A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Let alone giving someone a painting as a gift, even if Bray gave her armor, Virginia probably would have accepted it.

"It really is a rabbit." Virginia couldn't help but chuckle after lifting the white sheet.

The reason she couldn't help but laugh was that the rabbit in the painting looked somewhat similar to the doll she usually hugged.

“I really like it,” Virginia said with a smile.

"So, I had someone draw it," Naruko snorted, hands on her hips, and said proudly.

It would have been better if she hadn't said those words; once they were spoken, Virginia's smile froze.

Ah, my good mood has been greatly diminished.

She really loved the painting and even wanted to find a nice place to frame it.

This rabbit really looks like Bree; Virginia couldn't resist wanting to hug it.

But when she learned that the painting was commissioned by Naruko, she had mixed feelings.

Naruko is her rival in love, and the biggest one at that.

However, Virginia didn't dislike Naruko that much; on the contrary, she felt a little envious and admiring.

But... Virginia was upset to find out that the rabbit was chosen by Bray, which she had completely believed was not the case.

If Bray bought it herself, then even a dagger would probably make her happy for a while.

Unfortunately, that's not it.

“I like it very much.” Virginia pondered for a moment, then smiled.

"Thank you for picking out the gift for me," Virginia said sincerely to Naruko.

"You're welcome!"

"Tsk, damn pink hair." Blanche clicked her tongue, her eyes looking rather unfriendly.

“Blanche, send this painting back later,” Virginia said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Then Blanche immediately put on her usual docile expression.

"Here you go." Levy handed the drawing board she had been holding for so long to Blanche.

"Thank you." Blanche nodded and took the easel.

"You're welcome~" Levy chuckled.

"..." Blanche's expression softened a bit; the little girl's "you're welcome" sounded much better than the pink-haired girl's.

“Mr. Bray, how about I show you around Clinton?” Virginia put aside the painting for the time being and extended an invitation to Bray.

"Hmm, it would be good to play together." Bray thought for a few seconds and then agreed, because there was no reason to refuse.

“Then let’s go now.” Virginia naturally took Bray’s hand.

Bray's eyelid twitched, but he didn't resist.

Of course, for a man, there's not much to resist. Yesterday, Princess Virginia and Bray had a very enjoyable time sightseeing in downtown Clinton.

The only downside was that Virginia and Bray didn't have any alone time during that period.

This is understandable, as Naruko and Levy went along as well, leaving Blanche no way to create any space for her princess.

To be honest, Blanche was already feeling utterly disheartened by the development of Princess Virginia's relationship with her.

However, we should still try our best until the very last moment.

It's worth mentioning that Virginia didn't show any dissatisfaction with Naruko's presence while she was sightseeing.

This composure wasn't feigned; Virginia truly felt no jealousy.

Well, it's true that I wanted to take Bray from Naruko, but I didn't harbor any extra resentment because of it.

It can only be said that there are few women in the world who think like Princess Virginia.

Thanks to this, Bray never found Princess Virginia annoying.

When I was with Virginia, I even had a somewhat "leisurely" feeling.

Yesterday was a great time, so Blanche took the opportunity to invite Bray, Naruko, and Levy to another gathering, as well as Lux, who was of course indispensable.

She wondered if she could give her princess another boost.

Unfortunately, the next day, when we went on a field trip with the college group, quite a few unexpected things happened.

For example, getting lost.

There are no road signs in the suburbs, and it's normal to encounter woods or intricate paths.

Generally speaking, as long as you don't go too deep, finding your way back is relatively easy.

Of course, this is the general case; there are always exceptions.

Fog is common in the suburbs, and Lux ​​is currently surrounded by thick fog.

The scenery looked even more like a fairyland because of the fog, but it also made travel inconvenient.

If it weren't for the instructor occasionally using magic to dispel the fog, walking would have been even more troublesome.

"Sister Virginia..." Lux stopped and called out to Virginia in a strange tone.

"Lux, what's wrong?" Virginia subconsciously turned her head to look at Lux.

Then, Virginia's expression froze.

"It looks like they've gotten lost," Blanche said slowly, placing her hands on her lower abdomen.

“Yes…” Virginia said helplessly.

While I'm not too worried about Bray's current safety, getting lost is still a concern.

I really hope it was her and Mr. Bray who got lost, then maybe a lot of exciting things could happen.

What am I thinking?

