Even at this moment, Klaus was facing the bear cubs alone.

Whoo-roo-roo, whoo-roo-roo-roo!

―But it’s not a difficult quest, so don’t worry too much, Ruru!

“No, that’s not what I’m worried about……”

Klaus’s level was far higher than the bear cubs, so he wouldn’t be injured or killed by them.

But isn’t it too cowardly to make him face all those bear cubs alone and run away!

“What does it matter, Your Highness.”

Anselot had already stopped his horse in a quiet clearing.

“Let him do the grunt work while we rest. We have a lot to do ahead, so we need to conserve energy.”

Anselot smiled brightly as he helped me down from the horse.

“But how can a person be so conscienceless……”

“If he’s willing to risk his life on his own, what’s there to feel guilty about? He’s probably enjoying it right now? Being able to throw away his life for Your Highness?”

“Who would enjoy something like that!”

Then I suddenly noticed something strange in the system notification window.

“Huh?”

Klaus’s affection was increasing.

“Pia! Weren’t we only able to check the affection of those within sight?”

―Because he’s registered as a helper! The helper’s affection has a significant impact on experience sharing and effect sharing!

That meant that as Klaus’s affection increased, I would receive much more shared experience.

‘But why is it suddenly increasing……?’

As I blinked my eyes watching Klaus’s affection rise, Anselot came over and sat down next to me with a thud, grinning.

“See? I told you he’s enjoying it now.”

Just as Anselot said, Klaus seemed to be raising his affection, happy that he could throw away his life for his lord. It was hard for me to understand.

“……Alright, let’s just leave him be.”

I put aside my feelings of guilt towards Klaus and rested with Anselot.

We sat side by side under the shade of a tree, watching the quest progress window chime ding-dong.

Klaus was busy beating up the monsters of the Dream Forest.

“It’s nice being just the two of us, isn’t it?”

I turned my head at the voice coming from beside me, and Anselot was smiling at me.

If not for the things he had done, it would have been a quite normal, harmless, and handsome face.

I stared at that face for a moment and then called out to him.

“Anselot.”

“Why are you calling my name so meaningfully? It’s thrilling.”

Anselot giggled mischievously, his eyes curving.

I warned him in a very serious voice.

“The real trial of this forest isn’t about defeating monsters.”

“?”

“You need to be careful of the mist.”

Soon, the mist of Ilei will engulf us.

In the original story, Klaus managed to overcome the trial of the mist on his own.

But since Anselot isn’t a character from the original story. Just in case, I thought.

“It’s a mist that digs into your inner weaknesses and entices adventurers. If you’re enticed by the mist, you’ll forget all other purposes, so if there’s anything that might tempt you normally, it’s better to be on guard in advance.”

“……Wow.”

Anselot, who had been listening to my warning silently, opened his eyes wide, and then exclaimed.

“Are you worrying about me, Your Highness?”

Anselot purred happily, smiling.

He’s not a cat, so I don’t know why he always purrs when he laughs. Maybe it’s because his narrowed eyes resemble a kitten’s.

“I’m being serious!”

“Yes, yes, I’m seriously happy too.”

He didn’t seem to be taking my warning seriously at all, even though I had gone to the trouble of warning him out of concern.

‘Well, I’m sure he’ll manage somehow.’

He seemed like a man without any weaknesses on the surface.

‘But it’s often characters like this who have the deepest and most painful inner weaknesses.’

I scrutinized Anselot with an observant look.

Once again, as our eyes met, he smiled sweetly.

Seeing that beautifully smiling face made me feel inexplicably flushed, so I ended up turning my head away abruptly.

And a little while later.

It seems Klaus has finally defeated 500 bear cubs.

Thanks to him, I was able to gain experience while just resting quietly.

When I opened the mini-map, I could see a dot with Klaus’s name running towards us amidst the areas covered in gray.

And when that dot got close to our position.

Tap, tap, tap.

Klaus appeared with footsteps, catching his breath and glaring at Anselot.

Having faced the monsters alone, Klaus’s condition was not very good.

“Are you crazy?”

Klaus gritted his teeth and snapped at Anselot.

“Wow. You know how to curse like that while pretending to be innocent all this time?”

“How dare you, how dare you kidnap Her Highness right in front of me!”

“Kidnap? Call it an elopement of love.”

“Don’t involve Her Highness in your dirty love affairs.”

“The dirty one would be you. Covered in monster blood.”

At Anselot’s remark, Klaus flinched and belatedly examined his appearance.

“Tsk. I can’t tell if you’re human or a monster. How dare you appear in such an ugly state and torture our Princess’s beautiful eyes.”

“Stop teasing him, Anselot. Sir Klaus has worked hard for us.”

