Sterne squatted on the ground and poked the scorched leaf she used. Unfortunately, it can only hold an enchantment for a minute. Some time ago, she accidentally discovered that aside from chalk, salt and mithril she can also use her blood to write spells. The result is this meagre lightning strong enough to critically injure a person.

The fight was over, but all that running has strained her already sore foot. When she fell a while ago Sterne did not feel any discomfort, after moving too much only did the small injury begin to act up.  

Dorn and the knight's appearance changed the situation. Three out five were put down by her and the last two mercifully saved by Obsidian; she had no idea that what she thought was her mercy turned out to be their nightmare.

"Iron Bulls," Freiin muttered. 

The name made the frowning faces of the Obsidian fiercer. They had a bad impression of these fellows during the missions having seen their sloppy skills and arrogant behaviour. 

"If I had known they would try something like this to the lady, I would have killed all of them bloody sods." Dorn snorted.  

"I can't say I don't agree but the lady would surely feel sad about it." Captain Legrand said regretfully. 

Dorn gave a look of disgust, "For those bastards? Hell no."

"Certainly not for them, idiot." Freiin slapped him in the back and went to attend to Sterne.  

The criminals were tied up and carted away while the lady decided to remain to examine the whole cavern. 

"Do you feel any discomfort, milady?" Freiin asked distressedly as she applied a cold compress to her foot.

"I'm alright, just a little tired. That's all."

"We can directly use a master potion to heal your injuries right away."

Sterne reused, "A tiny swelling like this will be gone in a few hours. Relying too much upon potions on every little thing is not good. Besides, I'm here for training. Being squeamish will leave a bad impression." 

You can be a lot more squeamish and no one will complain. Freiin thought with humour. Their lady is very famous among the knights because aside from inheriting their family's talent in swordsmanship and martial arts, she is undoubtedly the most lovable child they have ever seen. They understood why the Lord Commander was willing to give in to his only girl's every request because they as well find it hard to resist her charms once she blinked those beguiling grey eyes and spoke sweetly to them. 

Sterne stood after she was bandaged and began to move in the cavern. Captain Legrand took this time to apologize over and over again for the lapse in her security but she told him it was alright. When he still insisted on receiving punishment, she threatened to shave the centre of his head.

"Hehe, you don't like that, do you?" She whispered slyly.

The captain who is about to be married in a few days shivered. "Y-Yes! That would be awful."

This child really… How can she say such a terrible thing while smiling like an angel?! 

"Right?" Sterne said gloatingly.

Weddings are big events here in the duchy since knights from Obsidian were mostly crossed out in the marriage prospect list due to their high mortality. Ladies did not want to marry a short-lived man and become a young widow. But everything has changed. The captain is about to marry the girl of his dreams. Of course, he wanted to be exceptionally handsome on his special day so Sterne's threat effectively put a stop to his insistence on receiving punishment.

After a round of argument, he finally settled.

Sterne went ahead to explore. Along the path of moss, herbs and flowers, she trod carefully. She moved gingerly towards the edge following a small brook and was led to a gaping opening. About two hundred meters down from the edge is a vast sea of trees and the place where she suspects to be the periphery of the second layer of the forest. The closer she walked, the stronger the wind blew the richer the smell of herbs became. On the foliage ten feet away, her eyes saw something interesting through Herald's Eyes.

It was an enchanting tree with a wine red trunk. On its branches, not even a single leaf hangs instead, the branches are curled gorgeously like intricate latticework.  

"What's the tree called?" She asked the captain who followed her silently.

Appearing to have known the tree's name that only grows in this forest would look unnatural so she had to manoeuvre carefully.

"That one is called Blush Tree, milady. It's pretty and harmless but it doesn't have that many benefits."

Hehehe~ I don't think so. Blush Trees are very useful plants that can serve as wards to monsters, it's the very same reason why this cavern was uninhabited despite its size. And if they plant these around the duchy it can add more security to the locals and travellers alike. 

Walking a little bit further, she aimed for the pretty tree.

[[CHILD]]

"Yes?"

Looking back, Sterne found no one within five feet aside from the captain and the knights. Captain Legrand noticed her odd reaction.

"Yes, milady?" He inquired.

"Uh… I thought I heard you call."

The knights shook their heads, Captain Legrand looked even more puzzled.

Who called? No one amongst them calls her 'child'. She thought she must be hearing things probably due to the excitement today or something.

[[Close thy eyes.]]

There it goes again.

Reluctantly she answered back, Uh… Do I really have to?

 What am I even doing talking to myself? 

I must be going crazy there is no--

[[I beseech thee to consider for the matter is dire.]]

Her scalp tingled so much that it even crawled down her neck to her back. Sterne is now convinced she is not hallucinating. The feeling of unease suddenly washed over her small body along with the palpable fluctuation in the atmosphere. Could this be the legendary telepathy?  

[H-Hello?] Sterne probed cautiously. 

