The Black Emperor's name was "Castor."
I blinked repeatedly when I heard the name casually announced.
"Huh? Ca... Castor, you said?" (Fia)
I exclaimed in surprise at the appearance of a name I had never expected.
That... should have been the name of my sister's child!
In my previous life, I had three older brothers and one older sister.
By older sister, I mean older sister Shaula, who was the former first princess and later became the Duchess Barbizet.
The last time I saw her, she was pregnant, and her belly was swollen cutely.
At my sister's request, I was supposed to name the newborn child, but...
"If it's a boy, how about the name Castor, and if it's a girl, how about Adara?"
I remembered laughing and talking to my sister.
In the end, I lost my life in the Demon King's Castle, so I couldn't see my sister's child being born, but since she was a loyal sister, I chose the name I left behind. I think she gave it to her child.
And Castor was the name I had prepared in case my sister's child was a boy.
"Huh? Sister... no, no, that Great Saint left behind (I wonder if it's okay to say that) ...the person who was given the name 'Castor' was the Emperor of the Empire. What happened!?" (Fia)
Surprised, I couldn't help but asked Captain Curtis.
But before I heard the answer, I concluded in my head that it wasn't impossible.
In his previous life, his father, the King of Nav Kingdom, had one younger brother.
This is Duke Ulysses, Sirius's father.
And Duchess Ulysses... Sirius's mother was from a ducal family in the empire.
According to my memories of my previous life, the Emperor was in his prime and had many queens and mistresses, but no children.
So, adopting a child of a high-ranking noble from the Nav Kingdom, which had ties to the Empire, shouldn't be all that strange.
In fact, it would probably be easier to do than adopting a child from within the empire since the interests of various families would not be involved.
As if to confirm my question, Captain Curtis looked at me intently as he answered.
"Yes, that's right. The person who inherited the name of 'Castor' that Great Saint Serafina left behind became the 'Black Emperor'." (Curtis)
"Well, that really is!" (Fia)
I exclaimed in agreement. At the same time, I once again feel the amount of time that has passed.
...My sister had a baby, and that child grew up to be a fine adult and even became the emperor of the empire.
That was right, it had been 300 years since I died, so a lot of things must have happened.
What? But, I heard that Black Emperor has black hair and black eyes, right?
If you mix your sister (red hair) and Duke Barbizet (brown hair), will you get black hair?
"Fia, hair colors don't mix that way. You inherit the color of one of your parents. Or the color of one of your ancestors before that." (Zavilia)
Zavilia, who read my mind, pointed it out to me.
"Oh, yeah, that's right! Of course, I knew that." (Fia)
As expected of Zavilia, I nodded a little, thinking he was knowledgeable, but when Zavilia confirmed that I understood, he immediately shifted his gaze to Captain Curtis.
After that, he looked at Captain Curtis searchingly, but Captain Curtis just looked back at Zavilia and didn't say a word.
A quiet silence fell for a while.
Zavilia muttered as if thinking about it, perhaps reading the answer from Captain Curtis, who made no attempt to answer.
"...Hmm. Even though he's a former aide, it's hard to believe he's hiding something from his master. Of course, you're probably doing everything because you think it's for the master's benefit, but... that's just because you assume it's for the Lord's benefit, so you don't know if it's actually good or not, right? " (Zavilia)
Upon hearing Zavilia's words, Captain Curtis distorted his face in pain and muttered in a hoarse voice.
"Black Dragon, what you say is correct... but someone who has never experienced it cannot understand that feeling of loss..." (Curtis)
"Curtis…" (Fia)
Captain Curtis covered his face with both hands and looked down, so I couldn't help but call out to him.
I thought the subject of Captain Curtis's story was intentionally left out, perhaps because he didn't want me, Green, or Blue to know.
If that was the case, maybe I should respect Captain Curtis's wishes and not ask him a lot of questions, but I was curious, so I crouched down in front of the sitting captain and looked into his face.
Captain Curtis then looked up a little and continued in a weak voice.
"Lady Fi, I have been watching you closely for a long time. Therefore, I think I understand the movements of your heart that you are not aware of yourself." (Curtis)
Suddenly, I was told something I had never expected, and I was so confused that I couldn't help but raise my voice.
"Th-Thank you very much for that." (Fia)
"What I would like to ask from the bottom of my heart is that you should take better care of yourself." (Curtis)
"Huh, you think it’s quite important!?" (Fia)
I exclaimed in surprise when I heard Captain Curtis's request.
W-why are you suddenly talking about this? But even if you don't worry, I'm taking good care of myself.
"I'm eating what I want, I'm sleeping as much as I want, I'm still coming to Blackpeak Mountain to see Zavilia, and I'm doing what I want to do!" (Fia)
However, even though I gave a detailed explanation and gave specific examples, Captain Curtis did not show any understanding of what I was saying, and instead clasped his hands together in a desperate manner.
"Then, will you choose the path that will save you, even if it means sacrificing the knights?" (Curtis)
"Huh? No, no, of course..." (Fia)
Captain Curtis's story is too extreme, I thought, at a loss for words.
I looked at the leader in confusion, but it seemed like I had no intention of compromising with him, so I continued to say more.
"Lady Fi, I've been saying this for a long time, but not everyone can do the same things, and each person's value on the battlefield is different. If I had to put it into words that would be easier to persuade you, ... Your power will save many knights. In order to save knights into the future, please prioritize your own safety." (Curtis)
"I-I see..." (Fia)
Because I understood what Captain Curtis wanted to say, and because when he was an escort knight, his top priority was protecting me, so I thought that those feelings were still strong, so I murmured my agreement.
Then, perhaps relieved that I understood, Captain Curtis continued by saying, "Just one thing."
"If you understand my words, please promise me one thing. Please at least accept that the knights will put themselves in danger for your sake." (Curtis)
"Oh, that's, of course!" (Fia)
Captain Curtis's one request was easy to accept, so I eagerly agreed.
As a saint, I put myself in danger for the sake of the knights, and I fully understood that the opposite was possible!
I looked at Captain Curtis closely and nodded repeatedly.
However, even as he looked at me with relief, Captain Curtis still had a worried look on his face.
...My former escort knight is really a worrier.
I smiled bitterly when I saw Captain Curtis's expression.