"Huh? Ah, well, Captain Ghai?!" (Fia)
The interrogation suddenly changed and Captain Ghai suddenly bowed his head to me, making me blink rapidly.
I instinctively called out to him, but Captain Ghai kept his head down, so I looked around, wondering what to do and asking for help. The first two to catch my eye were Green and Blue.
Just as I was about to reach out to them, thinking that they would be able to help since they had both seen the world, I heard Blue mutter.
"...As expected of the Goddess of Creation. Just four months after joining, she has managed to captivate so many high-ranking knights. Of course, it is understandable how the knights would be instantly enthralled by the brave and merciful goddess." (Blue)
"…………" (Fia)
It seemed that Blue had become confused after hearing Captain Ghai's incomprehensible words. Blue, who I thought was a sensible person, was muttering incomprehensible words on par with Captain Ghai, with a dreamy look on his face.
Realizing that this wasn't going to work, I moved my gaze and my eyes met with my older sister's eyes widening. Startled, I hastily opened my mouth.
"Right, big sister! What I just said was wrong, that was something Captain Ghai decided on his own..." (Fia)
As I quickly spoke my excuses, she looked back at me with a troubled expression.
"I've heard the rumors about you, Fia, but having Captain Ghai tell them makes them many times worse. I've learned that rumors only get worse the more people they are passed on." (Oria)
"Big Sister!" (Fia)
What a wise and thoughtful sister she is! How she dismisses Captain Ghai's baseless, half-hearted rumors!
I was so happy that I was about to jump on my older sister when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Captain Curtis grabbed Captain Ghai, who was looking down, by the collar. I looked at Captain Curtis in surprise, wondering if he was being a bit rough, when he suddenly spoke to Captain Ghai as if to admonish him.
"That was the right thing to do, Ghai. You should have started by apologizing." (Curtis)
"Oh, yeah! Sorry!" (Ghai)
Captain Ghai was forced to look up, and while he clearly did not understand, he affirmed Captain Curtis' words, so Captain Curtis clutched his head as if he had a headache.
"Your reply is good, but you don't understand what I'm saying. Where did all the time we spent yesterday go?" (Curtis)
"Ah, that's..." (Ghai)
Captain Ghai started to say something, but when Captain Curtis raised a hand to stop him, he twisted his lip.
"I understand. I handled it wrong. I should have kept things simpler for you, Ghai. Listen, Ghai, Lady Fi is Oria's sister. As a blood relative of Oria, you must respect Lady Fi, understand?" (Curtis)
"I understand that very well!!" (Ghai)
Captain Ghai was smiling with a smug look on his face as if he had finally grasped the truth, but Captain Curtis looked at him coldly and let out a sigh. Then he turned to me as if to say the conversation was over.
"Lady Fi, I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. Ghai is not a bad person at heart, but he is impulsive and lacks consideration and imagination." (Curtis)
"Oh, yeah, Curtis, that's totally insulting me! Is it okay for you to insult people in front of them?" (Fia)
"Once you reach the rank of a knight captain, no one will point out or warn you. The majority of knight captains are self-disciplined and don't have any problems, but I decided that you were the type who needed advice." (Curtis)
"I see! So your actions are for my own good! Thank you." (Fia)
Seeing Captain Ghai bowed his head obediently, Captain Curtis shrugged his shoulders.
"Lady Fi, as you can see, Ghai is not a bad guy. With a wise adjutant, he could become a very good Captain." (Curtis)
"I, I see..." (Fia)
I somehow understood how Captain Ghai was treated and nodded enthusiastically. Meanwhile, upon hearing Captain Curtis' words, Captain Ghai quickly raised his head and stared at him with a suspicious expression.
"Curtis, but what's with your attitude? You've always been polite, but I've never seen you be so blatantly subservient. And only to Fia? Do you have some kind of weakness?" (Ghai)
Even my older sister, who had heard Captain Ghai's question, looked at me with interest.
