On the way to the Adventurer’s Guild, Lux asked Heidi more about her Uncle Knight, who seemed to have taken a liking to her.

“Uncle Knight is a good person. That is why he helps me gather herbs,” Heidi said with a smile. “He rarely talks, but whenever he does, he would always tell me that I should listen to my Mama and not venture deep inside the forest.

“I meet him everyday in the outskirts, and we look for herbs together. Although there were some monsters from time to time, Uncle Knight makes sure to protect me every time.”

Lux held Heidi’s basket in his hand and listened to her story.

According to her, the first time she met her Uncle Knight was when her mother went to town to buy some food.

Heidi was just playing outside of the house when the Crimson Knight appeared and left a traveler’s bag right in front of their doorstep.

Little girls were filled with curiosity, so instead of running away, she approached the Knight and started to ask him questions.

The Crimson Knight didn’t answer any of them and simply crouched down in front of her to pat her head.

After that incident, Heidi would often spot the Crimson Knight observing her and her Mama from a distance. Whenever the little girl told her Mama about her Uncle Knight, Lilia would think that her daughter had made up an imaginary friend due to loneliness.

How could Lilia possibly believe that a Knight wearing crimson armor with glowing yellow eyes would play hide and seek with a little girl from a poor family?

Knights didn’t have that much free time!

Lilia knew this for a fact because her husband was almost always away from home as a Knight of the Vahan Kingdom.

However, due to his righteousness, he had made many enemies. So in order to escape their line of sight, he took Lilia and his daughter, Heidi, to the outskirts of Brookwest Town, far away from the Northern Regions of the Vahan Empire, where the people who had a beef with him ruled.

Once a month, her husband would send her letters, telling her that he was fine. However, she hadn’t received a letter from him for more than two years already.

Lilia knew that something might have happened to him, but since she had no other place to go, she and her daughter remained in the small hut that her husband had built for their family.

“Uncle Knight also gives me many fruits!” Heidi said as she hopped along the road. “When I told him that I wanted to go look for rare herbs in the forest to buy medicine because Mama was sick, he agreed to help me. And then… that big bad monster appeared. After that, I met Big Brother!”

Lux smiled. “Your Uncle Knight is really a good person. It’s nice to know that he is looking after you and your Mother.”

Heidi returned Lux’s smile with a big smile of her own and nodded her head.

Clearly, this was the very smile that the Living Armor, who was being controlled by the spirit of the dead, strived hard to protect.

———–

After they arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, Lux made sure that the little girl would get a fair price for the herbs that she had collected, especially after almost dying inside the forest.

Fortunately, the clerks of the guild didn’t try to short-change the girl, which made Heidi very happy. It was a lot for her, especially since she no longer needed to buy her Mama medicine because her Big Brother had already made it for her.

With money in hand, the little girl went to the Baker to buy two loaves of bread.

Heidi said that because they didn’t have much money, her Mama would only buy her bread when there was a special occasion.

Because of this, Lux bought the little girl some Jelly Tarts, which made Heidi jump in joy.

That night, after tucking the little girl on the bed with her Mama, Lux went outside of the house. In the distance, he could see two glowing yellow orbs of light, watching him from a distance.

Lux was only surprised for a brief moment, but he still walked in the direction of the lights. When he was only dozens of meters away from Heidi’s “Uncle Knight,” the Living Armor made a gesture for him to follow him inside the forest.

The two walked without talking to each other until they arrived at a clearing. There was no moon in the sky, and only the stars illuminated the night.

Even so, the Half-Elf could see as clearly as if it was day due to his Dark Vision, which he had inherited from his Elven Ancestry.

“I… have a favor… to ask,” the Living Armor said. “Earlier… you tried… to make me your… subordinate. If… you do this… favor. I… will… serve you.”

“It’s about Heidi and her Mama, right?” Lux asked. “You are her…”

The Living Armor turned around and slashed his sword towards the Half-Elf without any warning.

Lux didn’t have his guard up because the Living Armor didn’t have any hostility directed at him. That was why when the other party made a move, he had been unable to react in time, allowing the sword that the Living Armor held to rest at the side of his neck.

“Do… not… mention it… again,” the Living Armor was three-meters tall and its glowing eyes burned brightly within the socket of its armor. “Are… you going to… do me a… favor or not?”

Lux transformed his right hand into the claws of a dragon and pushed away the sword that rested against his neck.

The Crimson Knight didn’t make things difficult for him and pulled the blade away from his neck.

“I’ll hear it first,” Lux replied. “I’ll decide if I am capable of doing this favor of yours or not.”

The Living Armor nodded its head. As an Undead, it felt a very strong connection to those who could wield the power of Necromancy.

For two whole years, he had traveled from the Northern Regions of the Vahan Empire to return to Brookwest Town. Only his strong resolve to return to the place where the important people in his life were waiting for him, kept him going.

The battles he fought weren’t easy, and he had fought many monsters along the way. From a Rank E Living Armor, he slowly made his way up, consuming the Beast Cores of the Monsters that blocked his path home.

In those two years, he managed to become a Rank 4 Wandering Field Boss due to the curse that had been placed upon him before he drew his last breath.

He never killed any Humans and only injured them enough to prevent them from following him. The only creatures he killed were Beasts, so he could consume their cores and have the chance to see Lilia and Heidi again.

But he was reaching his limit.

His memories of the past were getting hazy, and he knew that it wouldn’t take long before the sword that protected the little girl from harm might one day take her life.

It scared him, making him want to leave, but he felt very reluctant to do so.

How could he possibly go when Lilia and Heidi were fending for themselves, just the two of them with no one else to support them?

After hearing the Living Armor’s request, Lux didn’t answer right away. It was not because he didn’t want to help, but because he didn’t know how to help. Aside from that, he was still working on his quest to create a guild.

After pondering for a few minutes, Lux gazed at the Crimson Knight in front of him and raised his two fingers.

“Two weeks,” Lux stated. “I will return here in two weeks. By then, my mission will be finished. I will help you then.”

The Living Armor made a long and hoarse sigh. Lux didn’t know if it was due to disappointment or relief. Perhaps, it was even both.

Even so, the Living Armor nodded his head in understanding.

“Very well… I will wait… for you,” the Living Armor said. “Two weeks… keep your word… Half-Elf.”

The Crimson Knight then turned around to walk towards the forest.

Lux watched as the Living Armor disappeared from his sight before sighing.

“Even in death you still have things to protect,” Lux said softly. “I would love to have someone like you as my comrade.”

This was the first time that an Undead Creature had purposely asked him for a favor in exchange for becoming his servant.

Lux was touched by the Living Armor’s determination to keep Lilia and Heidi safe, even safeguarding them from a distance…

Like he had always done when he was still alive and living by their side.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel