As they walked toward the first festival stall, the colorful lights and cheerful music creating a warm atmosphere around them, Taula suddenly made a suggestion that caught everyone’s attention.

"Since everyone wants to spend time with Klaus," Taula said thoughtfully, "why don’t we just share him?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Won’t you need to get my agreement first before making that kind of decision?"

"Ahem," Taula cleared her throat importantly. "Your agreement is irrelevant to this matter."

Klaus blinked in genuine surprise. "When did you start using words like ’irrelevant’ and ’matter’? That’s pretty advanced vocabulary for you."

"I studied~" Taula said proudly, puffing out her chest.

In truth, she had just been reading through a dictionary earlier that day, carefully picking through several words that would make her sound more elegant and sophisticated.

She’d tried extra hard to memorize them so she wouldn’t forget during the festival, even though she had a small piece of paper hidden in her kimono sleeve with the words written down just in case her memory failed her.

Taula looked at all the girls gathered around... Zephyra, Mirela, and Serra then continued her proposal.

"You all want to spend quality time with Klaus, right?" Taula asked. "Then how about we split him up? Thirty minutes each person?"

"Thirty minutes...?" Zephyra repeated, blinking in confusion. She was Klaus’s actual fiancée. Why on earth would she agree to this ridiculous proposit—

"Yes!" Taula interrupted her thoughts enthusiastically. "He’ll spend time with each of us for exactly thirty minutes and during those thirty minutes, you’ll have him completely to yourself with absolutely nobody else there to distract you. That way everyone can have the best quality time possible!"

Klaus sighed heavily. "You’re making it sound like anyone would actually agree to thi—"

"I do," Zephyra said immediately, cutting him off.

She desperately wanted some privacy with Klaus. Not that she hated the other girls or anything like that, but perhaps if Klaus was alone with her... truly alone, with no one watching then they would have been able to do a lot more interesting things together.

"I agree as well," Taula said, since it had been her idea in the first place.

Mirela twirled a strand of her white hair around her finger nervously and said, "As long as it doesn’t interrupt anybody else’s time, I don’t mind spending time with Master alone."

Finally, Serra pumped her fist in the air with determination. "I’m prepared and ready to spend time with Boss!"

Klaus’s eye twitched as he looked at Serra. "You don’t have to be that pumped up just to spend thirty minutes with me..."

’Anyway,’ Klaus thought with mild exasperation, ’looking at this situation right now, anyone would think I had a harem of beautiful women following me around.’

He mentally clicked his tongue at the absurdity of it all.

"Oh!" Serra suddenly blinked with realization. "How would we settle who gets to spend time with Klaus first? And in what order should everyone go?"

"I have a perfect way to settle this!" Taula declared.

"How about we use Rock-Paper-Scissors?" Zephyra suggested at almost the exact same moment.

Taula immediately pouted. "Why did you steal my idea?!"

Zephyra shrugged her shoulders casually. "It was pretty easy to figure out. Rock-Paper-Scissors is the fairest way."

"Whatever..." Taula grumbled. "Since there are four of us total, we should do it like this: we’ll go two rounds with everyone facing each other two-on-two then we’ll have a final championship round where the last two winners face against each other to determine who goes first!"

The girls immediately got themselves arranged for the tournament bracket.

It would be Taula versus Mirela in the first match, while Zephyra would face off against Serra in the second match.

The four girls formed their bracket positions, facing their respective opponents with surprising seriousness considering this was just about the order they’d hang out with Klaus.

"First match!" Taula announced, holding her fist out toward Mirela. "Me versus you, Mirela! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re usually quiet!"

Mirela’s white hair swayed as she nodded, holding up her own small fist. "I’ll do my best, Taula."

They began the chant together: "Rock... Paper... Scissors... Shoot!"

Taula threw Paper and Mirela threw Scissors.

"Ah!" Taula gasped as Mirela’s scissor-fingers closed around her flat paper-hand. "No way!"

"I won?" Mirela said softly, sounding surprised by her own victory.

"Best two out of three!" Taula declared immediately.

"Rock... Paper... Scissors... Shoot!"

Taula threw Rock and Mirela threw Paper.

