"Well, Captain Desmond, I'll be off then." (Fia)
Even in this short time, I realized that Lloyd and Captain Desmond were a bad combination, so I quickly picked up my tray and stood up.
Perhaps because of his high position as a duke, Lloyd was outspoken, and perhaps it's a habit he picked up while he was a jester, but he also had a tendency to try and tease people.
On the other hand, Captain Desmond also had a tendency to tease others, so they both realized that despite having similar traits, they did not get along.
Apparently, they both were chess buddies, but it seemed their mouths were more active than their hands.
"Ah, yeah... See you later, Fia." (Desmond)
Seeing Captain Desmond hesitant about Lloyd and me going out together, I decided it would be wise to convince him about this as soon as possible.
So I put my face close to Captain Desmond's ear and explained in a low voice.
"Actually, yesterday I went out with Cerulean and Dory dressed up as a troupe of clowns. It seems we have something to discuss about that, so I'll be off for a bit." (Fia)
"Huh? So you're also dressed as a jester?! It suits you surprisingly well... No, no, that's not it, what on earth is a noble knight doing!" (Desmond)
As expected, Captain Desmond, who seemed to be engrossed in the First-class Saint selection committee issue, seemed unaware of our departure the previous day.
So even though he frowned and complained, he also had a look of understanding on his face.
Ok, so now you can see I've been caught up in the clown's whims.
I pretended to be impressed by Captain Desmond's scolding and said, "Yes, I have done something unbecoming of a noble knight, so I will strike back with a firm fist to show my remorse!" and followed Lloyd.
Well, I was a pacifist, so I had no intention of talking back to Lloyd.
Lloyd took me to a garden where the "Great Saint's Rose" was in bloom.
Of the 12 roses, two had already transformed into "Great Saint's Roses."
As we walked slowly among the roses, Lloyd stopped and turned around.
"Fia, regarding the matter of choosing the 'Great Saint's Rose' that I requested last night, after you all left, I spoke with Cerulean and we decided on our future course of action." (Lloyd)
"Yeah" (Fia)
I wondered what on earth they had talked about, and I waited for Lloyd to say next.
"After Colette awakens, we talked about how we would ask for the help of the First-class Saint to heal my sister. The meeting to choose the First-class Saint will begin in two weeks, but it will probably take another two weeks for the Chief Saint to actually be selected. Therefore, it should be a month before we can borrow the First-class Saint’s powers. So, within that month, could you please choose one rose from these that appeals to you?" (Lloyd)
"So that means we have a grace period of one month from now?" (Fia)
I was glad I wasn't told to choose right away.
Feeling relieved, Lloyd nodded in affirmation.
"I'm planning on asking the knights of the Mage Division to preserve the roses in the same condition as when they were picked, so it doesn't matter if I pick them today or tomorrow, or even a month from now. If you find a rose that catches your eye, I think it would be fine to pick one after another and preserve them, and then choose one from them at the end. Or, if nothing really catches your eye, it's okay to wait a little longer than the deadline." (Lloyd)
"Oh really?" (Fia)
I asked, wondering if he was in a hurry, and Lloyd pursed his lip.
"My sister has been asleep for ten years, so it probably won't make much difference if she is found a day or two later, or even a week or two later. Of course, it would be best if we could find it within a month." (Lloyd)
Lloyd said that, but he said last night that Colette's physical strength was at its limit, so it's better to do it sooner.
"Okay. I have a feeling we'll find it in a month." (Fia)
As I answered this, I went over the steps once more.
The roses planted here might look like ordinary roses, but they were actually a special species of rose that could transform into the "Great Saint's Rose."
And as I poured my magical power into this rose every day, it transformed into the "Great Saint's Rose."
If I were to start channeling the magic power into it now, it would take exactly one month for the transformation to take place, so I should be able to make the deadline Lloyd mentioned.
It was about the same when Commander Savis asked me to do it before.
Incidentally, 300 years ago at the royal castle, in order to prevent the "Great Saint's Rose" from naturally hybridizing with other rose species, the only rose species planted on the grounds was the "Great Saint's Rose", and it seemed that this rule was still being followed today.
Every rose within sight was a special variety of rose that had the potential to become a "Great Saint's Rose."
