I felt very dissatisfied when I saw Cerulean, who seemed to have some doubts, but seemed satisfied.
Oh my, I wondered what's going on in this situation where I was suddenly treated like a pitiful child.
I kept saying I knew, but for some reason they thought I had guessed the correct answer because of my misunderstanding.
I wasn't satisfied with many things, but since there were things that were difficult to explain and things that I couldn't say, I accepted the current situation even though I was dissatisfied.
I changed my mind and asked Cerulean.
"Cerulean, can I ask you something too? I thought the spirits had hidden themselves somewhere, but the fact that you were cursed by the Spirit King, did the Spirit King appear before you?" (Fia)
"I see, I really don't understand why you're asking such a question. No, Fia, I've never met the Spirit King." (Cerulean)
"Huh?" (Fia)
I blinked.
"This curse on my body was passed on to my ancestors 300 years ago. I have inherited it." (Cerulean)
"Well, a curse you received from 300 years ago!?" (Fia)
I knew that I shouldn't put myself first in everything, but as soon as I heard about the curse that was placed on the Näv royal family 300 years ago, I thought that maybe I had something to do with it in my previous life.
No, but I had never met the Spirit King, so that couldn't be true...
As I was saying this to myself, Cerulean smiled strangely.
"Fia, just looking at your hundred faces, I guess thoughts that I can’t understand are going on in your head one after another. I don’t know that there was such an interesting being hiding in the Knights…I’m so interested in you." (Cerulean)
Cerulean held out his right hand.
"Congratulations in advance. I never thought the day would come when I would be recognized as the King, but after experiencing it, I feel like I've found myself, and I feel great. Well, I have a promise that I can't miss after this, so let's end it here for today. However, Fia, I'll take your time, so please meet with me often from now on." (Cerulean)
Although he was a free-spirited clown who spoke and acted like a child, he was still the King of this country.
There was no way I could refuse, so I shook his hand with an ambiguous expression on my face.
Then, Cerulean let out an exasperated sigh.
"How you feel about me is reflected in your words and deeds. After shaking my hand so reluctantly, you could have said, 'My dearest lord.'" (Cerulean)
"...Ever since I became an adult, I've been aiming to be a mysterious woman whose mind cannot be easily read. In other words, I think my complicated mind is difficult for a child like Cerulean to understand." (Fia)
Upon hearing my words, Cerulean smiled amusedly.
"Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm actually 29 years old...I'll be 30 in a year." (Cerulean)
Maybe it's a way of saying it that seemed to have some sort of connotation to it.
"I understand, the 30-year-old wall! A female knight colleague of mine said that the moment she turned 30, she felt hopeless, like falling into a waterfall! 29-year-olds and 30-year-olds have different mental states. It seems like there is a big difference." (Fia)
When I said that with the intention of comforting him, Cerulean lowered his eyebrows in annoyance.
"...Yeah, well, of course, Fia doesn't understand...how I'll feel when I turn 30. I see, that's interesting." (Cerulean)
Then, Cerulean turned to Captain Cyril.
"Cyril, this is the end of the interview. After this, you will gather the knight captains and hold a meeting, right? Please report the results." (Cerulean)
The voice that was directed towards Captain Cyril was clearly that of a ruler, so the leader bowed his head in silence.
Cerulean muttered to himself towards the back of Captain Cyril's head.
"...Ah, but that's a real shame. If she wasn't your favorite knight, I would have scouted her for a clown." (Cerulean)
When I picked up Cerulean's tweet, I looked at the three clowns in their unique outfits: Cerulean, Ron, and Dory.
Then, I clearly declined to Cerulean.
"N-No, I'll never be a clown!" (Fia)
"Really? I'm just talking about this, clowns are a super elite group. The only people high enough to be on par with the three of us are Savvis and Cyril." (Cerulean)
I saw off the three clowns with a dejected expression as they left with a refreshing laugh.
Then, I turned to Captain Cyril and gave a big nod.
"I understand why Captain Cyril was reluctant to meet with His Majesty the King! This is certainly an exhausting event." (Fia)
Captain Cyril stared at me for a while with a doubtful expression, wondering if I really understood, but then he nodded in agreement, perhaps thinking it would be too much trouble to argue with him.
"...Yes, that's right. The main purpose of the royal interview is for His Majesty to evaluate the knights, and it is a meaningful interview considering the future placement of the royal guard. However, the knights are always being manipulated. It's true that I used to feel anxious while watching this drama, but today I realized that watching the knights being thrown around was much more calming. Watching His Majesty the King being thrown around is beyond exhausting." (Cyril)
"Huh" (Fia)
"This is just a story, but I thought it was a little scary until you were able to emulate the King's tone, but at the same time I felt a little exhilarated. However, when it came to the card game... you kept making bad moves one after another. I was sick to my stomach, wondering what he would do." (Cyril)
"Th-that’s it." (Fia)
"On top of that, you cut the King to pieces with the final line, 'The only person who can surpass the King is the Joker!' I thought my stomach was going to explode." (Cyril)
"No, no, no way. The strong stomach of the fine First Knight Captain won't explode with just that." (Fia)
I tried to smile at Captain Cyril, trying to be in a good mood, but he just looked back at me with a straight face.
I thought this was a bit suspicious, so I changed the subject to change Captain Cyril's mood.
"By the way, I may not say it myself, but it seems that I have the highest loyalty to Captain Cyril among the First Knight Brigade!" (Fia)
"……What does it mean?" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril frowned, as if he didn't understand what I was said.
Therefore, I proudly explained.
"Before the interview with the king, Captain Cyril said, 'His Majesty may be able to try out various things, but please treat him as confirmation that you have completed your training and respond as best you can.' That's why, as a loyal subordinate, I tried my best to demonstrate my abilities even more than usual in order to respond to Captain Cyril's request. And as a result, I was able to see through the King's true identity!" (Fia)
This was a sign of loyalty to Captain Cyril! When I said that, Captain Cyril muttered, "Ah," in an airless manner.
"In other words, I'm choking myself. I'll regret it." (Cyril)
What came out of the mouth of the fine First Knight Brigade Captain were words of remorse that were somehow difficult to understand.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading!
We look forward to your support again this year.