Mirela’s paper wrapped around Taula’s rock, and Taula let out a cry of despair.

"NOOOO! How is this possible?! Mirela, when did you become so strong at Rock-Paper-Scissors?!"

Mirela just smiled gently while advancing to the finals. Meanwhile, Zephyra and Serra had begun their own match.

"I won’t lose," Zephyra said confidently. "As Klaus’s fiancée, I deserve to go first!"

"I’ll try my hardest!" Serra replied with determination.

"Rock... Paper... Scissors... Shoot!"

Zephyra threw Scissors and Serra threw Paper.

Zephyra’s scissors cut through Serra’s paper cleanly.

"Aw..." Serra pouted.

They went again for the second round.

"Rock... Paper... Scissors... Shoot!"

Zephyra threw Rock and Serra threw Scissors. Zephyra’s rock crushed Serra’s scissors, securing her victory and advancement to the finals.

"Sorry Serra!" Zephyra said, though she was clearly pleased with herself.

Now it was time for the championship match... Mirela and Zephyra faced each other, both holding up their fists.

The air between them seemed to crackle with tension as if this simple game had suddenly become a matter of life and death.

"No matter what," Zephyra said seriously. "I will win this. I will get to spend the first thirty minutes with Klaus, and nothing will stop me."

Mirela didn’t respond verbally, but her usually gentle expression had become focused and determined and they began the final chant.

"Rock..."

The tension built.

"Paper..."

Klaus watched with mild amusement as both girls’ hands trembled slightly.

"Scissors..."

Time seemed to slow down.

"SHOOT!"

Zephyra threw Paper and Mirela threw Scissors.

For a moment, there was complete silence then Zephyra let out a long, dramatic sigh and threw her hand back in defeat, looking up at the sky as if asking the heavens why they had betrayed her.

Mirela stared at her own hand in complete disbelief.

’I-I get to spend time with Master first?’ She thought. ’I actually won? How did I manage to win that?!’

She couldn’t believe it. There must be some kind of higher power at work here... perhaps an upper tier entity watching over her and guiding her hands to victory for some mysterious purpose.

’Was there perhaps a deity who wanted me to spend this time with Master?’ Mirela wondered seriously.

She pumped both fists at her sides in determination and thought: ’I won’t disappoint you, O Great One! Thank you for this blessing!’

"So how are we going to keep track of time?" Mirela asked aloud once she’d recovered from her shock. "We need to make sure everyone gets their full thirty minutes."

"I might be able to help with that..." Zephyra said.

She reached into her storage ring and pulled out four small mechanical clocks, they were portable timer devices that looked quite expensive and well-crafted.

"I brought these from home," Zephyra explained, holding them up for everyone to see. "We can set specific times for each person, and when the timer rings, we’ll know it’s time to switch! Very precise and fair."

Each girl took hold of one of the timers and began setting them up for their designated thirty-minute slots.

"Alright!" Taula said, physically pushing Mirela toward Klaus. "You two should go have a wonderful time together! Your thirty minutes have officially started right now!"

Taula pressed the start button on Mirela’s timer, and immediately it began counting down.

"We’ll play among ourselves to decide who goes in what order for the rest!" Taula called after them.

Mirela and Klaus walked away together, heading down the festival streets where different vendors were calling out about what they were selling.

Various stalls lined both sides of the path... food vendors selling grilled meat skewers and sweet candies, game booths with prizes, fortune tellers with mysterious tents, and craftsmen displaying handmade goods.

"Hey Master," Mirela started to say, "what do you think we should d—"

She noticed Klaus had suddenly stopped walking and was staring intently at something posted on a wooden announcement board.

Mirela moved closer to see what had caught his attention.

It was a wanted poster. A man in a white cat mask wearing a black cloak stared out from the illustration.

