I stared helplessly at the tightly shut doors.
Not a single person came out.
Not one.
My heart slowly sank.
So... this is really happening.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Skull...
Then I screamed with everything I had.
"SKULL!!"
The knight laughed.
"No one shall answer that call."
I ignored him.
"Skull!!"
"Please... help me!"
The knight chuckled to himself.
"If you truly knew the meaning behind that name..."
"...you would not call for him so boldly."
Fresh tears streamed down my face.
"Skull!"
"Please!"
...
Footsteps.
Fast.
Unbelievably fast.
The sound of metal echoed across the road.
The knight frowned and turned his head.
Before he could react—
A silver figure burst from the end of the road.
It was Skull.
He moved so quickly that I could barely follow him with my eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of us.
His left hand seized my wrist.
With one powerful pull, he lifted me clean off the knight's shoulder and drew me safely behind him.
In the same smooth motion, he spun on his heel.
BANG!
The pommel of his sword slammed squarely into the knight's chest.
The force sent the man flying backward before he crashed hard onto the dirt road.
I stared at Skull with watery eyes.
"It's about time you showed up..."
I tried so hard not to cry.
I really did.
But the moment I saw him...
Everything I'd been holding in came rushing out.
I threw my arms around him.
"You're so late..."
I buried my face against his cold armor and cried.
He didn't hug me back.
He simply stood there without moving.
A few moments later, the knight groaned and slowly climbed back to his feet.
"You insolent fool!"
He drew his sword.
Skull gently moved me behind him.
"Stay back."
His voice toward me was as calm and blunt as ever.
I obediently took several steps backward.
The knight raised his blade.
"You dare strike an officer of the Royal Palace?"
Only then did Skull finally speak to him.
His tone was completely different.
It was calm...
Formal...
And carried an authority that made even me straighten my back.
"I struck a man who abused his authority."
"If that man happens to be a royal knight, then he has brought disgrace upon his own title."
The knight's face darkened.
"How dare you lecture me!"
He charged.
Steel flashed.
CLANG!
The sound of swords colliding echoed through the silent village.
I couldn't even follow their movements.
They were too fast.
One exchange...
Two...
On the third—
A sharp metallic crack rang through the air.
The royal knight's sword spun from his hand before landing several meters away.
His eyes widened.
Before he could react again—
Skull's blade was already resting against his throat.
The entire fight...
Had ended in only two swings.
The knight's breathing became uneven.
Skull looked down at him.
"How disgraceful."
His voice was cold.
"To use your rank to prey upon one who cannot defend herself."
"You dishonor every knight who has ever worn that armor."
The knight's arrogance disappeared instantly.
"I beg you..."
"Spare my life."
Skull didn't move.
"If our positions were reversed..."
"Would you have shown her mercy?"
The knight lowered his head.
Unable to answer.
His trembling eyes slowly wandered upward...
Until they landed on the black emblem engraved across Skull's breastplate.
His pupils shrank.
"N-No..."
His entire body began shaking.
"That crest..."
"It cannot be..."
His face turned ghostly white.
"Y-You are..."
"...Skull."
Silence.
"The Black Skull..."
"The legendary knight who turned the tide of the Northern War..."
"The warrior who stood alone against an entire battalion..."
The knight's voice trembled uncontrollably.
Wait, what? Skull alone fought over five hundred army of soldiers in the battlefield field and survived it? that's unbelievable.
"My lord"
"I-I did not know..."
"I swear before the heavens, I knew nothing!"
"Had I known that lady was your woman..."
"I would never have dared lay a hand upon her."
For several long seconds...
Skull simply stared at him.
Then he lowered his sword.
The knight immediately sighed in relief.
Only—
THUD!
Skull's armored fist crashed into his face.
The knight's eyes rolled back before he collapsed unconscious.
Skull calmly sheathed his sword.
"...And that troublesome girl isn't my woman."
He glanced sideways at me.
"She's just a walking headache."
I wiped the tears from my face and smiled.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
Without another word, he turned around and started walking.
As always...
I hurried after him.
After only a few steps, he spoke.
"You've got a real talent for attracting trouble."
I puffed out my cheeks.
"That's not my fault."
"It somehow becomes your fault."
"It literally doesn't!"
He ignored me.
"...Rude."
Still...
I suddenly stopped walking.
He halted too.
Slowly, I walked in front of him.
The fear from earlier still lingered inside me.
If he hadn't arrived...
I didn't even want to imagine what would've happened.
I looked up at him.
A genuine smile slowly formed on my face.
Tiny tears still shimmered in my eyes.
"Thank you, Skull."
"...For saving me."
For the first time in a while...
He didn't answer immediately.
He quietly looked at me for several seconds.
Then...
A large gloved hand rested gently on my head.
Pat.
"It's fine."
Warmth spread through my chest.
For just one brief moment...
He wasn't insulting me.
Maybe he actually—
"I'm adding this rescue to your debt."
"..."
He removed his hand and started walking again as if nothing had happened.
I stared at his back in disbelief.
Then I burst into laughter.
"Man..."
"You seriously suck."
I could've sworn...
I heard a faint chuckle escape from beneath his helmet before he continued walking.
Just being with him make me feel save and today is a prove of why.
