Chapter 4 : The Little Girl’s Spell 

“Worm!”

Aurina lifted her face, her voice sharp with indignation.

“How dare you strike a king!”

Thwack!

Another lump sprouted beneath her fiery red hair.

“I told you, no more racist slurs.”

Damn it!

This wretched worm was, for now, stronger than her.

Aurina curled her toes, her mind spinning with visions of grinding Richard beneath her heel, her toes twisting mercilessly.

She fell silent, her lips pressed tight.

Richard, noticing her bowed head, felt a pang of guilt.

She was, after all, barely born—a child in truth.

Silently reciting the Order’s teachings—never succumbing to the lure of violence—he turned to the crowd, their hair still smoking, and asked, “What happened here? As a paladin of Tyr, I’ll see justice done.”

The crowd lowered their weapons.

The old auctioneer, brushing his singed hair with his hat, spoke up.

“She robbed us. Snatched the auction house’s property outright.”

Richard’s gaze shifted to Aurina.

“Is that true?”

“It’s mine,” Aurina declared.

“They couldn’t protect their shiny trinkets. I took them—doesn’t that make them mine?”

“That’s theft,” Richard said flatly.

“Look, my lord, we don’t want to make this difficult,” the auctioneer said, his tone conciliatory.

“The money is already on your bed—consider it a deposit. We’ll help you find a… better place for this beast.”

“Isn’t that just slavery?”

Richard countered.

“She’s a child, and I don’t yet know the full story.”

“My lord,” the auctioneer pressed, “we all respect you.

You slew the dragon, saved the princess.

The dragon burned bodies and killed her before it fell.

You gave what little spoils remained to rebuild homes.

Yet the emperor of Yanting blamed you, saddled you with crushing debt.

You even sold your horse!

Damn it, is the world blind?

A man like you shouldn’t suffer like this.”

Aurina let out a peal of silvery laughter, sharp and mocking.

“Gah-gah-gah!”

All eyes turned to her.

Richard’s stare was piercing.

Prompted by the two throbbing lumps on her head, Aurina clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling her giggles.

But the thought of this worm, Richard, brought so low by her schemes, so impoverished, curled her lips upward, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth.

“Gah… I mean… I just thought of something… happy.”

“You’re not even half a day old,” Richard said dryly.

“Still happy…”

Aurina forced her mouth into a straight line, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

“Such a terrible thing. Poor, poor you.”

The auctioneer nodded.

“Exactly. The dragon-slaying hero should be rewarded.”

“It’s not their fault,” Richard said.

“I signed the contract, took the empire’s aid. The price of breaking it, no matter how steep, is mine to bear. If I’d been more careful…”

Aurina smirked inwardly.

This worm thought too highly of himself.

After fighting for hours, did he really think he had the energy to be careful?

“How steep?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Fifty thousand gold coins.”

Aurina’s hand flew to her mouth, barely containing her glee.

The auctioneer seized the moment.

“This auction starts at fifty thousand gold coins. After it’s done, you’ll have enough left to plan your wedding—a milestone, my lord. Your love deserves to bear fruit.”

Wow, he even has to buy his wedding with coins, Aurina thought, barely suppressing her mirth.

Her laughter burst forth again.

“Gah-gah-gah!”

Richard spun around. With a dragon’s reflexes, Aurina erased her grin, tilted her head skyward, and mused, “What a clear day.”

“It’s overcast,” Richard corrected.

The auctioneer pressed on.

“They say you’ve known the saintess since childhood. After all these years, you owe her happiness—a man’s duty.”

“But she’s innocent,” Richard said, nodding toward Aurina.

“She robbed us the moment she stepped outside,” the auctioneer retorted.

“How is that different from a goblin?”

Aurina blinked, her heels grinding into the floor as she imagined crushing the auctioneer into dust.

Richard’s voice was firm.

“Then I need the full story.”

“You’re too kind, my lord,” the auctioneer said.

“Surely your god, unwilling to let justice go unrewarded, sent a dragon born from an ostrich egg to test you.”

“No,” Richard said.

“Take the money and go.”

The auctioneer’s tone hardened.

“Fine, but if you’re sheltering this wicked, adorable little beast, you must at least cover our losses.”

Richard’s thoughts turned to his dire finances.

He pulled out a patched-up backpack, rummaging through it to produce a worn coin purse.

Spilling out a handful of tarnished, pitiful coins, he handed them over through gritted teeth.

“I’ll pay what I can now and owe the rest.”

“We trust your honor,” the auctioneer said.

Aurina, witnessing Richard driven to such straits by her cunning, couldn’t help but cover her mouth, laughter spilling through.

“Worm! Just a worm! Gah-gah-gah!”

Richard whirled around.

Aurina, ever adaptable, smothered her smile and began whistling.

“Quite the downpour today.”

“It’s overcast,” Richard repeated, extending a hand toward her.

“The money.”

“My money!”

“I’ll leave you a few coppers. You committed a crime and must be punished. A fine is lenient—the victims have been generous.”

