Of course, Pia’s pecking with that small beak didn’t hurt me at all.

As I burst into laughter saying it tickled, Pia sulked and turned her head away, avoiding my gaze whenever I tried to talk to her.

Chweet!

―Hmph!

As I quietly observed, she sneaked glances at me while pretending not to, as if wanting me to comfort her sulky self.

‘She doesn’t seem truly angry…’

It seemed her pride wouldn’t allow her to resolve all at once the sense of betrayal she felt upon learning I was a bug.

‘Sweet things are the best for lifting one’s mood!’

I rang the bell to have the maids bring dessert.

“Pia, want to eat together?”

Chweet!

―Hmph hmph!

Pia pecked at the cake I offered with a fork, still emanating a sulky air.

Chwoo-eet?

Pia’s sky-blue eyes widened.

With cream covering her beak, Pia started fluttering around on the table.

She pecked at cookie crumbs on my table, knocked over the syrup jar, and tottered around on the tablecloth with her tiny feet covered in sticky syrup.

After causing all sorts of adorable mischief like that, she perched on my shoulder and sang, “Chwirr chwirr”.

I couldn’t help but chuckle seeing Pia’s round little belly.

“Feeling better now?”

Pee-eet!

―I wasn’t sulking.

“Really? You wouldn’t even look me in the eye earlier, so I thought you disliked me.”

Peet! Peep!

―No way! Envoys are created to love the player unconditionally! Hmph!

“Unconditional love…?”

As I blinked slowly, Pia lifted her head and spoke in an explanatory tone.

Chweet!

―Envoys are also called ‘guiding birds’. We have the role of guiding the player so they don’t get lost and safely reach the end of the scenario.

Chweet! Cheep!

―How could we endure the arduous journey without love? Of course, Pia would like Lulu even without that!

Saying that, Pia acted cute and coyly rubbed her beak against my fingertip.

Come to think of it, Hezen’s system windows had also helped and supported him unconditionally.

Unconditional love. Perhaps because it was a kind of affection I had never received before…

‘It feels strange.’

Gently stroking Pia’s hair with my finger, I asked,

“You weren’t hurt yesterday?”

Chwoo-eet?

“You said envoys take damage just from bugs revealing their existence.”

Chwoo-eet!

Pia lifted her right wing to show the underside.

―I hurt my wing a bit but I’m okay!

Despite her brave words, I saw a small wound on the underside of Pia’s wing.

“That must have hurt.”

―Well, this level of injury is nothing compared to usually getting bullied by other en… Heek!

Pia, who had been prattling with her beak held high, stopped mid-sentence and covered her beak with both wings.

Then she glanced at me to gauge my reaction.

“The other envoys bullied you?”

―P-Pia is absolutely not a pathetic envoy who gets bullied!

Pia’s transparent sky-blue eyes trembled anxiously like glass marbles.

It was clear she was worried I might be disappointed in her.

“…Right. You’re the bravest and coolest spirit in the world.”

Pia lowered her wings and rolled her eyes.

“You protected me against the administrator, remember?”

I smiled at Pia.

Chwoo-eet.

―Th-that was nothing…

“Nothing, my foot. If not for you, I wouldn’t be here safe and sound now.”

Chwoo-oo-eet…

Pia let out a shy, coy cry.

When I held out my palm, Pia fluttered over and landed on it.

“Thanks, Pia.”

As I stroked her head, Pia cried out a cute “Chwoo-eet?”

“And being bullied isn’t pathetic.”

I took out an ointment from the drawer and applied it to Pia’s wound.

Pia’s small body flinched each time the ointment touched the wound.

“The truly pathetic ones are the bullies.”

I spoke in a calm voice, recalling Orent and Duke Hamilton who had bullied me.

The reason I could nonchalantly brush off their bullying was because I knew it didn’t make me pathetic.

“Pia, can you stay still for a bit?”

I asked, taking out some bandages.

The bandages humans used were too big for Pia’s tiny body, so I had to cut them smaller with scissors.

I carefully wrapped the cut bandage around Pia’s wing.

“There, all done.”

Chwoo-eet!

Pia flapped her wing a few times, awkward with the bandage wrapped around it.

At first she wobbled due to the bandage’s weight, but soon flew around me in balanced flaps.

Chwirrrr!

―Thank you, Lulu! It’s the first time anyone has treated Pia’s wounds!

I smiled wryly at Pia who was crying out “Chwirr chwirr”, quite moved.

“Come to me from now on if you get hurt.”

Chweet!

“And tell me if anyone bullies you too.”

Chweet! Cheep!

“By the way, Pia. Why are you a temp?”

―Small envoys like Pia can’t serve the player. But the previous envoy was badly injured so Pia came as a temp.

