Alderaan, in line with his character setting, first attended to his younger sister, Olivia.

“Here, Olivia.”

“T-Thank you.”

Olivia, still in shock, stammered as she received the spirit stone. Leaving his stammering sister behind, Alderaan turned to his industry friend.

Kana’s eyes curved gently.

“Lord Alderaan, I’m glad you returned safely. And congratulations on placing third.”

“It’s all thanks to your support, Miss Kana.”

Alderaan responded smoothly, showing the handkerchief wrapped around his wrist. Kana smiled brightly and waved her hand.

“No, it’s because of your hard work, Lord Alderaan. You did a great job.”

“You’re too kind. Oh, and I brought the promised spirit stone.”

Alderaan handed her the highest quality spirit stone. Kana naturally placed it in the subspace of her ring.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

“You’re welcome.”

Although they were using formal language, the friendly atmosphere surrounding them was unmistakable. Evie quietly observed from the side, while Olivia tilted her head in confusion before choosing to remain silent.

At that moment, the northern noble in charge clapped his hands.

“With this, we conclude the monster hunting festival. Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Yes!”

After the announcement, the gathered participants and young ladies quickly dispersed.

Exceptions included Riden and Cordelia, who stayed behind under the pretense of caring for their kin, and Ethan and other northern nobles who remained to handle the situation. Naturally, Kana stayed as well.

Alderaan immediately realized that his industry friend was staying behind to fulfill her role as a supporting character and to monitor the spirit she had sent out for reconnaissance. He discreetly patted her shoulder and whispered.

“Hang in there, Round.”

“Yeah. You go on ahead.”

Kana replied softly, nodding her head. Evie and Olivia, who were about to leave, were startled and approached her.

“Miss Kana, aren’t you going back?”

“No. I’m worried about Lady Letie and my spirit. You two go on ahead.”

Kana crafted a gentle smile. Alderaan led the hesitant Olivia away.

“Let’s go, Olivia.”

“Brother? W-Wait a moment!”

With Olivia gone, Evie remained. She fidgeted with worry before finally sticking close to Kana. Kana’s eyes widened.

“Miss Evie?”

“It’s a troubling situation, and I can’t leave you alone. I’ll stay with you.”

Her ocean-blue eyes were filled with determination. Kana instinctively realized she couldn’t dissuade her.

“Alright. But if you find it too difficult, don’t push yourself and go back.”

“Okay.”

Relieved that she hadn’t been rejected, Evie nodded. Kana couldn’t help but smile warmly at her willingness to stay.

“Having you with me is reassuring, Miss Evie.”

“Hehe.”

Evie blushed and smiled shyly. She cautiously moved closer to Kana, as if to support her firmly. Kana noticed Evie’s consideration and laughed silently.

Unlike the antagonists with their own objectives and the northern nobles like Ethan, who were handling the situation, the two young ladies with their relatively gentle demeanor and atmosphere stood out.

Kana continued her work, regardless of the stares they received.

‘First, I need to inform Lena that I’ll be late.’

Since her beloved partner was with Letie, she couldn’t send her as a messenger. Regretfully, she used her spirit magic to create a small wind element on her palm and managed to embed a short message in it.

— Delayed due to an incident.

Kana blew on her palm, sending the translucent, sky-blue petal towards the high-end inn where Lena was waiting. She was relieved that the distance was within the range.

Evie, who had been watching the process with curiosity and admiration, spoke up.

“Wow, Miss Kana! What’s that?”

“It’s an application of wind spirit magic. It’s one-way and the message is very short, but I wanted to inform my maid to prevent her from worrying. Is there anyone you need to inform, Miss Evie?”

Kana looked at her with concern. Since Evie was also staying at a high-end inn, she likely had an attendant with her. Evie smiled bashfully and replied.

“Oh, I told them beforehand that I might be late depending on the situation. I also considered spending more time with the other young ladies. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this, though.”

“Oh my, you’re very well-prepared, Miss Evie.”

“Hehe, not really.”

