Sage had always thought that this woman was the leader of the nearby bandits; after all, there were so many bandits around here that one could encounter a group every kilometer.

"Turns out not! I was just thinking, she looks pretty good and has a certain grace; how could she not look like a bandit? She's actually a princess, huh...?"

Sage realized a blind spot and looked at Lily: "You are royalty, and the one issuing the bounty is also royalty, which means... dogs biting dogs?"

"I'm not a dog!"

Lily was about to grind her teeth in frustration. "He is! He is a traitor! A usurper! The worst person in the world!"

"Oh..."

Sage nodded, suddenly pressing down on her shoulder to steer her in a slightly different direction.

"Going off track..."

"I spent three days getting from the royal city to here, but if we walked in a straight line, it wouldn't take that long. Just endure a bit more; if we pull an all-nighter, we should be able to get there by tomorrow morning," Sage said.

Lily was stunned, her words caught in her throat as she stared at Sage until half an hour later when she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Curious about what?"

"The royal bounty..."

"Not at all."

Sage shook his head. "What I want to be is a wealthy landlord who exploits people, not some savior who wants to meddle in everything. Asking your name is mainly for commemorative purposes; I'm not interested in anything else."

"You really are..."

Lily sighed. "You don't seem like a strong person at all."

"After all, I never thought I was strong," Sage smiled.

Having a cheat doesn't mean being invincible.

Even if he didn't quite remember the plot, he knew of the well-known strong figures in this sea.

They were entities that could easily destroy the world.

Sage could handle people, but causing great destruction to an island or even changing the weather was beyond him.

"Is that so..."

Lily murmured and then closed her mouth, continuing to walk in silence.

Her face clearly showed her unwillingness but was accompanied by even more stubbornness.

Between the two, aside from silence, only the sounds of their footsteps remained.

Until a more hurried footstep broke this silence.

"Stop!!"

Several armed men jumped out from the woods, surrounding them. The leading tall man shouted viciously, "Hand over the money!"

These men were all ragged and looked pale. Although they held swords, it was obvious their hands were trembling, and their eyes were hesitant.

Sage had seen quite a few of their kind over the past few days.

Bandits.

Sage sighed and said slowly, "I say, gentlemen, do I look like I have pockets? I don't even have pockets. How can I pull out money? I'm poorer than you; at least you have knives."

"Stop it! That sword on your waist looks precious, and that woman looks like a noble!"

The bandit leader said fiercely, "Hand over the money, or I'll kill you!"

"Boss, wait, look at that woman..."

At that moment, a bandit approached, pulling out a bounty notice that was very familiar to Sage and comparing it carefully with Lily.

"It's her! Boss, if we catch her, we'll have money!" the bandit exclaimed excitedly.

"One million beris!"

The bandit leader's eyes nearly popped out as he pointed his large knife at Sage. "We want that woman; get out of the way, or I'll kill you!"

"Don't..."

Lily suddenly spoke up.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Sage in front of them suddenly disappeared, turning into a fleeting shadow that flashed before them.

The shadow moved extremely fast, and in just an instant, it reappeared behind them.

At this moment, both the knife-wielding bandit leader and the surprised bandits were frozen in place, as if petrified, completely motionless.

Sage turned and walked up to the frozen bandit leader, patted his shoulder, and said, "Everyone is suffering; if you're going to rob, don't rob me. I'm counting on this woman to help me achieve my dreams."

As he spoke, he casually grabbed the iron flask hanging from the bandit's waist, opened the cap, and took a swig.

"Ugh, this wine... is terrible!"

Sage spat out the foul air. "You'll be able to move in half a day. Next time, be careful; when robbing, you should consider your strength."

Only then did Lily step forward to Sage, pursed her lips, and whispered, "Thank you..."

"I just have no interest in the suffering poor. We're all poor, and there's no bounty, so there's nothing to deal with."

Sage then asked, "But does your country have the treasure of the bandit king?"

Lily paused for a moment and shook her head. "I haven't heard any rumors about treasure..."

"No treasure means there are too many bandits?" Sage remarked.

Lily's expression dimmed as she said softly, "The taxes are too heavy; the citizens can't survive, so they have no choice but to become bandits."

"Ah?" Sage was taken aback.

"Don't you understand?"

Lily exclaimed, "They can't bear the heavy taxes, so..."

"So the sea has no lid, and if locals can't survive, they go out to sea."

Sage said, "I haven't heard that the Kingdom of Oikote prohibits people from going to sea."

