[Stress: He’s even more taciturn than I thought.]

[Something: Let’s try to win him over, it’ll be fun.]

[Gold2: Win him over? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Isaac: The quiet ones are always the most interesting to get to know.]

[Manager: You’re getting a warningㅡㅡ]

[Isaac: Ah, when did you get here?]

“Why bother with a character who’s not even part of the original story.”

People seemed too eager for romance. I couldn’t understand why they were interested in a character not from the original story.

[AsparagusCharm: I find him more intriguing than the original characters for some reason.]

[Poppopo: He is a new type, after all.]

[asdf: Could be interesting.]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: It’s too difficult for Nuna. Donate points to help her ㅋㅋ]

Classic PleaseShakeACarrot. That’s why I felt such a strong connection with him. He understood basic etiquette.

[Gold2: Should we set a mission fee then?]

[Something: Is that even a feature?]

[Gold2: Who knows, they’ll probably create it for us.]

[Manager: Are you joking?]

[Isaac: Creating more work, such a dutiful junior.]

[Isaac has been muted for 5 minutes.]

[Poppopo: Easy target, that one.]

[Manager: Yep.]

It was fun to watch the viewers chat among themselves.

I just crossed my arms and watched as events unfolded.

[Manager: But creating it wouldn’t be difficult.]

[Something: Do we need Gabi’s permission?]

[Manager:  If she has a problem, tell her to cut it out.]

[MadelineTastesGood: ㄷㄷ]

[asdf: I’ll handle it.]

[Manager: ㄱㅅ]

asdf, who had previously acted as an assistant manager, seemed to have that kind of authority. She was more than just an ordinary viewer.

Soon, a new window popped up, a form I had never seen before. Points began to accumulate, like a piggy bank.

[PleaseShakeACarrot: I’ll put in 5,000 points―ㅎ]

[Stress: Typical PleaseShakeACarrot, young and richㅋ]

[LLoading: Manager, you should join the mission fund!]

[Manager: Why should I;]

[OnlyFinley: It’ll be funㅋㅋ]

They were really just interested in romance and fun.

I wondered how many people would be interested in pursuing someone they just met yesterday. I watched the mission fund grow without much expectation.

“……?”

Contrary to my indifferent attitude, the mission fund began to rise at an alarming rate.

Soon, the pace slowed down, and the amount was fully collected.

I was shocked when I saw the total amount.

A whopping 120,300 points.

The chat was usually dominated by the same talkative people, while most just quietly watched the broadcast. But it seemed everyone participated in the mission, resulting in an astronomical sum.

And next to it was a list showing who had contributed how much.

[OnlyFinley: ?? The manager bet 20,000 points?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Manager: Why the ** is the list showing up?]

[asdf: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: After all that playing hard to getㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[LLoading: ㅋㅋㅋThe manager was enjoying it too―]

The manager turned out to be the biggest contributor of points. He had never donated before but apparently had been saving up a lot.

I finally came to my senses.

“So, I only get the mission fund if I succeed, right?”

[asdf: Yep.]

“And the current mission is to make my escort knight fall for me.”

[OnlyFinley: Heart-throbbing♡]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: This is going to be funㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[LLoading: So excited――]

A new goal had emerged.

From today on, I’d focus solely on Bates, forgetting about the original story and everything else.

Wait for it, one-twenty-thousand.

* * *

The next morning, I immediately started my plan.

“Hello!”

I greeted Bates with the brightest smile I could muster.

Bates seemed confused by my sudden change in demeanor but nodded in response.

First, I needed to get closer to Bates. I started a friendly conversation.

“The weather is quite nice today, isn’t it?”

“Rain is forecasted.”

“There’s a certain romance to rainy days, isn’t there?”

“Yes…”

Bates seemed uninterested. Judging by his attitude, he seemed aware of my situation. Since I wasn’t of noble rank or anything significant.

“How about a walk? A stroll in the rain sounds lovely!”

“I’m not sure.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

I took the lead, ignoring the exasperated feeling emanating from Bates.

I had sent the maid away to be alone with Bates. Each of us carried an umbrella.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was soothing. It didn’t interfere with our conversation. In fact, it added a cozy atmosphere.

“What do you enjoy, Sir Bates?”

Bates was silent for a moment before responding.

“Rainy days.”

I couldn’t tell if he was just saying that because it was raining or if he truly meant it.

