Anselot brushed the dirt off his clothes.

It was from acting as the defeated villain in the duel just now.

Usually, such a bothersome task would have irritated him a little.

However…

“Anselot, you, h-h-how could you do such a villainous thing!”

Seeing Luibel respond in an awkward and stiff voice, as if reading from a script, every time he spoke was quite enjoyable.

Luibel Azester was certainly not one who could lie.

“That’s another thing I like about her.”

Anselot smiled, thinking of Luibel.

Luibel, having completed the quest thanks to his great acting, took the saint and entered the building.

Anselot glanced at the reception room where Luibel would be dealing with the saint about now and slightly frowned.

“That crazy woman…”

A disgusted expression appeared on Anselot’s face.

Thinking of that woman alone with Luibel, Anselot’s complexion worsened.

Much later, Luibel, having sent the saint back, came to find Anselot and asked.

“What on earth did you do to Maria?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maria was trembling while talking about you. She said you did something brutal to her.”

It seemed that crazy woman had badmouthed him a lot to Luibel.

“Me?”

“Even if it was for acting, what if you really threatened someone?”

“Hah.”

A short scoff escaped from between Anselot’s teeth.

“What nonsense is this?”

Anselot raised one eyebrow crookedly, appealing his grievance.

“The brutal one wasn’t me, but that woman.”

Anselot recalled the process of kidnapping Maria.

That woman’s presence was essential for completing the quest.

So, just as he had infiltrated the cathedral and stolen the holy relic the day before, he planned to steal her, have a duel with Luibel, and then return her.

But that woman, upon seeing him infiltrate in a suspicious appearance that anyone could tell, immediately clasped her hands as if in prayer and let out an exclamation.

“Oh my god, Prince Anselot! Lus has answered my prayers!”

“…?”

“Huhuhu, to think you’d come seeking your own death.”

An ominous laughter flowed from between Maria’s lips.

At this, Anselot hesitated for a moment, and Maria, her eyes rolling back, suddenly charged at him.

“Get away from Lady Luibel! A lunatic like you doesn’t suit Lady Luibel!”

In fact, Maria, who shouted that while swinging the saint’s staff embedded with holy jewels, seemed more like a madwoman…

Unfortunately, Maria’s attacks did not reach Anselot.

Anselot very lightly dodged Maria’s attacks.

As a result, the staff Maria swung missed its target.

The furious Maria threw the staff at Anselot, who had somehow moved to the inner side of her room.

“Lus, give punishment to Prince Anselot with the power of your holy light!”

At that moment, a flashing light burst from the staff and the room brightened.

Anselot, who had squinted for a moment at the suddenly brightened vision, soon flinched at the sight of the room.

It was because Maria’s room was full of various curse objects and suspicious items aimed at Anselot.

For example, there were darts stuck in a figure that looked just like Anselot, and papers with Anselot’s name half-burned.

However, the most suspicious thing was the portraits of Luibel decorating the walls.

When news spread across the continent that Luibel, the third princess of Azester, had awakened as a Sword Master and left to prove the divine revelation, her portraits had secretly circulated…

The problem was the quantity.

The portraits decorating the walls were not just one or two.

Among them, there were a few portraits drawn together with Anselot, but Anselot’s eyes were all punctured with holes.

Is she… crazy?

For a moment, such a thought flashed through Anselot’s mind.

“Prince Anselot!! You #@$#@%!^@$…!!!”

Maria screamed, spewing out curses that were hard to utter for a saint.

Anselot immediately turned to Maria.

He felt a subtle sense of discomfort from Maria.

Unlike just before when she charged at him with half-crazed eyes, it seemed as if she was trying to get his attention…

Anselot, who had been staring at Maria for a moment, lifted the corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Her Highness will find it amusing to see these.”

“Gasp!”

Only then did Maria shut her mouth tightly and glare at Anselot.

As expected.

That crazy woman was flustered because Anselot had discovered the portraits of Luibel she had collected.

“If you let me kidnap you obediently, I’ll keep it a secret from Her Highness.”

“How can I trust those words!”

“If you don’t want to believe it, suit yourself. I have nothing to lose.”

“…”

“Maybe she’ll find it creepy. That some crazy woman has been collecting her portraits.”

“Ugh…”

As if Anselot’s threat was the most terrible thing in the world, Maria’s face turned pale.

“What are you trying to do by kidnapping me?”

To that question, Anselot replied with a vicious expression.

“To use you as a hostage and threaten Her Highness?”

