The Silver Knight:

The shining sun that keeps everyone safe... Felled by a rambunctious Wolf pup...

Asra supposed there were worse ways to go down. Lien was surprisingly strong for her age.

His eyelids were still heavy, but the chit-chatting of countless Monoke was already acknowledged by his half-sleeping mind. The people he swore to protect, the ones who were denied their place in the world by his ancestors...

The Knight had a winding road ahead. And now, Stella's presence here could either make things go smoother or the opposite. Regardless of the outcome, he knew he had to guide the girl through the queendom as their best chance to end the Human and Monoke animosity. To his luck, the girl proved to be more than willing to see these creatures as more than horrid monsters.

Queen Malka should take a liking to her as well. Well, he hoped to...

...

......

His nose was itching.

No, wait! A strong smell invaded his nostrils. A faint burn pulled the hero back to the waking world.

"THE NOODLES!"

Asra's eyes opened. The first thing he saw was... the white tiles? Why was he suspended in the air?

His worries were put to rest when he recognized the armor and black fur. Locci was carrying him on his shoulder.

"My fellow officer! Can I be put back in the ground, please?!" The heroic voice was a little hard to tap into right after waking up, but he had about a year of practice. Sometimes, he felt lost in the character, only using his fabricated tone for almost a week.

It was probably for the best. Asra was not what the world needed, anyway.

The hero wiped the dust from his battered suit. "Thank you, Locci! Your strength is only outmatched by your kind heart!"

The muscular guard responded with a weak nod and averted his gaze at a random corner. Locci has always been reclusive since they first met, which made Asra wary of him thanks to his intimidating build. However, it didn't take long for the hero to realize that the black Wolf only struggled with socializing. He was a big, fuzzy, gentle giant, and the Knight respected that.

Come to think of it, these Wolves were the closest people he had for friends in this forest. And this was thanks to none other than Lien. After he rescued the pup from the Spiders' tunnels, she was obsessed with him for a long while, time enough to be in constant contact with her mother and, by extension, her subordinates.

In a way, he owed more to Lien than one would expect. Saving her tail from the occasional diplomatic nightmare she created was only part of the job, not a valid gesture of gratitude.

Then again, maybe encouraging the two girls' friendship was an example of that? Although he had more tactical reasons for such a bond, he still cared deeply about those children. Besides, they were adorable together!

Huh? Maybe they could even... Nah, that's going too far!

Or was it...? It was not like there were many romantic options around here. Unless another Human conveniently entered the picture.

Oh, well! That was up to them! Speaking of, where were the kids? Only Locci was keeping an eye on him, so it seemed.

The unmistakable smell of the togarashi noodles caught his nose once again. His mouth watered in frustration about his inability to consume anything here without revealing his secret identity.

An emergency induction port would be built into his helmet the day he returned to the castle. What, a straw? No, that's completely different!

Back to what mattered, in a genius twist only destiny could concoct, Stella and Lien were right at the ramen stall with the... The captain!? Oh, what a turn of events! Namadi's light shone upon him with her everlasting compassion!

That was the most religious Asra felt in years.

The hero marched with renewed purpose, his beaming smile hidden from the outside world. "Salutations, you three!"

Stella perked up. "Hey, man!" Lien devoured her fair share, as seen by the three empty food vessels next to her, while Capt. Tash lazily waved at him. That couldn't have been easy on her pockets.

"Uh... Will you eat, too?" The Human girl kept staring at his helmet, aware of his predicament.

He took a seat beside Stella. "Hah! I can patrol the entirety of Sayama without food easily!" Asra couldn't lie by saying he didn't enjoy making those theatrics. The people's reactions to his antics were the best. "Besides, I think I've lost all my coins in the fight against Grýla." He turned to the captain. "Hey, can you-"

"No. Don't even start." Lien must've drained her pockets dry if she was that cranky. Wait, what was the deal with the deep cut on the table? If the wood could speak, its painful wails would send shivers down anyone's spine.

He clutched his helmet. "Oh, captain! Could you be less of a meanie!? Children are hearing us!" He dramatically gestured at the girls. "How can we act like good role models this way!?"

Tash glares at him with narrowed, violent eyes. Asra was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the other side of the visor. He couldn't let the chuckle slip out. He couldn't!

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Stella shared the captain's mood, surprisingly enough. "I'm twelve, dude! I'm a teen now!"

Lien broke her focus on the spicy noodles. "I'm a teen, too! But I'm only eight."

His fellow Human's eyes widened. "You're WHAT?!"

Oops! Better explain this can of worms immediately!

"Wolves develop a tad faster than some species. Their life expectancy can go up until eighty without Saniya influence! If my math is correct, Lien is in the same age demographic as you, only in Wolf years."

Stella's mouth was open, yet no sound was uttered from it. She only succeeded in this task after a few more seconds. "Okay, then..." She shook her head, then feasted her eyes at the empty, barren wasteland called the bottom of her ramen bowl.

Since they were doing nothing, Asra decided to teach his trainee further on the subject. "You'll get used to the wacky world of Monoke lifespans! For example, when Ogres and Oni reach the latter half of their 300s, they start their gigantification stage, attaining their full height at the start of their 500s."

Stella had put her two elbows on the table. "What's an Oni?"

"It's the same species as that red lady I fought earlier!"

"I thought she was an Ogre."

"Technically, yes. The Oni are closely related to their hornless cousins." He paused for a moment. "At least, they're close in general appearance. I'm not a geneticist, so I have no way of knowing for sure." He shrugged. Tash interjected. "Regardless if they're related, NEVER call an Oni an Ogre or vice versa! You'll bring yourself a world of pain."

