Toma continued his journey alone through the desert, but this time he had enough water for two days and enough food as well.

  It was still early in the morning, so the heat hadn’t set in yet. He walked for three hours, but the temperature kept rising until the desert began to scorch again.

  Toma decided to take a short break and drank a little water.

  Then he heard human voices. Fast, urgent—definitely people.

  He put his water away and ran toward the sounds.

  From a distance he saw five boys surrounding a girl and her camel.

  ***

  “You think I’m scared of you? I can take you all on easily!” the girl shouted, chin high and defiant.

  “Oh really, little girl? I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” one of the men taunted, stepping forward.

  “You idiot, that girl’s one of the strongest in our year! You know, the noble girl from the other class!” another of his companions spat, eyes narrowed.

  “Doesn’t matter, I’ve got an idea!” the first man said, then drew his katana and pressed the blade to the camel’s neck.

  “What are you doing to that animal?” the girl demanded, panic and anger in her voice.

  “Surrender, or I'll slit your little camel's throat!” the man threatened, forcing the tip harder against the animal.

  “What do you want from me?” the girl asked, voice trembling but brave.

  “First, water and food—we’ve run out. Second, I see you have a nice figure; you could be our maid!” he sneered.

  “You disgusting!” the girl shot back.

  “Do it, or I'll kill this poor little animal!” he snapped again, voice low and cruel.

  At that moment they noticed someone running toward them from the distance—Toma.

  When he reached them, he stopped right in front of the group.

  “Excuse me, boys, could you help me out?” he asked calmly, putting them all on notice.

  “The hell is this guy?” one of the boys muttered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

  “Some good-looking, fancy pretty boy,” another sneered, his tone dripping with mockery.

  “What the hell do you want?” one of them finally demanded.

  Toma kept his calm, his voice steady. “I just saw you guys here and thought maybe you could give me a hand.”

  “With what exactly?” the boy asked, crossing his arms and frowning.

  “Look,” Toma said, setting his bag down, “I’ve got this backpack full of water and food, but I can’t carry it anymore.”

  He unzipped it and turned it around so they could see the contents inside.

  “Is he seriously this stupid? And where the hell did he even get all that water and food?” one of the boys whispered under his breath.

  “Of course we’ll help,” another said with a crooked grin. “Give it to one of my buddies here.”

  “Thanks, take good care of it!” Toma replied, smiling faintly as he handed the bag over.

  But the smile vanished the next instant.

  Without wasting a single heartbeat, Toma spun on his heel—his leg cutting through the air like a blade—and slammed his foot straight into the head of the boy holding the katana.

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  The impact cracked through the air as the boy went flying, crashing to the ground in a heap.

  “The hell was that!?” one of them shouted, stunned.

  “He took him out with a single kick!” another gasped.

  “Get him!” the third roared.

  All three remaining boys charged at once.

  Toma didn’t hesitate for even a second.

  He ducked beneath the first attacker’s punch and swept his leg low, knocking the boy clean off his feet. The second came swinging wildly, but Toma caught his arm mid-air, twisted it hard until the boy yelped, then shoved him straight into the third.

  Before any of them could recover, Toma seized one by the collar, yanked him up from the ground, and tore the wristwatch right off his arm in one swift motion.

  “One down! Who’s next?” Toma called out, his tone half-mocking as he pointed straight at the boy clutching his backpack. “You there! Thanks for helping out—now hand back the bag!”

  “Sure! Just don’t hurt me!” the boy stammered, trembling as he carefully held out the bag toward him.

  Toma slung the backpack over his shoulders with an easy motion and smirked. “So, boys, four of you left—shall we keep this fight going?”

  “Let’s get the hell out of here!” one of them shouted, panic taking over. In an instant, all four turned tail and sprinted off as fast as their legs could carry them, desperate to escape from Toma’s reach.

  “Hey, you!” Toma called after the one he’d already knocked down, pointing at him sharply.

  “I’m already out, what do you want?” the boy groaned weakly, still lying in the sand.

  “Your bottle!”

  “Here!” the boy said, fumbling inside his bag before tossing the bottle toward Toma.

  Toma caught it easily and checked the contents. “It’s empty, huh? Alright then—now get lost too!”

