"Yes," Andras cut in. "You must distract Master Albert. But that's simple. Get him drunk! Go to him, reminisce, tell him about our victory over the Blue Ogre, or anything else. You have plenty to boast about to keep his attention. The key is to convince him to drink with you—drink to the Hero's arrival. Persuade him to share a toast before the war against the demons, while there's still time."
"Hahaha!" Florian burst out laughing. "That won't be a difficult task."
"Then all I'll need is an alibi, so no one suspects me," Andras said seriously. "That's where Noelle comes in, with our newest water‑element illusion technique, developed with the help of water‑slimes."
"You intend to use that technique?" Noelle asked, a little worried.
"Yes. Will it work?" Andras looked at her.
"I can do it," Noelle nodded, "but right now the longest I can maintain it is one hour. Not a minute more."
"Don't worry," Andras replied firmly. "I can only sustain it for two hours myself, but we'll time it to your one hour. This technique requires a great deal of magic power, since we must envelop our entire bodies with the water element. More precisely: as though our whole bodies were covered in water‑slime."
"This is a very dangerous ability," Florian said, furrowing his brow. "If it fell into the wrong hands…"
"Don't worry," Andras cut in. "We won't teach this ability to anyone. Noelle and I will take it to the grave. I know well the cruelties it could be used for, so criminals must never learn of it."
"Never, to anyone, under any circumstances will I pass it on," Noelle swore. "I swear it in the name of the Goddess Neptune!"
Florian slowly nodded, his eyes calming.
"I trust you. Very well… with this technique, we could deceive even the Hero's vigilant eyes."
"I just thought of a little side mission," Andras remarked, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "I could use it to prank the Hero and the Princess!"
"It won't interfere with obtaining the book?" Florian asked cautiously.
"No, on the contrary," Andras replied confidently. "It will divert people's attention. Hopefully Master Albert will focus on that, and have no idea that something is vanishing from his chamber."
"Sounds entertaining," Florian smiled. "I'm in!"
"I'm in too!" Noelle joined enthusiastically.
"Good," Andras continued. "The day before the ball we'll go over the plan in detail and rehearse the act, so we can work together perfectly."
"Understood!" Florian nodded.
"Agreed!" Noelle confirmed.
"Until then," Andras concluded, leaning back, "let's enjoy our adventure in the capital."
The three Wolf Mages had woven their secret plan on the very first day of their arrival in the Royal Capital. Their scheme would only take effect after the qualifiers of the Knight Tournament; until then, the Wolf Knights devoted their full attention to the upcoming battles.
The next morning after breakfast, Arpad, Janos, and Andras gathered to decide who would represent the Wolf Knights in the qualifiers.
"As you know," Andras began, "the knights of the four great noble houses and the Royal Knights only join the battles at the qualifier stage. We have no duties in the preliminaries, so our knights have free time. They may explore the city, drink beer, or, if they wish, visit one of the brothels. The important thing is that they must not do anything that would bring shame upon the House of Wolfwood."
"This relaxation will do them good before the qualifiers," Arpad nodded.
"And who will take part in the Knight Tournament from the Wolf Knights?" Janos asked.
"From my team: Andrea, Anita, Xaba, and Jula," Andras listed. "I leave the selection of the others to you."
"You won't participate in the tournament yourself, Young Wolf?" Arpad looked at him.
"This is a Knight Tournament, and I am a Mage," Andras replied.
"You can handle a sword as well," Arpad remarked.
"I might be able to reach the group stage," Andras admitted, "but without using my magic, I could not defeat a Captain or a Lieutenant‑level knight."
"Are you certain that's the real reason you don't want to take part?" Arpad asked suspiciously.
Andras's eyes darkened, his voice rang with firm resolve.
"Look, I don't want to flaunt myself before the Hero. If it's not necessary, I don't want to draw the attention of either the Hero or the Princess. Besides, the less people see of my fighting style, the more chances I'll have to surprise them in the future, should I ever need to fight against them."
"You're not planning to fight the Hero someday, are you?" Janos asked, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
"Of course I don't want to fight her," Andras replied calmly. "But if circumstances ever demanded it, it's better to be prepared."
