The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 396: Competition: Dryad Mode

Chapter 396: Competition: Dryad Mode

"Hello, mister. Are you really helping for free?"

Hearing a small voice come from the other side of the table, Hex looked up. A pair of watery eyes peered over the top of the table at him.

’Another child with a small grazed knee or a birthmark?’ Hex suppressed a sigh. His ’client’ seemed to have barely recovered from a bout of crying. She could easily start a second round. He didn’t think it would do his reputation any good if he appeared to be bullying children.

So, he put his brightest smile he could muster and pointed at the banners fluttering around his small tent. Not far from her stood an elderly woman about to take her to watch the match in the open-air arena. The fighters in this part of the city were mostly locals or servants of visitors.

"Of course. As it says, be free of small ailments or injuries. No payment required."

Her eyes brightened when she received the affirmation she had sought.

’She appears to be from the poorer sections of the city. Perhaps she has a problem and no coins to pay for.’ He came to his conclusion based on her dirt-covered dress, her mud-stained shoes, and unkempt nails. The girl couldn’t be older than ten but showed signs of having worked in the fields.

"What can I do for you, little miss?" Hex asked politely. She chuckled embarrassedly when he followed up with a little bow, as was the custom when handling female patrons in the city.

"Bluey has broken his leg," she said, her smile faltering remembering why she had come.

"Bluey?" Hex asked, finding the name a little strange. Perhaps, another kid. "I am sure I can fix him up. Where is he?"

"Really? He is here, mister," the girl cheered and pointed at the ground. Apparently, Bluey was below the table, which shocked Hex. He didn’t sense another person nearby. He lifted the cloth covering the table with a jerk.

"HE is Bluey?" Hex asked.

B-Baa.

Bluey introduced himself before the small girl . He sounded weak and in pain. The little sheep was small and filled with bluish dots across its...his face.

"Yes. Can you help him? Please, mister?" The girl pleaded. She seemed on the verge of crying again. "If you don’t...then...then...father said he would taste well in the evening soup."

That sounded cruel. And funny...a little. Hex kept his expression as calm and understanding as he could.

’I should have stuck to one persona,’ Hex thought wryly. Unlike the Warrior Mode where he went as himself – undisguised face, white hair wrapped in a scarf – he joined the Dryad Mode disguised as an elderly person. Learning the arts of Healing and gaining control over Nature elements required time and talent. If he had been a person born and raised in Wrixia where the Nature element was in excess, he could justify his achievements. But as an outsider, it would be hard to convince people.

"Let’s see what I can do," he said, hiding his real emotions behind his soothing smile. Under the expectant gaze of the small girl, he approached Bluey. The sheep bleated in fear and tried to pull away from Hex. The girl however rushed to hold her sheep and consoled it.

’It’s indeed broken.’ Hex first checked the animal himself. Once he was sure that girl was right, he concentrated on directing the Nature element into Bluey.

B-Baa!

The sheep bleated. It couldn’t speak but Hex was sure it was crying in pain.

’I am being blunt,’ Hex understood at once. He had shot a huge dose of the element into Bluey. A single cry and a glance filled with fear and anger from the little girl made him realize he had to treat it with the same care and control as he would with a human. A small, fragile human.

He adjusted the dose and focused on controlling the element. With patience, he directed small tendrils of the element, infusing it within the broken piece of leg. The sheep bleated softer and softer as a faint greenish glow appeared around its leg.

After working on it for five minutes, he sensed the broken leg had finished healing.

"Let it stand now," he instructed the small girl.

"Him," she corrected Hex with a smile on her lips and a defiant glance in her eyes, as she urged the sheep to stand. It...He was scared at first but trusted his small master enough to give it a try.

"Bluey you can walk again!" The girl cheered when the sheep took a few steps. It bleated in response. This time with less fear and sounded genuinely more upbeat.

"Thank you, mister."

"My pleasure, little miss," Hex said, giving her a little bow again. He had done the first time to prevent her from crying. Now, he did it for her little giggle. Her bright eyes and cheerful smile did feel nice.

"Would you sign here for me?" He said to her elder who had walked up to them when the sheep was healed. It was clear she had just left the girl to seek enough no’s so she could accept Bluey’s fate. Her nervous gaze showed she wasn’t sure what to do next.

"Grandma, Bluey is all right now, isn’t he? Now, he won’t end up in the soup." The girl cheered from the side. The elderly woman smiled weakly, muttering, "Now we won’t even have soup."

Hex didn’t say anything. It was hard to survive in the world and he couldn’t help everyone. Not yet.

"What is this?" The old woman stared at the page in Hex’s hand like it would attack her.

"This is just something for the competition. I need to show I have truly healed someone," Hex explained. The woman hesitated but still picked the quill to sign.

"Hold up." A stern voice said, halting the woman.

’Here he comes.’ Hex rolled his eyes but put up a smile when the old man approached them.

"This doesn’t qualify. The rules for Dryads are limited to people. Not animals."

Hex wished nothing more than to punch the old man but it would earn him a disqualification. He couldn’t just hit the referees without consequences. Plus, he wasn’t out of tricks.

"I agree. But I am not collecting a signature for healing the sheep."

"And Bluey isn’t just any animal," the small girl protested from the side. Hex flashed her a smile. She was indeed a good girl.

"Huh?" The referee, like the old woman, looked confused. "Why are you collecting the signature then?"

"I have healed the saddening heart of a little girl. She looked devastated. A young, innocent heart like hers would certainly break when Bluey ended up in her soup. She could fall sick. And do you think she would eat Bluey?"

"No, I wouldn’t." The girl hugged her sheep and both scuffled away from the referee with accusatory gazes directed at him.

"See? I am collecting signatures to help the girl before she could fall sick. And in Healing the motto has always been preventing before curing, right?"