The Silver Knight:

"Ah... Pantsti! I've missed you so much!"

The hero spoke... to no one in particular. After four days of patrolling the entire queendom of Sayama, venturing through dense woods, giant mushrooms, mosquito-filled swamps, the capital's streets, and the terrifying Nexus, it was finally over!

He couldn't wait to tell Stella about the highlights, especially the Lamia oil salesman incident... Washing his suit took a whole day, and it still smelled odd afterward.

But hey! At least he FINALLY picked some casual clothes in the castle! Sleeping on his Silver Suit™ was not the comfiest thing, and he sure as hell wouldn't sleep on his undies next to a minor!

The guard marched into the village, quickly receiving greetings from the locals, especially the little pups. Some tugged his gloves to force him to play with them, but he was EXHAUSTED! He turned them down with some excuse about injustice never resting and ran deeper into the never-ceasing crowd.

Dang it! He didn't even have energy left for a short burst of Lightspeed. His leg bones were about to shatter with any more strain. Fortunately, in only a few minutes, he found hut n°159.

He took a deep breath and pressed his palms together. "Namadi's light, thank you for guiding my life." He was still unsure if he should show deference to the Goddess of Light, considering what he knew about the Knights and the Monoke. However, there was the possibility of her highest followers misinterpreting her teachings accidentally or for their own self-gain. Her sacred texts dated millennia ago, and no one had access to them except the Lumin Church.

Thoughts for tomorrow. Now, Asra would settle for a peaceful-

The door was opened by none other than his pupil and fellow Human, Stella. When her eyes locked on him, a drop of sweat streamed down from her forehead.

"K-Knight?! You're here already?!"

That sentence prompted a cocked eyebrow from the hero. "What're you talking about? It's the 19th hour!"

Her stutter had gotten worse. "Y-Yeah! I mean... I was about to meet Lien..."

He gasped loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding villagers. "You're going on a date?!" His visor produced two sparkling stars for his eyes. "Aw, you're socializing more! I'm so proud of you!!!"

The girl averted her gaze, clearly embarrassed. The Knight didn't do it on purpose, of course. It was only hard to keep the act while avoiding these reactions. Alas, another area for improvement! He always loved having a tangible goal to reach on his path of heroism!

"R-Right." She shook her head and recomposed herself. "Nice to see you, dude! See ya later!" She ran away, waving goodbye. She weaved through the overwhelming crowd with such speed and grace it brought tears to Asra's eyes.

Well, what should he do now? He had already delivered the full report to the queen. Maybe redo it from scratch to Captain Tash? Nah, that didn't make sense.

A patrol through Pantsti? He was too tired for that.

Hang out with someone? With whom?

Dang. Perhaps he should socialize more. It just didn't feel right while keeping the secret identity on. Only Stella knew, but she was a twelve-year-old girl, not quite bestie material for a 23-year-old man.

Besides, it was not like he deserved the camaraderie of the Monoke. He had a debt to these people, one he couldn't see himself fully paying until his body would fail him with age. Even then, he had his doubts.

His relationship with the Wolves was pleasant. He cherished each one he had helped or worked alongside with. Regardless, the guilt pulsated in his mind each time he saw one of them. Especially Tash...

Shaking those thoughts for the moment, Asra entered the hut. It was as unimpressive as he remembered. He missed his room in Malka's castle so much...

Accepting his loneliness, he did the admittedly unsightly action of lying on his sleeping bag with his armor on. Even when he had comfier clothes available, he sometimes did that when his exhaustion was too much to bother with taking the suit or when he couldn't bear to see his face in the mirror. The Silver Knight persona kept him motivated throughout his second life in Sayama. Kept him from... crossing an unescapable line...

...

......

"I need some sleep."

It didn't take long until his heavy eyelids closed, and his mind wandered through the cozy embrace of unconsciousness.

It was all so peaceful. No doubts, no worries, no-

Knock, knock!

*Sigh* Welp, it was good while it lasted.

The hero scrambled towards the door, tripping and ungracefully falling with his butt raised. Thank goodness, this mysterious person preached the value of privacy.

Tapping the dust off his suit, the Knight opened the door, puffing his chest to greet a potential fan. "Hello, fair citizen! How can I-"

Stella pulled him by the collar. "Knight, it's bad! Lien passed out!" She cried with desperation in her eyes.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Where?!"

"We were at her uncle's!" She explained. "He went to buy something and hasn't returned! I don't know where he is!"

Asra's eyes flared with determination. He freed himself of his pupil's grasp and stood up. "Wait here."

Stella blinked. "Wait, let me-"

In a flash of light, the hero was already crossing Pantsti with his Lightspeed. Jumping through the rooftops, he quickly reached hut n°556, Tarb's home. Although the trip wasn't without collateral damage on some Wolves' roofs. Tomorrow morning would be eventful...

Back to more important matters, the Knight kicked the door open. "Lien! A-Are you awake?!" He couldn't even maintain his heroic voice.

The hut's inside was pitch black. Asra's heart was pounding uncontrollably, almost breaking out of his chest.

"Stop it, Asra!" He slapped his helmet with both hands. "You have light magic! Let me just-"

The lights went on. Rather than an unconscious Lien, he saw her, healthy and smiling, accompanied by her uncle... and Euraidd, Hufen, and Locci...

What?

"SURPRISE!!!" Everyone shouted. The walls were littered with balloons of multiple colors - purple, red, blue, green, and pink - and a grill the size of a horse.

The Knight was... in shock. They were all looking at him with a big smile on their face. A surprise party for him?! Why?!

He laughed shyly. "I-I think there was a misunderstanding! Today is not my birthday!"

"We know, silly!" Lien ran to him. A rat popped its head out of her mane. "It's not a birthday party. It's a friendship party!!!" She lifted her hands in the air.

