…Truly, what a find she has found.
Seeing the two men with hair that sparkled like jewels, unable to take their eyes off Lady Fi for even a moment, I let out a big sigh in my heart.
When I arrived at the scene, Lady Fi was accompanied by the Fifth Knight Order Captain Clarissa, as well as two other men.
It was clear at a glance that these two were no ordinary townsfolk. Their demeanor and mannerisms were obviously different from those of ordinary people.
In addition, I could sense without even looking around that there were hundreds of guardian knights mixed in with the royal capital residents surrounding us. The two were guarded by a large number of knights, who had completely disguised their appearance so that they would not be noticed at first glance.
Even for a very high-ranking noble, it would be difficult to gather such a large number of excellent guards. And the fact that I, who remembered all the important people in the country, could not identify them meant that these two must be from outside the country.
When I observed them with that thought in mind, there was no doubt that the two of them had the aura of someone who commands others to obey.
...This is troublesome. I already have a bad feeling about this.
However, no matter how much I tried to turn a blind eye, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful green and blue hair, sparkling like a jewel in the sunlight.
The moment I saw those hair, I was reminded of the story of the Arteaga Empire royal family. A story about two brothers with jewel-like hair color who were said to be the three most precious people in the Arteaga Empire.
...Why am I remembering this at this exact moment?
This day, I felt like complaining about my memory, which seemed to be able to pull out relevant information at just the right time.
—— The Arteaga Empire was a large country that faced our Nav Kingdom, with one small country in between. Since we were not a neighboring country, even stories of an emperor who sat at the top of the empire were rarely heard of in our country—But then, as soon as I saw their hair color, I suddenly remembered.
"The emperor of the Arteaga Empire has recently been replaced."
"The emperor and his two brothers were named after jewels that were associated with their hair color."
Like that, information about the Arteaga Empire royal family kept coming back to me, despite my feelings that I shouldn't remember it —— and even though I knew it would give me a headache.
The first information that came to mind —— the emperor of that country and his younger brothers had declared in front of the people that they had "encountered the Goddess" about six months ago. Furthermore, I had heard that the three emperors had given false names to the goddess, and so in order to rectify this misconduct, they renamed themselves by adding their false names to their real names. The Emperor's hair color was said to be the same color as a gemstone, red, and so he added his false name to the name of the gemstone that was based on his hair color. And the two younger brothers of the emperor...
The first emperor's brother, with green hair, changed his name from Emerald to Green Emerald, and the second emperor's brother, with blue hair, changed his name from Sapphire to Blue Sapphire.
In other words, it seems that the original names of the gems were given to them, with the pseudonyms "Green" and "Blue" added...
As I sorted through the information that was coming back to me one after the other, I shifted my gaze to the two men with green and blue hair in front of me, who were staring intently at Lady Fi.
...What an unpleasant coincidence. Just like the two younger brothers of Arteaga Empire, they were foreign dignitaries of obvious good origins, with beautiful jewel-like green and blue hair. Furthermore, according to the story just explained by Lady Fi, she met them six months before the emperor's brothers met the goddess. Furthermore, the names that Lady Fi called the two of them matched the pseudonyms that the emperor's brothers gave to the goddess — "Green" and "Blue."
...It's annoying, but everything fits together so perfectly.
I let out a big sigh in my mind and opened my mouth.
"These beautiful hair color and the names 'Green' and 'Blue' make me think of a certain pair of brothers who recently appeared in the public eye of the Empire. If there was one more person with red hair, a name like 'Red', it would be perfect." (Curtis)
Though I already knew the answer before they spoke, in a last-ditch effort they gave Lady Fi the false name that the emperor of the Arteaga Empire had given the Goddess.
Unfortunately, circumstantial evidence was often correct, and as expected, Lady Fi's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh, you know him well! Green's and Blue's brother is REDDO! Ah, no, but that's a fake name." (Fia)
...Lady Fi, there was no need to explain that it was a fake name and put an end to me.
Letting out another deep sigh in my heart, I resigned myself to what Lady Fi had said.
"Yes, that was the story. They gave a false name to the goddess, and then that false name became their real name... the story was about a famous pair of brothers in the empire." (Curtis)
With so many ears and eyes on us, I was unable to state directly that they were members of the Imperial Royal Family, so I gave a vague reply, and Lady Fi tilted her head.
"Hmm? The Empire is certainly a country that worships the Goddess, so are there people there who have actually met the Goddess? ...Um, so in other words, the three brothers Red, Green, and Blue who are famous for meeting the Goddess are from the Empire, and because they used pseudonyms based on their names, you assumed that these Green brothers were from the Empire?" (Fia)
"…………That's about it." (Curtis)
Seeing Lady Fi making an unexpected statement with a puzzled look on her face, one thing occurred to me.
