Hello everyone, my name is Acker Sheld, I am twenty-one years old, and the fifth knight of the Kingdom's Cross Knights.

Although I am only the fifth member of this knight order, the Grand Knight Commander is always responsible for battles, the second knight, Iom, is as strict and rigid as a block of wood, and Luke and Hid, the two old guys, are always out hunting monsters. So, in reality, the entire knight order, which has hundreds of members, relies on me to handle everything.

Not long ago, Knight Commander Gaufit came running to me and told me that he had fallen in love with a girl. My immediate reaction was, "Damn, our Knight Commander is a genius second only to Prince Tiran. Who else is worthy of him besides Prince Tiran?"

But then I thought, whom he likes is his own freedom. If the Knight Commander really likes that girl, as a loyal comrade of the Knight Commander, it is my duty to help him win her heart!

"Hey, stop mumbling to yourself, they've already left," Iom nudged Axel with his elbow and reminded him.

"Oh, okay, let's catch up," Axel snapped back to his senses and left the snow-covered bushes with Iom. The two knights sneaked behind Aya and Gaufit.

It was obvious that Aya and Gaufit were heading towards the Ferris wheel and did not notice the two trailing behind them. But...

"I say, Iom, do you feel any strange gaze? I feel like we're being watched, could it be enemies?"

Peeking out of a alley, Axel's eyes followed Aya and the Knight Commander, who were about dozens of steps ahead. Axel felt uneasy all over.

"I don't think it's enemies, but it seems like the passers-by are staring at us," Iom said.

"Ah, really?" Axel turned back and took a look, indeed, the pedestrians passing by on the street were curious and staring at them. The Cross Knights had a high reputation in Milanía, especially in the capital where the headquarters of the knight order was located. The people could see them patrolling almost every day.

However, they had never seen two knights in knight order outfits sneaking and trailing in the alley.

"Tsk, I underestimated this. This attire is too conspicuous," Axel slapped his forehead. Because he had just finished the morning patrol and heard that the Knight Commander went on a date, he rushed out without even taking off his armor.

"Is there a problem? Why are they all looking at us strangely?" Iom frowned, looking puzzled. Was there anything wrong with being a knight in armor?

"Of course you wouldn't think there's a problem... Ah," Axel clenched his fist and said to Iom, "Since that's the case, please continue following them, Vice Captain, I'll go change my clothes and contact you later."

He shook the magic accessory on his wrist developed by the court's magic user for communication among the Cross Knights, turned and slipped out from the other side of the alley.

No way, he wouldn't do something embarrassing like wearing armor to stalk and being surrounded by onlookers! What if people thought the Cross Knights were a group of perverted stalkers?

What? You ask what Iom would do? Well, that wooden head, no, I mean the straightforward Vice Captain, would he care about other people's gaze? This kind of unwavering will is what we should learn from.

...

"Is it just my imagination? I feel like we're being followed," Aya felt a chill down her spine.

"It can't be, right? This is a prosperous commercial street, the security has always been good, it's unlikely that someone would be stalking us, what flavor of ice cream do you want?" Gaufit handed over two silver coins to the ice cream cart vendor and glanced around.

"Add strawberry sauce... Well, yeah, even if there are some small ruffians, Knight Commander, you can easily deal with them," Aya hugged Gaufit's arm and smiled sweetly.

What? No dignity? Why suddenly not resist anymore? Of course, it's because this guy is a good person and also treated me to something! He is much kinder than that guy Tiran who bullies me every day and makes me sleep on the floor. If Aya really was a girl, she might even consider being with him.

"Don't, don't hold on so tightly, the ice cream, the ice cream is about to fall!"

...

"Phew, shining return," Axel adjusted his collar while jogging over to Iom.

All the knight armors had been removed, Axel had changed into a casual white shirt and black pants, loosely tied a black tie, and with his energetic short brown hair and young face, he looked like a student from the Royal Knight Academy.

Eurom silently followed for about half an hour. By this time, the sky had become completely dark, and the lively streets were adorned with colorful lights. The distant Ferris wheel was also lit up with warm lights.

Looking back at Acker, Eurom asked curiously, "Why did it take you so long?"

"Haha, I made some other preparations to assist the knight commander. It took some time," Acker touched his head and gave a thumbs up with a confident smile.

