Shortly thereafter, our horse-drawn carriage had carried us away from the castle, and it had vanished from our sight. Hiroshi turned to Babu with an inquisitive expression and uttered, "Hey, Panda, could you enlighten us on what really happened back there?"

Babu let out a deep sigh before embarking on a detailed narration of the events that had transpired, taking us through the convoluted events that had played out in their minds. After a long, winding recollection, he turned to us with a resolute look and said, "That's precisely why we have to help her."

Hiroshi responded, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "Convincing the King may not be an easy feat."

Lezlie interjected, his tone firm and insistent, "But we must help her, Hiroshi!"

"That's not what I meant," Hiroshi explained his voice level and measured. "It's just that the King is unlikely to be swayed at a time like this. However, if we can accomplish this mission, I am confident we can earn his trust and reconsider our proposal."

"But it won't be a walk in the park," Babu interjected. "Before we even got to the castle, we encountered an elite soldier. Even though he claimed to be the fifth elit soldier, he was a formidable foe. If the fifth is this powerful, who knows what kind of abilities the other soldiers possess."

I turned towards Babu with conviction in my voice and said, "Our main objective right now is to prevent the theft of the water. If we can do that, we can regroup and recruit more people to get stronger."

Babu jumped in with an idea, "Speaking of recruiting people, did you check the map for the next person?"

"I did, but unfortunately, it hasn't signaled or shone in a while."

Babu suddenly exclaimed, "Actually, it's shining right now!"

I quickly pulled out my map from my pocket and saw that it was indeed glowing. As I opened the map, I was astonished to find that the next person was right beside us, in the supply box. We all huddled together, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Scratching his head in confusion, Babu suggested, "Maybe your map is broken?"

"That's impossible," Lezlie replied with a tinge of frustration in my voice. "Ryuu's map is a rare item and cannot deteriorate or malfunction."

Hiroshi intervened, opening the supply box to reveal a pair of eyes staring back at us. He sighed and said, "Hey guys, it looks like your friend is following you."

The person inside the box spoke in a timid and fearful voice, "Hello, guys..."

Babu was taken aback and asked, "Mila, what are you doing here?"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With a smile on her face, Mila replied, "I escaped from the castle to help you."

Hiroshi, lighting his cigar again, muttered, "Well, I guess we can forget about earning the King's trust now."

Mila quickly interjected, "Please don't misunderstand, my father is not like that. As you said, if we succeed in our mission, I am certain his trust in you all will increase."

Hiroshi said in a sarcastic tone, "How good it is that your words are believable."

As the group huddled in the car, Mila broke the silence. "The reason I snuck into the car was that I wanted to help you," she said, determination evident in her voice. "So I think we'll be together along the way."

But Babu's face creased with worry. "It's too dangerous, if you come with us, something could happen to you, Mila! If anything happens to you, it'll be impossible for us to explain it to your father."

Lezlie interjected, "But we are halfway there. If Mila goes back, it will be very dangerous, and how is she going to explain it to the King? And as Ryuu's map says, Mila looks like the new person we're looking for."

Hiroshi, always the voice of reason, suggested, "Let the Ryuu decide, we will act according to his plans." He turned to me and asked, "What do you say? Do you have any ideas in mind?"

After thinking for a while, I spoke confidently. "Lezlie is right, it may be too late to return, so we have to move on."

"Have it your way, kid," Hiroshi replied.

Mila looked at Lezlie with confusion. Apparently his mind was still on the map. "I don't understand anything you say. Map? The chosen person? What do they mean?"

Lezlie took a deep breath and explained, "Our goal is to build a team that will oppose elite soldiers and epics and brings justice and peace back to the kingdoms. Thanks to the map that Ryuu has, it shows people that we can take into the team and trust."

Mila's eyes widened with surprise. "Is this the map that-?"

Babu cut her off with a smile. "Yes, the map itself described in the Legends."

Mila gasped, "Wow. I thought that was just only a myth."

"Actually, we thought so too, but looks like it wasn't," Babu replied with a grin.

Mila turned to me with a curious expression and asked, "Is that what you want, Ryuu, to end elite soldiers and epics and restore peace in the world?"

Without hesitation, I replied, "Yes, that's all I want."

Intrigued, Mila pressed on, "If you don't mind, I'd really like to know why you want to do this."

I took a deep breath and began to speak from the heart. "There are many reasons why I do this, but the main reason is to earn people's respect. For me, respect is more valuable than any riches or power in the world. I want to make my mark on this world and earn the admiration of those around me. If I can help people and bring peace to the kingdoms, that would be the ultimate achievement. It's not just about earning respect for myself, it's also about making my family proud. I've never met them, but I want them to know that I've done something worthwhile with my life. By defeating these epics, I am trying to show people what the wolf lineage is and what it can do because I am a wolf."

Mila nodded thoughtfully. "You know, you sound like my mother. She always told me about respect and how important it is between humans. As always, she was right though."

Then she made me an offer. "Listen, I don't know if you deserve the respect you say you do, and I don't care what lineage you are from, but I can help you. And I need a favor from you in return."

I asked, "What is it?"

"For the sake of my people and all others in the second Kingdom, let us put an end to the rule of The Second Epic. If we can do that, I'll be happy to join you on your adventure."

A smile spread across my face. "That is already our goal," I said.

Mila's willingness to join us gave me renewed energy and hope. The team I wanted to form against the enemies was getting bigger and bigger, and I was getting closer and closer to my goal.