"Isn't this the Saint from some time ago? It's nice to meet you again." (Cyril)
Even though it was an incredibly gentle voice, the moment I heard it, a chill ran down my spine.
Ah, crap, they've finally found me! I screamed in my head and tried to run away without looking back, but before I could, someone grabbed me by the arm.
"Oh dear, how cold of you. A fine saint like you, don't you have time to deal with a mere knight?" (Saint)
"...Well, well, what has a knight captain like you got to say?" (Fia)
I hesitated for a moment, but then realized I couldn't escape, so I turned around with a fake smile.
Just as expected, Captain Cyril, the First Knight Captain, was standing there.
And his expression was twice as cheerful as I had expected.
... This is bad, this is bad. This is making me really angry.
Realizing this from our previous interactions, my crisis management abilities began to kick in, telling me that this was the one time I absolutely must not go against the captain.
Therefore, with a very gentle smile on my face, I pointed out Captain Cyril's mistake.
"By the way, Captain Cyril. You have been calling me the 'Saint' for a while now, but I am wearing a knight uniform, and I am your loyal subordinate." (Fia)
Captain Cyril deftly raised one eyebrow in disapproval.
However, I was determined not to lose here, so even though my spine was tensed, I did not look away.
——The other day, when I was out on the town with Cerulean disguised as a saint, I bumped into Captain Cyril.
Being a fake-saint, I was wearing a necklace of sacred stones around my neck, but when Captain Cyril saw it, he warned me that he would give me a lecture.
"Hello, my lovely saint. That necklace is very beautiful. If I am fortunate enough to meet you again, I would love to have a long chat."
There was no one in the world who could intimidate with such a cheerful expression other than Captain Cyril.
It sent chills down my spine and from that day on I decided to avoid Captain Cyril.
In the first place, Captain Cyril was extremely busy, so it would be easy to avoid him—or so I thought, but two days later, when I was letting my guard down, I ended up running into him.
I was on my way to the cafeteria to have lunch, so my mind was occupied with the lunch menu and I neglected to pay attention to my surroundings, which was probably the reason for my defeat.
By the time I came to my senses, it was already too late, as the fine knight captain had a firm hold on my arm, making me feel despair that it was unlikely I would be able to escape so easily.
Captain Cyril must have sensed my feelings, but he continued to speak with a smile.
"Oh, Fia, do you think I'm such a fool that I'd be fooled by appearances like clothing? Hehe, the other day when I met you in town, you were definitely a Saint. If someone who can use healing magic is called a Saint, then there's no way you, who is wearing many Holy Stones, don't qualify." (Cyril)
"...That's one way of thinking about it, right?" (Fia)
Cyril gave an ambiguous answer that could be interpreted as either yes or no so as not to provoke Captain, and he nodded as if he understood.
"If that's the case, it would be strange to think that you are no longer a Saint just because the clothes you wear have changed." (Cyril)
"...Thank you for your kind words, but I am not currently wearing the Holy Stone. Therefore, I think of me as a knight rather than a Saint." (Fia)
Realizing that this was not a situation where I should affirm, I timidly denied it.
Captain Cyril then seemed to think deeply—but that was definitely an act.
"I see. If you only wore the holy stone you could have become the saint you always longed to be, yet you chose to become a knight. Of your own free will." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril asked in a flat voice, but being clever, I understood what he was saying.
Oh, this was a response to Dory's sarcasm the other day!
"Look, just look at Fia's outfit. She's a lovely saint, isn't she? Fia has a lot of potential for the future."
In response to Dory's provocation, Captain Cyril gave a spine-chilling smile and replied,
"The fact that Fia is already here is proof that she has chosen to be a knight."
Yes, I remembered. Thanks to my excellent crisis management skills, I clearly remembered the scene where Captain Cyril declared that he was a knight in response to Dory's teasing!
"Of course, Captain! Being a knight suits me better than being a saint!"
Realizing that this was the key point, I replied as forcefully as possible, but Captain Cyril looked at me with a suspicious expression.
But I was also learning every day.
In other words, it's important to speak out, whatever the facts might be.
So I clenched my hands and spoke with a serious expression.
"I want to become a great knight like Captain Cyril!!" (Fia)
Captain Cyril seemed shocked by my enthusiasm and took a step back.
"You're going to be like me? That would be nice... What part do you intend to resemble?" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril asked me timidly, and I cheered in my heart, thinking, "I did it! I've succeeded in distracting Captain Cyril!"
Then, thinking hard, I opened my mouth to speak, careful not to get the answer wrong.
