Leon took his wallet from Will's hand.

When he looked up at Will again, the confident, cocky expression of the thief from ten minutes ago was completely gone.

Will's lips had gone pale, and beads of sweat trickled down his face. Even though he was wearing slightly loose, straight-leg trousers, anyone could see his legs trembling ever so slightly.

It was understandable, of course. After all, no matter how clever a thief you might be, you'd never in your wildest dreams predict that one day you’d end up stealing from the head of the Lionheart Association.

Leon sized up the young thief before him. "How old are you?" he asked without much ceremony.

"E-eighteen..."

"Tell the truth," Nacho interjected with a low, stern voice from the side.

Will quickly corrected himself. "Seventeen! Two more months until my eighteenth birthday!"

"Oh, at that age, shouldn't you be in school? Why did you quit to take up a career in thievery?"

"Brother, thievery is not my *career*," Will replied with exaggerated seriousness.

Leon raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at the wallet in his hand, which had only just returned to him.

"If not thievery... then what is it?"

"Robin Hood-like exploits!—Ouch!"

Nacho knocked him lightly on the back of his head.

"You little brat, studied little but learned plenty of excuses, haven’t you?"

Scratching the tip of his nose, Will let out a sheepish laugh. "Fine, you’ve got me. My dad did get me a decent job recently; being a ‘Robin Hood figure’ is just, well—ouch, okay, okay! It’s thieving! Thieving is my side gig."

Nacho snorted, raising a foot as if to give him another kick.

But Will dodged swiftly, as nimble as a monkey.

Leon couldn't help but chuckle too. He'd never heard of anyone treating stealing as a mere side gig.

People like this typically only existed in fantastical comic stories. By day, they're office workers dealing with obnoxious bosses and coworkers, but come nightfall, they transform into masked superheroes.

But a side-job thief like Will? Definitely a rare breed.

"If you’re *this* accomplished at your part-time job, your main job must be something incredible," Leon quipped.

Will huffed. "Nah, bro, nothing amazing. I’m just a night watchman at a warehouse."

Before Leon could respond to this surprisingly mundane job choice, Nacho cut in with a snarky comment.

"Letting you guard a warehouse is like letting a monkey watch over a peach orchard. What were they thinking?"

"Hey, Nacho bro, that’s unfair!"

"Then what *is* fair?"

"I’m way smarter than any monkey!" Will declared, puffing out his chest.

Nacho groaned and covered his face in visible exasperation.

This, he thought, was one of the many reasons why he didn't want Will joining the Lionheart Association.

Aside from the issue of age, the kid was just... a little too unpredictable.

Over the past few days, Nacho had managed to dig into Will's background a bit. Surprisingly, this reckless young thief turned out to be a bona fide resident of the Empire.

His family started out in the lower districts but gradually clawed their way into middle-class status thanks to Will's father, who had managed to start a small business.

But as everyone knew, doing business in the Empire meant you might make modest profits, but the Empire itself *never* loses.

In situations of exploitation, the first to bear the brunt are always these business owners with no connections or influence.

By those standards, Will did qualify to join their group.

But this cocky kid... well, his fiery temperament was sometimes just too much to handle.

"So, what kind of warehouse would even hire you to guard it? I thought your so-called *famous thief skills* were already the talk of the middle districts," Nacho asked.

"Sure, the locals know me as the ‘Robin Hood’, but outsiders don’t. This warehouse was built by the royal family. Temporarily, on a piece of middle-district land."

He paused, his tone shifting to one of indignation.

"And don’t get me *started*! They took over our district’s land but only paid half the normal rental fees. They call it ‘a royal requisition, a privilege for you commoners’. Ha, what utter nonsense! One of these days, I’ll just burn the damn thing to the ground."

### Keywords:

Royal estate, middle district, temporary warehouse.

Leon exchanged a subtle glance with Roswitha, their shared understanding passing wordlessly between them.

"What’s in the warehouse?" Leon asked, seemingly casual.

"This."

Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded paper lantern.

Because of the sheer number needed for Lantern Festival, the lanterns had been designed to fold for easier transport and storage. When used, they could simply be opened and expanded.

"Of course. A monkey in a peach orchard," Nacho murmured again, exasperated. "You definitely didn’t *just* steal one, did you?"

"Nacho bro, I only stole this one!"

"Really?"

"...Okay, five."

"Keep talking."

"...A dozen, maybe? Hey, look, the warehouse has so many of them. No one’s even gonna notice!"

Will folded his arms, defending himself indignantly. "I was gonna sell them for some extra side cash. Consider it compensation from the Empire for that ridiculously cheap rent!"

"You’ve got some nerve to think like that."

"Do I, Nacho bro?"

"Oh, shove off." Nacho waved him away dismissively.

"Alright." Head hanging slightly, Will obediently shuffled off to the side.

Nacho stepped closer to Leon, lowering his voice. "I’m guessing you’re thinking what I’m thinking."

Leon glanced at Will a short distance away. The young man had his hands in his pockets and was idly kicking at a loose pebble on the ground.

"After you brought up Will last night, I asked Rebecca about him. She said his background was unusually difficult to trace. I’m worried the kid won’t handle the pressure—that he might betray us when it counts," Leon admitted.

While he didn’t entirely dislike the enthusiastic, self-declared "Robin Hood," this was an especially critical operation. Leon couldn’t afford to let his personal affection cloud his judgment.

