The restaurant that Captain Curtis chose was a place with a relaxed atmosphere located on a street just off the main street. After giving our names to the waiter who greeted us, we were shown to a private room large enough to seat four people.
I was not sure whether he booked a larger room from the start or whether he changed the room after finding out that Green and his brother would be participating, but I think it was a very thoughtful move.
Curtis was so skilled in everything, I thought to myself as I picked up the chilled glass and had the pink liquid poured into it, producing beautiful fizzing bubbles.
"Congratulations on completing your training. I wish you all the best for your future, Lady Fi." (Curtis)
As Captain Curtis spoke, everyone clinked their glasses. When I took a sip of the drink that was poured for me, the delicious flavor exploded in the back of my throat.
"Oh, it's delicious! This drink is so good." (Fia)
Thinking how lucky I was to be able to drink such delicious alcohol, I smiled at Captain Curtis sitting next to me, then turned my eyes to Green and Blue sitting in front of me. They had already emptied their glasses and were staring at me.
"Oh, excuse me. I'd like another drink." (Fia)
The waiter who had poured me my first drink had already left the room, probably out of consideration for the guests so that they could relax alone, so I hastily reached for the bottle of alcohol. However, Green got the bottle first and moved it out of my reach.
Damn, having short arms is a disadvantage in situations like this. Thinking that, I looked at Green with dissatisfaction, but he looked back at me with a straight face.
"Fia, let me first say thank you." (Green)
"A thank you? To have dinner with me today?" (Fia)
"Of course that's part of it, but it starts from the very beginning. I want to thank you again for saving us the last time we defeated the Two-Headed Turtle." (Green)
After saying that and bowing his head, Green glanced at Captain Curtis.
When Captain Curtis met Green's gaze, he shrugged his shoulders in a disinterested manner.
"You can say whatever you like without worrying about me... As you may have noticed, I have probably been able to guess most of your circumstances. Therefore, I will not be surprised by anything you confess. In addition, although I have been given the responsibility that comes with my position, it is not my style to report things that I do not have proof of." (Curtis)
Hearing Captain Curtis' words, Green bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. In reality, I’m not the type to act so carelessly or thoughtlessly as to follow through on your words. Of course, I understand that you are being accommodating not for our sake, but for the sake of granting the wishes of those you are guarding, something that is more important than your duties." (Green)
I tilted my head as Captain Curtis and Green began having a difficult-sounding conversation in front of me. ...Hmm, even though this is the first time these two have met, they're able to have a conversation about a common topic? I wonder if they've become good friends already?
As I was feeling happy at this thought, a large man with green hair tilted his head in front of me with one hand on a bottle.
"Fia, can I ask you a favor?" (Green)
Well, well, it's quite cute for a big man, isn't it? I thought as I replied.
"Of course." (Fia)
"Can you please stop being so polite to me, Blue, and Red?" (Green)
"Huh?" (Fia)
"We may be older than you, but you’re an adult, so we should be equals as companions on our adventure together, right?" (Green)
"Now that you mention it, I guess that does seem to be the case, I see." (Fia)
I tilted my head, thinking that there was some truth in what Green said. The rules for adventurers must be different from those for knights. We formed a party and went on an adventure together, so we're friends... right?
While I was wondering what to do, Green said something strange.
"Actually, we owe you a million times more than you do, so if you give us permission, we'd be the ones to treat you with all the courtesy we can." (Green)
I immediately refuted it; I wondered what Green is saying with a serious look?
"That's impossible! Green can't use polite language, can he?" (Fia)
I could understand if it was the eldest son, Red, and the third son, Blue, but there's no way Green would respond in a polite manner. I felt like I had heard Green use polite language for a word or two, but I thought that was as far as he went.
Thinking that, I blurted out my honest opinion, and Green rolled his eyes and complained.
"Huh? Hey, what kind of rough image do you have of me?!" (Green)
As Green complained, Blue interrupted him with a humorous look on his face.
"Pfft, isn't it the same thing you always say yourself? That the young ladies think you're rude? That's a lie, isn't it?" (Blue)
"No, that's not it! I..." (Green)
Green looked like he was about to argue, but I thought, "No, if I let this go, it'll just drag on!" and hastily interjected.
"Green is Green! Even though he may not be good at polite language and he has never held a woman's hand, he is still my wonderful friend!" (Fia)
"Fia......" (Green)
When Green heard what I said, he distorted his face as if he was moved, and pinched the base of his eyebrows tightly with his thumb and index finger. Next to him, Blue was blushing and covering his mouth with both hands, saying, "She is truly a merciful goddess..."
Okay, now's the time! I thought, and quickly placed the empty glass in front of Green.
"Green, please give me another one!!" (Fia)
"Huh?" (Green)
Green, who seemed to be deeply moved, widened his eyes when he heard what I said, like a pigeon that had been hit by a peashooter.
Seeing this, Captain Curtis burst out in amusement and laughter.
"Hahahaha, Lady Fi, that's too much! Why don't you let them have a little taste of the excitement?" (Curtis)
As Captain Curtis' laughter rang out, Green grabbed the bottle of sake in one hand and looked at me challengingly.
