On a road where silence reigns... The sound of metallic horse hooves can be heard... going at full speed...

  "Let's go faster!" said a man with a fearful tone.

  "This is the fastest!" shouted the driver.

  A person with a metallic body looked at the carriage speeding by. "That box will be mine," he said with a robotic voice.

  Suddenly, the carriage shook from something falling on top of it.

  "It's on top of us!" said a man in a suit, hiding a box under his seat.

  A giant bird crashed through the carriage roof, grabbed the man, and threw him far away.

  The driver heard the sound of a scream fading. "Damn!" he expressed nervously, pulling out a shotgun and aiming upward. "Die, bastard!" he shouted.

  The driver fired twice, destroying part of the carriage, and the sound of flapping wings was heard. Then, only the squeaking of the carriage and the metallic hooves of the horses could be heard. Suddenly, a man in black armor appeared in front of him, flying.

  "I think that’s enough," he said in a robotic voice, aiming with a cannon in his hand.

  The driver hyperventilated, struggling to breathe. "Die!" The man pointed his shotgun at the metal head of the man in front of him.

  The carriage exploded, sending debris flying in different directions at high speed. The metallic horses were shot off, crashing into trees. Of everything, the only thing left intact was the box, which fell into a river.

  "Haha, see, my brother? I told you it was good cargo," he said, taking the box.

  "You were right, brother. I regret doubting you," he said with regret.

  "It’s fine, Jhin. I could have been wrong, but the box survived, so now we just need to open it and see what's inside. Let's go with Inock," he added in his robotic voice, getting on the eagle with Jhin.

  The eagle began to fly away from the area, and then a closed door was visible. Professor Maxwell's voice could be heard from behind it, apparently annoyed. A loud sound, like a hit, was heard, followed by the professor’s footsteps approaching the door.

  "Hanks!" shouted the professor, opening the door.

  "Did something happen, professor?" Hanks asked, arriving confused at the office.

  "Call Mei. They stole the plans for my reactor," he said, very upset as he walked.

  "Yes, sir," Hanks replied, hurriedly looking for the number.

  "And to think I fought so hard to get them back," the professor thought.

  Meanwhile, Louis was doing push-ups on the ceiling. He wore a blue shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a blue necklace hung around his neck.

  "Louis! Where are you?" asked the professor, entering the room and seeing the open window. "What the hell are you doing up there? Come down, we need to talk," he said, leaning out the window and seeing Louis on the ceiling.

  "I’ll be down in a second, professor! Just finishing up," Louis yelled while continuing with the exercise.

  After finishing his push-ups, Louis came down from the ceiling and grabbed some clothes to change while listening to the professor.

  "Get ready. We need to find a paladin who can help us find the thieves who stole my plans," the professor mentioned while watching Louis take his clothes.

  "A paladin? Interesting. Can I take a shower?" Louis asked seriously, slightly surprised.

  "Of course, but don’t take too long," the professor said, noticing Louis's seriousness. "Are you always this serious?" he asked sarcastically.

  Louis looked at him for a few seconds and answered, "Yes."

  "Well, never mind... Don’t take too long!" the professor retorted, leaving the room.

  "Professor, paladin Mei is waiting for you at the BlackMyth cafeteria," Hanks said, approaching the professor, who was modifying his mechanical arm.

  "Alright. I’ll finish this and I’ll be ready. Go get Louis and tell him to wait at the entrance," he said, concentrating on his arm. "Wait a minute! Did you say Mei?" he asked, surprised.

  "Yes, sir," Hanks replied.

  "Strange... Normally, she sends others because she’s too busy," the professor commented, then returned to working on his arm.

  Meanwhile, Louis was getting ready in his room.

  "A paladin... I haven’t met another paladin besides those from my kingdom," Louis thought as he put on his coat. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. "Come in."

  "Young Louis, Professor Maxwell wants you to wait at the entrance," Hanks said after opening the door.

  "Alright, I’m on my way," Louis replied, grabbing his katana after putting on his coat.

  "I must avoid using too much magic. I don’t want to get kicked out of the kingdom for being too dangerous," he thought as he left his room and went down the stairs to the entrance.