"He won’t betray us," Nacho said calmly. "Though investigating him was tricky, I’ve pieced together enough. Aside from his age and occasional recklessness, he’s well-suited to join the Lionheart Association."

"Really...?" Leon’s expression remained contemplative.

Nacho asked plainly, "So? What’s the call? This is the fastest way for us to get those paper lanterns."

Leon fell quiet for a moment, thinking it through. Then he stated matter-of-factly, "Take a small team tonight. Keep it minimal—less risk that way. We can’t afford setbacks that might hurt the Association."

"Bring enough Recording Stones with you. We don’t need to physically steal the lanterns. Just attach the stones to them *inside* the warehouse and conceal them with illusion magic. It’ll save us time."

"Finally, tally up our lanterns from other sources. Our aim is to blanket every district of the Empire."

Nacho nodded. "Understood. I’ll see to it right away."

"Let’s aim to finish before three in the morning."

"Consider it done."

Nacho turned and approached Will, whispering briefly as the younger thief’s face lit up in excitement.

"Thanks, Nacho bro!" Will shouted, his joy making him leap a good three feet into the air. Then he waved at Leon appreciatively. "Thanks, Leon bro, for giving me this chance!"

"Enough. Go on already," Nacho said as he nudged Will toward the nearest alley.

"What? Leon bro’s not coming with us?"

"Don’t be dumb. Have you ever seen a leader doing grunt work on the front line?"

"Oh. Fair point."

The two figures disappeared into the bustling crowd, leaving Leon and Roswitha behind.

Roswitha turned to Leon, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Honestly, I thought you were about to go out there to handle this personally."

Leon shrugged. "You’re the one who taught me—leaders don’t have to manage every little thing themselves."

"But they must—"

"But they must be prepared for failure and ready to bear all the consequences," Leon interrupted her, reciting smoothly.

"Hmph. You actually remembered," Roswitha said, impressed.

An outstanding leader doesn’t fight his followers for credit.

Take this warehouse mission, for example.

Leon was responsible for crafting the plan and making the key decisions, but the execution was left to the members of the Lionheart Society.

If it succeeded, it would be the collective result of everyone's effort.

If it failed, Leon would take full responsibility for the fallout.

This burden was just one facet of leadership—and Leon was willing to shoulder it all.

And Roswitha, steadfast and loyal, would remain by his side every step of the way.

"So, what next?" Roswitha asked lightly.

Leon considered for a moment before replying, "Let’s go. We should check in on Teacher Caroline."

---

### Casmode Orphanage

The children, helped by a group of nuns, busily carried two large crates of paper lanterns out to the front steps.

"Great work, everyone! We’re having stewed meat for dinner tonight!"

"Yay!"

"Teacher Caroline’s the best!"

Cheering, the children dashed toward the dining hall, excited beyond measure for their one annual stew supper.

Caroline turned her gaze from the lively group back toward the doorway, where Leon stood.

"These are the lanterns you ordered. We worked overtime to make them," she said warmly.

"Thank you for the effort, Teacher Caroline."

Caroline fixed her eyes on the familiar figure in front of her. Although his appearance had been altered for disguise, in that fleeting moment, an overwhelming sense of comfort filled her heart.

She didn’t know what Leon planned to do.

But as Sharon had said, "Brother Leon is back. We’re saved."

"Teacher Caroline!"

Sharon’s voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Everyone turned toward the sound to see the young nun running up with a lantern in her hands.

"I... I just finished the last lantern. Please accept this one, Leo--- sir!"

Sharon held out the lantern with both hands.

It was already unfolded and ready.

Around the outer edges of the lantern, carefully written, were the names of every teacher, nun, and child at Casmode Orphanage—so many names that there was scarcely room to fit them all.

And at the very top of the lantern, a single name was deliberately left on its own:

**Leon Casmode.**

"This lantern ..."

"This is very significant, sir!"

Sharon explained excitedly, "We've all written our names on it, and the name at the very top... it is... it is..."

Perhaps too overwhelmed, Sharon became a bit incoherent.

Leon naturally noticed the only standalone name written on the paper lantern.

Judging from the handwriting, it seemed to have been written by Miss Caroline.

At that moment, Leon felt as if he understood something.

Could it be that the teacher and the others had already... recognized him?

"He is our hero, sir."

Miss Caroline extended her hand, gently supporting Sharon's hand from beneath and pushing the paper lantern a little closer to Leon.

"He was before, he is now, and he will always be in the future."

"So please, take this lantern. It carries the hopes of everyone at the Casmode Orphanage."

Leon was certain now.

But this was not the time to reunite. There were too many eyes around. Once everything settled, there would be a time for embraces.

Leon looked at the paper lantern covered in names, his pupils trembling ever so slightly.

After a moment, Leon reached out and solemnly accepted it.

"I understand. Thank you, Ms. Caroline, and Sharon."

"You're welcome, sir."

Caroline hesitated for a moment, smiled, but then spoke in a tone that was both serious and solemn,

"May your valor flourish."

As a nun, she almost never used the phrase "May your valor flourish" to bid farewell to anyone.

Over the years, there had been only one person who could make Caroline say these four words every single time they parted ways.

His name was Leon.

He was, without question, the most outstanding child Caroline had ever taught.