"Caw!"
A piercing crow cry shattered the camp's silence. Count Bran was so startled he nearly toppled off the wooden stake, his glossy black feathers instantly puffing out in a ring.
"Your Majesty, are you saying that blockhead Arthur went and got himself lost again? In that sort of godforsaken place?!"
"Brainless! Reckless!"
Flapping its wings, it shot out like a launched ball of black fluff, landing on a nearby rock with a plop. Agitated, it viciously pecked at the wooden stake with its sharp beak, producing a rapid series of urgent taps.
"This is bad—this is really bad."
"Without these keen eyes of mine, sharp enough to catch the smallest detail, to show him the way, that foolish retainer definitely won't make it back. If he charges headfirst into the Goblin Legion's fortress, or blunders into a Cave Spider nest, even his bones will be used to prop up table legs."
Chen Yu gently bumped its fluffed-up wing with his gelatinous body.
"It's not that exaggerated. My little Slime is keeping watch over him."
"Ah! Right, right, right! And there's Your Majesty."
Much of the anxiety vanished from Count Bran's eyes. It cried out happily, immediately folding away its puffed feathers and resuming its usual haughty bearing.
"Then let that reckless fellow stay there for now. Consider it a lesson."
"Your Majesty, my retainer is trapped in that dark forest. He must be terribly lonely and frightened, and surely misses this Count greatly."
"Whatever he wishes to say, he may ask you to convey it to this Count. Simply by standing here, I can send the kingdom's morale soaring—let alone soothe the wounded heart of a knight."
"Good thing..."
Through the little Slime's perspective, Chen Yu saw Arthur seated beside the bonfire, his fingers rubbing the silver badge Alice