  "Hanks, remember to activate the shield," he said while descending the stairs.

  "I’ll do it right away!" Hanks yelled from afar.

  "Perfect, you’re here. Time to go. We’ll take a car to get there faster," the professor said, leaving through the door.

  "What’s a car?" Louis asked, showing a bit of confusion.

  Professor Maxwell was somewhat surprised that Louis didn’t know what it was.

  "They are these." The professor stopped a car, and the driver asked where they wanted to be taken. "I need you to take us to the BlackMyth cafeteria," he instructed the driver.

  "So they’re called cars and not carriages," Louis thought, crossing his arms.

  "Of course, it’ll be 100 ystires," the driver said.

  "Get in, Louis," the professor said, opening the car door.

  "Really?" Louis asked, a bit confused.

  "Yes, let’s go," the professor insisted, giving him a slight push with his mechanical hand.

  Louis and Professor Maxwell got in the car and started moving towards their destination.

  "Incredible! How does this... car work?" Louis asked with curiosity.

  Noticing Louis’s interest, the professor began explaining how it worked, until they arrived at the cafeteria.

  "And that’s how a car works. Incredible, right? A relic from the old days. I’m glad we didn’t lose its plans," the professor said confidently and happily.

  "I didn’t understand anything," Louis thought. "It’s amazing, professor, thanks for the explanation," he commented, trying to hide that he hadn’t understood a thing.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Well, we’ve arrived. Here you go," the professor handed the driver a bill, then got out of the car, followed by Louis.

  They both entered the cafeteria, and in a corner, there was a woman with short, wavy purple hair and purple eyes. She wore a shiny pink leather jacket with metallic details over a black turtleneck shirt adorned with an elegant brooch. She had blue earrings that contrasted with her outfit and was holding a cup of coffee.

  "Purple hair... Incredible!" Louis thought, covering his mouth.

  "Jonathan! How are you? I’m glad to see you. Hmm, I see you brought company," she said in a sweet and soft tone. "Wow, her eyes are really beautiful," He thought as he saw Louis's eyes.

  "Hello, Mei... Don’t call me Jonathan, please. Louis, introduce yourself," the professor replied with a sigh of annoyance.

  "Yes, my name is Louis A. Keeper. Nice to meet you, paladin Mei," Louis said respectfully, bowing his head.

  "Nice to meet you, Louis, but don’t call me paladin, just Mei is fine," she replied with a soft smile, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  "Very well, Miss Mei," Louis said, understanding the request.

  "Miss? I like that," Mei thought, reflecting a smile on her face.

  "Well, do you have them?" the professor asked, a little desperate.

  "Yes, I have them, but first I’ll finish my coffee and... my cake!" she said happily as the waiter brought her a cake.

  "Mei... I’m going to lose my plans! They’re very important, it’s for my machine," the professor expressed angrily while watching Louis look at the cafeteria counter.

  "Alright, I’ll eat it quickly. And the boy?" she said, understanding the situation, then took a bite of the cake.

  "He’s coming with us. He’s a paladin from the Alahead kingdom, from the northern lands," the professor replied, calming down a bit.

  "Really? A paladin? How did you manage to get a paladin to stay with you? And why didn’t you tell me?" she said, looking at Louis, a bit annoyed.

  "Hey, how does this thing work?" Louis asked curiously, touching the device.

  "You can’t touch the coffee maker, sir!" the woman at the counter said, trying to stop him from touching it.

  "Oops... Sorry... And how does this box that spins things work?" He added , feeling guilty after the jar fell to the floor, but his curiosity won again.

  "Go to your table, sir," the woman said, annoyed.

  "Are you sure he’s a paladin?" Mei commented, watching the mess Louis made and taking a sip of her coffee.

  "Yes... Apparently, in his kingdom, they don’t have technology like this, so that’s why he’s so curious, even though he’s usually very serious," the professor explained, disappointed by Louis's mess.

  "Sorry, professor... I’ll pay for what I broke," Louis said, feeling guilty.

  "It’s fine, I’ll pay, but don’t touch things," the professor said, reminding him of someone.

