Chapter 7: Do You Need a Squire?

Wang Yu opened his eyes blearily. Shockingly, his body didn't ache despite the trauma he had put it through. In fact, it even felt comfortable. Was he in the afterlife?

Surely not. Wang Yu's body was intimately familiar to him, and he was certain this body was his own.

After all, he had been in multiple life-and-death situations in this world before.

If that were the case, did that mean he managed to survive?

Wang Yu was very surprised. He had been under the belief that the wounds he had sustained before he lost consciousness would have been beyond even the reach of modern medicine in his past life.

That said, the supernatural elements inherent to this world might have been able to bridge the gap.

But just who had rescued him? As Wang Yu considered this question, he felt a warm body approach him. A coarse, gentle tongue licked his cheek.

This was Wang Yu's steed, Torrent. [1]

Wang Yu had bought the horse from a certain stables he had encountered while adventuring with Reynard. He was amazed by the fact that the horse had had horns.

He spent half a year's worth of bounties to purchase the horse, which he called Torrent.

At the time, Reynard and the stablemaster had both teased Wang Yu for wasting his money on a novelty, that only thoroughbreds would have the speed and stamina required to transport goods and gallop about.

In time, however, Wang Yu learned that they were both mistaken. He had ended up with a treasured steed.

Torrent seemed to possess a diluted draconic bloodline, the manifestation of which were the horns on its head. After proper training, it proved to have surprising strength and stamina, and it was docile and obedient.

The old knight Reynard often praised Torrent, especially starting two months ago when his own steed perished of old age. Both men had ridden Torrent thereafter.

Usually, however, Wang Yu would run as part of his training, leaving Reynard to ride Torrent. Wang Yu couldn't help but feel as though Reynard was more fond of his horse than himself.

Torrent had been an instrumental part of his plan to take down Beran. If not for Torrent, he and Avia would both have died.

Wang Yu patted Torrent on the head. "Great job, partner. We've avenged Reynard!"

Thinking of Avia, Wang Yu looked around him to find Avia unconscious on the ground. Faint purple light fizzed from his body.

Glowing dots were scattered throughout the strange and mysterious light, as if it were a miniature expanse of space made manifest in reality.

Wang Yu was taken aback. He lacked the mystical knowledge necessary to comprehend what was going on with Avia, but Avia likely needed his help.

"He saved me, didn't he? I really am in his debt. He's a good guy like I thought."

Although Wang Yu didn't understand what had happened to Avia, it was obvious that he was in this exhausted state because he had tried to save Wang Yu.

Avia introduced himself as a magician, but from the looks of it, he had paid a significant price to save Wang Yu. Wang Yu scratched his head.

Avia had done this purely out of goodwill. After Wang Yu lost consciousness from blocking Beran's sword, Torrent and Avia must have taken down Beran together. Avia could have left right then and there, without any obligation to help Wang Yu further. If nothing else, he had helped Wang Yu take down Beran and avenge Reynard.

Even so, Avia had clearly chosen to sacrifice something to restore Wang Yu to good health. Wang Yu couldn't help but be touched by his selfless deed.

This was a favor that Wang Yu had to repay. He intended to wait until Avia woke up before asking Avia what he could do on Avia's behalf.

Wang Yu was feeling better than he had ever felt in what seemed like a lifetime. His body was in peak condition, pristine and unblemished.

How could this be possible? Just what sort of magic had Avia used on him? If it were some form of healing magic, how could it have been so potent?

He walked up to the unconscious Avia and stooped down. Wang Yu first decided to check Avia's breathing. He held a finger up to Avia's nostrils. Thankfully, Avia's breathing seemed to be stable.

Wang Yu relaxed. His finger accidentally prodded Avia's skin and found it to be rather tender and soft, but that wasn't important.

The moment Wang Yu came in physical contact with Avia, the faint purple haze around Avia sparked to life.

It transformed into a ribbon of light that gathered by Avia's forehead, then shot up Wang Yu's body through the finger that was touching Avia's skin.

Before Wang Yu could react, that ribbon of light advanced up Wang Yu's chest and neck until it reached his forehead, then burrowed within.

As the light entered his body, Wang Yu felt a deep-set malice, a foreign intrusion into his soul.

And then—that was it. The intrusion seemed to vanish completely, as if it had never existed.

"A spiritual attack? Thank goodness. I was lucky."