...Y-yes, that's right! I had gotten used to it in the royal capital, but to the average person, the way Captain Curtis spoke to me was not something a captain would do to a mere knight. In the royal capital, there were other captains like Captain Quentin who behaved strangely, so before I knew it, the other knights had come to accept it as normal, but yeah, he was a little out of the ordinary.
While I was thinking about how to explain it, Captain Curtis spoke as if it was nothing.
"As you know, I am the captain of the 13th Knight, assigned to Sutherland." (Curtis)
"Oh? I guess so." (Ghai)
Apparently unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events, Captain Ghai merely gave a noncommittal response.
Captain Curtis continued speaking, seemingly unaware of Captain Ghai's confusion.
"And in that land, they worship a great saint with red hair and golden eyes. Lady Fi visited Sutherland to participate in a ceremony, and was given the utmost hospitality by the residents of Sutherland because of her appearance." (Curtis)
"I see! Indeed, Fia's hair is a stunning red, unparalleled even among the Saints!" (Ghai)
After hearing Captain Curtis' words, Captain Ghai nodded vigorously as if he understood.
"Ah, and when Lady Fi left Sutherland, the locals asked me to accompany her as their bodyguard. That's why I treat Lady Fi with the same feelings I would treat the Great Saint." (Curtis)
"Oh, so Fia is your great saint! That's the most stupidly polite way of speaking I've ever seen!" (Ghai)
Captain Ghai burst out laughing as if he had heard a funny story, but what he just said left me feeling shocked.
I-I'm the great saint of Captain Curtis, that's a horrible thing to say! I was sure Captain Ghai spoke without thinking, but he was telling the truth.
His wild instincts are truly fearsome! As I was gazing at Captain Ghai, thinking this, Captain Curtis raised one hand as if to change the mood.
"I believe your doubts have been resolved. If so, from now on, try to treat Lady Fi with proper courtesy." (Curtis)
"Oh, yeah! Got it!" (Ghai)
Hearing Captain Ghai's words, Captain Curtis nodded slightly.
"...Now, let's get to the main topic. This visit was originally to fulfill Lady Fi's wish to meet Oria, but Cyril asked me to take on a task since I was there anyway. Apparently, the monsters in this area have become violent recently, so I was asked to respond as an extra knight." (Curtis)
"That's right! Since the Black King returned to the Blackpeak Mountain, this land has fallen into chaos! And the one who's exacerbating it is the king himself. I don't know what he's thinking, but the king suddenly changed his mind and started acting all over the place. Thanks to that, the monster distribution map around here has become a mess, and everyone is in chaos!" (Ghai)
"What do you mean?" (Curtis)
Captain Curtis urged him to continue as if he didn't know anything. Captain Ghai put one hand behind his neck and roughly ripped the back of his head.
"The Blackpeak Mountain has long been the home of the Black King. The king controlled the entire vast mountain, and did not allow any other dragons to fly above it. However, the king, who was supposed to have been reborn as a juvenile and left the land, returned about three months ago and began drawing in other dragons! Can you believe it? Blue and red dragons are flying above the Blackpeak!" (Ghai)
"I see" (Curtis)
"That's why that mountain is in disarray right now! There's a mixture of strong and weak monsters, and it looks like a jumble of good and bad. They're so busy dealing with the monsters that are being pushed out and coming down from the mountain that they have no idea what's going on!" (Ghai)
"...I see. Then, I'll take on that role." (Curtis)
"What?" (Ghai)
In contrast to the excited Captain Ghai, Captain Curtis quietly interjected.
Looking straight at Captain Ghai, who frowned as if he didn't understand, Captain Curtis continued speaking in a calm tone.
"Lady Fi, Green, Blue and I are heading to the Blackpeak Mountain." (Curtis)
"...Huh?" (Ghai)
Captain Curtis stated this so clearly, but Captain Ghai stared blankly.