The beginning

"I'm heading out, Meli!"

"Be careful on the road!"

"I will!"

Meli watched Ria rush off to fetch her younger siblings and smiled faintly. The girl was so thoughtful it made her heart ache! Glancing at the setting sun, Meli picked up the shopping basket from the kitchen and went out to buy something delicious. Today, she would show off her cooking skills and make a wonderful meal for the children who had yet to arrive!

The sun sank in the west, and the fading light slowly gave way to night. Wisps of cooking smoke rose over the town. From the kitchen came a brisk, rhythmic thump, thump... Meli deftly heated oil in a pan. With a sizzle, the delicate aroma of frying eggs drifted through the room on the breeze!

"Wow! Ria, are we going to live here from now on? It's so big!" Xiao Cao asked in amazement. Ria gently stroked her little head. "Yes! Remember to say hello to Meli in a minute!"

"Okay, we will, Ria!" The other children nodded along!

The children carefully stepped inside. The aroma of food wafted toward them, and they all swallowed. Following the scent, Ria led them toward the kitchen. "Meli, we're here!" Meli quickly set down her kitchen knife, tidied her appearance, and opened the door. "Oh my, you're here already! Go sit in the living room. I'll have something delicious ready for you soon!" Meli warmly welcomed the children, who were still a little uneasy in their new surroundings.

"We can't let you do all this! There are so many ingredients. Let us help, Meli!" Ria protested when she saw the great pile of ingredients on the floor. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to lend a hand, and the other children eagerly followed her lead!

Seeing how industrious the children were, Meli did not rush to refuse. It was already getting late, and she did not want them going hungry for too long, so she gave them tasks they could manage!

When Meli accepted their help, Ria smiled sweetly. "Thank you!"

Watching the full-figured Meli, who looked graceful and dignified even while busy, Xiao Cao said happily, "You're so pretty! When I grow up, I want to be as pretty as you, Meli!"

Meli crouched down and gently brushed a finger over the sweet, adorable little girl's nose. "Then you'd better eat plenty later. Picky eaters don't get the nutrients they need to grow up looking like me!"

Xiao Cao gazed earnestly at the beautiful woman before her. "I'm going to eat this much!" She drew a circle with her little hands to show just how much she could eat! Everyone burst out laughing at her adorable antics, and the slight awkwardness between them seemed to melt away. Once the laughter subsided, the other children greeted Meli and introduced themselves one by one!

As they grew familiar with one another, they chatted and laughed, and soon dinner was ready. Looking at the table laden with a rich variety of dishes, their stomachs growled. They exchanged smiles, their appetites whetted!

"Go on, everyone! Try my cooking!" Enichi, Xiao Cao, and the other little ones, who could barely wait any longer, grabbed their chopsticks and began stuffing food into their mouths! Between bites, they mumbled, "Meli's cooking is so good! We've never eaten anything this delicious!" Beside them, Ria kept stroking the little ones' backs, afraid they might choke.

Watching everyone wolf down their food, Meli smiled through tears of joy. It had been so, so long since things had been this lively. When she was six, her father had discovered she was a talentless failure with no aptitude for becoming a ninja and had grown indifferent toward her. Her mother had died young, too, leaving her to spend her childhood quietly alone.

"Meli, what's wrong?" Ria asked with concern.

"Nothing. I'm just so happy!" Meli gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Ria, we're family now, aren't we?" she asked softly, gazing at Ria with gentle eyes.

"Yes! From now on, I'll protect you with the power of the Holy Light. No one will ever dare bully you again!" Ria met Meli's gaze with determination. "I'll protect Meli, too! Her cooking is so delicious!" Enichi declared, raising one chubby little hand and planting the other on his hip!

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

Looking at their concerned faces, Meli suddenly blossomed into a smile. "All right, all right. You're all my guardian knights!"

Everyone was happy that night. After eating and drinking their fill, they fell into a deep sleep!

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

Axel led everyone through their usual diligent training, while Meli got an early start on breakfast in the kitchen! In the courtyard, Ria swung the Lightsaber in her hand. The little ones watched their big sister's Lightsaber with envy, then quietly began meditating.

Once most of them had returned from their morning training, Meli called out, "Time to eat!"

The little ones quickly dropped what they were doing and ran to the dining table. After washing their little hands, they held their small bowls and watched eagerly as Meli and the older girls brought the food to the table!

"Let's eat! Praise the Holy Light!" Ria devotedly recited the prayer she offered every morning!