Yet, his response to my question about his likes with ‘weather’ showed a certain sensitivity.

After that, it was quiet. I expected him to ask me back, but he remained a man of few words.

“Don’t you wonder what I like?”

I blatantly forced him to take an interest.

Bates finally asked,

“What do you enjoy, Lady?”

“I like…”

I realized then, I hadn’t really thought about what I liked.

Money? Points? Teasing Eric?

Only strange things came to mind.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck and I voiced it.

“Something stimulating.”

“…?”

Bates looked puzzled at my answer. It was a remark that could easily be misunderstood by others, so I quickly clarified.

“Something enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?”

“Yes. I just need it to be fun.”

Though it was all for the show, to others, it might seem like I’m just someone who enjoys life.

Bates smiled slightly at that.

He was definitely smiling.

“I know.”

He responded like that.

“You know?”

“It appears so.”

Bates, as if he had never smiled, spoke again in his blunt manner.

Do I really look like that, even to someone who met me just yesterday? So much for my mysterious persona.

I knew he liked rainy days. I needed more information.

Now that it’s come to this, I should use the method I applied with Kabir.

In a lively voice, I said,

“Shall we play a game?”

“That’s fine.”

Come on, show some interest.

At least Kabir asked what it was about. This guy was worse than the Duke of the North.

Undeterred, I continued.

“We ask each other questions we’re curious about! Sounds fun, right?”

“…Yes.”

Bates eventually agreed. He might be struggling, but right now, I was also using every ounce of my nonexistent social skills.

I threw the first question.

“I heard you’re a quite capable knight, how did you end up working here?”

“I was offered.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

It would be an honor to be recruited as a knight by a duke’s family, but for someone to come to a domain full of monsters just because they were asked was not normal.

“You know this place is dangerous, right?”

“You came here too, Lady.”

I had nothing to say to that. He really knew how to leave someone speechless.

“Don’t you have anything to ask?”

At my question, Bates fell silent for a moment.

Then he opened his mouth.

“Maybe…”

“Lady!”

Before Bates could finish, Selena’s voice rang out. It was almost a scream.

Bates and I turned towards the sound. Selena was running towards us.

She was drenched in sweat. Her expression was also far from normal.

Selena, stopping in front of me, was gasping for breath. Up close, I could see tears welling up in her eyes.

“What happened?”

“Sir Eric…”

Selena couldn’t finish her sentence, choked by sobs.

The moment she mentioned Eric, a bad feeling washed over me.

“Where is he?”

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Bates asked Selena.

Instead of answering, Selena started running ahead. We followed her.

She led us to a garden within the Duke’s residence, a somewhat secluded, yet not an entirely deserted area.

There, Eric was confronting a monster.

He appeared to have been seriously injured already, with blood flowing from his head.

The size of the monster made it clear that Eric couldn’t face it alone.

‘Why is there a monster here?’

In the original story, they encountered monsters only when they went out. This was Duke’s territory.

How could a monster enter the Duke’s domain, especially under Kabir’s watch? It was incomprehensible.

At that moment, the monster lunged at Eric again.

“Eric!”

I called out his name in alarm.

The monster stopped, and Eric’s gaze turned towards me.

His eyes wavered upon seeing me, and he shouted.

“Lady, you must run…!”

Before he could finish, the monster charged in my direction.

But its attack was thwarted. Bates, standing next to me, swiftly drew his sword and slashed the beast.

Thump!

The monster collapsed, spurting black blood.

It was the same monster that had Eric in such a dire state, yet Bates defeated it with a single blow.

I knew Bates was skilled, but I hadn’t expected him to be this formidable.

“Sir Eric! Are you okay?”

Selena, tears streaming down her face, approached Eric.

Eric nodded his head. He looked drained, likely due to the severity of his injuries.

I moved closer to Eric.

“Eric.”

My voice sounded cold even to my ears.

I spoke emotionlessly.

“What did I tell you? To run when you need to.”

It was foolhardy to confront danger like this. Being reckless should be my role alone.

It might have seemed like a joke, but my advice was sincere. Ignoring my words, Eric had nearly met the same fate as in the original story. He would have died if Bates hadn’t intervened.

“…”

Eric silently lowered his head, his expression filled with self-reproach.

“You made a valid point this time, Lady,” Kabir’s voice came from behind.