Virginia touched her face, inwardly criticizing her earlier thought.

But I'm really envious...

---

"Achoo!!!" Naruko sneezed loudly.

Naruko, who considers herself a beautiful girl, completely lost her composure when she sneezed just now.

"Got a cold?" Bray asked casually.

While this statement does show concern for others, its effect is similar to "drink more hot water."

"Give me some real action." Naruko looked at Bray with disdain.

She completely forgot who was the one who chickened out at the most crucial moment.

"What concrete actions?"

"Hugging and cuddling, and things like that."

"..." Bray didn't want to. Even if he was strong, it wasn't impossible for him to catch someone else's cold.

The thought of getting sick with Naruko gave Bray goosebumps.

"Bray~ Where is this?" Levy grabbed Bray's hand and asked a rather important question.

Naruko and Bray both fell silent.

They didn't know how to answer Levy's question.

Could it be that these two adults got lost? Or were they traveling with other people?

Bray felt a little embarrassed to say it out loud.

For a moment, Bray forgot that Naruko was terrible with directions and followed the idiot Naruko without thinking. What a mistake.

"Hmm?" Looking at the two who remained silent for a long time, Levy tilted her head, indicating her confusion =A=.

In fact, Levy had known all along that Bray and Naruko were drifting further and further away from Virginia and the others.

Even if the fog is thick, it doesn't matter, because even if you can't see clearly, Levy can still smell it.

Levy pondered why Bray had left Virginia and the others.

However, seeing Naruko's confident stride, Levy obediently followed.

Why think about complicated things? Just follow along and that's it =V=, anyway, nothing will happen as long as Bray is around.

Even after witnessing Bray's near-death experience last time, Levy never questioned the claim that "Bray is invincible."

In Levy's mind, Bray would definitely win in the end, and that smiling guy must have tricked Bray.

However, it must be said that Levy was absolutely right.

“Bray, Bray, where are we?” Levy asked again.

Bray sighed first, then prepared to tell the truth.

“We’re lost.” Bray looked at Levy with a helpless expression.

"Oh!" Levy, having learned the answer, responded as usual, seemingly unsurprised.

Hearing Levy's overly cheerful response, Bray's right eye filled with shock.

What's going on? Why is Levy so calm? Is it because Levy doesn't realize how serious it is to be lost?

"Levy, aren't you surprised?" This time it was Naruko who asked.

Not to mention Bray, even Naruko was shocked. How calm Levy was?

If you get lost and can't find your way, the consequences can be very serious.

It will kill people!

"Isn't it normal for us to get lost?" Levy said matter-of-factly, with an OAO expression.

It turned out that Bray had wandered off because he got lost; Levy had thought he was going to some mysterious place.

Since we're just lost, there's nothing to worry about.

She ended up in some strange place without really knowing what was going on; it wasn't the first time for Levy anyway.

"Is this normal..." Bray murmured, beginning to reflect deeply.

While Bray was pondering where he had gone wrong in educating Levy about values ​​and common sense, the three of them unknowingly wandered into a garden filled with thorns and roses.

Enveloped in mist, these roses gained an added air of mystery.

This thorny garden was utterly quiet.

This place seems to have been neglected for a long time; thorns grow wildly, blocking some of the paths.

However, if the road is blocked, just take another route.

After taking a detour, Bray came across an old house.

It looked like a long-neglected, uninhabited mansion—if there were no lights inside.

Saying it's been in disrepair for years might be an exaggeration, but it's true that this old house is more like a historical relic for tourists than a place where people live.

Upon closer inspection, Bray found that it wasn't as bad as it looked from afar; at least the front yard was clean, and there weren't many blemishes on the walls.

The vines climbing all over the walls added a touch of nature to the old house.

"It looks like a house from a ghost story!" Naruko exclaimed, her eyes shining.

It seems she's not only not afraid, but rather quite looking forward to it.

In this mysterious old house, Angelia sipped her coffee on the balcony.

What's puzzling is that it's already evening, isn't she afraid of having trouble sleeping tonight if she drinks coffee?

"The fog is even thicker today," Angelia muttered to herself after putting down her cup.

"Young Miss." Just after she finished speaking, 112's petite figure appeared at the door behind her.

The young lady had told 112 that she should come in through the door from now on, so this time 112 suddenly stood at the door.

“It’s so quiet, it’s terrifying,” Angelia said helplessly.

"Isn't death a good thing?" 112 said.