**Chapter 57: Rescue**

It turns out that riding a deer through the woods isn't a great idea. It's not that the Flame Beast is uncomfortable to ride. Despite being a deer, it's about the size of a horse, maybe even bigger, so the ride itself is fine. The problem is its speed—and the fact that they're in a forest.

Sure enough, after just a few steps, Linton was knocked off by a nearby tree trunk. Seeing Linton hit the ground, the Flame Beast came back. With leaves and twigs all over his face, Linton could swear the beast was smirking at him.

"What are you looking at? Can't even carry a rider properly," Linton grumbled. Although he didn't feel any pain, he still looked a mess.

The Flame Beast seemed to indicate it really didn't know how to carry people. It had never been ridden before.

"Honestly, what's the use of you?" Linton said, standing up and brushing off the debris from his head. "Keep an eye on the path and try to stick to areas with fewer trees. If I fall again, you're out."

The Flame Beast felt a bit bullied but, remembering that strange flame, decided to endure it.

Carrying Linton once more, the Flame Beast was more careful this time. Though still fast, it avoided the densest clusters of trees. Linton nodded in approval—turns out, with a little effort, it could be trained.

After running for a while, Linton realized he had no idea where he was. Everything looked the same, and it was no wonder people were afraid to enter the deep forest—it was incredibly easy to get lost. Fortunately, the Flame Beast seemed to have a destination in mind, moving steadily in one direction.

Suddenly, Linton heard noise ahead. He immediately activated his Sharingan and spotted Princess Yalan and her group. Upon closer inspection, things didn't look good. They were in a battle, facing a giant white tiger-like magical beast, clearly fierce and dangerous. It was obvious they were in trouble.

Barry, still standing in the front, seemed to have recovered somewhat, but Linton could tell he wasn't fully healed. Just maintaining his combat stance was draining him; he was sweating profusely, clearly still affected by his injuries. Behind him, Linton noticed someone was missing—Rena. After looking around, he saw her lying not far away, with bloodstains on her body. She might be in danger.

"See that tiger?" Linton whispered to the Flame Beast. "Ram it."

The Flame Beast, unfazed by the tiger, nodded and, with a flash of purple light, sped up and charged at the tiger. Linton grabbed onto the beast's body tightly—its speed was so intense he nearly got thrown off.

At that moment, the tiger was preparing to attack Barry. Barry, slowly building up his energy, was clearly in a dire situation. Just as he was about to go all out, a sudden noise came from the side. Both the group and the tiger turned to see a purple blur hurtling toward them.

With a loud "bang," the Flame Beast crashed into the tiger's side, its antlers piercing the tiger's belly, and sent the much larger beast flying. The tiger had no time to react, and within a second, it was injured and bleeding.

Another loud thud followed as the tiger hit the ground. After rolling over, it quickly stood up but paused when it saw the creature before it. It recognized the Flame Beast and seemed confused—why would a non-predatory animal attack it?

The Flame Beast didn't pursue but stood its ground, exuding a faint aura of dominance. The tiger, clearly shaken and wounded, hesitated for a moment before turning around and fleeing into the woods.

"Linton?!" Barry and the others finally recognized their savior. They were shocked to see him arrive just in time—and even more surprised that he was riding the Flame Beast.

"Hey, everyone," Linton waved casually.

"What the—how did you—wait... why are you..." Gasen was too overwhelmed with questions and didn't know where to start.

"How about we save her first?" Linton pointed to Rena.

"Right!" The group snapped back to reality and rushed to Rena's side. Linton dismounted and walked over to check on her.

"How's she doing?" Linton asked.

"Not too bad," Barry said after a quick examination. "She took a heavy blow to the chest, probably broke a few ribs, but there's no bleeding. At her age, she should recover quickly."

As he spoke, Barry gave Rena some potion. She seemed to be unconscious, but after a few sips, her complexion improved significantly.

Once Rena was stabilized, everyone turned their attention back to Linton.

"How did you end up with *that* thing?" Gasen nervously glanced at the Flame Beast. Its presence made the group uneasy—they had already seen how strong it was, and now Linton had brought it back.

"Have you heard of the Melovi family motto?" Linton asked.

"I'm starting to question if I'm even part of the Melovi family anymore," Gasen sighed, "Alright, what's the motto?"

"When kids misbehave, just beat them up." Linton grinned. "See this thing? It wasn't listening before, so I gave it a good thrashing. Now it behaves, and voilà, it's my ride."

The Flame Beast glanced at Linton, clearly annoyed but choosing to ignore him to avoid getting more irritated.

"Our family motto is getting more ridiculous by the day," Gasen muttered, rubbing his forehead. "So you disappeared to catch this thing?"

"Of course not. Do you think I'd need to go out of my way to catch it? I didn't do anything; it came to me and knelt down, begging to follow me," Linton said smugly.

"Sure, I'll just pretend to believe that. So, where did you actually go?" Gasen asked.

Barry and Princess Yalan were also curious. They wanted to know why Linton had disappeared for several days.

"Well, it's like this: I was resting in my tent when I suddenly received a telepathic message from my master..." Linton began.

"Wait, what? Your master?" Gasen interrupted.

"Of course! What, did you think I just picked up magic on my own without a teacher?" Linton replied.

"I mean... what kind of magic is telepathic messaging?" Gasen asked.

"That's not important," Linton said dismissively. "Anyway, my master called me, so I went."

"Uh-huh... and what did he want?" Gasen sensed Linton was making things up.

"Well, he wanted to pass down the ultimate secret technique of our school," Linton said.

"That came out of nowhere," Gasen remarked. "And what's this ultimate technique?"

"This technique is terrifying. Just one glare, and your opponent instantly drops dead. It's called the 'Death Glare,'" Linton explained.

"Seriously? Your school gives techniques such random names?" Gasen was convinced Linton was full of it but was already used to his tall tales.

"I'm telling the truth!" Linton insisted. "I've mastered it, and now I'm invincible!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Gasen said, rolling his eyes. "Fine, I believe you."

"But your face says otherwise," Linton replied.

"Yeah, and you know why," Gasen retorted. "Could you stop messing around? Do you know how hard it was to find you? We were worried something happened to you."

"But I'm telling the truth!" Linton insisted.

"Then glare at me and prove it," Gasen challenged.

"Well... I mean, this technique is too deadly... it's not appropriate for family. I wouldn't do that to my nephew," Linton said awkwardly.

"Enough," Barry interrupted, seeing Gasen about to continue. "We don't know exactly what happened, but at least he's back, and he saved us."

"Yes," Princess Yalan nodded in agreement, turning to Linton. "Thank you for helping us again."

"You see? This is what understanding looks like," Linton pointed at the princess. "Her Highness clearly believes me, right?"

"Uh... yes, I suppose..." Princess Yalan hesitated but nodded, avoiding Linton's gaze.

"Hey, what's with that look? Why do you also seem doubtful? I'm telling the truth!" Linton exclaimed.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat," Barry said. "This place isn't safe. We should leave quickly."

"No way, I need to clear this up," Linton said. "I'm a man of integrity, known as the 'Little Prince of Honesty.' I never lie. You're all questioning my character."

"And about the assassin's target..." Barry reminded him.

"Huh?" Linton glanced at Gasen, who quickly shot him a warning look. Linton understood—this matter was exposed. Sure, Princess Yalan could be deceived, but Barry was harder to fool.

"That was... an exception," Linton said awkwardly.

"In any case, Your Highness, 'Little Prince of Honesty,' can we please leave now?" Barry asked.

(End of Chapter)