I have to hypnotize you, Aura!

There's no problem now; the all-powerful magic can heal everything!

"Ah, found it!"

He quickly found Alice in the tavern on the first floor. Surprisingly, the little girl was very popular, especially the waiters at the adventurer's tavern who took good care of her and prevented other adventurers from harassing this 'young lady'.

"Hey! Good morning, Alice."

Good morning, Mr. Fen. How was yesterday?

Alice pouted as she looked at her, a hint of resentment in her big eyes—this man had suddenly run off with an adventurer last night, leaving her alone in the tavern, feeling anxious for quite a while.

"Cough cough... It's alright, it's alright."

Fingel greeted him, then sat down next to him, looking a little listless.

"What happened last night? Uh, sorry, I drank a bit too much and didn't take good care of you."

...

"It's alright. Mr. Fen gave me the money yesterday, so I asked the receptionist to book a room."

what?

Is that right?

Fingel rubbed his head; it was a complete mess. He had drunk and done a lot yesterday, and now he really couldn't remember anything.

"I'd like some breakfast, please... What's good to eat?"

To his surprise, the receptionist glanced at him sideways, her lips slightly downturned, and her delicate eyebrows raised impatiently, as if she didn't really want to answer his question.

"cut...."

??

Fingel had a bad feeling.

"Mushroom pancake, one gold coin."

The receptionist said indifferently, her tone somewhat impatient.

? ? ? ?

A gold coin?

Are you some kind of rip-off?

Fingel was completely dumbfounded. Made of gold and silver?

The currency in this other world is based on a decimal system. One gold coin is equal to one hundred silver coins, and ten thousand copper coins are equivalent to ten thousand Eris.

Ten thousand Eris has the purchasing power of at least a thousand. What kind of breakfast is so expensive? Do you think I'm some kind of Shanghainese?

When he saw the woman's expression, he realized that he was being deliberately targeted.

"Do I know you?"

Fingel felt somewhat puzzled. He was rich, but he would never accept being taken advantage of.

Prices in the capital city can't be that high, right?

"Hehe, I don't know him, and I don't want to know someone who would leave a little girl alone in a hotel."

The female bartender snorted coldly, seemingly quite displeased with him.

...

"Tsk,"

Heh, you guys from Asakusa.

Fingel gritted his teeth. "Fine, fine, so you're talking like that? Just you wait, I'll make you cry when I get the chance."

Since he was in the wrong, he was too lazy to argue with this wretched woman for the time being. She may be small in stature, but she has quite a temper.

He casually tossed a gold coin on the table as his breakfast money, then looked at Alice, who was enjoying a food made of what appeared to be beans and sauce. He noticed that many adventurers in the tavern were eating similar things, something like canned beans, which made Fingel's mouth water.

Cuckoo.

His stomach was rumbling; doing that was quite strenuous, and Fingel was genuinely hungry.

Alice, did you have fun yesterday?

The receptionist was reasonable enough to serve him steak, milk, honey, and mushroom pancakes, and also gave him some silver coins.

Fingel, making loud munching noises as he ate, chatted with Alice.

“I’m so happy, Mr. Fen. Thank you so much for taking me out.”

Alice put down her knife and fork and thanked him sincerely.

"Hehe, it's okay, just have fun. If you can withstand the test, you'll definitely become a qualified... well, you know what I mean."

Fingel took another plate of mushroom pancakes from the grumpy bartender and devoured them with gusto, his mouth greasy and he couldn't even speak. He really liked them.

Alice has mild doubts about you.

[Favorability-enhancing keywords successfully implanted.]

Are you still saying those kinds of things?

Even though she was only twelve years old, Alice was a smart child and knew that 'Fin' was just making excuses to play with her.

"Mr. Fen is really dishonest. People will dislike you if you always lie."

??

Have it?

Fingel raised an eyebrow, not understanding what the child was saying.

"I am truly grateful to Mr. Fen."

"Haven't we already talked about this? How about we get some of these mushroom pancakes? They taste really good."

"No thanks."

Alice looked at Fingel intently, her cute little face suddenly becoming serious.

"I'm serious. To be honest, yesterday was my first time moving freely in the capital. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have had many more opportunities like this in my life."

"Even if I wanted to go out and have fun, Kurea would bring a whole bunch of guards and soldiers with him. I don't want to trouble everyone."

......

"Um...is that so?"

Fingel didn't feel that way. Although he had only traveled for a day, he felt that while the people here respected nobles, they didn't have much of an underlying fear. Even if a princess went on a trip, it shouldn't have a big impact, right? Maybe this kid is overthinking it.

"That's how it is, it's always been like this."

"Although everyone in the palace treated me very well, the teachers were very responsible, I could eat whatever I wanted, and everyone was very accommodating to me."

Alice took a deep breath and spoke her true feelings to Fingel for the first time.

"I have never been happy about being a princess."