The voice hinted helplessness but it was easily dashed out why the dignified tone. Slowly, she turned away from the people around her and closed her eyes.

Expecting to see darkness, she relaxed and regretted it at once.

The birds-eye view made her scream. What is this!?

"No, no, no, no this must be a mistake! I don't know how to fly!"

[Fear not child, you shall not fall.]

There's only a little assurance to that when she's hanging hundreds of meters on air. 

[Apologies if I scared thee, I am called Griffin.]

"Well, I am SCARED." She croaked. "Why am I-- you're a what!?"

[A gryphon, half golden eagle and half white lion.]

Oh my God! Gryphon of all things! That does not help me a little. If anything, describing his being added more to Sterne's panic that her internal and vocal screaming overlapped. Besides, what does a twelve-year-old kid know about mythical beasts? She didn't even have the foggiest idea of how she ended up midair after closing her eyes!

Oh, my dear mother. Give me strength!  

[Thine presence and thine smell lead me. I am in dire need of help from mine saviour's offspring.]

The voice reverberated in her head and chest making her cease the unseemly screaming at once. The helplessness in his voice was now apparent.

"O-Offspring of who?"

[That man with lustrous blue-black hair garbed with the dark armour.]

Father? 

[He came along with the cavalcade of fifty strong and laid waste the atrocious Behemoth's nest.]

Somehow the eloquence of his voice compelled her to listen. Sterne can perfectly picture her father riding his horse and wielding a sword, there was no one else that fits the description.

"That certainly is father. Then, what did Sir Grif-- Your Excellency call me for?"

[I am in urgent need of thy help. Mine mate and only offspring are about to perish.]

Perish, as in death? Wait.

"WHY?!"

[The poison has spread, weakening them terribly.]

S-Sir, you called for the wrong person. I am not a Healer. She wanted to say but the severity of his words put an abrupt end to her panic. 

[Before it perished, Behemoth's breath caught mine family while they were in the sky.] He explained in a more melancholic voice thick with regret. [If only I had been home that time… this would never happen to them.]

Sterne fell into a thoughtful silence.

It's terrible. How long has it been since the Behemoth has fallen? And yet they still suffer the effects of poison. What could be done? 

[Our kind has strong resistance, unlike mortals. What can kill them in mere hours takes years for us but this time I fear it is the end of their lives.]

"You're going to lose your family."

[Regrettably so.]

"Isn't there any cure? Why call on me?"

[I happen to again see the knights and the man who contracted the same poison years ago, at first I could not believe it. How can mere mortals escape from that disaster? I was there, I knew they were doomed that day but it appears my judgment was wrong. Until I got a closer look, only I realized that there wasn't a trace of the poison left. For thousands of years, we sacred beasts never relied on mortals for our survival, our kind is proud and noble yet there are still things we cannot control.]

Sterne licked on her dried lips. "Your Excellency want to ask how my father was cured?"

[No need. I know.]

Her heart thumped loudly.

[We sacred beasts are sensitive to many treasures, and that includes elixirs. Child, I beseech you...]

Sterne squeezed a fist. There is no time for doubt here. His demeanour already says it all. Three years ago she felt the same gripping fear. The images of her family lifeless made the warm blood inside her run cold. What more to this creature?

It is undoubtedly the same for this one, even a lot worse since he had been watching them in agony for so long. The sorrow, a deep, deep feeling of helplessness that pushed this magnificent being to seek out help from a mere child. The only problem now is, can she be of help?

Indecisiveness will cost two lives, and Sterne knows she will forever regret it. She might even come to hate herself for it. In most times she is carefree and lax, sly and mischievous even but there is always a boundary she would never cross. Feigning ignorance as tragedy unfolds in front of her eyes.

As for the outcome of this impulsive move, she didn't know how it would turn out at this moment. Was she truly helping? Will there be regrets later when the gryphon and his family recover? All she knows is that, from here on something big has changed in the future she once foresaw in the dream.

"Alright, listen to me..." Swallowing whatever remaining uncertainty she has, she told the mighty Griffin of her decision.

 

When she opened her eyes once again only a short second had passed. As if meeting the gryphon did not happen. Though she planned to explore the cavern more and collect a few plant samples, there is something she urgently needed to do, plus her foot hurts so they best return to the surface. After a quarter of an hour, everyone reconvened in the moorland. The Iron Bulls were no longer there because they were taken by the knights back to the barrier.

"Dorn, are you there?" She called.

"At your service." Like a mushroom, he sprouted at her side frightening Sterne.

Over the years his skills were sharply honed that even the most sensitive Obsidian knight cannot hear his footsteps. How she wished she could get used to this.

"How good are your throwing skills?"

He seriously mulled over it. "Excellent I guess."

"Enough to compete with Emilia?"

"Yep." He tapped his chest proudly. 

"Then," Without further ado, she took off the thin leather strap from her delicate neck and pressed it to his hands. "Can you throw this as far as you can?"

Dorn looked at her seriously but did not question her any further. Instead, he sported a nice big grin and walked to a much clearer area.

