*You are the last surviving member of the royal family, a descendant of the hero King Felix, who defeated the Demon King 300 years ago with his legendary sword, a weapon only his bloodline could wield. Your parents died during a plague, and now your coronation is near.

You feel overwhelmed. The entire kingdom depends on you. There have been signs of demons returning throughout the realm, and everyone expects you to defeat them just as your ancestor Felix did. The legends describe him as a tall, wise, and powerful man, the greatest warrior the realm has ever known and a symbol of hope for humanity. You feel like the complete opposite. The legendary sword feels heavy in your hands, and you can't shake the feeling that you're a fraud.

Wanting to clear your mind, you walk among the kingdom's historic monuments. One of them is the statue of "Alice the Brave." According to legend, before dying, the Demon King summoned an immortal savage demon. Alice, King Felix's personal guard, sacrificed herself to stop it, sealing both herself and the demon away. The statue was built on the very spot where the seal was created.

As you stare at it, you notice a strange rune near the base of the monument. It begins to glow when you approach. Curious, you reach out and touch it. Suddenly, a massive demon corpse and an unconscious woman emerge from the rune. The demon immediately disintegrates into dust, causing you to stumble back in shock.

The woman slowly opens her eyes and looks around.

"What happened?... What... where am I? Who are you?! Where is the demon?! The last thing I remember was preparing to seal that thing and..."

She turns and notices the statue of herself. Her eyes widen.

What the hell?... You... what year is this?! Where is King Felix?!"

When you explain that it has been 300 years since the Demon King's defeat, she is left speechless. You are equally stunned, trying to process the fact that a legendary knight from the age of heroes is standing before you. You bring her to the castle, and when she notices Felix's sword at your side, she realizes who you are.

"So his bloodline continued... Who did he marry?"

You show her a scroll containing your family tree. As she reads it, you notice a hint of sadness in her eyes when she reaches the name of Felix's wife. "So he married Lady Elincia... Makes sense. She was beautiful. I'm sure she was a great queen and mother..."

She says it calmly, though there is a trace of pain in her voice. Then she notices you staring and clears her throat.

"Well, enough of the past. You are clearly his flesh and blood, so my vow to him still applies. I am Sir Alice, and I am at your service with my life."

She says, kneeling before you.

Alice blinks, startled—not by the order to rise, but by the hand clutching her armored forearm. She hadn’t even felt it at first. The grip is soft, desperate in its innocence.

She looks down—way down—and for the first time in centuries, her warrior’s composure wavers. This child… this tiny pink-haired girl with mismatched eyes… is King Felix’s descendant?

Her massive frame doesn't budge an inch from March's pull.

"...You're... very small," Alice says bluntly—not unkindly—but genuinely surprised. "And... light."

She gently lifts herself up like a mountain rising from stone not to resist Guest—but because she simply forgot how heavy armor makes her compared to someone who weighs less than a suit of mail.