"...Lady Fi!" (Curtis)
Curtis was the first to speak, clearly looking like he wanted to say something.
We were able to defeat the demon with this small number of people.
I thought he was happy with the amazing result, but Curtis looked pale and glared at my newly healed arm.
Too bad, Curtis didn't want me to get hurt more than anything.
Even if that was the only option, I thought it would be a bit of a joke for Curtis to hurt his own arm.
Okay, if this happens, it's a frontal breakthrough!
"Curtis, I sealed the demon just as you wanted. I didn’t even try to disobey you, I actually helped you, so isn’t it strange that you feel like you’re about to start preaching?" (Fia)
They said attack was the best defense.
Before Curtis started lecturing me, let's assert our legitimacy and push through.
My strategy seemed to have worked, and Curtis opened his eyes in surprise and closed his mouth.
Then, he quickly knelt down in front of me and bowed his head.
"Lady Fi, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help. Also, I am truly sorry. Although I had declared that I would defeat the demon without relying on Lady Fi, I had to ask for your help at the critical point. I just feel ashamed of myself." (Curtis)
"What! No, no, our opponent is a crested demon, so there's no way we could defeat him with just an attack class. Curtis's statement, 'Defeat the demon without me,' was a sign of compassion for me, who was intimidated by a demon. I know that's what you mean, so there's no need for Curtis to worry about it." (Fia)
I hurriedly replied to Curtis, who seemed to be deeply remorseful.
Too bad, the other person was Curtis, a loyalist. The plan went so well that he had to apologize.
When I looked at Curtis apologetically, he had a look of genuine regret on his face.
"That's right. I knew that just confronting the demon would cause Lady Fi pain, but in the end, relying on Lady Fi's power is the height of foolishness." (Curtis)
"F-Foolishness!?" (Fia)
I was startled by Curtis's words and couldn't help but let out a loud voice.
I was not a princess anymore, so that's the wrong word choice.
Green and Blue, who were listening in the background, would be suspicious.
"Take care of yourself, Commander Curtis! I'm a first-year knight who just joined. To be frank, I'm many ranks below you." (Fia)
Even though I said this to remind Curtis of the current situation, when he heard my words, his face contorted as if he felt pain.
"Are you so angry that you don't want to speak normally, such as using honorific language? Ah, I will always be your vassal. Please don't say things like that, even if you're joking." (Curtis)
"N-no, it's not a joke, it's a fact..." (Fia)
When he grabbed both of my hands as I desperately tried to persuade him, Curtis bowed his head and I muttered, "Please give me a break."
Looking at Curtis' weakened state, I felt like I was the bad guy.
Huh? Huh? Isn't this strange??
No matter how you looked at it, I was a new knight and Curtis was the commander of the knights who was allowed to wear the sash, so why did Curtis insist that he was my vassal?
Even though I was absolutely right, if I kept insisting that I was right to Curtis, who looked so haggard. It looked like a work of a demon.
Yeah? Do I have to accept Curtis' insistence that he is my subject?
No, it's funny!
It's funny how Blue muttered things like, "If Curtis doesn't accept this, it'll be tough. I would cry."
It's also strange to see Green nodding his head, as if agreeing with Blue's words.
Everyone!
Because everyone here was weird, I wondered why I, a person with complete common sense, was being treated like I was insane!?
When I looked at Zavilia, looking for help, as if he were my last stronghold, I was met with a slight shrug.
"I think you should have stopped when Curtis knelt before Fia. You knew he was going to go to extremes with you, right?" (Zavilia)
...Certainly, if you asked me, it's true.
Zavilia was right that Curtis didn't do anything extreme when it came to me, and he didn't listen at all.
But as soon as I opened my mouth, I knew it was a win, and even when Curtis fell to his knees, I knew I still had the upper hand and could win.
How did the situation turn?
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Green and Blue were staring at me with confused looks.
Yeah, those two people saw Curtis as a common sense person, so they must think there's a solid basis for what he said.
I wondered what I should do once I see why Curtis claimed to be my subject.
Ah, or rather, I really showed off the power of a saint to these two people.
Generally speaking, it was believed that a saint's ability was to heal injuries and illnesses, so the two of us must have thought that the magic I used was beyond the scope of a saint's ability.
In reality, it's within the power of a saint, but since it's magic that only I could use in my previous life, it might be difficult to convince people that it's a saint's ability.
...No, can I go?
In the first place, both of them must believe that I was once again cursed and was able to use the power of a saint, so depending on how I explained it, they might be able to understand.
However, I was planning on having Curtis come up with the explanation itself.
I looked at Curtis with a glimmer of hope.
Curtis covered his face with his hands and hung his head in a prostrate position on the ground.
...That's no good. Since Curtis himself was flattened, it seemed impossible to get him to come up with a good excuse.
Ah, did that mean I had to make the case myself?
Hmm, these two were surprisingly simple, so I felt like I might deceive them though.
With that wishful thinking in mind, I made my voice sound as cheerful as possible.