[Mr. Griffin, I'm sending it to you now. Can you see that boy with red-orange hair?]

[[The one who looks like a fruit.]]

Fruit…? Sterne glanced at Dorn and giggled. 

[Yes, that's him.]

[[Aye.]]

"Dorn." She called. "Now!"

Taking up his stance Dorn released his fastest pitch up above. The curious knights looked at them with a gleeful smile when suddenly the air stirred and a pressing magical force resonated in the surrounding. A large shadow loomed over blotting out the sun.

"Incoming attack!"

The Obsidian fell to their knees one after another.

Oh no, what have I done?

Shouts filled the air.

Captain Legrand drew his sword and ordered, "Freiin, take Lady Sterne back to the outpost!"

"Cover her! Cover her!"

"Miss Freiin… take her. NOW!"

Freiin stood but her knees buckled, toppling her back. 

"Freiin stop, don't move," Sterne shouted. 

The armours clattered noisily as they struggled to fight the tremendous aura pressing on them. Being pressured to this extent, there can only be one: Sacred beast.

"Damn, we are already close to the nearest station. Why did something this huge suddenly appear?" 

"Captain… maybe it came to challenge the barrier on the wall." A knight said. "I heard there was a high ranking monster trying to cross."

"Of all the bleedin' timing!" Captain Legrand paled. 

If that thing flew northward to the wall, they would be trapped in this place along with the lady! And once it returns, there is a high chance they will encounter it on the way back. The captain looked up at the shadow. 

His whole body was taut as he saw no signs of it moving.  

"Everyone. Calm down!" Sterne said. Her two small palms clapped producing a wave that immediately dispelled the stifling air. "It's alright. The coercion it's gone."

It was the least she could do. Twenty grown-up men settled right away. Relieved breaths came out and they quickly resumed battle stance circling her. The shadow already left after taking what it needed but these guys remained stiff, vigilant.

"Was, was that nullification?" The captain asked, shaking away his dizziness.

Pressing her thumb and forefinger she said bashfully, "A little of it."

"Thank you very much for the help, milady."

"Hell, that was terrible. I feel like I would vomit my intestines out."

"Mine as well. Ugh… my whole body suddenly compressed."

It only took short seconds to dissolve the pressure. The captain mused looking at her amazed.

"It's not an enemy." She said looking up. 

Their young lady said it was not so they calmed down a little. After nullifying the effects of coercion, the beast indeed made no move to attack. The men turned to her with pride in their eyes. This is their lady. Who says she has no magic? It was more like she is immune to any form of magic. Look, not even the sacred beasts' coercive aura daunted her.

They suddenly recalled that instance when one of their mages nearly died while practising [Hellflare]. The poor mage could not control the output of mana he used in a spell causing it to riot. It was an unprecedented disaster and everyone believed that it would only be a matter of time before his whole body exploded. The only option was to ask the vice commander to put him to a quick death to avoid more casualties. But their young lady, only eleven, stopped the rampaging energy by cutting off the spell and dispersing the excess energy out of his body.

The scene where the sea of fire scorched the grassland, and their young lady standing in the middle helping the mage diffuse the flames raised every hair on their bodies. During that moment, none of them seems to remember to breathe. After the incident, she actively resumed her daily activities and ate her snacks with delight. As if that ruckus never occurred.

Sterne looked up to the sky. The shadow is gone, His Excellency Mr Griffin must be already on his way home.

Freiin and Dorn ran to her side as soon as they were able to move.

"Sterne, are you alright? You're not hurt?" Freiin discarded protocols and hugged her tight. 

"I, uh…" 

She's really worried, isn't she? Sterne chewed on her lip. 

"Yes." She replied meekly and clung back to Freiin. Guilty that she has caused a disturbance.

"Oh, goodness! I'm glad."

"Everyone, I'm sorry!" With her hands pressed in front, the little girl sincerely reflected on her action. "It was all my fault. I was mindless and reckless… and, and."

Ah no, somehow her throat closed up. Her chest hurt. The gravity of what she did came in a flurry. She hadn't thought of the situation thoroughly, what if someone got seriously injured? The sacred beast's aura is not something to be trifled with. She heard there are cases of mental shock when magical energy so vast overwhelms a person.

Sterne was frowning now. What if Dorn and Freiin, everyone else wasn't able to resist the pressure and become crippled for life? Even if it was only for a mere minute…

The corner of her eyes grew hot. Fat drops of scalding tears fell on her cheeks.

Dorn's eyes widened. "S-Sterne…" 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"L-Lady Sterne?" Captain Legrand's soul was about to fly out of his body. 

Why? What happened all of a sudden?! 

"Waaaaaaa~"

His face turned as white as paper as she completely lost it. The rest of them were also shocked when without warning, she began crying.

"Sterne?" Freiin soothed her.  

"Milady, no-- uh, I don't know what to say," the captain mumbled on the side scratching his nape blankly.

Someone, someone please teach him how to coax their crying lady!