Luke had actually noticed something.
Back then, Melli—his mother—had left the capital alone.
Right under the noses of King Jarvan III and Xin Zhao, she vanished without a trace. How did a woman without even proper identification manage that?
Luke couldn't help it—he really was curious.
What exactly happened back then?
But even if he was curious, he had no leads right now. All he could do was take it slow and wait.
"Slacking off is one thing, but being able to enjoy slacking off—that's the real art."
Luke had decided to coast, but he didn't plan to waste a good life by doing absolutely nothing.
Runeterra was a dazzling world, and if he ever got the chance, he wanted to travel and see it for himself.
"Still… when is that hopeless romantic going to snap out of it?"
Luke headed outside, lost in thought.
He understood this world well enough. The moment he realized he couldn't get stronger through normal means, the last of his fighting spirit had been crushed, and he'd decisively chosen to coast.
Because he knew that an ordinary person had a high chance of becoming cannon fodder when the disasters of the future arrived.
But now things were different.
On one hand, he didn't need to work himself to death anymore. On the other, he seemed to have gained at least some ability to face that hopeless romantic down the line.
Which meant he needed to manage the situation properly.
Still… that could be tomorrow's problem.
For now—live while you can.
"I wonder if I'm even allowed to leave the palace."
Luke wanted to go outside for a walk. The palace was suffocating—aside from staring into space in his room, there wasn't much to do.
He really wanted to wander around. He'd only arrived in the capital yesterday, and he hadn't even had the chance to properly look around.
He reached the entrance of Dawn Castle.
The guard on duty was the same one he'd seen yesterday. He seemed to have received instructions in advance—when he saw Luke, he immediately saluted.
"Your Highness."
After the respectful greeting, the guard asked, "What brings you here?"
"Hello." Luke smiled politely. "Can I go out?"
"Of course." The guard stepped aside. "His Majesty anticipated that you might want to explore the city. He asked that you return before dark. Do you need a travel pass?"
"No."
Luke figured it would be more comfortable alone. Still, he hadn't expected King Jarvan III to be this attentive—he'd even briefed the guards at the entrance.
The guard nodded. "Then have a safe walk."
He watched Luke leave, remembering the order he'd received last night, and even now he still felt stunned.
The kingdom had a second prince.
Someone he'd seen just yesterday, and today he was suddenly the new prince—changes came so fast it was almost unreal.
Luke honestly hadn't expected it to be this easy to get out.
Did the king really feel that confident letting a newly acknowledged son stroll around on his own?
Obviously not.
Sure enough, as Luke walked along the same route he'd taken yesterday, and the crowd around him grew thicker, he vaguely sensed someone tailing him.
Not too close, not too far—but close enough that if anything happened, they could rush in immediately.
The moment Luke felt it, he analyzed it.
And in the next second, he was certain this was the effect of that Sixth Sense Enhancement Serum.
That was probably why he hadn't noticed anything before—there simply hadn't been any situation where he needed a "sixth sense."
Since it wasn't harmful, Luke didn't care.
He strolled leisurely through the streets. Even in the morning, the capital was already lively. People were everywhere, carriages rolled down the center of the road, some led horses along, and drivers hurried about, chasing a living.
A few children ran past, laughing and playing with pinwheels in their hands.
Their bright, childish laughter echoed near his ears, and Luke realized something.
Judging from the architecture, daily necessities, and how people lived, this place was already quite developed.
But "developed" still didn't really overlap with modern life.
If the entire world was like this, then fine.
But if his guess was right, then on the far side of the continent, Piltover could already use "electricity" skillfully, along with certain modern machines.
That city stood at the very forefront of science. That wasn't surprising.
What Luke really meant was this—based on what he knew, Demacia was currently in a kind of "closed-off" state.
The country was old-fashioned and stubborn, feudal and conservative.
It rarely built effective connections with the outside world. There was a phrase that fit it perfectly.
"Staying in its own bubble."
After all, Demacia truly was a powerful empire right now. From top to bottom, the national mindset was: we don't start trouble, but we aren't afraid of it either.
Over all these years since the nation was founded, anyone who coveted Demacia had been beaten back.
If things continued like this, Demacia might remain strong for a long time—but in the end, it wouldn't last forever.
"Why am I even thinking about this? I'll leave it to my brother to worry about."
Luke realized his thoughts were drifting again. He shook his head with a chuckle and focused on the street scenery.
He was here to enjoy royal treatment.
As for future headaches—forget his father for a second. Even if something truly went wrong, he still had an older brother above him to shoulder it. No matter how you looked at it, it wouldn't be his turn.
After walking for a few minutes, Luke suddenly felt something was off.
There were more people following him.
"Interesting. I want to see what you're planning."
Luke kept strolling as if he were out for a casual walk, but he headed toward a quieter route. The fewer people there were, the more he leaned into it—until he turned into an empty alleyway.
Not long after, people poured in from both ends of the alley. At a glance, there were about eight of them.
"Oh? Isn't this the rope-scam guy?"
Luke swept his gaze over them and found a few especially familiar faces.
The most familiar one, of course, was the guy from yesterday who'd been running that rope trick.
"Kid, you smashed our livelihood and you still dare to walk around like you own the place? If someone's getting unlucky today, it's you!"
The ringleader's eyes were vicious—clearly the type to hold a grudge. "Yesterday, you had someone from House Crownguard with you. Today you've got nobody at your side, huh?"
He cracked his knuckles, ill intent written all over him.
"Come on," Luke sighed, trying to talk him down. "Is there really nothing we can discuss like adults? Turn back while you still can."
The ringleader let out a cold laugh. "Now you're scared? Kid, it's too late!"
"I'm not scared. I'm just in a great mood, so I'm giving you a chance."
Facing the slow encirclement, Luke looked almost regretful. "You really are lucky. Of all people, you're the ones who get to run into a deal like this."
"You got scared stupid? What the hell are you even saying? Brothers—get him!"
The ringleader couldn't be bothered with more words. Right now, he just wanted to get in there and kick this smug brat.
He barked the order, took one step forward—and suddenly the world spun.
In the haze, he vaguely heard someone shouting things like "Move!" and "Protect the prince!"—nonsense like that.
Wait… didn't I say "Move"?
So why am I the one on the ground?
And… what prince?
Where did a prince come from?