Rather than being a princess, she would prefer to be a child from an ordinary family, where she could have the power to protect everyone and experience the life of a commoner more freely.

'You're breaking up the band too? That feels so familiar!'

Fingel glanced at the child and said that it was too much of a burden to place the weight of a nation on such a child. He could even understand Alice's desire not to be a princess.

Unfortunately, this was impossible—she could not abandon her responsibilities, not only as the central authority of the nation, but also as a vital force in protecting the capital.

After Alice wielded the Holy Sword, she became one of the strongest people in the kingdom. Whenever the Demon King's army attacked the capital, Alice, a child in her early teens, would step forward to protect everyone.

That's really inspiring.

Fingel couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat... Damn, look at other people's awareness? Damn it.

When he was a nobleman, all he wanted was to make his territory richer, collect more taxes, and live a life of luxury.

"Kids don't have so many worries. Just eat, drink, and play quietly!"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Fingel grabbed Alice's head and ruffled it roughly, making her long golden hair a mess. He didn't know how to advise this little adult.

This obviously intimate gesture brought a blush to Alice's face; it was the first time she had been in such close contact with a man.

"Even royalty can't be too hard on themselves, you know? Protecting the kingdom requires your protection, but others can't just sit around doing nothing, can they? If this kingdom needs a child to protect it, then what's the point of this kingdom existing?"

Fingel earnestly said that children should play more, otherwise it will be difficult for them to have that kind of pure joy when they grow up.

"I...I will try my best!" Alice nodded emphatically, her little face full of seriousness. "But thank you, Mr. Finn. I will remember this day forever!"

"Don't be so serious... Eat and drink as usual. When you're a little older, I might have to come and cling to you."

Fingel actually had some ideas. If you want to enjoy life in this other world, you should be a nobleman, right?

Alice has mild doubts about you.

"Why are you clinging to me? It feels a bit strange."

Alice didn't understand the coded message; instead, it made her think of some strange things.

'Does Mr. Fen like legs?'

Her face inexplicably turned red, and for some reason she thought of Fingel hugging her legs.

The atmosphere was pleasant, and the two chatted for a while until Alice suddenly seemed to remember something.

"By the way, Lady Fen, when you helped me get my things yesterday, did you see one...?"

It's a ring.

Alice had a very important ring, but she lost it yesterday. The ring itself was of average value, but its specific meaning was very important—it symbolized her fiancé, and if she took it out, it would cause a lot of trouble.

However, before she could finish speaking, a loud voice, which transformed into a sound wave, swept across the entire city from the capital city located on the plain.

"Demon King's Army Attack Warning! Demon King's Army Attack Warning! A large number of Demon King's Army troops have been detected attacking the capital! The Kingdom's Knights are to be dispatched immediately! The Kingdom's Knights are to be dispatched immediately! We also request assistance from high-ranking adventurers in the fight against the monsters!!"

"The kingdom will afterwards provide each person with reasonable compensation..."

Huh?

They've already attacked the capital? They've already reached Beijing?

"Is this kind of thing common? The demons are actually attacking the capital directly. Isn't that dangerous?"

Fingel looked at Alice with some surprise.

"Yes, there are basically no fewer than ten similar attacks a year, and sometimes even the Demon King's army officers are involved."

With a whoosh, Alice pushed aside the bench and stood there—and began to say goodbye.

“Mr. Fen, I need to leave. Everyone needs me now.”

Her eyes were resolute and full of determination, like a primary school student vowing to her parents that she would get into Tsinghua University.

...

'That's a bit sudden, isn't it?'

Fingel had originally planned to take the princess out for a few days, but now he really didn't know what to say.

In a sense, he was one of the culprits. The kingdom was temporarily without the support of Alice, a powerful figure, which could potentially cause trouble.

Thinking about this, Fingel felt a little ashamed... There should be more powerful figures, right? It can't really be the kind of story where a little girl protects the entire country, can it?

That's ridiculous.

“Alright, then have a safe journey.” Fingel stood up and took Alice’s small hand. “May you return victorious.”

Alice smiled slightly.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Fen."

The monster attack was quickly suppressed. Although Alice was not present at the beginning, the kingdom's upper echelons still had ample power. In addition, the adventurers actively participated and routed the Demon King's army. Finally, Alice arrived, took the Holy Sword from Kureya, and easily killed the high-level monsters that were attacking, ending the attack.

As for Fingel?

Haha, you don't think he's the kind of person who would risk his life for a little girl he just met, do you? Don't be ridiculous. He's still in a weakened state right now. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; he could easily die for no reason.

Therefore, Fingel had no intention of fighting the Demon King's army at all; he just stayed in the city eating, drinking, and having fun.

On the ninth day, the kingdom could no longer blockade the capital. Taking advantage of the moment the passage opened, Fingel slipped out and found a caravan heading to other cities, paying a gold coin for the journey.

After leaving the capital, Fingel felt a little regretful, as he probably wouldn't be able to pin that Kurea down on the bed for a while.