"Oh my, it’s Curtis! It seems like he was so moved by just three people defeating the demon that he wanted to prostrate himself on the ground. Oh, now that I think about it, I’ve read about it in a book before! In the past as well. There is a case where a knight who defeated a crested demon was so excited that he laid down on the ground and wanted to respect the people around him as his superiors, calling them 'His Royal Highness' and 'Knight Commander.'" (Fia)
"……What?" (Blue)
Blue's eyes widened in surprise when he heard my words, and he started talking to his brother in a whisper.
"Brother, is this an indication that we should kneel on the ground too?" (Blue)
"Ah, that's what you mean! It's true that Fia's work as a goddess was amazing enough to make us bend our knees." (Green)
Then, the two of them nodded to each other as if they understood, and in one fluid motion they put one knee on the ground.
"Huh?" (Fia)
I could only feel a bad feeling from the serious expressions of the both of them.
I looked at them with wary expressions, wondering what they were planning to do, and both of them put their hands on their chests with their faces down.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Goddess of Creation for once again manifesting her noble form."
"Thanks to the power of the Goddess, we were able to seal away the evil demon. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you for lending us your rare and supreme power. I just hope that it is not against the law."
"That’s iiiit!" (Fia)
I couldn't help but raise my voice.
I see, I see!
I didn't expect that the "Goddess of Creation" role we had been playing with when we parted ways during our last adventure would start up again.
At that time, after defeating a superior monster, when we were about to disband, the three brothers, including Red, knelt on the ground, and they called me the "Goddess of Creation" and said stupidly polite words. They started saying difficult things to me.
Because the culture unique to this empire is unfamiliar, I couldn't understand their actions. I felt like it's uncouth to say that I didn't understand, and it was my fault that I joined the conversation between the three of them.
Because of that, they ended up doing the same thing this time too.
I was wondering what started it all, and was thinking about the similarities with the previous one, when suddenly I had an idea.
...Ah, I know!
Maybe in the Empire, when you defeated a strong enemy, you showed your gratitude to the goddess by talking to the woman nearby as if she were the goddess.
Both last time and this time, all the conditions fit perfectly, so I felt like I got the right answer.
……I see. If that's the case, it would be kind of you to just respond to their requests.
I tried to look as elegant as I could, and then made a sound of turning away.
"You did a great job. You did a great job against a crested demon that you're facing for the first time." (Fia)
"I feel extremely honored to be praised by a goddess."
When I saw the two of them looking fascinated by my words, they looked really happy. I was surprised that they could be so absorbed in pretend play, even though they were already adults.
Then, no, no, this might be a normal behavior in the culture of the Empire, so I thought I should respect it, and I continued speaking.
"Everyone in the Empire would be proud of you." (Fia)
Green and Blue seemed to accept my words surprisingly obediently, and their cheeks immediately turned red.
I found it strange that it's a rare sight to see two large adults, even two handsome men, kneeling and blushing.
However, I quickly remembered my main purpose and their expression tightened.
That's right. The original purpose was to deceive them so that my abilities would not be doubted.
I made a sharp expression and looked at the two of them.
"By the way, I have something important to tell you two. The fact that I was able to use the saint's power and other strange powers is temporary! As soon as the curse's effect wears off, I can no longer use it." (Fia)
When I tried to continue my explanation to get them to understand, the two of them answered in the affirmative with expressions that said of course.
"I understand." (Green, Blue)
"Oh, are you aware?" (Fia)
Perhaps because we were friends who went on adventures together, I seemed to have won the tremendous trust of these two before I knew it.
Or was it a rule to accept whatever the goddess said?
Either way, I was relieved that I was accepted, then I finished the conversation before it was retracted.
"Good, it's a promise. Well then, that's it." (Fia)
Then I grabbed Green's and Blue's hands and pulled them up off the ground.
When I saw the two of them looking much higher than me, I smiled and felt that things had finally returned to normal.
"However, Green and Blue must have faced a demon for the first time, but they were amazing at defeating the crested monster! They had the courage to not back down when their lives were at stake, the insight to assess the situation calmly, and their attacks. High level of skill as a professional, everything is high class. Ah! Could it be..." (Fia)
I suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and when I was about to say the words that came to my mind, they both rushed in and covered my words with them.
"Yes! That's right, Fia!"
"Ah, even though it was your wish, I felt bad for you to remain silent, but we are the emperors of the empire..."
"Empire! That's right! If the two of you join the Imperial Knights, I think you'll become excellent knights." (Fia)
"Huh?"
"Imperial Knight...?"
Even though the two of them started talking enthusiastically, for some reason their expressions instantly changed as if they were exhausted.
I thought that perhaps they were intimidated by the fact that being an Imperial Knight was an elite job, so I vigorously affirmed the situation so that the two of them could gain confidence.
"Yes, you can become a fine Imperial Knight!!" (Fia)
However, the two did not seem to be feeling well and had strange expressions on their faces.
"Ah... Imperial Knight. Thank you for your compliment, Fia."
"Ah...let's do our best."
Well, being a knight was my number one dream job, but maybe it's not the same for these two?
As I tilted my head, wondering why the two looked like they had swallowed a bitter insect, I heard Zavilia's exasperated voice from behind me.
"Fia is the type of person who creates labyrinths for herself and gets lost in them without intending to do so. Through Fia, she thought she understood that these two people are devoted to you, but when she actually sees them, she realizes that the current situation... It’s many times worse than I imagined." (Zavilia)
"Huh?" (Fia)
When I looked back at Zavilia to see what he was saying, he spread one of his wings.
"The troublesome thing is that these two people's baseless guesses are almost always correct, and they understand who Fia is. Also, they have a lot of pieces that become arms and legs to the point where I hate it. It seems like the more they get involved with Fia, the more fascinated they become with Fia, so the problem only gets more complicated." (Zavilia)
"Uh..."
When I talked to Zavilia, I wondered if he could talk to me in a way that I could understand.
"I wonder why it's such a hassle while I'm back in Blackpeak for a bit. I guess I can't take my eyes off Fia after all." (Zavilia)
Although I didn't understand what he meant, I could sense that he was being disrespected, so I was about to open my mouth to complain when suddenly a shadow appeared over my head.
At the same time, the sound of loud flapping wings can be heard from directly above.
When I looked up in surprise, I saw a group of dragons circling in different colors like red, blue, and yellow.
"Huh? What's going on!?" (Fia)
I couldn't help but raise my voice, and Zavilia let out a sigh as if she had given up.
"Ah... you've come after all." (Zavilia)
Zavilia seemed to understand what was going on, and when I gave him a questioning look, he waved one of his wings twitchingly.
"It means that the 'Sealing Box' and monsters have the same tastes." (Zavilia)
"Huh?" (Fia)
"I ordered all the dragons to stay still, but none of them obeyed. It seems they were unable to resist a temptation that was more attractive than my orders. For example. ...It's like the sweet, sweet smell of a saint's blood."
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
I'm very sorry for this personal matter, but I'm currently in a difficult situation at work and can't calm down to write.
Therefore, I would like to take a break from updating until I can bring you more fun stories. I am really sorry.
I hope to be able to deliver the continuation as soon as possible, so please look forward to it.