The scene changes to a prison cell, where the damp and austere environment is lit by a single dim lamp. The stone walls reveal the coldness and hostility of the place. In the center, two simple beds with thin mattresses are arranged, separated by a small space that barely allows movement.

Kay, handcuffed and with a calm expression, is observing the man in front of him, whose suspicious gaze examines him like a predator.

"I'm Kay. Looks like we're going to be roommates!" said Kay, as if that environment didn't intimidate him.

"A boy? What crime did he commit to end up here with me?" thought Gargamel, a notorious killer, as he analyzed him in silence.

"Don't mind me, we'll get along!" continued Kay, with a friendly smile that seemed to disarm any threat.

Gargamel frowned suspiciously.

"This is a prison for dangerous people, like me. What did you do to end up here?" — he asked, his voice full of skepticism.

— I kind of lost control when someone important to me got hurt. Which one is your bed? — Kay asked casually.

— The one on the right. — Gargamel replied, observing him more intensely. "This boy... He's not ordinary. The aura he gives off is of someone skilled," Gargamel thought.

— So, what did you do to be here? — Kay asked, raising an eyebrow. — The way you look at me reminds me of a friend of mine. Are you an assassin too?

Gargamel smiled darkly.

— Do you have an assassin friend? What's his name?

— Slayer. — Kay replied, without hesitation.

Gargamel's eyes narrowed when he heard the name.

— Slayer? Impossible! Why would he be your friend? He said he was going to join the army! — Gargamel exclaimed, surprised.

— I figured that was the case. You know him, don't you? I'm a soldier too. — Kay said casually.

Gargamel chuckled softly, but there was a dangerous tone in his voice.

“Don't talk nonsense. Why would a soldier be here?” he asked.

Kay looked up at the ceiling, with an almost innocent smile.

— I already told you: I just lost control. The Slayer is quite skilled, you know? He kills ghouls with impressive ease.

"Is he really the Slayer's friend?" Gargamel thought. — He's my cousin. But tell me: if you're superior to him, why would you be in prison? If you had killed someone, you would be executed, not arrested.

"It's temporary. I'll be out soon," Kay replied simply.

"I understand. Just to keep up appearances. And how is my cousin?" Gargamel asked, relaxing his posture slightly.

"He's fine. He got along well with the other soldiers," Kay replied with a small smile.

Gargamel nodded thoughtfully.

"That's good to hear. But it's strange... For someone his age to have a superior as young as you, you must be quite skilled." Kay laughed.

"Do you also wear those ninja-looking clothes?" he asked, changing the subject.

Gargamel frowned.

“They’re not ninja masks. They’re to keep our appearance hidden. That way, on infiltration missions, no one recognizes us.”

“Interesting. We have something similar too. The media is always on top of us, so we wear masks to hide our appearance. It’s hard work,” Kay said, sighing.

Gargamel laughed for the first time, in a more relaxed way.

“A soldier who doesn’t want fame... That sounds like something the Slayer would do. When you see him again, tell him I sent my regards.”

“You’ll be fine.” Kay replied, lying down on the bed with the same ease. He closed his eyes, yawning. “You guys are quite communicative when you’re out on a mission, aren’t you?” he added, sleepily.

Gargamel watched Kay in silence, intrigued. “He’s different... Something about him makes me uneasy,” he thought, before turning his attention back to the dark, cold cell.

Later that night, Kay slept soundly.

— He's in the same cell as a murderer and yet he sleeps peacefully... This boy is strange! — thought Gargamel, lying down, observing Kay.

His attention was diverted when, in the distance, he heard footsteps.

"There are people coming... It doesn't look heavy... Damn, they're criminals!" Gargamel thought, tense.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"It looks like they're coming straight to this cell!" Gargamel thought, pretending to be asleep.

The four criminals stopped in front of the cell and unlocked the door.

"Why do they have the key? It seems suspicious... Are they working with the guards or did they steal the key from them? How did they come straight to this cell? It must be something the guards did... But why?" Gargamel thought, alert.

The criminals took a step inside and closed the cell. They all pulled out knives.

"What are you doing? If you want trouble, I recommend you get out of here!" Gargamel said, standing up quickly.

"Stay out of this, murderer! Our business is with this soldier!" shouted one of the criminals.

— Yeger Faction... What will you gain by killing this soldier? — Gargamel exclaimed, suspicious.

— That's none of your business. Stay out of this, if you don't want to bring your sentence forward! — threatened the criminal, advancing with the knife.

— I don't care. My sentence is tomorrow! — replied Gargamel, undeterred.

— Do you know what this boy did to be here? He killed one of the guards in the castle and it seems that the guards here want revenge! — said the criminal, with a sadistic smile.