Hmm, how many of these should I change to "Great Saint's Rose"? I was thinking about this when I felt someone looking at me and looked up.
Then Lloyd looked at me curiously.
"Lloyd, I just pick out the roses, so if the flower happens to have the effect you want, it's just a coincidence." (Fia)
Wondering if he was suspicious of something, I pressed Lloyd to confirm.
Lloyd replied with a smile.
"Of course. But from my conversation with Fia, you seem confident that you can find a rose with the right properties. I've had so many disappointments up until now, so talking to you cheers me up." (Lloyd)
"…………" (Fia)
When he smiled at me with that bright, innocent face, I lost all my strength and couldn't say anything.
But it's much better than seeing the look of despair or pleading on their faces, I thought, thinking back to the events of last night.
"Each petal of the Great Saint's Rose has different effects, so please... choose the petal that will awaken Colette!" (Cerulean)
As he pleaded, Cerulean looked at me with pleading eyes.
It felt like I had a lump in my throat.
Ten years was a very long time.
If Cerulean and Lloyd had spent that long time feeling anxious—holding on to the hope that "Today she might wake up" and the fear that "Today she might die"—that must have been extremely painful.
If I could make things even a little easier for them, I thought I should do whatever I could to help.
"Of course! I'll choose the best rose to wake Colette up." (Fia)
The moment I replied, I noticed Curtis next to me bite his lip, but I silently pleaded with him to let it go.
In the first place……
"Since Colette’s sleep is the ‘Blessing of the Spirit King,’ it’s unclear whether she will be awakened through normal procedures. Even if we correctly select the petals required for awakening, we don’t know if it will work." (Fia)
Because I could not break the "Spirit King's Curse" that was placed on Cerulean.
The Spirit King's power was of a different kind than that of humans and was so strong that humans could not unravel it unless a mechanism had been put in place to make it possible.
However, if Colette's sleep was in accordance with Cerulean's wish, and his wish to "Stop time so that she does not die" had been granted, then surely the sleep would be lifted when it was determined that "The conditions for Colette to not die are met."
"In other words… if Cerulean works to awaken her, we may determine that the conditions for Colette to not die are met."
I blurted out what had first occurred to me, and Cerulean nodded, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.
"Fia, you really hit on a good point. Certainly, the biggest problem with this is the abnormal status 'Inflicted by the Spirit King'. As you say, since it is a blessing that was activated in response to my wish, I think there is a good chance that it will be lifted if I wish." (Cerulean)
Cerulean paused, then continued with a troubled look on his face, "But..."
"It's not easy to get something that originates from the Spirit King. Colette fell asleep because I wished so strongly, but even though I wished just as strongly, she never woke up. However, when I found the 'Great Saint's Rose', I understood. The Great Saint is of the lineage of the Spirit King who bestowed my blessing, so that is the item that will release it. If I use the correct Great Saint's petals, Colette should wake up." (Cerulean)
Cerulean's words were mixed with a great deal of wishful thinking, but it's true that the Näv royal family was founded by the son of the first Spirit King and a human, so I was of the Spirit King's bloodline in my previous life.
I was hoping that, as Cerulean said, it would work and Colette would wake up. When I thought that, Cerulean looked at me with a difficult expression.
"So, to show that this is my wish, I would like to personally give Colette the tea made with 'Great Saint's Rose'...Fia, I'm sorry for being selfish, but could you please leave it just the three of us—Lloyd, Colette, and I—when she drinks the tea?" (Cerulean)
"Huh?" (Fia)
I was so surprised I cried out, as I had assumed I would be able to be there as well.
Hmm, I recently noticed that when I was channeling magical power into the Great Saint's Rose, the effect that appeared on the petals seemed to change depending on what I was thinking about.
When I was wondering how paralysis works, a petal was created that made the body tingle, and when I was thinking about the knight who always had a serious look on their face and wondering if there was a magic that would make him find everything interesting, a petal was created that made him find everything interesting.
However, when I poured magical power into the current "Great Saint's Rose," I didn't recall wishing for it to "Cure the sleep abnormality status," so at the moment there were no petals that could cure the sleep status abnormality.