Wang Yu quickly calmed down. The foreign intrusion seemed pretty strong, but it was nothing compared to his strength.

He possessed such incredible willpower that he was all but immune to all sorts of mental attacks. Whatever the foreign intrusion was, it had vanished completely upon trying to target his mind.

Simultaneously, the purple haze vanished from Avia's body.

Wang Yu stepped forward and checked his heartbeat and pulse again, both of which seemed regular. His features, which had initially been distorted in pain, were now relaxed. His complexion seemed much improved.

Wang Yu examined Avia carefully. His exquisite features made him look rather cute. Wang Yu scratched his head—he had some suspicions, but it hardly mattered to him.

He strapped the unconscious Avia to Torrent's back, then stood up, dusted off and sheathed Reynard's sword, and prepared to leave.

He searched the bandits' encampment to see if there was anything of use before leaving. The rest could wait until Avia was ready.

Firewood crackled as superheated steam burst out. A warm wind blew across the forest as leaves began to rustle.

Avia blearily opened his eyes. The wind was chilly where it brushed by his cheeks.

There was something soft and warm blanketing his body. His back seemed to be leaning against something firm.

He felt exhausted both in body and spirit, and he couldn't help but want to remain in the comfort of his present circumstances a little while longer. How long had it been since he last felt such a warm embrace? Perhaps it had been when he was a child, dozing off in his mother's arms...

No, no! He had used that forbidden wizardry. Shouldn't the power of the void be tormenting his mind?

If he couldn't break free, he would be dragged into the void! Why couldn't he feel anything?

Avia's thoughts were in disarray. All he remembered was saving the life of that squire who left such a deep impression on him.

He used the wizardry that he hadn't ever wanted to use before falling unconscious. But what was going on now?

Avia forced himself to focus, to blink his heavy eyelids open as he considered his surroundings.

He moved his head back and forth. Before him was a crackling fire. The gentle firelight illuminated the forest at nighttime.

The black-haired squire had placed a sizzling iron pot over the fire, with the faint aroma of meat and herbs spreading out from it.

Avia sniffed as his stomach began to rumble. How long had it been since he had last eaten? Several days, at the very least.

The sudden sound attracted the squire's attention. He looked over with a relaxed smile.

Avia couldn't help but blush. He wanted to say something, but the weakness that continued to pervade his body made speaking too tiresome and laborious a chore.

The squire retrieved a wooden bowl from a pile of objects by the fire, then scooped out some soup. He placed it on a rock in the forest, allowing it to cool a little before he handed it to Avia.

Avia wasn't in particularly good shape. His body was weak, though that wasn't much of an issue. His mind was extremely strained. He was groggy and dazed, and didn't seem to be able to exert much strength as far as his body was concerned.

He glanced at the squire's proffered bowl of soup with some confusion.

He subconsciously reached out for it with his right hand, only to discover that his palm was rather translucent. It passed straight through the bowl.

The squire was taken aback as well. Avia shook his head, regaining some fragments of clarity.

He reached out with his left hand instead and successfully managed to touch the bowl this time. The soup was at the perfect temperature, neither scalding nor overly cool. It was thick and rich, somewhat salty, with tender meat and fresh herbs. Not particularly tasty, but the warmth made up for it.

He drank it sip by sip. Warmth permeated his body and soothed his growling stomach.

An indescribable sense of happiness blossomed from his heart. He sniffed and began to cry, beads of tears rolling down his cheeks and landing on the ground and his wooden bowl.

Wang Yu glanced at Avia in shock, then lowered his head. "Forget it," he told himself. "I'll let him calm down a little first..."

When Avia finished his bowl of soup, Wang Yu poured him another one.

The summer night was relatively cool, but not cold.

After Avia had finished two bowls of soup, his body finally began to warm up. Wang Yu removed the blanket that he had draped over his body.

It was then that Avia noticed that he had been leaning against the horse Torrent.

"Would you like to wash up?" Wang Yu asked Avia. He pointed at the creek close by, then at the basin of hot water he had prepared.

Avia glanced at Wang Yu, then at himself. He sniffed and smelled a terrible stench.

Blood and grime, mud and sweat—Avia couldn't help but be disgusted by the filth all over his body.

They had been in a life-and-death situation, and his cleanliness was hardly a priority then.

Now that they were safe, and now that Wang Yu had pointed it out, Avia was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

Avia nodded. He picked up the basin of hot water as Wang Yu tossed him a few oversized but clean clothes, then headed straight toward the creek.

