"...So, I had the valuable experience of learning how a lady should be. According to that lesson, a lady should never go on an adventure with a man she has never met before. I fully understand that a contract creates rights and obligations for both parties, so I don't sign a contract immediately after meeting.Furthermore..." (Curtis)
In front of Captain Curtis, who continued to talk for a long time, I looked at him like a dead fish and remained silent.
...I didn't know what to say, but Curtis' story was extremely boring.
I asked for a special story, but I wondered why it was not so interesting.
Or rather, because I set the topic loosely as "a special story," he made it seemed like he was talking about the topic, but in reality, it seemed like he was nagging at me. Maybe it was just my imagination?
I looked at Captain Curtis with suspicious eyes, trying to ascertain his true intentions, but the leader continued talking without seeming bothered.
"Of course, Lady Fi is fine as is, but I think she has reached a new stage where she acquires a dignity that will impress everyone. In order to achieve that..." (Curtis)
I looked at Green, Blue, and Zavilia's warm eyes as they looked at Captain Curtis, who continued to speak enthusiastically. Ah, this wasn't my misunderstanding. Captain Curtis was saying what he wanted to say to me. I was sure it seemed so.
...I was convinced, but if this was Captain Curtis' special story, I had no choice but to keep listening.
Ah, I failed! If I had to listen to stories like this, I would have just fallen asleep as Zavilia suggested.
Or maybe I should have taken Green's advice and set some kind of standard: "Special is a standard that relies too much on intuition."
While I was thinking about this, a strange thing happened.
Green and Blue, who should have been staring at Captain Curtis suspiciously, suddenly began listening to him with serious expressions and even started nodding enthusiastically.
"……what?" (Fia)
I tried to observe the two of them to see what happened, but I couldn't figure out the cause.
I didn't know, but they both agreed with Captain Curtis to an unusual degree.
"I see, as expected of someone who belongs to the same knightly order as Fia! I've thought out the best way to express Fia's awesomeness." (Green)
Green crossed his arms and let out an impressed sound.
Oh, now Green started saying something that didn't make any sense, I looked at him in shock.
However, before I could pay any attention to Green, even Blue, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth with sparkling eyes.
"Ah, Curtis is right! I wish people all over the world would start respecting and praising Fia." (Blue)
...What is Blue saying?
I saw two people saying things that sounded like they were drunk, even though they weren't drinking alcohol... Well, it was originally caused by Curtis, so I wonder if it's correct to describe them as three people... I took a turn glaring at everyone.
However, either because they became the majority or because they didn't care about my feelings, Captain Curtis kept going on and on about uninteresting things, and the other two turned into an obedient supporter and continued nodding...
So, in a state of emptiness, I managed to get through the time filled with Captain Curtis's nagging, sermons, and teachings, and I let out a sigh of relief as I finally saw the leader's talk come to an end.
However, after I finished saying what I wanted to say, Captain Curtis looked at me with a clear expression, as if searching for something, and I said, "Yeah!" I screamed in my heart.
I could kind of understand Captain Curtis' hopes.
However, I was filled with a reluctance, but the person I was dealing with was my loyal Captain Curtis, so I couldn't help it, I opened my mouth with a strained smile.
"Well, there was some talk about giving it a try, just for a little while." (Fia)
When Captain Curtis heard my words, he bursted out into a huge smile, like a flower bursting into bloom.
Looking at that expression, I wondered how simple it was, but then I turned around and let out a sigh.
...No, Captain Curtis.
The goal of "Make me the best lady" that he had set in his previous life, seemed like he was starting to raise it in this world as well.
In my previous life, I finished half way through my ambitions, so I could understand the feeling of "this time," but in the first place, I was a knight, not a princess.
There was no chance I would marry a high-ranking aristocrat, and I didn't need Captain Curtis' noble aspirations. What was wrong?
As I lowered my eyebrows in confusion, Green spoke up, as if to change the mood, "Then I'm next."
I suddenly turned around and looked at Green with suspicion.