  "Well, here’s the list," exclaimed, placing a holographic device that displayed the thieves. "Apparently, these three are very wanted, especially the one in the robotic armor." The device showed the thieves’ information when the device was touched.

  "How do they have such incredible things in this kingdom?!" he shouted excitedly upon seeing the device.

  "Huh? Sorry, continue," he said, embarrassed by his actions.

  "Don't worry, be yourself, it's better that way," she said cheerfully, touching Louis' head.

  "Hey, don't encourage him," he sighed. "So, do you know where they are?" he asked as the waiter placed the bill on the table.

  "Xitlari has already found them with his cameras, so all that's left is for you to pay the bill," she replied, smiling and finishing her cake.

  "But what? How many cakes did you eat?!" he asked, surprised and annoyed by the total on the bill.

  "One. I donated the others to the orphanage. Oh, come on, don't be like that. Your thieves are at the end of this street, in a bar," she said, taking the device and standing up from the table.

  Suddenly, another device went off. "Xitlari says they're negotiating your box," she mentioned, teasing him with a smile after talking into the communicator.

  "Great, the worst part is that my project benefits you, and you charge me," he retorted as he paid the bill.

  "Come on, we'll go in my car," she said as she walked toward the exit.

  Mei's car was silver and looked very modern and a bit futuristic. Mei got into the car and waited for Louis and Professor Maxwell to get in as well.

  "Whoa! This is more incredible than the one we used to get here," Louis expressed, amazed as he looked inside.

  "It is. Well, shall we go?" she said with a smile, starting the car. The moment Louis and the Professor got in, Mei sped up to get there as fast as possible.

  "Mei, slow down!" the Professor said, terrified, as he grabbed his seat and adjusted his seatbelt.

  "This is amazing!" Louis exclaimed, excited, sticking his head out the window. "Is this what you were talking about, Master Rei?" he whispered, looking at the many cars and people everywhere. His eyes were sparkling from how colorful and beautiful the city was.

  After a few minutes of travel, which only Louis and Mei enjoyed, they reached their destination.

  "Alright, we're here," she said, turning off the car and getting out.

  "Next time, I'll take a separate car. How do they let you drive like this?" he asked, annoyed and a little dizzy, as he struggled to get out of the car.

  "Are you becoming an old grump now? Come on, we need to get in before they sell your plans," Mei said, taking on a more serious attitude and pulling a golden scimitar from her trunk, which looked more like a small, very comfortable room.

  "Clara, wake up, we need to work," Mei said to her scimitar.

  From the scimitar, a flying golden sphere emerged and landed on Mei's shoulder, and the scimitar turned pink.

  "Miss Mei has a fairy! This is incredible, it's not easy to befriend one," Louis said, surprised as he saw Clara.

  "Her name is Clara. Louis, Clara. Clara, Louis," she exclaimed kindly, and Clara moved close to Louis' face to greet him. "Well, it's time, let's get ready," she said as they approached the bar.

  "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Pala... Ahem... private detective Mei. Everyone can leave except for the three at the bar and the idiot next to you," she said authoritatively, opening the bar door forcefully.

  Everyone started leaving the bar...

  "Hey, pay first, you scoundrels! You made me lose so much money, now you're going to pay the bills for all of them," the bar owner shouted angrily as he approached Mei.

  "Here, I'll buy the whole bar," Mei replied, handing the owner a silver bill.

  "Huh? Impossible... A silver bill from a paladin..." the owner said, surprised. "Is it true? You're Paladin Mei Teews. I've never seen you in person, I'm so sorry, I'm leaving now," he continued, now happy, shouting, "I won't have to work anymore!"

  "Paladin? Hahaha, I didn't expect this," said Kein with his robotic voice, standing up from his seat.

  "Don't let her intimidate you, Kein, she's not a paladin anymore," he mentioned confidently. "Huh? Maxwell!".

  "Jamiel, you damn trash! I knew you were jealous after I won that prize," the Professor shouted angrily, pointing with his mechanical hand.

  "Die! You paid off the judges!" he responded furiously, pointing at him with his hand as well.