Wang Yu nodded and took out a book from his backpack. Conveniently, with Avia bathing, his usual position leaning against Torrent's body had opened back up.

He relaxed and sprawled out a little as he read by the firelight.

This was a book he had retrieved from the old magician Egor's room, and was titled Wizardry and the Void.

Egor had been obsessed with the void and wizardry to an incredible extent, so much so that he neglected his own budding talent as a magician.

Others might call him a useless piece of trash, but it was only because he hadn't taken advantage of what skills he possessed.

Even so, Wang Yu had to admire the old magician's perseverance and ability.

Perhaps Beran wouldn't be able to appreciate his treatise, but Wang Yu, who had been educated with a modern mindset, was astounded by the ideas that Egor had expounded.

The treatise that he had written himself suggested a potential path by which even an ordinary person could become a wizard. If Egor hadn't been a madman, Wang Yu would have readily admired him.

Without a question, there were aspects of Egor's devotion to wizardry that were worth learning from.

The treatise taught Wang Yu about the power that wizards possessed. "They can communicate with the void and make use of its strength to distort reality. What a practical and interesting power... It does seem amazing, but there's surely a price to pay, isn't there? Regardless, I'd love to become a wizard."

This was a means by which he could grow stronger, and one that was particularly compatible with his own strengths.

As Wang Yu continued reading from Egor's notes, Avia finished washing himself and returned from the creek.

His damp golden hair fell limply down his back, extending beyond the length of his chin.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

With the blood and grime washed off his face, his innate beauty shone through. His features were gentle and exquisite, his azure eyes shimmering in the firelight.

He strode over and sat down on the other side of the fire. The oversized clothes accentuated his petite figure.

Avia's cheeks were faintly red. He glanced at the reading squire, seemingly wanting to say something but not knowing how to bring it up.

Wang Yu shot Avia a glance as well. "She's a girl, isn't she?" he murmured to himself.

Having cleaned herself up, Avia's feminine features were apparent. The masculine voice she had used before was likely some sort of magical disguise or cloaking.

It was obvious why she would hide her gender as a captive among a group of bandits.

The magician's gaze flitted between Wang Yu and Torrent. Her flush deepened.

"Is it that difficult to bring up the matter of her gender? Perhaps I should take the lead..." Wang Yu subvocalized. He looked up.

"I really am thankful to you for saving my life. You've already helped me so much—I don't know how I'll pay you back, but I must." Wang Yu put down the book and focused all his attention on Avia.

"Ah, is that so? Very well. Ah, uh, actually..." Avia stammered helplessly, not knowing how to respond to Wang Yu's earnest claim.

"I had a look through the bandits' encampment, but they weren't particularly rich and had few valuables on them. I don't know what your situation is like, but from what I can tell, you're a noble who has fallen on hard times. If you're alone, it'll be inconvenient for you no matter where you go, so I'd like to repay part of the favor with this, at least." Wang Yu offered Avia a small satchel of coins that wasn't particularly full.

"Ah, I see. Alright... Thank you." Avia accepted the coins gratefully, but still seemed a little at a loss for words.

Wang Yu noticed that her head had drooped and she had looked a little forlorn when he brought up her family.

"Considering how much you've helped me out, I'd like to make you another offer. Since it may be inconvenient for you to travel alone, do you happen to need a retainer? I can serve you for a year before continuing on my adventures," Wang Yu said. He had thought carefully about this offer. Avia seemed like she would have a hard time without anyone's help.

Joining her as her retainer would alleviate this problem for the time being, and he would be able to set off on his own in due time. This was how Wang Yu intended to repay his debt to Avia. Perhaps his year of service wasn't quite worth his life, but it was enough that Wang Yu wouldn't feel guilty afterwards.

"Ah, I would, I would be more than happy to accept," Avia replied. She could sense Wang Yu's sincerity and how seriously he was treating his debt to her.

"In that case, let me introduce myself again. I'm Wang Yu, an advanced squire, and your attendant for the next year." Wang Yu offered her his hand.

Avia smiled. She extended her pale arm and gave Wang Yu a handshake. "Avia Dovan, trainee magician and wizard. I am grateful for your assistance."

"Hardly, hardly. I'm a tank, and you're a carry. Together, we'll be able to take on the world!"

1. An Elden Ring reference. ☜