“But,” Aurina protested, pointing accusingly, “they tried to sell me!”

“They didn’t act on it.”

“They lured me off the street with promises of candy and gold coins, dragged me to the auction house, and said all I had to do was press my handprint on some paper. Then the shiny things would be mine!”

Aurina’s eyes gleamed as she added a flourish.

“I just took the treasure. And I’m just a little girl.”

Magic happened.

Richard’s glare shifted to the auctioneer.

The auctioneer, all smiles, handed back the bulging coin purse.

“Haha, a small gift from us all. Treat yourself to a good meal—”

“What was her sign?”

Richard interrupted.

“Just… a piece of paper.”

“You know I can use the Domain of Truth.”

“A transaction guarantee,” the auctioneer mumbled.

“The truth.”

“A magical contract,” the auctioneer sighed.

“I couldn’t resist using it.”

“You used something that vile? Does your house deal in human trafficking now?”

“No, I swear! If we did, why would we invite you to the auction?”

The auctioneer’s voice was desperate.

“It came from gray channels, just a spare. She’s just a wicked beast, not a person.”

Richard meticulously plucked the excess coins from the purse, handing them back.

“That’s just an excuse to soothe your conscience. You tried to traffic her; she coveted your goods. The crimes cancel out. Take your things and leave. But first, tell me where that magical contract came from.”

“Fine,” the auctioneer said, shaking his head.

“Load up, everyone.”

As he turned to leave, he slipped a piece of paper to Richard, whispering, “The source is written here. And my lord, I truly didn’t want you to end up like this.”

“I appreciate that,” Richard whispered back.

“Thank you.”

As the door swung shut, a flash of red darted toward it.

Richard’s hand shot out, seizing Aurina by the small red dragon horns sprouting from her head.

“You dare grab my horns? Let go, worm, or I’ll bite you!”

Richard yanked her back.

Aurina struggled, but his strength overwhelmed her.

Damn it, this worm is strong.

Richard shut the door and released her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Wherever I please,” Aurina huffed, already plotting to start with weaker prey.

Richard saw through her.

“No.”

Aurina invoked her charm again.

“I’m just a little girl.”

“Then from now on, I’m your guardian.”

The spell failed.

“What?”

“I can’t let you run wild, causing trouble. This is also for your protection,” Richard said.

“Do you know what signing a magical contract means?”

Aurina scoffed.

“As if a magical contract could bind a true dragon.”

“You’re too naive, too proud. The world out there is dangerous. From now on, I’m your guardian.”

“What?”

Aurina dragged the word out, incredulous.

“Go wash your feet. I’ll take you to get some clothes later.”

Aurina lifted a foot, her toes wiggling defiantly.

Her foot was pristine, soft as kneaded dough.

“Fool. How could a king’s feet get dirty like a worm’s? Why’d you turn away so fast?”

“Put your cloak on properly.”

“Oh.”

Aurina tugged the cloak tighter around her lower half.

“There.”

Richard turned back, then immediately turned away again.

“The top.”

Aurina, exasperated, wrapped the cloak around her chest.

“So shy, are you?”

“You’re a girl.”

“You’re the girl!”

Aurina bristled at the word.

But then, a thought struck her.

The little-girl spell hadn’t entirely failed.

It worked wonders on this fool who gave away hard-earned coins to the weak.

She pressed her advantage.

“As my guardian, will you feed me?”

Richard gave her an odd look.

“Of course.”

“Give me a place to stay?”

“Naturally.”

Her heart thumped.

“If someone tries to kill me, will you fight them?”

“I’ll protect you.”

Food, shelter, and a fighter?

This was better than the goblin slaves in her dragon lair, who sometimes needed her to step in.

This one required nothing.

The little-girl spell was ridiculously effective on this idiot.

She’d use her unmatched cunning to enslave Richard, make him help her regain her strength, find a way to revert to her male form, and reclaim her mighty body.

Oh, the look on this foolish worm’s face when she conquered his fiancée right in front of him.

Her tail flicked up in delight, her mouth splitting into a grin that bared her shark-like teeth.

“Gah-gah-gah!”

“You’re awfully cheerful today,” Richard remarked.

“Let’s go.”

Aurina wrapped her slender frame in the cloak, her pale legs peeking out, toes wiggling toward Richard as she tilted her face up.

“Kneel, worm. Carry your king. I’m just a little girl!”

“You should say ‘please.’”

“Kneel!”

Richard raised a hand.

Aurina stepped back, covering her head. “Please carry me.Thank you.”

“Why do you only respond to force?” Richard sighed, crouching down.

Aurina leapt onto his back with the confidence of a conqueror, her slender arms looping around his neck, her body light and warm against him.

The sensation of her trust, mingled with the heat of her delicate frame, flooded Richard’s heart.

He recited a prayer under his breath and stood, carrying her.

Aurina reveled in her triumph.

Her superior intellect had bested this foolish worm, and now she rode him, humiliating him.

She pointed forward, her dangling feet swinging. “Onward! Charge!”