Kain had been in plenty of bad situations before.
Getting caught red-handed stealing artifacts? Done that.
Nearly being crushed by a dungeon guardian? Just last night.
Pissing off a royal princess? Apparently, that was a new achievement.
But being teleported into a princess's bed, accidentally kissing her, and then having the entire palace guards chasing him for his life?
That was a first.
---
Kain vaulted over a marble railing, landing on the floor below with a sharp roll. The palace hall echoed with the sound of armored boots, shouts of knights ringing through the air.
"FIND HIM!" one of them bellowed. "HE CANNOT ESCAPE THE CASTLE!"
Kain groaned. "Oh, for the love of— I didn't even DO anything!"
"You stole the first kiss of the princess of the kingdom," the Trickster Goddess teased, floating beside him as if this were just another fun game.
"IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" Kain hissed, ducking behind a massive decorative vase as more guards stormed the corridor.
The pink-haired fox goddess giggled, tails flicking. "Oh please, don't act like it wasn't a little fun~."
Kain gave her a murderous glare. "I swear, if I survive this, I'm gonna—"
A knight swung a halberd at his face.
Kain jerked backward, barely dodging as the blade slashed through the air, slicing cleanly through the marble vase he had been hiding behind.
"Shit—!" He sprang back, narrowly avoiding another brutal swing from the knight.
The Trickster Goddess clapped her hands in delight. "Ooooh~! Now the real fun begins!"
---
The next few moments were chaos.
Kain ducked, twisted, and flipped over swinging weapons, using his enhanced agility to evade every attack. The palace knights were well-trained, but they weren't prepared for someone like him—a thief with a cursed artifact that made him faster than humanly possible.
He kicked off a wall, flipping over a spear thrust, then landed behind the knight. Before the man could turn, Kain delivered a swift kick to the back of his knee, sending him toppling.
Another guard charged. Kain sidestepped, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted—flipping him over his own momentum and slamming him to the ground.
"Damn," Kain muttered. "This thing really does make me stronger."
The Arcane Gauntlet pulsed with a blue glow, its magic coursing through him like a second heartbeat.
It was making him faster, stronger, sharper.
And… it wasn't just reacting to him.
Kain could feel it.
Like it was watching.
Like it was… waiting for something.
---
"Enough games," a cold voice cut through the battle.
Kain turned—just in time to see a new figure enter the hall.
Unlike the palace knights, this man wore an officer's coat, marked with golden insignias. His long dark hair was tied back, and his steel-gray eyes locked onto Kain like a predator spotting prey.
The other knights immediately stood at attention.
"General Varian," one of them saluted.
Kain sighed. "Great. Now there's a mini-boss."
The Trickster Goddess laughed. "Oh~ this one looks serious."
Varian drew his blade—a long, silver-etched saber, its edges glowing faintly with magic. "Thief. I'll give you one chance to surrender."
Kain grinned. "And I'll give you one chance to pretend you never saw me."
The general moved.
Faster than Kain expected.
The blade flashed, and Kain barely dodged, the saber slicing cleanly through the air where his neck had been just a second ago.
"Shit—!"
Varian was on him in an instant.
Kain backpedaled, narrowly avoiding a series of precise, calculated slashes. Unlike the clunky palace knights, Varian's strikes were measured and deadly, each one aimed at a vital point.
Kain ducked, then rolled under an arcing cut, coming up behind the general. He threw a kick—but Varian blocked it effortlessly, grabbing Kain's leg and hurling him backward.
Kain crashed into a decorative suit of armor, sending metal pieces flying.
"Ow," he muttered. "Okay, yeah. You definitely fight like a mini-boss."
Varian didn't react. He simply adjusted his grip on the saber and charged again.
Kain gritted his teeth. He couldn't win a head-on fight.
He had to think like a thief.
---
The next time Varian struck, Kain didn't dodge backward.
Instead, he stepped in.
He let the saber barely graze his side—then lunged forward, twisting around the general's guard.
In that split second, he grabbed a handful of the officer's coat, yanked him off balance, and—
Smashed his knee into Varian's stomach.
The general staggered back, caught off guard.
Kain grinned. "Guess you weren't expecting me to fight dirty, huh?"
Varian's eyes narrowed. Then he smirked.
"Good," he said. "This might actually be fun."
Lightning crackled around his saber.
Kain's stomach dropped. "Oh, COME ON."
---
The Trickster Goddess, still watching from the sidelines, smiled knowingly.
"Oh, my dear thief~. You're in for quite the adventure."
Her golden eyes gleamed as she flicked her fingers—just enough to stir the magic within Kain's gauntlet.
Kain felt it instantly.
A surge of energy—something powerful, something ancient.
Something dangerous.
His body moved on its own.
And in the next heartbeat—
The fight truly began.