Seeing a familiar adult, the little boy clung to me and burst into tears.
I stroked the boy's back and asked him softly by his ear.
"Did you go to the forest with your friend from the beach? Were you attacked by a monster there?"
"Y-Yes, in the Western Forest..."
"The Western Forest, huh. Do you remember where it is?"
"Y-Yes."
"You're a good boy. If you can, will you come with me to the forest and show me where it is? You don't need to worry about the monster. There's a very strong knight who will take care of it in no time."
I spoke slowly to reassure him, and the boy lifted his face slightly to look at the adults standing behind me, including Sir Cyril.
However, he quickly lowered his face and muttered in a resigned tone.
"I-It's impossible! The knights don't help the people of Sazaland!"
Pretending not to notice Sir Cyril's stiffened body, I spoke to the boy.
"Is that so? When I became a knight, I promised to 'always protect the weak.' All knights make this promise and always keep it. So, I think it will be okay. ... Have you ever been in trouble and asked a knight for help, but they didn't help you?"
"... I've never asked a knight for help before, so I don't know."
I picked up the boy and stood up at the same time.
"I see. But now that you've said 'help me,' I will help you. The knights behind me heard your words, so they will help your friend too."
The boy looked at me intently and nodded silently.
Seeing this, Sir Cyril reached out his hand in frustration.
"Fia, if you don't mind, I'll carry the boy. If you carry him, it will slow us down."
However, the boy, seeing Sir Cyril's outstretched hand, whispered "Ah!" and clung to me tightly.
Seeing this, Sir Cyril's hand fell limply to his side.
Then, Sir Curtis spoke to the boy.
"Hello, I'm a knight who protects Sazaland, so you must recognize my face. I'm the 'Azure Captain' you and the others always call me."
"Ah..."
The boy glanced up at Sir Curtis and exclaimed as if something had dawned on him.
Sir Curtis continued speaking with a gentle expression.
"Your friend is scared, so we need to hurry to help them. It will be faster if I carry you. Is it okay if I pick you up?"
The boy hesitated for a moment but then extended his hands towards Sir Curtis.
... Well, as Sir Cyril said, Sir Curtis is the only knight accepted by the locals.
I thought this as I slipped out of the boy's embrace and watched him cling to Sir Curtis.
The adults who had gathered around watched silently, but when we started to move, they spoke up in alarm.
"Ah, children sometimes go into the forest, but they always stay near the entrance. ... If it's a monster near the entrance, we can handle it, so we'll go."
"That's right. We can help the children, so there's no need to trouble the knights."
Despite the emergency of children being attacked by a monster, the residents insisted on not wanting the knights' help.
Hearing this, Sir Cyril, with a frustrated expression, suppressed his emotions and spoke in a flat tone.
"Thank you for offering your help. However, recently, monsters across the continent have been acting unpredictably, so even near the entrance of the forest, there's a possibility of encountering a powerful monster."
Looking around at the residents who had fallen silent upon hearing his words, Sir Cyril continued.
"I am Sir Cyril, the First Knight Captain. I will definitely bring the children back, so please leave it to me."
Hearing Sir Cyril's words, some of the residents were startled.
"First Knight Captain, you're the lord...?"
"Of the Sazaland duchy..."
Sir Cyril ignored the murmuring residents, turned on his heel, and ran towards the forest.
Sir Curtis also tried to follow but stopped, looking worriedly at the residents who were huddled together.
"We are skilled knights, so you can rest assured. Ah, in case the children are injured, could you call the holy maiden for us?"
Hearing this, several residents ran towards the church.
It seemed that Sir Curtis had not only reassured the residents but also successfully instilled a sense of community by giving them the task of calling the holy maiden.
... Well, Sir Curtis is incredibly skilled at motivating people.
Thinking this, I ran to the entrance of the town to catch up with everyone.
Fortunately, we had left our horses at the town entrance, so it was a quick ride to the Western Forest.
Our prediction that the children wouldn't have gone deep into the forest because of their small size was correct. The location was about five minutes from the forest entrance, a place where children could easily enter and where monsters usually don't appear.
However, the actions of monsters are not always predictable, and the children were indeed facing a monster.
Fortunately, the roots of the tree where the children were cornered by the monster had a deep hollow large enough for multiple children to hide in, and the monster couldn't reach them.
The monster was a Basilisk, a lizard-like creature about three meters long, a B-rank monster that usually resides deep in the forest.
As Sir Cyril mentioned, the range of monster activity might have changed.
There were two Basilisks, making it a difficult battle for the four children.
While I was wondering what to do, Sir Cyril spoke to me.
"Fia, I'll leave the protection of the children to you. With two monsters, three of us should be enough."
Well, I was politely dismissed...
Despite this, I thought Sir Cyril's judgment was accurate.
Yes, I am the weakest among us, and protecting the children is necessary.
However, I wondered if three people were enough for two B-rank monsters.
Basilisks can spit a powerful poison, have tough skin, and move quickly.
Even with Sir Cyril's strength and the presence of Sir Curtis and Fabian, two Basilisks might be too much.
As I was thinking this, Sir Cyril drew his sword with a swish.
Ah, he's strong.
The moment Sir Cyril drew his sword, the air seemed to tighten, and I held my breath.
With his sword in hand, Sir Cyril seemed to transform into a completely different being.
I had seen Sir Cyril draw his sword several times, such as when he fought the Supreme Savis and the Flowerhorn Deer, but the aura he exuded now was different from any of those times.
Ah, Sir Cyril's strength changes depending on the situation.
I exhaled in relief and spoke to the boy, who was looking worriedly at Sir Cyril and the others.
"The knight who drew his sword is the lord of Sazaland. Don't worry. That lord knight is very strong and will definitely protect us."
Hearing my words, the boy silently wrapped his arms around my waist.
I smiled at the boy and firmly held his hands, which were wrapped around my waist.
【Thank You & Notice】
Many people have bought the book. Thank you very much.
Thanks to you, I have been asked to write a sequel, so I will start working on it.
If the update frequency becomes irregular, I apologize (whisper).
I was told I can add as much as I like, so I plan to write the story, taking into account the requests I received in the comments.