{Chapter 61} You’re the Big Boss Now
Fortunately, Louise didn't do anything particularly outrageous after that.
After a meal that Anna felt was so extravagant she didn't even dare to guess how much it cost, and after changing into her armor, Anna was promptly escorted out of the restaurant by Louise, who was clinging to her arm.
"...I should go on patrol this afternoon."
Although Anna instinctively wanted to slack off, being with Louise now only added to her stress.
Anna was worried that if she ran into Helga while she was with Louise, even if she explained herself, Louise would likely escalate the situation...
"Senpai, I feel like you're thinking something bad about me, aren't you?" Louise, who was close to Anna, suddenly whispered this, startling Anna and making her whole body tremble.
"But never mind, I don't really care."
As she said this, a familiar expression appeared on Louise's face:
"Senpai's cute and innocent look should be savored slowly at the right moment..."
"Ugh..."
Although she used to actively counterattack, making Louise, who was all talk and no action, completely back off, today, after being so boldly confessed to by Louise, Anna couldn't muster any counterattack at all.
She could only let out pitiful whimpers like a small, adorable animal.
"Alright, I should give Senpai some personal space too."
Just as they reached a fork in the road, Louise voluntarily let go of Anna's hand, and the smile on her face gradually faded.
"Then, F-rank Knight Anna, I wish you a smooth workday today."
Staring blankly as Louise turned and walked away without hesitation, Anna opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to stop her.
‘No, no! Anna, what's wrong with you! You should be relieved right now!’
Her inner self criticized this subconscious reaction, but then immediately followed up with another critique:
‘Is there anything wrong with wanting to keep the person you love close?’
Regardless of how tangled Anna's emotions were, the fact remained that after standing still for a while, she realized Louise really didn't look back and just walked alone down the street leading back to the knights' headquarters.
"...Whatever, let's go on patrol."
Sighing like a lovesick girl for a while, Anna sorted out her thoughts, then took out her helmet from her spatial ring and put it on, leaving only her visor open and not exposing a single inch of skin.
This was also Anna's subconscious way of hiding her embarrassment.
"Let's see, where am I supposed to patrol today..."
At the fork in the road, there happened to be a notice board set up by the knights, listing the patrol routes for the day.
It not only reminded forgetful knights of their duties but also let the townsfolk know which knight was responsible for their street that day.
"Let's see... Upper East Street, Upper North Street, Queen's Street... Lilian Street..."
Then, Anna started spacing out again.
These street names might mean nothing to outsiders, but to Anna, they were all too familiar.
And what made Anna freeze up again was the last one: "Lilian Street."
Outsiders might not know where this street was, but how could Anna not know?
Wasn't this the red-light district?!
Seeing Louise's signature clearly written in the "Today's Patrol Assigner" section, Anna was truly baffled.
What was Louise doing? Why would she assign me to patrol the red-light district?
Sure, it's just a patrol, but hadn't I complained to Louise before about being constantly harassed by the ladies of the night on that street?
And now... on the very day we confirmed our relationship...
From what Louise had said earlier, no matter what, she was planning to confess to me today, and there was a chance I'd accept her feelings... So why assign me to patrol the red-light district afterward?
And most importantly... if Anna remembered correctly, the red-light district was owned by the Latimir family, right?
Could it be that Louise wanted to see me spend money on girls in the red-light district?
This kind of bizarre plot was something Anna had only seen in third-rate nighttime reading materials from the Empire.
Whatever, thinking too much is pointless. Since Louise assigned me to patrol the red-light district, I'll just go and take a look...
After all, it's been a long time since I last patrolled that street.
The only time I went there recently was to secretly investigate who the real boss behind the red-light district was, and that didn't achieve anything except getting teased by that lady who kept trying to recruit me.
These four streets formed a loop on the map, which was one of the standard patrol routes for knights.
And it didn't take long to complete a round.
So, after just a ten-minute walk, Anna soon found herself at the entrance of the red-light district.
Seeing the same strange lights and the various ladies of the night she had seen when she last visited over ten days ago, Anna felt a rare sense of awe.
If she had been patrolling here regularly like before, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but it had been over ten days since her last visit, so it was natural to feel a bit intimidated...
But Anna just adjusted her mindset and stepped into the red-light district.
Although she was wearing her helmet, she hadn't closed the visor, and a fully armored knight was indeed quite eye-catching. It didn't take long before Anna felt many eyes on her.
Even though only her face was visible, perhaps because she had patrolled here so many times before, some of the more experienced ladies immediately recognized Anna's armor and gave her familiar smiles.
"Knight Anna, long time no see."
"Haven't seen Knight Anna in a while."
"Knight Anna, it's been so long since you've been here. Why don't you come in for a visit?"
Some of the bolder ladies even came up to greet her, leaving Anna both amused and exasperated.
Visiting their shops was out of the question... Not only were Anna and these ladies merely acquaintances, but if she really went into one of those shops... it would probably turn into more than just a visit.
I, a noble female knight, will not succumb to your temptations.
"Oh my, isn't this Knight Anna?"
Just then, a familiar figure appeared in front of Anna.
Wasn't this the lady who had tried to recruit her before?
"...Hello?"
"Haha, how come after not seeing you for over ten days, Knight Anna has reverted to how she was half a year ago when she first came here to patrol?" The lady laughed so hard her whole body shook.
"Don't worry, I won't try to recruit you anymore."
"After all, orders have come from above. You're now the big boss of this red-light district, someone we can't afford to mess with."