I Need a Knife

"Creak—!" The carved wooden door eased open a crack. Startled by the sound, a pretty little head froze, then cautiously peered through the gap. No movement! The visitor slowly opened the door and tiptoed into the room. "Roar!" "Eek—!"

Chen Jinyang had noticed someone coming in and deliberately hid behind the door. The moment the visitor stepped inside, he leaped out with a terrifying roar. The guilty little Elf girl was scared out of her wits and let out a scream that shook the heavens. Aelf squeezed her eyes shut and crumpled softly to the floor. After a long while, she cautiously opened her left eye for a peek, then hurriedly shut it again, squeezing both eyes even tighter. "Hahaha!" "Hehehe!" The Moon Elf girl opened her trembling eyes, her beautiful, watery green eyes darting about. Alos and Mishaer were doubled over on the floor, clutching their stomachs with laughter, while Phinia leaned over the table, grinning from ear to ear.

Aelf's delicate brows shot up as she sprang to her feet, furious at being laughed at. But then she saw Chen Jinyang watching her with folded arms and a grin. The Elf, who had bristled like a little wildcat, immediately shrank back. Trembling, she asked, "William? Y-you... are you a dr-dragon?" "Huh? What?" "A dr-dragon!" "I'm not!" Chen Jinyang couldn't make heads or tails of the Elf girl's strange behavior or her odd question.

"Liar!" Aelf muttered, barely audible. Then her expression changed, and she asked in a soft, pitiful voice, "Mr. William! Are you going to eat poor little Aelf?" Chen Jinyang was amused by the Elf girl's ridiculous question and spread his arms, pretending to pounce. "I'm going to eat you!" Already a little nervous, Aelf yelped and stumbled backward. The three spectators laughed even harder, and Chen Jinyang chuckled along with them.

Realizing she'd been tricked, Aelf waved her little fists angrily. "You fiend! You tricked me again! Unforgivable! Even if you are a dragon, you'll pay for it!" The Elf girl's eyes darted about as she circled Chen Jinyang, peering at him from this side and that, patting here and tugging there (see Slam Dunk for Hanamichi Sakuragi's moves). Baffled by Aelf's behavior, Chen Jinyang asked, "What are you doing, little girl?" Lost in her own wild imaginings, the Elf answered without thinking, "Looking for the dragon's treasure! Oh! I let it slip!" Alarmed, Aelf hurriedly backed away, only to find that Chen Jinyang hadn't reacted at all. She tilted her little head and thought, Haha! So the treasure isn't on you! No wonder you didn't react! Dragons really are slow on the uptake!

Aelf's gaze swept around the room. Phinia and Alos didn't react at all, but Mishaer, who had been bickering with the Elf girl the whole way here, was extremely sensitive to her sneaky looks. She ducked her head and hurriedly covered the Horn of Kor she was wearing with both hands. The Elf girl shook her head, wearing an expression of sudden realization. Ohhh! I knew it! How could a little squirt have such a strange thing? Hehehe! Dragons really are devious! I knew there was something fishy about that helmet! Aelf really is the cutest and cleverest Moon Elf! Hahaha!

The little Elf's eyes gleamed green as she pounced on Mishaer like a hungry tiger, shouting, "You nasty little squirt! Hand over the treasure and I'll spare you!" Mishaer had long since developed a conditioned reflex to the Elf's moves, and dodged at once. The two raced around the room, one chasing and the other fleeing, turning the place into utter chaos.

Though Aelf was tall and strong for an Elf girl (compared to the little girl) and quick on her feet, Mishaer, who had been trained by Chen Jinyang for several months, was no pushover. When the female magistrate entered the room with old Sailu, the two little girls were rolling around on the floor, hair disheveled and locked in a tangle. The stronger Elf girl had the upper hand. Grinning excitedly, she grabbed the Horn of Kor and held it high at arm's length. The little girl, who had her legs wrapped around the Elf's, saw she was losing and hurriedly called for backup: "Sister Phinia! Come help me!"

Outnumbered two to one, Aelf suffered a shameful defeat. Chen Jinyang and Alos were long accustomed to the usual show put on by the three childish troublemakers, and the brothers sat off to the side, watching with keen interest. All they needed was some tea and sunflower seeds.

Sunderland was dumbfounded by the Elf girl's audacity and the "Mr. Dragon's" complete lack of reaction. She felt even more certain of her theory. Alos and the victorious Mishaer looked delighted to see old Sailu behind Sunderland. "Mr. Sailu! Mr. Sailu! We're so happy to see you!"

