Chapter 7: A Lifesaving Favor, Do You Need a Knight Squire?

I opened my eyes, feeling somewhat dazed, yet my body felt better than it ever had—was this the world after death?

No, that couldn't be right. Every inch of my body was perfectly sensitive, and I was far too familiar with this frame to be mistaken.

After all, this body had accompanied me through life-and-death struggles in this hellish otherworld more times than I could count.

I knew it too well to be dead. So, did that mean I had survived?

I was genuinely surprised. To be honest, I had believed the injuries I sustained before losing consciousness were beyond the reach of even the most advanced medical care from my previous life.

Yet, considering the supernatural nature of this world, I supposed it made sense.

But who had saved me? As I pondered this, I felt a warm, massive presence approach, a rough but gentle tongue licking my cheek.

It was my horse, Torrent. I had named him that as a bit of a joke, but it also suited his nature perfectly.

I had picked him up for a pittance at a stable while adventuring with the old knight, simply because I found the horns on his head fascinating.

I had spent over half a year’s worth of commission earnings to buy him.

Back then, both the old knight and the stable master had mocked me for being a fool, claiming I was just paying for a novelty and that non-purebred horses rarely had any real stamina or speed.

But facts proved them wrong; I had simply followed my intuition and stumbled upon a magnificent steed.

Torrent seemed to possess a trace of dragon blood—the horns were the manifestation of that lineage—and after training, his endurance and strength were remarkable, not to mention he was gentle and obedient.

The old knight often expressed unconcealed envy, especially after his own horse died of old age two months ago, at which point Torrent became our shared mount.

Though, I usually ran on foot while the old knight rode; I always felt the old knight loved Torrent even more than I, his master, did.

This ambush was only survived thanks to Torrent. If not for him, Aevia and I would surely have died here.

I patted Torrent’s head. "Great job, buddy. Well done. We’ve avenged Leonard!" I said.

Thinking of Aevia, I scanned the surroundings and found him lying on the ground, his body radiating a faint purple glow.

Within this violet radiance were tiny, flickering specks of light, mysterious and eerie, as if the starry sky had been projected into reality.

"What is this?" I was at a loss. My lack of occult knowledge made it impossible to understand what was happening, but I knew I had to do something.

"Sigh, I suppose he saved me. Damn, I owe him a huge debt. He really is a decent guy."

Though I didn't understand what had happened to Aevia, excluding the highly unlikely possibility that Torrent was a monster capable of healing magic, the answer to who saved me became obvious.

Aevia had described himself as a minor mage, but given the situation, he must have paid a price to save me, I thought, scratching my head.

Clearly, Aevia hadn't needed to go this far. After blocking Obi-Wan’s strike and losing consciousness, I assumed Obi-Wan had been finished off, meaning Aevia had helped me fulfill my wish; he could have simply walked away.

Yet he had seemingly paid a price to heal me, which truly moved and surprised me.

Repaying kindness was a habit of mine; once Aevia woke up, I would see how I could help him.

Regardless, I checked Aevia’s condition. My own body felt impossibly good, every inch restored to its peak state.

This feeling was intoxicating, which made it all the more incredible—what exactly had Aevia unleashed to fully restore a dying man? If this was healing magic, it was far too extravagant.

I walked over to the unconscious Aevia and crouched down to check his breathing. My finger touched his nose—his breath was steady.

I breathed a sigh of relief; nothing major. Inadvertently, my finger brushed his skin—it was quite delicate, though that wasn't the point.

The moment I touched him, the pale purple, starlit aura surrounding Aevia suddenly seemed to come alive.

The starlight twisted and converged, forming a glowing, serpent-like ribbon of light that gathered at his forehead.

As the light pooled there, it snaked down my finger and into my body.

Before I could react, it raced up my chest and neck, drilling straight into the center of my brow.

The moment the purple substance entered my mind, I felt a deep, malicious intent—a maddening, assimilating, and erosive force flooded my soul.

And then... nothing. It was like a stone dropped into the ocean; this terrifying will didn't even cause a ripple in my soul before it completely vanished.

"A soul attack? Lucky for me, it targeted the soul."

Startled, I quickly calmed down. The will inside that light was undeniably powerful, but to me, it was laughable.

My incomprehensibly strong willpower made me immune to any mental attacks, which was the only explanation for why that thing had vanished the instant it entered my soul.

As the mass of malice and madness disappeared, the light around Aevia gradually faded away.