He was the typical person who had to go to sea because he could no longer survive; if he still had some surplus, he might still be thinking of ways to start a business.

Lily's eyes suddenly widened with a strong look of astonishment, surprising Sage.

"You haven't thought of that, have you? No way?" Sage asked in surprise.

In the era of great pirates, there were all sorts of reasons for going to sea, and those who went to sea due to survival were in the majority.

These people here would rather be bandits than go to sea?

The East Sea is not the Grand Line; the climate here is quite normal, and even a child can go to sea on a wooden raft.

If you can't survive, just leave.

"Going to sea..."

The girl's eyes involuntarily widened for a moment but then fell again as she said, "The Kingdom of Oikote once experienced a pirate war, and everyone hates those who go to sea; they won't easily set sail."

...

Bendetta Lily, sixteen years old, is the royal princess of the Kingdom of Oikote and the next heir to the kingdom, unless something unexpected happens...

Oikote is a war-torn country, especially after the navy and pirates fought a war here over twenty years ago; it has never stabilized since. Until Lily's father became king, the country improved somewhat.

However, Lily's father died unexpectedly when she was born, and the improved situation naturally collapsed, plunging into chaos as before. Her mother, amidst this chaos, did not try to save the situation but instead found a new husband, becoming Lily's ghost... stepfather!

Not long after her mother's second marriage, she also died. This stepfather took advantage of her youth and naturally took over the Bendetta family name, becoming king and taking control of the chaotic situation, which then... became even more chaotic!

He couldn't be said to be a great talent; at least he was indifferent to matters.

In short, under his rule, Oikote became increasingly chaotic, with bandits rampant and banditry everywhere, maintaining such chaos for over a decade.

Lily grew up in this environment, possessing a strong desire to save her country. One day, about six months ago, she boldly assassinated that usurper...

Then she was put under a bounty.

After that, she was captured by Sage.

"You really are unlucky..." Sage expressed indignation.

"You..." Lily felt a stir in her heart when she saw his expression as if he felt her plight was unjust.

Could he be willing to help her?

"A royal princess, and a royal princess who assassinated the king, only worth one million beris?" Sage said indignantly. "It should be worth at least ten million... no, twenty million!"

Is that what being unlucky refers to?

Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes, but the impulse in her heart surged strongly at this moment.

This man might be able to...

"Stop." Sage suddenly raised his hand.

Lily was taken aback, "I didn't say anything..."

"Your eyes are filled with stories, and the last thing I like is listening to stories."

Sage waved his hand, "It's just that you want me to help you reclaim the throne or assist the citizens in going to sea and all that talk about heavy taxes and unbearable burdens... I don’t have that kind of spare time. There are many people suffering at sea, not just you; I'm suffering too. It would be better if you first help the people in front of you and let me capture you to claim the bounty."

He had finally opened the path of bounty hunting, and he needed this woman to make the first splash!

Seeing this, Lily also closed her mouth and stopped talking.

The two quickly walked on, silently disappearing into the forest...

...

The next day, before the sun reached its zenith, Sage brought Lily to the royal city.

The royal city of Oikote resembled a medieval town from the seventeenth or eighteenth century, but the town was very clean. On both sides of the streets were rows of colorful two- or three-story buildings, with shops lining the streets. In the center of the city stood a large square, with a tall clock tower in the center, higher than the city walls, which is the iconic building of Oikote.

If it weren't for the bandits lurking everywhere, it would be a peaceful town.

Upon entering the royal city with Lily and notifying the guarding soldiers, the soldiers took Sage and Lily to the palace.

Sage had already prepared for various scenarios; this grand princess, who was also quite beautiful and possessed a strong desire to save her country, should be quite popular.

There were no scenes where the castle guards drew their weapons against Sage upon seeing the princess, nor did citizens frantically try to stop him upon seeing the princess. Instead, everyone seemed very interested in following behind to watch the excitement.

Until they reached the enormous staircase leading to the palace, Sage finally couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a princess? This atmosphere... doesn't seem like anyone knows you."

"I've never been out of the palace."

Lily, who had been silent, finally spoke. She fixed her gaze on the enormous staircase and said solemnly, "Since I was young, I have been confined in the palace, so naturally, no one recognizes me. The people in the palace are all subordinates of that man... the news I know comes from them... Here they come!"

Sage also looked toward the staircase. On that vast, empty staircase, a group of figures gradually appeared.

Divided into two groups.

One group consisted of the soldiers of the Kingdom of Oikote, guarding a single person, while the other group was a bunch of navy officers in white uniforms...