  Kein punched the bar table and then stood up from his chair. "Silence, old men! So this is worth even more than what you were going to give us," Kein replied, annoyed, with his robotic voice.

  "Ah... well... maybe a little more," Jamiel answered , scared and surprised by Kein's action.

  "Brothers... first, we need to take care of the supposed paladin or ex-paladin," he said, mocking as his brothers got up from their seats.

  "I'll make you eat your words after I rip that outfit off," Mei said, drawing her scimitar and launching an attack directly at Kein.

  But Jhin countered her attack with an expulsion spell that came from his sword, knocking her back. Then, the eagle took it and started flying her through the air, throwing her hard onto the ground.

  Inock moved in to attack the Professor, but Louis stopped the attack and kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing through the bar's wall. Kein caught Louis by surprise and started flying with his suit, grabbing his arm and rising rapidly.

  "Let go of me!" Louis shouted, heating his arms.

  "[Sudden temperature increase] what!?" Kein surprised by the temperature rise in his armor released Louis, and he began to fall.

  "Damn, I need to grab onto something," Louis thought as he fell. Louis drove his katana into the wall of a house and then pulled it out to land on the ground without harm.

  "Kid, I think it'd be better if you went home!" Kein shouted before crashing where Louis was.

  Louis tried to dodge, but the impact reached him and sent him flying far. The impact alarmed many people, and they started leaving the area.

  "Louis, are you alright?" Professor Maxwell asked, stepping out of the bar.

  "Yeah, I'm fine..." Louis replied, getting up from the ground.

  "Don't get distracted, old man!" Jhin shouted behind the Professor.

  Suddenly, the eagle landed on Jhin, preventing the attack on the Professor. The Professor took his distance from Jhin and began charging his arm with energy.

  Kein ran toward where Louis was, pulling a sword from his arm.

  "Rubel? What happened to you, buddy?" Jhin asked, surprised, getting off the eagle.

  "You damn... you'll pay for this," Inock said angrily when he saw the eagle.

  Mei entered the bar at high speed and began attacking Inock with her scimitar. She had the upper hand, but Jhin tried to attack her from behind. However, Clara stopped the attack. Mei backed off, and Clara combined with the scimitar, turning it golden.

  Jhin and Inock tried to corner Mei, but she easily defeated them both.

  "Golden Slash!" Mei launched an attack, and both were pushed back after their swords clashed and exploded.

  "What's going on? Not even with two of you and those swords can you beat me?" Mei commented as she looked at them on the ground.

  "Damn you!" Inock Shouted, getting up from the ground.

  "We can, brother," Jhin said, getting up after Inock.

  Meanwhile, Louis and Kein continued fighting, exchanging blows with their swords.

  "Hey, kid, why don't you give up? I'll give you a part of the plans. Honestly, I feel bad about finishing you off," Kein said as their swords collided.

  "Shut up!" Louis shouted, heating his katana to red-hot and slicing through Kein's sword.

  "Incredible... He heated his katana in no time. He must have practiced a lot with his magic," Kein thought, seeing the katana glowing red.

  Kein tried to hit Louis with his metal fists, which, when dodged by Louis, destroyed the floor.

  "What's going on, fight?!" Louis tried to slash his chest with his katana, but Kein grabbed his arm and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing through the wall of a house.

  "Waste of time," Kein headed toward the bar, but the Professor shot him with his mechanical arm and started delivering a shock that kept him from moving.

  "Old man... This won't work!" Kein Shouted angrily, enduring the shock and grabbing the Professor's mechanical arm, ripping it off.

  "Dammit..." the Professor fell to the ground while holding his arm with his left hand.

  "You shouldn't have gotten involved in this, old man," Kein exclaimed , throwing the Professor's arm to the floor.

  Then, a huge explosion with many golden slashes blew off the bar's roof.

  "What the hell?! Brothers! Are you okay?" he shouted, worried, running toward the bar.

  A hand touched Kein's shoulder and then destroyed his armor.

  "[Sudden heating]," Kein's right arm detached from his body, revealing the skin on his arm.