Old Sailu had been uneasy, but the moment he saw the two children, he forgot his fear. He, too, was delighted to see them and said joyfully, "Little Alos! Haha! Mishaer! Let me have a look at my sweet little girl! You've gotten so pretty!" The little girl, whom he'd thought wouldn't survive the winter, had recovered and was standing there full of life. Old Sailu was overjoyed. He had always treated the three William siblings like family, and now he bowed gratefully to Chen Jinyang. Who else but a mysterious, powerful dragon could make a child who had been on the verge of death healthy and strong again? Old Sailu now fully accepted the female magistrate's theory.

Old Sailu's gesture startled Chen Jinyang. Not knowing what was going on, he could only stay silent and put on a silly smile. Alos and the little girl excitedly pulled Sailu along, eager to tell him all about their adventures that winter. Meanwhile, Lady Sunderland watched the silent Chen Jinyang with a mysterious look. Oh! It seems this dragon still doesn't know his identity has been exposed! Hehehe! Go on, keep pretending, Mr. Dragon! Since you don't want anyone to know who you are, hehehe! Just wait and see how the beautiful Sunderland Starglim tames you! No, I have to make sure everyone who knows keeps quiet tomorrow. From now on, no one is allowed to discuss Mr. Dragon's identity!

As for Aelf, she was circling Phinia, waiting for a chance to snatch the Horn of Kor that the giantess was holding for safekeeping.

Sunderland gracefully swept the loose hair away from her ear and struck up a conversation in a slightly coquettish tone. "Mr. William, may I ask where you're from?"

"Don't you already know? I'm from Gnome Village." Chen Jinyang frowned, feeling that this pretty woman was up to no good.

"Hehehe! And what do you plan to do from now on, sir?"

"My plans?" Chen Jinyang paused. That was right—how was he supposed to live in this world? How would he continue along the path of martial arts? He murmured to himself, "At the very least, I need to look after the two kids until they can fend for themselves. School? Learning to read and write? Maybe they should learn a trade so they can make a living?"

Watching Chen Jinyang furrow his brow in thought, the "scheming" female magistrate spoke in a compassionate tone. "That's right! This world is very dangerous. Monsters roam the wilds, demons run rampant, and ordinary villages are often attacked and harassed by savage Orc armies and monsters. It's all too common for a village to be destroyed and its people killed. It's even more dangerous when you're caring for two helpless children. Only towns protected by sturdy walls can keep them safe! Every winter, we bring the people from the nearby villages into Mirabar for protection, so they won't be harassed by hungry monsters!"

Chen Jinyang was unaccustomed to this sudden change in the "strong woman's" attitude. He increasingly suspected the woman was plotting something (and his instincts were right). Irritated, he said, "What does that have to do with me?"

"Uh!" Sunderland's expression stiffened. Right, why would a proud dragon fear such things? She forced a smile. "Doesn't Mr. William need anything?"

"I need a knife!"

"A knife? We..."

Chen Jinyang said coldly, "I need a knife made in a special way. No one else can forge it."

A Magic Weapon? A legendary weapon? A divine artifact? Sunderland's mind was swimming with possibilities. I have to keep him here! I have to! Good heavens! Anything made by a dragon is bound to be a treasure! I'd even sacrifice my charms to keep him here! I just hope dragons have decent taste!

The female magistrate's face flushed with excitement as she eagerly said, "Mr. William! Mirabar is the largest metal-producing center in the North! We have the finest metals and materials. We can definitely meet your requirements."

Chen Jinyang had asked the mercenaries traveling with him about Mirabar and had become very interested in this mining and trading hub. In a world where metal was scarce, Mirabar really was the best place to find enough materials to forge a good weapon. He hesitated before saying, "I'll also need to learn the forging techniques used here!"

In this world, metalworking was a highly prized skill, like a martial arts master's secret techniques. No one was willing to share it.

Sunderland, carried away by her own fantasies, promised generously, "No problem! We have Dwarf smiths with superb forging skills, as well as learned metallurgists and alchemists. You can study whichever you like!"

"Um..." Chen Jinyang hesitated in the face of the female magistrate's enthusiastic sales pitch.

"As long as you settle down in Mirabar, we'll provide you with a place to live free of charge!" Lady Stagrim glanced at the others, who were stunned by her words, then continued to tempt him. "And the children can learn to read and write from me or other scholars."

With the offer put so plainly, what else could Chen Jinyang say? His normally serious face broke into a stiff smile. "Ah! Thank you so much, Madam Magistrate! But Alos won't need that. In a few days, he'll be going with friends from the Habel Family to learn magic. You only need to teach Mishaer." At that moment, Chen Jinyang was screaming inside: Damn it! Am I really that charming? Is this woman interested in me?

Seeing that Chen Jinyang had agreed, Sunderland lowered her head and laughed like a little fox that had just eaten eighteen hens. Hahaha! I really am the cleverest Sunderland! My plan to lure him in has succeeded!