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded, recalling when Hezen had logged out.

―The system said! If Pia completes the scenario well with Lulu, I can become a regular!

“What’s good about becoming a regular?”

―If I become a regular, I can stay by Lulu’s side always! Even after the scenario ends!

Lifting her beak high, Pia added in a smug tone,

―And I’ll get revenge on the mean envoys who bullied Pia for being small!

“Yeah, let’s get revenge.”

I stroked Pia’s head feathers once more, chuckling.

“Then can you give me the new scenario?”

At those words, Pia’s eyes widened.

―R-really? You’re really doing the scenario?

“Yeah, really. I told you, I have to defeat the Bright Dragon.”

Pia’s transparent sky-blue eyes brimmed with welling tears.

Chweet!

Poro-rong!

Pia’s cries turned into a lively sound effect.

[SYSTEM] Main Scenario has been triggered! (▶Preview Scenario)

And at the same time, the system message I had ignored before popped up again.

When I clicked the [▶Preview Scenario] that Pia had so desperately shouted for, the usual intense narration and flashy video played out.

[An oracle falls upon the empire! The emperor is troubled! And watching over this is the Sword Master of Glory, you who have become the empire’s new hero!

The Bright Dragon Helheim is too much to face alone. To prove yourself a hero, you need companions.

Companions who, like you, possess an upright disposition and outstanding skills, blessed by the light…]

The video ended with the back view of a man who looked to be Klaus and I walking with our arms around each other’s shoulders.

[SYSTEM] Quest Arrived!

[Main Quest: Proof of a Hero (1/2)]

To embark on proving yourself a hero, you need reliable companions. Recruit the Shield of Light ???> as your companion!

▷Clear Conditions:

Option 1. Achieve 500 Favorability with ???>

Option 2. Receive a Knight’s Oath from ???>

Option 3. Subdue ???> through a duel

▶Reward upon Success: EXP +3000, Skill Points +10, Skill

“There are three clear conditions?”

―They’re options, so you only need to do one of the three! Just pick the one you’re most confident in, so it’s much easier, right?

“…All three look difficult though.”

―Ehhh, this should be one of the easiest since it’s the first scenario? It’ll be easy once you find ???>, sheesh!

“…”

―But I can’t tell you who ???> is. I’m sorry, Lulu. But there was a hint in the video earlier, so if you look carefully…

“It’s okay, Pia.”

I comforted Pia who was apologizing glumly.

I already knew who ???> was anyway since I had read the original story, so it wasn’t a big problem.

But the real issue lay elsewhere.

‘Klaus Winster…’

I would surely have to recruit that man as a companion, but Klaus Winster’s favorability was already digging through the ground towards the earth’s core.

Option 1. Achieve 500 Favorability with ???>

Impossible, since his favorability drops just from hearing me breathe.

Option 2. Receive a Knight’s Oath from ???>

‘A knight’s oath…’

I couldn’t quite imagine Klaus swearing a knight’s oath to me.

Unlike other royals, I still didn’t have a personal knight even after coming of age, so I always had to rely on the palace guards.

My elder sisters Gloria and Elizabeth had a few personal knights, but they were all from their father’s family.

There was no way the heir of a prestigious family like the Winsters would pledge an oath to a powerless princess like me when we weren’t even lovers.

‘Then the one that might be feasible is…’

Option 3. Subdue ???> through a duel

I asked Pia, looking at the third clear condition.

“What does subdue mean?”

―It means beating them up until their HP falls below 10!

Pia explained excitedly with “chwoo-eet chwoo-eet”.

“What? B-beat them up?”

I briefly imagined whacking that giant of a knight, who was more than a head taller than me, with a scabbard.

‘Wouldn’t that just make his favorability drop more?’

Klaus was the Winster family heir.

Violence was already a major crime, but even if I was a princess, hitting the heir of one the empire’s top noble families…

“Should I secretly hit him in a dark alley…”

―There’s a duel system, so you can use that!

“No, but hitting him… I’ll consider that as a last resort.”

Although I had struck Hezen’s precious place before, I wasn’t someone who liked solving problems through violence.

No matter how legitimate the duel, reducing the opponent’s HP below 10 seemed too brutal.

If that was the only option, then maybe.

‘Let’s try the first one for now.’

Option 1. Achieve 500 Favorability with ???>

I bit my lip, looking at the first clear condition.

‘Even that clueless Hezen romanced me. Now that I’m a player, couldn’t I also romance Klaus? Besides…’

Thankfully, Hezen, who had staked his life on charm and favorability, had left all sorts of items for romancing in the inventory before leaving.

To find Klaus, I wrote a letter to Sylvia.

Asking if she could invite me to the Winster estate.