"Praise the Holy Light!" The others sincerely joined her prayer!

After breakfast, Meli and Ria hurried to the nearest stonemason and carpenter. Along the way, acquaintances who saw that Meli was unharmed greeted her with ashamed expressions, and she smiled and nodded in return!

After hurrying to their destination, Meli explained why they had come to the stonemason and carpenter. Hearing that she intended to stop running her Clinics and turn them into something called a church, they were somewhat surprised, but said little. They picked up their tools and followed the two back to the Clinics without even asking about payment. After all, who in the neighborhood had not come to Meli for treatment or received her help?

Once they reached the Clinics, Meli went to prepare lunch. Ria took out the plans the Holy Light had prepared for her and explained the details to the craftsmen!

Meli's home was a large, two-story house with a spacious courtyard behind it. It had felt rather empty when she lived there alone. Ria planned to remove all the Clinics' fittings on the first floor, build a simple stone stand for the Holy Light to inhabit, and then inscribe a magic circle in the courtyard that could receive the Holy Light and accelerate their training. Of course, Ria would have to draw the magic circle herself. It was far too intricate and complicated for anyone else. Although inscribing it would take a toll on her mind, she resolved to finish it within two days so everyone could grow stronger quickly!

After listening to Ria's explanation, the craftsmen began working amid a chorus of clinks and clangs. While they were busy, Ria went out to buy the materials she needed. Then she called her younger siblings out of the courtyard and focused on drawing the magic circle!

"Second Brother, Boss Scar hasn't come out since yesterday. Should we go in and check?"

"You idiot, why would we go in? Who knows whether that ninja is still inside!" Two figures hid by the corner of a wall, speaking in hushed voices.

"So we're just going to watch from here?"

"What else? Are you going to rush in and ask?"

"Oh, then I'll go in and ask!"

"Idiot! Are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really that dumb? Do you want to die? Can you beat a ninja?" A burly, middle-aged man unleashed a torrent of abuse on the young man beside him!

"Then... what do we do?"

"Wait. We'll come back and make trouble once the boss's captain returns from the battlefield! Who knows when this war will end, though!"

"Second Brother, why do we have to wait for the boss's captain? Can't we do it ourselves?"

The burly man stared speechlessly at his companion and decided to part ways with this young idiot as soon as they got back, lest the fool somehow get him killed one day!

Seeing the young man staring innocently at him, waiting for an answer, the burly man clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead. "Are you a moron? The boss's captain is a Jonin! Do you know what a Jonin is? Even a hundred of you couldn't beat one!"

"Oh! So a Jonin is that p-powerful! But I still don't understand why we have to wait for Boss Scar's captain. We're street thugs! Making trouble is what we do! My goal is to become the strongest thug boss of all! How can I back down here?"

Listening to the young man's ridiculous grandstanding, the burly man finally lost patience and punched him in the head. "Ow! That hurts! What are you doing?" the young man cried, clutching his head.

"Is something wrong with you? You can't even beat me, and you want to be the strongest thug boss? Don't you get it? Even the strongest thug boss couldn't beat a damn Jonin!" Without waiting for a retort, he grabbed the young man by the collar and dragged him away at a run. The idiot had been so loud-what if the ninja noticed them? It was all this wretched brat's fault! He could not even handle a simple task!

As he was dragged away, the young man gazed at the sky with utter despair. He felt his dream shatter!

What they did not know was that two little children beside a nearby clump of grass had heard every word.

"Enichi, they said Scar's boss is a Jonin!" Xiao Cao said worriedly!

"Let's hurry back and tell Ria!"

"Okay!" Xiao Cao nodded firmly!

The two little ones quietly called Ria aside while she was inscribing the magic circle. "Ria, we just heard a huge secret!" Enichi said, trying to sound mysterious! Beside him, Xiao Cao grew impatient. "This is no time to drag things out! Ria, we just heard two thugs say Scar's boss is a Jonin and he's going to come make trouble!"

Ria glanced at the anxious Xiao Cao and the somewhat clueless Enichi, then said gently, "Don't worry, Xiao Cao! I'm strong, too!" Even setting aside her strength, which was comparable to a Chunin's, her Light Element Incarnation skill alone was beyond what an ordinary ninja could handle. And her strength was still growing rapidly! In another month or so, she would probably reach Jonin level!

After hearing Ria's reassurance, the two little ones happily ran off to play again!