Watching Iommo's figure disappear into the opposite passage, Aya remained in place, the echoes of Iommo's address to him still reverberating in his mind.

Knight! Sir!

Knight! Sir!

It actually sounds surprisingly cool. By the way, if I win this match, I should be able to change jobs and become a knight. Hmmm, upholding the spirit of a knight and fighting for justice and all that, even though it sounds a bit cheesy, it seems really cool.

Aya rubbed his chin, thinking seriously. Maybe I should go to the Knight Association another day and take the formal knight badge exam.

Smack.

Aya's head was lightly slapped, and he turned around to see Tiran standing behind him with a pouting face. "Getting cocky, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Aya puffed out his chest proudly. "It's the first time I've ever defeated an opponent!"

"Huh? But you're a dragon, how is it possible that you've never won?"

"When I was little, I was bullied by trolls, crushed by a siege class, disciplined by my parents, and captured by you before..." Aya started counting on his fingers one by one, and Tiran couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The Golden Dragon's strength was already formidable, how could this kid be so unlucky?

Fortunately, he had a broad mind, otherwise he might have already given up.

"Miss Aya! Are you hurt?"

Gaufitte also came down from the stands and picked up Aya's right hand with some concern. Aya had just clashed with his fists and a steel sword, which looked painful.

Supported by Gaufitte's hand, the skin on his palms felt rough and the tingly feeling was like a slight electric current passing through.

What the heck is this? Is this flirty? Aya, calm down, you're a guy!

But now that he thought about it, Aya looked down and noticed that some of his fingers had been cut by the sword edge. Although the wounds were not very serious, the sight of blood flowing down the back of his hand was still a bit scary.

"Huh... huh huh?!"

...

"What was that blow just now? Didn't you have some kind of scales?" In the medical room built in the arena, Tiran stood against the wall with her arms crossed, looking at Aya sitting in the chair.

"The powerful shockwave formed by releasing the scales. But because of this, the defense is greatly weakened when the scales are released, so it can't stop the sword blade." Aya shook his right hand wrapped in bandages and looked at Tiran with a hint of expectation. "But forget about that, can you fulfill your promise now? From now on, I'm not a maid anymore, right?"

"Um... yes." Tiran nodded, but her subtle expression made Aya feel like something was amiss. "But let's talk about the rest tomorrow, I need to go settle the score with that old man first!"

Because the arena was inside the palace, it didn't take much time to reach the side hall where the king was, but...

"He's not here, that old bastard. Damn it, does he want to play hide and seek again?"

Pushing open the door and seeing the empty hall, Tiran frowned unhappily.

"Since that's the case, let's go back for now, we'll see him sooner or later..." Aya felt a little tired from his fight with Iommo earlier... Damn, I envy Mimi for being able to go back first at times like this.

"No, I have to find that old man today no matter what, I absolutely won't forgive him for this!" Tiran gritted her teeth and said fiercely.

Tsk, just how obsessed are you with that melodramatic article and welcoming ceremony?

"But... it will be difficult for you to find him if the king doesn't want to see you, right?" A bead of cold sweat formed on Aya's forehead, and a foreboding feeling rose in his heart. Hey, hey, Your Highness, don't tell me...

"I'll find him. If the king wants to leave the palace because of this, I'll just search the entire palace."

Just as expected! It really turned into a game of hide and seek!

...

"Sorry to interrupt, have you seen His Majesty the king?" In front of a door in the palace corridor, Aya stopped a passing maid.

"Huh? May I ask who you are..." The maid was momentarily taken aback, initially mistaking Aya for another palace maid, but quickly noticed that her maid's attire was slightly different.

"The personal maid of Her Highness... Anyway, please tell me if you have seen His Majesty the king." Aya deflated as she mentioned her identity."Ah, yes. His Majesty passed by the courtyard corridor a few minutes ago," the maid nodded, but her expression showed a hint of helplessness when mentioning the king.

"Why such an expression... what kind of eccentric king is he..." Aya noticed the maid's expression and smirked, continuing to search ahead.

He had run through more than half of the palace and still hadn't seen the king, who was being chased by his own daughter throughout the entire palace... Hey hey! Speaking of which, this family is having too much fun, right? Normally, which royal family would play hide and seek in the palace!

