Grin let out a sigh of relief.
"Fine, actually, the Bishop of Sloth is coming for you."
Emilia's pupils dimmed slightly, and she subconsciously pulled the hood of her cloak forward.
Her fingertips gripped the fabric tightly, burying most of her face in the shadows.
As if this could shut out the malicious gazes hidden in the air.
The past whispers of gossip, the evasive dodging, and the occasional stones and insults thrown at her had long since pierced her heart like a dense array of needles.
Her long-term experience of being isolated and loathed had made her accept by default that her existence was unwelcome.
Even in Roswaal's Mansion, she didn't even want to face her own appearance in the mirror—fearing she would see that face which brought calamity.
"Why does Grin go to such lengths? Even to the point of facing the terrifying White Whale and the Witch Cult."
The girl's voice carried a hint of imperceptible sadness.
Grin patted Emilia's back and comforted her with a smile:
"Emilia, don't always say things like that. It makes me sound like your simp."
"It's like this: Sloth would endanger Aram Village, so I can't leave him be. That scumbag Gluttony and I have a personal grudge, and I simply find greed annoying. Got it?"
"Eh?"
Emilia's sense of loss was completely washed away by a sudden wave of fluster.
She suddenly raised her head, her hood slipping down to reveal those purple eyes filled with anxiety:
"No, no, Grin, you are my Attendant and close friend. I absolutely don't have any vulgar thoughts about treating you like a dog or anything."
For now, Grin really was her first and only close friend.
"Uh... is that the point?"
Grin pressed his hand to his forehead, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"And you've misunderstood, Emilia. A'simp' is someone who lowers their posture, unconditionally accommodates the other person's needs, and wants to be with them. It's not an actual dog."
Emilia had an epiphany: "I see... then Rem is your simp, right?"
"You... mutual affection can't be called simping; that's called true love."
Hearing this, Grin felt like he was choking on air.
Emilia's delicate nose wrinkled imperceptibly, and she covered her small mouth in surprise:
"Wow~ Since when did this happen? Although I knew you and Rem were close, I didn't expect it to have turned from friendship into love?"
So, her Knight had fallen in love.
The Half-Elf girl turned her head away, subconsciously avoiding Grin's gaze.
She raised her fingertips to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her movements carrying a hint of imperceptible panic.
The sun was bright at the moment, but it didn't feel very warm.
As the breeze blew, she even felt a slight chill in her abdomen.
Grin didn't notice Emilia's expression; he walked ahead with his hands behind his head.
"It's truly not easy for you to even know the word 'love' anymore..."
"Hmph~"
Emilia gave a light hmph: "I'm nearly a hundred years older than you, okay?"
The girl quickened her pace and caught up to Grin's side.
"By the way, Grin, where did you buy that tree cake the other day? I want to eat another one."
Grin raised his hand and pointed to a shop that had long since closed: "There, that's the one."
"Why is it closed!"
Emilia exclaimed, pouting her lips in disappointment.
Grin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with an awkward laugh and explained, "Maybe all the cakes were bought out by some spendthrift woman."
"Ah? That's too much. I wanted to treat Grin back for once."
Emilia's face was filled with a resentful expression, her large purple eyes looking around as she tried to find a cake shop that wasn't closed.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as she hoped; all the cake shops had'Sold Out' signs hanging up.
Just as Emilia slumped her shoulders in dejection, she caught a glimpse of the crossroads from the corner of her eye.
A large crowd had gathered there, a dense mass of people, noisy and incredibly lively.
"Grin, look, something seems to be happening over there?"
With that, Emilia reflexively grabbed Grin's wrist and jogged toward the crowd with great interest.
As they approached, the noisy sounds from the crowd came crashing over them.
All sorts of discussions, exclamations, and cheers were mixed together in a chaotic mess.
"My god, this guy is unbelievable!"
"I have to say, he's amazing! With that strength, he could probably knock down a bull!"
"Has no one notified the Guards? This is a bit too cruel!"
"Oh, you mean the Guards? It looks like they were just pushed out!"
Emilia stood on her tiptoes in curiosity, her slender calves tensed straight.
From time to time, she couldn't help but hop a little, like a cute little rabbit hooked by curiosity, trying her best to see the scene in the center of the crowd.
But there were too many people; all she could see were bobbing heads, a dense black mass.
Let alone seeing what was inside, she couldn't even spot a shadow.
What made her even more hesitant was that she didn't dare squeeze into the crowd.
After all, her face was too conspicuous; if she were recognized, there was no telling what kind of commotion it might cause.
If she encountered some ill-intentioned people and was groped, it would be even worse.
In the end, the girl could only turn her head pitifully and cast a pleading gaze at Grin.
"Grin... I can't see inside..."
After a brief thought, Grin slowly walked behind Emilia.
"Don't move, I'll lift you up."
"Eh?"
Emilia was stunned for a moment, followed by a cry of surprise; the sudden feeling of weightlessness as her body went airborne made her subconsciously tense up.
Her hands flailed about, but her perspective kept rising, and the scene previously blocked by heads was gradually revealed.
Emilia stammered, "Wait... Grin..."
Grin turned a deaf ear, simply grabbing Emilia's arms steadily.
With a bit of force, he lifted her up sideways and let her sit steadily on his shoulders.
The girl's weight was surprisingly light, like a fluffy cotton doll; there was no pressure when she landed on his shoulders.
She was just a bit stiff when she first sat down, her small body struggling randomly on his shoulders for fear of falling.
"Alright, Emilia, now you can definitely see! Tell me what's inside in a bit."
Only then did Emilia slowly calm down, clutching Grin's head tightly with both hands as she carefully maintained her balance.
After taking a breath, she raised her head and looked through the gaps in the center of the crowd.
However, when she saw clearly what the people were gathered around, the girl's pupils suddenly dilated, and the curiosity on her face instantly froze.
"Nani?"
Emilia was speechless with surprise, her small mouth slightly open as her whole body froze on Grin's shoulders.
In the center of the tightly packed crowd, everyone seemed to have reached a tacit understanding, voluntarily leaving an open space.
In the center of the clearing knelt an old man with a crazed expression.
His hair was messy, and his face was full of a ferocious expression.
At this moment, he was tightly clutching the neck of a skeletal female dog, letting out unintelligible roars as he fiercely conducted so-called 'instructional training' with the dog.
"Hold on, Bruce!"