The legend of the dragon knight

A Mysterious Rescuer

He drifted into a deep sleep.

While he slept, the scars on his arms and face disappeared as if they had never existed. The pain in his ribs and back vanished completely, and the blood that had been coming from his mouth stopped flowing.

When he woke up, he was surprised to discover that he was no longer the dying boy he had been a moment ago. He touched his face and felt his back, but there was not a single trace of pain or injury anywhere on his body.

The realization made him pause and wonder for a moment. Eventually, he picked up his bucket of water and carried it away to clean the toilets.

---

On the morning of the second day, Hermes began his duties as usual. He cleaned the areas that needed attention and then headed over to the well. However, when he arrived, William and his friends were already waiting for him there.

They were surprised to see him walking around looking perfectly healthy. As they moved closer and surrounded him, their surprise grew when they noticed that there were no scars or marks anywhere on his body.

But what could they do? They refused to give up because, to them, Hermes had become their personal punching bag.

"Wow. Is there something you're hiding from us?" William asked.

"We thought..." he continued, "Everyone in the training ground thought and still believes that you have no magic. So how did you become so healthy overnight? Look at your arms and face. They're so clean. Are you"

"You want to beat me again?" Hermes interrupted, locking his eyes onto William's.

"Then do it. That's the worst you can do. I'm not afraid of you and your friends. You all will always remain fools."

Upon hearing those words, William slapped Hermes across the left cheek. The blow was so powerful that Hermes fell to the ground. His vision blurred for a moment before gradually returning to normal. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Hahaha!" The boys burst into laughter, all except William.

"Maybe we're not the fools," William said, his eyes locked onto Hermes'.

"Maybe you're the fool for thinking we are."

"How about this?" William continued.

He raised his right hand and extended his middle finger. Suddenly, a white breeze began to gather around it. In the next instant, he pointed it at Hermes.

The gust shot forward and slammed into Hermes, sending him crashing across the ground.

"Ahhh, my back!" he screamed.

"Oh, he wants more," William said as he turned to look at his friends.

They burst into laughter once more.

He turned back to Hermes and walked closer to where he lay on the ground.

"I can see you're enjoying the fun," he whispered.

He stomped on Hermes' chest.

"Y-You will... regret... this," Hermes stammered.

"That's amazing," William said with a smile. "But unfortunately, you're the one who will regret ever existing in the world of the living. How about that?"

Hermes glared at him but said nothing.

"I said, how about that?" William shouted.

This time, he removed his foot from Hermes' chest and stomped hard on his right hand.

"Arghhh!" Hermes screamed in agony.

William removed his foot from Hermes and turned away. He walked majestically, as if he were heading back to where his friends were standing.

Then, all of a sudden, he turned back again and stretched out his right hand toward Hermes.

A powerful gust of white wind shot out from his palm and sped toward him.

---

Just as it was about to reach Hermes, a mysterious girl with glowing black skin and white hair appeared as if she had leaped from the sky.

She landed between Hermes and William and stretched out both hands toward the incoming blast.

The moment this powerful gust of white wind reached her, she countered it. The attack faded immediately.

William was shocked to see the girl neutralize his magic so effortlessly.

His friends, on the other hand, stood speechless with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Hermes remained on the ground, staring at the mysterious girl in surprise.

She looked at William. Something like anger crossed her face.

"You want to fight him? Then come through me!" she shouted, her glowing white hair swaying in the air.

William was surprised by her bravery. For a moment, he didn't say a word. However, he was stubborn and arrogant, so he refused to back down.

"You... I know you," William finally spoke. "You were brought here yesterday to master your weak Matter Manipulation Magic."

"Hahaha!" the girl laughed. "You must be funny."

She smiled.

"You call my power weak magic?" She paused before continuing. "I call it your biggest nightmare."

Upon hearing those words, William became furious. He turned to his friends before facing the girl again.

"Leave. I don't want to fight you," he said.

"Not until you leave the boy alone," she replied.

William smiled once more.

This time, he didn't say another word. He quickly closed his eyes, stretched his arms sideways, and rose into the air.

At that moment, a sea of powerful wind began to gather around him. It was so intense that the stands, stones, trees, and everything in the surrounding area were affected.

He unleashed the massive wave of wind toward the girl.

Seeing it coming, the girl ascended into the air. She stretched both hands sideways and manipulated the air around her, forming an invincible barrier around herself.

Just as the wave of wind reached her position, it was countered midair and came to a halt.

But there was a problem.

The girl didn't allow the wave of wind to dissipate. Instead, she redirected it toward William at full speed.

William tried everything in his power to stop it, but it was too late.

The attack slammed into him and knocked him out of the sky.

As he fell, the girl manipulated four stones from the ground. They rose into the air and struck William one after another.

He crashed to the ground, screaming in agony.

The girl descended from the sky and started walking toward where he lay on the ground.

"Please don't kill me. I surrender. You can take him, he's all yours," William begged as he turned his head and saw her walking toward him majestically like a goddess.

His entire body was in pain. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth.

"Oh, poor boy. What a shame. I thought you declared yourself the strongest. Why are you begging?" she asked mockingly as she finally reached him.

She then looked at his friends, who were standing a short distance away. They were terrified of her.

"Don't even dare to run!" she shouted as they started to move their feet to flee.

"Come over here and take your friend to the healer," she bellowed.

They quickly obeyed and carried William away, even though they were scared to death.

---

After that, she turned to Hermes and walked toward him. Hermes was still sitting on the ground in shock, staring at the mysterious girl and wondering who she was.

"Please stand up. You are safe now," she said kindly when she reached him.

Upon hearing that, Hermes quickly stood up and dusted himself off, feeling nervous.

"Hi. My name is Vivienne, daughter of Lord Clifford, Duke of Edinburgh. And you?" she introduced herself kindly.

She stretched out her right hand for a handshake. A warm smile rested on her face as she locked eyes with Hermes.

"Uhm... Uhm..." Hermes stammered. He glanced around nervously, trying to think of what to say. Then he stretched out his right hand and shook hers.

"Hmm. Okay. I am Hermes. I'm a servant here."

"A servant here? I thought you were a trainee?" Vivienne asked in surprise.

"Well, it's a long story," Hermes replied.

"You are funny," she said playfully.

"Well," she continued, "no story is too long when the listener is determined to listen. Please tell me. I'm all ears."

That day, Hermes and Vivienne had a wonderful time together. He told her the whole story of how he ended up at the kingdom's training ground. They talked about nature and shared many laughs.

Vivienne's aura was so comforting that, for a moment, Hermes forgot all about his pain and worries.