Aw, she was joining him in Stella's education! Could she really warm up to the girl!? Unlikely, but not impossible!

The hundred clicking noises on the rock-tiled floor clashed against the hero's optimism. The sound pollution was especially unbearable for the Wolf mother and daughter, who clutched their ears.

An army of Basan marched through the market. Everyone frantically retreated to avoid getting caught up in their unstoppable parade.

Each soldier was clad in their standard black armor with golden accents, with only their wings as egregious weak spots. All of them exceeded humans in size, more akin to an ostrich, only more colorful and with a thicker neck.

Their general was easily distinguishable by his choice of headwear, a black kabuto with golden deer-like antlers. His large crest was proudly displayed by a cavity tailor-made for it.

The Knight's awe turned into apprehension when he remembered that the Basan were nocturnal creatures. If they were here, then-

Crapbaskets! The brigade was walking towards THEM!

"Shit! It's about Lien!" Tash quickly took it upon herself to resolve any misunderstandings. The hero hadn't seen the destruction the pup caused, but judging by her powerful tackle, it must have been terrifying.

The Wolf captain bowed. "General Veghaan. I apologize for my daughter's foolish actions."

Veghaan didn't reciprocate the gesture. "We're not here for whatever chaos your pup has created this time. We're here for HER!" He lifted a foot and then pointed one of his nails at Stella.

No... How did he-

"Humans are under the Dragon's Guard's protection, you know that!" Her narrowed eyes were locked on the Basan. "Her fate is in the hands of Queen Malka."

He puffed his chest, a signal for intimidating adversaries. "Our Radiance had a prophetic dream about a vile creature! A Human! Coming to tear us apart and drag us to the darkest depths!"

When he mentioned the H-word, Asra saw the shock and fear in the crowd's faces. The whispers spread through the already tense situation.

He had to intervene. "Please! We shouldn't get into rushed conclusions because of a dream, right?"

That was a slap in the face on every Basan within earshot, gasping too loudly for everyone's ear integrity. He only made things worse, didn't he?

"How. Dare. You question Our Radiance?! His dreams are the sleeping portraits of the future! His premonitions ensured this town's safety for generations!"

Tash crossed her arms. "Like when your precious Chōkō predicted 'creatures from the stars' arriving to slurp us into their round, flying carriages?!"

The general quickly retorted as if they had this conversation countless times before. "We spent the entire night in our homes! Did anyone disappear? No! Thanks to Our Radiance's warning, we eluded the sky demons!"

"With all due respect, Your Radiance is full of shit, and so are you!" She snarled. "Now... Back off!" She unsheathed her claws.

As on cue, the Lycan Squad jumped into the fray, reading to back their captain! Even Tarb was more motivated than usual.

"Your sausages are a fucking fraud!" The bulldog growled.

Stella stared at him with a frightened gaze. He knew what he had to do.

"Take the girls and GO!" Tash commanded.

And so, Asra took the children, carried them over his shoulders, and then bolted from the scene with his Lightspeed!

He hated running away, but he hated collateral damage even more.

He dodged and weaved through the crowd. The heat was rising behind him. He could feel it through his suit.

Ignoring Lien's protests was a heart-wrenching task. However, Asra needed to push through! He couldn't-

Wind-like notes caught his hearing. Their harmony was such an awe-inspiring experience his legs didn't feel solid anymore.

He... He couldn't feel them...

Actually, where was he? What was he doing again? A perfect mosaic of his memory was suddenly lacking a few pieces. Someone had stolen from him.

His arms were limp, and his vision flickered like an expired lightbulb. A shadowy figure towered over him...

However, it distanced itself for some reason... The strange voices were definitely related to this phenomenon...

"Keh keh keh! This Human is ours, Daien!"

"Can you stop taunting him, please?!"

Human...? Wait, that's who he was, right? Who were the voices referring to? He was a male.

Oh, no! Stella! The pieces are returning! His body had regained its motor functions! He could walk, talk, and feel again! He could sense his heart battering against his chest, almost breaking his bones.

Stella? Where was Stella?!

"Knight! KNIGHT!" Lien's cries caught his attention. "They have Stella!"

"W-Who?!"

"The weakling I kicked to the woods! He and his pal!"

The Knight couldn't believe it. He had lost Stella easily to those miscreants, no less. How could the hero be so easily duped?! How would he face the queen in light of his crushing defeat?!

Lien closed her eyes. Asra was too distracted to acknowledge the lack of fringe up until now.

"I can feel..." Her eyes widened. "Look out!"

Before the guard could understand her warning, a straight line was carved on the stone before him as if someone had marked where he was allowed to go.

The thing was, this was indeed the case.

Three Weasels hovered above them. The same assassins who almost extinguished Asra's fellow Human's existence. Their arrival was too conveniently placed to be a coincidence. That Baku and his pals were undoubtedly in cahoots with them!

He couldn't see it but imagined that the scythe wielder intended to pay him back for their duel's outcome.

"Lien, could you-"

"Nope!" She was already on her battle stance, with an unsettlingly earnest face. "I owe these guys a beating!"

Something told him that no argument would dissuade the courageous pup. Besides, he needed all the help he could get to rescue Stella.

"Alright!" His hammy mannerisms and dancing reignited. "You wanted to become my sidekick, too, right?!"

The pup's tail started to wag with energy. "Yes, sir!"

Side by side, a Human and a Monoke would become an ultra-powerful fighting duo! If those jam constructs couldn't hold a candle to them, neither would these ninjas!

Asra pulled off his signature pose with the grace and elegance forged from months of harsh training. "This is your unlucky day, evildoers! For you face The Silver Knight! And he's not alone!"