How would he even react to that? A friendship party? But who-

Lien circled him, sniffing his surroundings. "Where's Stella?" She asked.

Of course! She was in the whole time!

...And he left her to cross the entire village alone...

He laughed sheepishly. "Oops!" Then he held a finger. "One second!" And back as a flash of light.

----------------------------------------

Stella:

"Go a little slower next time!"

The girl jumped out of the Knight's back, fighting to not lose her dinner by the Lightspeed trip.

"You're back!" Lien pounced on her, bringing them to the ground. When she fantasized about being wrestled to the floor by her friend, she didn't realize how painful it'd actually be, even with the sandy floor softening the fall.

"Girl, I was away for a few minutes." As the pain subsided, the Wolf's furry embrace was quite welcome. Her tail wagged so rapidly that the Human's heart couldn't help but meet its pace.

"Lien, let the poor girl get some air!" Tarb hollered, pushing the gigantic grill out of his house. All Wolf Monoke in a two-mile radius started to gather around, their eyes and snouts darting with curiosity.

"Wait, was the secret to gathering more people a freaking barbecue?" Stella furrowed her eyebrows, astounded.

The bulldog laughed. "You got a lot to learn about Wolves, kiddo! If you wanna celebrate, you gotta account for the entire village." He turned to the rest of the Lycan Squad. "Goldy! Get that bear out of there! Let's start big!"

All the Wolves howled and cheered for the veteran. What came next was a weird yet expected barbecue by these Monoke's standards. Most villagers ate raw meat, with only a few herbs and spices they brought from home to season it. The Crows and more audacious canines, including the Lycan Squad, tasted some grilled meal.

Stella and Lien remained close to the Squad and the Knight. The ever-growing crowd of Pantsti's citizens threatened to trample them if they strayed too far.

Euraidd devoured a deer leg. "Hey! It ain't that bad!"

Hufen nodded. "I can't believe you learned how to use that thing. You know what they say about old Wolves." She made a teasing smirk.

Undisputable pride was etched on Tarb's expression. "You youngins are just jealous that I learn more stuff at my age than you! Wasting your time on those Human distractions!" He waved his paw dismissively.

"You know, this grill was made by Human technology." The Knight interjected.

"Bah! It's an advancement of a pre-existing tool! It's completely different!" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Hufen scoffed. "Totally..." She elbowed her brother, who started to laugh alongside her.

The Knight's visor was producing starry eyes the whole time. "I cannot wrap around that you guys organized all this for me!"

Tarb hummed. "Yep. And you're wasting your time standing here and not eating anything! We hunted all day yesterday, and even with that extra meat, it won't last that long."

Asra shyly rubbed his helmet. "Sorry, guys! Have to keep up my identity!"

Locci finally put himself in the conversation, landing a paw on the hero's shoulder. "I'll go and claim some for you."

The Knight returned the gesture. "Once again, your kindness saved my life! I appreciate that!"

The taller guard went to the grill, but not before he could approach Stella and initiate a fist bump with her. The Human girl took a few seconds to not leave him hanging. He was smiling a whole lot more than before, as well. Did her relationship advice have anything to do with it? It was a comforting thought.

Lien devoured her piece of grilled boar. "Okay! I see why you love your meat burned! It's more delicious than eating raw, although I think it loses its juiciness." Peat ate a piece of grilled cheese on her shoulder.

Stella was reveling on a pheasant leg. It was not the same species as the rainbow one, but it was close enough. "Heh. Stick close to me long enough, and you'll ditch raw food."

Lien's ears twitched. "Challenge accepted!" Gosh, her mischievous smirk was precious! Stella found more and more aspects of her that made her heart race. It wasn't fair!

Perhaps... They could sneak out and-

"Stella." The pup grabbed her shoulder. "You hear that? The Knight..."

The Human's eyes shifted back to the guards. The Knight had an anxious emote on his helmet.

"Gentlewolves, it's nothing serious, I swear!"

Tarb cocked an eyebrow, huffing through his nose. "We've been working together for YEARS! About time you took off this stupid helmet, don't you think!?"

Hufen put her paw on the hero's shoulder. "Whatever is under that mask, we'll have an open mind about it, we promise."

"Y-You guys mean it? I-I wasn't sure you four saw me as nothing more than a colleague..."

Euraidd chimed in. "Dude! You've been helping us on missions and with your wacky inventions for so long! We wouldn't go through the trouble of organizing all this for you if we didn't care!" He frantically waved his arms at the veteran. "Tarb is using his stash for this! Tarb!"

"That's true!" The old Wolf was holding a mug of a probably alcoholic beverage. "But really, you should thank all that for that Human squirt! She hunted a damn bear so I could attend this party."

"And searched for the rainbow pheasant with me. Although I'm pretty sure the elder helped her with tracking it." Locci interjected.

"The kid's awesome! A better gamer than I thought! Also, she's fun to be around." The golden twin added. His sister nodded in agreement.

"Ah..." Asra turned to Stella, who started to sweat and flush with embarrassment. Geez, these people tended to exaggerate...

After a few minutes of pondering, the Knight puffed his chest. "Alright! After this party is over, I shall grant you your wish! As a proof of our growing bond!"

Hufen clapped. "Fantastic! We shall celebrate it with the cake we bought for you!"

The Knight gasped. "CAKE?! Aw, you guys do care!" And stars returned to his "eyes."

Stella's mind ran with nervousness. Would they accept Asra's true identity? If they seemingly accepted Stella, she couldn't see why the same wouldn't apply to her mentor—except for the detail of faking your own death and lying to them for years.

But beyond all that... There was still...

...The sappy speech of approval he'd give Stella when all of this was over. She shuddered with the thought.