"Assist?" Eurom didn't quite understand the meaning of this word. It's not like they were hunting monsters, so what kind of assistance was he talking about?

"You'll know soon. If they want to go to the Ferris wheel, they will have to pass through a gray area on the way," Acker said mysteriously.

...

"Golfit, can't we take a detour? Do we have to go this way?" Aya still tightly held Golfit's arm and asked weakly.

This time, it wasn't the allure of food, but genuine fear.

Why is it another dark road? I thought Milanía is the most prosperous city. Why are there places like this without even a single street lamp?

"Because passing through the gray area is the fastest shortcut," Golfit said with confusion. "Could it be... Miss Aya is actually afraid of the dark?"

"N-n-no way! Absolutely not!"

"Haha, Miss Aya is really adorable. But don't worry, leave it to me," Golfit showed a warm smile, along with his shining golden hair even in the darkness... Indeed, he was worthy of the title "Golden Sun."

...

"...Why do I suddenly have a torch and gasoline in my hand?"

"In fact, those are just tree branches and a handful of dead leaves," Eurom didn't quite understand Acker's actions.

"No no no, you don't understand. That's not important. What's important is the heart of a FFF... Ah, suddenly I realized why a single dog like me had to join in for abuse." Acker casually threw away the trash in his hand and hit his head against the wall.

"So, where is your so-called assistance?"

"Don't worry, here they come," Acker pointed to the front where Golfit and Aya were.

Three guys, dressed sloppily, with the words "rogue" clearly written on their faces, swaggered up and blocked the path of the two.

"Because we are in the gray area, it's normal to encounter this kind of situation. With the knight commander's strength, those guys pose no threat at all. Taking care of these guys can leave a good impression on the girl. Although it's a bit cliché, it still works," Acker explained.

"But... Aya has defeated me as a knight. She shouldn't be afraid of such people, right?"

"You don't understand, do you? For girls, it's completely different to personally take action compared to having someone protect them. And in this kind of environment, girls are more likely to develop a sense of dependence on those around them," Acker crossed his arms with a mysterious appearance, waiting for the knight commander to deal with the few ruffians.

However...

...

"Goodbye, gentlemen."

Golfit smiled and bid farewell to the three ruffians, then turned to Aya and said, "Alright, let's continue."

"Why didn't you beat them up and give them money?" Aya was unhappy. She had just been flirted with, and as a boy, it was by some very inferior ruffians.

Golfit had no intention of using violence but instead gave them a few gold coins, which for the hoodlums living in the gray area, was a considerable amount of money. And when they were not satisfied and wanted more, Golfit smiled and revealed his level-nine knight emblem...

And then, that was it. The knight association's assessment and the magic practitioner guild's assessment were notoriously strict. Those who received certification definitely had no trace of weakness in their abilities. Faced with such a powerhouse, wouldn't they just wait to be beaten up if they didn't back down?

"Because there's no need," Golfit sighed, took Aya's hand, and continued walking forward. "Actually, those guys aren't really bad people. They are only driven by circumstances. Perhaps they resorted to robbing because they haven't eaten in days."

"?"

"This is the gray area, also the area that the king has always been troubled by. In simple terms, it's a slum."

"Why..."

"Why is there a slum in Milanía, which is supposed to be the most prosperous city?" Golfit continued Aya's question. "Although Milanía is already a relatively strong country, poverty is something that can never be eliminated. The reason why you don't see such places in other big cities is because some lords forcefully expelled the poor from their cities."

"Why didn't they do that in the capital?"

"It was his Majesty's consideration. His Majesty once said that even if poverty is removed from sight, it still exists there. Forcing the poor to leave is no different from those cowards who escape reality. Before completely eradicating these issues, his Majesty will continue to allow the gray areas to exist in the capital, even if it means losing face, which is an illusory thing."

"I didn't expect it, but that king, although a bit silly, turned out to be a good king," Aya said with relief, a smile reappearing on her face. "Well, let's go, let's have some fun on the Ferris wheel."

...

"Damn it! Knight Commander, are you really an idiot? What about your intelligence? It was clearly a great opportunity for you to show your heroism!" Akel watched the two leave the gray area, holding his head in despair. He had gone to great lengths to create a chance to improve their relationship, but his knight commander was just a fool in love!