Good day, Your Majesty, Regina greeted, performing a textbook curtsy. Prince Timothy lifted his hand ever so slightly in response and was about to walk away before Regina spoke again, causing him to halt.
"I need your help finding my maid. I believe she lost her way in the forest to the east."
He turned, his eyebrows lifting a little in question. "Why should I assist—for a maid, no less?"
"I can't offer you money," she said, voice steady. "But I believe there's something I can do for you."
After looking at her intently, his mind weighing something unspoken, he finally responded, "I don't have to like a tool to use it. There's indeed something your person could help me with. There happens to be a creature in that same forest beginning to stir trouble. Putting it down would be a lovely achievement underneath my belt—a lovely thing to point out when introducing myself in the future," he said with a satisfied look on his face.
As though an afterthought, he added, "We could look for this maid of yours... if time permits."
Regina's face held no emotion. "Understood," she replied, still bowing.
---
The sun was now climbing up to sit on his throne at the zenith of the sky, its heat calming the chill of the earlier winds.
"Hey System, where's Paige then?" I asked after we had been walking for a while. The black pawn had been whistling, hands clasped behind her head. She did not look like someone who had almost died moments ago.
Oh! Paige is fine. She's around. You can even summon her, but you shouldn't—as you're completely drained.
I said we were walking, but really, the two of them were doing the walking, while I was being piggybacked by the Bishop.
"Hmm, I see. Maybe I'll summon her later," I said in my head.
I should give these guys names, I thought, but my musing was interrupted.
"Dear, do you know the way back?" the Bishop asked.
"Huuh, I don't know. We should be able to locate the castle from a high point, no?" I replied, uncertain.
My stomach growled.
"Hmm, hey Bishop—how do you like the name Brianna?"
"Hmm." She gave a mock moment of thought. "Your scale of preference or list of priorities is a mess. But... I do not dislike the name," she said without turning to look at me.
Still, I felt her shoulder tremble when she chuckled, which made my face redden.
"Oh! Are we getting a name certificate or something?" the pawn ahead of us turned and quipped.
With a smile, I said after thinking for a bit, "Your name would be Petra."
"Hmm, not bad," she later replied. "I'll go ahead to check the path, but we'll need to get a scout or something," she added, now holding a claymore in hand.
Hmm, you can summon the Knight to fulfill that role, the System chimed. And maybe next time, don't do a mad dash into a forest because a bratty noble gave a command. A map is not something to overlook.
"Huuh..."
With a thought, I pulled up the Bishop's stat screen:
Bishop – "The Veiled Saintess"
Stats: HP: 180
ATK: 40
MAG: 100
DEF: 30
SPD: 70
Weapon: Divine Staff, Blood Tome, Holy Scythe, Ferula, spears, staffs or poles etc.
Attire: Robed in sacred or corrupted vestments. A blindfold, mask, or cowl hides their face. Wears a stained-glass halo or bishop's mitre.
Special Skills:
"Diagonal Grace" – Teleports up to 3 metres.
"Miracle Channel" – Buffs or heals allies or curses enemies with damage over time and other spells when acquired.
"Oh!" I exclaimed.
She chuckled softly.
"Alright, lovebirds, I think I found the path back," Petra said after a long stretch of silence.
At the edge of the path stood the grand castle I had seen when I first arrived the night before.
"Alright, let's go. But what will you do when we get there? We can't exactly carry you straight to Regina—not with all the eyes. And the three of us will definitely draw attention," the Bishop said, her tone calm but her eyes sharp and calculating.