replied in unison.

Arrows laced with fire were shot out. Any survivors from the earlier explosion now had no way to escape. Wails rang out as the residents of the alley tried to flee, only to be killed by arrows, fire, or collapsing walls.

The relentless volley lasted for an hour.

"Stop," the Chancellor commanded.

As his voice rang out, the archers put down their bows. Immediately, foot soldiers advanced to the border of the area, where fire raged on, though surprisingly, it didn't spread. This scene struck fear into the hearts of all the soldiers present. Coupled with the blue ray of light from before, they gained a new understanding of the saying: All kings are sons of the gods; they are demigods.

The soldiers around had fanatical expressions as they thought of having such a great figure as their king.

"Any individual who steps out is to be killed without question."

As the order was passed, all the soldiers drew their swords, ready for slaughter. Any unfortunate soul who had survived the ray of light, the explosion, the fire, the arrows, and the debris would now be killed by the sword. This continued until the first ray of sunlight appeared.

...

Edward opened his eyes with an awful headache. He tried to see where he was, but after looking around for a while, he realised he didn't recognise the place. Panic began to rise but quickly subsided, replaced by sorrow as he remembered what had happened.

The place where Edward lay was a cave. The ground was oddly clean for a cave, and there was no moss on the walls. All of this gave an unnatural feel. Edward stood up, preparing to step out of the cave to see his surroundings, but before he could, someone entered.

It was Rick.

"Oh, you're finally awake."

"...Finally? How long was I asleep?"

"It's already noon. Come, food is ready. We'll discuss the details over dinner."

They both stepped out of the cave. Looking around, Edward could see they were in a forest that felt oddly familiar. Different people were moving around near the cave—some tending to the fire, others returning from what looked like hunting. It was fairly lively. Seeing them, Edward quickly deduced they were the No-Names. He walked toward the fireplace where food was being cooked.

Someone was stirring the pot with a quizzical look, testing the contents from time to time and adding ingredients.

"Could you give us soup for two?" Rick asked as he searched for a place to sit.

The cook looked up and, upon seeing Edward, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Master Edward, you're awake!"

"Did I really sleep that much?" Edward's voice carried a slight tinge of annoyance.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it offensively. It's just that you seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and nothing we did could wake you up."

As he spoke, he handed two cups of soup to Edward.

"Thank you!"

"Be careful, it's hot. By the way, you can call me Hugh. Pleased to serve you."

With that, Hugh quickly returned to his pot of soup, continuing to analyse and add ingredients as before.

As Edward sat near Rick, he passed him one of the cups.

"So, where are we?" Edward asked.

"It's one of the secret hideouts of the No-Names. We're in Windsor Forest."

"No wonder it looked so familiar—we used to come here on hunts with Father."

"Yep, although he did all the hunting."

They both laughed. Anyone watching them without knowing their background would think they were just normal kids in their teens.

After finishing the soup, Edward put the cup away and wore a solemn expression.

"Do you think Mom will be alright?"

Rick could see how worried Edward was. He smiled slightly. "I say we believe in her. She will definitely return to us. Either way, we can't do anything about it, and it's useless to beat yourself up over something you have no power to change."

Edward looked at him with a strange expression. "What... Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

"Where did you learn that from?"

"Learn what?"

Edward laughed at his brother's confusion. "Haha... Forget it. Anyway, you're right. We must move on."