Evie blushed and shook her head. Kana’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

Ethan approached the two young ladies, who were creating a warm atmosphere with their conversation.

Evie flinched and shrank back, but Kana didn’t bat an eye. She even spoke to him nonchalantly.

“Oh, Duke Cardium. Perfect timing. I was worried about Lady Letie, so I attached my spirit to her. Do you think there will be any issues later on…?”

“It shouldn’t matter. It’s related to the safety of Lady Serade and the Second Prince. Handling the situation comes first, so other northern nobles won’t make an issue of it.”

He replied bluntly and signaled to the northern nobles who were watching discreetly. They understood and nodded repeatedly.

Ethan wasn’t one to boast or make empty promises. While Kana sighed in relief, he continued.

“Is your spirit still with Lady Serade?”

“Yes.”

Ethan asked promptly.

“Can you roughly assess the situation?”

“Of course. It seems they’ve met up with the Second Prince’s party and are waiting. The northern knights will probably join them soon.”

Thanks to Celia’s timely updates, Kana was able to know this.

Communicating with her spirit from a distance required concentration, making her blink slowly with a somewhat dazed expression.

Ethan nodded and commented plainly.

“That’s convenient. Quite impressive.”

“You’re too kind.”

Kana responded modestly. His vivid red eyes focused on the two young ladies, who were sticking together like precious dolls.

“Are you planning to wait until the spirit and Lady Serade return?”

“Yes.”

Kana answered without hesitation. Even the timid Evie, intimidated by Ethan’s imposing presence, nodded timidly in agreement. His eyes narrowed.

“Even if it takes a long time?”

“Of course. But I don’t think it will take that long. Lady Letie has healing abilities and the elite knights of the Cardium family are with her.”

Kana mentioned the Cardium knights, praising Ethan as well, and smiled confidently.

Caught off guard, Ethan nodded and chuckled. Her bold attitude reminded him of Letie.

“They say close friends resemble each other.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But I’m not as brave as Lady Letie.”

Kana smiled faintly. Her eyes, reminiscent of lush greenery, flickered with complex emotions before settling.

Unlike the protagonist who charged forward without looking back, the supporting character Round was cautious for her safety. If she were truly brave, she would have followed the female protagonist.

Ethan spoke bluntly with a neutral expression.

“You’re right, that lady was bold. But it’s also important to know when to step forward and when to retreat, as you do.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Kana blinked at the unexpected encouragement from another sub male lead.

‘Why are the sub male leads in this novel so kind to the supporting characters? Both Kiriel and Ethan. I hope they don’t use this as leverage to threaten me later because I’m close to the female protagonist.’

While their behavior wasn’t entirely out of character, they were more kind than expected. It subtly bothered her. As she pondered seriously, Ethan added.

“Usually, cautious people live longer.”

“That’s true.”

Kana’s cautious behavior was a result of her innate personality, experience, and painstaking effort. She chuckled, recalling her experiences in other novels.

Thanks to Ethan’s presence, Cordelia and Riden, who had been watching discreetly, didn’t approach openly.

Kana hoped that Ethan would stay as a shield against the antagonists until the protagonists returned. Though he was intimidating to other nobles, he was a grateful and reassuring protector to her.

Fortunately, Ethan stayed by the two young ladies, intending to keep track of the reconnaissance results. Initially, Evie flinched at his imposing presence, but with Kana’s calming influence, her expression gradually improved.

Ethan asked Kana matter-of-factly.

“Lady Round, have the knights joined Lady Serade and the Second Prince’s party?”

“Yes. The distance to my spirit is decreasing, so they seem to be returning while conserving their strength.”

Kana blinked slowly, receiving signals from Celia. Evie sighed with a worried expression.

“I hope everyone returns safely, even if it takes a while. They must be exhausted, dealing with monsters in the forest.”

“Right.”

But as protagonists, they would endure and persevere. No matter the hardships, they would ultimately prevail.

Evie furrowed her brows and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

“Accidents do happen during the monster hunting festival, but not to this extent… What could have happened?”