And her breath gradually became rough.

From the tip of her tongue, the heat that warmed her entire mouth filled her cheeks, and due to the fire in her mouth, saliva began to burst for a different reason.

…Spicy candy!

It was a taste challenging for a child to embrace, but she was a bewildered child in the face of the compelling force that it must be delicious.

With tears welling up from the struggle with herself, Nia.

Hubert, seeing the worried face of Nia, wiped her forehead with concern.

“Oh my. Just because Mom is leaving, do you hate it that much? You’ve been with Dad since the day before yesterday.”

Just opening her mouth a little would make this spicy energy rise to the top of her head!

Nia, unable to explain her tearful situation, was a pitiful child who could not express it.

However,

“Nia, because today is the last day. Can you bear with it a bit?”

In front of Nia, who knelt down, Lucia.

‘Anniya, Annier!’

The child was surprised by the apologetic appearance but still could only nod.

The faces of Lucia and Hubert were becoming even more poignant.

Lucia finally hugged and comforted Nia, allowing the child to hide her face.

In the meantime, she quickly chewed and swallowed the hard cinnamon candy.

Hubert, satisfied with the sound of chewing the delicious candy, began to crush the candy on the plate to make it easier for the child to eat.

Perhaps Lucia’s intuition resembled Hubert.

“Try not to skip it if possible. It’s a national event.”

“…”
“Stop making that annoying face. Anyway, just go and represent Her Highness properly.”

As he continued to crush the candy without a break, what he was talking about was related to the friendly match that would take place in two days.

It was like a nonsense attempt to assess the national power, but being the host country, it was considered a virtue to accommodate such requests.

As a knight, she had somewhat gotten used to this annoyance, but once in front of people, she felt exasperated like a monkey.

“Haah, understood. Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Since it’s cold, wear a cloak.”

“Oh, yes.”

Lucia set Nia down and picked up a cloak to handle today’s grievances.

Then, Nia noticed the full jar of hellish fire-like candies.

While unable to take her eyes off that terrifying thing, Nia mumbled.

“…Mom, g-go safely…!”

“Oh, right.”

Lucia, picking up a cloak, found a brooch to give to the child.

A blue button-eyed black cat face.

The child, staring at the brooch she received like a gift, suddenly widened her eyes as if something had dawned on her.

“Th-this… Mom!”

“…!”

How did she know?

The cheerful child was saying the same thing.

The child who was teary-eyed until a while ago, now blushing her cheeks with a mysterious gold piece resembling him, reminded Lucia of the way she looked when Lion discovered the gift.

Today’s grievances together with him were a total of four.

Although the danger level was low, they were trivial grievances compared to their reputation and skills—capturing the small demon hosts scattered throughout the house, finding the stolen precious items through pickpocketing, and even teaching a child in the neighborhood who was being harassed how to fight.

Although they had selected grievances that only a small number of people needed help with, they were indeed trivial compared to their fame and abilities.

Was that the reason?

“Thank you! Thank you! Now I can sleep soundly!”

“Th-thank you! Thanks to you, I found the lost heirloom!”

“Thanks! Hyung! Noona! I’ll definitely make use of the self-defense technique you taught me!”

Of course, they covered themselves with cloaks, but after solving the grievances, they were quite favorable despite saying they were the Knights of Darkness.

Especially the last one, where a mother bowed to the knight who came to help with the absurd and playful grievance.

“Oh, thank you! What the child said was right! The Knight of Darkness really came to solve the case in Zone 3!”

“That’s right, Mom! Grandpa who grills skewers said to submit a complaint that the Knights of Darkness will help, and they really came!”

“Still, don’t submit them now! They’re busy people, so it’s not allowed! Got it?”

The skewer-grilling grandpa.

He was the client of the grievance that Lucia and Lion had solved before.

From today’s events, it seemed like he had promoted it to every customer looking to buy skewers.

And, another factor that seemed to have been helpful for the second time.

“But you’re too good-looking…! It’s unbelievable. Everyone was saying you’d look like scary demons, but it’s not at all, is it?”

That factor was Lion’s face.

In Lucia’s opinion, it was a much more helpful element than the skewer-grilling grandpa.
He laughed as if embarrassed, and the passing residents, regardless of gender, blushed.

As he left and shook hands, the cheers and gestures were so fervent that even the emperor’s parade felt trivial.

“Thank you! I used to think you were scary, but not at all! Now I’m a fan of the Knights of Darkness!”

With his radiant appearance, Lucia, the head of the Knights of Darkness, ironically became a background.

Although they shared the same black hair, it was clear in that moment that there was a separate existence that invoked people’s favor.

Feeling subtly uneasy, Lucia glanced at Lion and said, “You’ll be fine.”

“What?”

‘Born with that face.’

With her chubby reaction, Lion began to wonder if he had done something wrong.

Thus, the final request.

The client was a worker at a small tavern working until dawn, and the meeting place with the client was near the tavern.

Upon arriving at the location, it was a dark atmosphere in a secluded alley.

In the dimly lit area, a woman with a small back turned deliberately dark as if hiding.

Although her appearance was suspicious, when Lucia approached her from behind and spoke, “I came from the palace…”

“Kya, Kyaaaah!!! Go away!!!”

As if meeting a murderer, the startled client reacted so violently.

Whether her legs gave way or not, she sat down and trembled.

Seeing her like that, Lucia, who felt hurt again, discreetly withdrew her uncertain foot, and Lion naturally stepped forward.

Approaching with a smile, as if showing there was no enemy, Lion’s calm demeanor seemed to sharpen Lucia’s eyes oddly.

‘… Somehow annoying.’

“Are you okay? We are knights from the palace.”

Being aware of her condition, Lion spoke in a softer voice than usual.

However,

“I-I’m sorry! I-I like women!”

For some reason, she preferred the female Lucia.

As if seeing him step back in response to her unexpected reaction, she approached him.

Surprisingly, she had a childish aspect.

“The request was just to install a lamppost in front of the tavern, but it seems there are other circumstances.”

“…….”

They had planned to meet the client, confirm the location, and leave for such a simple request.

However, her reaction, as she nervously fidgeted her body, and her worryingly sunken cheekbones seemed quite serious.

“Are you, sir, sure there’s no one around right now?”

“Yes.”

After Lucia briefly checked the surroundings, the fragile woman began to speak cautiously.

“He… he’s everywhere, wherever I go!”

“…?”

As Lucia tilted her head in confusion, Lion’s ears perked up from behind.

Then, the woman, trembling and sitting down with her back turned, began to speak again.

“At first, it was all sorts of random gifts!”

‘…?’

“Following me anywhere, saying he’ll protect me!”

‘…??’

“…Even when I told him I had a child!”

‘…!!!’

Lion, as if hit by a sudden flying rock, seemed to be enduring a three-hit combo.

“…It gives me chills!!”
Suddenly, it seems like Lion is taking a three-hit combo from a flying rock.

“……It really gives me the chills!!”

Counterattacked by her final blow, Lion, finally, leaned against the wall with legs giving way.