— I see, so that's what happened. But it seems that he is a friend of a relative of mine, so I won't let you kill him! And since I'm going to the electric chair tomorrow, I don't mind killing you at all. I recommend that you leave! — said Gargamel, his voice firm and full of contempt.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The criminals, visibly irritated, pointed their knives at him.

— Don't say I didn't warn you! — Gargamel said with a dark smile, adjusting his stance.

The first criminal tried to attack with a vertical blow, but Gargamel ducked quickly, delivering a punch straight to the attacker's abdomen. The man was thrown backwards, falling to the ground, gasping and out of breath.

Without giving the second criminal time to react, Gargamel spun quickly, using the force of the movement to grab the hilt of the knife that was coming towards his chest. He twisted the criminal's arm until he heard it snap, before ripping the knife from his hand and plunging it into the man's neck.

"One of you is gone... Let's see who's next!" Gargamel muttered, his voice calm, but his presence dominating.

The third criminal, more cautious, tried a series of quick stabs, trying to surprise Gargamel. But the killer seemed to anticipate every move. With impressive speed, he dodged, dodging the blade, until he reached the criminal. A precise movement of his fingers snatched the knife from the man's hand, and then a deadly blow to the enemy's throat silenced any attempt at resistance.

Now there was only one left. The last criminal, trembling with fear, retreated, trying to gain an advantage. Gargamel, however, was already in front of him, before he could even raise his arms. With a quick and deadly blow, Gargamel plunged the knife into the man's stomach, making him fall to his knees, blood spreading across the cold floor of the cell.

"It's over..." Gargamel said, wiping the blade of the knife on the last criminal's clothes, without even looking at him.

The bodies of the four criminals were scattered around the cell, a macabre scene of quick and effective violence. Gargamel looked at Kay, still sleeping, and then took one last look at the fallen bodies.

"This is how you deal with vermin like you..." he muttered to himself, before lying back on the bed, as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, three guards stood in front of the cell, watching the scene with attentive eyes.

“You’re late, I killed them all yesterday, you corrupt guards!” Gargamel said with a sadistic smile as he looked at the bodies scattered around the cell.

One of the guards, pretending not to know anything, shouted, ordering him to raise his hands and drop the knife while pointing his gun into the cell.

“Raise your hands and drop the knife!” the guard shouted, his voice authoritative but trembling slightly.

Gargamel obeyed, placing his hands on his head with a quick movement. Another guard opened the cell, and the one with the gun ordered Gargamel to come out backwards, with his hands above his head.

Gargamel followed the order, showing no resistance. One of the guards put the handcuffs on him while another hurried to pick up the cell key, which was lying next to the corpse of one of the criminals. The guard looked at Kay, who was still sleeping soundly, without a single blood mark on her body.

"What's going on here?" exclaimed more soldiers, who quickly approached.

"Sir!" the guards said, saluting.

"What happened?" exclaimed the officer in charge of the prison, his voice authoritative.

"This cell was attacked, and it seems that this criminal killed the others!" said one of the guards, pointing at Gargamel.

"Your sentence is today! Why did you do this?" the officer asked, perplexed.

— It seems that these three wanted to kill the soldier who arrived yesterday. They even gave the key to the cell to the Yeger faction. But I would hate to lose my roommate on the first day, so I ended up killing them all while the soldier slept. — Gargamel said with a cold and contemptuous smile.

— We arrived and saw the bodies! This murderer is lying! — one of the guards retorted, with growing anger.

— Take him to the electric chair! — ordered the officer in charge of the prison.

— Alright! — said the three guards, ready to carry out the order.

— Wait! Not you three! I have some questions! — exclaimed the officer, stopping the guards before they left with Gargamel.

Two more soldiers approached, taking Gargamel, while the others handcuffed the three corrupt guards.

— Sir, are you really going to believe a criminal? — exclaimed one of the three guards, trying to defend himself.

— Don't let them hurt the soldier! That was the order from my superior in the castle. You three are under arrest! Take them away! — the officer ordered firmly.

“This is a mistake! We are not involved in this!” — the soldiers shouted, struggling as they were handcuffed.

As they passed by the cells, the criminals banged on the bars, mocking the guards who were now being arrested.

“Take the soldier to a cell alone and lock him up tight. This cannot happen again! And clean this cell!” — the officer in charge of the arrest said authoritatively.

“Right!” — the guards replied, entering the cell.

The officer left, and the scene changed.

In the electric chair...

“What are your last words?” — exclaimed the officer in charge of the arrest, staring at Gargamel with an implacable gaze.

“Could you write them down and deliver the letter to that soldier?” — Gargamel said, with an enigmatic smile, locked in the electric chair, his voice calm but full of defiance.

