"Can we help them now?" Gabby asked. Androx hesitated, his mouth suddenly dry, but he had sworn. He nodded, hoping to kill the imp the moment it jumped off her shoulder. He didn't know what to do with the young woman. She had his assurance and his fiancée and daughter in her arms.
"Can I come out now?" Wolf Sca
ask. A
d
okles blamed himself for forgetting him again and lifted up the fur so that the fairy could crawl out. Wolf Sca
Jumped off the perch, A
d
Okles caught him and readjusted the fairy's little red robe so that he could take his wings out. After everything was ready, his dragonfly wings appeared out of nowhere and he flew up with a buzz.
This time, it was the young woman's turn to gasp. "A tiny person!" she stared at her in surprise, wolf scowling.
He grinned and waved at her. From a safe distance, of course, in case she tried to catch him.
Aguna gently pushed Gabi off her lap and stood, tucking a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "Have something to eat, monster. Give the guests extra."
"Agu
e——”
"You do violence and I show kindness!" You have yours and I have mine. Let's go to dinner! she insisted, walking towards the carriage without looking back. She took two of the better blankets, folded them and threw them to the young woman, and a shabby blanket, which she laid on the ground by the fire for her to sit on.
Andrew gave up and started eating dinner. He went through plan after plan in his mind, thinking about how he had to deal with every move the demon might take. As he rummaged in the car for barley flour to make bread, his plans were filled with one harrowing memory after another of blood and horror.
He felt like he was back in the army, that despair. You can measure a person's size. Fight him with dignity. The demons move too fast to notice, and you track them through the corpses they leave behind in your formation. What if this one is small? It would be better to draw his sword and remember that he has sworn an oath.
His useless sons had better come back quickly with the firewood, because the fire is getting smaller and smaller. They let him deal with so many women by himself, and they deserved to be eaten by bears. If he's lucky, they'll show up with a wolf pup they've found and ask to keep it. Or a bunch of arrows shot up their asses.
Agen ironed the blanket and made it neat. The young woman sat down gracefully and said, "Thank you for your hospitality."
Aguun smiled warmly and replied: "Ha! You're welcome. At least you are now. He is a bastard and an ogre, but five people put together, he is respectable enough. He promised to be treated like one" Treat you like a regular good guy, but now he's stuck. Now hand over that shaky little thing on your shoulder? Being plump like this means I'm warmer than the average person."
However, the little devil shook his head and repeated calmly: "No, no!" The young woman wanted to pry him away. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't get him down, and it didn't take long for her to give up.
Agun thought for a moment, then said, "Gabby, why don't you introduce everyone to him and see if he feels a little friendlier?"
The little girl nodded and stood up eagerly. Every time the carriage stopped, she would put on her most noble posture and say: "It's an honor to meet you. I am Ga
bi, an eight-year-old girl. This kind woman is called Aguna, the priestess of the Holy Child. My noble father was Androx the giant-slayer, a member of the Legion of Glorious. My brothers Flower and Pepper are gathering firewood, but they will be back soon. Fairy is Scar the Wolf, my brave hero. Can you tell us your names?"
Aguna chuckled and said, "I love it when she does that!"
The young woman was visibly impressed by Gabby's demeanor, and Anchorex felt a twinge of pride, but he held it back from showing it on his face because he still felt uncomfortable. The young woman replied: "My name is Deanna and I come from far, far east. I grew up among seaside people, or beach nomads, as they are called... well, never mind that. My father said he adopted me from the West, so I'm trying to find where I was born. This cute little mouse is Sev, and he's charming when he's not so nervous."
"I'm not wood!" said the little devil. His voice was high and thick, and he spoke in a strange voice, even though it was only as high as his knees.
"No, you are!" You are my cute little mouse, that's all. Come down quickly and sit on Agen's lap. Doesn’t she look warm?”
He didn't move.
"Seffy? Come on." He stood still.
Aguin said: "Gabby, look carefully. Can you see in him what I told you about?"
Anchorex watched them as he measured the flour. He never understood what Aguin was talking about, although Gabi was learning. This is some trick of God that He simply cannot understand.
"In a little place deep inside you, Mom?"
"Yes. See?"
