After all, Griseo had witnessed W's relationship with the two people before her in the game, especially since Ines was the type to say one thing and mean another...
Maybe Ines would agree to her request and accept the painting, only to destroy it afterward for W's sake once Griseo left.
The little girl would not even have a place to cry... She did not want to get W's colors on herself again and paint another one.
As for why Griseo had not simply sent the painting with Mister Knight from the start... Naturally, she was afraid W would blow up her companion.
If she went herself, no matter how angry W got, she would not be ruthless toward her. But a summon like Mister Knight was different. Someone would definitely show no restraint when attacking him.
And with Mister Knight's troublesome strength and inability to speak, it could easily lead to a misunderstanding.
"..."
After receiving his little princess's command, the azure knight first gave an elegant bow before gently taking the painting from Griseo's hands.
"..."
Only after hearing Griseo's words did Ines and Hedley understand why the little girl had summoned the knight.
Though they found it both amusing and exasperating, they also became quietly wary.
If the two of them had previously thought there was nothing seriously wrong with Griseo's painting, and that it was merely a little prank at most, they now both felt that there was definitely something off about it.
Otherwise
why would she summon such a dangerous weapon just to deliver a tiny painting...?
"Mm... Sure enough, gifts should be delivered directly to the person receiving them..."
Griseo did not care much about their thoughts or wariness. After giving Mister Knight his instructions, she turned to Ines and said:
"Mister Knight will leave after giving the painting to W... Sorry for disturbing you, big sister."
After saying that, Griseo turned to Alyona beside her and softly said, "Let's go."
"Mm..."
Hearing that, Alyona showed a trace of helplessness in her eyes before gently nodding.
Then, after Griseo said goodbye to Ines and Hedley, she left the area, leaving the silent Azure Knight behind, holding the painting.
By now, Griseo considered the matter of delivering the painting to W more than halfway complete. All she needed was to wait for someone to return from her mission and accept it.
What? What if W refused to accept it?
Then Mister Knight would just slap it right onto her face!
Honestly, the little girl had never liked deliberately playing pranks or teasing others.
But she made an exception here. In a sense, W really was impressive...
?
After leaving Ines's place, Griseo held Alyona's hand and continued walking through the mercenary camp, searching for Mudrock.
This time, thanks to Alyona being with her, Griseo did not feel particularly uncomfortable.
And whenever she suddenly felt herself starting to be colored, the little girl could gently hug her companion and ease it a little. The effect was quite good.
In the end, after drawing quite a few curious looks, the two little ones finally found their target in a corner of the mercenaries' encampment: Mudrock, the Sarkaz Big Girl.
"Found her."
Standing some distance away, Griseo looked at the huge figure seated beside the campfire, delight flashing through her eyes.
"...?"
Unlike Griseo, who was happy to have found her target, Alyona slowly grew confused, a large question mark seemingly appearing above her head.
"Griseo, didn't you say you were looking for a female mercenary with pretty colors?" After recovering from her daze, Alyona turned to the little girl beside her and asked in a hoarse voice.
"That's right, a female mercenary with pretty colors..." Griseo replied, turning her face toward her bewildered companion.
"...You call that a female mercenary?"
Looking at Mudrock, who sat there in a heavy, sealed protective suit with a towering build, Alyona could not help frowning.
It was not that she did not trust her little girl. It was just that no matter how she looked at it, the little white bear could not see anything feminine about Mudrock beneath that bulky protective suit.
"Mm, Alyona, trust me. I won't be mistaken."
As she spoke, Griseo lightly nodded her little head and turned her gaze toward Mudrock in the distance—or rather, toward the colors surrounding her.
It was an earthy brown with a faint golden glow flowing through it... the brown of soil. It gave the little girl a heavy, reassuring feeling, and she liked it very much.
But before the two little ones could approach, Mudrock's gaze fell on them first. Two little children who did not belong in this place were exceptionally conspicuous standing there.
What was more, quite a few of the people around her were quietly discussing them, making it impossible for her not to notice.
"..."
After suddenly meeting Mudrock's gaze, Griseo no longer hesitated and gently led her companion toward her.
Seeing the two little ones approaching, the companions seated around Mudrock all stopped their discussion and watched them curiously.
Finally, when she was about two meters away from her target, Griseo stopped, raised her little head, and looked seriously at Mudrock in her protective suit.
"Big sister, your colors are very pretty... My name is Griseo, and I'm a painter. Can we get to know each other?"
P.S. I don't think invisible braces are cheap at all. They still feel really expensive. Where I live, they start at 20,000 and top out at around 40,000. In that case, I might as well save some money. Even the braces I'm wearing now cost more than 10,000. Dentistry really does make money.
?'
Hurry it along.
Mudrock, Big Sister, Your Colors Are Very Pretty...
"Big sister, your colors are very pretty... My name is Griseo, and I'm a painter. Can we get to know each other?"
"..."
Looking at the blue-haired little girl before her and hearing her words, Mudrock was completely stunned.
Because Mudrock had never expected that the little girl who had already become the subject of so many rumors among the mercenaries had come to find her.
And she had even identified Mudrock's gender at a glance before they had formally met.
