Maybe my awkward words had still managed to convey sincerity, but a message popped up faintly above Hailey's head, indicating her Affection had increased by seven.0

I had been worried I wouldn't be able to comfort her properly, so it was a huge relief. After all, I needed to take her to Grassmere personally. It was important to build a relationship of trust. Apparently, my words had touched her heart more than I'd expected because her Affection rose quite a bit.0

Is Affection easier to increase early on?0

Or maybe the time I remembered spending with her, though she didn't recall it, had helped me speak to her more effectively.0

Hmm…0

She wasn't the only one whose Affection had gone up. A message popped up above Lime's head, showing that their Affection had also increased.0

That's unexpected.0

In the end, Lime was not on the side of reducing humanity. I knew that they were a follower of Purson and one of the cultists awaiting the Demon Kings' descent. However, Lime seemed to still hold some affection for the child they had taken care of. To further reassure the girl, Lime explained things further in a gentle tone.0

Hailey looked at me. "So, I just have...0