It was a bright and sunny morning when the citizens of the Great Homu Kingdom received devastating news.
Their beloved Princess had been kidnapped by the fearsome evil dragon, Homusilla!!
The King of the Great Homu Kingdom, the great Her Majesty Sirin, solemnly announced this terrible news to the entire nation and issued a decree to find a "Knight" capable of rescuing the Princess.
That very afternoon, the kingdom's citizens received word.
A "Knight" had been found!
The brave Knight had volunteered, arriving before the royal palace to accept this crucial mission.
"Bronya, can we really gain Sirin's approval?" In front of the palace, Raiden Mei held the reins of a small pony, looking hesitantly at Bronya Zaychik beside her.
Bronya had changed her attire, somehow acquiring a pair of elf wings and strapping them to her back.
"Of course," Bronya said with certainty. "The departing hero is knighted by the King. That's the setting."
Mei fell silent for a moment. "But I'm a Knight now..."
Bronya faltered slightly, then shook her head. "That's not important. What's important is that Mei-neechan's profession prefix is [Rescuer of the Princess]."
"Bronya doesn't know why the original Hero became a [Knight], but there will only ever be one person to rescue the princess."
Mei reluctantly accepted this explanation. But when she looked at the pony, which wasn't even as tall as her, then at the crude wooden sword in her hand, and finally at the armor she wore, which couldn't even be described as merely 'crude'...
Her confidence vanished instantly.
"But these items of ours..." Mei started to say more. "I know we might lose these things eventually... but... what if..."
"Are you the [Knight] who has come to rescue the Princess?" Just then, Sirin appeared on the high platform, dressed in her full regalia.
She looked down at the humbly equipped pair below, frowning slightly.
This wasn't quite what she had imagined...
But it didn't matter. As long as the [Knight] and the little fairy could come before her, that was enough.
"Ahem... Yes..." Mei was flustered for a moment upon seeing Sirin, but soon, her sense of responsibility overcame her panic.
Even if a Herrscher stood before her, nothing would stop her from saving Kiana.
Then, she took a step forward and declared loudly to Sirin above, "Yes! I am the Knight who has come to request your permission to embark on a quest to rescue Her Highness the Princess!"
"But the one who kidnapped the Princess is the fearsome evil dragon, Homusilla!" Sirin announced loudly.
Instantly, a commotion erupted in the square.
"Homu? (Is it that fearsome evil dragon, Homusilla?!)"
"Homu (It really is that terrifying evil dragon, Homusilla!)"
"Homu homu! (How dreadful! The Princess is in danger!)"
Mei recalled the "fearsome" evil dragon—a tiny thing, looking about eight or nine years old...
Although the distance had been too great for Mei to see Bella's expression clearly, her clumsy, flustered flying posture suggested she wasn't much of a "fearsome evil dragon."
And looking at it now... the equipment Bronya had prepared for her didn't seem so unacceptable after all...
But at this point, regardless of whether the opponent was truly an evil dragon or not, Mei could only grit her teeth and accept it.
---||---
In the Dragon's Lair castle, Bella, her face tinged green from ingesting some strange substance, stood before a stove, diligently and rather clumsily stewing a pot of beef.
It was the simplest salt-boiled beef, a recipe Bella had just learned on the fly.
As for why someone of her skill level was even allowed to cook... one would have to ask the "princess who wouldn't lift a finger" [Idiom: a pampered person who does no manual labor] standing nearby.
---||---
"I will not be afraid! Even if the opponent is..." Mei's gaze flickered subtly towards the wooden sword, then her tone became instantly firm. "Even if the opponent is the evil dragon Homusilla! I will bring the Princess back!"
Mei delivered this speech with great passion, but in reality, her other hand, hidden behind her back, was already tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
In her entire life, from childhood until now, she had never uttered such embarrassing words!
The fact that she didn't immediately cover her face and squat down in shame was a testament to her strong mentality and adaptability!
Bronya, who had concocted these cringeworthy lines, silently gave a thumbs-up from the side. She hadn't misjudged; Mei-neechan was indeed someone who could go all out when needed.
This declaration successfully elicited gasps of admiration.
"Homu! (Sir Knight is so brave!)"
"Homu homu! (Even against the evil dragon Homusilla, Sir Knight will charge forward without hesitation for the Princess?!)"
"Homu! (They will win!)"
"Ahem!" Sirin raised her hand and coughed lightly. Her voice wasn't loud, but the vast square, overflowing with "Homus," fell silent in an instant.
Everyone looked towards Sirin on the high platform, waiting for her command.
"Since you possess such a brave... ahem, such a courageous heart, then I bestow upon you the fire that ignites all! May it always accompany you..."
As she spoke, Sirin raised her hand. A small flame flew from her palm, slowly landing in Mei's hand.
This small flame was very bright, yet Mei couldn't feel the slightest bit of warmth from it.
It was as if... it was a flame purely for show, beautiful yet cold, with no practical use.
The unreality of the flame made Mei pause for a moment. By the time she reacted, Sirin had already waved her small hand, pointing towards the distance.
"Set forth! Brave Knight! Towards the horizon!!"
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the Homus. Mei looked at Bronya, then up at Sirin, feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment.
"Bronya... what should we do next?" Mei asked Bronya in a low voice, using the act of holding the pony's reins as a cover for her uncertainty.
Bronya adjusted her elf wings. "Mei-neechan just needs to keep smiling and walk step by step out of the city gate."
"So that's how it's solved?" Mei exclaimed in surprise.
And so, under the watchful eyes and cheers of the Homus, the two of them walked step by step out of the square and through the kingdom's gates.
The moment they saw the great drawbridge behind them rise, the tension that had gripped them finally eased.
The pressure Sirin exuded was immense, and even greater was the stress from Kiana and Shu's disappearances.
Fortunately, the previous afternoon, Ai-chan had brought news that Shu was currently with the leader of Anti-Entropy. That was what gave them enough courage to come before Sirin.