— Gargamel, the murderer... I didn't think you had the heart to care about anyone else! Fine, consider this a reward for protecting the soldier!. Mark his words! — said the officer, his voice full of disdain, but with a hint of curiosity.

— Thank you. Here are my last words. Hello, cousin... — said Gargamel, with a calm smile, his voice calm and serious.

A few minutes later, the room was filled with a clear and merciless light.

— Take care of the rest! — ordered the officer, his voice firm, as the tense atmosphere enveloped the room.

He took the letter with an impassive expression and left.

So these are the last words of a murderer... — thought the officer, carefully putting the paper in his pocket, his gaze thoughtful, but with a touch of disdain.

A few hours later, the helicopter landed at the base.

Mira stepped out of it, accompanied by Rem.

"Welcome back! How was it there?" Raven exclaimed, with a welcoming smile.

"He's fine, still acting normal!" Mira said, with a serene look.

"I see!" Raven replied, nodding.

"Kay said she met your cousin Slayer. He asked me to deliver this letter to you," Mira said, holding out the letter to Slayer.

"My cousin?" Slayer exclaimed, confused, as he took the letter with a firm hand.

He opened the letter and, as he read, his expression became darker. When he finished, he squeezed his hand, slightly crumpling the paper.

"I see... Thank you for this, Mira!" — Slayer said calmly, putting the letter away.

“Okay!” Mira replied, avoiding going into further detail about the contents.

“Our squad is in charge of monitoring the exploration of the cave. The captain and the others have already left for Mineford,” Raven said, her tone serious and direct.

“I see, let’s go!” Mira said, adjusting her posture.

“You just got back, don’t you want to take a break?” Raven exclaimed, watching the two of them.

“We didn’t do anything special, we just took the bottle and talked to him! We can go!” Mira said decisively.

“I see, then let’s go!” Raven replied, getting into the helicopter with her weapon.

“Does he look good in orange?” Thais asked, with a slight laugh.

“I wouldn’t say that outfit suits him, but the orange gives it a flashy touch!” Mira replied, with an amused smile.

Thais smiled and got into the helicopter with her weapons.

“Does he look good in orange?” Thais asked, with a slight laugh.

“I wouldn’t say that outfit suits him, but the orange gives it a flashy touch!” Mira replied, with an amused smile.

Thais smiled and got into the helicopter with her weapons.

As soon as the entire fifth squadron entered, the helicopter took off, heading towards the village.

The divisions were preparing to begin training, while the sixth division continued on its missions. The village was full of trucks and helicopters.

"Why are you here?" Mira exclaimed, adjusting her mask as she observed the figure in front of her.

"Hello, Fifth Division. I will accompany the exploration today as a representative of the royal family," Emilia replied, walking with an elegant posture, accompanied by a group of armed guards.

"What reason would bring the princess to a dangerous place like this?" Rem asked, casting an analytical look at the entourage.

Emilia looked away for a moment, thinking: "That voice... So that's Mira's mother. She's so beautiful!" — she thought, impressed. Then, with a serene smile, she answered:

— I want to ease the tensions with the soldiers. Officially, it's a gesture for the public to see that the royal family holds no grudge against the army.

— And unofficially? — Rem asked, narrowing her eyes with slight suspicion.

— I want to learn more about military operations to help the kingdom in the future. — Emilia said, with sincerity in her tone.

Rem smiled at the corner of her mouth.

— I like her. I help with her personal guard.

— Having Captain Takemichi's skilled wife protecting me is an honor. I'm grateful! — Emilia replied, bowing her head slightly in respect.

Mira remained silent, but her thoughts were clear: "I'm sure she wants to do something. But at least I don't have to worry about Emilia's safety while Rem is around."

Raven stepped forward, her tone authoritative:

"I want security at the entrance, in the city and inside the cave. Alpha 9, Alpha 10, Alpha 8 and Alpha 11, keep security in the city. Alpha 5, Alpha 4, Alpha 12 and Alpha 13 keep watch here at the entrance. The rest come with me into the cave. I don't want any breaches!"

"Okay!" the soldiers replied in unison, preparing to follow orders.

"Are you going in?" Rem asked, with a relaxed smile, as she adjusted her weapon.

"Can I?" Emilia replied, her eyes shining with expectation.

"Sure!" Rem said, extending her hand in a friendly manner.

"Please!" — Emilia exclaimed, accepting the gesture with a slight nod.

— It's decided. Let's go in! — Rem said, holding the princess's hand and leading the group.

The group headed towards the platform that would take them to the depths of the underground cavern. As they began their descent, the silence was filled with a slight vibration from the metal structure, accompanied by the echoes of the surrounding cavern.