  “But I’m already out! I have to stay here so they can find me and take me back,” the boy protested.

  “They’ll find you even if you move over there,” Toma replied flatly.

  “Understood!” the boy said quickly and staggered away, not daring to argue further.

  “Man, this other class is so weak,” Toma muttered, shaking his head.

  A soft, hesitant voice spoke up behind him. “Um… uh… thank you for saving me.”

  Toma turned, flashing a confident grin. “No problem! I’d save a cute girl like you anytime. And besides, I can’t stand animal cruelty!”

  The girl’s expression softened as she stepped closer. “By the way, you’re my classmate, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “My name’s Lyrien Vandemire,” she said politely.

  Lyrien was a slender girl, standing about 169 centimeters tall, with a graceful figure and a quiet elegance that drew the eye. Her hair shimmered like silver under the sunlight, her pale blue eyes glowed softly, and her face carried a natural kindness that made her instantly likable.

  “Nice to meet you! Oh, I haven’t even introduced myself yet—I’m Toma Sorien!” he said with an easy smile.

  “Yes, I know,” Lyrien replied with a small laugh. “You’re quite popular at the academy.”

  “Sorry for not remembering your name,” Toma admitted. “From our class, I only know the names of my two friends, Arvian and Arlen. You know, it’s still our first year, and I wasn’t at the academy last semester because of a mission.”

  “Oh, that’s no problem,” Lyrien said kindly. “But I remember you—you’re strong.”

  “Yeah, I try to be. Though after seeing you fight, I’m starting to doubt myself,” Lyrien added with a faint smile.

  “Oh, that was just hand-to-hand combat, nothing special,” Toma replied, brushing it off. “Are you heading north too?”

  “Yes,” she answered simply.

  “Then, would you like to team up with me?” he asked with a grin.

  “Gladly!” Lyrien replied at once.

  “Here, take this flask—if you fill it up, it’ll be enough water for a whole day,” Toma said, handing it to her.

  “Thank you, but I can’t accept it. That disgusting guy drank from this earlier,” Lyrien said, frowning.

  “Oh, that’s the problem? Then wait a sec!” Toma replied, already reaching for something.

  Toma reached into his bag and pulled out his own bottle. “Here—this one’s only been used by me, and I’ve got two anyway, so go ahead and take it.”

  “But then you’ll have less water,” Lyrien protested softly.

  “It’s fine,” Toma replied with a grin. “I’ll just wash the other one and refill it at the next oasis.”

  “Well then, thank you,” Lyrien said, accepting the bottle. She took a small sip, the cool water refreshing against the dry heat, then quickly put it away.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she’d just done. This is basically a direct kiss from this handsome guy! she thought, her face suddenly flushing bright red.

  Toma tilted his head curiously. “What’s wrong, Lyrien? Your face is completely red.”

  “N-nothing, nothing! It’s just really hot!” she stammered, waving her hands nervously.

  “You’re right,” Toma chuckled. “Well then, let’s go! I’ll sit in the front!” He climbed onto the camel in one smooth motion, taking the reins.

  Lyrien followed, climbing up behind him. The camel was a single-humped one with a wide saddle, making it easy for the two of them to sit comfortably.

  “By the way, where did you find this camel?” Toma asked as the beast let out a low grunt.

  “At an oasis where I slept last night. That’s where I got my food and water too,” Lyrien explained.

  “Ah, I did the same,” Toma said, smiling over his shoulder. “Except the oasis I stayed at didn’t have any camels.”

  He gave the reins a gentle tug. “Let’s go! Come on, camel!” The animal started moving forward with a slow, steady pace. “I’ve never ridden one before, but this isn’t bad at all!”

  “Yeah, at least we don’t have to walk,” Lyrien replied with a small laugh.

  “Yeah, tell me about it—I’ve been walking nonstop until now,” Toma said, relaxing a little. “By the way, feel free to hold on to me, just in case you fall off.”

  “Thank you,” Lyrien murmured softly. She wrapped her arms around Toma’s waist, her face heating up once more from how close she was to him.

  And so, the two of them continued their journey across the vast desert, riding together on the back of the camel as the sun blazed high above them.