"Well, Captain is a bit taller than me, so it might take some time to imitate your height." (Fia)
"What? You think if you give it enough time, you can grow to be as tall as me?... About 300 years?" (Cyril)
"My sword skills are still far from yours, Captain, but I did manage to bring my serious duel with Commander Savis to a void at the induction ceremony. By the time I reach Captain Cyril's age, I'll be able to do that." (Fia)
"No, that was only possible because your weapon was the sword of the 'Super Golden Age'. And even when you were using that legendary magic sword, the difference in strength between you and Commander Savis was obvious." (Cyril)
Even though a rookie knight was picturing a hope for the future, Captain Cyril keeps denying everything, which annoyed.
"Captain Cyril! Are you trying to ruin the future of a bright young woman?! I was just answering the question you asked me! So why are you trying to ruin every single one of my answers?!" (Fia)
Captain Cyril seemed unaware of his actions, and his eyes widened in shock before he hung his head.
"...It's true that I was wrong. I'm sorry, but I was in a position to help you grow. ...Yes, in a few more years, about five... fifty years, my waist will start to bend and we'll be about the same height. Then, by the time you reach my age... if you continue to cause unexpected incidents, you may have discovered a new legendary magic sword and become as strong as me." (Cyril)
After saying that, Captain Cyril smiled with relief, and I began to doubt his sanity, wondering if he was really praising me with that.
I glared at him and the captain blinked in confusion.
"Fia, I cannot make false statements, so I have done my best to gather and evaluate the facts." (Cyril)
What are you talking about? I have so much more to praise.
"Not at all! What an unexpected flaw in the perfect knight, Captain! Even though Captain Cyril is in a leadership position, he is catastrophically bad at giving praise to others. So, let me show you an example... 'Captain Cyril is tall, so he has long legs, right?! Wow, he has a great figure! And his sword skills are incredible! Wow, he's strong!' ...something like that." (Fia)
"What do you think?" I asked while proudly looking at Captain Cyril, but he had an indescribable expression on his face.
"...I know I'm being praised, but I'm not really happy about it. Besides, the reason why the things you and I praise are different is because the subject of the praise is someone who has strengths that are easy to praise, and someone who has strengths that are difficult to praise... No, that was just an excuse, right!" (Fia)
Glaring at him, Captain Cyril, who was a fast learner, hastily cut off his excuses.
Then, he casually changed the topic.
"By the way, Fia. Cerulean has officially requested that you be his personal guard for a while. He has always seemed arrogant and has not made many demands up until now, but this time he has insisted no matter what. He would like to borrow you for about a month." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril looked at me questioningly, and I wondered just how much he knew about the Cerulean's situation.
I had no basis for this, but I felt like Captain Cyril knew everything.
While thinking that, I considered the possibility that he didn't know anything and gave an answer that could be interpreted in any way.
"Cerulean wanted to dedicate the 'Great Saint's Rose' to Colette and asked me to choose a rose that would be perfect for her." (Fia)
"Colette's..." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril was at a loss for words, then looked as if he had just realized something.
Therefore, I realized that Captain Cyril knew that Colette was not dead after all, her time had stopped and she was still asleep.
As I stared in silence, Captain Cyril narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking about something.
"The area where the Great Saint's Rose is located had been off-limits to the public, but Cerulean requested that we allow Lloyd and a few others in, so we were wondering what was going on." (Cyril)
Now that I thought of it, I recalled that in the corner where the Great Saint's Rose was located, there were indeed knights standing at equal intervals.
However, I tilted my head and said, "I've been to that place many times and have never been reprimanded."
But then, I suddenly remembered that on the first day, when I went to see the roses with Lloyd, he had raised one hand towards the knight.
Perhaps that was the signal that I, his companion, was given permission to continue entering.
Well, Lloyd never said anything out loud, so I didn't even notice.
As I was reminiscing in surprise, Captain Cyril suddenly lowered his gaze.
"Making you choose the rose to give to Colette...Cerulean and Lloyd have decided to bet their future on you. I see, so after just one more outing together, in addition to your recent meeting with the King, you have become a favorite of theirs." (Cyril)
Then the Captain gave a small smile.
"Hehe, I guess you looked really cute in your saintly costume." (Cyril)
"…………" (Fia)
I remained silent, thinking that this was not a situation in which I should reply, when Captain Cyril looked up and said something unexpected.
"In that case, Fia, I'll beg your pardon, but could you please stay with Cerulean until he's satisfied?" (Cyril)
"Huh, is that okay?" (Fia)
Surprised by Captain Cyril's tolerance, which contradicted his previous statement that this was no time to be playing with clowns, I couldn't help but ask again.
The captain then smiled weakly.
"Yes, in fact I would like to ask for your help as well. Even though things may seem to occur individually, they are actually connected. If it weren't for Sutherland's Lament, Colette's incident might not have happened." (Cyril)
I was surprised to see Captain Cyril say that with a gloomy expression.
Huh, I thought "Sutherland's Lament" was a resolved story, but maybe there was more to it?
However, since it wasn't the kind of atmosphere where I could ask a question, I just nodded silently.