Seeing Klaus’s expression gradually turning into a pout, I finally had to step in and mediate.

“We need to prepare for camping before the sun sets. Let’s hurry.”

Until now, we had been moving along well-paved roads and staying at inns in towns, but tonight we had to spend the night in the forest.

“I’m sorry to have to accommodate Your Highness in a place like this.”

Klaus was at a loss for what to do.

“It can’t be helped. I’m the one who insisted on going through this forest, aren’t I?”

Klaus had argued for following the road, but because I insisted that this forest was a shortcut, things had turned out like this.

It was because of the quest, though.

‘By the way……’

I glanced at the top of Klaus’s head and felt newly moved.

Light Shield

Affection: 999

Oh my.

I knew through the constantly ringing system notification window that Klaus’s affection had been maxed out, but seeing it directly with my own eyes like this made me reminisce about the hardships from the previous scenarios.

How much effort had I put into raising Klaus’s affection?

At the end of those efforts, Klaus’s affection had still ended up in the negative (−).

I almost felt like I should have caught Klaus and thrown him into the forest from the beginning.

“Your Highness……?”

As I stared at him, Klaus called out to me, his face slightly flushed.

‘Well, now losing 10 affection points doesn’t matter at all!’

I smiled brightly and praised Klaus.

“You’ve worked hard, Sir.”

Klaus paused for a moment, then knelt on one knee in front of me with a disciplined movement.

“I have only done what is expected of me as Your Highness’s knight.”

Klaus said in a reverent voice.

I smiled slightly as I watched Klaus’s affection fill up again.

Klaus, who had returned with the horses tied at the forest entrance, immediately started preparing for camping by setting up tents.

Meanwhile, Anselot lit a fire, and Pia helped Anselot by gathering small leaves and twigs.

I prepared food over the campfire that Anselot had lit.

“The taste is unique.”

Anselot said after taking a spoonful of the stew.

“Really? Is it a bit unique?”

I tilted my head and took a spoonful of stew following Anselot, but I didn’t particularly feel that the taste was unique.

“Sir Klaus, what do you think?”

“……”

Klaus silently held the stew bowl, his hands trembling.

“Sir Klaus?”

“That I, that I dare to eat food personally prepared by Your Highness.”

“It is an unparalleled honor that will go down in the history of the Winster family for generations to come.”

“No, what history……”

“It’s delicious, Your Highness.”

“Oh, really?”

I immediately brightened at Klaus’s praise.

Whoo-oot?

Pia, who had been sitting on my shoulder, showed interest in those words and flew over to the stew bowl.

Pia pecked at the stew with her short beak, then immediately spat it out and exploded in anger.

Peee-eet! Peee-eee-eee-eet!

―What kind of food is this! Who would eat something so tasteless!

Pia pointed at the stew she had spat out with her wing and stomped her left foot.

“……”

“……”

“……”

A brief silence fell between us for a moment.

“Maybe her taste is a bit different because she’s a bird.”

I said in an embarrassed voice, as if making an excuse. Pia flared up at that.

Whoo-eet! Whoo-eet! Whoo-eet!

―This isn’t a matter of species……!

As Pia trembled with anger from head to toe, it was then.

“I will catch and punish that disrespectful bird for disturbing Your Highness’s mood.”

Although he couldn’t understand Pia’s words, Klaus, who had roughly guessed from her actions, spoke to me in a serious voice.

“Just give the order. I will ensure it never spits out Your Highness’s food or kicks its feet again.”

The look in Klaus’s eyes as he stared at Pia was not good.

His fierce eyes were directed towards Pia’s left leg that had been stomping just moments ago.

Wait a minute! Why are you becoming a saltto flower?

Whoo, whoo-eet?

―Th-that person is scary, Ruru.

Feeling that her left leg was in danger, Pia flew over to my side, frightened.

‘Klaus just now…… was similar to Anselot.’

They bicker every time they make eye contact, are their personalities becoming alike?

If that’s the case, it would surely be a terrible disaster, at least for Klaus.

Meanwhile, Anselot was alone, seriously thinking about something.

“Anselot, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing, just.”

Anselot, who had been looking at the stew pot over the campfire, raised his head to look at me.

“I was thinking that maybe the stew does taste a bit strange, as that bird said.”

“What?”

Klaus bristled beside me, putting his hand on his sword hilt.

However, Anselot paid no attention and grinned as he looked at Pia.

“I was thinking we might add more ingredients. For example, the meat of a naughty bird that complains about food.”

Whoo-eee-eet!

―Waaaaaah. Save me, Ruru.

In the end, Pia had to eat the stew quietly without any food complaints, sniffling.