═══════════════════════════════════

WANTED

[HEAVENLY COMMONER]

[Tier 4 Criminal]

[WANTED FOR]

- Assault on Multiple City Guard Captains

- Evading Lawful Arrest

- Destruction of Public Property

- Sexual Assault of a Captain through Illusion Magic

- Accomplice to Murder (Purple Beam Incident)

- Conspiracy Against the Crown

REWARD FOR CAPTURE: 5 Gold Coins

REWARD FOR INFORMATION: 1 Gold Coin per verified lead

If you have any information regarding this dangerous criminal’s whereabouts, please report immediately to Rivera City Guard Main Headquarters. Do NOT attempt to apprehend alone. Suspect is considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Contact: Rivera City Guard Central Command

═══════════════════════════════════

...

Klaus blinked several times as he read through the charges listed on the poster.

’Why the hell are they defaming me so much?’ Klaus thought with genuine offense. ’Sexual assault?! It was all her imagination though! I didn’t actually do anything to that Captain... It was her own fantasy, also conspiracy against the crown? What crazy talk.!’

His eye twitched as he continued reading.

’Also, one gold coin for information about me? And only five gold as a bounty for my actual capture?’

Klaus did some quick mental math.

’If I wasn’t already rich from selling all that silver, I would have seriously considered turning myself in for that bounty money. Five gold coins isn’t bad for just... existing.’

It was almost insulting how low the reward was, actually.

From being recognized as the best player in Artemis Online, his Heavenly Commoner alias had now been reduced to being labeled as a common criminal with a pathetically small bounty.

’Well,’ Klaus thought philosophically, ’who knows? Maybe that could become my official Villain alias if I decide to keep using the Heavenly Commoner persona. I’ve already got the wanted poster and everything.’

He felt Mirela gently tug on his hand.

"Ma-Master," she stuttered nervously, "our time is already running and I want to spend it with you properly before it runs out..."

Klaus smiled warmly and gave her a gentle pat on her white-haired head, which made her blush slightly.

"You’re right," Klaus said. "Let’s make the most of your thirty minutes."

They walked together through the festival crowds, and Mirela’s eyes suddenly lit up as she spotted something.

She pointed at a game stall where a vendor was enthusiastically calling out. "Win prizes! Test your skill! Everyone’s a winner!"

The prizes on display were various stuffed animals... bears, rabbits, cats, and other cute creatures in different sizes.

"I want to try that one," Mirela said softly, looking up at Klaus hopefully.

Klaus smiled and walked with her toward the stall, though internally he was thinking.

’This is literally the most cliche thing that happens at every single festival in existence.’

"Welcome, welcome!" the stall vendor greeted them with a wide smile as they approached. He was a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and an overly friendly demeanor that immediately made Klaus suspicious.

"Step right up and test your skill!" the vendor continued. "The game is simple... just toss these rings and try to land them on one of the ten metal pegs! Land a ring, win a prize! The more rings you land, the bigger prize you can claim!"

Klaus’s eyes scanned the game setup carefully.

Ten metal pegs were arranged in a triangular pattern on a wooden board. The pegs themselves looked slightly worn and were positioned at what seemed like random distances from the throwing line.

The vendor held up a stack of rope rings. "And for our lovely couple, I’ll offer the first throw absolutely free! No charge! Just to show you how easy it is!"

Klaus took one of the rings and examined it closely. Immediately, he could see the scam.

The metal pegs... the "slots" where the rings were supposed to land were ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the rings themselves. Not by much, maybe a millimeter or two, but enough that it would be nearly impossible for a ring to actually stay on a peg even if you threw it perfectly.

The difference was so subtle that most people wouldn’t notice unless they were specifically looking for it.

’Classic carnival scam...’ Klaus thought. ’The game is literally rigged to be unwinnable.’

Still, might as well play along.

Klaus tossed the free ring toward one of the pegs, deliberately aiming just slightly off so it would miss naturally.

The ring bounced off the peg and clattered to the ground.

"Ahh, so close!" the vendor said sympathetically. "Bad luck on that one! But I can see you’ve got potential! Would you like to purchase more attempts? Just one silver coin for another throw, or five silver coins for ten throws... much better value!"

Mirela clutched Klaus’s hand worriedly. "Master, it isn’t wor—"

Before she could finish telling him it wasn’t worth it, Klaus had already made his move. He channeled mana subtly through his body and activated his Magnetic Field technique at its lowest possible setting.