So I had chosen some harmless petals for Colette, and when I gave her some tea, I was planning to secretly cast a spell to remove any abnormal conditions, but...
"Colette's body has already reached its limit. She is getting thinner and thinner, so I think she might not be able to withstand even the wrong stimulation. So, if something were to happen... I want that scene to be just the three of us." (Cerulean)
Seeing Cerulean say this with a serious look on his face, I closed my mouth as it opened.
He was prepared for the worst.
And if Colette were to die, I would not want anyone else to be present at that sacred moment.
That's how special Colette was to him.
"...Colette is in a difficult situation right now, isn't she? I think she'll be having First-class Saint accompany her to make sure she recovers as soon as she wakes up." (Fia)
I asked, remembering what Cerulean had said earlier: if we had left Colette alone, she would have had no choice but to wait for death.
Cerulean then lowered his eyebrows sadly.
"Yes, I’m thinking of having First-class Saint wait in the next room. She’ll be able to call for Colette as soon as she wakes up." (Cerulean)
"In that case, can I wait in the next room too? I won't move or peek into the next room until I'm called!" (Fia)
Since I was also a Saint, I thought there might be a situation where I could be of some help, so I suggested this.
"Look, I have a lot of holy stones, right? Could you take them with you as spares in case anything happens to the First-class Saint?" (Fia)
Cerulean's lip trembled and he looked pitiful.
"Can I rely on you that much?" (Cerulean)
"Of course! We should do everything we can to save Colette. Also, Cerulean is in a terrible situation, having been subjected to the 'Spirit King's Curse' while at the same time continuing to pay the price for the 'Spirit King's Blessing', so you should ask more people for help." (Fia)
Because, really, Cerulean was in big trouble.
He was cursed by the Spirit King 300 years ago and his left arm could no longer move.
Although he received a blessing from the first Spirit King, it had taken away his life.
"When you put it like that, I guess I'm in a difficult situation." (Cerulean)
Cerulean frowned, as if this realization had only just occurred to him.
Well, I thought our king was pretty carefree, but... if the Cerulean blessing and curse was something he received because of his royal lineage, I wondered if it also applied to Commander Savis.
It was unclear whether the Spirit King's blessing would be activated unless the Commander wishes for something strongly, but it seemed that Cerulean had inherited the "Spirit King's curse from 300 years ago" that was passed on to the royal families.
Did that only apply to Kings?
Or perhaps Commander Savis also bear this title as a member of the royal family?
However, I quickly dismissed this idea, telling myself that Commander was not under any curse whatsoever.
I'd met Commander Savis many times, so if the Commander was cursed, I would not have failed to notice.
Just as I was feeling relieved about the conclusion I had reached, Cerulean thanked me with a beaming look on his face.
"Thank you, Fia, for taking on this! And thank you for all your efforts." (Cerulean)
Then, Lloyd, who was standing next to me, thanked me with a serious look on his face.
"Fia, I am truly grateful to you. No matter what the outcome, I will always be grateful for everything you have done." (Lloyd)
Their unusually serious response showed how much they cared about Colette, and just as I was thinking that we needed to do whatever we could, Cerulean looked apologetic.
"We were so engrossed in our conversation that it got pretty late." (Cerulean)
It was only when he said that that I realized we had been talking for quite some time.
I looked out the window and it was pitch black. Judging from the position of the moon, it certainly seemed to be late.
"A lot has happened today, so I'm sorry you're probably tired. I'll leave it at that for tonight and talk about the details tomorrow. I asked you on a whim, so I'll spend the night discussing the future with Lloyd and finalize the details." (Cerulean)
Cerulean suggested this to me, so I nodded obediently.
"Okay." (Fia)
I replied, thinking that maybe I was tired, and then left the room with Captain Curtis.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
Sorry for keeping you waiting for an update.
I will do my best (sorry that's all I can say).
Also, I apologize for mentioning a different work, but "The Villainess Has Entered the Doting Route!?" has been nominated for the Next Light Novel Award 2022.
Everyone can vote once, so we would appreciate your support.
Next Light Novel Award 2022 (submissions open until December 15th)
https://tsugirano.jp/nominate2022/
Thank you very much for your support(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⁾⁾⁾