"I saw it... I think I saw something." Gabby said, frowning and looking at the little devil intently.
"Good. Now what should we do?" Argon asked.
"We do it out of love," Galbi replied.
"That's right. Do you think you can do it this time?"
"Oh, Mom, I can't. It's too hard," Galbi said, nervously wiping her shoes in the dirt. Anklex wished she'd been more careful with her shoes - he'd already had them mended twice.
Agun said: "Girl Gabby, look at him. Look at that poor little boy. He is cold and scared. Don't you have any love for a poor little thing like him? Do you?"
She looked at him seriously, biting her lower lip. A look of genuine concern flashed across Gabby's face and she said, "Oh, Mom. That's what I do. I'll give it a try."
"What are you doing?" Deanna asked, looking wary.
Ageon said, "Shhh, girl. Don't interrupt. Now, Gabby, let that little boy know you love him like God does. Try powdering those hard little spots."
"Yes, Mom," Galbi said. She put her hands over her heart, closed her eyes, and frowned in concentration.
After a while, nothing happened, and Aguna said softly: "It will be easier for you to look at him, my dear. Try to open your eyes."
Gabby nodded, then opened her eyes and looked at the little devil, who looked back at her with nervous curiosity. After another brief moment of silence, Ankerex felt something from Galbi, emanating tenderly from her. It's like a scent carried by the wind, but felt in the heart. It's faint, but it's there. The fire crackled and everyone soaked in the kindness she radiated. The girl was learning, and there was something about it that was so precious to him.
Wolf Scar interrupted the little girl's concentration - he could not control himself and shouted happily: "You did it! Princess! You did it!" Then flew over and started celebrating in the air very close to her face.
She was almost surprised by her success. She opened her eyes wide and said, "Oh! I can feel it! I can feel myself doing it! Daddy, Mummy, can you feel it? Can you feel it, Sephy?"
Gabby reached out and gently stroked the imp's long, pointed ears without flinching. The fear disappeared from his face, replaced by an expression that might have been surprise.
"Dad, do you feel it?" Galbi turned to him and asked.
"Yes, girl, I can feel it," he replied, perhaps a little harshly. He also said, "Well done."
Aguna threw her arms around the little devil and said, "Come here, you. We need to share this blanket, don't we?"
The demon looked hesitant, but after a moment's consideration, he climbed down and sat obediently on Agun's lap. Androcles summoned the courage to save her if it hurt her throat, but the demon behaved as harmlessly as a dove. Maybe he could keep his promise and not hurt him.
Aguna pulled Galbi over to sit on her other leg and expertly wrapped the blanket around them.
A
d
okles carefully put a pot of dough on the fire to cook while he stared at Dya carefully and sternly.
a and her "Seffy".
"Is this how you treat 'normal good people,' Master Androx?" Deanna asked, a challenge in her eyes.
He glared at her long enough for her to turn away and Aguna started to giggle at him. He really needs to start being more careful with his vows. They had a tendency to get him into trouble.
But, he thought, they weren't a complete disaster. He vowed to restore his family by taking him north, and another vow made him save the children from starvation. Another vow had him rescue Gabi from the Cyclops and then hold on to her until she recovered. But the god Parthos, who looked after the orphans, was also involved in these things; he said as much. A
d
Okles can't count on such good luck forever.
Deanna turned to Agun and asked, "What did that little girl do?" It felt like something divine. "
"Well, the little girl just wants to be like her mother, doesn't she?" Argon said with a proud smile.
Gaby nodded exaggeratedly and said: "Yes!" Then he put his arms around Aguna's neck.
The crunching footsteps in the snow attracted everyone's attention. They turned around and saw Hua and Pepper holding a lot of bark and branches. They placed the bark and branches next to the fire. They both had their hoods up, with little tents erected on the hoods to hold their pointed ears, and both of them had snow on their tails. In almost perfect synchrony, they bent over the fire and began to wag their tails in the heat, drying them out.
"They're...half cats?" Deanna said, looking at Argon in confusion. then A
d
Okles. Then return to Agun. "this……"
The little penguins were a little nervous, probably wondering if she would ask to pet them next.
Agun asked: "Have you never seen a thunderbolt before?"