"Fia, you're such a person... Okay, I get it! If you change your polite tone, I'll let you drink as much as you want!!" (Green)
"Give it to me, Green! Give me some alcohol! Let me drink to my heart's content!!" (Green)
When I answered somewhat overlapping with Green's words, he widened his eyes in shock.
"Easy, hey..." (Green)
Then, Green let out a sigh and poured my glass full to the brim.
"Ah, ah, ah! Green, this isn't the kind of drink you should fill the glass to the brim! You're not used to drinking expensive alcohol on a regular basis, so you don't understand the value! Well, I got a bargain, though. Hehe, this is enough for two glasses." (Fia)
As I spoke, I quickly began to drink before Captain Curtis got angry at me for being bad manners by putting my mouth to a glass filled to the brim.
"Delicious! Oh, how delicious this drink is." (Fia)
We then spent some time talking about the training I had received. Stories like when Captain Cyril came to check out my poetry class, and in the middle of us doing poetry, he ran away saying, "Now I understand why you didn't have a partner!"; when Captain Desmond, who loves chess, came to class feeling dizzy after working 48 hours straight, and was furious when his subordinates gave him more work; and when, during dance practice, I stepped on Fabian's foot three times in a row, but he still smiled and bowed like a gentleman, just like a sparkling prince.
However, Blue said with an envious look on his face, "Training with the Royal Knights sounds like fun," so it seemed that even though I had started the conversation to try to get him to understand how difficult the training was, my intention hadn't gotten across at all.
The conversation then turned to future plans. When I told them that I was planning to leave the royal capital tomorrow, Green and Blue looked at me in surprise.
"That's why I'm glad I was able to meet the two of you today. I'm leaving for the northern region tomorrow, so I wouldn't have been able to meet you if it hadn't been today." (Fia)
As I was talking about how lucky I was to have met him, Blue let out an anxious voice.
"What!? The northern region? Fia, Now that you've finished your training, will you be guarding the northern region as official knights?" (Blue)
He asked in genuine surprise, to which I replied proudly.
"That's not true! Hehe, I actually got more than three weeks off! And you see, my sister is a fine knight, and she's guarding the northernmost part of the kingdom, so I thought I'd go and see her." (Fia)
You probably don't know this, but my sister is an excellent knight. That's so cool and impressive, working as a knight! This made me felt very proud and I puffed out my chest.
"What?! The northernmost part of Nav Kingdom is nothing but mountains! There are vicious monsters living in the mountains, so it's dangerous." (Blue)
Isn't that right? Isn't that right? My sister is a knight in that land, braving such dangers.
Every word Blue said sounded like a compliment to my sister Oria, and I couldn't help but grinned.
"Well, between you and me, I have family. But he has temporarily returned to his home in the Blackpeak Mountain, so I thought I would go and see him at the same time as I went to see my sister. ...To put it in perspective, I wonder if it's like going to check on the feelings of a wife who has lost interest in her husband and returned to her parents' home?" (Fia)
"_REIHOUKUROODAKE_..." (Blue)
The words I said seemed to have made an impact, as Blue repeated them with a stunned look on his face.
Meanwhile, Captain Curtis calmly pointed out my wording.
"Lady Fi, the relationship between the contractor and the familiar is master-servant, so I don't think it's appropriate to compare them to a married couple." (Curtis)
"Oh, really? Well, I mean, I made a monster familiar when he was still a baby, but he went back to his home because he had something he wanted to do. He's still a baby, and he was badly injured when we first met, so I was worried about him, and more than anything, I'm lonely without him, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to go and see him." (Fia)
"Blackpeak Mountain... a monster's child? That monster doesn't seem very strong, so there's no way it could survive..." (Blue)
When Blue saw my wrists peeking out from the cuffs of my sleeves, he made a pained expression and started to say something, but he was hit hard over the head by Green.
"Ouch! Oh, alas, I was wrong! Of course, the monster child will be fine and safe, but it's dangerous, Fia!" (Blue)
"It's no problem, because I'm always by her side." (Curtis)
Without a moment's hesitation, Captain Curtis dismissed Blue's concerns.
However, when Blue heard Captain Curtis' words, his face became even more worried.
"What? If you say so, does that mean Curtis is the only one accompanying Fia? It's a sacred mountain, isn't it? It's a land filled with many evil monsters, so it would be reckless for just the two of you to go!!" (Blue)
Even if you say that, I don't have any intention of defeating monsters, I'm just going to meet Zavilia, so I don't think there's any danger.
Thinking that and not replying, Blue opened his mouth with a determined look on his face.
"...got it. Fia, I never told you, but I'm under a curse." (Blue)
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
And then I apologize for the delay in updating. I seemed a little tired and was taking a short break. Apparently when I'm tired I can't write the way I want to. Thank you for your kind comments! I feel so much better thanks to you ٩( ‘ω’ )و
However, I am very sorry to say that I will be a little busy from now on, so I will update again tomorrow and then take a break for a while (I am truly sorry). I will be back as soon as possible, so please be patient. Thank you very much for your cooperation.