Is Green's story okay? Green's behavior had been strange for a while now, and I didn't think he was going to continue Captain Curtis' style and tell uninteresting stories, right?
As I cautiously waited for Green to speak, he began to speak in an innocent manner.
I would like to tell you a story about a rare girl who is the only one in the world. In other words, it's a story about a girl who was afflicted with a meaningless curse that said, 'If she doesn't follow an adventurer and fulfill her role as a saint, she will be delayed in marriage.' It's interesting, even though she's not a saint herself, she uses the power of a sorcerer to curse and gain the power of a saint. She said she had gained a power so powerful that she had never seen it before, claiming it was the power of a saint. That's what I thought. If she could obtain this kind of power, it would not be a "curse" but a "blessing".
"……"
Anyway, the girl in this story seemed like me.
Isn't this about when I met Green and the others?
Thinking about this, I tilted my head nervously, but Green didn't seem to mind and continued talking.
"Ah, she truly was a blessed being! …Perhaps the Black Emperor, who reigned 300 years ago, was worshiped and worshiped with similar feelings when he met the "Goddess of Creation." I guess so! In other words…" (Green)
He kept repeating the words that caught my eye as I looked at Green, who was talking excitedly.
"Goddess of creation..." (Fia)
That was right, Green was from the Arteaga Empire.
Since the Empire was a country that worships goddesses, it might be tempting to bring up the topic of goddesses, but...
"Green, the 'Goddess of Creation' that is told in the Arteaga Empire is the goddess of beginnings who sowed the seeds of all blessings throughout the empire, right?" (Fia)
I asked Green a question while pulling out memories from my previous life.
From what I remember, "Goddess of Creation" referred to the goddess who shaped the empire.
There must have been a story told that during the early days of the empire, the goddess sowed various seeds such as crops and fruits throughout the empire, which made the empire rich.
Therefore, when Green said, "The Black Emperor met the Goddess of Creation," it meant... During the time of the Black Emperor, the territory doubled, so seeds were sown in the new territory, making it a rich land. Is that what it means?
When Green heard my words, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Fia, you're amazing! I'm really impressed that you've learned so much about the history of the empire! Ah, that's right, she was originally the goddess who sowed various kinds of seeds throughout the empire and brought about fertility. However, during the time of the Black Emperor, the interpretation was changed. Nowadays, everyone uses it to mean "a goddess who saves people with her healing power." (Green)
"……What?" (Fia)
Also, Black Emperor was a bold change in interpretation.
Originally, it was supposed to be a mythical story that meant the beginning of an empire, but the current interpretation was...
"It's like something about a saint." (Fia)
When I muttered to myself, Green looked at me with a cautious expression.
"...Fia, do you remember when we talked about my sister having red hair?" (Green)
"Huh? Yes, that's right. Blue once told me that your sister and I have the same hair color." (Fia)
I replied while searching my memory.
Came to think of it, when we went on an adventure together before, someone told me that my hair color was the same as their younger sister's, so it felt like she was with them.
So, Green's sister has red hair, right?
When Green heard my reply, he nodded in approval.
"Yes, and red-haired women are valued in the Empire. Therefore, both men and women try to choose a partner with reddish hair as much as possible so that they can pass it on to their children. It is said that the Goddess of Life had red hair." (Green)
"What?" (Fia)
Green looked straight at me as I let out a surprised sound, and he continued speaking.
"Originally, there was no description of the goddess's appearance. However, during the era of the Black Emperor, it became more concrete. 'A red-haired woman with the power of healing,' the "Goddess of Creation."
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
Also, thank you so much for picking up Volume 4 of the novel!
Thanks to all of you, I received a notice from the publisher that it will be reprinted. I'm very grateful.
Apparently they didn't expect it to be reprinted so quickly, but since it's not the first edition, the first edition bonus SS will not be included (additional editions lined up after the new year).
We apologize for the inconvenience, but please be careful.
This will be the last update for this year.
Thank you for your cooperation this year.
We hope to see you again next year o(^-^)o