human
Julius:  As it happened, the two of them were patrolling the capital on a public-safety round. The royal guard spent much of its time cooped up in the castle. However, routes like this, inspecting the capital firsthand and helping to prevent any crime, proved another important role for them. The pair’s knightly uniforms stood out even at a distance; two of them walking together would hopefully instill a deterrent effect simply by their presences.
gpt
Ferris:  “I feel like a scarecrow in a field. But I guess Ferri and his friend have one thing up on a scarecrow—we can walk around! And we’re better-looking!”
human
Julius:  “There are those who would stay their hand in the vicinity of a knight, attractive or not. That gives meaning to what we’re doing… Ah, not that I’m denying your good looks.”
gpt
Ferris:  “Aren’t you so diligent and capable? Ferri can feel his heart racing!”
human
Julius:  “If it’s joy that causes your heart to race, then it seems you feel much the same thing as I do in conversing with you.”
gpt
Ferris:  “Ooh, scary. Not the same way as Reinhard or the captain, though.” Ferris scratched a cheek in embarrassment, his cat eyes darting this way and that. Julius and Ferris had known each other since the latter’s admission to the ranks of the knights, which was still not even a year ago now. Despite the brevity of their acquaintance, though, they had become fast friends, closer than they were to many of their other colleagues. They got along well, of course, but Julius felt the real driver of their friendship was the fact that they respected each other. The spirit mage had great admiration for those who could do what he could not, as well as others who spared no effort to better themselves. It was the same way he felt about Reinhard. “Still, I suppose my respect for Reinhard is a beast of a slightly different color.”
human
Ferris:  “Hmm? Did mew say something?”
gpt
Julius:  “No—I was just thinking, the marketplace seems rife with rumors of the royal family. I doubt it will be long before the royal selection becomes common knowledge. It seems neither wall nor door can truly keep one’s words from getting out.”
human
Ferris:  “…Yeah, guess you’re right.” Ferris sounded just a little more downbeat after Julius changed the subject. The rumors currently on all the lips in the capital had to do with the extinction of the Lugunican royal lineage. Official word from the castle was that the king, Randohal Lugunica, was bedridden with illness but recovering. In point of fact, however, he was already dead, and the same illness that had claimed him had also killed every other person of royal blood in the kingdom. The result was that the entire ruling bloodline had been completely snuffed out. No one knew where the information was coming from, but regardless, most of what floated around the marketplace contained a startling amount of truth, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear many a voice lamenting the future of the nation.