That night, unusually, all the knight captains residing in the royal capital gathered in a high-class entertainment room within the royal castle.
However, there wasn't much conversation going on, and it didn't seem like they were having fun either, and it seemed like everyone wanted to go home from the entertainment room.
In this indescribable atmosphere, Zachary asked a question that represented everyone's thoughts.
"So, what kind of person was the duke’s daughter?" (Zachary)
Cyril and Desmond, on the other hand, looked at each other and exchanged something without saying a word, and as a result, Desmond, who had been pressed against him, placed the glass he was holding on the table.
"That's exactly what I was thinking of explaining. Now, I'll report on the visit to the Duke Alcott family. First of all, there are five members, me, Cyril, Fia, Fabian, and Saint Charlotte. The responders are two people, Duke Olcott Lloyd and his adopted daughter, Saint Priscilla." (Desmond)
The knight captains who were listening to the story wondered, "Who is Saint Charlotte?" but urged them to continue without interjecting.
"Saint Priscilla's abilities are unknown because it could not be measured. However, she was very eager to be chosen as Chief Saint, so I guess she believes that she has a certain level of ability." (Desmond)
"Did you have no idea how much power she had as a saint?" (Zachary)
Zachary confirmed and Desmond nodded.
"Her abilities have a good reputation in the city. However, I can't trust her just because the church is probably manipulating her appearance to make it look more glamorous. That's why I decided to become her test subject, Saint Priscilla held back from using her abilities, so I didn't know." (Desmond)
Clarissa's eyes widened in surprise at Desmond's words.
"What, Desmond tried to become a test subject?" (Clarissa)
The other Captains looked at him in shock, and Desmond spread his arms wide, asking for help.
"That's right! That's because while I was drinking tea, the head captain, suddenly used wind magic to break the cup I was holding in half! I was cruelly injured. I was ordered to become a test subject! Poor me, succumbing to the silent pressure, was only able to dig the cup into my hand." (Desmond)
Cyril looked at him in shock at Desmond's theatrical attitude.
"I protected you on the battlefield and suffered many more injuries than that." (Cyril)
"I am aware of that. Thank you." (Desmond)
Desmond obediently bowed his head in response to Cyril's matter-of-fact statement.
Meanwhile, Clarissa took both of Desmond's hands and narrowed her eyes as if suspicious.
"But there's not a single scratch on Desmond's palm. You visited the Duke's mansion today, right? There's no way your injury will heal that quickly." (Clarissa)
"Ah... that's because Saint Charlotte healed me." (Desmond)
Everyone tilted their heads at Desmond's answer.
"Saint Charlotte?" (Everyone)
"Ah, it seems like there's a saint that Fia knows who works at the royal castle, but she's the real deal. Saint Charlotte is a saint with a rare ability who can erase my injuries without a trace in a short amount of time. Actually, we met once before, and at that time, she created a medicine that I had never seen before, and it cured the symptoms I was suffering from." (Desmond)
"Heh"
"Well, there is such a kind saint!"
The knight captains let out surprised murmurs.
Desmond nodded loudly, then frowned.
"Still, she and Fia talk to each other like friends, call each other by name, easily activate recovery magic, and have characteristics that are not typical of a saint at all. It’s a shame. If only she were 10 years older, she probably would have been chosen as first-class Saint." (Desmond)
"Well, that's really a shame! There's nothing we can do about age." (Clarissa)
To Clarissa's surprise, Quentin raised an impressed voice.
"As expected of Fia-sama! I can't believe she's gotten to know such a supreme person, the Black Dragon King, whose very existence is always questioned!" (Quentin)
Zachary frowned at Quentin's usual exaggeration, but he didn't mind asking Desmond.
"By the way, how was the important Saint Priscilla?" (Zachary)
"Ah, she was a saint who seemed like a high-ranking saint. I have to say that she is the best person for us knights to pledge allegiance to." (Desmond)
Although Desmond's words were complimentary of Priscilla, Zachary frowned because his tone had a negative ring to it.
Then, Cyril immediately spoke some intercessory words.
"Zachary, Desmond can be a bit harsh towards women, so please take this with a grain of salt. As far as I've confirmed, Saint Priscilla tried to treat the right things in the right way, and we've also seen her expressed some emotions. I think she will become a wonderful saint someday." (Cyril)
Clarissa looked at Cyril in shock.
"As always, just as Desmond is harsh towards women, Cyril is lenient towards the Saint! It's like sugar candy, and the scores are being lenient! Everything else is calmly observed. So, even though they judge fairly, they always interpret it in a positive way, as if there is a different standard for the saint." (Cyril)
Cyril's eyes widened as if he had just said something he had never expected, but he quickly lowered his gaze to the glass in his hand.
"...Is that a different standard? I realized that when you said that, but it might be true. Because both me and General Savis must be married to a saint. Everyone lives with someone. You don't want to feel bad about it." (Cyril)
Clarissa wrinkled the tip of her nose.
"Can't something be done about that custom of the royal family? High-ranking nobles have the same custom, but girls are born at the same rate as boys in noble families, so I can understand why they're marrying to inherit the blood of a saint. But, it may just be a coincidence, only boys are born to the royal family. So, if your goal is to inherit the blood of a saint, I think it would be better not to marry a saint." (Clarissa)
When Clarissa expressed her dissatisfied thoughts, Cyril gave her a smile that didn't let anyone read her emotions.
