The Defense of Little Ard

Vern was at a loss for words. “But this is too precious. It is one of only eight Heart Jewels left in existence. How can we give such a treasure away so easily?”

The Pope waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, you are a good man in all respects, Vern, but you are too cautious. Besides, I am not giving it to him, merely lending him a hand. And what is a ‘treasure’, really? It is just a pleasant-sounding name. In the end, it is just a tool for living beings. Used in the right place, it is a treasure. Used for evil, it is a cursed object. On my crown, it is, at best, a decoration. Remember, a treasure is only a treasure when it is used. Left on my head, it is merely an antique, gathering dust. I pity it. And don’t be so stingy; there are still seven more. Take it, take it. The boy saved an entire city of lives. That is the true priceless treasure. Just remember not to tell him too much about it, lest you frighten him into not using it. Just say it is his reward. It is rare to meet a young man I like so much. I hope this can make up for some of the injustice fate has dealt him.”

Vern had no choice but to carefully accept the Heart Jewel.

“Your Holiness, if I do not reveal the Heart Jewel’s identity, how am I to tell him how to use it?”

The Pope closed his ancient eyes, his voice calm. “The Heart Jewel has no ‘method of use’. If he is worthy of it, when he is in peril, the Heart Jewel will naturally help him.”

“Yes, Your Holiness. Do you have any other instructions?”

“None. Be safe, Vern.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

After Vern had left, the Pope opened his eyes again, staring blankly at the holy Orchid of Love carving on the ceiling. “A miracle?” he whispered. “Can I truly witness one again?”

…

Dusk fell. In a quiet corner of Pekoin City, Ard was squatting, poking at the ground with a stick. He was agonizing over where to sleep tonight. To be honest, he didn’t dare go back to the guest house.

“Sigh… What am I going to do now?”

Suddenly, a voice asked, “Are you not sleeping at the guest house? A room has been prepared for you.”

Ard, deep in thought, didn’t even notice the voice and answered absently. “I don’t dare go back. I suspect that place will become my funeral parlor.”

“Oh? It can’t be that bad.”

“How can it not be? Sigh, to survive that cranky, sharp-tongued girl, I really have to… uh oh.”

Ard froze. That voice was terribly familiar. A cold dread washed over him as he realized who it was. With a pained expression, he looked up and was met with the sight of an ice-cold Yexi, twirling a dagger. “Do I still have a chance to take back what I just said?”

“You do.” Yexi walked toward him, step by step. Ard retreated, step by step, until his back was pressed against a cold stone wall, with nowhere left to run.

Yexi slammed her right hand on the wall next to Ard’s shoulder. Her imperious golden eyes stared straight into his. Though Ard, at 180cm, was much taller than the 160cm Yexi, she somehow managed to make her upward gaze feel like she was looking down on him.

The humbled Ard saw the dagger still spinning in her left hand, and his heart turned to ice. With a sudden shing, the spinning dagger was pressed against his neck.

Yexi’s voice was devoid of any warmth. “You’ve really done it now. Didn’t you promise me you would explain things clearly to the Lady, hmm?”

Ard said weakly, “Please, I did try to explain… it’s just that the result…”

“I shouldn’t have expected you to be capable of human speech,” Yexi said through gritted teeth. “Tell me, did you do this on purpose to create a fait accompli, so you could plot to obtain something you shouldn’t even be fantasizing about? I already told you I used to be a man, and you still have these thoughts! A pervert like you should be sliced into a thousand pieces! Why don’t you just become a eunuch!”

“Wait!”

Ard’s hand shot out and grabbed Yexi’s left wrist as it moved toward his vitals. The force of it nearly dislocated his arm, but that small pain was nothing compared to losing a part of his manhood. Even so, her blade had come terrifyingly close.

Yexi said coldly, “Let go!”

“I won’t.”

“Hmph. Let’s see how long you can last.”

“Huh?” Ard felt the pressure from her hand increasing. In that critical moment, he suddenly shouted, “Elienla?!”

“Hmm?” Yexi’s attack stopped instantly. She hid the dagger in her sleeve and spun around with a graceful movement, a gentle smile on her face, to look at the stunned Elienla who was standing behind them.

Elienla’s small mouth was agape, a basket of fruit in her hand. She must have been just passing by. Her little face turned red, and two cute dimples appeared as she said awkwardly, “Sorry to interrupt. I never knew Xi-chan was the dominant one, and Mr. Ard was the submissive one. W-Wow… how embarrassing.”

“???” Yexi’s smile froze. Where did Elienla learn all this nonsense?