  "You... How are you conscious?!" Kein was surprised and he stepped back.

  Louis ran towards Kein, who was backing away while firing with his arm. Louis dodged the attacks with ease, until Mei's scimitar, flying at high speed, struck Kein's head, distracting him.

  Seizing the opportunity, Louis delivered a direct punch to Kein's chest with his hand wrapped in lava. Kein's armor completely deactivated, and he was thrown backward, crashing to the ground.

  "It's over," said Louis, watching Kein on the ground as his red eye glowed faintly.

  "It's not over until you kill me!" yelled Kein, furious, aiming a gun.

  The gun was sliced by the scimitar, and Professor Maxwell pointed his mechanical arm at Kein, holding him with his left hand. Mei positioned the scimitar near Kein's face.

  "You are fuc..." he muttered, interrupted when the scimitar's hilt hit him in the head.

  "Miss Mei... How can you do that?" Louis asked, surprised by how Mei controlled the scimitar with her hands.

  "Thanks to my connection with Clara, I can do this... Are you okay, Jonathan?" Mei asked, seeing Professor Maxwell's mechanical arm detached.

  "I'm fine... And stop calling me Jonathan!" the Professor replied, annoyed.

  "Alright, alright, here, Louis, take the box," Mei said, handing him the box.

  After a while, a group of knights arrived, and Mei was talking to them.

  "Professor, I'm sorry I didn't protect you," Louis said, while watching the Professor sitting in Mei's car, reattaching his arm.

  "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's just metal... And you? Are you okay, Louis? You took quite a hit," asked Professor Maxwell, while fixing his arm.

  "Yeah, I'm fine, but..."

  "But?"

  "Nothing, Professor," Louis replied, feeling guilty.

  "Listen, in a fight anything can happen, didn't they teach you that?" said the Professor, understanding how Louis felt.

  "Yeah, but... I'm a paladin, I could've done better," Louis said, disappointed, pressing his hands together.

  "You demand too much from yourself, Mei couldn't even prevent this from happening, and she has more years of experience than you. We're all fine, and that's what matters," the Professor said, placing his hand on Louis's shoulder.

  "And remember, don't tell the count anything!" Mei yelled, approaching the car while looking at the knights. "Do you want me to take you?" she asked with a smile.

  "No, you drive like a maniac," the Professor replied instantly.

  "I do want to!" Louis said, excited.

  "I'll drive slowly, don't worry. I used to drive like that because it was an emergency. So, are your plans there?" Mei said sincerely.

  "Yes, they're there... And Jamiel?"

  "I tied him to a chair when I saw him trying to escape with the box," Mei said with her sweet, soft voice.

  "You're always the same," said the Professor, noticing the way she said it.

  "Well, I'll drop you off at your house. I have to go to the PT agency," she said, getting into the car.

  "Agency?" Louis thought.

  Mei took Professor Maxwell and Louis back home.

  "Thank you so much for everything, Mei," the Professor said with a slight smile on his face while carrying the plans.

  "Thank you, Miss Mei," Louis said, bowing his head.

  "You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything!" she said before speeding off in the car.

  "Hanks! Open the door and deactivate the shield!" she shouted in front of the entrance.

  "Shield? I don't see anything," Louis said, looking for the shield.

  "It's invisible..." said the Professor.

  "Professor, how did it go?" Hanks asked, opening the door for them to pass.

  "Everything's fine, thank God," the Professor replied, entering the house.

  "God..." Louis whispered, remembering something.

  "Well, I'm going to the lab to repair my arm completely," he added as he went upstairs.

  "Did it get damaged?" Hanks asked, barely noticing any damage to the arm.

  "A little, but it's almost fixed. Louis, go rest. There are a lot of deliveries tomorrow, and also, I'd like to take you to see the whole kingdom so you don't get lost, understood?" the Professor commented before entering the lab.

  "Yes, Professor," Louis replied, heading to his room.

  Louis entered his room, took off his coat, placed his katana beside his bed, and lay down, staring at the ceiling. Then, he looked out the window at the sunset and finally closed his eyes to sleep.

  End of the chapter.