Today was the last day of rest before the second round of the Holy Knight trials, and it was truly the only day Rita could call free.
Cecilia hadn’t assigned her any new tasks, Momoka hadn’t brought up the Succubus hunt again, and Valfis—the person Rita wanted to meet—was nowhere to be found today.
Still, there was one appointment waiting for Rita.
Before Kros left last night, she had said to Rita, “Um, if you don’t mind, I’d like to properly express my gratitude tomorrow. I wonder if you have time?”
Rita agreed without a second thought.
When a beautiful girl invited her out, she had no reason to refuse.
So, Rita got up early, washed up, and headed straight to the agreed meeting place.
In this world without phones, internet, or chat windows, finding someone could be quite troublesome.
But as long as there was a clear time and place, the problem was greatly reduced.
Though this was a game world, the units of time—from seconds to years—were no different from reality, which saved Rita a lot of trouble.
Come to think of it, although Rita considered this a date, maybe Kros was just politely inviting her for a meal or to deliver a couple of baskets of eggs?
No, wait—since Kros worked at a brothel, maybe the “eggs” she was bringing weren’t exactly chicken eggs.
After waiting a short while at the meeting spot, Rita saw Kros running towards her from afar.
Today, Kros was dressed simply like a girl-next-door; if Rita hadn’t known Kros’s profession, she would never have guessed it.
“Lady Rita!” Kros quickened her pace until she was beside her. “You are my benefactor, Lady Rita. I’m honored that you’d deign to spend time with me. I can’t believe I kept you waiting this long! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s alright. I just got here myself,” Rita replied.
“Phew, I’m glad you don’t mind,” Kros said, touching her chest with a relieved smile.
What a good girl.
Just looking at her radiant, sunny smile made Rita feel healed inside.
“Ah, actually, I invited you out today to express my thanks, but I don’t have anything valuable to give you…” Kros twisted her fingers nervously, a trace of awkwardness mixed into her smile.
“Since you’re not from here and came to take the exam, I want to show you around our Solus City. But… won’t that be a bit… too humble?”
Isn’t that a date? This is amazing!
“Not at all. Even if you didn’t do anything, that would be fine. Helping others is a virtue,” Rita suppressed her excitement and responded politely.
Kros looked at her with deep admiration. “As expected of a future Holy Knight, Lady Rita, you truly have a kind heart!”
“Hehe, not at all. That’s just what anyone would do.”
“But only Lady Rita saved me. You’re the most special one!”
After some more polite exchanges, they officially set off on their date.
The first things Rita thought of for a date were watching a movie, visiting an aquarium, or riding a Ferris wheel—but none of those seemed likely in this game world.
Still, there had to be some equivalent.
Kros first took Rita on a stroll through the city.
Before long, it was noon, and Kros bought some snacks and drinks.
Then, the two of them went to a grand theater.
On the way, Rita confirmed if Kros was indeed the bunny girl she had met before.
Blushing, Kros admitted it with a shy smile. “So embarrassed to be caught like that…”
Kros showed the tickets and led Rita to a small private box on the second floor.
Once seated, Kros’s face flushed again.
“Sorry, I queued early this morning, but all the seats near the stage were sold out. This was the only place left…”
“No worries. I’m just happy you brought me here. Isn’t the box quite comfortable? And no one else will bother us,” Rita quickly reassured her.
“Phew… that’s a relief!” Kros exhaled, then placed the snacks on the small table.
The box offered a good view; the entire stage was visible at a glance.
Even if Kros hadn’t gotten the closest seats, this spot surely wasn’t cheap.
Shortly after they sat down, the stage curtain slowly drew open.
Actors dressed in splendid costumes stepped out from an exquisite set and began the first act.
“I don’t know if Lady Rita will like it, but I picked it without asking. I hope you enjoy it,” Kros said.
“What’s the play about?”
“It’s set during the Dark Age, a story about a knight falling in love with a noble demon lady.”
Cross-species love—such stories were popular everywhere.
If it were her, she certainly wouldn’t fall in love with a McSpicy Chicken Burger.
“But what exactly is the Dark Age?” Rita asked, spotting an unfamiliar term in Kros’s answer.
“Are you kidding me, Lady Rita?” Kros chuckled.
Rita’s voice betrayed a hint of insecurity, but since she wasn’t a local, she figured this was a rare chance to learn history. “I really don’t know.”
Kros gave a “there’s no helping you” look. “Back then, it wasn’t as peaceful as now. Different races fought endlessly over land and resources. War raged across the lands, and this world bore a burden it couldn’t endure…”
Kros spoke slowly, but their attention was mostly on the stage.
Whenever the actors spoke or sang, she would promptly stop talking.
Rita roughly understood—it was a period of warring warlords, everyone scrambling for territory, except the main players were now different races rather than nations.
As the play went on, Kros occasionally muttered a comment or two.
Since they were in a private box, there was no worry about disturbing others.
The relaxed atmosphere made Rita quite comfortable.
“Look, the heroine’s appearing,” Kros pointed toward the back of the stage, where a long-horned girl emerged.
“What race is that?” Rita stroked her chin, not recalling seeing such a species during her escape from the demon lands.
“That’s a demon,” Kros answered. Then, as if realizing Rita meant something else, she corrected herself, “More precisely, an Abyssal Lord. It’s the rarest among the demons.”
“Abyssal Lord…” Rita repeated the name, recalling her own experiences.
She was sure she had never encountered such demons or even heard the name before.
“Yeah, Lady Rita probably knows that ‘demon’ is a general term. Some live very differently from us and are hostile to humans. During the Dark Age, all races hostile to humans were called demons. Usually, people judge by experience.”
Rita knew that well—from those older sisters who gave her cold stares, to the Goblins with colorful weeds on their heads swinging giant clubs, gibbering nonsense, only to have Rita twist off their heads along with the weeds.
Since Kros mentioned demons, wasn’t this the perfect chance?
Rita casually asked, “By the way, Kros, have you ever seen a demon?”
After the question, Rita didn’t hear Kros’s usual quick reply—only the actors’ singing echoed through the theater.
Confused, Rita turned her head and saw Kros’s eyes wide open, pupils trembling uncontrollably.
She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to prevent any inappropriate sounds.
Even so, Rita heard the dry heaving in Kros’s throat.