"Oh, Lady Fi, you don't know who they are, do you?" (Curtis)
...That's right. This person has never really thought about measuring people by their social status. When it was necessary for her position, she was able to demonstrate incredible insight and guess the other person's status, so she was a normally sharp person, but I recalled that when it wasn't necessary, her lack of interest came out and she often overlooked the other person's position. And this would likely be one of many such occasions.
In that case, there would be no need to invite trouble.
Having come to this conclusion, I turned my attention to the duo called "Green" and "Blue", who were standing with good posture in front of me.
It's safe to assume that the shining-haired duo were Green Emerald, the younger brother of Emperor, who was first in line to the throne of Arteaga Empire, and Blue Sapphire, the younger brother of Emperor, who was second in line to the throne.
This was an extremely dangerous situation, as the two younger brothers of the emperor of the Arteaga Empire, who divided the power of the continent between this Nav Kingdom and their own, had secretly infiltrated the kingdom. It was unlikely that someone of such high rank would leave their own country, and even if they did, they would go through proper procedures when entering our country, which is a foreign country —— normally.
However, considering that none of the knight captains, including myself, had been informed of the visit of the Arteaga Empire royal family, these two must have entered our country while concealing their identities.
In other words, the current situation was as abnormal as it gets. Even though I thought that, I didn’t feel anxious at all.
——Is this a case related to Lady Fi? Because that was what I realized.
Going by this line of reason, the "goddess" that the Emperor and his two younger brothers met was undoubtedly Lady Fi. What on earth could she have done to be so clearly recognized as a goddess after only being together for a few days?
And the foreign royals who cling to Lady Fi—who actually had the powers of a great saint—were nothing but trouble. It was best to cut them off quickly.
Having come to this conclusion, I tried speaking rudely to the members of the Imperial royal family, partly to gauge their level of attachment to Lady Fi, but they did not reproach me, nor did they show any signs of hostility; they simply maintained a calm silence.
...What a thing to say.
Status determines one's character. The Emperor, who held the highest position of respect in the Empire, and his two younger brothers, the only ones permitted to stand alongside him, occupied the pinnacle of the Empire. In other words, it was normal for these two to be respected, bowed to, and treated as supreme beings.
I was shocked that those two people simply accepted a clearly rude behavior in silence without even calling it disrespectful.
…The situation seemed to have gotten much worse than I had thought. The two younger brothers of the emperor, who were first and second in line to the throne of a great empire that was one of the largest on the continent, were so devoted to Lady Fi that they silently accepted the disrespect shown to them, even though it was inappropriate for their status.
And the rumors about the two younger brothers clearly did not match the personalities of the two in front of me. I had heard that the two younger brothers had no interest in the young ladies, and were always expressionless and indifferent, so they were secretly called the "Ice Pillar Younger Brothers." But what was the truth? In front of Lady Fi, it was a mess to put it mildly. This was no longer just a melting icicle.
...Now, what should I do? Well, I have a lot of thoughts about it, but it's probably best not to get involved.
Thinking this, I quickly said their goodbyes, but Lady Fi said she wanted to talk to them.
…That's right, this person liked people.
With a feeling of resignation, I recalled that something similar happened in my previous life. This was especially evident in the past, but now only a limited number of people could gather around this person.
—— Everyone has one or two problems. And, unfortunately, the higher up the person is, the bigger the trouble tends to be.
That's why, although Lady Serafina had lightly said that she wanted to listen and get involved, she ended up getting herself involved in unnecessary and serious trouble.
So why is Lady Fi still not learning his lesson and trying to repeat the same mistakes? Or maybe... yes, maybe, definitely, this person doesn't think that those were problems.
This time, I actually sighed, not in my mind.
—— I completely understand. In the past and now, things had been set up in a way that made it difficult for those around Lady Fi.
As I looked at Lady Fi with a feeling of resignation, she suddenly smiled broadly, as if thinking something.
"I'm looking forward to having dinner with you, Green and Blue! I'm sure you'll get along well with them, Curtis." (Fia)
"...I'm looking forward to that."
That's right. Those around her, both in the past and now, could not compete with her smile.
However...
Although I felt utmost joy seeing Lady Fi smiling, I gritted my teeth tightly.
——Of all people, it was the Arteaga Empire. Muttering this to himself, I felt a sense of bitterness and gazed upon Lady Fi with an indescribable feeling.
In front of my eyes, Lady Fi was smiling happily.
"...Ah, I must protect you."
I vowed to myself once again.
Because Lady Fi didn't know. In that country —— the Arteaga Empire, the goddess began to be worshipped in earnest immediately after the death of the great saint Lady Serafina. And then....
Drawn to my thoughts, my lips unintentionally curled in a sarcastic tone.
—— Ah, what an ironic coincidence. The current emperor of the Arteaga Empire recognizes Lady Fi as a goddess.
Because in reality, the "goddess" of that country refers to the "Great Saint"...