{Chapter 69} The Responsibility of a Knight
Since that day, the man named Theodore never approached Anna again.
Of course, it might also be because Louise had Anna stay at her house immediately after the incident to ensure she wouldn’t be alone with him.
Although he didn’t come looking for her, even though Anna only stayed for one night, she felt like her life had become much more chaotic… especially since Helga was now living there too.
Given the previous relationship between Louise and Helga, Louise would never have allowed Helga to stay in her house under normal circumstances.
"...Maybe this is a blessing in disguise after all the cold treatment?"
With one hand propped on the desk, Anna sighed, holding a quill but hesitating to write.
On the desk lay a resignation letter.
Although the royal investigation team had taken much of the spotlight, it’s important to remember that it was Louise’s father who initially called for the investigation.
The royal investigation team simply merged with the one he had sent.
After the investigation team arrived, Louise also stepped down from her position as acting commander.
The role of acting commander would now be assumed by the highest-ranking officer in the duke’s investigation team.
Of course, the royal family had no authority to interfere with the appointments within the knight order.
The Duke Latimir was the lord of this territory, and the king had no right to interfere with the appointments of officials under the duke’s jurisdiction.
This was a rule that had remained unchanged since the founding of the Carrick Empire thousands of years ago.
However, the governance system of the neighboring Iveg Empire was a different matter.
After the duke’s appointed acting commander took office, Anna began to consider resigning.
In a few days, once the simulator returned, she could apply for a promotion to an E-rank knight.
This would grant her her own fief, making her a small landowning lord!
That way, even if Helga and Louise were to abandon her, she would at least have land to sustain herself…
Her mind instinctively drifted to the worst-case scenario, but Anna shook her head and started writing her resignation letter.
"Anna!"
However, she had only written a few words when the commotion outside interrupted her.
Helga then pushed the door open and, seeing the faint trace of worry on Anna’s face, said, "Let’s go on a date!"
"...Huh?"
Before Anna could process what was happening, Helga had already pulled her up, not even giving her time to put the quill back in its holder.
A few minutes later…
"Why the sudden idea of a date…?"
"Even if you say that, we’ve never had a proper date, just the two of us, right?"
"Not… really."
Now that she thought about it, it was true.
Although they had spent time alone together before, it could hardly be considered a formal date.
The time at the weapon shop was just Anna patrolling while accompanying Helga, and it wasn’t exactly enjoyable.
"Right? Right!?" Helga tightly grasped Anna’s right hand with both of hers.
"So, have you thought about where to go?"
"Even if you say that…"
Being suddenly pulled out for a date without any preparation left Anna at a loss for where to go.
"How about… shopping?"
"...Shopping again?" Helga didn’t seem too pleased.
"Is shopping the only thing that comes to mind when you think of a date?"
"But… there’s not much else to do in this town."
Although it was large enough to be considered a city, there weren’t many entertainment options in the town.
In fact, the biggest form of entertainment was shopping.
"Hmm…" After thinking for a moment, Helga suddenly had an idea:
"How about… we take a walk outside the town?"
"...Sure." Anna replied indifferently.
"Though I don’t think there’s much to see outside the town…"
Anna’s response was because there really wasn’t much to see outside the town.
There were no special landscapes, no mountains, no entertainment facilities, no unique markets that only existed outside the town, just an endless forest.
Moreover, the forest was always teeming with magical beasts.
Normal people wouldn’t leave the town unless they were traveling far.
Even the lumberjacks needed a dedicated knight squad for protection when they went out to cut wood…
"The forest that breeds magical beasts, such a high level of magical beast activity might actually be a unique kind of scenery!"
Only you could say something like that, Helga.
"...Fine, those magical beasts aren’t that strong anyway. A walk might be nice."
Seeing Helga’s eager expression, Anna had no choice but to accompany her.
Walking further out from the knight order’s headquarters led to the outskirts of the town.
In fact, the knight order’s headquarters was built right against the town’s walls.
Once outside the town, there was a relatively wide dirt road, with a few fields visible along the way. But beyond that, all that could be seen was an endless expanse of forest.
"Compared to before, the number of patrolling knights has really decreased…"
Seeing the significantly reduced number of patrolling knights, Anna frowned.
This was one of the reasons Anna hesitated about writing her resignation letter.
The border knight order was severely understaffed, and if she left, the situation would only worsen…
Anna could even see some adventurers patrolling the fields, whereas before, the border knight order alone could handle all the patrol duties in and around the town.
"Honestly, I shouldn’t be so attached to such a thankless job."
Feeling the gradually cooling breeze, Anna muttered to herself.
"But as a knight, I guess I should have a sense of responsibility, right?"
"Anna, don’t overthink it."
Helga gently wrapped an arm around Anna, also enjoying the refreshing breeze.
"As a knight, I think you’re doing just fine."
"How would you know if I’m doing well? You’ve only been in town for a few days," Anna retorted.
"Who says I don’t know?"
Helga smiled softly. "Although I’ve only been here for a few days, during my time working as an adventurer, I’ve heard your name mentioned quite a few times."
"...Huh?"
"Everyone in town knows Anna. When I asked about you, many people said you’ve helped them a lot."
"They all say you truly are a knight."
"So, don’t overthink it," Helga said with a smile.
"Even if you resign from the border knight order, you’re still a knight. You can still help, maybe under the guise of an adventurer or something."
"That’s true…"
"And you might even earn more that way!"
"...Don’t ruin the moment by bringing up money… Mmm!?"
Although Helga’s sudden kiss was a bit unexpected, it did help lift Anna’s spirits.
In any case, Anna’s mood had indeed improved.