Joe was confused, staring at the little girl who was screaming in fear.
SHHH...
A hissing sound echoed from his sword. Joe glanced down at it—the blade, soaked in goblin blood, was now steaming ominously."Ah, that makes sense," Joe thought calmly as he dismissed the sword and cleared his throat.
"Oh dear child, is there any dange—"He froze mid-sentence."Dear child? What the fuck? Why am I talking like that?" Joe thought, baffled.
The little girl in front of him was trembling, her eyes glassy with tears as she stared up at him from below.
The Scroll of Edict warmed up inside the chest pocket of his coat.
~~~~
Master, this child is from a forsaken village. Look at her aura—pure and untainted.
~~~~
Joe squinted at her. The girl flinched even harder under his gaze, and then suddenly—
Rawrrr...
A pack of horned wolves burst out of the trees.
"Little girl, allow me to handle these beasts. Take shelter behind me," Joe said out loud.
He winced internally.
"Damn it, I just meant to yell, 'Oi kid! Move if you don't wanna die!' But my mouth keeps spewing this noble knight crap."
The girl scrambled behind him, tripping slightly but quickly catching her balance before crouching near his back.
Joe summoned his sword again and dashed forward, leaping at one of the wolves.
But they were fast. Too fast. He found himself struggling to land a clean strike—and in that brief moment, one of the wolves broke off from the group and lunged straight for the little girl.
Joe's heart dropped—he had left her exposed.
The Scroll of Edict heated up again, sending him a warning.
~~~~
You can teleport using your sword. Throw it and—
~~~~
"Got it!" Joe cut in, grinning as he turned around—he already knew what the Scroll of Edict was trying to say.
Slashhh…
He hurled his sword past the girl's position, and with absolute will—no hesitation—his grin widened. His body vanished in a blink, teleporting like a certain spiky-haired ninja from that one legendary anime the world refuses to forget.
Joe reappeared right in front of the girl, hand gripping the sword midair—his momentum continuing as he cleaved the head clean off the wolf lunging at her.
"Three left, huh? Hahaha…" he let out a short laugh.
Two wolves flanked him—left and right—while the last one charged head-on. No warning. No time to breathe. They attacked all at once.
"Tch…" Joe clicked his tongue in annoyance. He thrust his sword forward, impaling the one in front.
"Huh?" he muttered, trying to pull the blade back. But the wolf's flesh gripped it tight.
The other two were already mid-leap.
"Ah, shit—" he cursed.
Then he heard it—a voice, soft and shaky, cutting through the chaos.
Joe glanced back.
The little girl—still terrified, but this time… she stood with her arms out like an angel trying to stop a war between demons. Her tiny mouth uttered something that made Joe's eyes widen.
"Fi… FIRE BALLLL!"
WUSHHH…
Twin fireballs erupted from her small hands, instantly torching the two wolves about to maul Joe.
Joe snapped back to the last one—his sword still stuck. But now the wolf's grip weakened. He yanked the blade free and ended its life with one clean stroke. No more deep breaths for that beast in the land of Cumbria.
He turned to face the girl again—the one who had just cast that spell. Her hands were red, blistered—burnt from channeling raw magic.
She winced, blowing on her palms like a kid who just touched boiling soup.
Joe didn't say anything. He just stood there, eyes locked on her hands. He knew. She'd hurt herself… just to protect him.
The Scroll of Edict began to glow. It floated upward, slowly unfolding. This time, strange text appeared.
Tringg…
~~~~
Fear not. This scroll can only be seen by you when it glows and disappears, and only heard by you when it speaks.
~~~~~
"Interesting," Joe thought.
The scroll shifted, glowing from white to a golden hue.
~~~~
Recite the Light Verse.
Heal the tiny hands that dared endure the fire's pain
just to save you from the fangs of the wild.
~~~~
The verse appeared.
Joe dismissed his sword, then knelt before the little girl.
"Little Lady, allow me to relieve you of the burning pain tormenting your delicate hands," he said.
…And immediately cringed inside.
"Ugh, again? What's with this knightly bullshit?" Joe groaned inwardly.
This verse… ehmmm... Joe tried to suppress a laugh—but the girl in front of him was already trembling harder, her small frame shivering in pain.
"Hi… hiks… It hurts… my hands… they're burning…" she sobbed, snot now bubbling from her nose.
Joe clenched his jaw to keep from chuckling, then gently extended his hands toward hers and began to recite the Light Verse softly:
"Return the glow to skin and soul,
Restore what time and tears have stole.
Bring back the light no cream can fake,
Not even the highest-priced skincare could ever make."