At his words, Andrea and Anita placed their hands on their sword hilts, taking up a warning stance. Ironclaw turned toward the Royal Knights with a deep, menacing growl. That was more than enough—the three young knights' courage vanished instantly, and they staggered back, trembling, barely able to stand on their feet from fear.
"W‑wait! We don't want trouble!" stammered one of the Royal Knights as he backed away. "We were only doing our duty. The girl is yours… do with her as you please!"
"Begone from my sight, you pitiful knights!" Andras thundered, his eyes flashing with lightning.
The Royal Knights fled the scene so quickly that no trace of them remained. The people of the marketplace whispered as they watched, then slowly returned to the festive mood, as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Noelle went to buy five gingerbreads and two meat buns. The trampled bun had to be thrown away—it was filthy, flattened, and inedible. The companions withdrew to a shaded bench, where they sat to question the young girl.
Noelle soon returned with the treats. One meat bun went to Ironclaw, while Andras pressed the other into the girl's hands.
"Here, eat," he said softly but firmly. "It's far better than ten lashes on your back."
The girl snatched the bun with trembling hands and began to eat ravenously. Tears streamed down her face, but she did not stop—she devoured the bun as though her life depended on it. She finished it as quickly as Ironclaw had devoured her own.
The Wolf Knights watched in silence as the girl finally ate her fill—and they all knew that with this gesture, they had given her far more than just a bite of food.
"Don't tell me you're trying to compete with Ironclaw to see who eats faster?" Andras smiled as the girl devoured the bun.
"Why did you help me?" the little girl asked, tears glistening in her eyes.
"In the land of the Wolves, no child goes hungry," Andras replied grimly. "It's a disgrace to this Royal Capital."
"Then it must be a beautiful place," Daisy sighed.
"What's your name, little one?" Andras asked.
"Daisy," she answered softly. "Thank you for saving me. And thank you for the meat bun as well. It was very delicious."
"If it was that delicious," Anita remarked mockingly, "we should have fed the bun from the ground to that Royal Knight."
"I would've shoved it down that bastard's throat!" Ironclaw growled threateningly.
"Calm down," Andras silenced them. "We'll deal with the Royal Knights at the tournament. And not those weaklings, but their very best."
"I'm fired up already!" Anita exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with battle‑lust.
Andras turned back to Daisy.
"So, Daisy… where are your parents?"
The girl lowered her head.
"My father was an adventurer. He died… two years ago. He had taken a good job, escorting a merchant to another city. Monsters attacked them. None survived."
"I see," Andras nodded grimly. "And what about your mother?"
"My mother worked hard so we could eat," Daisy began, her voice breaking. "But a month ago she fell ill, and she can't work anymore. We had nothing to eat. I tried to find work, but no one helped me!"
Her eyes filled with tears as she continued:
"I was so hungry… and when I smelled the meat buns… I couldn't bear it anymore. I tried to steal one. But the knights caught me immediately."
The Wolf Knights listened in silence. Each of them felt that Daisy's fate was not merely the tragedy of a single child, but a mirror of the cruel reality of the Royal Capital.
"So you want work?" Andras spoke, his eyes serious yet warm. "I have an idea. We're new here in the capital, we came for the Knight Tournament. Since we don't know where anything is, we keep getting lost. We need someone who knows the area and can guide us around during the festival. What do you say? Would you work for me?"
"Are you serious?" Daisy's eyes lit up. "I know the city like the back of my hand! Just tell me where you want to go, and I'll take you there right away."
"As for your payment," Andras continued, "while you work for me, you'll eat delicacies finer than anything you've ever tasted."
"Can I bring some of those treats to my mother too?" the girl asked hopefully.
"Of course! She'll have plenty as well," Andras nodded. "And about your mother—there's a healer in our company. Look at this white‑haired girl. See her? As beautiful as she is, she's just as skilled a healer."
"Really?" Daisy whispered, her eyes widening in wonder.
The half‑elf girl's face flushed red at the Young Wolf's words. She adjusted her long, snow‑white hair, her ears twitching like a deer's, betraying how embarrassed she was by the sudden attention. In that moment, childlike awe and gentle shyness mingled together, drawing the companions closer.
"Noelle is the best healer of the Wolf Knights!" Anita declared proudly.