I checked his heartbeat and pulse again; both were normal. His face, which had looked so pained, had smoothed out and regained a healthy color.

I studied his sleeping face for a moment—delicate and quite cute. I scratched my head, forming a rough guess, but I didn't care much about that.

I placed the sleeping Aevia onto Torrent’s back, stood up, picked up the old knight’s sword, sheathed it, and prepared to leave.

I scavenged what I could use and decided to leave this unsafe place; I would deal with the rest when Aevia woke up.

...

"Crackle." The fire consumed the wood, the heat evaporating the moisture and causing the logs to split with soft, crisp pops. A gentle breeze drifted through the forest, rustling the leaves.

Aevia opened his eyes, feeling somewhat dazed. The wind felt cool against his cheeks.

He felt wrapped in something soft and warm, leaning against a solid, comforting surface.

The dual exhaustion of body and spirit made him cling to this moment of peace. How long had it been since he felt this way? It felt like a memory from childhood, drifting in his mother’s arms...

No, wait. He had used that sorcery. Shouldn't the power of the Void have dragged him into endless, illusory agony?

If he couldn't break free, he would be pulled into the Void. Why did he feel nothing but warmth and comfort?

Aevia’s thoughts were chaotic. He only remembered using that forbidden sorcery—which he had never wanted to touch—to save the knight’s attendant who had left such a deep impression on him. Then, he had lost consciousness. What was happening now?

Struggling to focus, Aevia forced his heavy eyes open to look around.

He turned his weak neck. Before him was a burning campfire, the wood popping and crackling, casting a soft, warm glow over the forest clearing.

The black-haired knight’s attendant had a small iron pot hanging over the fire, something bubbling inside, emitting the faint scent of meat and herbs.

Aevia sniffed, and his stomach let out a loud growl. How long had it been since he’d eaten? More than three days, surely.

The sudden noise drew the attendant’s attention. He looked over with a relaxed, gentle smile.

Aevia felt his face flush. He wanted to say something, but his weakness rendered him mute.

The attendant reached into a pile of items by the fire, pulled out a wooden bowl, ladled some soup from the pot, placed it on a stone to let it cool, and then handed it to Aevia.

Aevia was not in good shape. His physical condition wasn't the main issue, but his spirit seemed heavily affected; he remained dazed and sluggish, his body limp and devoid of strength.

He stared blankly as the attendant prepared the soup and brought it over.

He instinctively reached out with his right hand, but his palm appeared faintly translucent; his hand passed right through the bowl.

The attendant paused, and the interruption helped clear Aevia’s foggy mind.

Silently, he reached out with his left hand to take the bowl. The temperature was perfect—neither burning nor cold. The soup was thick, simply salted, the meat tender, and the herbs fresh. It wasn't gourmet, but it was incredibly soothing.

He drank it slowly, feeling the warmth spread through his body. His stomach, twisted by hunger, finally felt calm.

An indescribable sense of happiness welled up within him. For no reason, his nose stung, and tears began to fall, sliding down his cheeks to drip onto the ground and into the wooden bowl.

Wang Yu watched Aevia crying while he drank, feeling a bit speechless. "Poor kid, what has he been through? This is pure, twisted bridge effect. Whatever, let him calm down for now..."

Wang Yu said nothing, simply waiting for Aevia to finish the first bowl before refilling it.

The summer night was warm, and despite the forest’s coolness, it was not cold at all.

After Avia finished two bowls of soup, the chill that had clung to her frail body began to dissipate, and Wang Yu removed the blanket wrapped around her.

Avia noticed then that she had been leaning against the horse, Toret, the entire time.

"Why don't you go wash up?" Wang Yu asked, pointing toward the nearby stream and gesturing to a basin of hot water he had prepared.

Avia looked at Wang Yu, then at herself, and wrinkled her nose as a foul odor reached her.

The dried blood, the grime of the earth, and the stench of sweat made Avia, now finally clear-headed, feel a wave of nausea.

Previously, she had been caught in life-or-death struggles with no opportunity to tend to her own cleanliness.

Now that she was safe, Wang Yu’s suggestion made the state of her body unbearable.

"Mm..." Without further conversation, Avia took the basin of hot water and retrieved a set of oversized but clean clothes from the pile of loot Wang Yu had scavenged from the thieves' den, then headed toward the river.

Wang Yu nodded and pulled a book from his pack. With Avia gone, the space beside Toret was clear.