Yexi took a breath to explain, but Elienla stammered loudly, “B-but, even, even so! Y-you can’t do that… in the middle of the street!”

For a moment, everyone froze. The nearby townspeople also stopped in their tracks. Who are these people, and why are they so bold?!

No matter how thick-skinned Yexi was, she couldn’t remain calm in this situation. To protect her reputation, with the speed of a lightning strike, she grabbed Ard, scooped up Elienla, and vanished from the scene at a speed the naked eye could not follow.

The bewildered crowd could only stare at the empty alley, as if the whole thing had been a hallucination.

Yexi didn’t stop until she was back at the guest house. She avoided all eyes, slipped in through a window back to her room, and unceremoniously threw Elienla onto the bed and Ard onto the floor.

“Oof!”

“Ouch!”

Two different sounds of pain came from them. Elienla, having landed on the soft bed, was unharmed but startled. Ard was not so lucky. His head hit the floor, and a lump immediately began to form.

Yexi locked the door from the inside and said fiercely to the two of them, “That’s it, I’ve had enough! None of us are leaving this room until this is cleared up!”

Ard and Elienla exchanged a look. Faced with such a formidable Yexi, they could only agree.

After a long and detailed explanation that lasted for three hours, the misunderstanding on Elienla’s side was finally resolved. She was… convinced that there was nothing going on between Ard and Yexi.

Yexi let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, mentally exhausted. Ard also slumped to the floor. Explaining things to Elienla had been incredibly difficult. The girl was as stubborn as a mule, convinced there was something between them. And some questions they couldn’t answer truthfully, like why Yexi had been lying so intimately on top of Ard the night before. To explain that away, Ard had to spin a complicated tale about heretics and treating inconvenient wounds. As for this time, they could be more truthful, though Yexi conveniently omitted the part where she had intended to castrate him.

Ard also felt relieved. At least his “little Ard” was safe, and Yexi would have a hard time trying that again. As for why Yexi was going with him, it was now framed as an order from the Marquis and Marchioness to protect Ard while he investigated the recent incident—a perfect excuse. They were sure the Marquis and Marchioness would help them with the cover story, though that did nothing to clear up the misunderstanding with the Lady herself. For now, Yexi and Ard were in a state of semi-surrender on that front. They would try to explain again when they had the chance.

Elienla had other duties and couldn’t be gone for too long, so she left first.

In the room, Yexi covered her head and said lazily, “When are we leaving?”

Ard, seeing Yexi’s unguarded posture revealing some of her feminine charm, swallowed hard and quickly averted his gaze to prevent his eyes from being gouged out. “In two days. My body should be fully recovered by then.”

“Fine~”

“By the way, Yexi, can I ask you a favor?”

Yexi didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids. “What is it?”

“Can you train me?”

“Hmm?”

Ard said again, “Can you help me get stronger? Because of my Black Dragon bloodline, I can’t use Ki. But I can feel that I haven’t even begun to reach my body’s physical limits. Our original world didn’t have magic or Ki, so I thought you might know a way to develop physical strength.”

“Why should I help you? This doesn’t concern your life.”

Ard explained, “But it could potentially lower the difficulty of your mission. If I get stronger, doesn’t that mean your job will be easier? Otherwise, if I’m always this weak, you’ll be busy to death, watching me 24/7.”

Yexi suddenly sat up and looked at Ard for a long moment, then smiled. “Alright.”

Yexi’s smile sent alarm bells ringing in Ard’s head.

“You’re not planning on tormenting me under the guise of training, are you?”

Yexi shook her head. “No. I just think you have a point. And I will train you very seriously. Just as they trained me back then.”

“They?”

“The people who trained me to become a top assassin. They were… the best teachers.”

Ard felt a bone-chilling killing intent emanating from Yexi as she spoke of her “teachers.” Their master-student “affection” must have been deep indeed.

Ard asked tentatively, “No one died… right?”

Yexi didn’t answer directly. “I survived.”

Ard and Yexi looked at each other in silence for a long time. Finally, Yexi said, “So, do you want me to train you or not?”

“I do!” Ard gritted his teeth. Even if there were mountains of blades and seas of fire ahead, he would charge through. He had already gambled with his life; what else was there to be afraid of?

Yexi said calmly, “Very good. I’ll make some preparations. And I have to tell you one thing: once the training starts, there’s no stopping. Of course, you can give up halfway, but don’t ever think of asking me to help you get stronger again after that.”

Ard took a deep breath. “Alright!”

A corner of Yexi’s mouth lifted. “Good resolve. Then you should enjoy these last two peaceful days.”

Ard had a sinking feeling he had just boarded a pirate ship.