"One time, but they were on horses, and that wasn't—"
"Children, when they grow up, the hair on other parts of their body will grow. They were adopted. Those ogres over there can't help themselves when they meet stray dogs."
Androx sighed in annoyance and said, "You guys have been walking for so long. Were you chased by a bear?" Androx asked.
"No, we're just looking for good wood. It's all too little," Pepper said, massaging some more heat into his pointed black ears.
Flowers said with enthusiasm, "Guess what, Dad? I can hide in the snow because my fur matches. I tried it and Pepper walked right by me."
"Really?" Androx asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, he did," said Pepper, but when the flower wasn't looking, he shook his head with a subtle, mischievous smile.
Androx nodded with a smirk, then continued to glare at Deanna, poking at the bread every now and then.
"So, dad, who is this?" Hua asked, gently waving to the newcomer.
"Ah, be polite!" Stand up and introduce yourself. "Agun said before Angelus could say something unkind.
"Yes, mother. "I'm sorry," said Flower, standing up. "I am Flower, and this is Pepper, son of Androcles of Decea. "
Little Pepper stood behind his brother, his black tail swishing, and he waved shyly and said, "Hi."
"You are both very charming. How old are you? Deanna asked.
"We are all nine. Until spring," Flower said. His golden eyes shone like embers in the firelight, even brighter than his white hair and ears.
"Yeah. I'm Deanna and this is Seph," she pointed. "I don't know how old he is, but I think he's about five."
Sev sank deeper into the blanket, barely able to peek over the edge. He stared at the boys curiously.
"Oh, there's a little boy!" Flower exclaimed, noticing the demon for the first time.
Pepper and Flower walked around the fire and bent down before Agun's blanket, studying the stranger carefully, Ankerex placing his hand deftly on the hilt of his sword, just in case. They all said "hi" and waved. After a while, the devil child lowered the blanket a little and said with a shy, weak smile: "Hi."
"Dad, his teeth are just like ours!" Pepper said.
Andrew nodded and looked down. He could have told them. He had seen a man's forearm bitten in half, right through a good bronze bracer.
"Flower" and "Little Pepper" leaned towards the little boy, grinned, and pointed at their sharp teeth. There was a glint in the demon's eyes, but he buried his head under the blanket and managed to look out.
Deanna gazed with maternal grace. Why wasn't she cold, he thought? But even though she was undressed, she showed no sign of it. He knew she was in danger; she withstood his punch without concern. From what he knew, she was the child of some god who killed her demonic parents out of boredom. Why isn't she cold?
Speaking of cold, he also promised to give you some clothes, didn't he? May the gods curse his flippant and foolish tongue. A good cloth to deal with a demon? Might as well rub some sesame oil on an angry snake. Hope Dya
a and Agu
Will e forget? He thought for a while and said to Argen: "Let him stand by the fire here. I have to take a good look at him."
"Oh, he's just warmed up. Lie down—" she began to answer.
"Stop it," he interrupted, this time speaking forcefully. Everything fell silent as the atmosphere grew tense. Aguna gave him an unhappy look, but she knew that he had made up his mind and would not give in. She whispered to the devil in her lap and told him to stand by the fire. It took a bit of coaxing; he was clearly afraid of Androx, who might have looked like a hulking, brooding giant to someone of his size.
The little devil stood there, holding his slender tail in both hands and covering his chest, almost as if he wanted to hide behind the tail. He only had small bumps on the sides of his forehead where his horns would later grow, but Androcles remembers seeing his brothers' heads impaled by such horns. His young hands are now soft and gentle, but one day his knuckles will grow spikes, and he can destroy a person's face just by clenching his fists. Its tail is thin and weak now, but will soon become a sharp razor. The scar on Andros's right shoulder comes from one of their tails, which penetrated his shield and bronze armor. He's lucky he still has an arm to bear the scar.
He looked at the demon boy's closed mouth and mused, trying to imagine Euphemios' arms hanging from it, but he just couldn't. That demon is much bigger. The little girl started shivering, and it wasn't because of the cold. It was too close to the fire. Tears welled up in its eyes, and it avoided Andros's gaze. Not out of shame either; rather, something like desperation.