He leaned back comfortably against the horse's flank, using the bright glow of the campfire to begin reading.

He had scavenged the book from the room of the old wizard, Yego. Wang Yu had to admit, the man was a genius.

His obsession with the Void and wizardry had reached a terrifying degree; Yego, who had possessed significant talent as a mage, had seen his magical cultivation stagnate due to his morbid pursuit of the forbidden arts.

He was dismissed by others as a waste, his immense potential squandered.

Yet, one could not help but marvel at the perseverance and capability of this otherwise wretched old man.

Obi-Wan might not have understood the depth of Yego's work, but Wang Yu, possessing the broader perspective of a modern man, recognized the true value of the theories within these pages.

This book essentially pioneered a new path of transcendence, making it possible for any commoner to become a wizard. If not for the fact that they were enemies, Wang Yu would have been willing to call the old wizard a great man.

Undoubtedly, while a scoundrel beyond redemption, the man’s grit and talent were worth learning from.

The book opened a new world to Wang Yu. "A wizard, then—communing with the Void, borrowing its power to twist reality. A truly practical and fascinating ability..."

"It's overpowered, but there must be a price to pay. No matter; I think I would be quite happy to become a wizard."

Leaning against Toret, Wang Yu read with great satisfaction, having found a new path to power that suited him perfectly.

As Wang Yu studied the old wizard's notes, Avia finished washing and returned from the river.

Her damp golden hair hung down; what had once seemed short now appeared quite long, falling well past her chin.

The grime and blood had been scrubbed away, revealing a fair, delicate face with soft features, and her azure eyes shimmered in the flickering firelight.

She walked over and sat on the other side of the fire. The clothes, far too large for her petite frame, only made her appear even more fragile.

A faint blush colored Avia's cheeks, and she glanced at the squire reading by the fire, seemingly wanting to say something but unsure how to begin.

Wang Yu remained as calm as ever. "Oh, she’s a girl after all," he thought to himself.

Cleaned up, Avia’s feminine traits were unmistakable. He—or rather, she—had likely been disguising her voice as masculine all along.

Magic was like that, and the reason was easy to understand; in a den of thieves, the fate of a woman was too horrific to imagine.

The young mage’s gaze drifted uncertainly between Wang Yu and Toret, the blush on her face refusing to fade.

"Is it so hard to admit your own gender? I suppose I should break the ice. A debt of gratitude must be repaid!" Wang Yu thought, and he spoke first.

"Thank you so much for saving my life. You had already helped me so much, and I never expected you to save me again at the end. I am truly grateful."

"A life-saving debt must be repaid!" Wang Yu set his book down with great solemnity and addressed the young mage.

"Ah? Is—is that so? Mm... alright. Well, actually..." The young mage, caught off guard by Wang Yu’s sudden speech, stumbled over her words, looking flustered.

"Here is the thing: I scavenged this place, though they didn't actually have much money."

"I don't know your background or your circumstances, but you seem to be a noble who has fallen into some kind of trouble."

"I imagine it won't be convenient for you to travel alone, so please take this money as a reward," Wang Yu said, handing a moderately filled coin purse to the young mage.

"Ah, yes, alright... thank you." The young mage took the purse, still looking somewhat bewildered.

However, Wang Yu noticed that when he mentioned her home, her eyes dimmed, and her expression turned dark and sorrowful.

"And furthermore, considering you saved my life and helped me so much, I know this money isn't enough to repay the debt."

"If you continue on your own, it might be quite difficult. How about this—do you need a somewhat incompetent squire?"

"I will serve you for one year, and after that, I plan to continue my own adventures," Wang Yu added. He had considered this; the young mage would likely face great trouble without help.

He intended to serve as her squire for a year before pursuing his own plans, a way to repay the debt. It might not be worth a life, but it was enough to keep his conscience clear.

"Ah? Ah? Yes, that would be fine, thank you." Listening to Wang Yu, she could feel the sincerity in his words.

He was truly serious about repaying his debt. The man was hellishly honorable; when he said he would repay a kindness, he meant it.

"Then let us reintroduce ourselves. Senior Squire, Wang Yu. I shall serve as your squire for the coming year!" Wang Yu reached out to shake her hand.

"Avia Dofin, apprentice mage, novice wizard. Thank you very much for your help," Avia said, offering her fair hand with a shy, faint smile to shake Wang Yu’s.

"You're too kind, truly. As they say, I'll tank and you'll carry—we'll be invincible!"