The invisible magnetic force spread out from his body and made contact with all ten metal pegs simultaneously.

With extremely fine control, Klaus used the magnetic field to quietly spread each peg’s opening outward by just a few millimeters, widening them enough that the rings would now fit properly.

The vendor didn’t notice a thing since the change was far too small and subtle to see with the naked eye.

Klaus turned to Mirela and asked gently, "Which prize do you want?"

Mirela looked at all the stuffed animals on display and pointed shyly at one of the smaller teddy bears on the bottom shelf.

"That tiny one?" Klaus asked, though he immediately understood what was happening.

Mirela was being modest and didn’t want to seem greedy by asking for one of the large, expensive-looking prizes on the top shelf.

Klaus mentally translated... She definitely wanted one of the biggest ones but didn’t want to burden him.

He turned to the vendor. "How many successful throws would I need to get the biggest prize?"

The vendor’s eyes gleamed. "Ten successful rings will get you any prize on the top shelf! Our premium selection!"

He clearly expected this to be impossible and was happy to take Klaus’s money.

"I’ll take ten attempts then," Klaus said, placing five silver coins on the counter.

"Excellent choice!" The vendor handed him a stack of ten rope rings.

Klaus held the first ring, took casual aim at the nearest peg, and tossed it.

CLINK!

The ring landed perfectly on the peg and settled into place as the vendor’s confident smile faltered slightly.

Klaus tossed the second ring.

CLINK!

Perfect hit again.

Third ring...

CLINK!

Fourth ring...

CLINK!

By the fifth ring, the vendor’s face had gone completely pale and his mouth hung open in disbelief.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

All ten rings landed perfectly, each one settling onto a different peg with impossible precision.

"Im-Impossible..." the vendor stammered, staring at the board. "They were... they fit perfectly... but I specifically made sure they wouldn’t—"

He caught himself mid-sentence and cleared his throat awkwardly.

Klaus gave him an innocent smile. "Made sure they wouldn’t what?"

"N-Nothing!" the vendor said quickly. "Congratulations on your incredible skill! That was... that was amazing! I’ve never seen anyone land all ten before!"

He was sweating now, realizing that somehow this customer had managed to beat his rigged game.

"I’d like that one," Klaus said, pointing at the biggest, fluffiest teddy bear on the top shelf... easily three feet tall with soft brown fur and a red ribbon around its neck.

"Of course, of course..." the vendor muttered, begrudgingly climbing a small ladder to retrieve the massive prize.

He handed the enormous stuffed bear to Klaus with a forced smile. "Thank you for playing. Please, uh, come back anytime..."

Though his tone clearly said. ’Please never come back ever.’

Klaus turned and presented the giant teddy bear to Mirela, who looked absolutely shocked.

"Master, this is too much!" Mirela protested, though her eyes were sparkling as she looked at the adorable prize. "I can’t possibly—"

"This is what you deserve..." Klaus said simply, placing the bear in her arms. The stuffed animal was almost as big as Mirela herself, and she had to hold it with both arms.

"I... I’ll cherish it forever," Mirela said softly, hugging the bear close. Her eyes were actually starting to tear up slightly from happiness.

Klaus gently took her hand... the one that wasn’t clutching the massive teddy bear. "Why don’t we get some food next? I saw some interesting stalls on the way here."

Mirela nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile on her usually reserved face as they walked together through the festival crowds.

...

RING RING RING!

Mirela’s timer went off, signaling the end of her thirty minutes.

She and Klaus walked back to where the other girls were waiting, and Mirela was still clutching her giant teddy bear with obvious joy.

"How was it?!" Taula asked excitedly, practically bouncing in place.

"It was wonderful," Mirela said sincerely, hugging her prize tighter. "Master is very skilled at games."

"Ahem... It’s my turn now Boss!" Serra declared enthusiastically, grabbing Klaus’s hand before anyone could object.

Klaus barely had time to wave goodbye to Mirela before Serra was pulling him eagerly into the festival crowds.

"I’ve been planning what we’d do this whole time!" Serra said excitedly. "First, we’re trying all the best food stalls! I’ve been watching people walk by with food and I know exactly which ones we need to visit!"