"Cornelia, you don't have to do this if you feel uncomfortable. I don't blame you, and I love Cornelia. I love you, but if you're willing to do something, I'll do my best to support you. You may be scared, you may be hurt, but I will take care of that. But I'll make sure those wounds are healed. ......"

'Yes, 　I'll do my best!'

　Today, I'm going to take Cornelia to exterminate the monsters in the territory. I am very nervous about Cornelia and whether she will get hurt or not.

　But for some reason, Cornelia was blushing with joy. With her clear white skin and hair, Cornelia is easily recognized when she blushes even a little.

　I felt a little sorry for her, but according to the grandpa, I can see the blush on her face because of her fair skin, too. It's a little embarrassing.

"Brother, you're blushing, huh?"

　That's Cornelia's fault for being too cute.

　Cornelia had a smirk on her face. Cornelia seemed to enjoy seeing me blush. I don't understand what is so amusing about a man blushing.

My brother has a cute, naive side, huh?"

　Where did she learn such a phrase?

　Anyway, I couldn't just let her get away with it. I decided to fight back.

Cornelia is cute, you know?"

　I put my lips to Cornelia's ear and whispered, and she turned red up to her ears.

'Oh, dear brother!

That's what happens when you make fun of your brother."

Moo!"

Cornelia puffed out her cheeks in disapproval and glared at me with a superior look.

　But Cornelia is not really angry either. There was a smile in her eyes.

　Ah!　Cornelia is really cute!

"Hyah!　Oh, brother!"

　I hug Cornelia. It's a miracle that Cornelia is still alive.

　I am so glad she survived.

It's warm, right?

Moo, if it's big brother, .......

　Cornelia also slowly put her hand around my body.

　The season is winter. It is the season of bitter cold. The high body temperature characteristic of children is warm.

Ahem!　Are you ready?　We are about to defeat the monsters. ......?"

"Grandpa!?"

　Cornelia was so surprised that she had just noticed the Grandpa's presence that she broke her embrace with me and lightly pushed me away from him.

　She seemed embarrassed that the old man could see her embrace with me. Cornelia's face is red up to her ears.

　Not quite ready yet, Cornelia?

Are you ready to go, Grandpa?

"Yes, The Baumgarten Corps is all ready.

　The Baumgarten Corps, as Grandpa calls it, is Baumgarten's first standing army, employing those who have graduated among the children in his care and are particularly skilled in the martial arts. Incidentally, Bach, who is in charge of heating the water for the baths, is also attached to this corps.

"Don't call it the Baumgarten Corps. We only have four men. What's the point of having a corps?"

　Achim, the son of the grandpa, who leads the soldiers, and two graduates who excel with a spear and a bow respectively. And Bach, who is also a regular soldier and a cook. There were only four of them.

　By the way, Bach is also an apprentice cook. The other three are all working at the same time. It can't be helped that there are so few servants.

'I'm going to leave now. Cornelia, are you all right?"

"Yes!"

"You two, please be very careful. Even though the four soldiers are with us, all the monsters are still ferocious. The other four are also being advised. As I have told the other four, please be very careful."

"Yes, ......!"

Don't scare Cornelia so much, grandpa. It will be absolutely fine. I'll protect Cornelia!

"Brother ......!"

　As if moved, Cornelia dyed her cheeks and looked up at me with teary eyes.

　My heart was beating so fast because of her loveliness. I felt my cheeks heat up. I am sure my cheeks are as red as Cornelia's.

　Well, Cornelia is much stronger than I am. But protecting someone isn't just about standing ahead of Cornelia and protecting her. I'm going to protect Cornelia in my own way.

I'm off then. I'll leave the rest to you, grandpa.

"Yes, . Please be careful."

"I'm off!"

　Thus, I and Cornelia joined up with four of the regular soldiers and set out for the south.

　I would have preferred to go by horse-drawn carriage, but there are no horse-drawn carriages in Baumgarten that the nobility would ride. On the contrary, there are no horses in Baumgarten. Horses are ridiculously expensive to maintain. There is no room for such a thing.

　So what did I do? I rode in a donkey-drawn wagon. Of course, there was no suspension, so it shook terribly, and even though I had brought cushions from the mansion, it was still uncomfortable to sit on.

　I could stand it if I was alone, but from today on, Cornelia will be using it as well. I'm wondering if I should remodel this carriage to make it more comfortable to ride in, or if I should buy a new carriage.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm...."

　But despite my worries, Cornelia was in a good mood. Perhaps because she had been lying in bed for so long due to the curse of the evil god, she was happy to be out of the mansion.

　I hope that Cornelia will be in a good mood when the trip is over.

　I couldn't help but hope so.