"However, both Commander Savis and I are in love with the Saint." (Cyril)
"Cyril is in love with the Saint!" (Desmond)
As if he had just heard something outrageous, Desmond repeated Cyril's words.
"Commander Savis is in love with the Saint!" (Zachary)
Zachary also repeated Cyril's words.
Cyril frowned at the two of them.
"Neither of you have a wife or a lover, so you don't know what love is. Please stop making fun of it." (Cyril)
Cyril's retorted voice was uncharacteristically weak, so the two of them swallowed the words he was about to say, "You don't have a wife or a lover either!"
At that moment, Quentin spoke as if he understood.
"They say that most romances begin with assumptions and misunderstandings. Cyril isn't the type to fall in love automatically, so he's probably desperately trying to hint at it. Leave him alone." (Quentin)
Cyril, who was unexpectedly rescued by Quentin with a love story, had a strained smile on his face.
However, seeing Cyril still not talking back, the other knight Captains belatedly realized that he was becoming weak.
...Oh, that's right.
Just as Commander Savis must marry the first-class saint, Cyril must marry the second-class saint.
Perhaps, having seen the most likely candidate for first-class Saint, he guessed that the second-class Saint was also a similar woman, and was depressed by the thought of marrying such a person... He probably didn't realize that.
——Cyril had had an ideal for the Saint for many years.
The power to heal wounds on the battlefield. There was no room for debate as to how precious and grateful that was.
Therefore, Cyril, who cared about his friends and subordinates, took this value very seriously.
In addition, as a quasi-royal, he was taught to respect saints from an early age.
It seemed that these things were tied together, and Cyril's values towards the saints were fixed, and he couldn't break free from thinking that they were supreme being.
That's why, as Clarissa said, Cyril has unconsciously set a standard exclusively for saints.
And whatever the saints said or did, he interpreted it as a good thing and accepted it as "because they are saints."
However, Cyril himself was intelligent to the point of disgust, and his insight and observation skills were excellent, so deep in his heart he must understand that the Saint was not the person to whom he should offer his utmost respect.
That's probably why he was tormented by conflicting thoughts and suffering.
Seeing Cyril looking weaker than usual, all the knight Captains thought to themselves.
"Cyril is a good guy, so I want him to be happy."
"But...if he were to marry a saint, I guess it would be impossible."
For example, like Commander Savis, it would be easier if he had a foresight, but Cyril couldn't be divided.
When the air became gloomy, Clarissa let out a voice of admiration, as if to shake it off.
"If you think about it that way, Commander Savis is amazing! Even though he hates the Saint, he puts that aside, hides his feelings, and marries her. He didn't have any expectations from the beginning. He won't be disappointed, he won't want anything, and he won't harbor any feelings of hatred towards anyone for the rest of his life. He'll live his life with civility and peace...on the surface." (Clarissa)
Desmond put out his hands in a panic.
"Oh, wait, wait! Clarissa, that's just your imagination!! Commander Savis has never once said that he hates the Saint!! You, stop it! That's all, really, stop it!!" (Desmond)
Zachary, who was watching the interaction between the two, shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care.
"Clarissa talks about her imagination as if it were a fact, but most of the time it’s true, so you can’t ignore it. But even if it were a fact, there wouldn’t be any problem." (Zachary)
Desmond picked up on Zachary's words.
"Of course, there's no problem! I'm saying that it's disrespectful to imagine what Commander's thoughts are like, but I'm not denying the content of what was said! Obviously, it's love for Commander. Love is a low priority, and if you make a mistake, you won't get married for love, so if Commander is the chosen partner, there will be no problem. In the first place, Commander is the one who wants the country to function properly and the knighthood. As long as everyone is doing well, I'm sure they'll be satisfied." (Desmond)
Desmond then noticed that everyone's glasses were empty and motioned to the waiter at the counter to get them fresh drinks.
In the meantime, Zachary brought up a new topic.
"Moreover, if things continue like this, a queen might be born from the Duke Alcott family. For me, that is a more interesting story." (Zachary)
Desmond agreed with Zachary.
"Certainly, if a queen is born from the Duke Alcott family, it will be a dream come true for ten years. Perhaps Lloyd adopted Saint Priscilla in order to fulfill His Majesty the King's wish." (Desmond)
"Well, Desmond, you're just imagining things! Oh...I don't like it! Now that I think about it, we'll have all the members from 10 years ago together. Wow, nothing's going to happen." (Clarissa)
Clarissa seemed to feel a tinge of fear at what he had said, and hugged herself to suppress it.
Immediately, a dignified voice refuted her words.
"Nothing will happen. At least the tragedy will never be repeated." (Cyril)
Seeing the strong will hidden in Cyril's expression when he spoke clearly, all the knight captains held their tongues.
……it was.
The tragedy of 10 years ago was a chain of events that were intertwined—The origin of "Sutherland's Lament."
That's why Cyril considers himself responsible for many of the tragedies that have happened.
Unfortunately for Cyril, it seems that his feelings still haven't changed, and he continued in a strong tone.
"As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen." (Cyril)
Much of the information about the tragedy that occurred 10 years ago has not been made public.
Despite this, all the knight captains present had a vague understanding of the situation, so there was no way that any of them could respond to Cyril with a word...they just nodded deeply in silence.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
This will be the 200th chapter of the series.
It's long. Thank you for joining us!
Please continue to support us◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧*˚‧