"You and that cunning tactical mind of yours!" Arpad laughed boisterously. "Hahaha!"
"What about you, Janos?" Andras turned to him. "Do you plan to take part in the tournament?"
"I've decided to sit this Knight Tournament out," Janos answered seriously. "My daughter is far stronger than I am. She will represent the Wolf knightly family with honor. And I must admit, Anita may already be better than me as well. Besides, as Lord Bandorn Wolfwood's personal bodyguard, I'll have plenty to do during the tournament."
"Very well, I accept your decision," Andras nodded. "And what about you, old swordsman?"
"I'll be watching over our knights," Arpad replied firmly. "I won't allow them to do anything foolish that would bring shame upon the honor of the Wolf Knights or the House of Wolfwood. As long as they behave, they can relax—but I'll still be strict with them."
"I'm counting on you in this matter, Captain of the Wolf Knights," Andras said respectfully.
After the meeting, the Young Wolf and his companions set out to explore the capital. Their first stop was the marketplace near their lodgings, where the festive atmosphere was already in full swing: colorful stalls lined the streets, merchants offered their wares, and the air was filled with sweet and spicy scents.
"It's a shame I can't fight in the preliminaries," Anita sighed.
"Look at the bright side," Andrea replied. "By the time the qualifiers begin, the weak will already be weeded out, and only the stronger swordsmen will remain."
"You're right," Anita nodded. "Fighting weaklings isn't fun anyway."
"I smell something delicious!" Ironclaw perked up. "Gingerbread!"
"They're selling it at that stall," Noelle pointed. "Shall we buy some? I'm curious how it tastes here in the capital."
"Don't they sell scones somewhere?" Andras asked.
"I think you'd have to check a bakery for that," Noelle answered.
"I smell meat buns from over there!" Ironclaw sniffed eagerly.
"We just had breakfast," Andras remarked.
"Let me buy one!" Ironclaw begged.
"Alright," Andras smiled. "Noelle, buy gingerbread for everyone, and a meat bun for Ironclaw at that other stall."
"On it!" Noelle replied, already heading toward the vendors.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the meat bun stall. A little girl had tried to steal one, but the Royal Knights caught her immediately. Three young knights were patrolling the market, keeping watch for thieves. One of them noticed the girl sneaking toward the freshly baked buns. Suspicious, he sprang into action and seized the thief.
"Got you, thief!" the Royal Knight shouted, grabbing the girl's arm. "Because of your kind, we can't enjoy the festival!"
"Let me go! Leave me alone!" the girl cried desperately.
"Not a chance!" the knight replied coldly. "The punishment for theft is ten lashes on your back, so you'll learn never to steal again!"
At that moment, Andras stepped closer, his voice calm but firm.
"What's going on here, if I may ask?"
The knights immediately turned toward him, and one recognized the Wolf Knights.
"Wolf Knights?" he said suspiciously. "We caught a thief. Now we're going to punish her, as she deserves."
The Young Wolf gazed at the little girl with his Magic Eyes.
"Hmm… Her name is Daisy. Ten years old, human girl, no element. Her class: poor city child. This child is no thief." he thought to himself.
"What crime has this girl committed?" Andras asked, his voice calm yet firm.
"Theft! She must be punished," the Royal Knight replied.
"And what did she steal?" Andras pressed further.
"She tried to steal a bun, but we caught her!" the knight snapped.
"You mean the bun lying on the ground now, the one you're stepping on?" Andras asked sharply. "If I'm not mistaken, you intend to pay for it since you trampled it?"
"Not at all!" the knight snorted. "It's the thief's fault the bun fell to the ground."
"I see," Andras answered coldly. "Bun‑seller! Will you sell me that bun on the ground, the one that's been stepped on?"
"Of course!" the vendor replied with relief. "I'm just glad someone will pay for it so I won't suffer a loss."
"Noelle, pay for the bun," Andras ordered.
"At once, Young Wolf!" Noelle nodded, taking out her purse.
"Young Wolf?! The Ogre‑Slayer?!" the Royal Knight gasped, realizing who stood before him.
"You pitiful Royal Knights," Andras thundered, his voice cutting through the air, "you're trampling on my bun!"