“…!”

That was a mistake.

Maria screamed that she couldn’t just watch Anselot threaten Lady Luibel even if dirt got in her eyes, and even bit Anselot.

“I thought my ears would tear… I thought my flesh would be ripped off…”

Just recalling that moment made Anselot’s complexion turn pale.

“That woman, she was crazy.”

It was an expression that implied many things, but Luibel, who did not know what had happened between Anselot and Maria, giggled lightly and retorted.

“You’re the one who did crazy things, so why are you slandering the innocent Maria?”

“That woman cursed at me with words hard to say and bit me. Look at this.”

Anselot showed the arm Maria had bitten.

“Oh my, Maria. She must have been so startled…”

Luibel’s eyes widened.

She seemed to have no idea that Maria would become such a brutal madwoman and bite Anselot.

That was understandable, because in the original novel that she enjoyed reading in her previous life, Maria was a woman who suited the name “saint” better than anyone else.

As befitting the heroine of the original work, she faced many crises but never lost her temper.

The only time Maria got angry in the original work was when Hezen got involved with another woman.

“Even Maria’s jealousy was so cute.”

The depiction of Maria in the original work was mostly narrated from Hezen’s perspective, resulting in distortion, but Luibel did not know that.

“I decided to formally invite Maria to tea time soon, so let’s properly apologize then.”

At those words, Anselot made a very aggrieved expression.

However, Luibel, relieved that Anselot’s notoriety had not spread further thanks to Maria’s cooperation, said with a bright smile.

“But I’m glad. That your reputation hasn’t fallen further.”

“Not really…”

Anselot, who was about to reply that he didn’t really care, flinched upon seeing Luibel’s brightly smiling face.

Why is she smiling so prettily?

Whether his reputation falls or not, what does it matter to her?

“I don’t think that woman would have done it without a price.”

“We agreed to look around the festival together, and that much isn’t difficult.”

“You should have just left it alone. I don’t care if I become known as the saint’s kidnapper or not.”

Perhaps it was to hide that he was a bit heated. That he curtly replied even though he knew she did it for him.

“I care!”

“?”

Luibel unknowingly raised her voice. Then Anselot blinked his eyes in wonder.

Luibel answered with a light cough, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“Ah, anyway, there’s only one quest left in Luenhart, so you rest well until the next quest comes too.”

“What about you, Your Highness?”

“I have my own things to keep me busy.”

“What could possibly keep Your Highness busy?”

“It’s a secret.”

With those words, Luibel waved her hand lightly and left.

I wonder what cute thoughts Her Highness is having again.

Anselot smiled and watched her back, then suddenly grabbed the tail of Pia who was following behind.

Squeak!

―Dirty hands! Let go of my tail!

“Hello, piggy bird. I think we have something to talk about.”

Squeeaaal!

―Pi-piggy bird! How dare you say that to the great Pia!

Pia, who had become arrogant from the devoted treatment of the servants in the Luenhart royal palace, screamed with bulging eyes.

Anselot’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at Pia flailing in his grasp.

“Putting Anselot on the floor.”

And at the sentence that flowed from his mouth, Pia’s mouth shut tight.

“There was personal bias in that choice.”

Squeak?

Squeak, squeak!

Pia made bird noises, pretending not to understand Anselot’s words.

“I also really like putting things on the floor, shall I show you?”

Squeeeeaaal!

―Save me, Lulu! Anselot is trying to put Pia on the floor!

The pitiful screams of poor Pia, who tried to take a small revenge on the hateful Anselot but failed, rang out tragically.

What could possibly keep me busy?

Of course there is!

Just as I told Anselot, I was a bit busy.

It was catching and punishing those who sent assassins to Anselot and made his reputation fall!

“If possible, I’d like to clear Anselot’s false charges before leaving Luenhart.”

Well, it wasn’t for any other grandiose reason.

He had helped me a lot so far, and it’s not right for him to be criticized for no reason…

While rationalizing, I remembered his voice that I heard that day again.

“It’s not even worth the effort.”

“The king will side with his children anyway, and no one will believe me.”

At the same time, that composed expression that wouldn’t leave my mind since that day.

Right. Saying that he had helped me a lot, or that this wasn’t right – those were all just excuses.

I didn’t like that expression on Anselot’s face.

Maybe it’s because it overlapped with my past self who had resigned and accepted not being loved by family as natural.

Even though I knew Anselot was by no means a weak person.

So this was just something my heart was telling me to do.