On this scorching day, two young men and a girl were running and racing their way through the city. They were accompanied by silence, for they were not the sort to get along well when paired together in a team consisting only of the three of them.
"I never thought we'd be working together like this, did I?" the dark-eyed man broke the silence; I glanced at him before nodding in reply. "But I've hardly ever considered you my opponent, you know."
I raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Really? And why?" I'd actually considered him an enemy ever since we were given the mission by Mother that day.
"Our first encounter was a fierce but thrilling battle for me—and the second time, we only fought briefly before you ran in a panic towards where Red was," Robin explained, and his reasoning made sense to me.
"Then you came with me even though I didn't ask you to."
"I just couldn't help myself, you see. She looked exactly like my fiancée, and that made my feet move of their own accord."
I glanced over; there was something I'd been wanting to ask for ages, but I'd held back all this time so as not to reopen old wounds. However, ever since Robin and Red had been chained up in Gilles's mansion, they'd seemed closer—not to mention the fact that Robin had been found after a good cry, which meant Red must have asked and knew about Robin's fiancé.
"If we were to meet Red's twin, she'd automatically resemble your fiancée, wouldn't she?"
Robin didn't reply for a moment; from the look on her face, it seemed she'd been thinking about it for a long time. "If she had the exact same hairstyle as Red, the answer would be yes."
I had a wild theory in my head that I didn't dare tell him: I suspected that Red's twin might actually be Marian—Robin's own fiancée, brought back to life, perhaps with a new identity due to amnesia? Because if she hadn't lost her memory, the two of them would surely have met by now—but that was a theory far too far-fetched.
We stopped in our tracks when we saw what was in front of us: a man whose entire appearance, from head to toe, was a golden colour. He stepped out of the antique shop, carrying all those items in his hands. "Robin, take aim from a hidden spot—let me deal with him," I said before flitting down.
"Understood, be careful," he said, and ran off in search of the best spot to lie in wait.
My feet were quite a way ahead of him on the road. "Oh? We meet again," he said; he still wasn't wearing those golden gloves—which meant that whatever he held didn't turn to gold.
"Why are you stealing antiques?" I asked. Was he a fan of antiques? Even the slightest bit of information would be useful later on.
"Who said I'm robbing them? I'm just taking what's mine; everything in this world belongs to me—including you," he said without hesitation. I was taken aback by his statement; the title 'The Greed' certainly suited him well. "If they refuse, I'll just turn them into gold."
There was something I wanted to try once I'd learnt of his ability. Four cards had already appeared; I made them float in the air and arranged them to form a square.
"Oh, really? Those antiques look rather dusty—let me help wash them!" A massive jet of water shot out from the four cards joined together and headed towards the man, whose hands were busy holding the antiques.
The man hissed; he raised one of his arms, causing several antique plates to shatter on the ground. A golden light appeared on his hand, forming a gauntlet on his right hand—his finger touched the water and, instantly, it turned to gold.
My eyes widened in astonishment, seeing that he could even turn water into gold—but why couldn't he turn the fire into gold as well? The question kept running through my mind.
"You've destroyed my precious antiques! Now you'll have to pay for them!" he shouted, but I didn't panic—in fact, I couldn't help but grin.
Jackpot—I'd found a way to beat him.
WHOOSH
An arrow whizzed past, but Midas was quick enough to turn round and catch it, causing the arrow to slowly dissolve. "Oh?" He tossed the arrow aside before hurling a golden disc in the direction from which the arrow had come.
"Robin! Let's fall back for now!" I ordered before turning and streaking away from the man; I had to prepare a few things to defeat him.
I glanced to the side and saw Robin running across the rooftops. "What's wrong? " he asked, seemingly taken aback by the sudden order to retreat.
"I've found a way to defeat him!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. Hearing this, Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise and curiosity.
We entered a dark but safe alleyway; I was breathing heavily—expelling that much water had truly drained my energy. "Here," said the man in the green jacket, tossing me a bottle of cold water.
"Thank you," I said, unscrewing the cap before taking a drink; the cold water touched my throat, slowly washing away my fatigue. "Robin, could you—" Before I could tell him about my plan, a deep laugh rang out—I turned to my left and saw a large man wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a shiny crown, and he was with the man in gold from before.
"Tch," Robin clicked his tongue before stepping in front of me. "For someone so big—you're quick, aren't you?" he taunted. Hearing this didn't faze Caesar in the slightest; if anything, his smile grew even wider.
"Only I can do that; that's why I'm the greatest!" he said, brimming with pride—he was even more arrogant than Gilles; it was surprising and would certainly be infuriating.
I was still too exhausted to fight back; my eyes darted towards Robin, who was already gripping his bow tightly and ready to shoot at any moment.
A long silence filled this deserted alley; we stared each other in the eye—we were like cowboys ready for a shootout. In the blink of an eye, Robin shot at Midas, but Caesar had already stepped in front of his mate to protect him; the arrow ricocheted and lodged itself in the wall instead.