Back home, I spent some time just watching Levinas, feeling uneasy about the awful experience she’d just gone through.

'...I promised to protect her if things got dangerous.'

But instead of protecting her, I’d only ended up showing her my own helplessness.

For anyone else, it would’ve been disappointing, a complete letdown. Embarrassed, I watched her from a distance, unable to approach.

If I had been stronger, today wouldn’t have turned out this way. Just as I was lowering my head in defeat, I saw Levinas suddenly start hopping by the campfire with excitement.

“Amazing! The King is amazing!”

“W-What…?”