The next morning.

If all had gone according to plan, I would’ve just handed over the letter to the guards, and that would’ve been the end of it. So how did it come to this?

With a mix of lamentation and silent grief, I found myself heading to the grand mansion of the Marquis of Endlord’s frontier territory.

The city of Akoup is structured as a circular town. The central section houses the affluent aristocracy, while the outer ring accommodates everyone else. The Marquis’ mansion sits in the very center, beyond the boundary guarded by soldiers who oversee both zones.

And today, I had been ordered to arrive there—accompanied by a griffin, no less.

“Grru…”

They’re all staring. Shall I deal with them?

No! Don’t say something so dangerous. Sure, I can feel all the gazes, but still…

Led by a high-ranking guard, distinguishable by the red tassels on his helmet, we strolled along the main street. It seemed word had been sent ahead, as countless people turned their attention toward us.

Many were well-dressed nobles, but not all. Some were likely servants employed by the aristocrats or adventurers hired as their security.

One such adventurer, clad in unmistakable battle-ready armor, cast a bitter glance in our direction.

The don’t cause trouble message practically radiated from his eyes, and I could guess he’d been tasked with intervening if anything went awry.

It was clear the Marquis wanted everyone to know I was coming. Did he love a spectacle? Or was he the type to bask in the limelight? Perhaps there was some hidden agenda. I couldn’t say for sure.

“Mii…”

Perched on my shoulder, Ivy looked a bit weary from the crowd.

I get it. Being surrounded by people is draining.

I wondered, what kind of person was this Marquis I was about to meet?

“Mooofff... so fluffy~!”

And now, I was standing there, staring at a young girl hugging my griffin with all her might.

She had shiny, golden hair, like molten glass cooled into strands. Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she clung to the griffin without a hint of fear.

Her outfit, a vivid blue dress matching her eyes, was short at the hem, perhaps to combat the lingering heat of summer.

To explain how we got to this point, I’ll backtrack a bit.

After entering what was declared to be the Marquis’ domain, Ivy, the griffin, and I proceeded past the gate and into the grounds. What stretched before us was a space so vast it felt more like a field than a garden.

Apparently, all of this belonged to the Marquis.

After some walking, a mansion finally came into view, and we made our way toward it.

What a lavish use of land. If space like this is so readily available, maybe I could afford a house with a garden one day.

As my thoughts wandered lazily along these lines, I encountered the girl.

She spotted us and, with radiant eyes, ran toward us—her pace so brisk it was more of a tackle. She dove straight into the griffin, wrapping her arms around it.

“She’s hugging me!?”

"Don’t eat her or hurt her, okay?"

“That’s a tall order, boss. But for you, Bruno, I’ll hold back.”

The griffin, surprisingly, stayed still, allowing itself to be embraced.

I held back, knowing full well what this girl represented.

The opulent dress and her presence within the Marquis’ mansion left little doubt about her identity.

“Excuse me,” I ventured cautiously, “you wouldn’t happen to be the daughter of the Marquis of Endlord, would you?”

“…Ahem. Indeed. I am Ekaterina, third daughter of the Marquis of Endlord. It is a great honor to meet you, Hero-sama.”

So, this was Ekaterina, the one I’d been tasked with protecting.

I had wondered what kind of person she’d be and hoped she wouldn’t be averse to magical creatures. But she was younger than I’d expected—likely 12 or 13 years old, not yet of age.

She cleared her throat, trying to brush off her earlier actions as if they hadn’t happened.

Even so, her immediate, unhesitating embrace of the griffin was not something she could erase. Still, I decided to play along.

After all, I was likely older, and indulging her would probably make things easier.

…Wait a second. Hero-sama? What’s with that lofty title?

Is she… seriously referring to me?