And besides playing, this place is way too big. The palace is like a city within a city, occupying an area three times larger than the Giliast Castle, and its structure is as complex as a maze. Finding a person in such a large place... he might just die of exhaustion.

Turning a corner, Aya arrived at a sky bridge connecting two towers. He had already circled around the palace from this side.

He looked up at the sun in the sky, and it was already approaching noon. They entered the city in the early morning, which means they had been searching for a whole morning... "I'm so hungry, I feel like having lunch..." Mei shook her whole body, feeling dejected. Just the thought of the delicious food she could never have in the wilderness made her not want to stay here any longer.

On the opposite tower bridge, a silver-haired figure leisurely walked out from a door, slowly heading towards the building on the other side. In her hand was a sandwich which she nibbled on. With Dragon's excellent vision, the sauce and filling sandwiched between the bread slices looked quite delicious.

Aya's temperament immediately exploded. How could Tiran, her irresponsible master, completely ignore her hungry maid!

Just as she was about to go over to confront her and find something to eat, Aya decided to detour to the tower bridge on the opposite side. However, when her gaze swept across the building on the side, she noticed a suspicious figure trailing behind the door that Tiran had just passed. It seemed to be up no good.

"What is this guy up to?" Aya narrowed her eyes and carefully observed the person.

There is no reason for someone inside the palace to act so suspiciously. Could it be an invader from outside? Considering what happened at the Hase Manor, it was not impossible.

With this in mind, Aya quickened her pace and ran around.

Tiran was not walking fast, so when Aya reached the tower where the suspicious guy was, Tiran had not yet crossed the bridge, and the suspicious guy was still hiding behind the open door, observing secretly.

As Aya approached, she sensed something was off. The clothes that the guy was wearing were simple and low-key in style, but the fabric used was obviously high-quality, and the soft boots on his feet were expensive. He didn't carry any weapons and didn't look like an assassin here to attack. Instead, he looked more like a noble visiting as a guest.

"My little Tiran is so cute, whether she's eating or getting angry, hmm, she's just wonderful. That's why having a knight like me is the best... Hehe..."

What the hell is this perverted talk! I take back my previous words. This guy is a pervert with ill intentions towards the princess! Guards! Guards! There's a pervert in the palace!

Of course, at this moment, it was obviously not the time to alert him, and besides, I just obtained the qualification to become a knight. If I can take down this pervert, even Tiran would have nothing to say. By then, I can completely get rid of the identity of a maid and become a dignified man, then I can pursue beautiful women and become a winner in life!

Driven by the beautiful fantasy of the future... cough, no, driven by the knight's spirit in my heart, Aya clenched her fist and eagerly awaited the opportunity. Not to mention the strength of a powerful knight, but even defeating a suspicious pervert tailing the princess should be enough to teach him a lesson, even if I suffered a little injury.

Taking a deep breath, Aya rushed out from the corner of the wall and quickly approached the pervert.

The sound of little boots hitting the ground only resounded three times, thanks to Dragon's powerful physical abilities, Aya had already reached the pervert's back in just three steps.

The guy clearly hadn't reacted yet, and at the moment he turned around, all he saw was the hem of Aya's maid outfit flying up, and then he was kicked in the face by a magnificent high kick. He tumbled out from the doorway and crashed onto the surface of the bridge, sliding face-first for three meters.

Hearing the commotion behind her, Tiran turned around curiously. She happened to see Aya emerging with a triumphant expression, her foot stepping on the back of a guy lying on the ground she didn't understand. Aya raised her thumb at Tiran and said, "This guy was following you from behind, and I found him.""..." Tiran paused for a moment, staring at the guy on the ground. With a skeptical expression, he walked up to him, crouched down, and tapped him on the shoulder. After examining the guy's face, Tiran stood up and patted Aya's shoulder, forcing a smile as he said, "Well done, congratulations on finding your target, Sir Knight Aya. The game of hide-and-seek is over."

Aya blinked her eyes, taking three seconds to process Tiran's words. "What...what did you just say?"

Then Tiran witnessed a real-life version of the famous painting "The Scream."