"Mm?"
Faced with Mudrock's lack of response or movement, Griseo lightly tilted her little head, a trace of confusion appearing in her violet eyes.
"Hahaha, the little one everyone says is so formidable actually came to find you, Mudrock!"
"I didn't expect that. And she even identified your gender at a glance. Other people probably wouldn't be able to tell."
Before Mudrock could answer, however, her teammates started laughing and chiming in as though they had seen something rare.
"Mm... Hello, my name is Mudrock."
Listening to her comrades teasing her, Mudrock slowly rose to her feet. After hesitating for a moment, she extended a hand wrapped in her oversized protective suit toward Griseo and spoke.
"Um, hello, Big Sister Mudrock..."
Hearing Mudrock's voice, made muffled and faint by the protective suit, Griseo did not hesitate at all as she gently took her hand.
Honestly, this first meeting with Mudrock felt very good to the little girl, especially with W serving as such a terrible example.
Their handshake ended quickly as well. After a polite, light shake, Mudrock withdrew her hand and asked, "Did you come to find me for something?"
Mudrock might be a little airheaded, but that did not mean she was foolish.
She did not believe Griseo had come merely to get acquainted, even though the little girl before her looked innocent and adorable.
After all, innocence and cuteness could not keep someone alive on this frozen wasteland... especially when this little girl had displayed such terrifying combat ability before.
"???)? Mm... Let me think."
Looking at the tall, solid figure before her, Griseo fell into deep thought on the spot. Mudrock had obviously stumped her.
In a sense, Mudrock had overestimated the little girl in front of her...
Because Griseo had truly only intended to come and get acquainted. She had not thought about what came afterward at all.
"...?"
After hearing the little girl's words, Mudrock froze again, and a question mark slowly seemed to appear above her head.
Behind her, her comrades burst into laughter again.
"Hahaha, you're only thinking of that now? Little sister, you're really adorable."
"Mudrock's stunned too, hahaha."
Even Alyona, standing beside Griseo, could not help covering her little face, beginning to find the situation too embarrassing to watch.
However, the little white bear quickly lowered her hand, lightly coughed twice, and explained to Mudrock, "Griseo saw you last time and thought your colors were very pretty, so she wanted to get to know you."
"Strictly speaking... there isn't anything else."
"Mm..."
After hearing her companion's words, Griseo paused her thinking and nodded her little head in agreement.
Because the little girl really had not thought that much about it. Before, her little head had been filled entirely with the thought of charging in and getting to know the Sarkaz Big Girl! But after getting acquainted... she had not considered that part.
Still, it was not as though there was no follow-up at all...
After nodding along, Griseo blinked her beautiful violet eyes as though she had remembered something, then calmly asked Mudrock:
"I thought of it. Big Sister Mudrock, your colors are very pretty... Can I use them to paint a picture?"
At that, the little girl paused before adding her condition: "In exchange, I can promise you one thing within my ability to do. Don't worry, I'm very strong..."
After saying that, Griseo fell silent. She simply stared at Mudrock with wide eyes, quietly and seriously waiting for her answer.
Honestly, the condition Griseo offered was a loss for her in a sense.
But the little girl had never cared much about such things. In her view, if she could use this opportunity to establish a connection with Mudrock—or even grow closer to her—then the condition was well worth it.
"What are... colors?"
After hearing that, Mudrock thought for a while. Rather than refusing immediately, she asked first.
She had become somewhat interested in the colors Griseo had mentioned from the beginning.
"Mm, colors are just colors..."
Griseo looked at Mudrock's heavy colors and softly tried to explain.
In truth, it was not that the little girl did not want to explain things properly most of the time; she simply had no idea how to explain them... That was also why she would later come up with the idea of a "guardian."
Because there were many things Griseo simply could not explain herself.
Hearing Griseo say those all-too-familiar words, a trace of helplessness flashed through Alyona's pale green eyes. She looked at Mudrock again and offered helpfully:
"What we're about to discuss involves some of Griseo's secrets. Miss Mudrock, could we speak somewhere more private?"
Unlike Griseo, who was innocent and often completely unconcerned about such matters, Alyona was far more mindful and cautious.
After all, having one "idiot" between the two of them was enough... The other one should be smarter.
"...All right."
Mudrock looked at the two of them in silence for a moment before agreeing in a low voice.
After greeting her teammates, Mudrock left with the two little ones under the gazes of a crowd of mercenaries, heading toward the deserted edge of the encampment.
But once the three of them were alone, Alyona's colors could no longer conceal Mudrock's.
And since Griseo did not resist Mudrock's colors, as they walked, one little girl had already silently become stained with someone else's colors.
After all, the stronger someone was—or the more intense their colors were—the easier it was for Griseo to be colored by them.
The same applied to the paintings made from each person's unique colors. The stronger the owner of the color, the stronger the ability of the painting created with it.
P.S. I can't concentrate much at night anymore, so I'm going to sleep first. The second chapter will definitely be updated before six tomorrow morning. If I force myself to write now, the quality won't be good, and it'll waste time too.
Good night, everyone.
Griseo: Big Sister Mudrock, Can I Take a Look?
Before you continue