Nick silently followed the suspicious man through the crowded streets.
Careful not to be noticed, he kept a safe distance while moving through narrow alleys and abandoned roads.
After nearly twenty minutes of walking, the man finally stopped.
Nick immediately hid behind a broken stone wall.
In front of him stood an old abandoned warehouse.
Its walls were damaged.
Several windows were broken.
At first glance, it looked deserted.
But it wasn’t.
Nick quietly peeked inside.
What he saw immediately darkened his expression.
More than a dozen men were gathered inside.
Small bags filled with drugs were being exchanged for money.
Some people handed over their last coins desperately.
Others offered valuables.
And to Nick’s disgust—
A few men were even exchanging women for drugs.
His fists slowly clenched.
The kingdom’s problem was worse than he imagined.
As Nick continued observing, one of the men suddenly noticed him.
“Hey!”
Several heads immediately turned toward the entrance.
Their eyes locked onto Nick.
The warehouse instantly became quiet.
Then one of the criminals spat on the floor.
“Get the hell out of here.”
Nick slowly stepped inside.
“No.”
The man’s expression darkened.
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
The criminal laughed.
Then he pulled out his sword.
Soon, the others followed.
Steel filled the warehouse.
Nick sighed.
“So that’s how it’s going to be.”
The next second—
The fight began.
Several men rushed him at once.
CLANG!
Nick blocked the first attack.
Then kicked another man directly into a wooden crate.
CRASH!
The crate shattered.
A third attacker swung from behind.
Nick ducked beneath the strike before punching him directly in the stomach.
The man collapsed immediately.
But there were simply too many opponents.
One after another, they continued attacking.
Nick was forced to defend from every direction.
Even so—
He slowly began gaining the upper hand.
Minutes passed.
Bodies started covering the warehouse floor.
One by one, the criminals fell.
Until finally—
The last man collapsed unconscious.
Heavy breathing filled the warehouse.
Nick looked around carefully.
“Is that everyone?”
For a moment, everything became quiet.
Then—
SHING!
A blade suddenly flashed toward him.
The attack was unbelievably fast.
Nick barely reacted in time.
He twisted his body sideways.
Even then—
A sharp pain shot through his right arm.
Blood splashed onto the floor.
A cut.
His eyes widened.
Someone had wounded him.
Nick immediately jumped backward.
His gaze landed on the man standing near the warehouse entrance.
The newcomer looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
His clothes were simple.
His expression was calm.
Almost bored.
As though he had just woken up from a pleasant dream.
Nick tightened his grip on his sword.
“Who are you?”
The man ignored the question.
Instead, he casually looked around at the unconscious criminals.
Then his gaze settled on Nick.
“Nick.”
Nick froze.
The man knew his name.
“How are you?”
Nick frowned.
The casual greeting felt wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
“Who are you?”
The man seemed completely uninterested in answering.
Instead, he spoke calmly.
“I think you should leave this place.”
Nick narrowed his eyes.
“And what happens if I don’t?”
The man’s expression remained unchanged.
“Then it’s your choice.”
His hand slowly moved toward his waist.
“If you want to die here.”
A small dagger appeared in his hand.
Nick almost laughed.
A dagger?
Against a sword?
Then the man spoke.
“For you…”
His cold eyes met Nick’s.
“This is enough.”
Nick immediately understood.
This man was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Without another word—
The fight began.
The stranger vanished.
Nick’s eyes widened.
Fast.
Far too fast.
The dagger appeared before him instantly.
CLANG!
Nick barely blocked.
A second strike followed.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
The attacks came so quickly that Nick struggled just to keep up.
His sword moved nonstop.
Defending.
Dodging.
Retreating.
Yet somehow—
The man continued becoming faster.
Nick had fought many opponents in his life.
But never someone like this.
He needed space.
Just one opening.
One chance to attack.
Nick suddenly forced the man backward and tried creating distance.
But before he could recover—
BAM!
A powerful kick struck his sword arm.
Pain exploded through his body.
CLANG!
The weapon crashed across the floor.
Nick’s expression changed.
Bad.
Very bad.
Without his sword, he immediately switched to hand-to-hand combat.
Punches.
Kicks.
Counters.
Nothing worked.
Every attack was avoided effortlessly.
Then—
BAM!
Another kick landed directly on Nick’s face.
The world spun.
His body flew several meters before crashing into a wooden pillar.
CRACK!
The pillar shattered.
Blood filled his mouth.
Before he could stand—
The stranger was already in front of him.
The dagger descended.
THUD!
The blade buried itself deep into Nick’s side.
Nick desperately grabbed the man’s wrist.
Trying to stop him.
Trying to push him away.
But it was useless.
The stranger’s strength was overwhelming.
Nick’s vision slowly blurred.
His body grew colder.
Then the man leaned closer.
For the first time, emotion appeared in his eyes.
A cold smile.
“Tell the prince…”
Nick struggled to remain conscious.
“If Prince John tries to stand in my way…”
The smile widened.
“I’ll kill him too.”
Darkness slowly consumed Nick’s vision.
His body finally collapsed.
Unconscious.
The stranger calmly stood up.
Moments later, the remaining criminals gathered around him.
Without another word, they began leaving the warehouse.
At that exact moment—
John arrived.
The moment he entered the warehouse, his eyes widened.
“Nick!”
Blood covered the floor.
Nick lay motionless beside the broken pillar.
For a second, John froze.
Then rage exploded inside him.
He immediately rushed toward Nick.
Seeing the wound.
Seeing the blood.
Seeing his closest friend barely alive.
John’s hands trembled.
Slowly, he raised his head.
Far outside the warehouse—
A lone figure stood at the end of the street.
Watching.
The stranger smiled.
John’s eyes burned with fury.
“COME IN FRONT OF ME!”
His voice echoed through the streets.
“If you’ve got the guts!”
The stranger only smiled.
Then he turned around.
And walked away.
Disappearing into the shadows.
Leaving behind a wounded knight.
And a furious prince.