"That's right! She's our healer!" Andrea confirmed.
"Hahaha!" Ironclaw laughed. "Noelle, your face is red like a strawberry!"
"It is not!" Noelle protested, flustered. "I'm just… angry at the Royal Knights."
"Sure, sure," Anita smirked teasingly. "I'll believe that when I see it."
"If you lead us to your mother, Daisy," Andras said firmly, "we'll heal her at once."
"Really? You'll heal her?" the girl asked, her eyes shining with hope.
"She'll be as healthy as a Battle Troll," Andras replied confidently.
"Follow me! This way!" Daisy cried, already running ahead.
"Wait," Andras stopped her. "We'll bring her a meat bun too. Noelle!"
"On it!" Noelle nodded, hurrying to the stall to buy the treat.
The little girl, Daisy, led the Young Wolf's company to her home. In the southeastern outskirts of Royal Whitefort lay the slums, separated from the capital's luxurious districts by a massive wall. Here lived the poor, beggars, thieves, and bandits. The Royal Knights never set foot in this place, and the wealthy avoided it from afar.
Daisy and her mother lived in a small house that had once belonged to the girl's adventurer father. The slums were terrorized by a notorious gang—a gathering of extortionists and thieves who demanded protection money from every resident. As long as you paid, they left you alone. But Daisy's mother, Cornflower, had earned nothing for a month and could no longer pay.
Cornflower lay in bed all day, sick, coughing, and weak.
"Mom, I'm home!" Daisy cried as she entered. "Guess what—I found work!"
"Really, my daughter?" Cornflower smiled faintly. "I'm so happy for you."
"I brought them to you—they'll heal you!" Daisy said excitedly.
Cornflower lifted her weary gaze to the visitors.
"Knights? I hope my daughter hasn't troubled you… Your crest… a wolf? You're not Royal Knights."
"We are Wolf Knights," Andras answered firmly. "Noelle, heal Daisy's mother!"
Noelle stepped forward, adjusting her snow‑white hair, determination gleaming in her eyes.
"I'll begin at once," she said. "Let's see… pneumonia. If untreated, it worsens and can even be fatal. I'll heal her immediately."
The room filled with the light of healing magic as Noelle's hands began to glow, and slowly she poured the power of her spell over Cornflower.
The half‑elf girl's healing magic of the water element cured Daisy's mother, Cornflower, in an instant. The woman's face slowly regained its color, her breathing eased, and her coughing subsided.
"I already feel so much better," Cornflower sighed, smiling gratefully. "I can breathe properly again. No more stabbing pain in my chest. Thank you! But such healing… how much will it cost us?"
"If Daisy does good work for us, then nothing at all," Andras replied firmly.
"And what kind of work will you give her?" Cornflower asked.
"Guess what, Mom!" Daisy spoke excitedly. "I'll be guiding them around the city! They're not from here, so they don't know where anything is. But I know this city well."
"I see… that's very good work," Cornflower nodded, hope glimmering in her eyes.
"Tell me a little about yourself, Cornflower," Andras requested. "How did you end up in this situation?"
"After my husband's death, I worked as a cook in the city," the woman began. "It was honest work, but about a month ago I fell ill. The innkeeper threw me out immediately. He said he didn't want his guests catching some sickness from the food. I thought I could return once I recovered… but the illness never went away on its own, and I had no money for a healer."
"The knights wouldn't help you?" Andras asked grimly.
"The knights don't care about the fate of the poor in the outskirts," Cornflower answered bitterly.
"Those damned Royal Knights!" Anita burst out, clenching her fists.
The room fell silent, save for Cornflower's grateful gaze and Daisy's radiant smile—clear signs that the arrival of the Wolf Knights had brought new hope into this forgotten home.
From the door came pounding and shouting. Two bandits hammered at it, their voices dripping with menace. In this district they were the dreaded enforcers: extorting protection money from everyone who lived here. Those who couldn't pay were beaten mercilessly. And if a month passed without payment, they inflicted even harsher punishments to make an example.
"It's time to pay your protection money!" one of them roared. "This is your last day! If you don't pay, you'll suffer—and you really don't want that!"
"We know you're home!" the other bellowed. "Come out and pay, you stupid goose!"