He wanted to know what exactly he wanted to learn? Was he hoping to see the child's true face so he could point it out to Agna and change her mind? That was unlikely to work - the woman was just as stubborn as he was , which is part of her charm. No, this is just a little boy not unlike his adopted Thunderbolt suit. One day, he will transform into a ferocious, uncontrollable monster from Raphos the Corpse Eater's own nightmare, but that time is not yet.
Everyone around the fire began to feel visibly uncomfortable. Deanna wanted to stand up, possibly to leave with the baby, but Aguin motioned for her to stay in her seat.
"His little stick will freeze, and that will be your fault," Argon said at last. The boy covered himself with his hands, a look of fear returning to his face.
The little fairy sighed and said, "Gorgon, how else could I measure his coat and socks?" I was just planning. Flower, you know where the long needle is. Go get it, and some thread. Pepper, go get the parchment crumbs. Bring them all. Which of you will get the red cloth and the cloth knife? "
He measured the little boy with a rope, carefully noted the position of the tail, and said: "Okay, I'm done with it. Let him warm up." Then, Aguna looked surprised, and he said : "I promised food and clothing, didn't I?"
Aguna gave him a mysterious look and hugged the boy back under the blanket. "Oh, he's shaking again!" Come closer, sweet little thing. now it's right. "
"So, Androx, I guess you've decided to trust us?" Deanna asked.
"That's Master Androx, little girl. No, I don't trust you. But I'm a man of my word. I trust her, and she trusts you," he said, nodding towards Argon. . "Don't make a fool of her."
"I won't," Deanna said simply, watching as her demon snuggled contentedly against Agun.
When the boys returned, they handed Androll the sewing supplies he asked for and sat down with the blue wool blanket they had pulled from the car. “Seff !Wolfsca
! said Little Pepper. "Come sit with us! We're going to be the Fang Tribe!"
The fairy thought about it seriously, but said: "But you are not that warm!"
"We'll be right there. Come on," Flower said.
Sev looked at Agen and then at Deanna. After the two nodded, he cautiously walked over and sat between the two boys, with an expression of excitement clearly showing on his face. Flower put the blanket over them, and then he and Pepper spread it out and tucked it in as well as they could, and soon they were warm and comfortable. Wolf Sca
Finally decided to join them and flew over to sit on Peppe
under the chin.
While sewing in Anchorex, the boys joked about biting things, and the devil listened, laughed broadly, and probably thought of a series of ideas. He kept looking up at their faces and seemed to admire them more and more. He didn't say much, but he chuckled when others did. It sounds a bit harsh. Even so, he looked more clumsy than a little boy, as if he didn't know how to act but genuinely wanted to learn. Anchorex felt almost interested in the little creature, which frightened him.
Deanna had nothing to say, however, and alternated between watching Androx sew and her monster snuggling up to Androx's child. He didn't know if she was checking his work at first or learning how to do it, but at least she wasn't pestering him like some people did. When the coat was ready, he held it up to inspect it. It looks warm; hopefully it's not so tight that the kid will take it off after a nice meal, and not so loose that it slips off his shoulders and settles around his ankles.
"Come here, Sev," he ordered.
The other boys had to coax him out, and it took a lot of trouble to get him out, but in the end Anchorex helped the boy put on his hastily made red coat and showed him how to thread his tail through a loop at the back. , and then tie the cloth belt.
The boy seemed happy. "It'll at least keep your butt from freezing," Androx said.
The demon looked confused at first, but realized the joke when he noticed both boys grinning like drunken celebrants. He gripped his butt tightly and declared, "My butt won't fall off!" He then glanced at Androx, as if hoping he would trust him briefly, and turned away. "Dina, look! My ass isn't going to fall off now!" Then he chuckled. The other kids laughed too, even Gabby, who liked to pretend she didn't understand crude humor.
"Say thank you!" Dya
a commanded.
"Thank you," Sev said, crawling back into the Fang tribe blanket.
"Master Androx, thank you for your hospitality. Do you mind if I ask a question? Deanna asked politely.
"Go ahead," he said, measuring out the fabric for the socks.
A noose fell from her head, wrapped tightly around her neck, and before anyone knew what was happening, she was pulled into the snow.
